- Jules Wakeham, 31, has severe osteoarthritis in her arm and leg
- She had surgery to fuse the wrist and ankle joints allowing her to walk
- Before the operations, she could only walk with insoles and a crutch and her heel was always at least two inches off the ground
By
Emma Innes
11:53 EST, 31 December 2013
|
13:48 EST, 31 December 2013
Jules Wakeham, 31, is to marry her partner Deane after having surgery to allow her to walk without a crutch or insoles
A bride-to-be will finally walk down the aisle after having surgery to treat her crippling arthritis.
Jules Wakeham, 31, had a procedure to permanently fuse two of her joints and is now able to plan her wedding.
She is one of the youngest people in the UK to go through the operation.
Despite the operation, the severity of her condition means she will probably have to wear a pair of trainers underneath her bridal dress.
Ms Wakeham suffers from osteoarthritis as a result of two seemingly minor accidents that caused major and unusual deformities.
Before the operations on her wrist and ankle she could not walk without insoles in her shoes and the support of a crutch.
Her heel was also always at least two inches off the ground.
Ms Wakeham, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, said: ‘I haven’t come across anyone who has had as many joints fused as me at such a young age.
‘I haven’t been able to walk barefoot for five years now, and I’ve missed being able to walk down the street holding my fiancé’s hand. But I have learned to make the most of what I’ve got.’
In the last three years alone, she has had eight operations following two falls, which left her with numerous broken bones and deformities.
Osteoarthritis is a condition that
affects the joints, causing pain and stiffness. It’s by far the most
common form of joint disease, affecting approximately eight million
people in the UK.
Almost anyone can get osteoarthritis,
however, it is more likely if you are in your late 40s or older, are
overweight or if your joints have been damaged by injury.
Ms Wakeham has severe osteoarthritis and before the operation to fuse her ankle joint (bottom) her heel was constantly at least two inches above the ground (top)
Ms Wakeham, with fiance Deane, developed problems with her left leg after dislocating her knee in 2008 and started to suffer from arthritis in her wrist after breaking her arm soon afterwards
It occurs when the cartilage at the ends of bones wears away, leading to pain and stiffness.
Treatment is limited to pain relief, exercise, weight loss, and ultimately joint replacement, but there is currently no effective drug treatment to prevent it developing or getting worse.
Ms Wakeham, a textile technologist, said: ‘Osteoarthritis runs in my family, and it’s just something I’ve had to live with.
‘In 2008 I dislocated my left knee,
walking down some stairs in a textile mill. I knew what had happened and
my first instinct was to push it back in again, having been through
complications years before.
Ms Wakeham is now looking forward to being able to walk down the aisle in September but suspects she will still have to wear trainers under her dress because of the severity of her arthritis
‘Initially everything seemed fine, but my foot started to draw up from the floor in the subsequent few weeks despite physio.
‘I had four operations in three months, including having bone removed from my foot and a metal plate inserted to try and give me a chance of a flatter walking posture. I walked with a limp and on my tiptoe.
‘I was left with one leg longer than the other and over time it became apparent that my balance had deteriorated due to further foot deformity and I was certain I would need more radical surgery.’
Ms Wakeham broke her arm in a fall in Portugal (left) and had pins placed to support the bones (right). However, this failed to help them heal normally and they ended up deformed
Since surgery to fuse her wrist (left and centre) and her ankle (right) she is unable to bend or rotate her wrist but is able to use her hand normally again
Ms Wakeham returned to work months
later and spent a year trying to regain her strength and independence,
while walking with a crutch.
However,
on a business trip to Portugal, she lost her footing once more and this
time, it was her arm that took the force of the fall.
She
said: ‘I took a pretty heavy fall and I snapped both my radius and
ulna. Being in a foreign hospital, I followed their advice and allowed
them to put pins in my arm bones and send me home, without even
plastering my arm up.
‘After seeing the doctor in the UK it became apparent that the arm fractures were not healing and that my wrist had begun to heal in numerous displaced positions.
Ms Wakeham said: ‘I haven’t been able to walk barefoot for five years now, and I’ve missed being able to walk down the street holding my fiancé’s hand. But I have learned to make the most of what I’ve got’
‘In January 2012, four months after
the accident, the arm breaks were plated, but the wrist remained in a
deformed, dropped position.
‘It seemed nothing other than fusing my wrist was going to help with regaining hand function.’
In February of this year, Ms Wakeham had her left wrist fused.
The
long-awaited operation on her left foot and ankle followed in July. The
foot surgery had to take a back-seat whilst the arm and hand was
rectified.
WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS?
Osteoarthritis is a condition that affects the joints.
It is the most common type of arthritis in the UK and about a million people see their GP about it every year.
The main characteristics of arthritis are inflammation of the tissue in and around the joint, damage to the cartilage that lines the bones of the joint and bony growths that develop around the joint.
These can lead to pain and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis is most common in the knees, hips, spine and small joints of the hands.
It is most common in people over the age of 50 and is more common in women than men.
Younger people can also be affected, usually as a result of an injury or another joint condition.
There is no cure but there are treatment options including physiotherapy, painkillers and hip or knee replacements.
Source: NHS Choices
She said:
‘It was the only option left for me. Although it was a bit daunting to
begin with, I’m making the most of what I’ve got.
‘My ankle and foot are completely
solid up to the base of my toes but I should eventually be able to walk
with a reasonable gait and posture, I already feel far better balanced. I
also can’t move or rotate my wrist, but at least I have much better
grip and hand function.’
The
surgery means Ms Wakeham can now marry her long-term partner, Deane
Pentney, also 31, who she has been planning to wed for seven years.
‘We’re hoping to get married next September,’ she said.
‘We haven’t been able to do it until now because there’s always been something going on with me medically. I still have two more minor plate removal operations to go, but I feel that I’m now in a place to truly look forward.
‘I am worried about what I’m going to wear but I’m planning on having a really long dress, so hopefully I can wear my trainers underneath.’
It’s not known how Ms Wakeham’s condition will develop in the future but she has found some closure in knowing that now two of her joints have been fused, they can’t deteriorate any further.
She added: ‘The doctors haven’t been specific about my prognosis, but I feel like I’ve moved forward. Now I feel a sense of normality and balance again.
‘Opting to permanently lose the movement in your joints to ease your pain, imbalance and loss of control is a very big, final option. But I hope it will eventually give me the chance to get some independence back.
‘It’s going to take some time, but a good revelation from all this is that I am a fantastic healer – both physically and mentally it would seem.’
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The comments below have been moderated in advance.
Parlanchina,
Nomad, United States,
2 hours ago
My mom has terrible arthritis and is facing several joint replacement surgeries. It has been very depressing for her to lose mobility and balance — I can’t imagine how much more difficult it would be for someone in their early thirties. This young woman has a fabulous attitude. I hope she is able to live a pain-free and relatively normal life, and I wish her a long and happy future with her fiancé.
Cleo,
Cornwall,
2 hours ago
Bless you both, I hope you will both be very happy!
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