Happy Holidays 2017

Christmas for me has always been a pot luck. Some Christmases I'm single, some coupled up, some were big family affairs, and others were just me and a partner having a quiet one.

Two Christmases ago I had to leave midway through celebrations at my parents house, because I was in so much pain from my endometriosis that I had to go and lay down. Last Christmas, I was happily snuggled away with Mr Tech, feeling like a million dollars.

This autumn/winter my right knee has decided to wave the white flag. It felt like my kneecap was trying to twist right off, and the skin was painful to touch. I managed to drag myself to a physio. (I often lack the mental energy to plan these things). Luckily, she was excellent. We talked through my hip dysplasia and my current issues. Somehow she convinced me to do some acupuncture on my knees right then and there, with no cuddly toy for me to hold!

Though not a cure, it definitely made a difference straight away. She also gave me some exercises to do at home. I will certainly attempt to remember to do them every day....

Tomorrow I will be at my parents house, being over-fed and generally treated like a tame house-cat. It's going to be awesome.

Whatever you're doing, and whatever you are going through, I want you to remember that you are not alone. Some Holidays will suck, and some will be great. Never be afraid to put yourself first, and do what you need to do.

Wishing you all the best

Lisa x

You have to fight for your right (to be diagnosed) : part one

Twice I have been in a situation where I have had to convince doctors that I have real physical pain, and that it's not just psychological. I'm not denying that your mental health can affect your physical health, but sometimes there really is just a physical problem that needs correcting.

When I was about 26, I started to get really awful pain in the back of both hips, along the area round about where your kidneys are. I had experienced this sort of pain before, generally in the winter, and it seemed that it was getting worse year on year. I had mostly ignored it. Applied hot water bottles to the area when necessary, took solpadeine, and tried not to exacerbate things.

In the end though, it got so bad that I had to go to the doctor, and they agreed that I should get some x-rays done. Before the x-rays, I met with a hospital doctor, who was dismissive when I tried to explain where the pain was. They basically said that there was no way I could have pain in those areas. But I had my referral and the x-rays went ahead.

Well. It was extremely satisfying to see the proof right there in red. The giant areas of inflammation, exactly where I said the pain was, that showed how my muscles were strained from my hip dyslpasia. It was also a bit shocking, as I had not realised that my condition was so bad.

After I got the proof I needed, I was handed over to a physiotherapist. She taught me specific exercises to do every day to strengthen certain muscles, and she also did some acupuncture to stimulate the muscles and ease the pain. Acupuncture is said to be painless. Well it's as painless as having giant needles stuck in your muscles can be. I also started to swim consistently, every week, something I still do now.

Getting someone to work with me on what I could do to ease my condition made such a big difference. It allowed me to manage my pain, and also allowed me to pursue new sporting activities that I previously would have avoided. I learnt to rollerskate, (I can also skate backwards!), and I took part in two 5k obstacle races. 

I would never say don't listen to a doctor. Mostly they know their stuff. But you know your own body, so don't just take what they say as doctrine either. Don't give up until you get the result that you need.

Introduction

I never thought much about being disabled. It was something I was aware of, but such an ingrained part of day to day life that I mostly forgot about it. It was normal for walking to be painful. It was normal to hear my joints clicking, and grinding when a tendon caught, or the joint moved out of perfect alignment.

When I was born, I did not come out fully made. I was early, and worst of all, I was a breach birth.

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In a normal hip, the ball at the upper end of the thighbone (femur) fits firmly into the socket, which is part of the large pelvis bone. In babies and children with developmental dysplasia (dislocation) of the hip (DDH), the hip joint has not formed normally.

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So there I was, without fully formed sockets, being yanked out of my mother feet first. I can only imagine that it was an unpleasant experience for both of us.
If I could go back and project to my baby in womb self, I would have advised that there was really no rush at all. Stay in there and get the finishing touches done. It's only the 80s, there isn't anything so exciting that you have to get an extra month of it.


The doctors did not explain to my parents the long-term difficulties of hip dysplasia. I was put into a leg brace (that apparently my siblings would pull me around by) and we all waited for the sockets to form.


Life carried on in quite a normal fashion, except for the grinding and clicking. And then in my 20s I started to get a lot of pain. A hell of a lot of pain. Chronic muscle inflammation. Spasms. Aching. In the winter I started to walk with a severe limp. Everything was seizing up. I had scans done. They were not good. Then I found out about the link between hip dysplasia and early onset arthritis. That was not a happy time.


But I was never one for giving up. I did physio. I exercised like a fiend. Swimming, badminton, zumba, running, extreme outdoors obstacle courses. One thing was for sure. I was going to make my body work for me, and I was going to put off the bad things (walking with a stick, hip replacement) for many, many years.


And it was all going quite well, until I was 29, and something else happened.