I've been on the list for about a month now, and I can't tell you how
much help it has given me. This list has a wealth of knowledge that
you can't find any where else. :) Anyways, I came down with TM about
two months ago. Just a little before Thanksgiving I had a terrible headache.
The headache lasted for about 13 days. I thought that it was just stress
from work. During those 13 days I made a trip down to Mexico, where I got
a pretty bad flu. When I returned home, I noticed that I could no longer go pee.
I went to a doctor for it, and they had no clue what was going on. So they put me
on antibiotics for a bladder infection. After two days of that, I really had to go
pee, so I went to the emergency room. They put a cather in me, and told me to
come back the next day. However, when I woke up the next morning I couldn't
feel my legs. I tried to get out of bed with the help of my wife and quickly
fell to the floor. :( So, I ended up back in the emergency room, this time in ICU.
The first two days were pretty bad, because the numbness rose all the way to my
chest. It took the doctors a while to figure out what was wrong with me. But they
eventually figured out that I had TM and loaded me up with steroids and antibiotics.
On about the third day, the numbness started going down, but I had developed pancertitis
(sorry about the spelling). After about eight days the pancertitis went away and I could feel
my legs again. However I had absolutely no strength in them. So they transferred me a
a rehab. hospital, where I received a lot of good physical therapy. I was in there for about a week.
I finally came home in a wheelchair. It was good to be home with my daughter and wife. I stayed in a
wheelchair for about two weeks, then I moved to a walker. I was in walker for about 5 days, then I
started on the cane. I got off the cane about 3 days ago. I been going to physical therapy for two days
a week since I left the rehab. hospital. I guess my recovery has been pretty good so far. I'm back in
work now this week full time again. I'm no longer on any medication, I just don't like taking the stuff. So
I dealt with a lot of the pain in my stomach and on my back. I wrote to the list before about back pain
and the girdle feeling, but both are doing pretty good now. The trick to me was going to the gym. I have been
going to the gym every day for the last week, and my back feels about 70% better. The girdle feeling
has gone away a lot as well. Also no more cane :)
I still have the TM side effects of the bad bowels and bladder. I think the bowels are starting to come back
with the help of a lot of fiber. But my bladder is my main trouble spot now. I having trouble knowing if my
bladder is coming back or not. At first I had no feeling to pee at all and self cathed about 4 times a day.
Then I had the urge to go pee at about 600ml (more of a burning type feeling than an urge). Now I have
the feeling to go pee at about 400ml. When I go pee, I only get about 200ml so I now 200ml is still
left in me. So I can't void all the way yet. But hopefully it will happen. So now I only cath before bed
and when I wake up. I have more side effects but nothing to major (jolts here and there).
Well hopefully I'm having a good recovery. I sure want to beat this thing. :)
For all of the TM'ers on the list, I hope you will have a good recovery too. This
thing really sucks, especially when I comes out of no where. Which is one of
my hardest things to deal with. The only thing that I can really recommend to
people is the exercise. I'm not on any medications so I can't be of help there.
Exercise has done a world of good for me so far. It really hurts in the beginning,
but after a while it starts feeling really good. ;)
Well this is my story so far, just wanted to get it off my chest.
God Bless.
- Rudy.
BTW: I'm 23 years old.