I am a 29 year old married mother of two. My son is 10 years old and my daughter 8 years old. When I was 15 I had a hyper-extension injury but it wasn’t treated as apparently I was too young for back problems!

I’ve always been active, enjoying all kinds of sport, I played hockey for the County and regularly competed in athletics doing triple jump. I joined the army at 16 where I was picked to represent the army, navy and air force in athletics too but I left the army in 1999 so I could concentrate on my family.

I’d had a bad back for a while and eventually I went to the doctors to find I had a prolapsed disc, it was that bad that I was asked to sign a form to allow the MRI in medical text books. This lead to my first operation which was a micro-discectomy.

This worked for a while then the pain began to come back this time with a vengeance, I was unable to work and found it really difficult doing normal day to day things like doing the washing or even dusting. The most difficult part was not been able to pick up my children to give them a hug, you know, when they’d fallen down or just wanted a cuddle.

I had to rely heavily on my husband. He is still in the army and was going to work then coming home in the evening and taking on the household chores and looking after the kids. Being in the army his job took him away a lot, often for long periods and this left me stuck. Family and friends did a lot to help and my children became known to community welfare as young helpers, this cut me up more than anything as I couldn’t help but feel they were missing out on their child hood and it was all because of me. I felt helpless and worthless and ended up on a cocktail of drugs including anti depressants, more than 160mg of morphine a day and oramorph several times a day. (A soldier would only be given 30mg over an hour and a half if he lost a limb.) I went through all kinds of treatments like physio, sports therapy, acupuncture, epidural and facet joint injections, disco grams, electrotherapy and many others, none of which worked. By this point it had been 7 years since my first operation and I had given up. I was only 29 and could only see a long life of agonising house bound pain ahead.

Over this time I saw specialists in Germany, Birmingham, Coventry, as well as other places. I truely had lost all hope. I was told that I had degenerative disc disease and was constantly told that I was too young to operate on. (Even if there was anything they could do!) It was the most horrible feeling. At one point I was simply told, “ Well there is nothing that we can do for you so you just need to exercise and get on with it”. I don’t think I have ever been so upset. I really wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

At the end of 2008 my husband was posted and we moved house, I registered with my local doctor and began the usual rigmarole of appointments and explanations about my condition to my new doctor that I was so used too, having moved so often in the past few years. This time the doctor knew of Mr Krishna and explained how I should see him, ‘if he can’t help you no one can’ he said and organised the appointment. I felt a little glimmer of hope but tried my best to not get my hopes up, just in case I didn’t get the answer I was hoping for. When I arrived for the appointment I was terrified and I felt this was the make or break moment, my last chance.

Mr Krishna and his team have been absolutely fantastic. Straight away they made me feel at ease and my treatment was organised so quickly, I couldn’t believe it. I had a PLIF (Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion) on two levels and I can honestly say it is the best thing to have happened.

It is now 4 weeks after the operation and I can’t believe the difference. For the past 3 years or more I have needed to use either a crutch or sticks. The day I came out of the hospital I walked out free!! People have commented on how well I look and how weird it is to see me without them but I don’t ever want to go back. Walking freely is just the first step and although I know I have a long way to go I can’t wait for the journey. My new years resolution is no longer to cope with the pain and take each day as it comes but to get out running and enjoy every day to the full playing with my children and trying to make up for all the pressure and stress my back has caused for my family.

I can’t remember the last time I felt so happy so thank you so much for changing my life. And to all those that have taken the time to read this, “don’t give up!” XXX

I would also like to say the biggest thank you to my husband Dave and my children for the love and support they have given me. I honestly don’t think that I would be here now without them.