Student, 24, suffering severe abdominal pain which could lead to her death

A student suffering from an agonising abdominal condition which could be life threatening has spoken out about the 'constant worry' it causes.

Lesley Purcell's illness could lead to sepsis, organ damage or even death.

She says the strain of the anxiety, along with the pain and having to 'wait patiently' for potentially two further life-saving surgeries has made her consider taking her own life.

The 24-year-old was diagnosed with a fistula in October 2020, a condition caused by inflammation creating sores or ulcers inside the intestine or nearby organs.

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The UCLan student's suffering began back in March 2020, when she had an abscess on the left side of her body that kept growing and would not go away.

She told Lancs Live : “It got to the point, before the first operation, where I couldn’t walk or sit down – every step was very painful, and it was getting bigger and bigger.

“I have been back, since July 2020, every day to have the wound packed by the wound care team.”

Following surgery in July 2020 at Blackpool's Victoria Hospital, the wound did not heal, so she returned for an MRI scan and was diagnosed with the rare condition the following October.

A further operation followed in March 2021, and she has been awaiting further surgery since August 2021, while trying to juggle placements for her degree, writing her dissertation and working part time as a waitress.

Not only is her condition very painful and debilitating, but she fears it will worsen the longer she has to wait for two further operations.

Lesley said that the strain of worrying about her health and of living with her painful condition had