The first indication that anything was out of the ordinary was when I was 14, I noticed that all my trouser legs were shorter on one side, My mother took me to GP who diagnosed scoliosis. I was told to add some extra inches to my shoe in the hope this would straighten my spine. (it didnt)
When I hit 40, my right leg seized up at the hip, was painful and even when the physio tried to force it to move it wouldnt. It was treated with infra red, ultrasound and massage and in the end loosened up. However walking any distances or sitting for any amount of time created severe back pain and nausea.
I hadnt actually been diagnosed with anything so Drs were not convinced there was anything wrong, so I embarked on a course of trying as many alternative therapies as possible, in order to find a cure, these included chiropractic, acupuncture, osteophathy, Chinese herbal remedies and other things I cant remember, some of them eased things a bit for a day or two, but nothing lasted.
After yet another injury and going to see an NHS physiotherapist, he suggested that I might have joint hypermobility syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. He asked my GP to refer me to Rheumatology and it was indeed confirmed.
At 50 I started having difficulty swallowing and thought it was another symptom of my joint hypermobility syndrome (there are many) My partner nagged me to see the GP. Lucky that he did, as it turned out to be oesophageal cancer. I had chemo and a massive 10 and a half hour operation followed by 6 weeks in hospital due to complications.
The operation, which saved my life, has also left me with more conditions including reactive hypoglycemia (similar to diabetics in that I get hypos fairly often), acid reflux, which Im at the risk of aspirating due to new innards And the need to be within 3 yards of a toilet for the first few hours of the day! I also have to sleep very propped up, which isnt easy and I often have bouts of insomnia.
As you all know, I am an artist and love painting and since finding my new direction of painting disabled people and those with chronic illnesses etc, I feel like im combining 2 things that I love and care about deeply. So feel blessed and very lucky to be able to use my talents in this way.
