Published: Thursday, 8th October, 2009 7:05am

Dunfermline mum battles rare lung condition

by Siew Peng Lee

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ONE West Fifer's lips could give the kiss of life to patients suffering from a virtually unknown lung condition.

Nicola McCulloch (41), of Willow Grove, Dunfermline, will 'Pucker Up 4 PH' to boost awareness of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

The mum-of-two is the lone Scottish finalist in the "Blue Lips of 2010" competition, organised by Pulmonary Hypertension Assocation UK (PHA-UK), and hopes hers will be selected to front the campaign.

PH is a disease where blood pressure in the lung vasculature increases, causing breathlessness and exhaustion, and blue lips are a symptom as a result of the low levels of oxygen in the blood.

It's often mistakenly diagnosed due to its similarities to asthma, with research showing it takes around two years for patients across the UK to be diagnosed correctly.

Nicola herself was only diagnosed in January last year after two years of blackouts and medical investigations.

She said, "At the time I remember thinking, there's either something really wrong with me or I'm imagining it all.

"Friends had commented I was out of breath and were concerned but I kept putting it down to asthma as it runs in my family and kept plodding on.

"I'm a bit overweight and thought maybe it was that as well and I just needed to get myself fit."

After her second blackout she was referred to a neurologist with suspected epilepsy but an ECG trace showed problems with her heart.

Nicola said, "I was referred to a cardiologist and he said my heart was under a lot of strain but when they did an echo on it they found it was really a problem with my lungs.

"I was very lucky the doctor had heard about PH and referred me to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Glasgow, which is the only PH specialist centre in Scotland.

"It was a major relief to be diagnosed - but it hit me a couple of days later because there's no cure and the only way to cure it is a lung transplant."

Nicola was forced to quit her job as a child-minder and is on medicine which helps keep the pressure under control.

She said, "The problem with PH is, you may be able to do things and not feel tired, but you're always putting strain on your heart.

"You could die and that's always at the back of your mind.

"It's been hard on my kids. They've had to realise there's a problem with me - I have to keep reassuring them I'm OK but everything can change just like that.

"I have to avoid people with coughs and colds because I can't afford to catch a chest infection.

"My husband's had to cut his working hours so I don't have to get up in the mornings if I've had a pretty bad night but the support I've received from family, friends and PHA-UK is brilliant."

Nicola found out about 'Pucker Up 4 PH' on PHA-UK's website and decided to enter for a laugh and is now up against finalists from around the world, from Australia to Venezuela.

With 50 per cent of patients dying within two years if not treated, Nicola underlined the campaign's importance.

She said, "There are about 4000 people in the country with PH and it's estimated there are 4000 more who haven't been diagnosed.

"The longer it takes to diagnose, the higher the mortality rate. It affects everyone, regardless of age.

"If I can help raise awareness of PH, then job done.

"The more people read about it and find out about it the better."

To vote for Nicola, log on to www.puckerup4ph.com.