Mom gets answers after fighting for diagnosis: "Something's wrong"

When Michelle Williams started experiencing high blood pressure, she didn't pay it much attention. She had two small kids, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, and she and her husband were in the middle of renovating a farmhouse they had recently purchased. It made sense stress would spike her blood pressure. Her doctor recommended some minor lifestyle changes, but didn't seem alarmed. Other symptoms escalated slowly. Williams' feet became so swollen she had to buy larger shoes. She was fatigued, but more and more frequent bathroom visits kept her from sleeping. Her blood pressure kept rising. Her ankles started swelling, then her legs. Finally, her doctor referred her to a nephrologist, or kidney specialist. That visit, in June 2023, didn't go well, Williams said. The physician assistant she saw did not show interest in the medical records she had printed out and brought, she said. The PA advised her to work to lower her blood pressure, but showed no interest in understanding why it was so high, Williams said. She was told to return in six months. "I got to my car, and I was just depressed. Something was wrong. I didn't feel taken seriously," Williams said. "I didn't really feel like I had six months to wait." Michelle Williams with her husband and children. Michelle Williams "Please help me" In July 2023, Williams referred herself to the Cleveland Clinic , where her father-in-law had once undergone a kidney transplant. …