Living with Spinal Cord Injury

When I was 39 years old. I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my left arm. I was treated with lovenox and coumadin and a torn muscle was also found. I was sent to a hand surgeon, as well as a vascular surgeon . The hand surgeon also, started me on I.V. antibiotics, thinking it was cellulitis.

@ days later, my left leg started hurting and I could hardly walk. They doctor found 2 more clots in my left leg. One behind the knee and one behind the in the groin. I was admitted to the hospital and put on I.V heparin and sent home on lovenox.

By Christmas night, I was hemhorraging internally and was rushed to the E.R. and given blood transfusions and pain shots for the swelling and bruisung in my leg. The docs, thought I had lupus but the tests came out negative.

4 days later, I couldn’t move my legs, the neurologist examined me and took an M.R.I. and found a hematoma on my spine at level t-8. I had emergency surgery, and was able to move my toes , but 4 days later, the hematoma returned and I was losing more blood.

I was moved to another hospital for a higher level of care. I was operated on again. The second laminectomy in 8 days. After the 2nd surgery, I could no longer move my toes.

I continued to bleed into other parts of my body for many days and had gave 30 transfusions in all. I spent almost 5 months in the hospital.

When I was finally able to get into the rehab ward, after all the bleeding, I was very weak, and my recovery was held up for a long time.

My injury is incomplete, so, I have developed nerve pain and spasticity. I am also attending pool therapy, which is good for me. I am in the process of having research based testing for a possible blood disorder. I am also Going for the baclofen/pain pump so that may help with all these problems. I have been away frm my daughter all this time and would love to see her again and my boyfriend again, but my mother has been taking care of me.

This has been the hardest event of my life.

I am now 41 years old!!!