--- "Joelle, Madison & Paul Grant" <thegrants(AT)mindspring.com> wrote:
> Hi!
> I am a 27years old, have been married 3 years and
> have a 19 month old
> daughter. On February 24th my symptoms began. I
> sat down on the sofa after
> supper and said to my husband "I think my foot is
> asleep", but no matter what I
> did I couldn't get it to wake up. Within about an
> hour, the numbness went up
> my left leg and my left side. I called the doctor
> and he said that I should go
> to the ER, but my daughter was already in bed so I
> decided to wait until the
> next morning to go. I slept on the sofa that night
> and when I woke up the next
> morning I tried to stand up, but I fell over and
> couldn't get back up. My
> husband took me to the ER then, but it was hell
> trying to get out to the car!!
> I had excruciating back pain too, which was really
> the hardest part of it that
> day. I saw a neurologist almost immediately, he
> asked lots of questions and
> did reflex tests on me. I also had a brain MRI that
> day as well as a spinal
> MRI and a spinal tap and bloodwork. All tests
> showed were clear, so they were
> able to rule out Lyme disease and a number of other
> illnesses. I stayed in the
> hospital for a week, I was on Decadron to decrease
> the imflammation around my
> spine, and had a catheter in since I wasn't able to
> void on my own. At this
> time I couldn't stand, walk or even turn myself over
> in bed. the next week I
> was sent to an excellent rehabilitation hospital for
> intense rehab. I was
> there for 4 weeks, going to therapy about 4 hours
> per day. I had a wonderful
> physical therapist whom I trusted completely (that
> he would have me up and
> walking again). I could have stayed longer than the
> 4 weeks, but I was anxious
> to get back home to take care of my daughter again.
> By the time I left the
> hospital I was using 2 forearm crutches to get
> around......which a huge leap
> from when I had gone INTO the rehab hospital. I go
> to outpatient therapy a
> couple of times per week too. My bladder is almost
> back to normal, but am
> still having a little bit of trouble with the
> bowels. Right now I don't use
> any crutches or a cane....just decided one day that
> I didn't want to use them
> anymore. I want my life back to normal, and would
> do anything to get better.
> I can walk almost normally, but still lose my
> balance sometimes. I also have
> decreased sensation in from the chest down, but it
> is coming back gradually. I
> get tired when I am out it seems, and that is so
> frustrating for me. But, this
> could have been much worse and I feel lucky that
> things are coming back to me
> quickly. there are so many things I want to do, but
> don't seem to have the
> energy for them lately. I have an incredibley
> supportive husband who has
> really gotten me through this. I worry though that
> it may come back, and it is
> always in the back of my mind. I am so glad to
> have found this site too, it
> makes it easier to know that there are others
> dealing with the same things as I
> am.
> Your friend,
> Joelle
>
>
>
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