Living with a chronic health condition can come with a heavy financial burden, as three individuals have shared their experiences of spending thousands of pounds on medical care, dietary changes, and lost income.
Endometriosis Diagnosis Costs £30,000
Prajakta Jyoti, 20, from Milton Keynes, was rushed to A&E three times in 2021 with agonising pelvic pain before her mother Jyoti took her to a private specialist in Hyderabad, India, after years of misdiagnosis. She was diagnosed with endometriosis, which she says is 'all over my abdomen; my bladder, my bowels, and on my upper abdominal wall. The pain literally never stops.'
After being told she would wait two years for surgery on the NHS, her mother paid £10,000 for a private operation, part of an estimated £30,000 spent on scans, appointments, and travel. Prajakta also faces diagnoses of adenomyosis, POTS, and Crohn's disease, and relies on opioids for pain. Her mother has cut down on work, losing around £20,000 a year in missed income.
IBD Doubles Food Costs
Milla Lewis, 24, from Doncaster, was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) after experiencing severe symptoms. His food shop has doubled from £40 to £80 a week as he now buys whole foods, fresh meat, and vegetables to manage his condition. He also had to leave the business he built with his dad, but now works as a content creator, earning enough to pay bills.
'I want people to understand that chronically ill people have to be careful with themselves. We're not trying to be extra. It is just the difference between being able to function, and not,' he says.
Endometriosis and Career Impact
Raphaella Stewart, 28, spent years with misdiagnoses before her grandmother funded private care, revealing 'very severe and deep infiltrating endometriosis'. She was told she would need to freeze her eggs at £16,000 before surgery. After a year unable to work, she took a part-time charity shop role, but left after an unsympathetic manager. She now works from home in customer service, spending an extra £400-£500 a month on managing her condition, totalling around £6,000 a year.
'I want people to understand how expensive it can be to live with a chronic illness. Spending money causes me stress and guilt most days,' she says.
