A THURROCK woman has detailed the trauma and anguish she has gone through as a result of delays in the NHS.

Katie Veras, 33, from Chadwell St Mary works in the health service as a trainee dental nurse but she has been unable to work for more than a year after being stricken with Endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It can affect women of any age. It's a long-term condition that can have a significant impact on the patient.

The impact on Katie, who is the mother of a young daughter, has been catastrophic and with the delay in treatment she has been driven to launch an online appeal to try and raise the funds for a private operation.

Aside from the difficulties of day to day lie and caring for her daughter, Katie's career has not just been put on hold – it sits on the brink of ending.

She explains: "The NHS backlog has meant I can't get the operation I need to get back on my feet and back to work. I am an 'urgent' case, but have been told it's a long wait for the operation to sort out the problem.

"I have been unable to work for a year, and have been trapped in my home, in extreme pain that painkillers do not touch, with extreme nausea which has resulted in more than two stone of weight loss. I am now desperate.

"I am in danger of losing my job. I have spent four years training as a dental nurse, and need to complete one more observed exam before I qualify. My training provider has been great, but I am now at the point where in a month they will throw me off the course and I would have to pay another provider and start again. I can't afford to do that, and so would lose my dream job.

"Endometriosis has ruined my life, and it is devastating that I cannot have the operation on the NHS that would put my life back together and give me back a quality of life.

"I am under the guidance of the gynecology department at Basildon Hospital. I understand the pressure on the hospital and the NHS which is why I now feel the need to have private treatment, but this costs £7,000.

"The irony is that my not being able to work and the interim medication and treatment I am on with the NHS is probably costing it a lot more than that in the long run. I have tried to make that point as my pain has been getting worse and the trauma of all this has been mounting but it's to no avail. I feel like I am banging my head against a brick wall at the moment.

"Sometimes it seems that my situation is not being treated seriously and the response I get makes me feel guilty because it's insinuated that I am wasting their time when there are more urgent patients to deal with. But I really don't see how my case could be more serious.

"Aside from the pain and distress my sick pay finished months ago, and since then I have been on employment and support allowance (ESA) at a rate of £75 a week.

"I have a mortgage and a daughter and can't afford to maintain either at the moment, and I am still awaiting a Universal Credit decision. My partner is an Amazon associate and is doing his best to keep us afloat but it is very difficult.

"An operation could end all this."

Katie, who was born in Thurrock and has lived in the borough all her life, has opened up a fundraising page online in the hope that others may be able to help in her hour of need. Details of it and her story can be found via this link.