A woman says she experienced years of "medical gaslighting" and had her appendix unnecessarily removed while battling for the right diagnosis.
Sophie Spindler, 33, was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) a condition that affects how ovaries function in 2006, aged 15, following a painful collapse.
Sophie, a recruitment consultant, felt "helpless, scared and lonely" as her "debilitating" symptoms continued over the subsequent years, often confining her to bed - but she knew they were not just PCOS-related.
In her quest for "answers", she said doctors proposed her symptoms could be linked to kidney stones, phantom pain and even appendicitis - inflammation of the appendix - and she underwent surgery to remove her appendix while studying at university.
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