Living with Spinal Cord Injury

In March 2004 at the age of 28, I woke up with tremendous back pain. A burning sensation that just kept getting worse. I was also numb from the chest down to my toes. Within a few hours I was completely paralysed from mid-chest down. I could not feel touch but still had the bad burning pain in my back.

I was diagnosed with having Transverse Myelitis with inflammation from T1-C6. I was put on IV steroids (Solu-Medrol) for a week then was put on orla steroids (prednisone) for another 10 days, then IVIG for 5 days. After 3 weeks in hospital I was able to wiggle my right toes a bit, then my ankle and knee the week after. I spent 10 weeks in acute care hospital, then 2 months as an in-patient in a rehab hospital. I worked hard to gain strength and movement. I was finally able to walk with a walker and a long leg brace after this, but only for short periods of time.

To this day I am still partially paralysed and walk with a cane and a long leg brace (KAFO), but can now do it for a few hours at a time with short breaks. Along with the leg paralysis I lost the ability to void, so I self-catheterise 4-6 times a day. I have a bowel regine every morning in order to have a bowel movement. I take medication for the constant neuropathic pain and spasticity and yet another for my blood pressure as it is too low because my autonomic nervous system is not functioning properly either due to the level it was damaged at.