My Personal Diagnosis Story; Updated 2018

 

Hi, I am Lette and I have EDS, Pots, Gut Dysmotility, Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction, Severe hearing loss and a host of secondary complications to all of these. I will try and keep this as concise as possible but I feel it is still going to be a long post, please bear with me!

It all started on a Tuesday morning in April 2011. After a lifetime of silly ‘Mickey Mouse’ symptoms that didn’t lead to anything conclusive, I just thought I was feeling a little under the weather.
I got up to shower and get ready for work and as I was coming out of the toilet, I suddenly felt really weak, faint and overwhelmingly dizzy. I called out to my husband who got to me just as I lost consciousness and he caught me before I hit the ground.

We didnt know what was going on, My husband was brilliant trying not to panic but everytime I would come around and try to stand I would lose consciousness again!
He got me to lay on the bed while he called the doctor and got advise to either immediately call an ambulance or get me to A&E straight away.

We opted not to wait for an ambulance as it would be faster to drive me directly to the A&E.

Long story short I ended up staying nearly a month in the hospital under an initial doctor who tried some tests but ultimately seemed to be very dismissive of me and in the end told me to get up out of bed and just ‘walk it off, and you’ll be grand’, great advice to give to someone who was shortly thereafter diagnosed with, ‘a very impressive case of Pots’, after this we had to demand a second opinion knowing something was seriously wrong with me. I couldn’t sit or stand upright without losing consciousness and I was just told to walk it off?!

Needless to say the second opinion doctor took my case very seriously, did many more tests, one of which was a Tilt Table Test and we discovered that I did indeed have Pots and NCS (Neurocardiogenic Syncope) but the cause was unknown. I was medicated heavily for my issues (very low BP, High HR, Nausea, Joint pain, Sweating, Syncope sometimes with respiratory arrest (without breathing), given some lifestyle advice like eat more salt and drink plenty of black coffee to raise blood pressure and sent on my way.

The following months after my Pots diagnosis I was continuously being admitted into hospital and fighting to find a cause for the Dysautonomia, In October 2012 I was diagnosed by a Reumatologist in Cork that I had Ehlers Danlos Syndrome Type 3, Hypermobility Type, which in turn would be the organic cause of the Pots.

My symptoms at the time were progressively getting worse, I was fainting very regularly throughout the day sometimes without breathing which in the worst of cases led to new seizure type activity and short term paralysis in my legs causing long lasting neuropathy. I was getting severe headaches and excruciating pains in my joints, very low BP, High HR, Dizziness, easy bruising, Blue Sclera, Excessive Fatigue, severe nausea and vomiting with gut related pain.

This happened for months off and on without any reprieve until April 2013 where I slowly improved at the start of the year, well enough where I decided to go back to work for Apple Computers from home.

Everything was going amazing until my Pots started acting up, sometimes I had to put people on hold as I hacked into a bucket! The pain in my pelvis, hips and lower limbs became so much worse that crutches no longer supported me well enough.

By August I was in a wheelchair, In September I was admitted to hospital for 11 days for investigations and pain management. The specialist advised that I didn’t return to work.

Things went downhill fast with my health and I soon learned that I would have to fight the HSE with some of my issues. I had to do my own phone calls to start Physio and Occupational therapy as nothing was being done from the hospital side. My Consultant who looked after me for Pots also had some problem with the diagnosis of EDS that I got in Cork, they never took it seriously and tried to convince me that I didn’t have EDS but I only had ‘Benign Hypermobility’, which they said would have no bearing at all on my health or any of my issues!

In July and August 2014 I was at my worst health wise. I was admitted to hospital after being rushed into Resus via ambulance after having a very long seizure. I was admitted again for nearly a month where I ended up in ICU and HDU (High Dependency Unit) because of these seizures. The consultants sent me to Beaumont Hospital in Dublin via ambulance again to rule out Epilepsy of which all was clear thankfully and they put the prolonged seizures down to a major reaction I was having to the antiepileptic drugs they had me on to manage them, I was promptly taken off these drugs and in turn the seizures stopped almost immediately. It looked like the first ever seizure I had may have been a once off dysautonomic seizure caused by lack of oxygen and it was the antiepileptic drugs they had me on that made matters worse.

It was during this time that I decided something had to be done to try and help myself. There are no EDS specialists anywhere in Ireland and the closest place there were any was in London. I started a GoFundMe campaign and slowly raised enough to go to London and meet a Professor in rheumatology who specialised in EDS to get a proper diagnosis that would confirm to my consultants (and myself) that I did in fact have EDS and to get some sort of treatment plan that my consultants here could work off. This trip was a success. I met Prof. Rodney Grahame, got an official diagnosis, a treatment plan for my consultants at home and it was only after I got my letter from Prof. Grahame that my consultants started taking my diagnosis seriously and actually followed the advice given on the treatment plan.

Things started running smoothly for a while with my treatment, I was getting regular physio and occupational therapy, regular pain management and outpatient appointments to keep an eye on everything.

Slowly though, in 2015 things went downhill again and I started having severe gut related trouble. Over the course of the following couple of years I was in and out of hospital constantly, I lost a huge amount of weight, couldn’t eat anything without nausea or vomiting, got extremely weak and fatigued and my seizures returned after a year of being dormant, my consultant at the time wanted to operate on my gallbladder thinking that may be the problem with my gut. Other than that, he admitted to me outright that he didn’t know what to do or how else to help me and advised I seek help elsewhere if I knew where to look.

In 2017 I had to fundraise again to return to London to meet another Professor who specialised in EDS and Gastroenterology, Prof. Aziz. Thankfully since this consultation in London and following the advice he gave me I have improved greatly, with regards to my gut trouble at least.

I still get serious symptoms and there is no cure for EDS. There are no EDS specialists in Ireland and it is clear from my, and others diagnosis stories that there is little help within the health system in Ireland. We are already fighting illness, we should not have to also fight the health system for treatment that should be readily available here and we should not need to travel or worry about organising funds to do so when we are in this state and yet, we need to or we will just be forgotten about.

I worry that my symptoms will continue to flare and get worse as time goes on. I worry something serious may happen and that the doctors here may not be able to help me or others in this situation if that happens. My story had some major up’s and down’s and yet I am not the worst I have heard. There are others out there that have had much worse experiences than I have.

We seriously need an EDS specialist here in Ireland to help us. I am forever surprised by the constant stories I hear of peoples GP’s and hospital consultants not knowing what EDS is. It is 2018, is it really that far fetched to imagine having a consultant here that specialises in EDS or at least some training for our doctors? I think not! #EDS4IRE 

Lette

 

Meeting Prof. Qasim Aziz in London

Day: Saturday 13th May

Time and Itinerary:

5:30am – Wake up, get ready!
6:30am – Arrive at Shannon airport

6:35am – Check in
6:45am – Get Breakfast

7:00am – Board Plane with the help of Disability Services

7:15am – Flight Take Off

8:15am – Flight Land at Heathrow

8:45am – Get through security and make our way to the Heathrow Express Train

9:15am – Heathrow Express arrives at Paddington
10:30am – Hang around Paddington for a little while, get coffee

11:30am – Taxi to Consultants Appointment at The Physicians Clinic at Devonshire Street
12:15am – In appointment place, fill out forms and go into meet Prof. Qasim Aziz

Prof. Aziz was very welcoming, I found him to be thorough, interested, very educated and deeply experienced with EDS and it’s comorbidities.

I had everything written out over two A4 pages, Which he said he was delighted with and wished more people would come prepared! It had My Diagnosis, Investigations done to date, Medications, All my doctors listed, Current Symptoms etc. So he went through everything with me.

To make a long story short I was there over an hour, he didn’t rush us at all and listened to everything both my husband and I had to say about all the symptoms, pain and weightloss I have been going through with my Gastrointestinal problems.

He did a few basic tests with me while I was there and then sat me down to explain what he believes is going on with me.

He reckons I am high in ‘Histamines‘, meaning that I am all inflamed and raw throughout my body as a result it all contributes to my various symptoms even outside of gastro problems. He said that a ‘Low Histamine Diet‘, would be of huge benefit to my lifestyle for 6 months and then I can introduce other foods back into my diet.

He added things like, taking probiotics 2 to 4 times daily with the diet as well as the supplements that I may be lacking in like, Vit.C, Vit B Complex, Omega 3 and Chelated Magnesium.

He went through all my medications and changed them about as well as adding some to help my tummy. Apparently a few of the meds I am on to help my gut are in fact paralyzing it, so I have to cut back on those and my opiates as they are slowing my gut function down.

As the LowHistamine Diet is sugar free, he has also changed the Fortisip Compact calorie drinks I have been taking as he said they are full of sugar, so he changed them to E028 Cartons instead.

He mentioned that he has had people like me come into him in wheelchairs and after this diet and the other extensive recommendations he gave, they are now walking, relatively cured and back to work, living a normal life once again as the symptoms are now controlled.

He also said that everyone is different and what may work for one person may not necessarily work for me but it is certainly worth a try for 6 months at the very least.

I still have a lot of research to do to get my head around this new diet but he wrote out loads of recommendations so I know what to look for, I found him to be very helpful.

I have already received his full report, he had it emailled to me within 2 days, by the Monday after the appointment on Saturday, I thought that was very smooth and professional.

14:00pm: Finish appointment and get Taxi to the Hotel.
14:35pm: Check in and unpack and relax for a few hours to recover from the morning.
14:55pm: Pass out for around 2 hours
17:00pm: Wake up and go get some food
17:15pm: Make our way to the food plaza across from our hotel and find a sushi place

17:30pm: Too tired to deal with crowds so decide to bring sushi back to the hotel to enjoy in peace. Then just relax watching TV for the rest of the evening as we were both wrecked and I was beginning to feel really poorly after the busy day. I did ok though but we didn’t get much sleep as there was a Hen party in the room next door to us so it was really noisy at times but either way we got through the night and were up bright and early the next morning, Though we were both impossibly tired and I was barely able to move!

We get up, shower and get ready, check out of the hotel and get a Taxi to Paddington again to get the HeathrowExpress train into Heathrow Terminal 2 to catch the plane.
We grab breakfast and all goes as normal through security and onto the flight.

I always laugh at the sheer difference between the security in Heathrow compared to Shannon, Shannon are so lazy about everything and you literally walk straight through without little hassle but in Heathrow they want to examine every inch of you and your bag, which is great that they are so thorough but the difference in the two always makes me giggle.

Either way we got home safe, landed, went to collect our dog from my parents house and hit for home where we both crashed and burned pretty hard! I know right, just one day and were done, useless we are! I felt incredibly sick and my husband caught a flu on our travels so he has been hit pretty hard too since coming back. We both still haven’t recovered properly!

Next up now is to make sure my doctors and consultants here get a copy of the report he has sent me and to start a food plan to get this diet started once and for all. I am still following the Low Fodmap diet until I have everything I need to start this new Low Histamine diet.

I am looking forward to the adventure over the next 6 months or so with this new lifestyle change, and of course I will share it with all of you as I go along!

Thank you once again to everyone who made this trip possible, John Steele and Mick Dolan for organising the Bowie Gig in February which raised €2000 each for both Zondra Meaney and myself and also to everyone who contributed through my Go Fund Me Page. I am deeply appreciative to all  of you for your help and support, thank you.

Lette (Fainting Goat!) xxx

Doing a dry run test for London!

So yesterday and today I have been doing a dry run for London, meaning I have to try and stay up for at least 11 hours straight, without bad symptoms kicking in, to be able for my flights and trip to London on May 13th. Sounds easy right?… yeah! I am having trouble and I still have 3 hours to go today!! I usually last about 4 to 5 hours up before bad symptoms and desperate fatigue get in the way and I need to rest in bed again so I need to be able to do this to go on the trip.

The itinerary starts for the trip on May the 13th at getting up at 5am to check in on time and fly out for the 7:30am flight to London, then I have to make it to London and to the specialists appointment at 12:30pm and wont be at the hotel until at least 4pm, so that is 11 hours from getting up at 5am! Then and only then will I be able to rest for the first time on the trip. To anybody else this would be simple but not for me.

I got up at 9 yesterday and made it to 8pm last night, then watched The Expanse and then passed out cold in bed for a couple of hours, I really needed the sleep and symptoms had kicked in pretty bad throughout the day. I simply do not have the stamina and health like I did the first time I went to London so I decided to do another dry run of it today. I got out of bed at 10am this morning and I have to make it to 9pm tonight and I have to say I am finding it tough!

I have the tickets bought for the trip and I really don’t want to have to change or cancel them so I have to be safely able to do this without bad sickness and symptoms getting in the way.

If I do this successfully, Ill let you know, but, I am finding it hard and may have to change the itinerary around a little to be better able to compensate my physical needs, but hopefully that wont need to happen.

Here’s to the next 3 hours, let’s do this!!! (I hope!!)

Lette xxx – (Fainting Goat!)

Saturday Submissions – With Stephanie Baxter

I know, I know! I am late with this again, I am so sorry, I just couldn’t get to the computer the last few days because of the health once again. I will have to do them during the week and have them publish automatically on the Saturday morning. I will do better, I promise!

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In this weeks Saturday Submissions, we speak to a good friend of mine that I know through Facebook as ‘Tuffy’, She has a host of chronic illnesses and this is the first ever telling of her own story. So lets hear it for Tuffy and give her a warm welcome to the world of Blogging! 🙂

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Saturday Submissions With Stephanie Baxter

I’ve never told my story before because it’s weird and I’ve ended up with a bunch of rare things. People tend to get either bored or uncomfortable with the full version. I’m having to come up with some creative reasons why I’m in my wheelchair.
I’ve summed up with a Sword fight. I don’t get such a fun reaction. I’m thinking of changing it!

Anyway, I’m an old lady (48) But I’ve had issues with my heart palpation since I was 17 or so. When I was 20 I was pregnant with my first kid. The doctors wouldn’t listen to me. The palpations were so bad anywhere I would go I would have to stop everything for about a minute. Only because my heart was beating so fast and hard. Talk about a massive head rush! But I was also told they were side effects of pregnancy.

So, after a few years and another kid (I really was terrified of dying during birth) everyone around me told me I was fine & if the doctor wasn’t worried, why should I be? Ok First Lesson people!! If it’s your body and Your scared, Start Screaming for Anyone to listen!!

I put up with this for 10 Years before I Finally was diagnosed. I had to get a blood clot first, But hey, your body has to do what it Needs to do. So, I’m 27 years old and finally I’m seeing a Cardiologist. I told him that my heart goes super fast. He asked me if he could check it out. I thought, heck why not. It’s probably nothing.. Wrong Answer!! I’ve got stickers all over my chest and this readout starts printing and the Doctor gets All excited!!!

OK, Lesson number 2, When a Doctor gets Excited, be Scared.. it’s Not good News! I have an inherited disease called (WPW ) Wolff Parkinson White. My electrical pathways were kinda not working right. So it was (is) making my heart palpate.

The doctor told me I was in the 10% of the population, oh and I needed an ablation right away or I can go into a heart attack and die. Yeah, my inner voice yelled at me for listening to all those Stupid people!! Who in the end, didn’t really give a crap.

As I said, listen to yourself… so, I went in for my first ablation. Well, it ended up 2 of them because the first one didn’t quite take. After about 2 or 3 years I started taking Hawthorne supplement. Because my palpations started to come back.

Then after a few more years and a Great deal of stress I was Finally diagnosed with Pots and the WPW came Roaring back.

Now just so we all know, my paternal grandfather had wpw, they didn’t have a name for it in the 2nd war, he would be driving his supply truck in Germany and a bomb went off, he just ended up in the ditch with “heart attacks”. Which is what they were. But there was nothing they could do for him.

Personally it really sucks! Plus the pain is right Nasty. Chest pain and all. Back to me, I got to play with beta blockers & calcium Channel blockers to keep my heart under control, it just ended up confusing my heart, it was up to 300 then it would drop to 30 in just a few seconds. Thus me checking on the floor making sure it wasn’t lonely. I Never did get to pass out, but ya know.. I’m a blonde asthmatic dyslexic.. why add on to that??

The doctors got mightily concerned and decided I needed a pacemaker. My first. Wow, I got to name him. Something fancy, so I came up with Engleburt Humperdink! (You young ones look him up) it fit great!! I went in & as the doctors who have been putting in pacemakers for Decades, they put in the first lead.. that went smoothly it was the upper lead they had major issues, my heart took off and I’ve Never seen 2 Cardiologist freak out before. They couldn’t slow down my heart for anything. They never had this happen before. I suppose they finally found the relaxant. Yeah, it’s a fun story. They stapled me together and within 6 months I had to go in for another ablation.

They made me stay awake. All together in 10 years I’ve had 9 ablations. Yes, they made me stay awake during all of them (the first 2 were exception) as I’ve said I’m Really rare and different. I felt every ablation, just as I can feel my heart go into tachycardia. The last ablation they tried to make me completely dependent on my pacemaker. They were only 95% my heart still goes off but now only for a limited time. Few seconds here and there. Nothing like it did. Now I’m dealing with the pots.

But I found out more family info. My mother had the same thing, so does my niece’s (2) so now I’m finding out its genetic. When it’s genetic the symptoms are severe. Where I Live, I was told that all they can do is just treat the symptoms. I’m getting new symptoms and they are not pretty. So, we moved to a new state for better medical care. My timing couldn’t be worse, Spring is kicking me around like I’m it’s new punching bag. Being bed bound is hard enough, but now we’ve got to find another place to live and paperwork to do plus finding doctors that might just care.

If your wondering, I found Irish Dysautonomia back when I was around 30ish. A Long Time ago!! I found you guys on YouTube. It was the first time I was introduced to what the Crap I really do have. I’m thankful for the support and information that I’ve found. It’s very personal and individual in its attacks.

I’m also bipolar 2. So I’m on a few meds right now. Fludicourt for my blood pressure is the main thing, but then I’m finding out that anxiety is a symptom as well. Which having bi-polar 2 & ptsd Really makes me realize how severe this crap is. I’m very open about my mental health as well as my physical health. I’m one person, why separate? If my stress (anxiety) is affecting my heart why treat my mind and my heart seperate?

So, I’m really big on coping strategies. They Really do help. Anyway, I’m around sometimes on Facebook my name is Tuffy Baxter, I would like to be on Facebook a lot more, but it’s difficult.

Thank you for reading this blog. It is my first at telling this story. I hope if anything helped give a smile or 2. I suppose I shall see you all soon in the funnys!! 😍😍😍

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Thanks hugely to Tuffy for that Blog post, please be sure to check her out on Facebook and make a link and please leave a comment below if you relate to Tuffy’s post 🙂

——— Wanna Be Part of Saturday Submissions?———-

All you have to do is tell us a little about yourself and write a blog post (Any Wordcount) in relation to your chronic illness, or how a relation/friend/patient with an illness affects or interacts with you, etc. all welcome!

You can include photos (preferably your own, if found online be sure to add links to where you found them)

Be sure to add links to your social media accounts so people can link back to you OR You can write it anonymously if you like just be sure to put your details in the email so I can respond to you personally 🙂

You can send your submissions to: irishpotsies@gmail.com

 

Saturday Submissions – With Caroline from Living With PoTS!

Hi everyone! I’m Caroline, I’m a 21-year-old student, blogging about life with a chronic illness. You can find me on Twitter , The Mighty , and at my blog Living With PoTS

Whilst not yet diagnosed, I’ve been suffering from PoTS symptoms for around 7 years, which have dramatically worsened over the last few years. My main symptoms are severe dizziness and fatigue when standing, as well as joint pain (which is probably related to some other undiagnosed condition). Recently, I made the decision to use a wheelchair for the first time, which was a pretty big decision and something I want to talk about.

I want to start off this post by saying that choosing how and when to use a wheelchair is an incredibly personal decision, and this is only my own experience.

 

 

Why a wheelchair?

Ever since I realised that there was a genuine health reason for me being in so much pain, and not felt like I was being lazy, I’ve been trying to work around it. Whilst I can manage my day-to-day life relatively well, trips away are a massive struggle. Last month, I had what should have been an amazing trip to London planned for my best friend’s 21st birthday, two whole days of sightseeing, shopping and shows. Obviously, with it being such an important birthday, I wanted to make sure she had an amazing time, and that me being tired and in pain didn’t get in the way.

Worries

It’s safe to say, I had a lot of worries about starting to use a wheelchair. The practicalities: how do you borrow one? How do you steer it? Where are the brakes? The stigma: what will people think when I ask for one? And when I’m able to stand up out of the chair? And personally, admitting to myself that it was something that I needed, on occasions, and that it wasn’t a big deal, that using a wheelchair for a special occasion like this wasn’t making a commitment for the rest of my life.

How did it go?

After chatting to a few friends, and browsing museums to find one that hired wheelchairs, I decided to go for it, and on arrival at the Natural History Museum I went to the cloakroom, signed a disclaimer, and 30 seconds later was equipped with a wheelchair. After a bit of figuring out how to fit me, my coat and way too many shopping bags in it, we were go.

I started off being pushed, but the lack of control really bothered me, so I decided I was going to push myself which worked much better (after a few incidents getting around corners anyway!). Whilst my arms were so sore the next day, I think that’s something I’d get used to.

Practically, it was better than I expected. People were on the whole really polite, happy to move out of the way, and no-one I noticed gave me any weird looks or anything. In terms of the museum it was hard going; I couldn’t see quite a lot of the displays, and trying to find lifts was mission impossible.

Overall though, it’s a big thumbs up for the wheelchair. Whilst it is not something I would want (or need) to use every day at this point, for occasions like this, where I’m trying to pack a lot of activities into a few days, it makes things so much easier. It means I can do so much more, without the repercussions of the next few days, and more importantly (for me at least), it means I’m not impacting on others as much.

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Thank you so very much to Caroline for providing todays Saturday Submissions!
Do you relate to how she felt?
If you use a wheelchair, did you find the initial transfer to using the device difficult?

Please leave a comment and let Caroline know what you think, be sure to check out her social media links above and make a new connection! 🙂

——— Wanna Be Part of Saturday Submissions?———-

All you have to do is tell us a little about yourself and write a blog post (Any Wordcount) in relation to your chronic illness, or how a relation/friend/patient with an illness affects or interacts with you, etc. all welcome!

You can include photos (preferably your own, if found online be sure to add links to where you found them)

Be sure to add links to your social media accounts so people can link back to you OR You can write it anonymously if you like just be sure to put your details in the email so I can respond to you personally 

You can send your submissions to: irishpotsies@gmail.com

Updates and Everything Falls In March!

I have been so unwell over the last few months that I have missed and had to reschedule a lot of hospital appointments and now they all seem to have come in March!

I was last admitted to hospital in November last but never got around to writing about it, I was in for a week with another bout of agonizing pain in my right side and gut, all stemming from the Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction/ Gallbladder pain I had been having all along and that already hospitalised me over 4 times in the one year previously. They took real note of my weight loss this time and started me on new calorie drinks, some new meds, as well as doing some further tests, ultrasounds and abdominal X-Rays all leading up to a second ERCP on the 28th of March, of which I will write about below!

Invacare Action 3 NG – Ocean Blue

Yesterday I had a manual wheelchair assessment with my Occupational Therapist, I have now been measured and fitted for a new manual chair as my current one is loose, rickety and near impossible for himself and myself to push, not to mention that it is far too big for me at a size 18 where I need a size 14 or 15. Yesterday, I was fitted for the new Invacare Action 3NG  (In Ocean Blue!) and have been put on the funding list for it, which means if approved, I will get the chair through the HSE but if not I simply wont get it at all, especially since I was already approved for a new Motorised Wheelchair (Invacare Spectra XTR2 Pictures Below) a few months ago (But is only good for outdoor local use and we do not have a modified car to transport it so I need a manual one to use in the home and transport) There is no guarantee that I will get approval for the manual one, We will just have to wait and see.

Invacare Spectra XTR2

March kicks off with my birthday on the 5th, I have nothing planned only to celebrate with hospital appointments which start on Monday the 6th with a follow up appointment with my doctors who look after my Pots care in UHL. This usually involves looking at the current meds I am on, seeing if they need an update, they ask about my symptoms to date and see if I require another Tilt Table Test or some other tests etc. This will have been my first ‘Pots’ appointment in over a year now so it will be good to catch up and see if any changes are needed.

 

Wednesday of that same week, the 8th, follows with a Urology appointment to check my kidney and bladder function. This Urodynamics Test needs to be done every 6 months or so now that I rely on catheters for painful urinary retention, it can leave you more prone to kidney and bladder infections and kidney dysfunction so that needs to be checked frequently to try and catch infections and Kidney dysfunction as early as possible to prevent any damage.

Image of a Type 1 Arnold-Chiari Malformation. The cerebellum has descended 7mm and there are herniated cerebellar tonsils into the foramen magnum. – Wikipedia

The next day, Thursday the 9th, I have an MRI of my neck and spine, as ordered by my Pain Specialist, to try and rule out Chiari Malformation or other complications because of the severe pain and headaches I am getting coming from around the base of my skull/ top of my neck area, I already get ‘Occipital Nerve Blocks’, for that and ‘Sacroiliac Joint Nerve Blocks’, for the pain I get in my lower back and hips, but I find these nerve blocks are only helpful for a very short period of time (sometimes, if at all!) and are not advised for long term treatment. I have been getting them on and off for over 3 years now altogether as well as continuously taking two types of Opiates (Fast and slow release), meds for neuropathic pain, anti-inflammatories and also muscle relaxants, daily, even with all of these and the injections there has been no proper ‘cure’, especially for the severe neck and head pain, if anything that has gotten worse, so he wanted to investigate that further. We spoke and he explained that he understands that EDSers usually don’t show any evidence of Chiari during a lying down MRI, it is preferred that an upright MRI is performed for a more honest view, however there is no upright MRI in Ireland, one of the closest being in London. I may not need an upright one at all, we will see what the lie down one shows first but he said he would refer me to London if needs be. I will also be returning to London, (privately as none of this is covered by the HSE!) to see another GI specialist that specialises in EDS very soon and I will also see what that specialist suggests I do because the pain and headaches have me bedbound most days now and have worsened my quality of life, where it was very low to begin with! 😦

The following Wednesday the 15th I am back down to Cork University Hospital to see the new private GI specialist I started seeing in November just gone. I won’t mention Names here but, he was recommended to me by a good few people on the Irish EDS related Facebook Pages stating that he is an excellent GI specialist who is very well read up on EDS (Also having studied and worked with the private GI Consultant who specialises in EDS, in London, that I had already heard about (and spoke about in the previous paragraph) and had planned to go and see.) It was recommended that I see him before going straight to London as he can do (in Cork) a lot of the tests they do in London, so I said I would give him a go, and I am so glad I did.

Sphincter of Oddi Placement

I have to say first that My Limerick GI Team in UHL are fantastic in that they have tried almost every test they could to see what is causing all my gut trouble. Since starting all the GI investigations in December 2014, up to now, they found out that I have ‘Gut Dysmotility‘ and ‘Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction‘,  but beyond medicating and treating me for those, they do not know what is causing my Nausea, Vomiting, Trouble Swallowing and Severe Gut Pain that has hospalised me more than 4 times in the last year, nor do they know why I have lost over 3.5 stone and continue to lose weight even though I am keeping my calorific intake as high as possible on as many days of the week that I physically can. The team have read up on EDS where they have needed to and continue to educate themselves as we continue to investigate (The tests in Limerick are ongoing, even with another ERCP Operation with Bile Duct Sphincterotomy (where they cut the muscle) at the end of this month) but I feel we are still coming to a dead end, Especially when the symptoms have eased only a little and ultimately continue to cause daily trouble and the head GI specialist of the Limerick Team came to me already and said that it would probably be better if I went to London to see what ‘The EDS Experts’ have to say. So on hearing about the GI doctor in CUH who knew his EDS, I made an appointment and went down to see him and get his advice before I decided to go straight to London.

 

The first Cork appointment came in November and I was pleasantly surprised when I met him. He was very well read with regards to EDS, listened to my full medical history, symptoms, complaints, procedures, tests and operations that I already had. Went through the medications I was on and went through some with me that I had never heard of before but he wanted to do a few tests and X-Rays before changing my medications. When he heard I was interested in going to the GI specialist who he trained under over in London, he was delighted to refer me over and suggested that it was a great idea to get his opinion as he would have the most expertise when it came to treating GI trouble in EDS patients and he thinks this London specialist should be able to help me.

He immediately wrote up a referral letter as I was there as well as booking me in for some new tests in Cork hospital that are not available in Limerick. He said these test appointments would be sent to me in the coming weeks after the appointment and sure enough, they did, they came through very fast, a lot faster than I have experienced in Limerick. I had a Barium Swallow X-Ray done in January and still waiting on the results of that which will probably be given during the clinic appointment I have on Wednesday the 15th of March and I am currently waiting on a Gastric Emptying Test appointment which should arrive, I am told, in the next few weeks. Either way I am very impressed with this Cork based GI Specialist who knows his EDS, I will certainly stick with him, as well as the Limerick team, for now while I wait for my London appointment to come through.

Not finished yet! I have a Gynae appointment in the Maternity Hospital on Monday the 20th. Then that Friday the 24th I have an EEG back at the UHL and finally, The Big One! I have another ERCP operation thingy with a Bile Duct Sphincterotomy the following and last Tuesday of the Month, the 28th.

Sphincterotomy – Cutting The Muscle 

 

The ERCP and Sphincterotomy is to treat the severe pain, nausea and vomiting I am having because of what the GI doctors in Limerick think is Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction. I have written and You can read about SOD and the ERCP procedures HERE.

I have already had the first ERCP procedure where they injected Botox into the SOD and you can read all about how (Kinda bad, though it inevitably worked!) that went HERE.

and that’s it!! That covers all appointments for March only! Every month there is usually something and it feels like, I only get out for doctors appointments these days! but what can you do?! 🙂

Lette xxx

Ambulance Time Once Again!

On August tenth we had to call an ambulance yet again!
I had been in bed for weeks at that stage nursing a savage pain on the right side of my abdomen. This wasn’t the first time it has happened, and probably wont be the last! It got to a stage where I was trying to manage the pain myself at home, trying to avoid going into hospital, but I had to face facts and call it as it got too bad to manage on our own this time.

The Ambulance arrived promptly and began to tend to me. They were a crew of two, Male and female, and were excellent. Friendly, Professional, funny easing the mood when needed and seemed to take a genuine interest in what both Keith and I had to say and contribute.

Unlike the last few ambulance calls, this visit from them wasn’t rushed. It was calm, sedate and gave us time to properly prepare to go into A&E. While they took their time trying to locate a vein on my foot, Keith ran upstairs to the computer, got ready and printed off an A4 sheet with simple information on it about me and my condition, highlighting the main issues I present with, medication I am on and what would be needed when first admitted like fluids, Pain control and Catheterisation, etc.

The reason for this sheet was because through previous experience we have found to be constantly repeating ourselves while giving out my information to different people and yet only parts of the overall story get heard by all different people and nobody has the full story! This time we  said we would try getting this sheet in as a common denominator of information in my files so that everyone will be literally be on the same page regarding my care and see what happens. It was worth a try at least.

After getting a vein in my foot and administering some morphine for pain relief, we were eventually ready to go to the hospital and the ambulance crew were brilliant with everything as well as taking on the information sheet, which they said they thought it was a fantastic idea and wished more people were that organised!

We quickly made it to the hospital, after getting more Morphine on the Ambulance, I was brought straight into the A&E main area, Thankfully I wasn’t rushed into Resus at any stage this time, it was calm and sedate and a far better visit this time round.

I was delighted to hear back from the Female paramedic that she passed on the sheet Keith had given her, to the triage nurse and that the nurse also commented on what a good idea it was to have all the main things highlighted on one page where everyone can see it. She said she would put it in my file so that all the doctors would see it too. So far so good for our little A4 sheet!

While waiting around for a short while, waiting on the triage nurse to find a place to put me as it was busy in A&E that day, The Paramedics were chatting to me and told me they knew some student and new paramedics who were doing papers based on me for some exam that was due the next week! Morto! I found it funny that they would pick me based on my rare or under diagnosed EDS condition or as I like to call it, ‘my awkwardness!’ :p

I once again had terrible trouble getting veins in me, doctor after nurse after doctor tried and failed and it started getting really sore. The vein the Ambulance crew had gotten was already failing just a few hours after it was put in, my foot swelled up  and they were worried as they really wanted to administer fluids and iv meds so they wanted a vein soon. Throughout the following week while in the hospital, this continued. a vein would be gotten and it would fail almost immediately until in the end the anaesthetics team had to be called and they had no trouble getting a vein and thankfully now a note has been put in my file to say that only anaesthetics are to place a cannula on me and no one else, so hopefully all the prodding and poking will come to an end now.

After spending no more 24hours in A&E this time around, I was admitted to the surgical ward. While in the A&E I had all the usual tests, xrays, scopes, exams, the usual trouble of about 50 different doctors trying to get a vein after a brief moment of being cocky and saying something like, “Oh I’m good at this, don’t you worry”, or,”Oh really? Bad veins, huh? well, I like a challenge!” and then just end up being unsuccessful anyway! That always provides me with a giggle especially towards the cocky ones who think I wont post a problem, cha! Say that to me after 20 mins of trying hopelessly! :p Being admitted after 24hours was quick though, considering that I have often had to wait over 46hours before.

I always like being admitted to the surgical ward. Not only does everything seem to be more up to date and cleaner, but Compared to the medical wards, The mood on the ward is generally brighter both from the staff and the patients. The Nurses seem to genuinely care, are not as dismissive as others I have encountered on the medical wards. They get upset when you get upset, they don’t like to see you in pain or discomfort and as much as they are able, they won’t keep you in pain for long and will treat you asap when they are asked to, a lot of the time, they don’t even need to be asked, they will notice themselves and will get you what you need to help ease your discomfort. Also, the electric beds are well cool! :p

I saw My Surgical team the next morning bright and early and they took the situation serious when they saw I had lost over 3.5 stone with the nausea, vomiting and general pain and discomfort I have been having with my gut issues.

As well  as my pain team to cover my Occipital and Sacroilliac joint Nerve Blocks which were due once again, They called in a dietician, a tissue viability nurse to talk about any difficulties I may be having with the chair, thankfully theres nothing serious going on there but she wanted to refer me to a Dermatologist for a small bit of irritation caused by the chair that was easily sorted with some long term antibiotics (starting with an 8 week course and if it needs to continue after that it could go up to 16 weeks), will just have to wait and see how it works. Then they wanted to get a serious OT assessment for me as my own local OT never properly assessed me for manual chair or a bed, given my situation, these are the two basic things my surgical team wanted to be covered while I was admitted.

The Dietician was concerned for my weight loss compared to my height and prescribed a high fiber, high calorie diet as well as Fortisip Calorie drinks to take twice a day along with my usual daily food intake to help at least maintain my current weight if not try to increase it. Sshe also prescribed a new tummy med to take with the other ones I am on to try and help with the nausea and vomiting as well as to try and increase appetite. So I have now started these and I was thinking of doing quick video reviews of the different drink flavours on offer, if you are interested that is! Let me know and I will do it if you like 🙂

Throughout there was non stop testing to find out what was causing the pain in the right side. Xrays, Ultrasounds, CAT and MRI scans, Scopes, blood tests, you name it, it was done.

In the Ultrasound Room!

One outcome is that they have ruled out any Gallbladder issues. There definitely seems to be Sphincter of Oddi, Severe Gut Dysmotility and Neurogenic Bladder Dysfunction problems, as well as a large and painful Lymph node on the inside of my right hip which is causing a lot of pain too and is currently under investigation, all these are contributing to the pain as well as the Ehlers Danlos Pain itself, but they have ruled out Gallbladder and Appendix issues, which is good!

I had 2 major cardiac events while I was in, though I had been battling low Bp all week, these events were the opposite, they came out of nowhere in the middle of the night, they were raging high bp and very fast heartrate, the ecg showed some abnormalities but thankfully they didn’t stay long (about 2 or 3 hours) and after they administered some medication to lower my bp and hr, I seemed to return to my regular low bp self, they were scary though as the pain in my chest when it happened was frightening and I was soaked through with a tempreture. The nurses seemed concerned as Long story  events came out of nowhere. Thankfully though after a few hours I returned to normal and could get some sleep.

Long story short, I got to see everyone that was called for me except OT. The final team was the pain team with the good professor who loves to give injections and this time was no different! He administered my usual Occipital and Sacroiliac joint nerve blocks under ultrasound which he did at my ward bed, he had a little portable ultrasound machine or at least that’s what it looked like and he went for it there and then. The pain team in conjunction with the anestetic team said that I may have chronic piritonitis ( information or even tearing of the abdominal lining that holds your organs) this is still being investigated and will continue as an outpatient appointment along with all the other teams I had to meet while I was in.

The surgical team try everything they can and they are so good to want to learn but they still are not sure exactly what is causing the severe pain and weight loss. I had mentioned to them about a Gastroenterologist specialist in Cork university hospital who is very well up on EDS and speaks regularly as well as trained under Prof Aziz over in London whom I hope to see as soon as i am able to travel. They said go to see him, just to see if he can help and my surgical team said they would be delighted to consult with both him and Aziz going forward as they are of the mind that more on the overall team to help me then the better!

In the meantime my team wanted to bring my case up at an EGM (emergency general meeting) where the head consultants and specialists of a department get together and discus special cases at a count table meeting so that other people’s views and suggestions can be taken on board, then once they have news they  will call me for a new outpatient appointment or send me for further tests if required.

 Unfortunately the OT never turned up and there were questions as to wether she would turn up anyway as she usually only sees Stroke and Neurology patients so my surgical team along with the head nurse on the ward rang her boss as well as had to write a letter in order to argue the case as to why they felt I was a special enough case for her to make an exception and come and see me, alas I was left waiting all over the weekend just to see her and she never turned up so my team decided to send me home at this stage with some new meds and a ton of outpatient appointments and they would follow up with her to get me a much needed appointment as my local OT isn’t really doing what she is supposed to do. 

In the meantime I have made a new appointment to see that Gastro specialist in Cork, his name is Akbar and I have heard great things so I really hope he can help. That appointment is on the 20th of this month (September) and of course I’ll fill you in on how that and any subsequent appointments go.

For now, I’ll just chill and try to recover 🙂

Thank you as always for taking the time to read.

Lette ( the fainting goat!)

Finalist of The Littlewoods Ireland Blog Awards 2016

I am delighted and so proud to announce that I just found out that The Irish Dysautonomia Awareness Blog here has made it as a Finalist in The Littlewoods Ireland Blog Awards 2016 under the Health & Wellbeing Category! 😀

I never imagined we would even make it to the Shortlist when we did, but to make it as a Finalist? I can’t tell you how excited I am about this, and I have YOU, yes, all of you reading this, to Thank for making it this far.

This Blog is all about raising awareness of these under diagnosed conditions, and having people check out the blog for judging means that even just a few fresh eyes will see the blog and may learn something new that day about a condition they may have never heard of before, if that alone is all that is achieved from this then I am absolutely thrilled. I can’t believe we have made it this far, I am so happy! 😀

Thank you all!! ❤

From here, this Finalist List will now be judged by a panel of Pro Judges (Those who know the industry well) and no open voting this time. That final list then will be the ones that go through to the awards to possibly win.

I am utterly thrilled we have come this far and even if we don’t go any further, I couldn’t be happier with the outcome so far. 🙂

Also, I would like to take this opportunity to extend a massive congrats to Catherine Colbert of The Cripple Baby Blog, she also made it as a finalist and Blogs in the same category about Dysautonomia and related issues too! Nice one Lady! 😀

And of course, congrats to everyone who has made it this far in the Awards!

Once more, I can’t thank you all enough for your votes and support, fingers crossed this may go further, but if not, I think we did good! 😉

Cheers, I’ll keep you all updated as I find out more, Thank you so much for reading,

Lette (Fainting Goat)

Shortlisted? – Was Not Expecting That!

WOW!! So in the last week a lot has happened.

I was admitted to hospital on Wednesday the 10th after a few weeks in bed, nursing a savage pain in the right side of my Abdominal area. I was released yesterday after a really productive week in! I will do a separate blog post highlighting what happened, but this post is about something most unexpected to me! 😀

I am delighted to announce that on Tuesday the 16th of August, I got an email to say that Irish Dysautonomia Awareness, had made it through to the Shortlist of the Littlewoods Ireland Blog Awards 2016! 😀 YEAY!

Public Vote:

So now the voting begins and this is where I beg for your votes! –  Well it begun on the 17th and runs until the 23rd but I have missed out on a few days because of the hospital stay.

The public vote opens at the Shortlist stage, and accounts for 20% of your mark (80% comes from peer judging).

If you would be ever so kind as to click on the image below and hit the Vote Button, just be aware It will open in a new window or tab. I would be eternally grateful! 😀 It will ask to verify your vote with giving an email or signing in with Facebook, this only takes a few seconds, so thank you so much in advance.

Please Click Through Here To Vote

Remember, this is not about winning, and completely without trying to sound humble I don’t expect to get anywhere further, but to raise awareness of this condition through opening this blog up to even just a few more people, would be fantastic for all of us. Thank you!

Lette – Fainting Goat =)

Made The Longlist of The Irish Blog Awards 2016!

 

WOO!! So not only did the Blog make the long list finalists for Best Health and Lifestyle Blog in The Irish Blog Awards 2016, but also one of my blog posts, ‘The Good, The Bad and the Emergency‘, made it onto the the long list for Best Blog Post!!

I am delighted and I have you all to thank for adding your entries for the blog! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it 🙂 From here on, as far as I know, The blogs will now be judged by a panel and then those who make it onto the shortlist may need to get votes for the remainder of the judging so if I ever even make it that far, I may be back to ask for some votes! :p

For now, Thank You all once again and I will keep you posted on how everything goes 🙂 ❤

Lette (Fainting Goat)