WOW!! You've really been put through the 'diagnostic' wringer!! I'm glad that you've finally received a diagnosis and the right help.
I'm also glad you found this site.......I'm sure there are some folks here who can relate to the varied problems you've had. I know the pain can be debili- tating at times........but as you know, some days are better than others. They say that laughter is the best medicine.....lauch as frequently as possible. My hubby had a collection of Johnny Carson tapes, and when things seemed unbearable he'd bring Johnny out and things would be better........could be that I was thinking about something besides the pain?????? Keep a positive attitude! When you need to 'scream', write to the list, we'll understand and it won't be quite so difficult for your family to see you down. Know that we care, and if you have questions, ask away..someone on here will relate. As with snowflakes, no rwo of us (flakes) has the exact problems, we share some with everyone.......... Welcome to our world!! janh Stillwater, OK ________________________________ From: "Towery, Ruben Dale" <rdtow...@southernco.com> To: "tmic-list@eskimo.com" <tmic-list@eskimo.com> Sent: Fri, June 4, 2010 8:28:06 AM Subject: [TMIC] Thanks I just wanted to thank everyone for their responses to my questions. I am so happy that I found this email list. I wanted to elaborate on myself and how TM has affected my life with you guy/gals. As I mentioned before I have been dealing with chronic back pain since about February of 2009. I saw multiple doctors for this and and a bunch of MRI's, other scans, and tons of blood work done and none of them could figure out what was going on. Finally back in November my rheumatologist and my physical medicine doctor decided, very reluctantly I must say, that I had Fibromyalgia. So myself and my wife along with my doctors started treating my symptoms as this. Although going through this process of treatments, nothing was getting better and my upper back was seeming to get worse at times. I just started to learn how to deal with the pain and mental aspects associated with the Fibromyalgia. During all of this time, I went into a deep depression and started having major anxiety and panic attacks and this really started affecting my relationships with my wife and kids, and also started causing major issues at my work to the point where I was almost terminated from my job. Luckily I have a great boss who went to bat for me knowing that I had something medical going on that the doctors had just not been able to determine yet. Then on April 22 of this year, I woke up with numbness, pain, and tinkling in my upper legs and buttocks area. I dismissed this as the Fibro had just moved to a different location. I drove myself to work and after parking my truck in our deck I started walking towards our crosswalk and got to where I could no longer control my legs and basically felt paralyzed. Two gentleman where nice enough to get my truck for me and I was able to drive myself to the emergency room. When I arrive there I was having a full blown panic attack and was scared to death. The doctors there calmed me down and sent me home and dismissed it as being fibro pain. I called my rheumatologist and he told me to see my physical medicine doctor. I got in to see him the next day and after an MRI they saw the inflamation in my spine and it was located on the conus area of my spinal cord. They immediately admitted me into the hospital and started me on steroids and did multiple MRI's, a spinal tap, and tons of blood work. I spent 4 days there before they sent me home under the care of my neurologist. After spending time recovering at home and also seeing a nuerology specialist at UAB, I was seeming to be getting better. I was able to start getting around with the assistance of a cane. After 3 weeks my neurologist decided that it would be appropriate for me to drive again and go back to work. After a week of this, I was starting to get worse. Also during the time I was off work I saw a neuro psychologist to try and determine what was going on with me having the memory loss and other cognitive issues. After his testing it was determines that I am suffering from major anxiety and depression and reccomended I start back seeing my psychatrist and psyxhologist to deal with these issues and to not return to work or drive until these problems get better. My wife, myself and my neurologist decided that staying at home and continue recovery, both pysically mentally. My pysical pain has gotten worse over the last severla weeks, but I have started my therapy with my psychologist and feel like the mental side of things are starting to get a little better. I am starting PT and OT today at home and hope this will help with my balance and strength in my legs, cause this has definitely gotten worse over the last week. I justed wanted to elaborate more on myself since people have asked. Hope this was not to long, but I am having to learn how to be more expressive with my feelings to cope with my problems. I am so glad I found this list and feel blessed that I am now a part of it. I would just like to ask every one to keep me in your prayers as I start this difficult journey to recovery. Thanks again for all of your support. Thank you so much. Ruben Towery Mount Olive, AL (Birmingham, AL) Sent from my iPod
