Wow, John, I bet you came to dread Fridays. I've only had one spinal tap and
myelogram (they had MRIs but it was Labor Day weekend and no one was there
to run the machine) and I hope to never have either one again.
Thanks for sharing your story. You've had quite a lot on your plate. You
seem to have come through it all well. As we so often say to newcomers -- I'm
so
glad you found us but so sorry you had to get TM to do so.
Barbara H.
_http://barbarah.wordpress.com/_ (http://barbarah.wordpress.com/)
In a message dated 2/1/2007 11:47:58 AM Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
HEY YALL'
MY NAME IS JOHN HOLDEN I WANTED TO TELL ALITTLE ABOUT MYSELF AND CANNOT
FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO MY PROFILE SO I CAN DO IT THIS WAY. I AM NOT SCREAMING,
JUST LIKE TO USE CAPS.
I AM 47 YEARS OLD FROM NJ AND NOW LIVE IN TEXAS. I WAS PARALIZED FROM
TRANSVERSE MYELITIS AT AGE 14 ON APRIL 13, 1974. I WAS WALKING AROUND EARLY AT
A FLEA MARKET FOR HOURS. I CAME HOME AND MY LEGS WERE TINGLING AND IT FELT
LIKE I HAVE SOMEONE TAKING A KNIFE INTO THE SIDE OF MY LEG FROM MY HIP TO MY
FEET ANT IT WAS BURNING.
I WAS AT MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE AS MY MOM WAS KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT
AT MY AGE OF FOUR. SO MY FATHER AND GRFANDMOTHER RAISED ME.
I THOUGHT MY LEGS WERE JUST TIRED SO I TURNED DOWN LUNCH AND WENT TO LAY
DOWN.
I HAD A 104 DEGREE FEVER AND MY LEGS WERE TINGLING FROM MY KNEES DOWN
WHEN I AWAKENED. I HAD NO BLADDER CONTROL AND WET MY PANTS. I ATTEMPTED TO
WALK
AND KEPT FALLING OVER.
MY FAMILY DOCTOR WAS A FRIEND ALSO AND HE TOLD MY GRANDMOTHER TO TAKE ME
TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IMMEDIATELY.
WE HAD HAD A HURRICANE AND GRANDMA LIVE OUT IN A RURAL DIRT ROAD AND ALL
TREES FELL DOWN AND WE WERE CUTTING THEM DOWN CLEARING THE ROADWAY OF TREES.
THE DOCTORS FELT I MAY HAVE BEEN BITTEN BY SOME INSECTS AND MAY HAVE
CAUGHT SOMETHING.
I HAD HAD ALL OF MY CHILDHOOD VACCINATIONS, POLIO, ETC.
I HAD A FOREIGN DOCTOR INTERN I WAS GIVEN ALCOHOL RUBS. DR. RAUSCHWERTH
WHO MISDIAGNOSED MY SPINAL VIRUS AND SENT ME HOME WITH DARVON . ( "YOU KNOW
THE OLD STORY, TAKE 2 OF THESE EVERY 4 HOURS AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING").
WHEN THE NEXT DAY I WAS RUSHED BACK TO THE HOSPITAL PARALIZED FROM THE
CHEST DOWN WITH HEART MURMURS. AND A 106 DEGREE FEVER.
I WAS ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL IMMEDIATELTLY THROUGH THE EMERGENCY ROOM
. MY FAMILY DOCTOR HAD THE INTERN ER DR. FIRED AS HIS NAME WAS OFF THE ROSTER
WHEN I RETURNED TO THE HOSPITAL. MY FAMILY DOCTOR WAS ON THE BOARD OF
DIRECTORS AT THE HOSPITAL.
I WAS GIVEN ALCOHOL RUBS AND PACKED IN ICE IN BED AND WAS THEN STARTED
ON ANTIBIOTICS AS THE VIRUS FED ON THE PROTEIN IN THE SPINAL FLUID. IT STARVED
AND KILLED THE NERVES. I WAS GIVEN SPINAL TAPS AND MYLEGRAMS EVERY FRIDAY
FOR 8 MONTHS TO CHECK THE SPINAL FLUID PROTEIN LEVEL TO FIND IF THE VIRUS WAS
GOING AWAY.
THE NURSES WERE LAZY AND LEFT ME LAY IN MY EXCREMENT AND I DEVELOPED
DECUBITI ULCERS OR BEDSORES ON MY SACRAL AREA AND IT HAMPED MY REHABILITATION
FOR MONTHS WHILE THEY HEALED. I THEN WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL WALKING
ON LEG BRACES WITH QUAD CRUCTHES. I FELL AND DISLOCATED MY RIGHT HIP AND HAD 2
UNSUCCESSFUL SURGERIES TO REPAIR IT.
I WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AND FINSHED HIGH SCHOOL AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL AND
RECEIVED MY ELECTRONIC TECHNICIAN CERTIFICATION AND HAD MANY JOB AND LATER
WENT INTO POLICE 911 OPERATOR JOBS. I JUST RETIRED AFTER 25 YEARS ON
DISABILITY
WITH NRE BACK AND NECK INJURIES.
I MARRIED IN 1982 AND AND DIVORCING AND ON DEPRESSION MEDS AND NEURONTIN
AND ZANAFLEX NOW. I RECENTLY MOVED TO TEXAS AND AM MOVING ON WITH MY LIFE.
I USED TO TEACH IN SCHOOLS ON 911 AND DISABILITY AWARENESS WITH GRAMMER
SCHOOL CHILDREN. I DID EMERGENCY VOLUNTEER WORK WITH CB AND AMATEUR (HAM)
RADIO. I WAS A LT. COL. IN CIVIL AIR PATROL AND WAS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION
FOR CIVIL AIR PATROL.
I AM NOT DOING MUCH NOW BUT KARAOKE HERE AND THERE. WELL THAT'S MY STORY.
JUST REMEMBER MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS ALWAYS HAPPEN. THEY DID NOT HAVE
MRI'S OR CATSCANS THEN. MIRACLES HAPPEN AND SOMEDAY THEY WILL BE THERE FOR US.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL INCLUDING ALL INVOLVED IN MAKING THIS WEBSITE
POSSIBLE AND FOR STARTING THIS INFORMATIVE GROUP.
PEACE AND GOD BLESS AND GOD SPEED TO Y'ALL.
JOHN HOLDEN LEAGUE CITY, TEXAS
