A WOMAN says she’s only alive thanks to her devoted husband as she battles six incurable illnesses that leave her in agonising pain every single day.
Podcast host, Alexandra Cain Wildeson, from lives with a body that she says “literally feels like it’s on fire”.
A woman says she’s only alive because of her boyfriend
Alex suffers from an illness that makes her body feel like its constantly “on fire”
The content creator suffers from a host of debilitating that can leave her crying in pain from the moment she wakes up.
She told Truly that, at its worst, the agony is so intense it can feel like “fire ants crawling up my legs biting me” or having her “hand over a hot flame”.
The brave influencer battles six different chronic illnesses, the rarest of which is polyarteritis nodosa (PAN).
The devastating condition causes her blood vessels to become inflamed, which can damage her organs.
Although doctors caught it early, the illness had already damaged her nerves, leading to a second brutal condition called (CRPS), which causes “unbearable” pain daily.
CRPS is poorly understood and causes patients to suffer “persistent severe and debilitating pain”, according to the .
Around 16,000 Brits are thought to have the condition, which is usually triggered by an injury — but the resulting pain is much more intense and long-lasting than normal.
It has been dubbed the “suicide disease” because it can leave patients in so much distress they say they would rather die than continue living with the pain.
Usually, the pain only affects one limb and the skin of the affected body part can become so sensitive a slight touch, bump or change in temperature causes searing agony.
Alex revealed the horrific toll it takes: “On really bad weeks, I’m crying when I wake up. It’s debilitating.”
At one point, a doctor terrifyingly told her she had just four months to live.
Through it all, her rock has been her husband, Cooper, who she says is the reason she can live her life.
She emotionally admitted: “I know that I’m able to live a normal life because of Cooper. He unlocks life for me.”
Every morning, devoted Cooper makes Alex a smoothie and organises her pills to help her conserve her , or “spoons”, for other parts of the day.
When a pain flare-up , he instantly switches into “full caregiver mode” to look after her every need.
Viewers watched as Alex’s pain escalated, forcing Cooper to call their home nurse, Julie, for an emergency at home to avoid another dreaded and traumatic trip to the hospital.
Despite the constant battle, Alex shares her journey online to show the reality of , even when she faces cruel comments from “keyboard meanies”.
She says trolls have accused her of faking it because she “looks normal.”
She added: “Pain doesn’t look a certain way. I really want people to see what a life with chronic illness looks like in its entirety – the good days, too, but also how bad the bad days were.”
Alex also leans on her dad, Mark, who is a surgeon and chief at a .
She recalled breaking down to him, saying “I don’t think I’m going to get better.”
Her dad offered her the hope she needed to carry on, telling her: “We’re going to get you through this.”
Now, Alex wants her story to show others that there is always a reason to keep fighting.
She said: “I want people to walk away after hearing my story and know that hope can exist in any situation.
“Having a chronic illness doesn’t mean your life is over.”
Meanwhile, Alex isn’t the only one suffering from this nightmare illness.
A mum has revealed how her daughter’s crippling .
Amelia Martin, 23, from Canterbury, , was also suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) since she was 17.
Elsewhere, Bella Macey, 10, from , who was diagnosed with (CRPS), describes it as the world’s “most painful” condition.
Bella began with her family in .
What are the symptoms of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)?
The pain of CRPS is usually triggered by an injury.
But the pain is a lot more severe and long-lasting than would normally be expected.
The pain may feel like a mix of burning, stabbing or stinging. There may also be tingling and numbness.
In addition to chronic pain, CRPS can also cause a range of other symptoms.
These can include:
- strange sensations in the affected limb – it may feel as if it does not belong to the rest of your body, or it may feel bigger or smaller than the opposite unaffected limb
- alternating changes to your skin – sometimes your skin in the affected limb may be hot, red and dry, whereas other times it may be cold, blue and sweaty – changes to skin colour may be harder to see on brown and black skin
- hair and nail changes – your hair and nails in the affected limb may grow unusually slowly or quickly and your nails may become brittle or grooved
- joint stiffness and swelling in the affected limb (oedema)
- tremors and muscle spasms (dystonia)
- difficulty moving the affected body part
- difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- small patches of fragile bones (osteoporosis) in the affected limb – although there’s no evidence this could lead to fractures
Source: The NHS
