Re: 8 YEAR OLD IN TROUBLE

Errol White (eamjwhite(AT)bigpond.com)
Sat, 16 Jan 1999 14:59:00 -0800

Hello Alice,
By the time you get this will have received a lot of advice from this
wonderful group. I can only reiterate the advice, your grand daughter
needs urgent expert help fast fast and faster. I have two friends who were
teenagers when TM onset them and they were sent home from the same hospital
with a comment (1) it is only growing pains for a 17 year old and (2) it is
only pre teenage school problems for a 12 and a half year old, both girls.
So please, Alice get your daughter to get onto expert help ASAP or STAT as
they say over there, and please let's all know how it goes.

Kind Regards from Errol, Narangba, Queensland Australia.
-----Original Message-----
From: ALICE ROGERS <tarprent(AT)gte.net>
To: tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com <tmic-list(AT)eskimo.com>
Date: Friday, 15 January, 1999 8:47 AM
Subject: 8 YEAR OLD IN TROUBLE

>Good Morning,
>I just found your list and am hoping some of you can help us.
>My oldest daughter was diagnosed with Acute Transverse Myelitis in
>Sept. 1994. She spent 3 months in the hospital and came home paralyzed
>from the armpits down. It took about a year but she is walking and
>doing very well. Of course there are occasional relapses and always
>pain, but she has learned to just live with it.
>Our problem now----my youngest daughters 8 year old daughter has just
>spent 4 days in the hospital. On Monday whe was walking across the
>floor and her legs just colapsed from under her. She cried with severe
>pain in her lower back, from about L2 down. There was immediate
>swelling in that area. Her doctor admitted her to the hospital right
>away. After numerous tests nothing definite was found. She was sent
>home, still in pain, and still with the swollen lump at the lower part
>of her spine. The neurologist said she may have a "mild case of
>myelitis". When told about the Aunt having ATM he just said 'really?
>That's interesting." and walked out of the room. He told my grand
>daughters parents that even if this is myelitis they shouldn't worry
>just make sure she gets plenty of bed rest and increase the pain
>medicine if it gets worse. If the symptoms seem to be getting worse
>bring her back to the hospital. She has marked weakness on the right
>side with some loss of sensation in the lower leg.
>After our experience with our oldest daughter any mention of myelitis
>is taken very seriously. I don't feel that my grand daughters doctors
>are being adequately thorough in determining what is wrong with her.
>Do any of you know of a spinal spcialist in the Panama City, Fla area?
>Tallahassee is close enough also. If absolutely necessary she can be
>transported to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida but we
>would like to minimize travel as much as possible.
>Thanks for any help you can give.
>Alice Rogers
>Tarpon Springs, Fla.
>