> ----------
> From: Marc Richards[SMTP:mrichards(AT)ecom.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 1998 8:43 PM
> To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com
> Subject: Marc's story
>
> I am writing this most unusual, sad story after reading the story
> about Ron. I have written in for advice on my husband's bed sore, but
> I have never actually shared his story. By the way, thank-you everyone
> who wrote in with suggestions. They were very interesting. Right now
> they are using a special vacuum machine on him, which seems to be
> helping.
>
> Now that I got side-tracked, back to my story. In January my 38-year
> old husband experienced a grand mal seizure. The next day he was
> diagnosed as having a brain tumor. Two weeks later the tumor was
> removed. We found out five weeks later that it was cancer. He started
> chemo at the end of March for the cancer. Due to unclear instructions
> and enough chemo pills for two years put into a bottle to dispense by
> a certain pharmacy that will go un-named (he only needed two pills),
> he inadvertently overdosed. He took 12 pills. He wound up at U.C.L.A.
> where he underwent many blood transfusions. They also were giving him
> injections to boost different cells in the body, including white blood
> cells. They gave him antibiotics and anti-fungals to ward off any
> infections as he was vulnerable. He actually made it through
> everything and didn't even need a bone marrow transplant. The day
> before May 2nd, 1998 he noticed that he had difficulty urinating. even
> though he had the urge. He woke up in a panic around 2:30 a.m. and
> tried to get up to go to the bathroom. He hadn't been up in several
> days. He collasped to the floor. The next day his whole body,
> especially the upper body felt as if it were on fire. No-one could
> even touch him. Fairly quickly, after some tests they figured that he
> had TM, at T-4. He has no feeling from the chest down.
>
> He made it through the chemo ordeal, then was sent down to acute rehab
> and put on steroids. They took him off the steroids and about two
> weeks later he had a recurrence of the TM. He started to lose his
> sight and feeling in his arms. It was very scary! He was put on
> steroids again and now he is on a steroid taper. He has tried many
> things, but leg spasms bother him alot, mostly during the day and at
> times at night. He transferred to a hospital closer to home as his
> condition stablized and he has made great progress in his rehab. He
> can transfer into and out of a wheelchair almost by himself! He has
> had his ups and downs,but considering what he has been through, his
> attitude has been very brave and admirable. We don't know what the
> future holds, but he sure is a fighting spirit. One thing that may be
> encouraging is that he has been getting anti-clot injections for at
> least a couple of months now in his abdomen or his leg because he
> can't feel them. The other day he felt the injection in his left
> abdomen and said "ouch!" He also has had fevers for the last few
> weeks. The physiatrist thinks it may be a reaction to taking tegretol
> for several months, but they are doing some other tests to see if they
> can find the cause of the fevers. Needless to say, this is a
> complicated, long story. I wish all of you good luck.
>
> Nancy
>
>
>