Please read the
whole post some of it is Karen`s own words
A crafting
friend that I have been chatting to for a few years on the
crafter companion forum is in need of some help.
This Is Karen( Krafty Karen)
She is in
constant pain over the last few years and it is getting worse, I and
the other girls on Crafters Companion Forum have heard about Karen s
struggle to get doctors to listen to and believe in her symptoms and
send her for testing.
She once said
they made her feel as if it was all in her head and her imagination, well a year ago
after Karen collapsed she found herself I hospital and finally the
tests were being done.
Well she was
given a diagnosis, and thought this is it ,help is on the way at
last.
A year later
she is still in constant pain .
I meet up with
Karen a month ago while I was holidaying near her home, she invited
both my husband and I to come and meet at her home for Coffee.
Meeting Karen
was like meeting a long lost friend, and her kids were wonderful and
polite( she has 5 ranging from 15 to 3)
While visiting
I could see for myself how much pain Karen was in ,every movement
caused her pain, her husband and oldest daughter are helping Karen
with the younger kids and everyday life.
Karen was saying
that any day soon she would be going to see her pain management
consultant and that she would be having an Epidural in her neck that
would help a lot with the pain and her mobility .
Well last week
Karen phoned the hospital to find out that her pain management
consultant has gone onto long term sick leave and all his waiting
lists have been cancelled., She is devastated by this news.
I noticed that
this week Karen has been listing lots of her crafting items for sale
on E bay.
I also know that
crafting has been Karen s escape thought all this trouble .
I asked her why
she was selling her stuff.
Karen feels that
the only option left open to her is to go to see a private consultant
and is trying to raise funds for her fees.
That why she is
selling her much loved crafting Items
This weeks I
asked Karen for the first time about her illness, in depth, what it
was and what were the problems it caused.
Here are Karen s
own words As she Emailed to me a few days ago
I have
Degeneration of the C spine... (My neck) The disks which are damaged
by change so far are;-
C4/5 C5/6 C6/7. I also have narrowing to
the Exit Foramina which is causing root nerve compression - all of
this causes a whole host of nasties for me, not least of which is the
pins & needles, numbness to my limbs, loss of use and weakness to
my arm, hand, and leg. Black outs, dizzy spells, headaches, loss of
vision to my right eye and so many other problems they are too many
to mention here.
The biggest thing I live with day to day is the
sheer level of constant pain. The pain I have is in my neck, my
shoulders, my arm, partly in my back, and in my leg too.
I
also get a lot of pain to the back of my skull because of the
problems with my neck. I suffer from paralyses and have good and bad
days with this.
I also suffer from something called
Complicated Migraine, which causes separate issues of it's own, but
this is being managed with medication. But it does mean that I am
unable to take normal analgesic or over the counter pain relief.
So I go day to
day without any pain relief at all.
I have been waiting for
such a long time for an Epidural injection in my neck, to give me
some relief to my symptoms, which the hospital have just put back -
and I am now on an "active waiting list" - I am still
awaiting a referral to a London Spinal Specialist - I have been
waiting for this referral for a long time now, and again, this
appointment keeps getting knocked back.
I am currently trying
to raise the funds to visit a private consultant, so that I can get
some straight, honest, unbiased answers on exactly what my problem is
and what my options are for getting it sorted out., I also want to be
able to have the Epidural done if I can raise enough money for this.
I am so
desperate to be able to do things with my children again. The worst
thing this summer has not been having one single day out with my
kiddies. It's made me feel like I've failed them some how.
It is now two
and a half years since these symptoms started, and a year since my
diagnosis and I am still right at square one for getting any help. I
am still suffering daily with no pain relief. I am still fighting to
see the right consultant who is willing to help me and give me an
honest answer with regards to what procedure is needed.
The
only consultant who was honest enough to tell me my neck is in really
bad shape, and that I need to go to London, and that I will need a
series of operations in my lifetime, has just taken long term sick
leave. He was my pain management consultant, and this is the reason
why I have now been knocked back yet again, and I am now still
waiting for my long awaited Epidural in my neck..
This is why I
have been selling some of my crafting stuff in the hope of raising
some funds to go and see a private consultant.
The thought of
waiting maybe another year to be seen is unbearable
It seems
to just go round and round and round in circles until I am right back
where I started hun..
Well I just felt
so angry on Karen s behalf and felt the need to do something.
This where I was
wondering if you lovely crafters out there would be willing to help.
Karen has
designed a few kits for sale at paper creator stores.
She is very
modest lady and I did not know that she was doing this until a few
days ago, She said its to keep her mind of her pain and designing has
been a bit of a life saver for her this last year.
Well her kits
are lovely and are available at paper creator stores,
I emailed Debbie
at the PC store and she told me that Karen gets paid for every kit
that is sold..( a few I have included in this post)
Well a light
bulb went off in my head( it does not happen very often ROFL).
What a great way
to raise funds for Karen s treatment.
If you buy a kit
or two it will all go to Karen s private Consultant fund and get her
the help she needs ASAP.
If you are
feeling really generous how about buying the whole set,
This way we are
all helping a fellow crafter in need and have a few lovely card kits
to play with as well.
So please click
on these links and take a look and help if you can.
These links will
take you to Karen s Designs.
There are two
site you can order from ether, Karen has a few extra kits to choose
from on the USA site
These are the links to Karen s designs
The 5 kits shown on paper creator site and 9 kits shown on Paper crafts site.
If you are looking at the stores side bar to find Karen s kits they are listed under the title
EXCLUSIVES
"Karen works alongside the Crafty Gals and uses the Crafty Gals EXLCUSIVES logo at the two stores."
It would also be
great if you could post some links about this onto your blogs , face
book pages and forums that you visit.
Lots have emailed me asking for a donate button to be set up, for those who are not crafter`s but would still like to help.
I have added one at the top of my page in the side bar
If you do buy
one of Karen s kits, I am sure she would just love it if you popped
over to her blog and left her a link so that she could come see your
cards.
That would be a
sure way to help her feel better
This is Karen s
blog, Some of you in crafting land may already know her.
Please pop over
and say hello, she could do with your support,
Karen never moans Just gets on with it.
Well Lets all help Karen s Children Get their Mummy Back.
Thank you from
the bottom of my heart for all your help and support
