She deserves a lie down: Grandmother forced to sleep upright in agony for five years cured - by magnetic bracelet
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:11 PM on 22nd July 2011
A grandmother who suffered from a condition which left her unable to lie down for five years has been cured - by a magnetic bracelet inserted into her stomach.
Marlene Quarry, 63, could not lie down due to a chronic form of heartburn called 'high reflux'.
The rare medical condition - which affects just one in one million people - meant corrosive stomach acid flooded her throat because the muscles at the base of her oesophagus were too weak.
As a result the grandmother-of-two had to remain upright 24 hours a day to prevent the painful acid burning her insides.
Shockingly, doctors dismissed her concerns and told her it was 'all in the mind' until a consultant diagnosed her with the rare condition.
In April she became only the second person in Britain to be fitted with a magnetic 'Linx system' bracelet.
The 50p-sized titanium bracelet held 15 magnetic beads which were wrapped around the base of the oesophagus.
The beads allow food to pass into the stomach while preventing acid rising back up the throat.
Mrs Quarry is now able to sleep lying down for the first time in nearly five years.
She said: 'It was awful - I wouldn't wish that pain and ending feeling of sickness on anyone.
'They were the worst years of my life. It was a living hell.
'I was losing my voice, the nausea was overwhelming and the earache was dreadful.
'On top of that, I was becoming increasingly unable to cope with the lack of sleep.
'At times, my symptoms were so bad I just wanted to die.
'I had to sleep in the sitting position and I suffered awful cramps and could only get snatches of sleep.
'It was like being tortured for nearly five years because I couldn't get comfortable.'
Mrs Quarry, from Hilton, Shrops, was struck down with 'high reflux' in December 2006 while on holiday in Spain with husband John, 66.
She said: 'We'd gone on holiday for a rest but I didn't feel right at all.
'It felt like there was a lot of mucus in my throat and the nausea was awful too, truly awful.
'I had to sleep on a sun bed with the back in the sitting position to stop the burning acid coming up my throat.' When she returned home her GP failed to diagnose her condition and gave her an anti-allergy spray.
Her health deteriorated but six months later a second doctor told her it was 'in her mind'.
Mrs Quarry, a special needs teacher, said: 'The doctors were saying it was just all in my mind - that was terribly frustrating that because I knew it was real.
'John had to prop up the back of our bed with bricks in the hope that the gravity would stop the acid reflux.
'I would also have to prop myself up with lots of pillows on the sofa and sleep at a ninety degree angle.' She was finally diagnosed with 'high reflux' after seeing a gastroenterologist consultant, who specialised in acid reflux.
He examined her oesophagus and discovered it was too slack to stop rising stomach acid.
Mrs Quarry said: 'He carried out an endoscopy on my throat which showed it to be in a horrifically corroded condition.
'I had also developed throat atrophy from the constant acid attacks, which meant my throat muscles were wasting away.'
Mrs Quarry paid £5,500 for the 40 minute 'Linx system' op - which is not available on the NHS - at Spire Hospital in Manchester.
She said: 'The ultimate benefit is that I can sleep properly again - I can actually look forward to getting into bed now, instead of fearing it.'
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