A woman with size P breasts that weigh four stone is in agonising pain and desperate to raise money for reduction surgery after claiming she was refused the op on the NHS.
Wedding photographer Laura Howes suffers from back pain so severe it radiates up to her jaw, and her bra has left permanent dents in her shoulders.
The 27-year-old has cysts, cuts, friction sores and rashes that constantly bleed and become infected.
Laura, from South Shields, Tyne and Wear, says she hasn't been able to get surgery on the NHS because her breasts mean she can't bring her BMI down to the required level.
She said: "Everyone says to me 'I'd kill to have boobs like you' and I'm like 'no you wouldn't.
"The absolute worst pain I get from them tends to be the cysts and sores because they can be open wounds. Because they rub so much they take forever to heal and they really hurt.
"I have dents and blisters on my shoulders from wearing the wrong-size bra for so long and blisters from the under-wiring too.
"I've got size 36P breasts but wear a 38K bra because I can't get ones in my size. They don't exist in most countries. If I wanted one in my size I'd need to get a custom one but they're £350 each."
In 2019, Laura embarked on a two-year health and fitness plan, working with a dietician and trainer to meet a 27 BMI criteria.
But 5ft 4 Laura was unable to lose seven stone quickly enough because her breasts caused her such pain.
At her wits end, Laura, who now weighs 22 stone, visited another doctor.
She claims he calculated it would be 'physically impossible' for her to reach the goal, and filed an extenuating circumstances letter.
But Laura was crushed to learn this was rejected, and says she was told there would only be a 'small chance' the board would reconsider if she underwent bariatric surgery.
NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group said it bases its criteria on the "best available scientific evidence" to help people who are "most likely to benefit from an intervention".
For Laura, the pain is almost unbearable. She said: "I also suffer from aching bones from my ribs all the way up to my jaw.
"It's a constant dull radiating pain, I try not to take painkillers too often because I don't want to become dependent on them.
"I do take them when it gets particularly bad, for example when I've had a long day wearing my bra."
Laura also suffers from fat necrosis lumps when her breast tissue gets injured.
She said: "With my boobs being as big as they are, they can get knocked when I try to squeeze through a small space.
"I've jammed my boobs in doors before - even squeezing through a smaller space in supermarket aisles – any kind of knock and bump can result in that.
"It's basically injured tissue but it can form quite a hard lump that doesn't move."
Laura, who lives with 23-year-old supermarket worker boyfriend Sean Peacock, has been suffering with breast-related issues since she hit puberty.
Not only did she have to deal with the physical pain, but also the emotional hurt inflicted by bullies.
She said: "I've been plagued by a bad back since the age of 14 as my boobs have grown quite rapidly over the years.
"I went straight into a B cup at the age of nine or ten and then by the time I left primary school at 11 I was already a double-D.
"I used to get bullied for that quite a lot at school. I would have boys running around yelling 'jugs' at me and staring at me and it was really uncomfortable. I was a 34K by the time I left school at 16.
"I was bullied up until the age of 14, then everyone grew up a little bit and I ended up with unwanted attention from lads – and I didn't want that either. I would cry on my own."
Laura is now fundraising to get surgery privately.
She said: ""I looked at a few local cosmetic hospitals that did breast reductions and they all range between £7,000 and £8,000.
"It's absolutely ridiculous that so many people have donated. One lady donated and messaged me to say her daughter had big boobs as well, she knows the issues I'm going through and was really sympathetic and supportive.
"It would be a life-changing procedure.
"At the moment I can't really do much. I don't like going outside because if I do I get stared at and I have to put a bra on and it hurts so I mostly just stay inside when I can."
An NHS South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group spokesman said: "We are unable to comment on individual patients, but we can confirm that the CCG bases its criteria for a number of surgical procedures on the best available scientific evidence.
"This enables us to focus our resources on people who are most likely to benefit from an intervention, and to avoid interventions when they are likely to be ineffective, or worse still dangerous.
"We recognise that there are occasionally situations that do not fit the usual criteria, and individual funding requests can be made for such exceptional situations.
"In cases where BMI is an inappropriate way to judge whether an individual has reached optimum lean body weight, alternative validated measurements can be provided to support such requests.
"We advise that anyone in a similar situation should continue to work with their GP."
You can donate to Laura's fundraising page here.
