Wacky, Wet, and Wobbly

Book excerpt: Jeanne G. DeBold suffered from vague and debilitating signs and symptoms all her life. She discovered at a very early age that she was unable to lie on her stomach. Doing so would cause her to see white stars in her field of vision, she would become extremely nauseated, and her head felt as if it would explode. Her life was fraught with numerous falls resulting in serious injuries, requiring frequent surgeries to attempt to correct these injuries. If the sidewalk was just the slightest bit uneven, she would inevitably trip and fall headlong onto the pavement. She began suffering from both urinary frequency and incontinence in her forties. She suffered several serious falls and incidents after she retired, making her believe that she would spend the rest of her life confined to a wheelchair.