The story of Sharon
It all started in 1997, I was working as a stewardess for a British airline, until I could no longer fly or function normally. The most basic of everyday chores, like getting up, getting dressed, brushing hair etc became so difficult, what we all take for granted daily was increasingly impossible for me to do.
It seemed overnight that from a fit athletic lady of 8 & 1/2 stone, I couldn’t stand, walk, eat or function, I was like a crippled old lady. After a year of not being helped or at least having blood pressure, temperature or heart rate taken by over 6 doctor’s, having collapsed several times and told I had a chest infection and then finally through desperation changing my surgery and doctorr I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, which was treated but however I still was not able to function, I had a ten year old daughter and an au pair, luckily, who helped me by cleaning, cooking and taking care of my youngest child. I with such low blood pressure and other vitals not running correctly, became bed ridden, unable to eat real food as was throwing up several times a day, I craved sugar but had never had a sweet tooth before, so just sucked on cola cubes, all I seemed to do was sleep. I was so weak and lost so much weight and nearly all muscle wasted away, as I was practically starving. My skin went yellow, I was in a lot of pain, my weight had dropped to 6 1/2 stone. I was waiting for an appointment at the hospital.
The day came and the consultant a renal doctor took one look at me and my bloods and said your liver is failing, as I couldn’t even sit upright in the chair, slouching over he even had the cheek to ask if I drank. I said NO. I couldn’t even eat. He admitted me straight away and I just slept. Still couldn’t eat, they put me on drips as I was to weak to eat or do anything else. After three weeks of investigations, hundreds of blood tests and nurses trying to wake me up, bed bathing me etc. the doctors team came over and said we think we have a miracle we’ve seen something in your blood we hadn’t noticed before can we do some tests, I said yes, anything at that point, as I was dying and I knew it, it was a very scary time in my life, I didn’t want to leave my already frightened children behind. They did some tests and then injections of steroids. Within half an hour I was up, run a bath, washed my hair and was singing. I could not believe how great I felt compared to a non functioning person I had been for so long. I was glad to be and feel alive. They gave me cortisol and aldosterone. It took a few weeks of actually eating again of which I was ravenous to get my weight to 8 stone and the dosages of the meds right and I was then released home. I was so grateful to feel somewhat normal again.
That was a long time ago, now. I cannot say today that I have a quality of life as from Addison’s being a chronic progressive disease that can go out of whack easily from just a bit of everyday stress, a small infection or cold is potentially life threatening and having had the thyroid killed off with radiation iodine in 2002, my womb removed, post menapause I now have a multitude of chronic illnesses, starting with Addison’s, hypothyroid, athma, diabetes, fibromyalgia, arthritis, spondilosis, bone density loss, neural issues in legs and feet, hands, colestral and hypertension, daily BP, breathing and palpitation issues, prone to chest infections, a cough and stomach issues. I am still here at 57. I have seen both my children go on to bring two beautiful grandsons into the world. So I’m grateful for that. I am disabled now and have limited mobility and cannot do the things I used to. Am tired most of the time and often weak and energy less, I had to stop work which can be depressing as I don’t get to socialise or have the life I want. But I do get cuddles from my beautiful grandchildren which is a blessing.