I dont know if my Goldfish is sick or dying

Question
Please excuse me if my question does not have enough detail for someone of your professionalism in this area. I know you may think I am wasting your time with my pathetic little question about my Goldfish. But, to tell you the truth I am actually quite woried about my fish. I don't know whether my fish is sick or dying. Here are the fish's sympthoms:

It all started around 3 days ago. It was feeding time for my fish so as usual, I gave him a pinch of his fish food ( Nutrafin Max Goldfish Flakes ). The next day I saw that his/her back was arched into and upsidedown U. I lifted up the tank lid to see my fish touching the edge of the water with its side. What I saw next horrified me. There was a light redish / pinkish circle half-way down his side ( around where the fishes lungs/stomach are.....I think ).It looked to me as if he was internially bleeding. This part of the fishes body was slightly above the surface. It was as if someone attached a float to his side to keep him from swimming under the water. When I gave him food today he tried to eat it but, his curved spine limits his ability to swim. Anyone I know who had a Goldfish, only managed to keep him/her for no more than a month.I have had my Goldfish nearly 3 years. I don't think he is dying of old age as my Dad once had a Goldfish for 16 years
( No joke - believe it or not ). These are the only sympthoms I can identify so far. I will keep you posted if I find out any more. Thank you for taking time to read my question and I look forward to hearing from you shortly with good or bad news. If my fish is sick, could you please recommend a suitable medicine avalable in the Republic of Ireland ( as this is where I live ).

Thank you Tina Beatty-Quiao and Kind Regards.

Answer
Mr. Deering, I am so very sorry to tell you that your fish is very sick. There couldn't be a more well described case of TB (tuberculosis) Especially that pink ulcer but, the dead give away is the crooked spine. This can be contagious yes even to us so don't drink the water and you will be fine. The first thing you need to do is get him into a quarantine tank as soon as possible. I tried to do some research on the medications available to you and found that the hatcheries and fish farms use kenamycin so hopefully you should be able to get this in your local pet shop. Follow the directions for the size tank you will be moving him to. Also, they are very deficient in B-6 which you can get in your pharmacy in the form of liquid baby vitamins. Add a few drops a day. Treat him with both for 30 days. This is the thing this a disease that is hard on their organs so it is going to take a lot of patience and persistence to get him at least able to swim upright and get him eating again. I am sorry to say at this stage it may not get well unfortunately but, I can tell you I have seen many things and him getting well wouldn't surprise me. The crook in his spine may never go away but may get better. This is disease that can come on very gradually for months to years and then the symptoms hit quickly. This could have been from the shop, the water quality, or even your tap water if its well water(sometimes). Yes well kept goldfish that are not overcrowded and kept in great water conditions can live to be 20 years or more in captivity. Something that is very good for your goldie's is oranges. They suffer from abit of a vitamin-C deficiency in captivity. You should be able to get a plastic clip with a suction cup on it called a veggie clip from your pet shop. Give then a slice about once a week not too thick not to thin meat out and they will love it. Also, a frozen or fresh pea peeled of course once a week will stop the bloating they are so prone to that causes swim bladder infections and such. If you can't get that medication get back to me. Good Luck, Tina