Denied help: MS sufferer blasts health bosses

James Kell • Published 27 Aug 2010 16:28

A WOMAN whose life is blighted by MS has slammed the NHS for dismissing a treatment that could help her and potentially save thousands on expensive drugs.

Suzanne Harvey believes new research holds the key to a condition strongly linked to MS, but funding chiefs say they need more evidence, forcing her to raise thousands of pounds for private treatment.

Suzanne said: “It’s insane, they’ll put me on expensive drugs that cost £3,000 to £6,000 a month but they won’t look at this.

“Because of MS I’ve lost the ability to be the person I was. I’m a person who likes to live life and within six months I could be in a scooter.”

The mother-of-one, from Theale, was diagnosed in July last year and offered drug treatment to slow the progress of the disease, but after talking to other MS sufferers online about potential side effects, she refused. A concerned friend then alerted her to research from Italy into a condition called chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).

Nail technician Suzanne, 39, said: “It means the veins that drain blood away from the brain and spinal chord have been compromised, and when that happens you get reflux because it’s carrying iron deposits.

“It’s dirty blood essentially and that’s what causes nerve damage. Research shows 90% of people with MS had blocked veins in their neck and chest.”

Suzanne paid for an ultrasound scan at a Glasgow clinic which showed she had a problem with a vein in the right-hand side of her neck, but bosses at NHS Berkshire West are refusing to fund the £6,000 “ballooning” procedure which could be used to try to open up the vein.

Spokesman Richard McCrann said: “There is wide acknowledgement that there has been insufficient research in this field to establish clearly that there is a major link between CCSVI and MS.

“While many people welcome any potential breakthrough in treatments for MS, NHS Berkshire West remains cautious about this treatment until its clinical effectiveness has been positively established. The PCT cannot provide routine funding for this procedure at this stage.”

Suzanne is now looking to raise money for treatment and is holding an auction with TV star Faith Brown at Trunkwell House, Beech Hill, on Tuesday, October 12. For more information, email sjharvey@talktalk.net

l Have you been denied life-enhancing medication or treatment by the NHS? Email letters@readingchronicle.co.uk

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