Back to full health after six years of suffering

I would like to tell you a story about a long journey I have taken. I would like to tell you that I have seen strange lands, that I experienced new cultures, but my journey took me to one doctor after another, from one hospital to another. It all started when I was 25; I was just finished college where I studied osteopathy. I had noticed when I was in my last year at college that I began to feel my joints a little stiff. I never really took any heed of it, and as I was an avid exerciser I did a little more exercise and it kept the aches at bay. As time went by, I noticed that I was becoming more and more tired. Over the course of a couple of weeks, the aches turned to severe pain and I was forced to give up work. It is really hard to describe how I actually felt, but I was very cold, my movement was very slow and I felt like I might break in half if anyone were to even brush against me. On top of this, I had severe spinal pain. I was so tired all the time. I began to sleep a lot. I was going to bed early and finding it very hard to get up in the morning, as I didn't feel refreshed when I woke. I had no energy for anything and even walking to the chemist, which was only around the corner, was a chore. Indeed I tried this one day and had to rest on a pavement on a busy road for 20 minutes before I could go on back home. The day of my friend's 21st, I rested in bed all day so I could have three hours at her party. I remember going to London one Christmas to see some doctors. No one could understand what was wrong with me, so I was sent home. I flew home on Christmas Eve and was so weak I had to lie on the floor at the airport. In my desperation, I began to go to different doctors. Of course, I was told that I was depressed and was offered anti-depressants. By now my hair had really thinned out and was very brittle. The final straw came when I woke up one morning and I was covered in bruises the size of melons. When I went to the doctor, he asked if I was beaten at home (which I wasn't!). I was flung from doctor to doctor, but was getting nowhere, so I also tried all sorts of therapists: reiki, homeopathy, acupuncture. Nothing worked. I completely changed my diet, going from vegetarian to fully blown meat-eater, but still no difference. It seemed that the more I pushed to get better, the harder it was on my body. I became so disillusioned. As every day went by, I felt some of my youth went with it. For a while I stopped looking for an answer as I couldn't take the disappointment any more, so I disappeared into a pile of paper in the HSE's unsolved cases. After the number of doctors I'd seen in Ireland, I decided that I wasn't going to find an answer here, so I began to look further afield. I am not the type of person who gives up easily. In 2005, I found a doctor in the US, a chiropractic doctor who specialised in Fibromyalgia. I read her website and knew this woman could help me. I can still remember the day I booked the appointment to speak to her. I was so delighted when I heard that she did phone consultations. It involved signing some paperwork and getting my medical notes, and once that was done I was given the appointment. Speaking to her was such a breath of fresh air. Firstly, she was very nice to talk to. Secondly, she had reviewed all my case notes and noticed that not all the tests were done. I promptly got them done. I had the samples sent to the UK by post, and those readings were sent on to the consultant in the US. I had the results two weeks later - a deficiency in cortisol. I couldn't believe it. There it was in black and white, the one result that had kept me a prisoner in my own body and no Irish doctor had done it. Treatment involved a lot of supplementation and some medication. I started on her protocol on a Monday and I could feel a difference by Tuesday - the very next day. It was better than winning the lotto. As the week went on I could feel youth return to my body. It was amazing. After several weeks I returned to myself and have never looked back. I do a lot in a week: I go ice-skating, I have a brown belt in karate, I'm in the reserve army. I get up early and I can go to bed late if I wish. I can see friends. I have no problem going to parties and dancing the night away. This experience has made me very determined as a person and I never take 'no' as an answer. I've taken up figure skating since I've recovered and go weekly in Dundalk. It was always my dream. In the words of Michael Jackson, "this is it". • Louise Marry is a registered osteopath and can be contacted at 087-2465103. If you have a story to tell, email sinead@anglocelt.ie.