Jasmine is in so much pain that she can barely get out of bed.
She is holding a hot water bottle and taking morphine, a strong painkiller that she says turns her into a “zombie.”
“It’s like there’s a ball of acid in the middle of my torso and it’s burning every single one of my organs. And it’s like that 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said the 23-year-old.
The pain Jasmine describes is caused by endometriosisa debilitating condition in which cells similar to those lining the uterus are found in other parts of the body.
This can cause inflammation, pain, and scar tissue formation.
“It feels like there is a searing, burning, burning pain constantly. And that’s not the worst of it,” she tells me.
She said the symptoms began when she was about 12 years old and worsened over the years.
For years she had appointments, appointments and surgeries at National Health Service. But his experiences left more than physical scars.
“They made me feel like I was taking up their time. I felt like I’m not important and that my problems should just be medicated and that’s it.”
Read more: The search for a cure for endometriosis
Jasmine waited a year and seven months for an operation, but only after the surgery was canceled six times.
“There was never a good explanation as to why the surgery was cancelled. I would just be called by someone and told that it wasn’t going to happen.”
7.5 million are awaiting treatment
Jasmine is one of millions of patients waiting months, sometimes years, for NHS treatment. And the numbers have skyrocketed since the pandemic.
The number of people waiting for treatment on the NHS has doubled to 7.5 million, and although targets state that 92% of patients should start treatment within 18 weeks, this target has not been met for almost a decade.
This is why the NHS will be one of the big issues for voters in general elections.
Labor has said it will reduce NHS waiting times with an extra 40,000 evening and weekend appointments a week, paid for by the crackdown on tax evasion and non-domiciles.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have also promised to reduce waiting lists by investing an additional £1 billion in the NHS.
Tackling waiting lists is also the public’s top priority – the largest number of respondents, 39%, say reducing them is what they most want the next government to provide for the NHS, followed by 26% who say it is more It’s easy to find a family doctor. meeting.
Twenty-five percent of those who responded said the NHS is completely broken, with 61% saying it is in a bad state and parts of it are broken. Just 1% of people said the NHS is healthy and has few problems.
Thirty-two percent of people said they trust Labor more to reduce waiting times, with just 9% saying they trust the Conservatives more to do so.
Most tellingly, just over a quarter of those who responded, 26%, said that no one party could be trusted to resolve problems with the NHS.
‘Life seems pretty bleak right now’
Currently takes a average of eight years and 10 months to get an endometriosis diagnosisaccording to the charity Endometriosis UK.
Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, gynecology waiting lists increased by more than 60%, the largest increase of any specialty. In England alone, there are almost 600,000 people on gynecology waiting lists.
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS takes endometriosis very seriously and it is essential that staff support women who experience cyclical pain, as well as the psychological effects associated with their symptoms.
“The health service is committed to meeting women’s individual health needs and is rolling out dedicated pelvic health clinics – bringing together specialist healthcare staff – to provide further support to women living with endometriosis, as well as supporting all local areas to develop a women’s health center. , to help provide better menstrual health services and improve women’s health outcomes.”
Jasmine is still awaiting her operation to alleviate her endometriosis symptoms.
“It was a big physical toll. But I suppose mentally it’s maybe worse. Life seems pretty bleak now. I used to have a lot of dreams about wanting to travel the world. But I don’t have the energy for that anymore.”
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She says she hopes whoever wins the general election will focus more on the NHS.
“I would like to believe that there was some kind of superhero to attack and save the NHS, but I don’t feel that in this current climate that is remotely possible.
“I think the current government has brought down the NHS, but I don’t have much faith in any of the other parties doing much better.”
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
