Body Scan
My big toe. Yes my big toe, has caused me so much pain and grief. It starts there and goes under the arch of my foot where it pulls and aches, then the top of the toe itself burns and is very sensitive to touch. It doesn't stop there. The top of my foot, to be specific, the joint that connects the big toe to the foot is arthritic. It is extremely painful. When it is aggravated it is difficult to walk and it changes my gate. I walk funny which hurts my knees and hips.
My right calf will spasm from time to time and is almost always painful. I have sprained both ankles many times so both can swell and feel painful at any given time.
That takes me to my knees, sometimes literally!! My right knee is what I classify as sore and aching. The left knee in the other hand, well that's a different story. When I learned to walk at age forty I put a lot of pressure on that knee, because essentially,I couldn't feel it. Some of the sensation has returned unfortunately in the form of pain. I need a knee replacement, for which I am a little young, not to mention, a huge risk because of my spinal cord injury.
My whole left leg had started to atrophy last year because I had a severe case of spinal stenosis. I was not using the leg, in essence I was dragging it around with me. I need to rebuild that muscle, it is causing other problems with pinched nerves in the groin and backside.
I have had bursitis in both hips and have pain in the perafomis and SI area.
A recent back surgery in the lower spinal area, for spinal stenosis and nerve entrapment, has helped with some leg pain but has caused pain in other areas.
That takes us to the mid back. That's where it all started for me. I have a very rare spontaneous spinal cord injury. I had surgery tens years ago to prevent paralysis. I was partially paralyzed when I woke from the surgery and it took approximately three months for me to learn to walk again. What the surgery could not cure is the debilitating neurological pain. It took two years before the surgery and about two years afterward to get the pain somewhat under control. My life is limited by pain or threat of it every day.
Because of the spinal injury I have frequent bladder infections and sometimes those infections go into the kidney before I am aware, that causes a lot of trouble. Last spring I was on antibiotics for three weeks straight and finally had to have I.V antibiotics because I had started to show signs of sepsis.
I have a disease called sarcoidosis. It has affected three lobes of my lungs. They are irreversibly damaged. It too causes pain, and discomfort.
From my family history it seemed that one day I would have a shoulder "problem" that day came while I was learning to walk again. I was too eager and went from two canes to one too quickly. I started to fall and caught myself with the cane, putting all the pressure on the shoulder and it hasn't been the same since. I am told there is the biggest piece of calcium in there that the surgeon has ever seen.
That brings me to the head. I didn't mention all the hormonal problems but yes I have them, with them comes migraine headaches, among other things.
I also have a type of TMJ that seems under control with a night time mouth guard. I do have minor problems with my ears from time to time but with everything else I'm dealing with it is more of an annoyance than anything else.
One of the more serious conditions I deal with is something called autonomic dysreflexia.
It is a little known condition that can happen to those who have spinal cord injuries in the area of the spine that I do. It's interesting, bizarre and frightening all at the same time. When there is a pain or irritation of some kind below the site of the injury I can get it. It usually causes, goose bumps, sweating, flushed face, and high blood pressure and a headache like I have never felt before. That's the simple explanation. At this time I have to try to relieve whatever is causing it and if I can't I have to take something to lower the blood pressure and take it easy. That said if that can't be done, I have to get myself to a doctor and and have it monitored until it settles again. You might ask how do I live each day with optimism with all of these physical ailments? I am a person, not a condition. Disability is a part of me and only a part. I choose to allow that part of me to be shown when, and how I want it to be for the most part. When it rears it's ugly head without an invitation to do so, I live with it, swallow my pride and claim it. It is after all, a part of me.
My right calf will spasm from time to time and is almost always painful. I have sprained both ankles many times so both can swell and feel painful at any given time.
That takes me to my knees, sometimes literally!! My right knee is what I classify as sore and aching. The left knee in the other hand, well that's a different story. When I learned to walk at age forty I put a lot of pressure on that knee, because essentially,I couldn't feel it. Some of the sensation has returned unfortunately in the form of pain. I need a knee replacement, for which I am a little young, not to mention, a huge risk because of my spinal cord injury.
My whole left leg had started to atrophy last year because I had a severe case of spinal stenosis. I was not using the leg, in essence I was dragging it around with me. I need to rebuild that muscle, it is causing other problems with pinched nerves in the groin and backside.
I have had bursitis in both hips and have pain in the perafomis and SI area.
A recent back surgery in the lower spinal area, for spinal stenosis and nerve entrapment, has helped with some leg pain but has caused pain in other areas.
That takes us to the mid back. That's where it all started for me. I have a very rare spontaneous spinal cord injury. I had surgery tens years ago to prevent paralysis. I was partially paralyzed when I woke from the surgery and it took approximately three months for me to learn to walk again. What the surgery could not cure is the debilitating neurological pain. It took two years before the surgery and about two years afterward to get the pain somewhat under control. My life is limited by pain or threat of it every day.
Because of the spinal injury I have frequent bladder infections and sometimes those infections go into the kidney before I am aware, that causes a lot of trouble. Last spring I was on antibiotics for three weeks straight and finally had to have I.V antibiotics because I had started to show signs of sepsis.
I have a disease called sarcoidosis. It has affected three lobes of my lungs. They are irreversibly damaged. It too causes pain, and discomfort.
From my family history it seemed that one day I would have a shoulder "problem" that day came while I was learning to walk again. I was too eager and went from two canes to one too quickly. I started to fall and caught myself with the cane, putting all the pressure on the shoulder and it hasn't been the same since. I am told there is the biggest piece of calcium in there that the surgeon has ever seen.
That brings me to the head. I didn't mention all the hormonal problems but yes I have them, with them comes migraine headaches, among other things.
I also have a type of TMJ that seems under control with a night time mouth guard. I do have minor problems with my ears from time to time but with everything else I'm dealing with it is more of an annoyance than anything else.
One of the more serious conditions I deal with is something called autonomic dysreflexia.
It is a little known condition that can happen to those who have spinal cord injuries in the area of the spine that I do. It's interesting, bizarre and frightening all at the same time. When there is a pain or irritation of some kind below the site of the injury I can get it. It usually causes, goose bumps, sweating, flushed face, and high blood pressure and a headache like I have never felt before. That's the simple explanation. At this time I have to try to relieve whatever is causing it and if I can't I have to take something to lower the blood pressure and take it easy. That said if that can't be done, I have to get myself to a doctor and and have it monitored until it settles again. You might ask how do I live each day with optimism with all of these physical ailments? I am a person, not a condition. Disability is a part of me and only a part. I choose to allow that part of me to be shown when, and how I want it to be for the most part. When it rears it's ugly head without an invitation to do so, I live with it, swallow my pride and claim it. It is after all, a part of me.
