My Response to Dr Dawn Harper

This blog post is a response to the comments said on live television earlier today on the This Morning show. Dr Dawn Harper had said that 'Hypermobility is also known as double-jointedness and isn't something to worry about'. I find this very offensive and shows exactly how badly informed people can be, this is worse coming from a medical professional. If it is just 'double jointedness and isn't something to worry about' then why do I suffer from dislocations/subluxations, severe spinal deformity, hypotonia (weak, loose and floppy muscles), have had joint fusion that due to this syndrome has proven to be worse off than before surgery and have to use mobility AIDS such as a wheelchair and a walking frame?!? Other people with this same syndrome have to be fed by tube due to gastrointestinal failure, have to watch that they don't cause their organs to rupture or have to spend almost 24/7 hours of bed rest due to severe pain. 
Yes we are encouraged to exercise but by a physiotherapist guiding us as to not cause further problems and can only do certain exercises. 
I for one hope that the mother who rang into this show seeks further medical attention (one that actually understands the syndrome) as to how to correctly help her son. I would hate to see if further problems arise for him later in life due to Dr Harper's lack of knowledge and understanding. It is irresponsible and dangerous. Every day we have to be precautious and listen to our bodies, as every little thing we do may have consequences that could affect us later on life. Also a Dr, she should know the damage that a dislocation can cause so a dislocation is not just a dislocation. 
This is one of the reasons why I continue to raise awareness about EDS and what it's like to live with. It helps other EDSers to know that they are not alone and there is a community out there supporting them. It is great to see anything that has been said about EDS whether it's on television or on social media but this was an opportunity missed. I have a short film documentary about EDS and living with it being shown on the 9th February at my local film and media centre and I would be overjoyed if a medical professional could come along to see. 
Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Katie. xx

Comments

  1. Anonymous18 January 2016 at 16:24

    Even more worrying is Dr dawn tweeted that she herself has hypermobility and suffers from dislocations!

    ReplyDelete

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