Ruth Bateup from East Peckham lost the use of her legs overnight and has repeatedly asked for mental health support<\/p>\n
Despite 15 weeks in the London Spinal Cord Injury Centre for rehab, the assistant librarian says the mental toll of adjusting to her new life is just as hard to manage as the physical changes.<\/p>\n
She returned to her two-storey home on July 13, but says she feels \u201clike an ant in a giant\u2019s castle\u201d as she can\u2019t reach her worktops, access her wardrobes and has to heave herself up the stairs to her wet-room so she can shower.<\/p>\n
Since her life-changing injury, the 58-year-old says she asked the rehab clinic for therapy weekly but only spent two hours and 20 minutes with a psychologist during her 15-week stay.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) NHS Trust said that while it does not comment on individual cases, it is \u201ccommitted\u201d to supporting both the physical and mental health of patients who have life-changing conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the hardest thing in my whole life,\u201d Ruth said, fighting back tears.<\/p>\n
Before her operation, Ruth Bateup pictured with her daughter Sammy Steven, often used a wheelchair or crutches to manage her pain. Picture: Ruth Bateup<\/p>\n
\u201cThe impact on my immediate family is huge. I\u2019ve lost my home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019ve been reincarnated into a different person. This isn\u2019t the Ruth that I used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
A study undertaken by the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA), the University of Reading and the University of Buckingham examined the mental health of those with spinal cord injuries.<\/a><\/p>\n Most alarmingly, the report, involving 300 patients, found that a person with a spinal cord injury is three times more likely to consider suicide than a person without.<\/p>\n It found that 28% of the 300 people reported having had suicidal thoughts, compared to just 8% among the rest of the population.<\/p>\n In addition, half of the participants revealed mental health struggles.<\/p>\n Ruth admits she has had suicidal thoughts since her ordeal began.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I have a daughter that I adore, and I will fight to the bitter end because that’s what I’ll do,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The mum says the NHS team believed she had received enough mental health support, but she disagrees.<\/p>\n She added: \u201cI’m in a wheelchair. I’ve got no legs anymore. They\u2019re there, but they don\u2019t do anything. And you\u2019re having to work out how to cope with that.<\/p>\n \u201cYou should be able to talk for one hour a week, every week and not be told the team think you’ve had enough.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve gone week in, week out begging, even speaking to the physio and saying, \u2018Look, yes, I have asked, but nobody came forward.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n She says the lack of mental health support was \u201cappalling\u201d and feels it must be highlighted.<\/p>\n Ruth lost the use of her legs after undergoing surgery to relieve pain from a condition called incomplete cauda equina syndrome, which she\u2019s suffered with for 13 years after being involved in a head-on car accident.<\/p>\n It causes the nerve roots at the base of the spine to become compressed, and while the surgery went as planned, her body reacted badly to the operation and she now has nerve damage and functional neurological disorder, where the brain struggles to send and receive signals properly.<\/p>\n At home, Ruth\u2019s bathroom has been transformed into a wet-room after taking out a loan, and she says she is so grateful for the almost \u00a34,500 raised through her GoFundMe<\/a> online fundraiser.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like I\u2019ve been reincarnated into a different person. This isn\u2019t the Ruth that I used to be.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n However, the process of making her home accessible is costly and also involves funding from grants, which take time.<\/p>\n \u201cMy daughter’s come back from where she lives to find that my hospital bags are still unpacked and I can’t access my wardrobe,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was going to give her whole career up for me. I don’t want that.<\/p>\n \u201cI can’t access the cooker, can’t access the fridge, can’t access the microwave, so I bought a new microwave.<\/p>\n \u201cI can’t do the kettle, so we bought a new kettle.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t understand that me coming into my home, I\u2019m like an ant in a giant\u2019s castle.\u201d<\/p>\n She is determined to go back to work so she can continue paying her mortgage.<\/p>\nRuth Bateup and her daughter Sammy Steven loved doing activities together. Picture: Ruth Bateup<\/p>\n
Ruth Bateup from East Peckham is struggling to cope mentally after becoming a paraplegic overnight<\/p>\n
Ruth Bateup was diagnosed with incomplete cauda equina syndrome around 13 years ago and had used crutches before the operation. Picture: Ruth Bateup<\/p>\n