I am new here. How i got my SCI.....

[solarscar69]

Hello, This is my first post so i guess i will tell you a little about myself and why i am now a member of sciwire.com.

I was doing wheelies on my motorcycle (r6 sportbike) and went off the road from a tank slapper and launched a culvert at 100 mph. I was never knocked out, i acutally remeber the whole day and then flying through the air with my motorcyle and hitting the ground. I layed on the side of the road paralyzed from the waist down in a state of shock, nothing hurt i just could move my lower body at all, i immediatly thought about family and freinds and the life i was about to embark on. I was flown to the nearest University hospital where i was diagnosed as an l1 burst fracture. This is where i loose track of the next 12 of the 14 days in ICU because of all the drugs and stuff the pumped in me. The performed to laminectomies on my back in areas to releive cord pressure and then fused it all together. They put instrumentation from t11 - l3 After two weeks of ICU i went on to a rehab place where i lived for another two weeks. What the end result is as far as mobility goes is that i can walk with the use of one AFO on my left foot since it has no dorsiflextion. It is a miracle that i can walk. I truley believe that the doctors that performed the laminectomies saved me. I think alot of surgeons would not do that, but mine did and i am greatful. albeit i do have intense burning in my feet, especially the left one that has the drop foot. I have a little weakness in my legs but can walk up stairs fine and can lift some things. Anyways, thats my story. Comments and questions welcome!

Injured Wednesday Sept. 25 2003 1:30 p.m.

[Wise Young]

welcome, solarscar69. Yes, it does sound as if the surgeons did a good job. How long ago was this? Wise.

[solarscar69]

I was injured on Sept. 25 2002 around 1:30. I put 2003 in the above post by accident. I was in the ambulance getting cortisone via iv withing 1.5 hours after the accident and at the hospital 2 hours after that and then 2 hours later went into surgery.


Another strange thing, maybe stupid thing i did was when i was laying near the edge of the highway i was repeatdiatly trying to "get on my feet" i was proping myself up by my arms, then woudl lay day and then try again real fast to get up, but nothing. It was an extremely frightening expierence that i still have a hard time writing about. I want to write a story in detail what happened but i know it will be slow from the flood of emotions i am sure to get. I cry about still very often when i "feel good" and am not in pain.

[dejerine]

Dear Solarscar,

So sorry about the injury, and sorry about the nightmarish echo of events. You also have Central Pain at or below the level of lesion, it would appear. I never can figure out if other CP people make me feel better or worse. Sometimes they lift me and sometimes they frighten me. At least they inform me.

You may want to do the survey at painonline.com David's painonline.org site is very informative, and you will identify with the posts at Mary's site of centralpain.org. And Dr. Young is definitely a caring person--that WILL help you feel better. He looks like a doc, he writes like a doc, but he communicates like a father. Good,eh?

[dejerine]

Solarscar, would you be kind enough to email me at registrant1@comcast.net. Thanks

[oscdude]

That is cool that you are up and walking again. My therapist says that any type of burning,itching and jerking of the muscle is a sign of still more function to return. Before I started getting any movement in my legs I was getting a lot of jerking and burning of the muscles and legs. I now walk with no assistance nor wearing any AFOs.

T5 Incomplete (06/02/03)- Walking with no assistance.

[duge]

Do you have any trouble with your balance?? or your bowels and bladder???



T-12 I do

[PB72181]

Originally posted by solarscar69:

It was an extremely frightening expierence that i still have a hard time writing about. I want to write a story in detail what happened but i know it will be slow from the flood of emotions i am sure to get. I cry about still very often when i "feel good" and am not in pain.

I feel the same way. I have a friend who has been wanting me to write all of it down for a very long time...I can tell it now, but not without getting emotional. It was a painful and frightening experience, and it still feels that way. But, it honestly does help to talk about it, even if it makes you want to cry. Biggest thing is to not bottle up your emotions...that's the mistake I made...let it out.

Don't piss me off or I'll run over your toes. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/tongue.gif

[Kaprikorn1]

Solarscar...

I'm also an L1 burst due to a fall from scaffolding. I have rods and fusion from T9-L3.
I'm just over 2 years post, and walk with cane.
If you need any advice, help or whatever in dealing with the Lower Motor Neuron Bowel, Bladder, etc., just ask.

Kap

P.S.: Re: the webcam...lose the dogs...get some nekkid chix!

"It's not easy being green"

[solarscar69]

The only time i have trouble balancing is if i am try to stand on the foot that has the foot drop it just can't make all the fine adjustments to keep upright. My right foot is fine as far as strength, i have some decreased sensation in it though.

I don't have any troubles with my bowel and bladder that are very noticable. The changes in my bowel/bladder are that i have decreased tone in my butthole, i didn't check it, the doctors told me this! seriously though, i do have just the amount of strength in it to hold back the crap for a while, but after to much pressure i need to go. The same as for the bladder. I can hold just about as much, but when my bladder starts the spasm thing, i cannot hold it very well and need to get to the bathroom quickly. Sexual function is still there. Sensation is near normal. Maybe decreased, but depending on who you are talking to, that could be a bonus.

I feel very lucky to be where i am, i don't owe nothing to me "extremely dedicated to recovering" I think i put in about 6 months 3 days a week 1 hour a day.

I believe i owe my recovery to all the elements falling into place. Friend called 911 less than a minute after i crashed. Ambulance was there within 30-45 min and they immediatly starting pumping me full of steriods. I was flown to a big university hospital within 2 hours of my wreck and surgery happened right after all the scans and the consent to have the surgery from my mom.

The next part is the doctors taking the initative to cut and maybe fuse more than they should. They relieved the cord by decompressing bony fragments from my cord and then doing a laminectomy on that segment. They also noted a blood clot at t11 and did a second laminectomy at the location also.

I layed on the side of the road instantly paralysed from the waist down, no movement no feeling. They where like water bags attached to my body. I was actually trying to get up repeadatly, i was laying flat then would try to get up real fast by pushing myself up with my hands, nothing. I was heart broken. I set there for a good 20 min with just me and my friend before the first responders got there on this lonley country road. I was calm, i knew what had happened and i accepted it at that point as i knew it was not in my hands anylonger. Now i am sad. If you have questions, detailed or not i am more than happy to respond to them.

faster than a speeding ticket