A Moray man struck down by a mystery illness says he is on the road to recovery – thanks to the Press and Journal
Bill Heaton, 84, said he felt let down by health and social services following a two-month ordeal which left him in hospital for 14 days.
Despite suffering from a serious ling condition, he says he was advised by his GP to take Strepsils throat lozenges.
But he said that since his plight was highlighted in the newspaper, efforts had been made to improve his quality of life.
Weeks ago the former lorry driver was barely able to navigate his way around his home in Brodie and struggled with day-to-day tasks.
Now railings have been installed at the property to improve his mobility, a carer visits him once a week and he receives meals on wheels three times a week.
Fresh efforts are also being made to get to the bottom of his debilitating medical condition.
Mr Heaton said: “I think taking my story public started something, and social services are paying more attention to my case now.
“Within a week there was a doctor down at the house, and I’ve been visited by occupational and physiotherapists.
“It’s as if the penny has suddenly dropped and now my case is being taken seriously.
“The meals are a great help, as are rails around the home and in the shower.
“I look at that as the first steps being made, and now we just need to find out what is wrong with me.”
Mr Heaton’s Forres-based doctor advised him to take lozenges for a suspected sore throat, but he was ultimately diagnosed with fluid on the lungs and is still battling a suspected neurological condition caused by his illness.
His troubles started after a trip to Las Vegas earlier this year.
He became ill on a flight to New York on April 3 and had to spend nine hours in Jamaica Hospital in Queens.
Mr Heaton was put on a course of antibiotics and arrived back in the north-east two days later as his condition worsened.
The pensioner checked himself into a nursing home at Forres for six days, where he suffered multiple choking attacks.
It was then he was told to take lozenges and not to attend the centre as there was nothing staff there could do for him.
After dialling 999 because he felt so ill, Mr Heaton was taken to Leanchoil Hospital in Forres, where he remained for two weeks without diagnosis.
He has now moved to a different doctor, and is considering taking legal action against NHS Grampian.
The health board said it had launched an investigation into Mr Heaton’s treatment, but declined to comment on the specifics of his case.
The pensioner said his main priority now was getting better.
He added: “The doctors suspect my inability to stand is caused by something in the brain, and I just hope whatever it is can be treated.”