Help me raise money for my life-changing operation!

I am fundraising for a private operation that I will be having on September 23rd to remove the endometriosis that I have growing on and around my uterus which causes me constant and severe pain, chronic fatigue, and if left untreated can leave serious scar tissue and lead to organ adhesion.

For those of you who haven’t heard of endometriosis, the simplest explanation is that it is a chronic condition in which cells similar to those that line the uterus grow on other organs in the body, usually around the pelvic area, causing intense pain, scar tissue, potential adhesion of organs, increased risk of cervical cancer, and many other symptoms linked to chronic inflammation and hormonal dysregulation. Despite the fact that endometriosis affects one in ten women and people with uteruses, it is a severely under-researched and under-treated condition for which there is currently no cure. Due to a lack of funding into women’s health issues, and a lack of awareness about endo, it takes an average of eight years to be diagnosed with endometriosis from onset of symptoms. I am one of the ‘lucky’ ones in that it has taken me five years, from the onset of daily pain, to receive a diagnosis. Here is an article for a little bit of context: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/21/gaslit-by-doctors-uk-women-with-endometriosis-told-it-is-all-in-their-head

For over five years I have been living with daily pain and chronic fatigue, as well as experiencing severe pain flare-ups at least once a month that leave me unable to get out of bed and dependant on strong, addictive, often ineffective pain medication, since there is no other available treatment except surgery. I also suffer with a whole host of other symptoms associated with endo like joint pain, migraines, gut issues, severe PMS and chronic anaemia. This significantly impacts my capacity to meet the demands of my job and to live a normal life, as well as being very detrimental to my mental wellbeing, and there have been weeks and months where I have been mostly unable to leave the house due to the pain impacting my ability to walk and stand. Even simple tasks that require standing can be incredibly painful and exhausting for me. During these times my partner Isaac (who those in Wirksworth will probably know from the Featherstar) has to act as a carer for me, which puts a massive amount of strain on them. It feels very vulnerable for me to be sharing all of these details about my condition so publicly, as I am worried that people might either not consider me disabled enough to be deserving of help, or see me as ‘just’ a chronically ill person, but I am hoping that by being so honest and open it will help people to understand why I have reached the point of asking for help in this way.

Over the past five years I have made countless changes to my lifestyle and diet in order to try to manage my chronic pain, chronic fatigue, inflammation and hormonal issues. I have tried many prescription medications and supplements, seen several physiotherapists, tried alternative medicines meant to help with pain management, such as acupuncture, and spent countless time in the offices of various doctors and specialists trying (and, until very recently, failing) to get a diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, none of these changes I have made have provided me with any lasting relief and my condition continues to get worse the longer the endo remains (and keeps growing), which is why I have decided to opt for surgery.

Although endo is a chronic condition that can recur, my hope is that this operation will significantly reduce (if not eliminate!) my chronic pain and associated endo symptoms for a significant period of time, potentially years. I have done lots of research into surgery for endo and the consensus is that, done well, the surgery can be life-changing. I have heard from people who have been pain-free, and symptom-free, for years after their surgery. Unfortunately, however, I have also heard from people whose surgery has been done so badly that it has led to further complications causing them to need a full hysterectomy.

This has been a big part of my decision to go private. I am a big believer in the NHS, and have not made this decision lightly especially considering the cost, but currently the NHS waiting list for this surgery is 2-3 years, which is too long for me to wait as my condition continues to deteriorate and the potential for organ adhesions increases. I have already spent five years trying to get my diagnosis on the NHS, and having repeatedly awful experiences with the gynaecologists I saw, and only received a diagnosis this year once I finally opted to see a private consultant and had a scan done with a specialist. Furthermore, I have found out through my research that many of the NHS surgeons who carry out this surgery are junior surgeons and not properly trained to perform it. The NHS also uses a burning, as opposed to cutting, procedure to remove endometriosis which is less precise, hence why many people are left with severe complications following their surgery. This would be especially risky for me as my diagnosis has shown that my most severe endometriosis is on the main artery in my uterus, so must be removed extremely precisely. The surgeon I have chosen to do my surgery is an endometriosis specialist, with an excellent track record of patients having a significant (if not complete) reduction in symptoms following surgery with her, so I am putting all the chances on my side to ensure that I am one of the lucky people for whom this surgery will be life-changing. I cannot even begin to express what a difference it would make to me to be pain-free and able to start living a normal life again. At this point it is difficult for me to even believe that it might be possible, but I have heard such positive stories from other people who have had a well-done surgery that I am extremely hopeful!

Unfortunately, private medical treatment is extremely expensive. The operation itself is actually the cheapest part, costing around £700. The anaesthetist is an added £1,000, with the costs of having the surgery done in a private hospital being the most expensive part - £6,300 - which brings the total costs of the procedure alone to £8,000. This seems to be the standard cost for having this type of procedure done privately. With the help of my family we have been able to put together £4,000, but unfortunately that will only cover 50% of the costs of the procedure itself. This doesn’t include the costs of any pre-op assessments, or the costs of any aftercare or follow-ups. I am setting my target at £4,200 for now as GoFundMe (and all of the fundraising platforms) takes 2.9% + 25p from every donation made.

Sadly, despite working full-time, I am not in a position where I am able to save this much money myself, and my illness is already extremely expensive with costs of medication, supplements, alternative treatments etc, which is why I am asking for your help. If even 100 people gave £20 that would help me so much on my way to paying for this surgery. I know some people will not be able to give anything, and I completely understand that, but any help that people can offer would make a huge different to me. If you have any questions at all, please do reach out and I will be happy to answer them. All help is so appreciated and I will be so so grateful to anyone who is able to help me access this hopefully life-changing surgery! **update** as people have been so generous in helping me reach my target, I have raised my target from £4,200 to £5,000 to help me cover the cost of my pre-op assessment day and also to help towards hidden costs that might arise, such as if there are any complications and I have to pay for the surgeon and/or anaesthetist to stay longer than expected. Thank you so much!