Those of you that have been reading this blog and the stories in particular will remember Jade. This Scot's Lassie continues to be a fighter and one of those people that proves that not even Chiari can get you down.

Jade has not only got through decompression surgery with flying colours, she has got back to fitness training within 7 weeks and is now back on the front line policing in Scotland!

Jade really is a success story and through her own determination has not let this awful condition beat her.

This is the latest edition of her story and just shows how a positive attitude and a stubborn outlook can really make a difference.

GETTING BACK TO WORK

It felt like I’d been away from work and all my mates for months. I was desperate to get back to work and needed to get back in to a routine; so I booked an appointment to see my occupational health department to try and get back, I knew that it was going to be a challenge getting them to give me the green light.

So I headed to see occupational health, we had a long chat about my surgery and how I was feeling about my recovery and finally agreed to let me go to work on restricted duties, normally I’m an operational front line Police officer, so I was to be office bound for a few weeks. I could cope with that, at least I could get back into a routine.

I started back at work, it was great all be it a little frustrating being stuck in the office for 8 hours a day when I really wanted to be out and about. After my first week or so I was really tired though, being back at work and the gym was hard work but it felt so good as I hadn’t expected deep down to be back so soon after surgery (9 weeks!). It only took me 2 weeks to get completely fed up and frustrated at being in the office; I was also a little argumentative and fell out with the odd person! Sitting still is just not me. So in the next few weeks I went to the gym as much as my body would allow and spent a lot of time with my dogs!!

I must say 5 weeks in the end passed really fast and was so excited about my up and coming occupational health appointment I was finally going to be allowed out and I was going to be able to start my new post that had been kept open for me for about 3 months.

So the ‘D’ day came, as I waited for the doctor the nurse caught me and gave me my annual flu jab this was the only positive that came of that day!! I finally saw the doctor who said he’d not expected me to recover so quickly and that he was not prepared to sign me back to work….basically he didn’t have the guts to let me back to work just in case I was hit on the back of the head!!! Wouldn’t a ‘normally’ person have an issue if they were hit on the back of the head?.....sorry normal people must be super human!! To say I was devastated was an understatement, the whole think just caught me by surprise and as I have been highly emotional since my decompression it made the situation a lot more traumatic!!! How could I be back at the gym almost as much as I used to be and not be allowed back to work!!

So they wouldn’t let me back to work without my surgeons say, so I sent a letter to my surgeon explaining my recovery and how I was doing and that I was actually desperate to get back to work (not many people can say that!) Two days later I got the reply I was after and that was sent to occupational health who did not have any choice but to let me get back to work. I can actually say I have never been so happy…not in a long time! My Inspector called me and said he wanted to see me bright and early the next morning in full uniform doing star jumps.

So at 8am I went to work in uniform and I have to say I have never felt so lucky to be in the police, I felt proud. My goal all those months back was to get back to work as soon as I could and I’d achieved it. I’d never felt better. That first day back was strange though, you get used to being watched as a cop but it’d been such a long time since I’d been in uniform I’d forgotten how it felt. I was so tired after that first day it was weird, it didn’t stop me going to the gym that night though. I’m pretty determined as you can probably see!

I feel so lucky that I have recovered so well and I’m grateful for this as it could have been so difficult. That’s me up to now. I will never forget this last year and I vow to increase awareness of Chiari even if it means I tell every person I meet!