AT the age of 25, Alex Theodossiadis was finding his feet in the world as a DJ.
But five years ago, Alex started experiencing some worrying and sudden symptoms.
He developed a severe and debilitating headache, and felt so ill he was unable to eat.
In a bid to find out what was going on, Alex tried getting an appointment to see his GP, but was told there would be a wait of three weeks.
By the time his appointment came around, he’d been dead a week, having contracted meningitis, his mum said.
It was January 2020 when the young man from Hale, Greater Manchester, started to complain of earache.
His mum Professor Sue Astley Theodossiadis told the Manchester Evening News (MEN) they initially suspected he had sinusitis.
But his symptoms started to get worse, as he developed a “horrible headache”, “wasn’t eating”, and eventually “couldn’t get out of bed”.
While Alex attempted to get a GP appointment, his family say reception staff failed to realise his symptoms needed urgent evaluation.
Headaches and feeling weak can be telltale signs of meningitis – a serious inflammation of the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord.
Viral infections are the most common cause.
At the inquest into Alex’s death, Sue, a medical imaging expert at the University of Manchester, said: “We strongly feel Alex’s care could have been better, and that his death might have been preventable.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Understanding Meningitis: Signs and symptoms” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6346785137112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]“He was told he had to wait for three weeks for a GP appointment.
“The coroner picked up the need for GP receptionists to ask questions and help people to be clearer about their symptoms so they can triage them more appropriately to get urgent appointments.”
After becoming progressively unwell, Alex went to a walk-in clinic.
“The first words written by the nurse at the appointment were ‘cough and cold’ symptoms, despite his most concerning symptoms including a new, debilitating headache,” says Sue.
“He was so ill he couldn’t even climb the stairs to his bedroom, but the duration and severity of his symptoms wasn’t discussed at the appointment.”
Sue said Alex’s ‘inexperience in presenting his symptoms’ may have contributed to the presumption he had a cold or flu, and he was given painkillers to take home.
Alex, who had moved to Leeds to live an independent life, was communicating with various family members and friends at the time,
“No one was collecting that overall picture,” Sue said.
Alex, who worked at Tribe Records, was taken by a friend to Leeds General Infirmary before being transferred to St James’ Hospital.
But when he was there, he fell from his hospital bed and banged his head on the floor.
Before the fall, his mum says he could recognise the family, but afterwards, he couldn’t breathe on his own.
With the extra injury, neurosurgery was no longer an option, and Sue said “it was a case of not a lot they could do for him”.
More than 50 friends travelled from across the world to see Alex in his final hours.
He died three days after first being taken to hospital, and his funeral took place one day before the Covid lockdown in 2020.
Sue described Alex as “a good-hearted person”.
She told MEN: “We went to see him play at Antwerp Mansion once, we had about 10 times as many clothes on as everybody else. One of the door staff said ‘you must be Alex’s parents’, and we were so proud.
“It just feels like another world, it’s all photographs now. We shared a lot of happy times.”