In a message dated 8/23/98 9:05:14 PM EST, IILOVEll(AT)aol.com writes:
> Subj: Help?
> Date: 8/23/98 9:05:14 PM EST
> From: IILOVEll(AT)aol.com
> To: bharper(AT)myelitis.org
>
> Hello everyone,
>
> Im only 13 yrs old and I have only had TM for 3 weeks now. It started 2
> days before I had any symtoms when I fell down a fled of stairs. Or atleast
> I
> think thats how it happered. I didnt tell anyone about my falling down the
> stairs accedent. Two days later I had flu symtoms. Only these were werse.
MY
> eyes became all red ,itchy ,crusty and didn't want to open. I had a stiff
> neck
> and a low grade tempature ,dry mouth and nausha. Three days later (I was
> still able to walk)(I had no clue what was going to happen) My boyfriend
and
> I
> got into a huge fight. Then my dad started in on my . My dad sared yelling
> at
> me for arguing with my boyfriend. He wasn't even par of the fight. But he (
> my
> dad) made me go downstairs and undercoat he car. the entire time I was
> crying.
> I was under alot of stress. While undercoating the car I was laying down
and
> wisting my back in possitions thwat were totaly abnormal for someones back.
> After undercoating the car I went upstairs and cried some more in my room.
> while lying down I felt a very sharp pain in he middle of my back. I go up
> and
> told my mother about it. She was sleeping so she couldn't really understand
> what i was talking about. She told me to shut up go away and lay back down.
> SO
> i did until the pain sarted to come around in front where my ribs are. I
> began
> having breathing problems. This got me into a panic. I sarted running
around
> panicing , crying ,and complaning about the pain in my back and chest. Then
> came the headache. That was the worst.It was worse than any migrane. I told
> my
> mom only this time more loudly she told my that the fight I had between my
> father and bofriend had me all rieled up and to just go lay down ,stop
> crying
> and relax.So I did. But the head ache was so undbarable I couldnt relax. I
> tossed and turned in bed for 30 min. I still had back pain,chest pain, and
> a
> head ache. Then I felt like my legs were getting all tiggly and flushed
> feeling.I thught nothing of it. I was laying down and crying so hard that
it
> was the last thing I was thinking about. Then the head ache started to fade
> away. When I went to get up and tell my mom my legs just wouldnt move. It
> was
> like everything from chest down fell asleep. My mom finally took me to the
> hospital. At the ER the docters came in and I told them sbout the fight I
> had
> been in recently. They thought it was phycological and that I would get
over
> it. Then when the neurologist came in to look at me he said that it was
> physical. It was. But they didnt care to find out what it was. They didnt
> care
> that I couldn't walk. They were too busy trying to charge my family with
> some
> sort of child abuse. I went in for an MRI that night and the docters said
it
> came back negative when there was actually a blurred spot that they couldnt
> see. They thought nothing of it. I got the worst care at the place where i
> should have gotten the best. Later when the docter (4 days later)looked at
> the
> MRI he noticed the blurred spot and sent me back for another MRI. That one
> came back the same. Then (2 days later) the docters that are still sitting
> on
> their asses doing nothing send me in for ANOTHER MRI. Only this time they
> injected me with dye. and repossioned me. the 3rd MRI showed signiffagant
> changes. But they never told us anything. The results were never givin to
me
> or my parents. I had blood drawn 1 or 2 times a day. testing for lime
> disease
> and other things.My parents never knew what was being done. I had 3 spinal
> taps done at that hospital. Never found out any of the results. Finally
> after
> 7 days me mom took me out of the hospital because I wasnt getting any care
> or
> any better. If anything I was getting worse. I had foot drop and I wasnt
> getting any physical theropy.The docter thought I should stay longer so
they
> could figure it out. But They werent even giving my mom results back from
> any
> of the tests. And my mom worked at that hospital as a nurse. Apparently
> someone who also worked at the hospial that knew my mom aproached my mom
and
> told her she had read the neurologists report. That informaion is
> confidental.
> That lady was fired after my mom reported her. two weeks I had last walked
> My
> mom took my up to a friend of hers , a nurse paritionor. We had to have the
> results from all the blood work and tests faxed to us because the docters
at
> the hospital wouldnt give it to us. This Nurse paritionor sugested a
> anoother
> hospital to go to. We did. There I was diagnosed wih TM. They found his out
> anfter two more MRI's a milagram and a catscan. Now I live at home where I
> get
> me own Physical theropy from myself and my mom. Im on steroids and I have
no
> control over me bladder YET. I am gaining (slowly) the ability to feel
> presure on my bladder again. I have shown progress in only 3 weeks . I
still
> can not move my legs volunarily. I have a lot of spasms, but they arnt
> painful
> just anoying. I have reflexes in my knees and ancles. I hink I am doing a
> good
> job so far. Hopefully I will make as close to 100 % recovery as posible.
But
> if not. Life will go on.
>
>
>