NHS Tayside has apologised for a blunder that may have shortened the life of a Perth woman.
The health service says it is reviewing the care of Nicola Lunn, who is on palliative care after two consultants admitted a mistake was made with her medication.
The mother-of-two has suffered with rheumatoid arthritis and incurable interstitial lung disease since 2010.
Nicola, 51, had been able to manage her symptoms but her condition worsened in 2019.
Back then, a mix-up meant she did not take bone protection medication – despite her being on long-term steroids, which is known to cause bone degeneration.
She has now been diagnosed with osteoporosis, so her bones are too weak to have a lung transplant that could have given her many more years of life.
The NHS can now only offer her end-of-life care and the prognosis that her symptoms will continue to worsen over the next six months.
So instead she has launched a fundraiser for stem cell therapy that could give her a few more years of life.
Half-marathon success
Nicola has been employed by the NHS for 21 years as a medical secretary at Perth Royal Infirmary.
This is a role she is sadly having to wind down due to ill health.
Previously she spent 12 years at SSE (now Ovo) as a travel supervisor, arranging flights for staff.
Problems began in 2010 when her arm was so sore that she could barely raise it above her head.
This was likely due to the rheumatoid arthritis that was subsequently diagnosed.
But there was also the discovery of a scar on her lung, which would not heal on its own.
However, she says that for the next nine years she was able to live normally with the aid of medication.
Indeed, in 2016 she even completed a half-marathon in Glasgow for the charity Bloodwise to raise funds for a family member with blood cancer.
“It took me over three hours, and I ended up walking,” Nicola said.
“But I am proud to have done it.”
Covid delays
In November 2019, Nicola began to feel more breathless.
A CT scan showed there had been deterioration in her lungs.
Her consultant referred Nicola to a specialist at the Institute of Transplantation in Newcastle with view to a lung transplant.
Covid restrictions delayed the process and it wasn’t until May this year that she had a bone scan.
“It showed I had osteoporosis,” Nicola said.
“Newcastle told me that if I had a lung transplant I wouldn’t survive because my bones may crush.
“A transplant is not a cure but it would prolong my life for a few years.”
It is difficult to pin an exact timescale but Nicola has been told she may have around two to five years left.
Apology for ‘oversight’
Nicola’s devastation was compounded by the realisation that an error was made with her treatment.
A letter from consultant rheumatologist Su-Yin Tan on June 16 explained that in May 2019 a GP prescribed bone strengthening drugs alendronic acid and accrete D3.
But there were no records of Nicola requesting a repeat prescription so she went without.
A letter on June 19 by consultant physician Paul Cadden said: “I have apologised to you and your brother today with regards to the oversight that we had made from my own perspective and that of our teams locally with regards to your bone protection treatment.
“The GP practice is also looking at what happened in the past as we are all keen to learn lessons that may prevent this type of problem occurring in the future.
“Symptoms have progressed over the last six months and therefore…we should expect that you have symptoms that may increase over a similar time period.”
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside added: “Clinicians have apologised to Ms Lunn and continue to be in direct contact with her.
“A review of her care is underway, and the outcome will be shared with Ms Lunn and any learning shared with the team involved in her care.”
Nicola said: “Obviously I’m devastated but that won’t change the outcome for me.
“If the investigation into what went wrong stops this from happening to someone else that can only be a good thing.”
Leaving Methven for single-floor home
Nicola is able to talk and feels okay when she sits still.
“But as soon as I go to move or do anything I have to put oxygen on,” she said.
She has a home concentrator and two portable oxygen cylinders that she takes with her when she goes out.
“I can’t really walk far,” she added.
“I have managed to walk around a bistro but then needed to get back to the car. I can walk about 50 yards.
“I used to take the dog out for a walk and can’t even do that now.”
Nicola has lived in Methven most of her life, but her brother, sons and aunt are in Perth.
So she is in the process of moving to the Fair City into a stair-less single-floor property.
Switzerland trip for treatment
And she is determined to maximise the rest of the time she has left.
The only remaining option to give her a few more years of life is stem cell therapy.
Also known as regenerative medicine, this promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives.
Stem cells grown in a lab are manipulated to specialise into specific types of cells, such as heart muscle cells, blood cells or nerve cells.
The treatment is not available in the UK so she may have to travel to Switzerland, where it doesn’t come cheap.
Her sister-in-law Rachel Lunn set up a crowdfunder on June 10 with a target of £15,000.
Already more than £4,000 has been raised.
“I was a bit apprehensive because of people knowing your business,” Nicola said.
“But I swallowed my pride and just did it.”
‘I want to see my sons get married and have children’
The most recent online total was £3,865, with an additional £500 in cash donations.
“I have got people at my work doing fundraisers,” Nicola said.
She has previously participated in bowling and darts teams in Methven, and both are also holding fundraisers for her.
Plus, her sons Harry, 26, and Peter, 22, are doing a Ben Nevis sponsored walk with friends in September.
“It’s amazing what people are prepared to do for you,” Nicola said.
“I did not expect this amount of money and help.
“People have been sponsoring me who don’t even know me.
“It’s totally amazing.
“My condition will just get worse, which is why I am prepared to go down the stem cell therapy route.
“It’s not going to cure me either but it could give me more years.
“I want to see my sons get married and have children.”
Click here to contribute to Nicola’s GoFundMe fundraiser
