We are just glad you joined us and want to hear from you whenever possible.
Also, feel free to jump in at any time to give your
advice or opinion of anything.
Janice, Missouri
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Towery, Ruben Dale" <rdtow...@southernco.com>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 8:28 AM
To: <tmic-list@eskimo.com>
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
