TO NIKI 47 FROM BOB

br5512 · 02-08-2003, 12:13 PM

thank you for your response and i` should consider myself lucky, but to answer your question of myelopathy,,no i wasn`t using a cane or walker,still had good stregnth, bowel and bladder was good, just walking strange and stiff. nuerologist said after looking at mri of cervical exactly what i` needed , surgery,,,sent mri films to my brother in law in pitts,(he`s a vascular surg, there) for a 2nd opinion,,he and his nueoro`s concurred that i needed surgery also.
my nuero surg, said that this surgery is to fix any further problems, that would occur, if i didn`t have surgery. didn`t gaurentee anything,,,,,except thati was a prime candidate (because i didn`t wait a long time to get this taken care of,,,4 months)for a good recovery, but no gaureentee,,
before surgery i could walk on my own ,,,,still strong,,,just walked differntly like i stated earlier,are u trying to say that this might be a permanent thing???? thnxs so much niki....bob

melanie dawn · 02-08-2003, 12:30 PM

Hi Niki,
just had to pop in and say hello and how are you? I was just thinking last night that i hadnt heard or seen a post from you in awhile, and wondered how you were doing.
I hope this finds you well and continuing to improve.
I'm off to Chicago in 10 days, finally.
Take care jof yourself, Mel

Niki47 · 02-08-2003, 03:06 PM

Dear Bob,

If they got you that quickly, you could definitely regain whatever you lost. But weakness and balance issues will have to be addressed thru PT. I can tell you that I regained the ability to sense heat and cold in my hands immediately. I can feel my hands and fingers, and have only small moments of numbness and tingling in them. That is often relieved by a change in posture. When you can move your neck again, you will find that holding it in certain spots makes things either better or worse.

Try standing with your feet together and arms at your sides. Close your eyes. Do you fall over? Do you sway and have to regain your balance?? If so, this is the point about a skill that is to be re-learned by your body's communication system. It is why you might walk with your feet further apart... to have better balance.

I will presume that have a few weeks during which swelling will continue to be an issue. Are you on post-op steroids? As the swelling abates, more comes back to life.

No one can tell you for sure that you will be fine, not the doctors, not anyone. But since you got fixed quickly, you have a much better chance. But honestly... did you think you would be 100%???? Did you have a corpectomy? Do you have donor bone?

There are many good, professional websites about myelopathy. Try searching "Prognosis post ACDF" or other such things. You will be the best and final judge of your own condition. Sadly, for many, the damage is permanent. But I believe that you are gonna be aok. You are only in week 2, lighten up my friend, rest, restore and recouperate!!! Wanna trade places?? Smile.

Hi Mel!! Glad to hear about your upcoming trip. I have been lurking. I noticed that you seem to be the resident expert lately!!! I am so glad to know all that you have learned, and it is nice how much you can share with others. I am impressed with your kindness. I have been a crabby scrooge.

Keep on keeping on my friend, you will do us all proud!!! And I am keeping tabs on you and the procedure. I am never far away. <grin>
N.

br5512 · 02-08-2003, 03:56 PM

niki,,, bob here again,,thanks for your knowledge, and i intend to have a positive aditude through out this,,,,do what my docs say and work hard during pt,,,
also to answer your last question ,,i had my own bone used for fusion,,, for my acdf at 2 levels
niki in your last response you mentioned some people never get their feelings or sensations back,, why is that???? is it because the injury to the spinal cord was severe? or did the individual wait too long for treatment?? just curious,,,,niki god bless you and yours and thank you so much for your input,,,,bob

Niki47 · 02-08-2003, 05:20 PM

Dear Bob,

In response to your question, I believe the answer is both time and extent of damage.

Mine went undiagnosed (or improperly) for too long. I developed quadraparesis overnight, which is incomplete quadraplegia... I had some feeling and no controlled movements, I was in a wheelchair, and off to the ER. I spent 4 days on steroids to reduce the swelling before they could even do "Emergency" surgery.

I had several vertebrae and the associated discs removed to decompress the cord. My own bone for the graft. Titanium plate from c-3 to c-7. Hard collar for 8 weeks, soft collar until now. I am just out of it.

Now, 3 months later, I am in PT 3 times a week. I can lift 3 pounds. I can walk (with a walker or cane) for about 200 yards maximum on a good day. 2 inches on a bad day. I can not do stairs but once a day to go to bed, and then need help quite often. I can neither stand or sit for long. I can just now brush my own hair. I have intestinal "difficulties". (trying to be polite...lol) I get cramps, twitches, pains and electrical "stingers". I have some residual numbness. I have a post-op voice dysfunction and sound like Elmer Fudd. Hmmmmmm, what else??? Seems like everyday we discover some new thing I can or can not do. Like... I can no longer Whistle. That is a wierd one. Oh yeah, and head aches. Suffice it to say... the longer the problem went untreated, the worse and longer my recovery.

My Myelopathy was a grade 4 of 5. When I asked my Dr. about the possibility of walking "normal" again, he told me: "I don't have a crystal ball."

I refuse to accept that. Therefor, I am doing anything and everything I can find written about to take care of MYSELF!! I may not get it all back, but I intend to increase my strength, flexiblity and endurance.

Hope that answers your question about the prognosis thing.

Niki47