A mum whose four-year-old son contracted a rare disease that’s been associated with Victorian slums says she doesn’t blame her GP for initially missing his shock diagnosis
11:00, 10 Jan 2026Updated 11:27, 10 Jan 2026
Elliot West’s mum was told his ‘weird’ walk was just attention-seeking(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A concerned mum who took her four-year old son to their GP after growing concerned about a number of symptoms including a “weird” gait was told he was just putting it on for “attention”.
Megan West said that her son Elliot developed the odd way of walking – putting his feet too far out the sides and flaring his arms – in December 2024. But it wasn’t until June the following year that she discovered the true cause of his symptoms.
While doctors had initially put Elliot’s symptoms down to viral infections, they also claimed he might have started walking weirdly because he was jealous of the attention his baby sister was getting.
But an X-ray revealed in June 2025 that the lad was suffering from spinal tuberculosis – a bacterial infection that can affect the bones in the spine.
The disease, commonly associated with people living in crowded and poorly ventilated Victorian slums, is comparatively rare in developed countries. Megan, from Coventry, West Midlands says that her son could have been treated much sooner if she hadn’t been “dismissed” by medics.
(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Megan explained: “He’d walk and run funny, he would tend to have his hips swinging to each side with his arms flaring around and knees touching.
“I took him to the GP so many times but was always told it was a viral infection. I took him for his weight loss, you could see his bones and they said he was likely just skinny like his dad and didn’t meet the requirement for a dietitian as he was above the line.
“I took him when I noticed his legs are not as strong as they should be. The doctor told me he was neurologically intact and had good leg power and was likely doing it for attention because he had a baby sister.
Elliot was failing to gain weight and had a range of disturbing symptoms(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
“He would say ‘my legs don’t work’, we went to A&E and did the x-ray and that’s how we found he had tuberculosis.
“The X-ray showed calcified lymph nodes in his lungs and they recognised the TB, it means there was a previous infection in his lungs.”
“We went to the GP for many different reasons but they kept dismissing it as a viral infection.”
Megan conceded that the condition was quite uncommon these days, which is why it was missed at first. “It is a disease from very long ago, so when it came up, I thought maybe it would be a simple infection,” she said. “Then they turned around and said his spine will collapse.
An X-ray revealed the true cause of Elliot’s problems(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Elliot required surgery, as well as a powerful course of antibiotics, to get the disease under control. “It was a lot to process,” Megan said. “He’s restricted to just walking and can’t walk long distances yet so spends most of his time currently recovering in the house due to his limits and he can’t do usual daily activities other children can.
“He may also be having another surgery in the next six months if the TB mass on his spine hasn’t sufficiently shrunk, which we won’t know until his next CT scan to check the progress.”
Megan added that she doesn’t really blame her GP for missing the unusual condition when she first took Elliot in: “He may also be having another surgery in the next six months if the TB mass on his spine hasn’t sufficiently shrunk, which we won’t know until his next CT scan to check the progress.
Little Elliot started walking ‘funny’ aroudn a year ago(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
“I do not blame his GP for any of this, I understand TB is especially difficult to diagnose in children.
“I do however wish they’d have listened to my concerns more and perhaps looked at the bigger picture with his previous check ups but all that matters is Elliott is now recovering well and on the right path.
“Listen to your child and push when you don’t feel things are right because no one knows their child better than yourself, obviously GPs don’t always get it right.
“Kids don’t fake things for too long for attention.”
What is Spinal Tuberculosis?
The NHS explains that Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that usually affects the lungs. It can be treated with antibiotics but can be serious if not treated.
If TB has spread to another part of your body such as your glands (lymph nodes), bones or brain, you may also have other symptoms, including: swollen glands, body aches and pains, swollen joints or ankles, tummy or pelvic pain, constipation, dark or cloudy pee, a headache, being sick, feeling confused, a stiff neck, a rash on the legs, face or other part of the body.