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Girl eats real food for first time in 7 1/2 years after doctors at Stanford solve mystery
SF CHRONICLE ^ | Thursday, February 24, 2005 | Dave Murphy, Chronicle Staff Writer

Posted on 02/24/2005 1:47:43 PM PST by paltz

From the time Tilly Merrell was a year old, doctors told her family she would never have a normal life -- or even a normal meal.

British doctors found that the food she swallowed went into her lungs instead of her stomach, causing devastating lung infections. They said she had isolated bulbar palsy, and their solution was to feed her through a stomach tube. Forever.

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: england; medicine
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To: missyme

it must be raining to much down there in San Diego missyme, what does that have to do with the little girl who was misdiagnosed??????? hmmmmm......are ya missing the beautiful sunshine too much?.......LOL.......


21 posted on 02/24/2005 2:04:53 PM PST by NorCalRepub
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To: Ohioan from Florida

ping!


22 posted on 02/24/2005 2:06:24 PM PST by paltz
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To: NorCalRepub

LOL... looking at 2 computers Work and FR need to see where I am at on both :) Don't say the "R" word!

Blue Skies today but I am told short lived. Storm on the horizon for the weekend!


23 posted on 02/24/2005 2:08:17 PM PST by missyme (imho)
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To: paltz
I'm just happy for the girl :)

Many are using this to talk about England's health care system. One thing that occurs to me is that a significant aspect of any socialized system is that you don't have the right to sue. At least, I can't imagine there is the lawsuit system like we have here; perhaps a limited review/damages system at best. (Brits correct me if I'm wrong of course)

Everyone makes mistakes. I'm sure there are plenty of US medical horror stories. But it strikes me that if this had happened in the States, those initial doctors and anyone who continued to cling to the diagnosis, would have their pants sued off. Imagine, the first seven years of her life like this! Imagine that little girl in front of a jury, talking about cookies and cheese and hamburgers. Trial lawyers would be drooling.

I'm not saying that litigiousness is great or anything. We're certainly too far in the other direction in my opinion. But isn't it interesting that lefties, who usually defend the right to sue, at the same time continually seek a system that would suppress it and allow for mistakes like this to go uncompensated.

24 posted on 02/24/2005 2:09:12 PM PST by Dr. Frank fan
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To: paltz
Tilly's plight drew media attention in England, from stories in the Daily Mirror and Worcester Evening News to several visits from the BBC, which is working on a documentary about her.

Would be interesting to compare the British media coverage. Say, anybody care to go find the British stories and provide the links?

25 posted on 02/24/2005 2:09:13 PM PST by Plutarch
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To: Brilliant

Too busy buggering or Jihading around?


26 posted on 02/24/2005 2:10:23 PM PST by Quix (HAVING A FORM of GODLINESS but DENYING IT'S POWER. 2 TIM 3:5)
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To: missyme

haha......you are forgiven since I'm fond of San Diego County folk.....plus you are gonna buy me a drink at the Beachcomber when I come down.........LOL


27 posted on 02/24/2005 2:12:53 PM PST by NorCalRepub
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To: Lx
Not just the first doctors. This girl obviously had ongoing medical monitoring for the 6.5 years she was being tube-fed. All that time, and NOT ONE DOCTOR NOTICED THAT NOTHING was wrong with her?!?!?!?!?

If a child was believed to have such a condition, wouldn't she be evaluated periodically to determine whether newer surgical procedures could re-route food properly? Evaluations which surely would have illuminated the fact that no re-routing was needed?

28 posted on 02/24/2005 2:13:36 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Lx
This is a horrible story -- a mis-diagnosis that is no unbeleiveable I don't know where to start and the Girl essentially that has to rescue herself from the brittish medial disnosis herself by finding on the internet a hospital in america that has someone with a similiar condition. if she had not perservered she would for the rest of her life be walking adound with tthat backpack.

I am speechless.

29 posted on 02/24/2005 2:14:37 PM PST by Rocketman
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To: KarlInOhio
"Can't you see a private doctor (if you have the cash) in England? That was one thing Hillary didn't want, the remnant of a private system for those who could afford it."

You are correct on both counts. A thriving private medical system exists in GB for those who are willing and able to pay, and Hillary wanted to criminalize the existence of the same thing in the U.S.

30 posted on 02/24/2005 2:16:18 PM PST by Irene Adler
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To: NorCalRepub

If it keeps raining I will need to check if it's still there! or if it will be a swim up to Bar/Restaraunt!
Keep thinking "dry" no more "wet"!


31 posted on 02/24/2005 2:16:31 PM PST by missyme (imho)
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To: Rocketman

If I were her parents I'd be lining up a book deal. The tear-jerker combination of the horrible wrong inflicted on this little girl and her family, combined with the very serious current issue of the expansion of socialized medicine, would make a detailed account of this story a good seller.


32 posted on 02/24/2005 2:19:03 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Lx

Yikes, what a long time she suffered needlessly. Just a good thing her grandmother had the time and courage to continue to look for help. And got it. And now a happy ending for her. Now the socialized 'medical' staff who treated her must be nervous that they will lose more 'patients' who might seek second opinions.


33 posted on 02/24/2005 2:19:14 PM PST by fortunecookie
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To: PBRSTREETGANG
After just one week they've got her chowing at Jack in the Box?

Yeah, but that's practically health food compared to British cuisine.

34 posted on 02/24/2005 2:19:29 PM PST by B Knotts
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To: paltz

The little girl is adorable. Such a sad mistake but she seems happy enough... Thank God for the Grandmother who kept questioning.


35 posted on 02/24/2005 2:20:13 PM PST by KansasConservative1
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To: paltz
Most parents know that it is not unusual for a child to aspirate food, especially milk and liquids.

especially a hyper one.

It is one of the first problem you encounter and it requires phrases like "slow down" "take your time" don't talk while eating or swallowing"........etcetera.....

It is amazing they had nothing with which to justify the diagnoses but one symptom of it.

36 posted on 02/24/2005 2:22:28 PM PST by Cold Heat (What are fears but voices awry?Whispering harm where harm is not and deluding the unwary. Wordsworth)
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To: paltz
So on the morning of Feb. 15, Amelia Merrell put her daughter's backpack away. It hasn't been used since.

Genuinely feel-good articles are rare and hard to find these days.

When I got to this line, I was grinning like an idiot.
Being a parent can do that to you.

37 posted on 02/24/2005 2:35:01 PM PST by Publius6961
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To: GovernmentShrinker
I agree something should be done. I beleive the british socilaized medical community is largely immune to a lawsuit so a book or movie would even things up.

Though I have a question mark about her parents that seemed good with this? And why it was that the child had to rescue herself?

38 posted on 02/24/2005 2:35:02 PM PST by Rocketman
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To: Rocketman

I don't understand what you mean by "rescue herself". The article says her grandmother spent years searching the internet and her "family" raised the money to go the U.S. specialists that the grandmother found.


39 posted on 02/24/2005 2:39:48 PM PST by GovernmentShrinker
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To: paltz

...and in 10 years, British authorities will arrest her and confine her to a mental hospital if she eats too much and gets fat.


40 posted on 02/24/2005 2:40:40 PM PST by MediaMole
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