My physical deformity left me feeling invisible - but one surgeon saw me
Summary
Charlie Clarke, 26, has pectus excavatum, a congenital chest condition that can compress the heart and lungs. She says the condition caused breathlessness and distress, and that she was bullied and hid it as a teenager; she is now waiting for surgery in Northern Ireland.Key Facts
- Pectus excavatum can make the chest look sunken or hollow.
- The condition affects about one in every 200 people, according to the information provided.
- Clarke says her compressed heart and lungs trigger breathlessness and a faster heart rate, and she has sometimes lost consciousness.
- Clarke says she was misdiagnosed, including being told she had anxiety, and was referred to a thoracic surgeon at age 23.
- Eighty-five people in Northern Ireland are waiting for surgery for pectus conditions; five have been waiting for more than five years.
- Northern Ireland's Department of Health says it has funded additional surgeries and agreed to a further proposal intended to reduce waiting numbers and times.
- Thoracic surgeon Niall McGonigle says his own experience of a pectus deformity and surgery at age 17 helped inspire his medical career.
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