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A mum is desperate to get help for her teenage daughter who has been left crying in agony with a stomach condition.
Lucie Low has been in hospital since January 6 and unable to get out of bed because she is in so much pain.
The Chatham Grammar School pupil has been diagnosed with a rare digestive disorder called superior mesentric arterial syndrome.
Her mum Zoe Low believes her daughter needs specialist care and friends have started a fundraising campaign to get Lucie treatment at a private hospital.
Zoe, 36, from Rainham, said: “Lucie is in pain 24/7. She is so distressed. She is crying and screaming out my name. The only way to describe it is like she is in labour, she is doubled over.”
Lucie has been suffering from stomach problems since August last year when she started getting pains in her tummy every time she ate.
From October, the pain got a lot worse and Lucie’s weight started to plummet.
Lucie had several trips to the hospital and saw different doctors but kept being told it was constipation and sent home.
In three months Lucie lost 14kg in weight. She was eventually admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital for tests.
"I have had to see my beautiful 13-year-old daughter go from being a normal teenage girl to not being able to get out of bed" - mum Zoe Low
Zoe said: “She went in for scopes and went in stood up straight and ended up doubled over in pain and has been ever since.
"She was only meant to be in for two days and ended up being in for 10.”
Lucie was then transferred to Medway Maritime Hospital and has been cared for on the children’s ward since then.
But Zoe says her daughter is only being given pain relief and the hospital do not have the specialists needed to treat her.
Doctors have contacted a number of other hospitals but so far not found Lucie the help she needs.
Zoe said: “I have had to see my beautiful 13-year-old daughter go from being a normal teenage girl to not being able to get out of bed. She usually loves school and she really misses her friends.
"She is a real bookworm but she isn’t even able to read because she is in so much pain. I feel helpless, I’m desperate for her to get the help she needs.
“I have spoken to so many consultants and been to PALS [ the patient advice and liaison service] and the nurses are doing everything they can but it is not getting us anywhere.
"I set up a page on Facebook as a last resort, just to see if I could get any help.”
Warning: Some may find this video distressing to watch
A spokesman for Medway Maritime Hospital said: “The paediatric team at Medway Maritime Hospital are doing everything possible to care for Lucie and to support her family.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to discuss individual patient cases, so cannot provide any further comment at this stage.”
Lucie’s friends have now set up a donation site to raise money for her to have private treatment. In just 24 hours they have raised more than £2,000.
