Quick onset of TM

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Background:

 

Was a relatively fit 65 year old male, semi-retired working 3 days a week.

 

Had been staying at my sister’s place, about an hour south of Auckland, and on the way home stopped for a Thai lunch in Auckland. Found I couldn’t get a spoon to my mouth with my right arm.

Kept driving home but had to lift my right arm onto the steering wheel. At home phoned the Medical Center who told me to come in to see the emergency doctor as this was Sunday of the Labour Day Holiday.

 

She had a look and suspected a stroke but by now I also had weakness in left leg. Usually with a stroke it would be the same side.

 

They called ambulance and off to North Shore Hospital, an hour away. I kept get weaker and the last part was bumped to Code 2 and straight to Intensive Care, by now 6pm.

 

Masses of test but just kept losing strength. Terrible night as muscles would twitch and spasm then no movement.

 

Right upper body, left lower body, right lower body, and finally left upper body.

 

I remember checking thru the night. At first I could raise my whole left arm in the air, then just from the elbow, then just the wrist, then just the fingers. Very scary.

 

Morning rounds with the Doctors who asked how I was. I said I could still move my left hand fingers. “What, you think you are paralyzed? What about the right side”. She picked up my right arm which was totally dead.

 

Oh Sh*t was said and then they started another series of tests.

 

Lots of tests, blood samples sent to Canada, USA, and UK etc. and finally they said Transverse Myelitis. Worst still it was at C3/C4 vertebrae at the top of the neck.  Lucky me, 1 in a million.

 

Bugger!

 

5 total blood plasma exchanges and many heavy doses of steroids and they stabilized it.

Or so we thought. Then my core muscles started to go so no breathing. Rush tracheotomy, insertion of breathing tube, and back into Critical Care.

 

Poor Sue.  By now I couldn’t move or talk. She was a brick having to cope with all this, driving in to see me, (having not driven for 5 years) staying at the hospital, coping with well-wishers etc.

 

But I was able to move fingers on left hand and was determined to keep that movement so I could at least work a joy stick on a wheel chair. If I didn’t recover at least I would get around. Got a rolled up bandage from a nurse and just keep squeezing and squeezing and slowly I regained left hand movement. Keep working at it and was finally able to write, sort of, messages on a pad of paper.

 

This all started in October and by December I was OK to be moved to the Auckland Spinal Unit.

Still had to be hoisted from bed to wheelchair etc. with no control of bladder or bowels and very limited movement in limbs.

Very specialized equipment for spinal inquiries, lots of Physio, up to 4 hrs a day, and after huge amount of effort finally got to stand.

 

What a feeling!

 

Then on to shuffling with a gutter frame, again a major feeling of accomplishment.

Then walking within parallel bars.

Then crutches! For 2 days.

 

Then reality.

 

Because I had a medical condition I was considered “healed”, i.e. no longer suffered from TM. So goodbye Dale.

If I had had a car accident or sports injury I would have covered under ACC, (Accident Compensation Commission), and they continue treatment to restore you to as much as possible to your previous lifestyle.

This would have meant months more treatment and, if needed, things like a van to transport the power wheel chair.

 

I had been determined to walk out of the Spinal Unit and was I was able to walk out using a gutter frame.

But at home nothing. Friends lent me a small walker and exercise gear but I was limited to one hour Physio every 2 weeks.

I was lucky that Sue’s brother from Canada was visiting and he and our neighbour’s built a set of parallel bars inside the wheelchair ramp to the house which has really helped plus we brought a heavy duty recumbent bike.

 

Since being home I have been able to gain overall strength and balance, even managed 2 unassisted steps for Sue’s birthday. 

Can use the ride on for mowing lawns but unfortunately the left leg muscles have shortened and go in to have the tendons lengthened in the next few weeks.