Time 'running out' for Poole woman after op blow (From Bournemouth Echo)

Time 'running out' for Poole woman after op blow

7:00pm Thursday 29th July 2010 in

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A WOMAN needs to find around £35,000 for an operation which cannot be offered by the NHS Bournemouth and Poole.

Alison Pitman, 29, from Poole, is struggling to fund a pancreatectomy with an islet cell transplant, which only a few UK hospitals can offer.

As a child, Alison was misdiagnosed as having irritable bowel syndrome but actually has had pancreatitis since the age of 10. She has never been able to work and takes morphine daily to dull the pain.

The operation she hopes to have involves the pancreas being removed and cells called islets, which produce insulin, being mixed with a special solution before being placed in the liver.

The latest blow to her health is that the operation cannot be paid for on the NHS – and so cannot be done in this area.

She said: “Without this exact operation, I will get brittle diabetes because my body won’t be producing insulin.

“It means I could slip into a coma at any moment. But if I had it, my life would improve.”

She added: “If I just had my pancreas removed, it would go on the NHS but I’d still get diabetes.”

“Time is running out. My only other option is to pay and go privately in Leicester.”

Alison decided on this option but found it was “a lot of stress” trying to find the money and is currently “nowhere near” the target amount.

“Friends and family are all trying so hard but it isn’t going to make thousands.”

A spokesperson for NHS Bournemouth and Poole said: “Our role is to provide our population with treatments that are based on clinical evidence to ensure they achieve the best possible outcomes for our patients.”

“Auto transplant islets is a procedure which has been considered by an independent panel and has not been approved based on the effectiveness of this procedure, as outlined by the national guidelines, showing that there is little evidence of any long-term patient benefits. We appreciate that often it is upsetting for patients if their request for treatment is refused.”

l If you would like to support Alison, she can be contacted on 01202 681731.