Lauren Coull, 26, has experienced excruciating pains since she was 16 before she was diagnosed with endometriosis in January.
A woman who “nobody listened to” has launched a fundraising bid to go private for surgery she was told would happen months ago. Lauren Coull, 26, was diagnosed with endometriosis in January having experienced excruciating pains for almost a decade.
Lauren, from Musselburgh, was told she 8cm Endometrioma cyst on her right ovary in January and that it would be removed within eight to 12 weeks. However, 11 months later, she is still waiting.
Endometriosis is a condition where cells similar to those of the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body causing extreme pains for many women. Lauren’s symptoms started when she was 16 and included nausea, chronic pain and, sometimes, breathing problems.
Speaking to our sister title Edinburgh Live, the former retail worker said she has been “left with no choice” but to start fundraising for treatment as the diagnosis has “taken over her life”.
She said: “I started getting really bad pains when I was 16 and from then I have been to the doctors multiple times a year. My mum had endometriosis so I knew what the symptoms were and I knew in my gut something wasn’t right.
“After I was diagnosed in January, my surgery never came and I was left waiting and phoning doctors. My mental health started to deteriorate quickly. I am very emotional and quick to anger.
“It got to July and I could barely function or get out of my bed. I was sent to A&E and they found more endo tissue that would need to be removed. In September I was told I had severe endometriosis.
“Waiting for the surgery has completely taken over my life. I need to go private but it’s honestly impossible to do it myself.”
Explaining how the condition has affected her, Lauren recalled being in high school and dealing with the same pains.
She said: “I get extremely bloated and at times it feels like my insides are ripping apart. I feel nauseous, I can’t lift my hands or legs, I can’t speak.
“The pain completely takes over, I have had chronic back pain for years. The cramps are horrendous, they make me almost stop breathing at times.
“I am used to the physical pain, but the mental anguish is something I can’t deal with anymore. The lack of awareness around endometriosis makes me so frustrated and disappointed.”
She has now set up a GoFundMe in a bid to raise the funds needed for private treatment. Her fundraiser reads: “Endometriosis has already taken so much from me my health, my stability, my independence, my confidence, my ability to work full-time, and so many moments of my life that I’ll never get back.
“I want my life back. I want even one day where I can wake up without being consumed by pain. But because I can’t consistently work due to my condition, private treatment is completely out of reach for me on my own.
“This GoFundMe is my last option and my last chance to get the surgery I desperately need before things get even worse. I have a consultation on January 26 which will cost £225. At this appointment I will be told the total cost of my surgery which based on research will be approximately £8,500.
“If you can contribute, share, or support this fundraiser in any way, it would mean the world to me. You would be helping give me a future that isn’t defined by constant suffering.”
You can view the fundraiser here.
