- Michael Cull, 66, has been living in agony for a decade with condition
- Has been subject of cruel taunts from strangers and stayed indoors
- He blames the NHS for letting the condition get to this stageÂ
- Specialists in Hull believe they can give him surgery to treat his legÂ
- But Mr Cull is Scottish, so may not get treatment because of independenceÂ
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Michael Cull has endured a decade of pain because of his two-stone leg
A pensioner who has been branded a modern day ‘Elephant Man’ has been given fresh hope for treatment of his debilitating disease.
Michael Cull, 66, has endured a decade of pain after his left leg ballooned to more than two stone in weight, leaving him incapable of walking and making him the target of cruel taunts from strangers.
The retired Nasa computer technician from Rosehearty, Aberdeenshire, accused the NHS of turning its back on him earlier this year after being told there was nothing that could be done to treat his condition.
But he is now optimistic that he might finally be on the brink of a life-changing operation after being referred to a specialist in the north of England.
He said doctors in Hull were discussing surgery to remove the deformed tissue from his lower leg and return it to a more manageable size.
‘I am absolutely elated that all these years of pain may be coming to an end,’ he said.
‘It looks like I’ll be going to Hull for the operation – it can’t come soon enough for me. Finally, things are being put in place.
‘As far as I know, it’s a surgical procedure to remove all the tissue on the lower part of my leg.
‘It will mean a big improvement to my life, it will bring things back to normality.’
Scroll down for videoÂ
However, because he is Scottish, and the treatment is in England, Mr Cull’s operation may not be able to go ahead if Scotland votes for independence. Â
This would be devastating, as his condition means he finds doing regular things like cooking, taking a bath or going up stairs extremely difficult.
It looks like Mr Cull’s nightmare could finally be over, because specialists believe surgery can treat him
Mr Cull cannot board a plane, and finds regular things like cooking, taking a bath and going up stairs very hard
His nightmare started after a car accident while he was living in London.
Despite attempts to halt the growth of his leg with stockings after he moved to Scotland, it continued to swell.
The condition has now spread from his toes up to his hip, leaving his leg lumpy and deformed.
It was only after he contacted First Minister Alex Salmond directly that he was referred to a consultant in Dundee last year.
It was suggested he had elephantiasis, a disease found in third world countries, and is the stage of lymphedema at which the lymph channels are almost completely blocked.
Mr Cull says he rarely leaves his home in because he was in so much discomfort – and when he did he was often the butt of ‘Elephant Man’ jokes in the street.
‘People call me all sorts of things, like Elephant Man. It makes me really depressed,’ he said.
‘My trousers ride up when I walk so there is no way I can hide it. It affects my leg, foot, and toes. I can’t wear socks because I can’t get them on. Nothing will fit me.’
But he added that previous press attention means he was glad he had spoken out.
‘People have been a lot nicer, more friendly, they have been a lot more understanding,’ he said.
‘I think it has made the medical professionals move a little bit quicker, too.’
He said he hoped to hear from his doctor again in the next week and expects to travel for surgery in the next month.
‘I still don’t know what it is. I think, after all this time, I’d like an answer to that, too,’ he said.
‘My message to anyone else suffering from a condition like mine is to make a nuisance of yourself, keep on top of the doctors.
‘I see some of these other procedures people have on the NHS – cosmetic surgery and the like – and I just think that is totally wrong when I had to wait for so many years.’
Mr Cull’s leg is currently so big that he cannot even board a plane, as the seat space is too narrow for his leg, but now he is able to look to the future.
‘I plan on doing a bit of travelling when I’m all fixed up. I’ve been stuck here for so long that I just can’t wait to get going again,’ he said.
ELEPHANTIASIS: THE CONDITION WHICH CAUSES BODIES TO BALLOON
Elephantiasis is normally caused by a parasite from a mosquito bite and is usually found in tropical parts of the world, like India or the Amazon, where Mr Cull grew up.
It is characterised by massive enlargement of an area of the body and is caused by the obstruction of the lymphatic system.
This results in the accumulation of fluids in the affected part of the body.
According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 1.4billion people in 73 countries worldwide are threatened by the condition, which is also known as lymphatic filariasis.
WHO figures suggest that approximately 80 per cent of these people are living in Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Nepal, Philippines and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Over 120million people are currently infected, with about 40 million disfigured and incapacitated by the disease, the organisation claims.
The most famous person to suffer from a form of elephantiasis was Joseph Merrick, better known as the Elephant Man.
In 1884, after four years in a workhouse, Merrick contacted a showman and proposed that he should exhibit him.
His managers then named him Elephant Man and he was eventually sent on a tour of Europe.
He returned to Britain and became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital.
Merrick died in 1890, aged 27. It is reported he died from a dislocated neck when he lay down to sleep, because of the huge weight of his head.Â
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