Mum desperate to have teeth pulled as she battles rare 'Silk Road' disease which leaves her with 'raw flesh'

Mum desperate to have teeth pulled as she battles rare 'Silk Road' disease which leaves her with 'raw flesh' EXCLUSIVE - WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Elisha Woodfield has lived with a rare, debilitating condition that has left her covered in ulcers and lesions since first noticing symptoms when she was eight A mum-of-two has spent the past 25 years living with a rare "Silk Road" condition that could leave her blind and possibly dying at a young age - now she's trying to get her teeth removed for some relief. Elisha Woodfield constantly battles infections and a host of other medical issues due to the rare hereditary Behçet's syndrome, which only affects a few hundred people in the UK. The mum, from Poole, Dorset, told The Mirror she gets ulcers and lesions all over her body including large ones on her leg. "I can't wear any clothing," she said "Because the way the ulcers go, they're like wet, like raw flesh, like rotting flesh." Behçet's syndrome is a rare and poorly understood condition that can cause potentially life-threatening problems such as strokes and permanent vision loss. Most people who live with the condition have severe flare-ups as well as periods where the symptoms are in remission. According to Behçet's UK, as many as 2,500 people in the UK could be living with the condition. The NHS Behçet's Centres of Excellence registered 2,208 patients in 2020, with 1,000 of those being considered "active." The condition has left the 36-year-old in severe pain at times with one lesion once covering her whole thigh. She said: "I went up to the pharmacy and the lady up there, she passed out, she didn't know what to do. She'd never seen it before, but I was in so much pain, and I just wanted some pain relief." According to the NHS, while it is not clear what triggers the problems with the immune system, people with genes linked to the disease are more likely to have it. It is also more common in the Far East, Middle East and Mediterranean countries like Turkey and Israel, although all ethnic groups can develop the syndrome. Elisha revealed her grandfather was of Iranian descent and passed the condition to her mum and aunt. Tragically, her aunt died from Behçet's syndrome three years ago, aged 60. "She couldn't eat anymore because she got ulcers in her throat," she added. "It swelled up in the tubes, so she couldn't actually eat. We've all got different forms of it." A surgery for Elisha's fractured ankle had to be cancelled because the condition sends her blood pressure to 290/170. People with a blood pressure reading of 180/120 or higher are regarded as having a hypertensive crisis and need immediate medical attention. But there is one particular issue that led Elisha to start a GoFundMe campaign to give her some relief. The condition also affects her teeth and she is currently living with six in her mouth due to her teeth being broken. She is hoping to raise £1,600 to have seven broken teeth removed. She explained: "They're constantly infected with abscesses in my mouth. I'm really suffering and even eating is a bit of a challenge for me because obviously they're broken teeth and [food] gets stuck in there and lodged, and it's quite painful." Elisha has sought help from a dentist for 18 years, but she has been unable to get one on the NHS and a private one quoted her £7,000 to remove a couple of teeth 10 years ago. She said: "I dread to think how much damage is in my mouth. And because I haven't got a dentist, they won't remove the teeth at all, you have to have a dentist to do that." Thankfully there are moments of relief. When Elisha was pregnant with her now 16-year-old boy and later her nine-year-old girl, she said she felt better. "I quite enjoy being pregnant," she added. "I feel at my best, I feel more alive and I feel I can do things." While she still suffers from swellings, she continued: "[The ulcerations] are reduced through the pregnancy, so that's a bit of peace of mind, it makes me feel a bit better than I'm not as sore." Both of Elisha's children have shown symptoms of the condition with her son suffering from mouth ulcers and they are set to meet a doctor about a possible diagnosis. The cruel nature of Behçet's syndrome also left Elisha concerned it could kill her before she is able to fully provide for them. "I want to do the best I can for them," she said. "I want to try and spend every minute with them [that] I can and what I can do for them. I would like to leave them something in a will or something." In addition to removing affected teeth, Elisha's GoFundMe campaign also aims to raise money for equipment that can help her get around the home and be more mobile. To view Elisha's GoFundMe, click here.