This entry is here temporarily, having been added from conversations by Lord Wolfden U1531982. If Lord Wolfden desires it to be deleted, I will do so immediately.

The muscular dystrophies are a group of genetic disorders, which cause muscle weakness and/or wasting.

I have Muscular Dystrophy MD myself and this Guide Entry has been constructed to share my experinces of my disabilty with other sufferers and to educate others who do not know about MD.

I was diagnosed with Ducheane MD in 1977 age 9. I was always falling over at school and could not run and found it hard to stand up. I was pushed over but people by mistake or on purpose.

I went to a special school in Coventry called Exhall Grange in 1980 at age 12. I gradually got weaker and went into an electric wheelchair at age 15 in 1983.

I then went to Hereward College also in Coventry in 1986 to 1991 going onto Staffordshire University in Stoke on Trent from 1991 to 1994 and got a 2.1 in BA Hons Fine Art however fell out of my electric wheelchair and broke my left leg but the shock of that advanced my MD.

I returned home to live with my parents in June 1994 until I left home to live in Aylesbury Buckinghamshire in a Residential Care Home on the 5th of April 1997 this is where I met my future wife. I had to leave there for various reasons and returned to Warwickshire on the 6th of March 1998 and had tempory accomodation at an old peoples home neat Stratford upon Avon. I was eventually offered a bugalow in Southam Warwickshire. My future wife and I moved in on the 2nd of June 1998.

In December 1999 I got phmonia and was addmited to Warwick hospital but had a respitory arrest followed by two cardiac arrests and was in ITU on a ventilator for weeks. I was then transphered to Papworth Hospital in the February 2000 they got me off the ventilator and took out my traciotamy. The diognosed I also had Sleep Apnia and gave me a Nippy ventilator which I have to use every night. The events above advanced my MD a bit more. I was also rediognosed at Adambrookes Hospital Cambridge after a muscule biopsy with Becker MD.

I was married on the 6th of March 2000.

In October 2001 my wife and I were involved in a car crash on the M40 prior to the accident I could shave myself, brush my own hair, sit forward in my wheelcair, I could get myself onto my PC, I could scratch / blow my own nose, I could feed myself, I could hold a mug or glass of drink, I could use a telephone unaided. I could use a urine bottle unaided. After the accident all the above I could not do.

Basically I need full care 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

I could be sad about it but there is no point in that.

In January 2002 I had a chest infection and was addmited to Warwick Hospital again and had a respitory arrest and had to have an emergancy traciotamy which I still have to this day it is just in case I get a chest infection again as I can not physically cough up the secretions so use a suction machine when needed.

Muscular Dystrophy Information

http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/about_us/index.html

Becker Type

http://www.muscular-dystrophy.org/about_your_condition/becker_muscular_dystrophy/