who lives with hEDS, Chiari Malformation, Syringomyelia, POTs, Dysautonomia, Sleep Apnoea

Kim is an incredibly inspiring member who joined one of our free one-to-one consultations to work out how we could help her get moving but safely and gently.  Like a lot of new members, she was worried that her health problems might make it hard for her to join in, or that movement could make her feel worse.

 

She has now been coming for a couple of months, even during the middle of a stressful house move and a holiday, nothing has prevented her from turning up.

 

These are her words:

 

"When I look at the picture of me in white trousers, I see the girl I used to be, with a great job and a sense of humour, fantastic friends and lots of confidence, however, now, I am a shadow of that girl and I just don't even recognise myself in the mirror anymore, it is so hard. It has been a steep learning curve to the person I am today!

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Below is a before photo, an after photo (decompression surgery) a chiari pic, and one after I had a blackout which I used to have all the time, but whenever I went to the doctors, I wasn't ever believed. They asked if my husband was beating me, had been drinking or even if did I do this to myself for attention. Finally, one of me enjoying one of the online classes from home.

 

It was incredible but it was the start of a long slow road of not being able to get any help or understanding, even now after diagnosis and surgery, I am still having to battle with my GP to get even the most basic things that my Consultant says I need, its so hard.

 

HOWEVER... You and your AMAZING group of even more amazing ladies, is really helping me, with so much more than "just exercise" you are turning my life around with your kindness, an amazing business model, sense of humour and fabulous classes with lots of beautiful sassy ladies. I cannot thank you enough. 

 

I thought I’d be really struggling at the beginning and would need to lie flat for longer while my body gets used to it, but insanely it’s the total opposite and I’m finding the days I do Pilates in the mornings, I’m getting so much more out of my day & even able to stay upright a little longer. Which is mind blowing for me! Imagine how much more my life can change when I’ve been doing this for 6 months or a year?!

 

I’m actually excited about something for the first time since I was diagnosed 7 years ago!"