
Living With Lymphedema
Donation protected
Hi, my names Saj and I’m fundraising for my sister Sultana who has been diagnosed with Lymphedema after being treated for Cervical Cancer in 2015.
Sultana had radical hysterectomy which meant her lymph nodes were removed as a part of her treatment to prevent the chance of cancer spreading throughout her entire body. During the procedure and after the operation my sister faced a number of complications due to negligence where the surgeon accidentally cut her urethra leaving her incompetent to pass urine and her lungs collapsing as result of being under sedation for a long period of time. After numerous visits to her consultant she was told she was would need to have open surgery to treat the urethra damaged caused during the key hole procedure. Sultana had the open surgery and it was a success however she started showing mild symptoms of depression due to not being able to work or care for her children. Sultana has been blessed with a big family who supported her throughout her journey.
Sultana passed her 5 year remission and is cancer free and since has developed Lymphedema in right leg as a result of cancer and operation. Lymphedema is a condition of localized swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system and is most frequently a complication of cancer treatment or parasitic infections. While there is no cure, surgery and treatment may improve her condition. This commonly includes compression therapy, good skin care, exercise, and manual lymphatic drainage, which together are known as combined decongestive therapy.
Sultana has been told by the NHS that she is a candidate to have liposuction but she has been told there is 4 year backlog due to Covid and they have not resumed liposuction for Lymphedema patients in m Scotland, it is unclear and not guaranteed if she will get the treatment after 4 years, this is a long time to wait.
Sultana is currently in talks with the local MP given the waiting times with NHS expressing her views on waiting times for treatment and how living with Lymphedema is impacting her day to day life.
Sultana’s Lymphedema has progressively got worse over the past 3 years and has resulted with her right leg being three times larger than the original size of her leg. Sultana went to see a private consultant at the Spire Hospital in Edinburgh that specialize in liposuction and paid £175.00 for a consultation, she was told that in the whole of Scotland no private hospitals have a Lymphatic Specialist Team to complete the aftercare surgery. The consultant recommended a private hospital in Oxford that specializes in Lymphedema and has a Lymphatic Specialist Team that can provide her with aftercare, the cost for treatment and aftercare is £27,500.
Living with Lymphedema has impacted Sultana’s life severely both psychologically and physically; it has impacted her confidence, self esteem, ability to work full time and support her family financially.
Sultana has told me on numerous occasions she finds it hard to get out of bed and is always in pain. Sultana has told me she feels ugly, unattractive and struggles to find clothing due to both her legs and feet being different sizes. Sultana is wearing a compression garment everyday and as you can imagine it is very difficult to put it on, sometimes her fingers start hurting, the garments will help circulate the fluids in her leg but not reduce size of her leg. Sultana does not leave her house and feels very isolated, she’s said the times she has left her house people keep looking her leg and the Lymphedema is now impacting her ability to drive. Sultana has reduced her working hours as a result of Living With Lymphedema and is feeling the financial strain.
Sultana has recently been diagnosed with mental health, is currently on medication and is receiving counselling from a mental health nurse for low self esteem, isolation, depression and anxiety as a result of living with Lymphedema.
Seeing my sister go from being a confident healthy woman to a low weak woman with depression, anxiety and low self esteem is heartbreaking, it upsets me every time I see or speak to her. All I want to see my is sister happy, free from mental health and physically stronger and it for these reasons I am setting up this GoFundMe to help raise the remaining funding for Sultana to have the operation privately by the Lymphatic Specialist Team in Oxford.
So far me and my sister have received a number on of donations from family and my aim to raise £10,000 from my GoFundMe fundraising to prevent my sister from taking out a loan to pay for the remaining costs of the medical treatment, any donations exceeding this amount will go towards the costs of the operation.
Please show your support and help me raise money for Sultana’s operation, any amount be it small or large will be appreciated and will go towards the costs of the operation for my sister Living with Lymphedema.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sajada Noreen
Organizer
Scotland
Sultana Kauser
Beneficiary