An East Lothian call handler says that she has lived with pain from endometriosis every day for the last five years.
Laura Anderson, who lives in Musselburgh, says that when it flares up, the condition floors her due to the severity of the pain, often leaving her unable to speak.
The 24-year-old was diagnosed with the condition after undergoing surgery two years ago, the Daily Record reports.
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She said: “Flare-ups can bring me to tears. It is like someone taking a double-bladed item in my stomach and pulling it down. I am bent right over and can’t stand up.
“I can’t speak. It stops me from doing what I want to do until the pain starts receding. I can be shaking, feeling sick and like I am going to pass out. I can be emotional.”
Recently Laura has taken part in a clinical trial to see if the removal of the tissue helps with the pain that she suffers.
She added: “The care of the doctors and nurses has been outstanding. If I was asked to do something, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
Scottish health experts are hopeful that they will be able to change the lives of millions of women with a cure for the crippling condition.
The agonising illness, which causes painful growths in the womb and other organs, affects 10 per cent of females. But a team at Edinburgh University is working on projects which could detect, treat and even cure the condition.
To mark Endometriosis Awareness Month, Professor Andrew Horne has revealed some of the groundbreaking work he and his XPECT team are doing. One of the key areas of research is in trying to find a test that could diagnose the condition.
The team is also looking at a drug called dichloroacetate which has been tested in cancer trials.
Prof Horne said: “It is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms can mimic other chronic pain conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome. It is also largely diagnosed by surgery so patients need a general anesthetic before they can get a diagnosis.
“There is also a lack of awareness in clinicians and the public. There is a need for a blood test or a urine test without the patient having the surgery. There are groups around the world trying to develop a biomarker.
“We are recruiting to a surgical trial where all the patients are being asked to give a blood sample so we can look at a panel of biomarkers to see if we can predict endometriosis.”
The work being done in Edinburgh has such global recognition that the city will host a World Congress on Endometriosis in May, with 1200 experts expected to attend.
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