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

[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.

[Lx]

Great diagnosis by the first Doctors. Tell me again how good British health care is? Poor girl.

[ClearCase_guy]

After all, England is not exactly a backward nation when it comes to medicine.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm. Ya sure?

[Brilliant]

And why, exactly, couldn't a British doctor figure this out?

[AQGeiger]

They probably could, but knew that the NHS would never pay for it, and so they never mentioned it.

[msnimje]

Does England have Socialized medicine?

[JLS]

And why, exactly, couldn't a British doctor figure this out?
_____________________________________________

No incentive. They had her alive. They were not paying for the feeding processes. They had nothing to gain from following up on the case. On to the next form.

[Jeff Head]

"they (Standofrd) ran three tests and found out what was wrong with her. Nothing.

Amazing.

[stan_sipple]

another miracle from the world of socialized medicine. Cant wait until Hill-Bill impose collectivist medicine here--wait an AMERICAN medical facility cured this girl.

[KarlInOhio]

Well, at least she didn't use her teeth for all those years, so she didn't have to deal with British dentistry.

[glaseatr]

Just Damn

I'm NOT going to make any cracks about how great the medical system is in England...Ooops too late.

[Mr. K]

"Tilly had several cases of severe pneumonia as a baby, and her mother said that doctors in the socialized British system clung to the palsy diagnosis.

Hillary Health Care is already in England.

[TheOtherOne]

Tilly also needed a modified barium swallow, which allowed occupational therapist Marianna Thorn to track whether food was going into her stomach or lungs.

Yuck. I had a barium swallow once...I had crackling in the skin on my chest and they wanted to check for leaks in my stomach or lungs.

[KarlInOhio]

Hillary Health Care is already in England.

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.

[NorCalRepub]

haha.....that is a good question and I was about to get all sanctimonious about this until I remembered we have our fill of doctors here who do cool things like amputate the wrong leg of someone.......

[PBRSTREETGANG]

After just one week they've got her chowing at Jack in the Box?

They probably should've waited a little bit on that call...her intestines may never recover now.

[Richard Kimball]

Cox said he has contacted the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, asking doctors to follow up in the coming months to make sure Tilly eats enough and isn't having complications. They will also need to remove the small valve on her stomach, the one used for more than 7 1/2 years as the portal for her food supply.

I'd be d*mned if I'd let the same quacks that destroyed her childhood get their hands back on her.

[Cogadh na Sith]

The unstated subtext to this is that in other parts of Europe, the 'inability to lead a normal life' would have made her a candidate for gov-sponsored euthanasia.....

[missyme]

Everyone shoud take care of there health eat all you want as long as it's doing something good for your body, although we all have moments of weakness...

[Lx]

Hillary Health Care is already in England.

And what a fine system it is!