A YOUNG Greenock woman left feeling suicidal from crippling pain caused by a devastating medical condition told last night how she's been waiting on NHS surgery for FIVE YEARS. 

Emma Jess - who has suffered from debilitating and incurable endometriosis since the age of nine - demanded urgent action as she hit out about the 'shocking' situation.

After finally being diagnosed in her teens the 27-year-old was put on the list for surgery in 2019  because managing the pain no longer works.

Emma even had to fight recently to be put back on the waiting list after she was knocked off through no fault of her own.

In the last month alone whe ended up in hospital with the pain - but faced a 12-hour wait to get an ambulance before she was sent by hospital staff to the RAH in Paisley by taxi.

In a heartbreaking account of her troubles, Emma, of Stafford Road, today sets out the impact the condition has had on her life as she continually struggles.

(Image: Duncan Bryceland)

Emma said: "It affects absolutely every part of my life. I don't know how many times I have been in hospital. I have had so many pain killers over the years that they no longer work.

"Years of taking tramadol has had a massive impact on my mental health, and it doesn't take the pain away.

"The pain started when my periods started when I was only nine. I used to struggle to go to school.

"When I was a teenager a doctor told me that the only cures were a hysterectomy or to get pregnant - and neither of them are true.

"The worst time of my life was during Covid, my mental health took a real nose dive. I was in the house all the time with the pain trying to work from home.

"Endometriosis has affected every single area of my life, it has affected my relationships. I have had times where the pain is so bad I have thought of taking my own life.

"I just feel I need to speak out because so many women are out there suffering and I don't think it is recognised. It has always been a taboo but this means that so many women suffer the pain in silence."

 

Emma was holding on to the hope that surgery could help relieve the pain, but has been on the waiting list for at least 60 months.

Then recently she was dealt a blow when she was told she was no longer on the waiting list for surgery to remove tissue because of a mix-up with her address and NHS admin staff had taken her off the list.

She said: "I was so angry - enough is enough."

But after a recent stay in hospital doctors acted on her behalf to reinstate Emma on the waiting list.

She was rushed to hospital and was kept in for several days to manage the pain after she had yet another relapse.

Emma, who works in the EE call centre, said: "I was in work and in so much pain my manager took to me to A&E. 

"But as soon as they realised I had endometriosis they told me I had to go to Paisley to see a gynecologist.

"The wait for an ambulance was 12 hours so in the end they sent me by taxi on my own. But I had taken a lot of painkillers, I was not in a good place and the driver was very worried.

"He even took me in to the hospital."

Emma also fears in the near future she will have to give up her job at EE.

She said: "We are moving to Glasgow in November but I don't feel like I could cope with the travelling and the shifts. I will just need to take see how I feel.

"I feel endometriosis has taken away my future. I don't know if I will be able to have children or what will happen."

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde said: "We understand the impact that endometriosis can have and are sorry to hear that Miss Jess is in pain while she waits for her appointment. As is the case with many services, wait times for gynaecology were impacted by Covid-19. These have improved overall for the service in the past 12 months.

"We thank Miss Jess for updating her contact details for our records and advise that she continues to work with her GP for pain management while she waits for an appointment with the service.

"The Royal Alexandria Hospital is the receiving hospital for gynaecology patients when symptoms cannot be treated by the Inverclyde Royal Hospital medical team. This is an evidence-based model that has been in place since 2004 to ensure patients get the best treatment possible. Transfers between all hospitals are prioritised by patient need and patients are provided with the option to wait or to make their own travel if able.

"We remind everyone who is feeling unwell that, unless it is an emergency with urgent attention required, they should call NHS 24 on 111. In doing so, they will be triaged on the phone and directed to the most appropriate place of care for them."