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An East Lothian woman who suffers from a chronic disease has gone viral for speaking out about her experience online.
Georgia Fox, 23, has amassed a following of over 10 million likes on TikTok for sharing her journey with endometriosis with a contingent of loyal followers.
The Prestonpans-based hairstylist was formally diagnosed in 2024 but has suffered debilitating symptoms since she was as young as eight or nine.
Endometriosis is a condition where cells similar to those of the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body, according to the NHS. It can cause the growth of lesions in areas like the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvis, and other organs such as the bladder and bowel.
The disease can be extremely serious and result in heavy periods, severe period pain, chronic pain, persistent tiredness, and difficulty getting pregnant.
Georgia experiences chronic pain on her right side which has caused lasting nerve damage. During her period, she experiences “projectile” sickness, fainting, extreme tiredness, and mood swings.
She described the pain as like “someone’s twisting something inside you. It burns so much and the pain is always there. I’ve been prescribed pretty much every pain medication apart from morphine but nothing helps at all.”
Georgia also shared: “I faint a lot on the first day of my period. I cannot go to work. There have been times when I had to phone my mum and she had to carry me out of work to get me home.
“Intense pains started when I was in high school when I was 12 or 13. People would say ‘It’s fine you just need to take paracetamol.’ People would brush it off, the same as the doctors.
“It gets me quite angry. It’s hard to explain to people who don’t have it what it feels like. They think it’s just a period when it’s definitely not.”
The East Lothian resident began posting on TikTok three years ago about her life as a hairstylist. She soon started sharing videos about her medical journey which amassed a huge following with millions of likes.
In one video she candidly describes her excruciating symptoms, saying: “I was trying to get home being projectile sick and it scares me trying to drive because I know how bad I can turn.”
In another entitled “Endo bad day” she shares: “I’ve taken two tramadol and now I’m about to take an amitriptyline. Before people say ‘wow, you’re taking far too much medication,’ I genuinely can take five tramadol and it doesn’t even touch the sides”.
Through social media, Georgia discovered a community of women with similar symptoms and has even inspired some to advocate for their own medical needs.
Georgia said: “I’ve been doing TikTok for years and I’ve always shared my experiences with my bad periods. It became a community – I wanted to start posting the process and it has helped people push their GP to get referred to a gynecologist.
“It feels so good because that’s the whole reason I decided to post about it. Sometimes people need that little bit of courage from a stranger.
“It told me I’m not in this by myself. I don’t have anybody in [my own life] that has [endometriosis]. When I posted videos about it, I got people commenting and sending messages about their own experience. It’s good to know you’re not in this alone.”
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