Jodie rewrites medical history

Doctors thought they knew everything there was to know about appendicitis, that is until Jodie Goulden as admitted to hospital.

Jodie was just 15 when she was rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital suffering from one of the most unusual appendicitis cases the hospital had ever seen.

Her bladder and intestines had wrapped around her enlarging appendix in an attempt to protect it, but causing a headache for doctors, and a lifethreatening risk for the teeangers.

She and her parents had just two choices: : go for surgery to remove her appendix, which would cause irreparable damage to her vital organs or wait for her bladder and intestines to unravel, risking the chance of her appendicitis rupturing inside her and poisoning her system.

“I was lucky enough to be under the care of an incredible surgeon, Dr. Godbole,” recalls the 27-year-old accountant who lives in Wadsley Bridge, South Yorkshire.

“He was reluctant to operate because the damage the surgery would do to my organs could have left me relying on a colostomy bag for the rest of my life.

“But I didn’t seem to be getting any better and if my appendix ruptured inside of me it was going to do a huge amount of damage too.”

The team looking after Jodie waited for two weeks, keeping her nil-by-mouth so that she could be operated on within a moment’s notice, should her appendix start to rupture.

“Before the surgery I had one last scan and by some miracle everything had gone back to normal – literally overnight,” say Jodie.

“My bladder had unravelled and I was showing signs of getting better. Dr Godbole said he’d never seen anything like it before.

“He said that I’d rewritten the medical history books with my appendix case. It meant that I could have my appendix taken out as normal which was such a relief.”

“When I heard that everything had gone back to normal I couldn’t believe it. I’d been psyching myself up for this operation and I was terrified because I’m frightened of needles. I was having cannulas in my hands every day and it was horrible.”

Jodie is now in training g to run this year’s London Marathon on behalf of The Children’s Hospital Charity as a way of thanking the hospital that saved her.

“The Children’s Hospital Charity is amazing,” sasy Jodie who started fund-raising for the hosptial charity a few years ago.

“I know first-hand how much work goes into making the hospital such an incredible place. Raising money for the charity is my way of repaying the hospital for the treatment I got as a teenager.

“The doctors and nurses at the Children’s hospital were absolutely amazing while I was in there and I know there are there are thousands and thousands of children who have been treated and whose lives have been saved because of them.

“It’s all about raising as much as possible to help other children get better.”

Jodie is currently organising a race night at Owlerton Stadium in Hillsborough with all proceeds from ticket sales going towards The Children’s Hospital Charity.

“I’ve also got two Sheffield Wednesday match tickets and a signed football shirt to auction,” she says, “and I’ve been in touch with Sheffield United who have given me two match tickets which is brilliant as well.”

But most of her focus is on getting fit for the marathon which take placed in April.

“The furthest I’ve run is 15 miles so I’m nervous but I know that I can train to do it,” says Jodie who is hoping to raise £2,000.

“When I signed up for the Sheffield Half Marathon I’d never run more than 5k before. I was raising money for The Children’s Hospital Charity then too so that spurred me on.

“I’d love to do the marathon in less than four and a half hours. I’m really excited to represent Sheffield down south.”

Fundraising Assistant for The Children’s Hospital Charity, Caitlin Hallatt, said “Jodie’s case just goes to show how incredible the surgeons, doctors and nurses at Sheffield Children’s Hospital truly are.

“It’s vitally important as a charity that we continue to support them by funding specialist equipment and research and it’s thanks to amazing people like Jodie that we can.”

Sheffield Children’s Hospital is one of four stand-alone children’s hospitals in the UK with children coming from all over Yorkshire, the UK and the world for specialist care.