Kerry Van Der Merwe has been fighting to be allowed surgery for a condition that baffles many GPs.
According to the NHS, pectus has little psychological impact on the patient but it can sometimes cause distress"leading to concerns about appearance, withdrawal and social isolation".The condition can be treated with the Nuss procedure, which involves the placing of one or more metal bars to correct the abnormal shape of the chest. The bars stay in place for two to three years.
The Wolverhampton-based biochemistry graduate managed to get Nuss surgery in March, a year after first applying and being rejected. Because her chest dip was so deep, surgeons were only able to insert one metal bar. It ended up flipping on its side, and the 26-year-old was left bedridden while waiting for corrective surgery.
Ms Bruce said she would not be in the position she is in now had the operation happened 15 years ago, when her bone structure was still forming and the chances of flipping were lower. She said she too reported breathlessness and an accelerated heart rate but was not correctly diagnosed for years."I am shocked at the amount of GPs I've seen and none of them have known anything about it."
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