My Story - Wendy Anderson.

One of my favourite games as a child was "Hospital", attending to my sick dolls in the role of both nurse and doctor. My ambitions were ultimately to be realised in both capacities. When I left school a university education was financially out of reach, so I trained as a nurse. Then at age 31, already a wife and mother, I was finally able to secure the finances to study medicine.

Later I specialised in paediatrics, followed by further training in adult and child neurology. This led to full time hospital employment as a neurodevelopmental paediatrician. My work was challenging, enjoyable and fulfilling.

Then one day my life suddenly and permanently changed direction. Following a 5 hour drive to join family members for Christmas celebrations I developed acute low back pain, sciatica, and unpleasant sensations in both lower legs. Investigations, including a Metrizamide myelogram, showed nerve compression due to degenerative lumbosacral disc disease. When conservative treatment failed to produce any improvement, decompressive surgery was undertaken, followed later by spinal fusion. But the disabling pain persisted - I had joined the ranks of those with Failed Back Surgery, due to the development of arachnoiditis.

Over several years various methods were used to control pain, some were non- invasive; others were surgical (Deep Brain Stimulator, Morphine Pump, Spinal Cord Stimulator); a Depomedrol epidural injection was tried and proved to be ineffective. Further surgery was also necessary at different times to relieve nerve compression from other herniated discs, and to remove pressure from bony spurs at the lumbar and cervical levels. Altogether 7 more myelograms were done.

The degree of pain and associated disability eventually made full time work impossible. I took early retirement from the hospital but continued working part time at clinics. Physically it became a losing battle. By the time I stopped work altogether I felt cheated, my hopes, dreams and ambitions shattered. It seemed that I was living only to experience pain and this was so physically and emotionally draining that life was becoming meaningless.

At this stage I had to accept that although I had no control over the medical condition I had the responsibility of choice about how to react to what had happened to me. I needed to rebuild a new life pattern, accepting the facts of the situation and adapting to them by modifying my activities within the changed and changing boundaries of the levels of pain and disability. Only then could I begin to use the experience creatively for some meaningful purpose.

For me this has been my involvement with ASAMS, promoting the Society's goals and supporting others who have arachnoiditis by sharing with them, individually or as a group, my own experiences and knowledge of the disease. At the same time I am supported by fellow members. In this way I have discovered that good quality of life is possible when the focus is not on personal pain but on positive opportunities arising from even the most adverse circumstances.

 

To read Dr Wendy's inspirational story "From Captivity to Creativity", please click here.