Molly Cullingford, now 19, suffered chronic cramps, migraines and nausea for months before she was diagnosed with a serious heart condition
A teenager diagnosed with a serious heart condition said she was dismissed repeatedly as just anxious – despite visiting the doctor more than ten times. Molly Cullingford was only 16 when she started to suffer constant cramps, migraines, and nausea in August 2021.
She was initially told she was just anxious about starting college – then Molly’s health took a dramatic turn for the worse as her symptoms escalated. “I began to not be able to stand up for long periods of time, and I wasn’t able to keep food down,” Molly said.
“We had a home visit from the doctor and I was told I had a kidney infection.” The next day, Molly’s health declined so severely that she was taken to hospital, facing severe chest pain, a racing heart and numbness in her left arm. It was then that tests found chronic rheumatic myopericarditis, resulting in permanent damage to her heart valves, reports Cornwall Live.
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Molly faced the “scariest moment” of her life after her diagnosis. “I never thought it would be anything serious, because as a 16 year old you would think it would never happen to you,” she said.
“It was a major shock to both me and my family as there is no history of heart conditions in my family.” Her understanding of the disease only came through her own reading after diagnosis, she said.
“Even after I was diagnosed I didn’t realise how serious it is – I only learnt after teaching myself. I was initially really scared, I thought my life was going to be incredibly limited from then on, and I’d have to learn how to manage this all on my own. It was scary as I knew nobody with this condition or anything similar, so I felt isolated,” admitted Molly.
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Molly, now 19 and a restaurant manager, had to navigate her teenage years with this unnerving health scare. Despite her ambitions to become a nurse and having a rich social life, she faced the unexpected challenge of her diagnosis during Covid-19.
She said: “Being in hospital during Covid times and being 16 meant I wasn’t told anything by nurses and it all went through my parents. I never really learnt what I’d been diagnosed with until I was discharged.”
She said doctors repeatedly did not listen to her concerns – and that only amplified her anxiety. “Being dismissed constantly eventually made me incredibly cautious about raising further concerns,” Molly said. Her frequent visits to the doctor before hospital admission were futile, she said. “Before being admitted to hospital I went to the doctors over 10 times saying something was wrong, and got sent home with nothing every time,” she said.
The experience has left her apprehensive about seeking medical help, she said. “After being discharged I was nervous to go back to the doctors for the fear that I would just be dismissed again,” she said. “I developed anxiety and was put on further medication to manage this.”
Molly’s health hurdles continued with adverse drug reactions and recurrent kidney infections, rendering her immune system fragile. But hope glimmered when a new cardiologist came into the picture. She said: “Around nine months ago, over two years after my diagnosis, I got paired with a new cardiologist who has been so amazing and majorly helped my symptoms.” The Cornish teen found solace in her cardiologist’s advice, embracing gym sessions to fortify her heart health. “She suggested joining the gym and more exercise to improve my heart health,” she said.
Molly’s life was drastically altered by her illness, forcing her to make significant adjustments. She said:”I still work closely with doctors, have frequent appointments and take medication to manage my symptoms – but they have improved. Last year my symptoms were the worst, and I was too anxious to go anywhere that I might not be able to get instant help.”
Her condition made her become withdrawn. She said: “I stopped going to concerts, wouldn’t go anywhere on my own and limited my life. However, my mental and physical health has majorly improved. Even though I do have frequent flare ups, I know what my body is now capable of and I no longer limit myself.”
Molly now hopes to raise awareness about heart conditions, pointing out that they can be invisible but still have a profound impact on someone’s life. “I wish more people knew that just because people with heart conditions may present themselves as fine, it can be incredibly difficult to process being diagnosed and then learning how to live with it,” she said.
The teenager said the support of her loved ones was crucial in her recovery, and she aims to educate others about the unpredictability of heart conditions. She said: “I am so lucky I had such an amazing support system of my family and friends that helped me get through this. Heart conditions can affect anybody, even at such a young age. I never thought it would happen to me, but everyone should know it can.”
The experience has transformed her life, she noted. She said: “I have grown both mentally and physically since my diagnosis. I am very open about my condition in hopes it raises awareness and hopefully makes a change with how young girls are treated when raising concerns about their health. I love being active, and going on long walks with my dog and friends. I work with an amazing team that are always supportive, especially when it comes to my health.”
Find out more at Heart Research UK at www.heartresearch.org.uk
