Today started out on a bit of a low but ended on a high. This morning my step dad and I, set out rather early to battle the snow, to get me to a hospital appointment in Chelmsford, Essex. The drive normally takes an hour from Tring (Hertfordshire) but due to snowy conditions took a lot longer than expected and at times we were doubtful we would make it there on time. Thankfully we arrived at the hospital 20 minutes early so had time for a quick coffee before going into see my consultant.
I was getting the results back from some procedures I had recently had (2 different types of Endoscopy’s) , in relation to difficulties I have had for some time with vomiting regurgitation and acid reflux. It turns out I have a condition called Rumination syndrome. For many years this condition was thought to be a psychogenic condition that only affect infants and mentally disabled people. However, more recently it has been discovered that it can affect healthy infants, adolescents and adults as well, and in the majority of cases is not psychogenic… yet they still have not found out what causes this. It is poorly understood and is often unheard of by the medical profession, patients and public. Unfortunately there are no pills or surgery to cure the condition My consultant also believes that I have Dystonia affecting my Oesophagus and thinks that this aggravates the Rumination Syndrome. However, the Rumination Syndrome, does not really bother me at the moment, so I am not to fussed about it. I know that by the time I wake up tomorrow I will most likely have forgotten all about it. That may sound silly but I do not see the point in concentrating on the negatives in life.
On a more positive note however, whilst I was in Chelmsford today, I went and met up with one of my close uni friends, and had a fabulous girlie day out shopping! I tried to push myself around the shops, however my arm was not at its best and after sending a number of objects flying in New Look, we deemed it sensible for Emma to spend the rest of the day pushing me around. The poor girl.
I had such a fantastic time. Not only did I get to have a good catch up with her but I also felt like a normal everyday young adult! I did not have my parents with me, which gave me more independence, and I felt like I was on top of the world. The day went perfectly minus one or two spasms. It gave me so much confidence.
I was rather sad to leave Chelmsford, as when I was at uni there, I completely loved the city, and could not imagine ever moving away from it. The last time I was there was the day I moved out of the uni accommodation in July last year, after Dystonia put a stop to my Midwifery training.
However I refuse to focus on the negative. I am concentrating on how much of an amazing day it was and it was so good to see my friend. I am completely exhausted from it, so I am going to bed early tonight. I have a great week planned, a friend is coming to see me on Wednesday, I am going riding on Thursday, another uni friend is coming to see me on Friday, my boyfriend is coming round on Saturday and my grandparents are coming over on Sunday! It is going to be a good week.
Today has been truly wonderful! I had my third R.D.A lesson, and I made so much progress today. I really shocked myself! In the last two lessons I have had, I have had a leader and two volunteers on either side of me, so that they can catch me if I have a Non Epileptic Seizure whilst on the horse. However at the start of my lesson today I only had a leader, and by the end of the first ten minutes it had been decided I did not have a need for a leader!!! This was fantastic and I was extremely happy.
Yesterday I had a lesson booked with the R.D.A, I was a bit nervous about this due to the new tremor in my leg. I had emailed my instructor in advance to let her know that it may be slightly more difficult than usual to get me on. Her reply made me grin “Tremor or no tremor, we will give it our best shot”! She stuck true to her words, they gave it their best shot and managed to get me on! I hopped up the mounting block, then with my arms round two volunteers shoulders they lifted me up on to Connie so that I was sitting side saddle, I then swung my Dystonic leg over Connie’s neck and slid my feet into the stirrups.
Today Benedict (the dystonia alien) decided to really wake up and came out to play. I was happily curled up with my youngest sister watching the 8th Harry Potter film, and all of a sudden my index finger on my right hand started to tremor. This gradually progressed to the rest of my fingers and within a few minutes my whole hand was shaking. I laughed it off, not wanting to worry my sister, and carried on watching the film, trying to ignore my hand. It eventually stopped shaking.
I paid a visit to my doctor today, as my Dystonic leg is still really bad, and the extreme tremor has been going on for 11 days now. I was hoping he would be able to prescribe me some sort of muscle relaxant to try to take the edge of it. I also wanted to discuss with him about being referred to an Orthotic department, to talk about getting some sort of splint or brace for my leg, as I have talked to and read about people who have tried this and good results.
Today has been the highlight of my week and has distracted me from the new issues with my leg. My mum and step-dad took me out clothes shopping, which meant that I also got to push myself in my new wheelchair! I knew that trying on clothes and pushing myself would be exhausting, so I made sure that I paid extra attention to my right hand, so that I did not do too much and cause it to spasm.
Since my last post my ability to move around has deteriorated rapidly! The shake/tremor in leg has become extremely violent and my leg feels like its made of jelly. The force of the tremor physically shakes the upper parts of my body as I try to hobble about. I have never had a sense of balance, so you can imagine how hard I am finding it to stay upright, when my leg is shaking me to the point that I would fall if I was not being held up. This tremor has made my knee extremely painful, the other night the pain was so excruciating that I ended up having a Non Epileptic Seizure.
Today has been a slightly better day, in comparison to the last 5 or 6. The last couple of days I have been almost unable to even hobble around the house, without one or two members of my family holding my arms, and helping me. Today however was different! My right leg still shook like mad, and my knee still over extended, but I managed to hobble around unsupported. I only managed a short distance, however I am still overjoyed by this as it is a big improvement compared to the last few days.
Today I decided to have a nice long hot bath, as I felt like I had been run over by a truck repeatedly . After managing to bottom bump up the stairs, it was heavenly to be able to relax in the bath. I cannot describe how blissful it was to let my muscles relax in the heat. However it turned out that the relaxation was not to last. Without thinking I poured the shower gel onto my right hand. Immediately my right hand and arm went into a rather painful spasm.
Dystonia and Me 