EXCLUSIVE Doctors told me I had anxiety and turned me away... now I'm bedridden
A mother has been left bedridden after a doctor dismissed her life-threatening neck injury as merely pandemic-induced 'anxiety'.
Maisie Moore, from south west London, spends every day sequestered to her bed in a brace given her severe neck pain, alongside other symptoms that include high blood pressure, a racing heart and intense feelings of nausea.
The 25-year-old, who described feeling utterly 'trapped' at her ongoing predicament, first began experiencing acute discomfort in her neck more than four years ago.
A business owner with no previous medical conditions, she claimed that she first visited West Middlesex Hospital's A&E Department in March 2021 but the pain in her neck was immediately dismissed as simply 'anxiety caused by the pandemic'.
Now, both Ms Moore and her partner Rebecca, 21, have set up a GoFundMe page in a bid to cover the £55,000 cost of surgery in Spain urgently needed to help treat her rare health condition.
Speaking to MailOnline, the mother-of-one said: 'The nurse I saw was certain it was anxiety and just told me to see my GP.
'I knew it couldn't be that, I just knew. How can a feeling in your neck be anxiety?'
Rebecca also said she had her own doubts surrounding the medical professional's view, adding: 'It felt like a bunch of excuses were being made instead of somebody actually looking into the real problem.
'I feel like as a woman people often don't take your medical concerns seriously, it felt like they thought it was all in her head, it was really unfair.'
Having visited A&E more than seven times, Ms Moore was eventually referred for both X-rays and MRI scans. However, the couple were left even more disheartened when Ms Moore's results came back as normal.
With zero explanations for her bizarre new ailment, Ms Moore was eventually forced to adjust to her 'new normal' of 'slightly manageable' pain.
But, in December 2024, she said the once tolerable pain had suddenly become 'unbearable'.
The young mother found herself suffering from an alarmingly high heart rate, dizziness, numbness in her neck and forehead, alongside frequent bouts of severe fatigue.
She also reported experiencing unusual memory loss and a heightened sensitivity to light and sound.
Eventually, her unexplained symptoms had become so unpleasant that the couple were forced to fork out thousands on a specialist MRI from a private health clinic in Barcelona.
It was only then that Ms Moore finally learnt that, rather than suffering from acute anxiety, she had a rare condition called craniocervical instability.
Characterised by excessive movement at the craniocervical junction, the area in which the skull meets the spine, it is estimated to affect just 1 in every 5,000 individuals.
Given the neck is unable to support the weight of the head, the skull then becomes crushed by the brain stem.
If left untreated, it can cause rapid neurological decline, chronic fatigue, paralysis and, in the absolute worst case scenario, even life-threatening internal decapitation.
While the NHS offers treatment for many of the condition's most common symptoms, the cranio-cervical fusion surgery Ms Moore urgently needs to help stabilise her neck is currently unavailable in the UK.
Rebecca, who has been dating Ms Moore for five years, said that over the last six months she has watched in utter despair as her beloved partner has become increasingly 'depressed' and 'not herself'.
As a result of her ongoing pain, she has even forced to give up her beloved pet grooming business that she had spent years cultivating.
But, what devastates Ms Moore most, is that she fears she may be unable to watch her beloved one-year-old daughter grow up.
Ms Moore, who said she is so weak that she can barely even lift up her daughter, described the ongoing ordeal as 'devastating'.
She added: 'It's been really upsetting. I feel like I haven't been able to be a proper mum, I can't even lift her up. Without this money, I won't be able to live to see my little girl grow up. It's that simple really.'
Ms Moore, who said she feels 'let down' by the medical professional who told her that her symptoms were anxiety, said: If someone had listened to me sooner, I might not have ended up where I am now'
Rebecca added: 'Maisie's in bed almost all of the time, she's missing out on so much with our daughter.
'She (their daughter) doesn't understand why she can't be picked up and play with her mum.
'This money is so important to us as a family, because at the end of the day if we don't get it Maisie will eventually end up dying. That's the reality of it.'
Ms Moore also said that she hopes that by sharing her heartbreaking story, she may inspire other individuals to advocate for themselves more when speaking to healthcare professionals.
She added: 'I do feel a little let down by the medical professional who told me it was anxiety. If someone had listened to me sooner, I might not have ended up where I am now.
'To anyone in a similar position, I would urge them not to give up and keep persevering for answers. You know your own body.'
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