[TMIC] TM
Luvvins(AT)aol.com
Thu, 20 May 1999 15:42:47 -0700
Hello, my name is Jennifer & I was recently diagnosed with transverse
myelitis. This is all still new to me, so I may sound like I am rambling. My
life since the start of 99' has been quite hectic. I worked full time &
attended school full time. To say the very least, by March I was very run
down. On March 8, I came down with a horrible stomach virus. I left for
Florida on March 11 & was sick for my 4 day stay. When I returned home I felt
fine. For the next 4 days I suffered from horrible headaches. By Saturday,
March 19, I woke up with a horrible pain in my neck and back. As the day
progressed, I started to experience numbess & weakness in my torso and legs.
By that night, I was so terrified I went to the ER. After numerous CT's of my
brain and back, they found nothing & sent me home. The next day, I was
rapidly getting weaker and was incontinent. I went to my PCP who admitted me
to the hospital. This was March 22. I stayed there until April 1 when they
moved me to Kessler Institute(This is the best place for rehab!!!!!) During
my hospital stay, I went through numerous MRI's, bloodwork & 2 spinal taps.
They found nothing! They were treating me with VERY high doses of steroids(to
date, I am still tapering them), & treating me for Herpes & Lyme - it took 3
weeks for them to get the results that they were negative & treated me as a
precaution. When I was admitted to Kessler, I was only able to wiggle my
toes. I had strange sensation in from T12 down. At Kessler, I made progress
daily. Due to insurance reasons, I was discharged on April 30 with Loftstrand
crutches. Right now, I am undergoing physical therapy 3x's a week & currently
walk without anything( I look funny because I have not regained all of my
balance). Currently, I am seeing quite a few doctors. I have regained bowel
control - with the help of Colace. I was able to urinate, but the sensation
was not "normal" & I was going to the bathroom every hour. Since this is no
way to live life, I was put on Ditripan. I am now back to cathing every 4-6
hours. I have my first urology appt this week. I have very strange sensation
on my back and legs. I am going for my second series of MRI's this week (the
1st set showed a herniated disk at T12). I am concerned that this could
eventually be diagnosed as MS. My psyiatrist has tried numerous times to
convince me that the chances are slim, I am still not convinced. I still can
not tell temperature on my legs & water makes them go nuts! I have pain in my
middle & lower back which the doctors attribute to my "learning how to walk
all over again". It has not been 2 full months since I got sick, but it
feels like an eternity. I am currently waiting to see if my reflexes have
returned to drive again & I wish I could pee on my own! I feel very lucky
compared to some of the stories I have read. I am very sorry that I have
rambled on & on. If anyone has any advice, it is greatly appreciated!
Thank You All for you stories( I feel much better)
Jen