SPINAL STROKE

[John B. Stevens]

HELLO ALL,

I JUST FOUND THIS THIS SITE. I HAD A "SPINAL STROKE" MARCH 30, 1999. I WAS TALKING TO A CLIENT ON HIS FRONT PORCH. WHEN FINISHED i STARTED TO WALK TO MY CAR. I BEGAN TO HAVE LOWER BACK PAIN, THE SAME PAIN SO MANY PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT. I HAD THIS PAIN FROM TIME TO TIME DUE TO LIFTING TOO MUCH ETC. I DID NOT THINK TOO MUCH ABOUT IT BUT RATHER THOUGHT I HAD THE BIG ONE AND WAS GOING TO HAVE AN OPERATION. I HAD NEVER HAD TO CONSULT A DOCTOR FOR THIS SINCE DOANS, TYLENOL ETC. HAD ALWAYS MADE IT BETTER. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ABOUT 4 MILES TO A FRIENDS OFFICE. I HAD CALLED MY WIFE TO COME PICK ME UP SINCE I FELT I COULD NOT DRIVE TO THE HOSPITAL. SHE REACHED ME WITHIN AN HOUR OF MY FIRST PAINS. AT THAT TIME I WAS NOT ABLE TO STAND MUCH LESS WALK ON MY OWN. WHEN I REACHED THE HOSPITAL, I WAS CHECKED OUT BASICALLY AND ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL. MY PAIN STARTED AROUND 8AM AND IT WASN'T UNTIL ABOUT 4 TO 6 PM BEFORE THEY DID X-RAYS AND AN MRI. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE BLOOD HAD BEEN CUT OFF FROM THE SPINE AT T8 LEVEL(JUST AT THE BOTTOM OF MY RIBS). THERE WAS NO REASON THAT WAS OBVIOUS TO THE DOCTORS AS TO WHY THIS HAPPENED AND THEY SAID ALL WAS FINE NOW. "FINE NOW" I COULD NOT WALK. THEN REHAB WHICH ONLY HELPED ME TO GET AROUND IN A WHEELCHAIR. WHEN I ASKED IF WOULD REGAIN FEELING AND THE ABILITY TO WALK, THEY ONLY SHRUGGED THEIR SHOULDERS AND SAID MAYBE. THAT WAS FINE AT THE TIME BUT IT HAS BEEN TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO. I AM SEARCHING DESPERATELY FOR A DOCTOR OR DOCTORS THAT MAY BE ABLE TO HELP ME. I AM MARRIED TO A WONDERFUL GIRL NAMED MONICA AND HAVE TWO BOYS 19 AND 21. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HSVE DONE WITHOUT THEIR HELP.I AM DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP ME EVEN IF IT ONLY GIVES ME PARTIAL ABILITY TO WALK. HELP, HELP, HELP. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESSTIONS OR OUTLETS I MAY CONTACT, PLEASE, PLEASE CONTACT PLEASE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

YOU MAY REACH ME AT Jbstevens57@aol.com, MAIL AT 7483 NORTHPOINTE BLVD. PENSACOLA, FLOIDA 32514 OR CALL COLLECT AND TELL THE OPERATOR IT IS CONERNING SPINAL STROKE AT 850-474-9004 AND ANYONE WILL TAKE THE CALL IF I AM NOT HERE. PLEASE SEND ANY INFO THAT MAY HELP ME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH,

JOHN B. STEVENS http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/confused.gif

John. B. Stevens

[This message was edited by John B. Stevens on September 21, 2001 at 12:38 AM.]

[Sue Pendleton]

Hi John, Welcome to the spinal "you'll be fine in a year" stroke club. Mine was at C5-7, well, more like C3/4 when it happened and I was out and on a respirator within 3 hours of the first pain I had in my elbows.

Do you have any feeling at all below your level of injury or ischemia? Nummy, pins and needles, can you feel hot vs cold or can you tell if someone moves your toes up and down when you aren't looking? Do you have any muscles spasms and if so, where? Do you have reflexes below your injury? And last, were you given any drugs like asprin, Solumedrol also known as methylprednisolone (a steroid) or tPA in the ER? If so, how long after your first major pain hit?

My stroke was to the anterior, or front, of the cord only so I never lost soft touch, vibratory or propriosentation (done with a tuning fork, the 2nd is when someone moves a body part when your eyes are closed and you know which way). Has your neurologist said anything about complete/incomplete injury or posterior syndrome? And just because I'm really curious about this, because of my own stroke, were you taking any benadryl or other antihistimine when it happened?

I'll dig up what I can for you when I get some answers and I'm sure Dr Young will also.

BTW, I was down your way last spring for a conference my husband had to attend. That Hampton's Inn Resort on the out island is really nice for chair users. I'd see about using their pool. They don't have a lift but for most paras the steps are low and easy to deal with using a push over from chair to lounge chair to steps.

Sue

[Wise Young]

John,

The main artery feeding the spinal cord comes off the aorta and is called the artery of Adamkiewisc. It may be occluded by arteriosclerosis or a clot, or (in most cases) it results from an accident that damages the aorta (resulting in what is called a dissecting aneurism). When that artery is blocked, there is a loss of blood flow to the anterior spinal artery (ASA). The ASA feeds most of the gray matter (where the neurons are situated) in the thoracic and lumbosacral spinal cord.

An alternative possibility to consider is that you have had a spinal cord hemorrhage or an arteriovenous malformation (where you may have a congenital situation where a major artery is connected to a vein, shunting blood from the spinal cord). Did you have an angiogram to figure out the cause of the spinal cord stroke? This is a test by which dye is injected into the veins and they then do CT or MR scan or X-ray of your spinal cord, to visualize the blood vessels.

It would be important to find out the cause of the "stroke". If it is due to an arteriovenous malformation, it might be amenable to treatment by embolizing the malformation and getting some blood flow back to the spinal cord. I have seen some people who have been paralyzed for many years who get back function as a result of such procedures. To do that, you need to contact a good neuroradiologist. The best in the world is probably a man by the name of Alejandro Berenstein who started off the field and now works at Beth Israel North in New York City. There are of course many other neuroradiologists all over the world and the United States who can evaluate this and give you a firm opinion as the cause.

Your description of your condition is too non-specific to judge what other therapies you will need. How much sensation do you have? Where are you paralyzed... do you have any reflexes. How about your bladder? Do you have muscle atrophy? Do you have pain? Is one side better than the other?

Wise.