Over five years ago, I woke up and found a mystery blister on my arm and within days my body was covered in a strange rash that took a few months to go. A year later I turned over to turn off my alarm clock and found myself flinching from the pain of facing bright light. My right cheek also had some angry red marks that I mistakenly thought were spots.
What I was experiencing was the onset of Sarcoidosis, a mystery immune system disease that is ‘incurable’ and after four visits to the doctors where they discounted the flaring up and vision problems as being ‘minor eye infections’, I ended up at the eye A&E where I was diagnosed with uveitus, an eye disease which can only manifest itself from other conditions. A month later I was reeling from the shock of my diagnosis with Sarcoidosis and I rapidly deteriorated over the next few months as I struggled to breathe, struggled to walk without pain, and found myself riddled with lumps amongst a host of other symptoms.
A year on steroids where the side effects replaced some of the symptoms it was supposed to be helping was quickly followed a renewed onslaught of my symptoms within a month of coming off them. My consultants suggested that I should go on steroids for the rest of my life as without them, I could end up with pulmonary heart failure by the time I was 40. I wept at what seemed to be a cruel sentence over my life but I decided that I was 27 years old and that I must look at the alternatives before I made such a big decision.
I tried kinesiology for a few months and the changes were immediate but the progress would have been slower. A reader recommended acupuncture and in January 2006, I started my sessions with Gabriella. I found her on the internet and I was drawn to choosing her because she mentioned treating immune system disorders.
I know that my determination to take my life and health back is down to me, but I know that without Gabriella, my life could be very different. Gabriella took the time to understand me and my life over the previous few years so that she could get to the root of my health problems. Whilst medicine has its place, the steroids were a way of chucking a blanket treatment at my problem, masking it but not dealing with it. It was quite an eye-opener going through the needles process (I am a wuss) but I persevered, starting with weekly treatments. I felt a complete turnaround with my health within two months and shortly after I was declared ‘in remission’. More than eighteen months since I started acupuncture, I still attend sessions and also went throughout my pregnancy.
Four years ago I didn’t know if I would ever not be in chronic pain again and worried that I wouldn’t walk properly, enjoy my life, or that I would struggle to have children. Today I’m a happy, healthy, woman enjoying her life, her relationship and her baby. I highly recommend Gabriella who has quite literally given me back my life and health. She provides a relaxed environment, a warm, friendly ear to get to know you, and is fantastic at dealing with your issue intuitively and with the needles. It’s not just the acupuncture but the person behind it.
Natalie, Surrey
