Inverness-shire mum who feels no pain is a medical sensation
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Jo Cameron (71), from Whitebridge, is one of only two people in the world known to have a genetic mutation that means she feels virtually no pain, and never feels anxious or afraid.
When the retired schoolteacher was 65 she realised she was different after doctors could not believe she did not need painkillers after a serious operation for arthritis.
Raigmore Hospital anaesthetist Dr Devjit Srivastava sent her to pain geneticists at University College London (UCL) and Oxford University.
After tests, they found gene mutations explaining why she did not feel pain like most people.
Mrs Cameron said that she told doctors before her operation that she would not need pain relief after surgery.
She has also told how she did not even feel pain during childbirth.
Doctors believe she might also be able to heal more quickly than normal, with her particular combination of genes also making her less anxious.
She reported never panicking even in dangerous situations such as a recent traffic incident.
Despite all the apparent ups, Mrs Cameron says there are downsides to her condition too.
She suffers memry lapses and did not know her hip had gone until it was really in a bad way and she was unable to walk with arthritis.
She also ended up covered in burns from not feeling pain when cooking on her Aga - she would smell her flesh burning rather than feel pain.
She said: "I don't have adrenalin. You should have that warning - it's part of being human - but I wouldn't change it."
The researchers say it's possible there are more people like Jo.
"One out of two patients after surgery today still experiences moderate to severe pain, despite all advances in pain killer medications. It remains to be seen if any new treatments could be developed based on our findings," said Dr Srivastava.
"The findings point towards a novel painkiller discovery that could potentially offer post-surgical pain relief and also accelerate wound healing. We hope this could help the 330 million patients who undergo surgery globally every year."
