Doctors hinted that Heidi’s fatigue and joint pains were made up – Years later, she was diagnosed – 2024-04-01 18:53:49

Heidi Morrison, 30, learned to walk later than others and was in pain. In retrospect, there were other clear signs that all was not well. Still, he was only diagnosed as an adult in 2018.

It is now known that Heidi has suffered from the rare genetic connective tissue disease EDS, or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, since birth. Before that, he had to face, in addition to pains and joint dislocations, bullying, belittling and the dark conditions they bring.

– According to my parents, the first symptom appeared as a baby. That’s when my rectum slipped out. At that time, the doctors had stated that it is not necessary to come to the emergency room every time because of it, but you can put it back yourself.

– Thinking about it later, it is clear that it was related to the EDS disease, because it causes elasticity in the internal organs.

As age increased, other symptoms appeared. Morrison learned to walk later than others. The rectal prolapses stopped at the age of four.

– The first clear memories of strange symptoms are from the time before going to school. That’s when squatting hurt my knees.

The knee situation made it difficult to go to school from the beginning, and Morrison could not participate in almost everything in physical education classes.

– It was very sad, because I would have liked to. However, I couldn’t do anything about the situation, because the pain in my knees prevented me from squatting normally.

– The doctors said that it was caused by too tight calf muscles, and nothing was done about it.

At the age of ten, Morrison’s kneecaps began to dislocate.

– It scared me a lot and also caused a lot of pain. However, the water lilies always went back to their place by themselves.

– I was taken to the doctor again, where they said the situation was caused by over-moving knees. As a treatment, they were advised to do weightless movements.

Constant bullying

Because of her difference, Morrison had to experience bullying throughout her school years from preschool to the end of middle school.

– My leg problems were the biggest reason for the bullying. I was scolded for not being able to do things like others. I also had shoes bought at a flea market, which caused teasing.

He got to hear a lot of nasty name-calling.

– I was called fat and pig accompanied by bragging voices, strange bird and flea girl. Those words hurt really bad, I often cried at home. The words followed me into adulthood.

Although Morrison’s parents contacted the teachers several times about the matter, the situation did not change.

– The parents of the different parties were called together, but it only worsened the situation after the meeting and the bullying continued even more annoyingly. Some of the teachers said they hadn’t seen anything, and some thought that I was a bully.

As the bullying continued, Morrison stopped telling her parents about it.

– I thought that it would be better if I didn’t say anything, at least the situation wouldn’t get worse. I also didn’t want to cause them any further worry.

– In my own mind, I often think that if I died, no one would even notice. In retrospect, I must have been depressed then.

The disease progresses

The bullying stopped when Morrison moved from middle school to high school. However, the disease continued to progress.

– The knees got worse and worse, the painful dislocations continued. Also, my jaw joints started to go out of place when yawning.

– I had bite surgery because it was thought to be the cause of the situation. However, it was in vain, as the problem returned to its original state over time.

In the second grade of high school, migraine attacks and frequent sinus infections came along.

– I had a sinus expansion operation under local anesthesia, but the anesthesia did not work. I said about the thing that the nursing staff told me that I had received the maximum possible dosage.

– I felt practically everything that happened in the operation. This was because, since EDS had not been diagnosed, the medical staff did not realize that the ineffectiveness of anesthesia was related to the disease.

In second grade, Morrison dropped out of high school due to worsening symptoms.

– Migraine, fatigue and the joint pains that still persist forced me to do it. I simply could not concentrate and be involved in the teaching sufficiently.

As the situation worsened, Morrison began to doubt his symptoms. It was affected by the reaction of a few doctors.

– Several doctors said that the symptoms are possibly psychosomatic, and thus hinted that I made up my symptoms. They were also of the opinion that a young person should not have such a number of problems. It made me doubt myself.

– I had increasingly developed compulsions, for example, regarding checking things. That’s why I started to wonder if I invented everything myself.

Hurtling forward

For several years, Morrison’s life progressed quite similarly. He spent most of the time at home. Doctor visits were still included, because the symptoms had not disappeared anywhere.

– I was also in several rehabilitations, and I was subjected to many kinds of tests and experiments without results. At that time, I often thought that I was a defective person who could never live a normal life. Fortunately, I had great support from my family.

The pain also spread to the back.

– I went to the doctor without much help. There was no certainty about the origin of the pain. Later, pain also appeared in the neck. At times it became quite unpleasant, and I was afraid I was going to die.

In 2013, a doctor believed he knew what was going on. He diagnosed Morrison with chronic fatigue syndrome.

– Many of the symptoms matched the illness in question, and I believed the doctor’s word. It was supposed to be a disease whose symptoms gradually dissipated. However, my mother did not believe the doctor and questioned the diagnosis.

– I was instructed to increase exercise. After that, I started exercising according to my body’s condition, even though I was very tired and sore from time to time.

However, the symptoms did not decrease, the situation remained the same. After starting exercise, Morrison decided to lose weight strongly.

– The situation became extreme. I lost forty pounds and looked like a skeleton. My health became even weaker.

The reasons can be found

The pain and discomfort continued over time. Instead, the weight gradually began to increase. In 2017, something significant happened.

– That’s when I met my current husband. A lot more light came into my life.

The following year, the determination of Morrison’s mother took on a significant role. He arranged an appointment for genetic testing for the family.

– That’s how I found out that I have EDS. It was a great relief to have a name for my symptoms. The diagnosis was a huge relief in the sense that it confirmed that I had not imagined my symptoms.

– The genetic research also gave additional understanding as to why a few others in the family also have muscle disease symptoms. EDS is indeed hereditary, although the rest of our family does not have it.

Although the information about the disease was a good thing, Morrison would have needed more support to deal with the matter.

– I would have needed more information and a demolition channel. A very important person was found to be another person suffering from a similar illness, whom I met through rehabilitation work. I can even say that peer support is of great importance.

However, Morrison’s strength was still low and he sought help from a doctor.

– I experienced a mental breakdown, and I was diagnosed with moderate depression. I also got a referral to a psychiatrist, where I was diagnosed with OCD.

– The information was a relief again, although at the same time it felt sad to understand that he was suffering from physical and mental illnesses.

Morrison received significant support from therapy, which brought order to life and helped deal with issues. At the same time, the idea of ​​experience expertise was born.

– Experienced experts visited our workshop. After a while, I became inspired to train myself to be one. My main idea is my desire to help others and lighten their way with knowledge.

Morrison describes his own life as quite good at the moment.

– Family and experience expertise bring support and joy. Of course, diseases are permanently present in life. Pains and symptoms go along. They are a part of me, and we move forward with them. The situation can also get worse, but worrying about it doesn’t help anything.