Carol Morse knew there was something wrong with her son Ryan, but she couldn’t figure out what exactly.
In a Daily Mail report, it said that Ryan complained of a headache, sore throat and aching legs. Because his skin was yellowing, Carol thought he may have glandular fever.
At school, his classmates started calling him “teabag” because of his sickly look.
“Three days before his death, his mother was forced to pick him up from school early as he was ‘shaking’ after vomiting twice and complaining of feeling ‘so ill,’” the report said.
“When he got home, his temperature changed from ‘very cold’ to ‘burning’. The next day Ryan was ‘delirious’ and ‘talking rubbish’ and his anxious mother rang the surgery.”
Carol told Dr. Thomas the symptoms her son was experiencing, after which she was told to “fetch up” so the doctor could see him.
But Carol couldn’t do that, as Ryan felt too ill. Later that day she made another phone call, this time she spoke to Dr. Rudling.
Photo credit: The Daily Mail
The court heard that, like Dr. Thomas, she ‘also ignored’ signs that the schoolboy was in critical condition.
“The doctors should have visited Ryan at his home to personally examine him,” said Prosecutor John Price QC. “Had that happened it would have confirmed the severity of the situation.”
“They would have seen a very sick child in need of immediate attention,” he added. “Ryan was in fact dying. They could have called an ambulance. If they had done as they should, his life would have been saved.”
Three months before his death, Ryan was described as being fit and healthy.
Both Dr. Thomas and Rudling denied the charges of manslaughter due to negligence against them. But Dr. Rudling was also accused of making false entries into his medical records two days after Ryan’s death.
Furthermore, she allegedly dismissed Carol’s concern over Ryan’s discoloring genitalia as a sign of puberty.
The doctors ruled Addison’s as the boy’s cause of death.
What is Addison’s disease
It is a disease characterized by progressive anemia, low blood pressure, great weakness, and bronze discoloration of the skin, caused by inadequate secretion of hormones by the adrenal cortex.
The initial symptoms of Addison’s disease may be similar to other common ailments such as depression or flu. Here are the signs you should look for:
- Fatigue, or lack of energy or motivation
- Muscle weakness
- Low mood
- Loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss
- Increased thirst
These symptoms could worsen, adding additional symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, cramps and exhaustion. You may also develop small areas of darkened skin, or darkened lips or gums.
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