A young woman whose 12lb breasts are destroying her life says reduction surgery is her only hope but has been refused help on the NHS.
Shannon Matthews, from Erskine, Renfrewshire, was just 21 when her breasts started growing rapidly at different rates, leaving one much larger than the other.
She was already battling a string of other health conditions when the problem began and now lives in crippling pain, unable to live a normal life because of her huge chest – which weighs more than a gallon of paint.
Shannon, now 28, said even sitting up in a chair and wearing a bra leaves her in agony, meaning she is stuck on benefits and unable to follow her passion for photography.
She has now resorted to setting up a crowdfunder after being automatically refused a referral for breast reduction due to her BMI – which she says is made worse by the weight she carries on her chest.
And despite efforts to lose weight, her chest has continued to grow.
Shannon said her chest grew rapidly from the age of 21
Shannon said: “Currently, lying down is about as comfortable as it gets and I’ve tried everything.
“The solution is to not wear a bra then I lie down and both my breasts tuck under my arms.
“I have bruising and I’ve had endless infections underneath. The summer time is so difficult and I’m just back and forth on different steroid creams.
“It’s not fixable unless you’ve got a long term solution.
“If I got a reduction I could sit up in a chair again without feeling so much pain. I do a lot of digital art and I could get a job.
“I know what I need and I’m sure there are other people out there who have gone though what I’ve gone through.
“I wanted to speak out because I don’t want any other young woman to go through this.”
Shannon has lived with chronic pain throughout her body since she was a child and was diagnosed with Schueurmann’s Disease, a curvature of the spine which required her to take high dose of morphine just to function.
She felt confident in her body in her late teens but a battle with adrenal insufficiency meant she had to take hormones which quickly impacted her weight.
Shannon was turned away by the NHS due to her BMI(Image: DAILY RECORD)
After watching her breasts grow rapidly over a shorty period she asked medics for help.
But she was left devastated when a consultant at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley turned her away in 2018, saying she would be automatically rejected for surgery because of her BMI.
She said: “It was less than 10 minutes I was in the room.
“The surgeon said they couldn’t trust that I would exercise or look after myself enough afterwards.
“I feel if the surgeon had referred me to the clinic, which is run by women usually, their outlook might not have been the same as his.
“I couldn’t go through the complaints procedure because they had followed their standards.
“Since 2018 I have tried to lose weight and none of that has reduced my breasts.
“The RAH have helped me with various different problems throughout my life, but for the one issue that has affected me really badly they’ve been totally unwilling to help me because protocols get in the way.
Desperate Shannon is now crowdfunding for help
“I felt like there was nowhere to turn.”
Shannon, who is also autistic and cared for by her long-term boyfriend Callum Brown, also 28, said her situation has left her unable to save properly and she is having to fork out £60 a time on custom bras, which still don’t help.
She is uncertain what her future holds if she’s not able to raise the £2,800 she needs to undergo surgery privately.
Shannon said: “I studied photography but being able to bend down to get a good shot was so difficult because of all the weight.
“I’ve got a lump on the back of my neck above my spine so the strap of the camera is agony. Trying to make a career out of my diploma just wasn’t going to happen.
“I’ve been with my partner for 10 years next year and I’m still self conscious.”
Shannon’s partner Callum said he has watched her suffer for years with no support.
He said: “She’s had a lot of problems with her health over the years and the breast reduction issue has really over arched all of it.
“Her breasts weight 12lb. That’s 12lb she can’t shift anyway before they’re even willing to look at her.
“She has never been mammogrammed or properly looked at. They’ve just kept growing. We’ve recorded her losing weight while they’ve continued to grow.
“Her back pain is one of the main complaints she suffers with and that is compounded by having 10kilos of extra weight strapped to the front of her chest.
“The GPs have been really helpful but they’re just stonewalled through procedure. They’ve kept her pain under control, which we’re really thankful for. We don’t want it to come across as thought we’re not grateful. But when it comes to accessing further support we feel locked out.”
The Record approached NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde over Shannon’s case.
Eligibility for breast reduction surgery is determined via the NHS Scotland Exceptional Referral process (ERP). The referral protocol outlines procedures that are not routinely offered and can only be provided on an exceptional case basis.
Referrers must assess specific criteria, including physical and functional impairments, before making a referral. Only cases meeting all necessary criteria are considered for these procedures.
You can support Shannon’s crowdfunder for surgery here.
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