Doctors continued to assure Aimee Wellington, of south Wales, nothing was wrong when she regularly battled exhaustion and often felt generally unwell and dizzy around her period
A woman was told her symptoms were “all in her head” — only to be diagnosed with a liver condition.
Aimee Wellington had, for nearly 20 years, battled almost continuous exhaustion and often felt generally unwell and dizzy around her period – but doctors continually assured her there was nothing wrong. When Aimee, 34, suffered brain fog and found her stomach would become bloated, she pushed for a diagnosis.
But one doctor implied Aimee was “a young, emotional woman” and had nothing was wrong. Recalling a conversation with this doctor, Aimee said: “He suggested I was an emotional young woman and that it was all in my head. I went home and cried. I genuinely questioned myself, asking ‘What if he was right?'”
Yet, Aimee, who is from Port Talbot, south Wales, was soon diagnosed with Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic condition that affects the liver and skin. It can cause jaundice and can increase the risk of gallstones, which can be extremely serious.
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Aimee had to switch GP surgeries in order to get her diagnosis, which came after doctors found increased levels of bilirubin in her system after blood tests. There is no treatment for Gilbert’s syndrome.
But speaking to the Mail Online, the 34-year-old woman told how she manages her symptoms every day. She added: “I can go from being extremely active to barely able to get off the sofa for days at a time. I go to the gym six days a week and I love running – but during a flare-up, all of that goes out the window.”
Aimee, who also suffers with bloating, wants to warn other women — and men — to be confident when they experience any changes to their body, and always push for tests. She also suggests others to manage their lifestyle, even if they have not been diagnosed with any similar conditions.
“When I feel my symptoms creeping in, I sometimes book time off work to accommodate how well I know I’m going to feel after a stressful or high-energy event,” Aimee continued.
Gilbert’s syndrome affects around 5 per cent of the population. It’s caused by a mutation in the UGT1A1 gene which interferes with how the body processes bilirubin — a yellow byproduct generated by the breakdown of old red blood cells.
Dr Nadir Abbas, a consultant gastroenterologist and liver specialist with the House of Health private healthcare group in Birmingham, said: “We don’t fully understand why this happens, but unprocessed bilirubin can cross into the brain, and some research suggests that may help explain the sluggish thinking and low energy people experience during episodes.”
