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Postgrad Student Lisa Llewellyn Suffers Paralysis Because Of Two Rare Conditions

One of the major milestones we work hard to achieve in life is to complete our education. Having a quality education and completing a bachelor’s degree serves as a ticket to land a solid job and start earning money for a living. It’s also our gateway to changing the course of our lives and uplifting our standards of living. That’s why when we finally graduate, we can’t help but feel pride and fulfillment that all years of hard work had finally paid off.

But what if the life you’ve been dreaming after you graduate suddenly turns into your darkest nightmare? This Postgrad student suffered unbearable pain for eternity because of her two rare medical conditions.

A Postgrad Student Suffers Paralysis When Her Health Worsens Because of Two Rare Conditions

Lisa Suffers Paralysis After her Spinal Surgery A Daceade Ago

Lisa Suffers Paralysis After her Spinal Surgery A Decade Ago

Lisa Llewellyn, a 46-year old postgraduate of Oxford University had undergone a back surgery at the University Hospital Llandough in Penarth in order to fix her slipped disc more than a decade ago. The operation was supposed to correct her back and improve her posture while fixing her nervous system. She was supposed to live better. However, a decade later, she discovered that she had developed two rare medical disorders that had nothing to do with her medical condition before. She found herself still writhing and suffering in pain and agony up to this moment.

The pain Lisa felt was so excruciating that she could hardly move. She stated that she couldn’t even do chores or perform work that impedes her routine. She felt like a crippled woman not capable of getting the life she deserved. Moreover, it pained her to see how her mom had sacrificed and left her tutorial job in order to take care of her when it should be the other way around.

Lisa Shared the Suffering and Agony She Felt for 10 Years

Lisa Shared the Suffering and Agony She Felt for 10 Years

The family had attended multiple consultants all over the world just to get a diagnosis of her rare medical condition.

The physical and emotional pain Lisa felt didn’t just end there. In fact, it has affected her family too. Since her operation in 2007, Lisa was still feeling pain and her family had already consulted over 21 consultants all over the UK just to get her diagnosed. Or if not, at least they can give her medications in order to manage the pain she’s feeling. Some of the consultants they had approached were the NHS private sector. But it seems their efforts were all in vain. In fact, all their funds had diminished and they even needed to raise money to travel in other parts of Europe and even go to the United States just to find out her medical condition. Finally, though, after a decade, all their efforts paid off. They found what Lisa’s condition was since June 2017. One neurosurgeon in Washington, USA, stated that Lisa had Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). This medical condition is so rare that it only affects around 1 person (probably Lisa) in every 5,000 people in the UK.

The EDS is a disorder of connective tissue which exacerbated when Lisa underwent a spinal cord surgery in 2007. Her pain intensified when her EDS disorder worsened because it was not diagnosed. Because of implications that happened, the EDS developed a complication that triggered Lisa to experience another rare disorder. The second rare disorder she was diagnosed is called Atlantoaxial Instability (AAI). This disorder was triggered because of excessive moments with EDS. When you developed an AAI, it cuts the blood supply to your brain. This can compromise the tissues in your neck and head which requires constant blood supply for mobility.

Because of the operation, she underwent a decade ago, Lisa had developed a stretch injury along her spinal cord.

This injury was fatal because it became irreversible. And the damage done to her spinal cord (which unfortunately affected her bladder) was permanent. This rare medical condition is called “Tethered Cord Syndrome (TCS)” This was also the cause why Lisa had a hard time with her movement.

Lisa;s Family Were Living a Happy and Normal Life Until a Decade Ago

Lisa’s Family Were Living a Happy and Normal Life Until a Decade Ago

Her health condition may worsen and may pose a serious risk (maybe at a cost of her life) if this continues. The doctors recommended Lisa to undergo a surgery to release her spinal cord. This operation would stabilize her lumbar tissues using fusion and bone graft. However, they may need to raise a hefty loft of money in order to get the surgery. According to the US health experts, they would need at least £200,000 for her operation, travel expenses and accommodation rates, along with other personal expenses.

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