The Journey Begins

 

 

 

 

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

My journey started 5 years ago. I suddenly became ill, my joints hurt, my tendons became stiff and tender; it felt like my bones were going to implode. I struggled with headaches that made me feel like I was walking on an inflatable. I constantly felt nauseous. I could no longer concentrate for long periods of time. I struggled to form sentences, word find and remember stuff. I also became sensitive to light, sound and touch. The list is endless. Previously I was an active, joyful, social, bookworm who would regularly walk 12+ miles. I became someone who couldn’t walk 2 miles and no longer read a complete book, I  became increasingly clumsy, forgetful and introverted. Rather gladly my consultant at the time knew how active I previously was and what a change of character this was. Over this period of time I was tested for a multitude of illnesses and been treated for Lyme disease, post viral fatigue, damage to my vestibular system and most recently I have been diagnosed and treated for fibromyalgia. 

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body. As well as widespread pain there is fatigue, muscle stiffness, I have difficulty sleeping and problems with mental processes. There is currently no cure. 

 Over the last 2 years I have kept to rigorous anti inflammatory diet and I have been doing a daily Pilates exercise programme. Along with this I have been trying to build up my resilience in walking, gradually building upon my 2 mile baseline. Frustratingly I have never  found a connection between activity and pain and every time I pushed myself too much I would return to high pain levels and unable to walk. About two months ago I started a medication to help with the pain in my nervous System. This took a while to have an effect, but I am now seeing the difference it is having on my body. I am now sleeping well and most importantly my sleep is refreshing. For the first time in the five year period I found myself running up the stairs. I have almost finished a book, the first book in over 2 years. My head feels clearer and I’m having non muddled conversations with people.  I feel that it really has given me my life back.

 For many years Laurie (my husband) and I have been wanting to walk the Two Moors Way. A long distance footpath; 102 miles from Ivybridge on the southern boundary of Dartmoor National Park to Lynmouth on the North Devon Coast in Exmoor National park. This footpath was founded by a group of people which included Laurie’s Grandmother and we have been very keen to follow this route in which his grandmother played a part in its creation. 

 

When I was prescribed pain relief and I was talking with my consultant. Amongst other things she said was “even though the pain is very real it is important to know that the pain isn’t causing damage or as a result of damage” I have suffered for over 5 years with chronic pain, but with this new medication and a better understanding of the causes of my pain I have decided that this year is the year we are going to complete Two Moors Way footpath. We have decided to complete the extended version so we will walk from Wembury in the South Devon coast pick up the original footpath in Ivybridge and finish in Lymouth. This will be 117 miles which we will attempt to complete in 6 days. This would mean we would have to complete 19.5 miles of the footpath each day. This is a massive challenge for me particularly when my pain is constant and very unpredictable, but it is not impossible. 

We are going to do this walk this at some point in the summer and are going to be raising money for pain relief foundation which helps fund research into the causes and treatment of chronic pain. We will also be raising money for the wildlife trust.

Very few people know about my journey over the last few years for two reasons. The first is because I just started to withdraw because of the pain and its effect on my mental health and secondly because chronic pain is invisible. It became very easy to fake a smile. It has taken some very good friends to walk this journey with me over the last few years, they have believed me and given me the continuous encouragement, prayer and love. Sometimes that has been messy, sometimes we have celebrated breakthroughs,  but it is these friendships, prayers, positivity  and this  understanding that helps to encourage and motivate me to walk through pain and make myself stronger.  

I have decided to blog about my journey towards this walk and the walk itself because 28 million people in the UK are effected by chronic pain. Often this can be very isolating, frustrating and difficult to express to others. I feel that trying to articulate my story and my journey could help encourage and inspire others who suffer with chronic pain or invisible illnesses. It would also be a driving force for me to help encourage and support me through the training, my bad days and join with me in celebration on the days I accomplish more than I could ever imagine. 

 

To give to pain relief foundation follow this link. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ann-marie-ison