From a young age it has always been a known fact that I am a rather clumsy person. I fall particularly easily and bumping into things seems to be a specialty of mine - I am usually covered in bruises that cannot be explained. Along with my inexplicable clumsiness also came an inexplicable pain. I say inexplicable when I was younger I simple put it down to growing pains.
Once in my 20's it could safely be assumed that I was no longer growing, yet the pain was still there and if anything it got worse. I also became even more prone to falling over - whether I was drunk or not. It eventually came to the point where I was feeling like I was a lot older than my two decades - I was beginning to be known to my friends as having 'old lady parts'. Something had to be done.
Eventually I decided I needed to see a doctor, I did not feel that it was normal to feel like this and I needed to get to the bottom of the cause. Despite numerous blood tests the doctor himself was unsure of what was causing my chronic joint pain and clumsiness - therefore, I was referred to a rheumatologist as at that point the only conclusion was that I had to have a form of arthritis.
After a few months I visited the specialist and was informed that I had something called 'Joint Hypermobility Syndrome'. I, nor anyone else I know, had ever heard of it before - I quickly learnt that it is not a topic which is widely discussed either online or anywhere else.
The basic meaning of what I have is that I am double jointed. To go into a little more detail, I have a hereditary condition where instead of having tight, taught collagen between my joints I have loose, springy collagen meaning that my body cannot support my weight properly, leading to painful, stiff joints - like I have been complaining about since I have been very small. I also as a result have too much of a substance called elastin within my body which can lead to various other problems.
There are extremes of course, as with any kind of disease, syndrome, condition etc. I, typically, have the most extreme version of the condition. Not only do I have extremely flexible joints - I was told by the specialist that with ankles as flexible as mine I should be in the circus - and the pain connected with that but I also have nearly every other symptom connected with JHS. These symptoms include extreme tiredness, stomach problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, headaches, fainting spells, an overactive mind and many others which are too numerous to mention here. All that needs to be said is that for some reason or another that is unknown to me at this moment... I have more of these symptoms than I would like to have.
Now that I have being diagnosed as an extremely bendy person it has allowed me to make alot more sense out of my life as some things which were hard to explain before can now be explained through my syndrome.
With this being said however, I still find myself having to explain to my friends and people around me when we are out having a few drinks that when I suddenly fall on the floor unexpectedly that i'm not drunk i'm simply just a double jointed person with ankles made of flimsy elastic bands instead of a sturdy joint.
I always get the feeling that people think I am simply making excuses for the fact that I drank too much that night or cannot hold my alcohol - as a person from Ireland either North or South this is truly an insult.
I have the hope that one day 'Joint Hypermobility Syndrome' becomes something that is talked about more frequently and becomes as well known as any other common conditions such as arthritis. Then maybe I will be able to have a night out without having to point out - I'm not drunk... i'm just double jointed.
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