Unbearable leg pain landed me in hospital – then doctors revealed an STI

‘Your trial results came backmost affirmative for chlamydia.’

Sitting crossed from the doc portion lying successful a infirmary bed, I listened intently arsenic they explained the result of my STI trial in 2021.

It was wholly treatable truthful they advised maine to enactment calm.

But however could I? I was successful daze due to the fact that it’s not mundane that you’re hospitalised with crippling limb symptom brought connected by a sexually transmitted corruption – a symptom truthful atrocious I thought I mightiness need an amputation.

At the time, I’d been seeing someone, who I met via a dating app. By our 3rd meal date, I had to permission to spell to enactment arsenic a go-go dancer astatine a club, but I said I’d travel backmost to his spot after.

Sure enough, aboriginal that nighttime we had amusive together. I indispensable admit that successful the vigor of the moment, I didn’t springiness overmuch thought to protection.

The precise adjacent morning, I woke up feeling a unusual discomfort.

My legs felt dense and sore, and erstwhile I tried to get retired of bed, I realised that I couldn’t enactment immoderate unit connected them without wincing. At first, I thought it was conscionable a lawsuit of overdoing it astatine enactment by pulling a musculus portion dancing.

But arsenic the time went connected and I near his place, the symptom became unbearable. I started to interest that thing was earnestly wrong.

The 2nd day, the symptom successful my legs was truthful excruciating that I could hardly get retired of my bed.

One limb was overmuch worse than the different – it felt astir paralysed. I was incapable to determination it.

There was besides a changeless throbbing and sleeping became a challenge, since I couldn’t relax.

At astir 11am, I called the non-emergency services and they booked maine successful to bash immoderate tests astatine a adjacent intersexual wellness session and past told maine to spell to A&E. 

I was amazed – going to a intersexual health session seemed similar a discarded of time, since the symptom was successful my legs.

But I had nary choice, truthful I called an Uber.

I was astatine The Royal London Hospital for astir 10 hours successful total, wherever they had maine hopping astir for assorted tests betwixt antithetic rooms connected crutches due to the fact that I couldn’t walk. By this point, the symptom had got worse and my limb started to swell.

Then the archetypal question of atrocious quality came. One of the tests I’d done came backmost to uncover that the humor unit and circulation to my ft wasn’t bully truthful they would person to support maine in.

My bosom sank and I instantly thought the worst: What if I had an corruption and my limb mightiness request to beryllium amputated?

The infirmary enactment was dire and miserable. On apical of the bland food, determination were moments erstwhile my limb would abruptly commencement burning and I would person to ringing my doorbell for assistance from 1 of the nurses.

They would springiness maine painkillers – usually a dose of morphine – but it had to beryllium authorised by someone, which sometimes took hours. Every time seemed similar a battle.

I had to workout my limb to effort to get the humor travel going, truthful I was ever walking astir the infirmary connected my crutches.

They carried retired what felt similar each trial nether the sun.

When the chlamydia trial came backmost affirmative astir a week aft archetypal being admitted to hospital, they told maine I had contracted reactive arthritis, which tin beryllium a effect to chlamydia. It tin origin associated symptom and inflammation truthful needs to beryllium treated with antibiotics.

I was shocked. I couldn’t judge I had specified a terrible reaction.

At that point, I conscionable wanted to permission the hospital, but they had to support maine in.

The nights were the hardest. The symptom came speedy and beardown – but nary 1 came erstwhile I rang the bell. The medicine I was connected lone stopped the symptom for a mates of hours, but it would travel backmost with a vengeance.

This took a immense toll on my intelligence health. 

After 2 weeks successful total, I near the infirmary – inactive connected crutches – and missed a period of enactment due to the fact that I inactive couldn’t locomotion properly. I was besides prescribed codeine, which helped with the symptom and inflammation.

While the attraction was effective, it was a dilatory betterment process truthful it took clip for maine to regain afloat mobility. I had to beryllium diligent and perceive to my body. 

The time aft I near the hospital, I texted the feline I’d been dating to archer him each astir what I’d been through. That’s erstwhile helium told maine that helium had tested affirmative for chlamydia too, but was already connected medicine for it.

I was furious astatine the thought that helium whitethorn person fixed it to me, oregon that helium had tested affirmative and conscionable not told me.

My acquisition with chlamydia was a traumatic one, but it besides taught maine a invaluable lesson. It’s important to get tested regularly, particularly aft having unprotected sex.

Even if you don’t consciousness immoderate symptoms, you could inactive person something. And if you do acquisition symptoms, don’t disregard them – and particularly halt having sex. Seek aesculapian attraction immediately.

This acquisition has changed maine successful galore ways. It has made maine much cautious astir my intersexual wellness and much alert of the imaginable consequences of unprotected sex.

I ne'er knew that idiosyncratic of my property could endure with arthritis brought connected by thing similar an STI.

That’s wherefore it’s truthful important for maine to archer my communicative – truthful others whitethorn not person to spell done what I did.

Do you person a communicative you’d similar to share? Get successful interaction by emailing [email protected]. 

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