Transverse Myelitis Internet Club List: Happy New Year From a New Member.

My name is Marion, but I'm most often known as Maz. I intend writing my experience of how I developed TM in the appropriate 'history' area, so I'll just be brief about it here. It began on May 13th 1998 and took exactly three months (August 13th) to reach its peak. Coincidently, this was also the date I was admitted to Guy's Hospital here in London, UK. The neurology team told me they had not seen such a slow development of TM before, they said it usually struck in a matter of hours or days. I have my own theory as to why it took so long and I'll explain this in my 'history.' I was in the hospital for eleven days, spending my time in bed or a wheelchair because I had lost all mobility and sensory input from the waist down. The TM was located at T11 and T12. Apart from puzzling the docs about the slow onset, they were also surprised that my bladder and bowels were still functioning, and that within two days of being there (before receiving massive doses of their 'cure-all' Cortisone) they began to see improvements. I left the hospital, having been fitted for a wheelchair and issued a walking frame with which I had managed a couple of staggering steps in Physio on my last day. Ten days later, when I returned to Physio, my therapist was astonished to see that I didn't need the walker and was ready for a cane. Very soon after that I no longer needed the cane, but I do still have it with me when I'm out. This is on the advice of my therapist, she said it alerts people to the fact that I do have a problem and am not as steady on my feet as they may think.

How am I now? As yet I haven't been able to return to my job and may never as it requires me to be on my feet a great deal. I have the usual numbness (but nothing like it was), discomfort and weird sensations in my butt, legs and feet and these intensify once I'm on my feet. I have pain in my lower back when I bend and if I stay on my feet for too long, but the length of time without it keeps increasing. I can't sit down on the floor or in a bathtub, but I'm still persevering with this. (Bless the soul who invented showers!!!) I have to lie on my right side to sleep, that's the least uncomfortable, and I'm up several times in the night because of stiffness and some pain after lying still for two or three hours. Perhaps to other people this would sound rather bleak, but I'm sure you all can realize how grateful I am, knowing it could be much worse. As a therapist and healer I've had access to several complementary therapies and distance healing which I know have helped me, and I'm happy to write more information on these if you guys would like me to. In addition, I'm taking vitamins and herbs which again (I believe) are making a positive difference. I'm also a great believer in the healing power of laughter and so from time to time (but, again, only if you want me to) I'll share a few 'funnies' with you.