A young woman suffering from an illness that causes her to be sick 30 times a day and leaves her in ‘agonising and debilitating’ pain is raising money for life-changing surgery.
Emily Webster's whole world came "crashing down" when she fell seriously ill in 2016 and was unable to work for nine months, according to Leeds Live.
Doctors initially diagnosed the 27-year-old with IBS, a common indigestion ailment, but later discovered she has a rare and incurable condition known as Gastroparesis.
The chronic illness, which affects just six percent of people in the UK, means the stomach is in partial paralysis and is therefore unable to naturally empty itself.
She spent more than three of the last five years in hospital, but was handed a lifeline after she was told she would be a good candidate for a gastric pacemaker.
The device would regulate her stomach and improve her life dramatically - but it’s not offered by the NHS and costs a staggering £9,500.
Emily has missed the last four Christmases and has seen the walls of St James’ Hospital more than her own home.
She said the surgery, which has been scheduled for November 11, would be the ‘best Christmas present I could ever get’.
Emily, from Armley, said: “I had my life taken away from me.
“The past five years have been so difficult and lonely, but the worst part has been missing every single occasion of every year.
“I missed four Christmases, I missed my best friend’s wedding, my best friend having a baby.
“The surgery would make my life better, and it would improve the quality of my life.
“I felt like I was in a never-ending cycle where I was told there was no cure and there was nothing anyone could do.
“But this is a chance. It would be incredible, even just that.
“I’m planning all the things I want to do, the people I want to see.”
She added: “If all goes well I should recover in time for the Christmas holidays.
“It would be the best Christmas present I could ever get.”
When Emily went to her GP in 2016, they asked her what her symptoms were and ‘touched my tummy’ and told her to see a dietician.
But the former bank worker said she could not go a day without feeling physical pain or vomiting - and would be sick up to 30 times a day.
She saw her weight plummet, and at one stage tipped the scales at just five stone - the average weight of a 10-year-old girl.
Emily said: “It was so difficult, I was just sick every day. I went misdiagnosed for so long.
“I spent most of the time in bed not being able to do anything.
“I kept losing weight as well.
“I remember being so scared and worried how I would cope in life, even financially.”
Despite her condition deteriorating, tests were unable to explain Emily’s condition and they suggested they were caused by mental health issues.
Emily was admitted to the national inpatient centre for psychological medicine at St James Hospital in 2018 where she underwent therapy.
She said: “I knew in my heart there was something wrong, but I felt so helpless because the tests were showing I was fine.
“So if there was nothing, I started telling myself maybe it’s true that it’s my own doing.
“That’s when I started struggling with mental health, because I was spending so much time in hospital.
“I couldn’t work, I lost my house. My whole life came crashing down, and I felt so helpless.”
But she finally had a breakthrough in 2019, when a staff member at the hospital noticed her vomit was undigested and tests revealed she had the rare condition.
She said it was the ‘biggest relief’ to know she had not imagined all the pain over the last few years.
Emily, who is also diabetic, added: “It was the biggest relief of my whole life that there was a name to it, it wasn’t something I made up or something in my head.”
The pacemaker is considered successful if it improves her condition by 50 percent, but Emily said she’d be happy with ‘any improvement’.
She struggled with suicidal thoughts towards the end of her time in hospital, and said she was proud of herself and the journey she had taken.
She said: “It’s considered a success if it improves the situation by 50 percent, but any improvement I would be happy with.
“It would make my life better, and it would improve the quality of my life.
"The last five years have just blurred because so much has happened.
“It’s been so lonely and scary and even terrifying and heartbreaking at times.
“I didn’t think I would be here now, so I’m proud of myself to have made it.
“I can’t believe I now have a glimmer of hope.”
You can donate to Emily’s fundraiser here .
