"My friends stopped the car by the side of the road to check if I was still breathing"

"I have made more progress here after only five treatments than in my eight years in and out of hospital." This is in a nutshell Marlijda Visser’s experience with the Functional Neurology Institute in Lisse. Marlijda, 24, had been plagued by extreme abdominal pain since she was seventeen. “And I very often felt tired and sick to my stomach." According to her GP, her complaints were only natural; they were related to the body, which changes in puberty, and would eventually go away by themselves, he said. However, her complaints only got worse. Marlijda suffered increasingly from extreme abdominal pain. "The pain interfered with my whole life." 

Hyperventilation

Marlijda's GP prescribed tablets for kidney stones. "I was to take them whenever I had a stomachache. They were supposed to break up the presumed kidney stones and also alleviate the pain," says Marlijda. Again, however, the complaints did not subside. On the contrary. "I also started hyperventilating and after an abdominal attack my body would be so tired that I would fall into a very deep sleep for up to eight hours. Several consultations with an internist and a urologist at the hospital in Sneek did not bring Marlijda any closer to the cause of her complaints either. When she turned 20, Marlijda decided to wait and see how her complaints would develop without any further medical intervention. 

Severe abdominal attack

She did not have long to wait, because the complaints worsened again. "I also got extremely tired at the time. I would wake up at 10 am and then have to go back to bed straight after lunch." Her GP prescribed more painkillers. When she was 21, the situation escalated when Marlijda and a group of friends attended an event in Amsterdam. "I had a severe abdominal attack during the event." On their way back home, Marlijda fainted multiple times in the backseat of the car. Her friends stopped by the side of the road several times to check if she was still breathing. When she got home, Marlijda immediately took a hot bath, as she often did, in the hopes of relieving the pain. "When I didn't respond to my parents asking how I was doing, my dad kicked in the bathroom door." 

41.3 degrees fever

The GP subsequently confirmed that Marlijda had a fever; her temperature had risen to 41.3° Celsius. Her situation was critical and there was no time to waste. In the hospital in Lelystad, Marlijda was treated by a team of doctors who administered high doses of morphine to dull the pain. "My left kidney was three times larger than normal and was close to rupturing." Marlijda had to stay in hospital for three weeks to normalise the kidney. Three months later she was back for surgery for a blocked ureter. When her complaints again did not subside, she visited the hospital in Amsterdam where she was diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure of 160/135. "But they couldn’t find what caused my high blood pressure or kidney complaints." So a period of intensive rest was prescribed to calm down her heart rate. “Even light household chores were already too taxing for me." 

Lifelong medication

In mid-2018, the internist told Marlijda that she would have to take blood pressure medication for life. "And the urologist informed me that I would have surgery for a blocked ureter in November." Desperate, Marlijda decided to visit the Functional Neurology Institute in Lisse together with her sister. "My sister’s complaints resulting from a chronic inflammatory bowel disease had already been successfully treated there." The professional specialist in Lisse determined that auto immunity was the cause of Marlijda's complaints "My small intestine was not functioning properly and a blood test showed that my thyroid gland wasn’t either. This had an effect on my entire body, resulting among other things in high blood pressure." 

Gluten, spelt and barley intolerance

The blood test also showed that Marlijda was intolerant to gluten, spelt and barley. "I have now started on a gluten free diet and I can already notice a difference." The prescribed supplements Gabax, Immunex TH2 and D-Toxinex also have a beneficial effect on Marlijda’s constitution. “I have always had constant chaos in my head and I am always fretting. I have noticed that my body and mind are much more relaxed now. The professional specialist was right when he said I would benefit from Gabax, which, as a counterpart, inhibits the active neurotransmitters.” Gabax balances the brain. 

Frown

The first time Marlijda was asked to sit in the GyroStim as part of her treatment plan, she had to frown. The GyroStim is a high-tech computer-controlled chair that can rotate around its axes in different directions, helping clinicians to cure patients of their neurological complaints. “My first thought was: What? Shoot at moving light dots with a laser pen? While rotating? But I have found that I respond well to the treatment, in combination with other exercises. For example, my ability to react has got a whole lot better. And my tendency to read different words than what is printed on paper has reduced considerably too." 

So Marlijda is glad that her sister convinced her to visit the practice in Lisse. “It’s a relief that they don’t just talk medicine here, but actually focus on tracking down the cause of your complaints.” It says a lot that I have made more progress here after only five treatments than in my eight years in and out of hospital."