Amy Ironside Wooden caught Glandular fever from daughter Willow (Picture: Amy Ironside Wooden)What initially started as merely catching a chilly from her child daughter triggered a mom to be left bedridden for the final six years.Amy Ironside Wooden caught Glandular fever from daughter Willow, nevertheless the virus triggered an “autoimmune cascade” which left her having to lie down for 22 hours a day. Alongside the power fatigue, she has to put on a neck brace every time she is on her toes because the ligaments holding her cranium to her backbone have been severely weakened.Amy, 37, from Nottingham, started feeling unwell after getting residence from a celebratory journey away with pals for her 31st birthday. Willow, simply 18 months outdated on the time, had caught the bug – attributable to the Epstein-Barr virus – at nursery however bought effectively once more after round per week. However Amy went steeply downhill.Learn extra: Double tragedy after grief-stricken mum dies simply weeks after her son Amy spends round 22 hours a day in mattress (Picture: Amy Ironside Wooden)She informed a nationwide newspaper: “I simply wasn’t getting any higher and new signs have been developing. I would just thought I had a little bit chilly. I did not also have a fever.”Amy suffered from extreme fatigue, breathlessness, and a basic weak spot all through her physique ten days in. Inside weeks she was so power drained she might solely do gentle exercise for 2 hours a day, and has added that she has not bought any higher since.”I actually went in a single day from going to the health club thrice per week to struggling to get off the bed,” Amy defined. “When Willow wanted me within the night time when she was little, I’d actually must crawl throughout the touchdown as a result of I used to be too weak to face up. I used to be identical to, what is going on?”Her father indicated that she could also be affected by ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis) or power fatigue syndrome, which is normally attributable to Glandular fever. Amy was unfamiliar with the situation, and went to her GP for months for exams to eradicate all different prospects.She stated: “They must rule every little thing out earlier than they will contemplate ME, however there isn’t any blood take a look at, they only must diagnose you on signs, anyway. After they’ve ticked all these containers, they lump you within the ME basket.”Amy, who beforehand ran an unbiased enterprise promoting denim clothes by ASOS, stated: “That’s tough as a result of they know something about it – they usually freely admit that – and there’s no therapy, they inform you to go residence and go to mattress.”What grew to become shortly blatant was ME was solely a part of the issue. The mum stated she started a analysis journey throughout her waking time.”I used to be considering what the **** am I going to do? I’m 31, I’ve bought a little bit child, I can’t simply go to mattress for the remainder of my life,” she stated.The household have been as soon as once more struck with misfortune when Amy’s husband Nick – who grew to become the one supply of earnings – was identified with stage three melanoma. Amy previous to her sickness (Picture: Amy Ironside Wooden)He had suffered from it earlier than, discovering a lump close to his ear beneath the pores and skin simply as he was about to have fun 10 years all clear. The melanoma was eliminated by docs shortly, which was adopted by a yr’s value of immunotherapy remedy in 2022 to destroy any rogue cells.With each of them combating by their very own well being battles, Amy and Nick needed to depend on her dad and mom to look after Willow. Additional strain piled up with Nick having to take months off of labor, leaving the couple financially “ruined” and not using a regular earnings, studies the Mirror. “It was very attempting final yr,” stated Amy. “Getting hit from either side, it was a slog.”Throughout her analysis Amy started following fellow ME affected person Jen Brea’s journey on Twitter, who had additionally completed a TedTalk on the subject. Equally to Amy, Jen had been identified with ME whereas combating puzzling points together with her backbone.Finally she had main spinal surgical procedure, which put her ME into remission, indicating the multi-systematic sickness had a structural root trigger.Jen had been identified with Craniocervical Instability and tethered twine syndrome. She had two main operations to right these points – a fusion surgical procedure the place metallic fuses the cranium to the backbone within the right place after which a tethered twine launch surgical procedure to right her spinal twine.She arrange a Fb group that explored the structural spinal points which are linked with ME and Amy realised her signs prompt she would wish the identical therapy.However first she wanted to be assessed – and there are a really restricted quantity of docs on the earth who can do it.Fortunately, the Fb group customers had began gathering details about neurosurgeons who had develop into specialists within the situation.In February final yr, Amy and Nick travelled to Barcelona to see a physician who confirmed she had craniocervical instability – in addition to atlantoaxial instability.”This principally implies that my cranium and cervical backbone isn’t steady and that is in flip inflicting mind stem compression and widespread dysfunction,” she stated.Amy understands that the unique virus triggered an “autoimmune cascade” by her physique, degrading her connective tissue.”This connective tissue harm has triggered the ligaments that maintain my cranium in place to develop into lax, due to this fact my cranium is shifting on my backbone versus being properly steady up there,” she stated. Do not miss… ‘Tremendous fertile’ mum provides start to ‘twins’ conceived a month aside [LATEST] She wears a particular brace to stroll round (Picture: Amy Ironside Wooden)Her two choices for therapy are fusion surgical procedure, like Jen – nevertheless, that is main neurosurgery with problems – or a specialist stem cell process.This additionally comes with main dangers.Amy is at present being evaluated for tethered Wire syndrome – which might require additional surgical procedure.Not one of the therapies or assessments can be found on the NHS. Even when she will be able to increase sufficient money, travelling overseas is a nightmare.”I’ve to go in a wheelchair and I’ve to put on a neck brace to attempt to stabilise my cranium and my backbone whereas I’m not laid down,” she stated.”I additionally must e-book specialist gear on the airport in order that they put me by. I want to seek out locations to lie down however in airports usually there isn’t so I’ve to simply lie down on the ground.”The issue is you additionally find yourself with actually oversensitive senses once you’ve bought ME, so sound and contact make your situation worse.”Being in a brilliant, loud, busy surroundings, it makes me so unwell. I’ve to take ear defenders, an eye fixed masks, and I’ve to principally curl up in a nook alone till I get on the flight.”Then I get there and do the identical the opposite aspect, I can’t speak to anyone as a result of it exhausts me. I can’t do something, it’s like transferring a useless physique. I’ve to be laid down on the ground, popped in a wheelchair, placed on the plane, left alone and get off the opposite aspect.”If she opts for the stem cell therapies she would wish to journey to the US – doubtless Colorado, which might imply a long-haul flight, and one thing Amy describes as a “tall order”. However she’s decided to get higher, significantly for her husband and daughter, who’ve proven her a lot assist.Amy stated she appears like a “large burden” on them, in addition to her dad and mom. Requested about Willow, who’s now eight-and-a-half, Amy started to cry.”I’ll by no means get these years again. She’s going to by no means be two, three, 4, 5 once more,” she stated by tears. Amy with daughter Willow and husband Nick (Picture: Amy Ironside Wooden)”I spent all these years laying on the couch attempting to get by the day. You spend each ounce of power attempting to get by the day somewhat than placing any enjoyment into her life, doing something together with her, making any recollections.”I don’t need her recollections of me laying down and helpless. It minimises your persona, once you’re actually exhausted you don’t even have the power to be enjoyable, to crack a joke, you simply can’t be a***d,” Amy continued.”When you’ve got scientific ranges of exhaustion, despite the fact that in my thoughts I’ve jokes to inform and I wish to do impressions, wish to fiddle together with her, I bodily can’t do it as a result of it makes me unwell to expend that power.”I’ve to simply minimise every little thing…