I had Polio at 6 months age in 1953. The symptoms included pain and then paralysis from my waist down. According to my Mom there was a miracle and I recovered back to normal. Life has been pretty good. Type A personality. Hard driving workaholic.
Now here I am at age 53, on high blood pressure medicine, anti depressants and just in pain of some sort all the time. I’ve always had some sort of pain but it’s always be diagnosed as arthritis or muscle pulls. Usually take Daypro when it’s bad. But most of the time I’m in pain. Mainly my legs, hips and base of my neck. I also had muscle spasms and lockups in these same areas. If nothing else it the body aches. The pain and lockups have been increasing the last year.
I’ve complained to my Doctors but cannot get any help. When I mention Polio it seems to just shut them right off. I’ve contacted various medical institutions and hospitals but have not had any luck getting any medical records or proof that I had Polio.
Can some one please help me understand how they diagnose PPS. Is there a some type of testing they do ??? Do you need old medical records ??? What am I up against here ??
Hi Dennis D,
There are Post Polio recourses web sights that can locate your closest Doctor by State….
They evaluate people that have post polio syndrome. They will run some tests that will reveal to what extent your post polio has progressed and help you adjust to life changes. That means slowing down your pace from a type A. I have found that most polio people have type A personalities because they were always taught to push themselves past their disability to achieve what they want, so these Docs are used to dealing with you 'A's.
I'm a wife of an AAA,
Enie
PS:
It took a couple months befor we could get my husband his first appointment. Hopefully you will fend better.
Dennis --- Greetings! Like you, I am 53 years old and suffered polio as a young child. I have been going through PPS for a few months now and finding a doctor who understands can be an effort. Have you tried PHYSIATRY? It's the field of medicine that deals with the rehab from injuries and illness like polio. It was there that I was finally given an answer to my questions and am now able to understand what my body (and mind) are going through. I have also found that counseling helps. Our bodies and our lives are suffering a loss, and we are in "mourning" for those losses. The only thing that really works for me is just trying to relax and allowing my body to do what it needs to do. Relax and accept. It will be easier in the long run. Good luck.
