Kate:
“I have had memories of pain for as long as I can remember. As a child it was my feet and ankles, in my early teenage years it was my knees and then into my late teens and twenties, the pain just gradually got worse and more widespread affecting my hands, wrists, hips and various other joints..
I always found some things harder than other people my age, sports and anything involving coordination was challenging to learn. I also started suffering from frequent injuries, I have since become a frequent flyer at A&E for breaks and dislocations. My mum had taken me to get custom orthotics after realising I had flat feet, they helped some of my issues but I also found them very painful. I have seen numerous physios over the years, always getting different advice but never really feeling like things improved. The only thing physios did all consistently tell me was that I was very hypermobile which was the cause of my injuries. In my teens my mum had done some research and had suggested I may suffer from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, the symptoms were a perfect fit but when I spoke to my GP about this, I was told there was no benefit to formally diagnosing this as it won’t change anything about how I would be treated so I didn’t bring it up again.
Through my twenties, I have felt like I am constantly working against my body. The pain, fatigue and frequent injuries and bouts of illness have been consistent setbacks which prevented me from doing a lot of the things I wanted to do because even daily tasks and work were often a struggle. This affected my mental health as well as I felt like each time I tried to get fitter and more active, something would happen that would put me back to square one. I general didn’t discuss my pain other than with those closest to me but when I was struggling, I got so tired of hearing “just wait until you get old” or “your too young to have sore joints” because pain had been in my life for as long as I could remember, I wished it was something I wouldn’t have to worry about until i was older. I was concerned about what it was going to mean for my future, I had only been getting worse and I began to worry from seeing my younger sister and cousin that I would be on the same path. It’s not a concern most people have in their 20’s but when you live with a chronic pain condition, your perspective of life changes.
My sister had also been really struggling with her mobility and had been seeing numerous specialists with no answers or improvement. My mum came across the Fibro Guy and the results Jonny got with my sister were incredible, she had been on crutches for two years and was now back to doing the things she loved, so she suggested I also do the programme.The sessions with Jonny were a refreshing experience, the education supporting the programme helped me to understand my body in a way I have never been able to before despite all the research I had done myself. Through the programme, my pain began to improve as my joint stability improved. I also began to notice joints being pain free that I had not even realised were sore because other things were more painful so I had just accepted it. I no longer have flat feet and for the first time in my life, walking isn’t painful. I am starting to get more active again, enjoying longer walks with my dogs and doing some open water swimming.
This year has been tough for me in other aspects of my health, I am currently undergoing investigation for Mast Cell Activation Syndrome. I also have begun the process to get a formal diagnosis of EDS as both my sister and cousin have now been diagnosed. Despite the other issues. the programme has given me a level of control that I did not think I could have I can not thank Jonny and the Fibro Guy team enough for giving me this. I would not hesitate to recommend this programme to anyone, you just have to be willing to trust the team and commit to doing this for yourself”
