louie1970
06-28-2008, 06:29 PM
Hi my name is Louie
I became disabled in April 2005 from an anoxic brain injury, I ate some bad seafood and went into anaphylactic shock I was taken to the local hospital in the ambulance I passed out 30sec after eating the food, I was in a coma for around 36 hours they had me on a ventilator and a feeding tube. I do not have any memory of eating the food or my hospital stay it was 18 days in ICU after that they transported me 90 miles away to a rehab clinic called FINER Florida Institute For Neurological Rehabilitation this is when I stared coming out of it and I can remember my stay there but I was like in a fog it was like I was in a dream that cleared up after a while. I needed 24hr care the only thing I could move was my eyes, the nurses had to feed me and bathe me.
Over the next 4 months I progressed very fast I am 37 now and I was 35 when it happened I was in pretty good shape before my injury. By the time I left I could write a little and use a walker my mind was progressing a lot faster than my body. After I was discharged I began to get better pretty fast, I was walking 2hs a day with my walker and the treadmill. I had in home therapy with Florida Hospital they sent a PT and a OT I was done with the OT pretty fast they just wanted me to be able to dress and shower myself I was able to do it so OT stopped. I continued with PT, I was doing good at the time I was walking hard 2hs a day and no longer needed my walker around the house and other short trips like going into restaurants, I would only need it for my long walks, the PT came for the last time “my insurance ran out for in home therapy” the PT brought a cane but he had me walk up and down the hallway with nothing he said the cane is just going to get in your way just keep practicing with nothing. That was over a year and a half ago.
I was pushing myself hard on my treadmill walking real fast that’s when everything fell apart my legs just gave out and I had to crawl to my walker I was pretty scared but told myself I just over did it, well 2 weeks later it was the same so I went to my Dr he had no idea what to do so he called a neurologist he told my Dr to put me on Baclofen well Improved over the next few weeks but not at all like I was before this happened, then I had real bad diarrhea I went back to the Dr he put me on zanaflex well that seemed to work ok for a while but my legs were still real weak at this point I was back using my walker still not able to walk nearly as far and hard as I did before out of frustration I went back to my Dr he really did not know what to do so he sent me to a Nero rehab Dr he put me on colonzapam that helped a little but I was still unable to walk without my walker and my legs would get weak pretty fast I walked and exercised every day but I still wasn’t getting any better.
I decided it might be a good idea to see a neurologist. He said we need to start from the beginning he weaned me off the colonzapam and put me back on zanaflex well after about 2 weeks I could hardly make it to the bathroom my legs were so week I called the neurologist he said just keep taking the same medicine he did not know what else to do. I called my Dr he said if it’s that bad go ahead and go back on the colonzapam. It got a little better but it was still difficult to walk. During this time I was receiving therapy from Cora they were trying to get me off the walker and use a cane well after a while the therapist told my wife at the time to have me walk with the cane only I asked her how was I going to get the strength back in my legs I could only walk short distances with a cane she said that will come with time well it didn’t my legs only got weaker my wife at the time got rid of my walker and it just got worse.
Well my wife divorced me I got a new walker and I live with my mom I walk 2 times a day and exercise my weakness in my legs is getting worse the more I do the worse it gets. My last Visit to the Dr was my rehab Dr I tried to explain that it was getting worse but he just shut me up and told me he didn’t want to here it, he increased my dosage of colonzapam and sent me out my legs are weaker that ever it is so difficult to walk I have some other problems my hand dexterity is still pretty bad, they feel real stiff it’s painful to write this email. But what I am worried about is my legs why are they getting worse I was a 100 percent better a year and a half ago.
I really think something happened that day on the treadmill I don’t know but if this trend keeps up I will be in a wheelchair in 6 months. When this first happened when I was in the hospital they sent my urine for tests the lab would send it back the thought it was stool, my urine was black and I was pouring sweat that had a terrible chemical smell. They had to change the sheets every 2 hours because they were soaked. There has to be a reason I am getting worse.
have also had allot of problems with my back, I went to open the tailgate on my truck and my back popped real hard, I could not do hardly anything for a month or so that just made things get worse by the time It felt better I was real weak, I continued my workouts and walking but it was real hard. I just moved to Georgia and I got sick, I sneezed and my back popped again I went to a Dr with bad pain and sick he gave me antibiotics and pain pills, after 3 weeks it was felling better when I tried to put my walker in the back of my truck and my back popped again I went back to the Dr and got more pain pills. I have not been able to do much the last few weeks. I was in so much pain I called 911 my back was so bad, when I got to the hospital they did a MRI on my back I had 2 compression fractures how can that be I am a 38 year old male never been in any accident the Dr said he only sees this in people over 70 years old and mostly in woman.
I had a procedure called Kyphoplasty I spent 4 days in the hospital then was transferred to a rehab hospital were I spent 3 weeks, they did allot of blood work on me and found my thyroid and testosterone levels were real low my endocrinologist put me on hormone replacement. She said that I have osteoporosis “soft bones” I asked how can I have this at my age she said sometimes when you have a brain injury like mine the pituitary gland will stop working. Well I have been home for almost a month I still have allot of pain in my back, I have an appointment with my surgeon to find out about my back but my legs are weaker now then they ever been I can only walk about 100ft before my legs feel like they are just going to let go and buckle. I am pretty scared I don’t know what’s wrong with me and why I am getting worse.
I became disabled in April 2005 from an anoxic brain injury, I ate some bad seafood and went into anaphylactic shock I was taken to the local hospital in the ambulance I passed out 30sec after eating the food, I was in a coma for around 36 hours they had me on a ventilator and a feeding tube. I do not have any memory of eating the food or my hospital stay it was 18 days in ICU after that they transported me 90 miles away to a rehab clinic called FINER Florida Institute For Neurological Rehabilitation this is when I stared coming out of it and I can remember my stay there but I was like in a fog it was like I was in a dream that cleared up after a while. I needed 24hr care the only thing I could move was my eyes, the nurses had to feed me and bathe me.
Over the next 4 months I progressed very fast I am 37 now and I was 35 when it happened I was in pretty good shape before my injury. By the time I left I could write a little and use a walker my mind was progressing a lot faster than my body. After I was discharged I began to get better pretty fast, I was walking 2hs a day with my walker and the treadmill. I had in home therapy with Florida Hospital they sent a PT and a OT I was done with the OT pretty fast they just wanted me to be able to dress and shower myself I was able to do it so OT stopped. I continued with PT, I was doing good at the time I was walking hard 2hs a day and no longer needed my walker around the house and other short trips like going into restaurants, I would only need it for my long walks, the PT came for the last time “my insurance ran out for in home therapy” the PT brought a cane but he had me walk up and down the hallway with nothing he said the cane is just going to get in your way just keep practicing with nothing. That was over a year and a half ago.
I was pushing myself hard on my treadmill walking real fast that’s when everything fell apart my legs just gave out and I had to crawl to my walker I was pretty scared but told myself I just over did it, well 2 weeks later it was the same so I went to my Dr he had no idea what to do so he called a neurologist he told my Dr to put me on Baclofen well Improved over the next few weeks but not at all like I was before this happened, then I had real bad diarrhea I went back to the Dr he put me on zanaflex well that seemed to work ok for a while but my legs were still real weak at this point I was back using my walker still not able to walk nearly as far and hard as I did before out of frustration I went back to my Dr he really did not know what to do so he sent me to a Nero rehab Dr he put me on colonzapam that helped a little but I was still unable to walk without my walker and my legs would get weak pretty fast I walked and exercised every day but I still wasn’t getting any better.
I decided it might be a good idea to see a neurologist. He said we need to start from the beginning he weaned me off the colonzapam and put me back on zanaflex well after about 2 weeks I could hardly make it to the bathroom my legs were so week I called the neurologist he said just keep taking the same medicine he did not know what else to do. I called my Dr he said if it’s that bad go ahead and go back on the colonzapam. It got a little better but it was still difficult to walk. During this time I was receiving therapy from Cora they were trying to get me off the walker and use a cane well after a while the therapist told my wife at the time to have me walk with the cane only I asked her how was I going to get the strength back in my legs I could only walk short distances with a cane she said that will come with time well it didn’t my legs only got weaker my wife at the time got rid of my walker and it just got worse.
Well my wife divorced me I got a new walker and I live with my mom I walk 2 times a day and exercise my weakness in my legs is getting worse the more I do the worse it gets. My last Visit to the Dr was my rehab Dr I tried to explain that it was getting worse but he just shut me up and told me he didn’t want to here it, he increased my dosage of colonzapam and sent me out my legs are weaker that ever it is so difficult to walk I have some other problems my hand dexterity is still pretty bad, they feel real stiff it’s painful to write this email. But what I am worried about is my legs why are they getting worse I was a 100 percent better a year and a half ago.
I really think something happened that day on the treadmill I don’t know but if this trend keeps up I will be in a wheelchair in 6 months. When this first happened when I was in the hospital they sent my urine for tests the lab would send it back the thought it was stool, my urine was black and I was pouring sweat that had a terrible chemical smell. They had to change the sheets every 2 hours because they were soaked. There has to be a reason I am getting worse.
have also had allot of problems with my back, I went to open the tailgate on my truck and my back popped real hard, I could not do hardly anything for a month or so that just made things get worse by the time It felt better I was real weak, I continued my workouts and walking but it was real hard. I just moved to Georgia and I got sick, I sneezed and my back popped again I went to a Dr with bad pain and sick he gave me antibiotics and pain pills, after 3 weeks it was felling better when I tried to put my walker in the back of my truck and my back popped again I went back to the Dr and got more pain pills. I have not been able to do much the last few weeks. I was in so much pain I called 911 my back was so bad, when I got to the hospital they did a MRI on my back I had 2 compression fractures how can that be I am a 38 year old male never been in any accident the Dr said he only sees this in people over 70 years old and mostly in woman.
I had a procedure called Kyphoplasty I spent 4 days in the hospital then was transferred to a rehab hospital were I spent 3 weeks, they did allot of blood work on me and found my thyroid and testosterone levels were real low my endocrinologist put me on hormone replacement. She said that I have osteoporosis “soft bones” I asked how can I have this at my age she said sometimes when you have a brain injury like mine the pituitary gland will stop working. Well I have been home for almost a month I still have allot of pain in my back, I have an appointment with my surgeon to find out about my back but my legs are weaker now then they ever been I can only walk about 100ft before my legs feel like they are just going to let go and buckle. I am pretty scared I don’t know what’s wrong with me and why I am getting worse.