CITY RESIDENT DWAYNE GITTENS says he has been waiting for surgery at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) for the past 16 years.
And he is adamant that if he had received the surgery when he was a teenager he would not be suffering today.
The 32-year-old has Blount’s disease, a growth disorder of the tibia (shin bone) that causes the lower leg to angle inward, resembling a bow leg.
His condition has got considerably worse over the years to the extent that he now has to use a walker and he has developed chronic arthritis.
The resident of Baxters Road said he was diagnosed at 15 years old when his legs started to deform.
“I was taken to a private doctor but my family could not pay for the surgery so the doctor transferred me to the hospital,” he said. “From then I have been getting the constant runaround. I going around in a circle all the time. I was put on the waiting list and nothing never happened.”
Five years ago Gittens went to another doctor, who also transferred him to the QEH, where he was placed on the waiting list again.
Over the years his feet have become more deformed and he has developed arthritis in both knees. Eventually it became difficult for him to continue working as a security guard and he was deemed medically unfit.
He has been receiving welfare assistance for the past three years but Gittens said he longed to be in a position to help himself.
“I have arthritis in both knees. I don’t mind that so much because the knees ain’t sitting down properly but I have arthritis in my right hip now and that got me lick up because normally I would be running ’bout the place but now I have to restrict my movements. I can’t even hand-wash clothes because I can’t bend down. Even when I lying down I have to put a pillow under my hip because the pain does be so severe.”
He said the last orthopaedic surgeon he went to informed him that it would be difficult for him to get the surgery now that he was older.
“He said the reason why I am not getting the surgery is because it is a major risk; I am older and the bones harder,” Gittens said. “And secondly the hospital runs by schedule so he could schedule me but that doesn’t mean I will get the surgery.”
Living with the deformity has been difficult for Gittens, who said he had to endure stares from people and disparaging remarks about his condition.
“People look at me and laugh and insult me. I even isolate myself from society because of the insults and thing. Even the little children does be staring and laughing. I believe that there should be awareness about these kinds of diseases. I know people with the same disease and they tell me the same thing in terms of the struggle of dealing with it. Right now it playing on me mentally because there is no one out there to turn to. I reach out to the Council For the Disabled and the Disability Unit and all kinds of people and everybody does send me back to Welfare.”
Given this situation, Gittens said he would like to be considered for hip replacement surgery.
“I tired of fighting. Right now I feel like giving up. Everywhere I turn I can’t get no help. This is my last resort because even if I can’t get the operation, give me a hip replacement so I can get on with my life.”
This column sent an email to hospital director Dr Dexter James asking for a response to Gittens’ plight. Up to press time none was forthcoming.
