Ditto along with what Greg said except I feel like I am dying of pain and 3 bacteria that keep coming that are multi-drug-resistant. Thing is... I was healthy 3 years ago and it took "one insect to damage so much grain" (Elton John's words) when a nurse ruptured my urethra forcing me to have surgery and a different type of catheter that I never wanted. Then the hospitals I was in for the ones that those bacteria are found in. Then once you get these particular bacteria... it's almost impossible to get rid of them.
What is more disabling for me or has made quadriplegia 80% harder is acquiring Posttraumatic Syringomyelia. I took my endurance down so much that I had to quit working back in 1995. Then, when I began to have different caregivers in 1997 pain started happening. It didn't feel like I was being moved wrong or anything but something was going on because it started where the shunt was put in (T1 or a little higher) and started moving down my spine and wrapping around under my right shoulder blade. A pain medication who keeps it tolerable but if I cry it hurts 100% more and the pain lasts for several days, if someone touches it or pushes in on that area it hurts badly like now because yesterday during a doctor visit she wanted to listen to my lungs and the shunt is put into my pleural cavity so I asked her what muscles are around that area because if I overuse my right arm (those are the muscles I need to use my only working arm) it hurts 100% more. You are probably wondering if my shunt is working or have I been checked out and the answer is yes. Almost a year ago or close to it I have been having trouble getting in the chair I can't figure out the reason. I only have my live-in caregiver to do it with my electric lift. My scoliosis has gotten worse over the last 3 years and especially the first year after moving back to Arizona (2016) I was leaking all over the place because of my urethra being stretched beyond repair and until I could have surgery (or figure out the extent of what happened before that) and I had to roll back and forth around 10 times a day and stay in bed because of the amount of leaking around my urethral catheter. Since my husband's death I still have those stress-related Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures especially when it is a very stressful day and there is pain accompanied by it as well as being tired. So those are now a part of my life. My lower extremity edema got worse the first three months after moving out of here and I wouldn't put it past stress for that to get worse over the years. I do everything I'm supposed to do and the compression stockings (gradient or otherwise) do not help. My ankles and feet just stretch them out and they are not old. So I can't spend as many hours in the chair as I would like to. I now feel like I am just a patient. I am wondering if any of you have and to having neck fusion after your injury? I did back in 1980 and I guess the neurosurgeon did not want my neck going anywhere because it is used from C2 through C7 so I can't turn my head left or right very far at all. ~Lori C4/5 complete Quad. Age - 54, 39 years post On Sat, Jan 5, 2019 at 8:01 AM Greg <[email protected]> wrote: > I'm 54, 36 years post. I feel like the body of the oldest quad ever. > Yesterday I dressed up just a bit, jeans instead of sweats. That's all it > took to break open my butt. Its only a skin break down, not deep, but did > bleed. > > Greg > > On 1/4/2019 11:58 PM, Dana Wray wrote: > > Congratulations Billy > On Wed, Jan 2, 2019 yat 5:06 PM Billy Lang <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I will be 70 in May, 30 years post in July. Just got a real good reason >> to hang around. >> >> >> On Dec 26, 2018, at 4:48 PM, Jim Lubin <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Some of the quads in this group are the longest living that I have seen. >> Maybe it's the good company. 😀 >> >> Merry Christmas >> >> On Wed, Dec 26, 2018 at 1:15 PM Bobbie Humphreys < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> Depends on a lot of factors >>> I ca feel myself dying, I'm at 46 years >>> >>> Merry Christmas 🎄 >>> Bobbie >>> >>> On Dec 26, 2018, at 1:48 PM, Shirley Bell <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Hi Guys, Merry Christmas!! kinda late. My family has me dead and buried >>> before long! Made me mad. I am 59 been a quad 41 yrs. Are there any stats >>> on life expectancy of us? thanks >>> >>> >> > -- "Petting, scratching and cuddling a dog could be soothing to the mind and heart and deep meditation and almost as good for the soul as prayer." ~Dean Koontz
