<< Janie, I am not quite sure I follow you. Are you saying that you have an
attack and then after the attack you are basically back to normal until your
next attack? Or when speak of the normal "textbook" reaction/responses, are
you talking about strength or reflexes? What a bummer to have multiple
attacks! One is enough. Have they all been different?
Nancy, who has a numb butt >>
Hi Nancy....
Well lets see.. I will start with your first question.... Yes... I have had 6
attacks in 9+ years... It seems like I am always in the recovery stage...ŸÀŸ
But, after huge doses of Solumedrol/and Prednisone....months and months of
PT/literally retraining my body to walk... and loads of prayers... I recover
most of what I lost... However, I still have small areas on my legs that have
no feeling whatsoever... Needless to say.. my gait has changed dramatically 6
different times... It seems to have something to do with the message from the
brain to the muscles.. etc.... However each TM attack has pretty much been the
same... hit at T-10 down...lost the legs...etc. But the recovery has been
different each time... as one time my left side was affected more... then
another time.. my right side was affected more...but each time I am left a
little bit weaker....Yet, depending upon how quickly I am able to talk an
emergency doc into giving me a solumedrol IV drip--or huge dose of
Prednisone... I have learned this will cut off weeks in the recovery
process... (This is like trying to lead an ELEPHANT TO WATER!!!!~~but it has
happened once!) Because I live with Systemic Lupus also... along with the
TM.... my daily challenges are a bit different...as my internal organs are
damaged from prior Lupus flares...this makes many things a bit more
difficult... but probably no more difficult than anyone elses daily challenges
who lives with a chronic disease.
As for the normal "textbook reaction/responses"~~I am referring to the strange
responses/reflexes that occur to CNS victims....I don't even know what they
all are... but I do know that immediately after an injury to the
spine...something happens to the message and some physical reactions occcur to
CNS victims that are stronger, a bit bizarre and uncontrollable...This is what
the Neuros base their diagnosis on... these strange uncontrollable
reflexes/reactions...Every CNS victim has the same textbook response~~although
quite abnormal when compared to a healthy individual...
What we discovered is that if I had already received treatment (steroids)
before the Neuro had seen me....many of those "textbook reactions"--[I am
referring to CNS victims responses] were weakened or did not occur at all...
Literally leading the Neuro to believe that I had a seemingly healthy CNS!!!
We did not realize this anomaly took place until after my 4th attack...
hmmmm...This makes me wonder.. .I wonder how many others this happens to...
???
Does that clear things up a bit?
Janie