I'm A Celeb star Kadeena Cox - who has MS - claims she was fobbed off after she was rushed to A&E with pelvic pain and sent home with paracetamol

I'm A Celebrity star Kadeena Cox has revealed she was 'fobbed off' by a doctor after being taken to A&E with severe pelvic pain.

The paralympic gold medallist, 35, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, told how her concerns were 'ignored' by the medic, who sent her home with paracetamol.

Taking to her Instagram on Wednesday, Kadeena fumed that the 'system is broken', as she hinted at that she was medically gaslighted.

The star initially sparked concern when she took to her stories to share a snap of herself from a hospital ward, writing alongside her picture: 'Sat in A&E…Have a feeling this is gonna be a long a** day and I didn’t pick up my headphones.'

While she failed to specify the reason, she later shared a lengthy video on her grid in which she revealed the poor treatment she received at the hospital.  

Beginning her video, Kadeena stated: 'I really really hate it when pain is not taken serious, especially as a black woman.'

She then went on to explain her painful situation, telling fans: 'I have just spent three hours sat in A&E. I had some right-sided pelvic pain, which is really abnormal for me.' 

The sportswoman noted that the pain had radiated to her back and had got worse over 7-10 days, causing her to pay her GP a visit.

The I'm A Celebrity star, who appeared on the ITV show in 2021, told how her GP had ruled out appendicitis and suggested that it could be a urine infection.

Kadeena also remarked that the GP had also raised the suggestion of ovarian torsion, where the ovary twists around supporting ligaments, cutting off the blood supply, causing severe pain in the lower abdomen or  pelvis 

She was given a course of antibiotics, however, she noted she was feeling nauseous yesterday, and she called 111, who then told her to go to A&E.

Explaining what had occurred when she was seen, she moaned: 'The doctor, it feels like he fobbed me off!' telling how he dismissed potential ailments and suggested that she should be 'throwing up' and be in 'more pain' than she was.

The star ranted: 'I have MS, I live in pain daily so I have a high pain threshold!'

Kadeena then told fans how frustrated she was as she really wanted to have an ultrasound to 'clear up' the doubt, especially as she has the World Championships next week. 

'I feel like I was ignored,' she added as she was told to take paracetamol when she'd already been on painkiller which had not worked

She concluded her video by saying 'The system is broken'. 

Captioning her post, Kadeena, who is a multi-time gold medal winner in both Para-athletics and Para-cycling, noted how 'rare' it was for her to moan about pain, amid her daily pain as an MS sufferer.

She penned: 'As someone that’s in pain daily because of MS, it’s rare I moan about pain so for me to take myself to A&E would suggest I genuinely think something isn’t right plus it’s been getting worse over a week! But I just got sent home and told to take paracetamol which I’d already said wasn’t working.'

Her impassioned post was met with an outpouring of supportive messages from her followers.

They shared: 'If men had to deal with the pain women do it would be fixed instantly.  hope you’re feeling better soon.'

'Are 111 able to send you to an urgent care centre that isn’t attached to an A&E or give you an appointment with a community clinic that has an ultrasound machine? I’m so sorry you’ve been fobbed off like this!!!' 

'This is why self-advocacy is crucial! Continue to voice your concern so they listen!' 

'Pain is so subjective - which is why it shouldn’t be a measure for others…why can’t we just believe people when they say this is not normal for me…textbooks can’t cover everyone’s experiences.'

Kadeena later took to her Instagram stories again after being sent home with paracetamol, noting how she was trying her mother's remedy of putting castor oil in her belly button to try and alleviate the pain. 

Kadeena was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in September 2014 at the age of 23 after she suffered a stroke while an able-bodied sprinter.

Four months after the stroke, following symptoms like a tiny spot of tingling in her arm that escalated into full-body weakness and partial paralysis from the neck down, she received her MS diagnosis.

Rather than ending her athletic career, she transitioned into Paralympic sport (competing in Para-cycling and Para-athletics) and went on to win multiple gold medals at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and compete at Paris 2024.