A woman who has a rare and incurable disease was mistaken for being drunk and trampled by commuters during the morning rush hour as she suffered a debilitating attack
Kelly Boyson suffers from Ménière's disease with symptoms including acute attacks of vertigo and tinnitus that cause her to drop to the floor and last up to four hours, and increasing deafness
The 31-year-old, from Berkshire, was travelling on the London Underground one morning when she suffered an attack but no-one around her knew what was happening
Kelly said fellow commuters thought she was drunk and just stepped over her instead of offering help
Previously, she had become housebound for 18 months, causing her to lose her job
Read More Hermit living in Scottish forest saved after SOS signal is picked up in Texas Kelly is speaking out to raise awareness about her condition and the symptoms which can strike at any time without warning
The fundraiser was working in recruitment in 2014 when everything suddenly began spinning while she was sat at her computer
As it was only fleeting, she passed it off as having not eaten enough. But the sensation returned six times within a month and was followed by an ear infection
Read More Boyfriend 'told Holby City star's dying daughter not to use phone as she cried for mum' By this point Kelly visited her doctor and was diagnosed with labyrinthitis and prescribed the necessary treatment
The symptoms continued but doctors frequently discounted them until months later when an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist recognised her condition as Ménière's disease, said Kelly
She endured sudden attacks of her condition up to four times a week. Each one begins with her losing pressure in her ears, followed by tinnitus and then extreme vertigo which causes her to drop to the floor
These attacks have lasted up to four hours before. Previously, Kelly suffered an attack on the London Underground at half past eight in the morning, but commuters weren't aware what was wrong with Kelly with many assuming she was drunk and refused to help her, opting to walk over her instead
Kelly also experienced this in a club, with her friend having to plead with bouncers, who thought she was drunk, not to kick her out
Due to the life-changing repercussions of the disease, Kelly became housebound. She said: "At the end of 2014 I was sat at my computer and everything started spinning and at first I thought I hadn't eaten enough
"It didn't last very long so I just pushed it to the back of my mind. But then it happened a few more times and that's when I got worried
"I experienced it six times in a month, and then I had a terrible ear infection
"I went to my GP and he said I had labyrinthitis and gave me some betahistine tablets
The problem was, it didn't stop. "I went back to see my GP seven more times and then saw two ENT specialists
The second ENT specialist immediately diagnosed me with Ménière's disease in March 2015
"That was a relief because it meant I wasn't going completely mad. "There isn't any specific treatment for Ménière's disease and there's no cure
I had betahistine tablets initially and then over six weeks I had to have three steroid injections through my ear drum, but they didn't help
"Now I have a grommet in my ear; I'm on my third one and they last for about a year
"I was having drop attacks up to four times a week which meant I couldn't go out alone as it could happen anywhere, which was dangerous; I was housebound for 18 months
" She told how an attack begins with her losing pressure in her ear and having "terrible" tinnitus, causing her to drop to the floor
She said: "It's extreme vertigo and I can be standing talking to someone when it suddenly happens
"It has nothing to do with heights or movement, but they can last hours. I had one that lasted four hours and just had to wait it out
"I was on the Underground when it happened. An ambulance was called but they said I wasn't an emergency due to the fact the spinning would pass
"It was the morning rush hour and people were just walking over me because, to them, I looked drunk
"In the end, a transport police officer took me to the hospital in a taxi. "One also happened in a nightclub and my friend had to tell the bouncers that I wasn't drunk
"I wasn't allowed to lock doors so people could get in to help me in an emergency
"I couldn't go out alone in case an attack happened in the middle of the road. "My work was so supportive, and we made a mutual agreement for me to leave because I'd been off for months with statutory sick pay
" What is Ménière's disease? Ménière's disease is an inner ear condition that causes sudden attacks with symptoms including vertigo, tinnitus, a loss of ear pressure and hearing loss
During an attack, sufferers may feel dizzy with a spinning sensation, they may feel sick or vomit, they may hear a ringing or buzzing noise inside the ear, and they may have a sudden drop in hearing
Attacks can last minutes or hours, and it can take a day or two for symptoms to disappear The condition usually spreads to both ears over time and it usually affects people aged 20-60
There is no cure and the exact cause is unknown, but medication can help to control vertigo, nausea and vomiting
Health professionals urge sufferers to consider the risks before activities such as driving, swimming, climbing ladders or operating heavy machinery
The condition has altered Kelly's life entirely and while she was out of work, she designed her own adult colouring book, whilst she was off sick, with designs showcasing some of the world's most iconic landmarks
Four years after her condition first developed, Kelly was able to start a part-time job as a fundraiser for the Ménière's Society
At the same time, Kelly started sharing her journey on her Instagram account, @balancinglifewithmenieres, to educate more people about the often unheard of condition
She said: "Whilst I was off sick, I became depressed and anxious, I knew I needed to do something, so I started drawing "It kept my mind busy, I didn't overthink what was happening to me and it gave me a purpose
You lose a lot of yourself when something like this happens, you have to adapt a lot and develop a new you
"It took about two years before I really started living again. I still have balance problems, I've lost 50 per cent of my hearing in my left ear
"My diagnosis really knocked my confidence and I worried what people would think of me
I was really worried about dating because I didn't want men to see me as defective
"I met my partner in May 2017 and he didn't judge me or think that there was anything wrong with me
"You don't have the same confidence as before, what if you collapse in front of them, do you tell them about what you have, will they run the minute they find out you have a disability? "When I was diagnosed, I had never heard of Ménière's disease, so I feel that sharing my story might help someone realise they aren't alone
When something like this happens that's all you need to know to have others who understand exactly how you're feeling
"If you can't see the illness or disability, most people don't believe it's there
"None of us know what's happened to the person next to us and they may look fine, but underneath that smile might be something different
"People need to think about what they say and not be judgemental - that person getting out of their car in the disabled space who looks better than you do probably struggled to get out of bed or to shower
"They probably have a serious illness you've never heard of and will probably never understand
"Judging them from afar isn't fair. "I started an Instagram account to get awareness out for invisible illnesses and started the hashtag 23365balanceproject to share other people's stories to raise awareness
" Read More Top news stories from Mirror Online
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