I first suffered back pain after a car accident in 1999. Initially, the pain went away, but two years later, I was hit by an episode so severe I ended up in hospital in agony.
A scan showed pieces of ruptured tissue scattered around my spine, and I was told that I needed emergency surgery. It was terrifying but I put my faith in the consultant. When I came round from the anaesthetic, I was in indescribable pain and couldn’t stop screaming. The surgery had damaged nerves in my legs, and I could neither walk nor sit up – I felt totally helpless.
Nine months later, I still hadn’t moved from my hospital bed. Aside from some physio, I’d had no review or further treatment, so, despite not being well enough to go home, I discharged myself. My husband Martin, who had been made redundant while I was in hospital, became my full-time carer.
My pain took away all my energy. I was on massive doses of medication, which left me in such a stupor that I couldn’t even hold a simple conversation. People stopped visiting and I felt incredibly sad. I’d always been such a social person and I no longer recognised myself.
My teenage children were wonderful and I knew I had to stay strong for them. Each morning I’d look in the mirror and say, ‘This is only temporary’. Somehow, I never lost hope.
Martin, however, was struggling. He too had lost his life as he knew it, and his confidence crashed. My illness began to expose deep-seated problems in our marriage, and, eight years after my operation, we separated. It was sad, but the situation was causing us so much stress that we couldn’t carry on.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Woman&Home; August 2023-Ausgabe von woman & home South Africa.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Woman&Home; August 2023-Ausgabe von woman & home South Africa.
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