Hi! My name is Lisa Irvine.
I am Mum to Rachel and wife of Andrew. I have had Cauda Equina Syndrome since April 2016 and it has turned my life upside down. I was an Early Years Practitioner but now due to my health condition, I am unable to return to my career. Three years down the line and two surgeries later, my circle of friends has changed as my social life isn’t as busy. I can’t take the pace nowadays. People don’t realise it isn’t just a sore back that I have!
Through CES I have been fortunate to meet some lovely people and a few of them I now class as friends. I have had great support in forums and support group meetings where it is great to speak with people who truly understand how you feel.
The hardest thing for me to deal with I feel is my mental health. From working full time every day, being very active and loving being part of an active family things changed dramatically for me. I found myself reliant on a wheelchair with very little energy and living with intense pain every minute of the day. Even going to the supermarket took lots of planning. My mental health has suffered immensely.
Every day you get stronger and try to learn how to deal with it. I can now go out with my family and have the occasional cinema trip – so I feel my daughter isn’t missing out as much.
Please remember that however low you feel there is always someone here willing to listen.