It has been far too long.
The last month for me has been full of life changing experiences and a series of firsts.
Back in mid May I was rushed to the emergency room for extreme back pain, just the simple act of laying down was unbearable. After a lovely dose of Valium and Dilaudid I was admitted for the back pain and an irregular heart beat.
For the next week, I basically laid in a hospital bed and stayed in a semi drugged state since the back pain would not go away. Eventually I started to loose the ability to use/move my legs and even though this probably TMI, I could no longer pee on my own. First my right leg went. Just the simple act of trying to wiggle my toes took every ounce of concentration I could muster, but eventually that stopped working. Slowly, the same thing started on my left leg. All I could do was lay in bed and watch as the use of my legs seemed to fade away.
Meanwhile, my attending doctor is telling me nothing, she just keeps running blood tests and not telling me what tests were being run or the results. I find out what tests are being run through the people who were taking my blood. But still, no word on results. No answers. Just me laying in bed begging for more pain medicine because the Dilaudid wasn't lasting as long as it should have. Every nurse, nurse tech and physical therapist I came in contact to keeps telling me that it sounds like a pinched nerve.
I'm there 5 days before they even take an MRI of my back. The only thing my attending doctor tells me that its a ruptured disc in my back but she doesn't see why it's causing my symptoms. As I'm hanging off the hospital because it is the only position in which there was no pressure on my back, she talks about how she wanted to send me home. You know, because when a patient has lost the use of both their legs that's when you send them home. Brilliant.
The following day a neurologist comes in to discuss my MRI, he tells me that it is indeed a ruptured disc that he felt I would be able to manage through pain medicine. He even tells me how the first step would be for me to have an Epidural pain medicine done. Fine by me. He says he'll set it up.
About 15 minutes later, he comes back in and states how I'm going to be sent to Washington Hospital Center for a Neurosurgeon consult. I call my family and start crying because I have no idea what the hell is going on. My nurse tells me that my ride will be here in 3 minutes. She helps me to frantically pack all my stuff. Next thing I know 2 people walk in my room wearing flight suits and I find out that I'm being flown to WHC.
After getting another dose of Dilaudid and Valium I'm taken into a helicopter and flown to DC, over the Washington monument and taken to the ER at WHC. Within a couple hours of being there, I'm not only seen by the Neurosurgeon consult but I finally find out what is wrong with me.
Cauda Equina. An extreme form of a ruptured disc that compresses/cuts off the nerves to the lower half of my body. The doctor tells me that not only am I way passed medicine to manage the situation, but I would be in surgery ASAP. He goes on to explain that since SMH took their sweet time getting me to them, the surgery would be to preserve whatever use and sensation that I had left, there was no guarantee that the damage I had would be reversible.
I'm checked in and wheeled into the Neurosurgery ICU to wait for surgery. I'm told by the nursing team that I would be in surgery first thing in the morning. Sleep does not come easy. It feels like by the time I am able to fall asleep, my nurse wakes me up and its time for surgery.
Surgery goes well the impressively large disc is removed and they decompress the nerves.
I'll spare you the whole hospital stay. But with the Physical Therapists pushing me and me pushing myself, I'm able to walk. Right now I need to use a walker to help me walk, since my legs are still kinda weak and my balance is still pretty shitty. But I am getting better everyday.
I am so thankful to the Universe for sending me to the amazing doctors, nurses and therapists at Washington Hospital Center. To me, if it wasn't for them I don't think I would be able to walk, I think if St. Mary's Hospital had their way, I would be in a wheelchair right now suffering in pain. When I think about how they delayed in getting me the care I needed, I wanna cry and hit someone. But I then I think about the positive side of it, I can walk.
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