19-05-2025
'I have same condition as Duncan from Blue - I feel his pain'
Terrilyn Griffiths, 44, was showing her ex-partner's children how to perform a standing bridge when she first injured her back in July 2021. She was later diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome
A woman felt her back give way doing yoga and eventually realised she had a very painful condition. And she says it's the same one Duncan from Blue has battled.
Terrilyn Griffiths, 44, was demonstrating a standing bridge yoga pose to her ex-partner's children when she first injured her back in July 2021. Initially dismissing it as nothing serious, two weeks later she began experiencing back pain so severe she felt like she "would collapse at the waist".
For half a year, Terrilyn bore the pain until it eventually eased off, leading her to believe it had "healed on its own". However, in June 2023, after simply setting down a bag, she was left in agonising pain and has since been plagued by chronic back pain, loss of bladder control and an inability to walk long distances.
In January 2024, Terrilyn finally sought medical advice and was told she showed early signs of cauda equina syndrome (CES) - a condition affecting the nerves in the lower back - after an MRI scan revealed she had slipped discs in her back. She was referred to a physiotherapist, but claims "nothing has helped" as she is not eligible for a discectomy due to the absence of any 'red flag symptoms' of the condition.
Blue band member Duncan James was diagnosed with CES in 2016 following a slipped disc and underwent surgery. He said the condition could have resulted in paralysis, but instead led to permanent loss of sensation in his left leg - a reality he will have to cope with for the rest of his life. Terrilyn, trapped in her Lowestoft home after factory work took its toll, confided: "CES is traumatic and life-changing."
She empathised with Duncan James' struggle, remarking, "I understand the pain that Duncan James has experienced, and it's not easy." She voiced her frustration over the condition's obscurity: "Not many people seem to know much about it, which has made getting the right treatment harder."
Terrilyn lamented the huge impact CES has had on her, saying, "And now it has taken my life away." Facing an uncertain future, she admitted, "I feel as if there's little hope for me in the future."
After suffering through multiple back traumas, a January 2024 MRI uncovered early markers of cauda equina syndrome and herniated discs, leading back to the fateful July 2021 yoga pose. Recounting the moment, she said: "I was showing my ex's kids how to do a standing bridge pose when my back gave way."
Though pain wasn't immediate, she soon found herself battling discomfort. She recalled: "The pain didn't start immediately, but two weeks later, when the pain started, I was just powering through."
Her physically demanding job didn't help, she said, and claimed hauling hefty materials only worsened her condition. She reflected: "It didn't help that I worked a laborious job too, and I had to carry heavy materials around all day."
Six months after the injury, she assumed her back pain was history until it flared up again in June 2023 just before a horse-riding lesson. "I had a physical week at work, and my back went right before I had a riding lesson," she said.
Upon seeking prompt medical care, she found herself disheartened when the offered solution was a referral to physiotherapy. "I went to the doctor straight away, but all they did was set me up with physio," she said.
After being told to follow prescribed gentle exercises, her condition took a turn for the worse. By January 2024, an MRI organised by a locum GP unveiled disc protrusions and compressed nerves including the cauda equina.
However, her diagnosis remained incomplete, she said. "It wasn't the full syndrome they believed I had," she mentioned. "So I wasn't eligible for surgery or any invasive treatment."
Left with no significant symptoms to prompt more aggressive intervention, she lamented being sent back to the physio yet again. At 44, Terrilyn's life has been turned upside down by a condition that leaves her with dexterity issues in her hands, weakness in her hip and groin, altered sensation in the saddle area, and a semi-paralysed bladder.
She recalled going a full day without urinating at a festival in June 2024 and described the difficulty of climbing stairs due to pins and needles affecting her ability to walk. "Every time I walk, I sway side to side and people think I'm drunk," she said. "I was losing my capacity to do the things I love; I couldn't go on hikes or even do my food shop in person.
"I even have a tool to help me open cans, but the doctors still did little about it." Terrilyn visited A&E three times from June to August 2024, where she was told her symptoms were severe enough for surgery, yet she was only given opioid pain patches and more physiotherapy sessions.
Although she found some success in managing the pain, Terrilyn has been out of work for two years and is housebound, with everyday tasks becoming nearly impossible and walking fraught with the risk of stumbling or falling. "I was given a cane from the hospital, and I'm embarrassed to be seen with it," she admitted. "I'm only 44 years old and this is how my life will look from now on."
The NHS cautions that if the condition isn't resolved quickly, it may result in life-altering injuries. As she battles her health issues, Terrilyn is crowdfunding for private medical consultations, travel expenses and home assistance, raising over £1,000 to date.
She said: "I have started looking into getting the surgical procedure elsewhere - maybe abroad - to decompress the area... but I wish more people were more aware of incomplete and partial cauda equina syndrome.
"Perhaps things would have been different for me." Donate to Terrilyn here.
