Frustration: What Happened to Me?

 Part Two:  What Happened?  Some Improvement.

In the previous post I wrote about the massive spasms I endured on the nights of April 6th & 7th, 2022.  So devastating that the night-long spasms attempted to tear my right leg from its hip joint.  My left the leg was so sprained from the repeated contractions that it would collapse beneath me if I placed any weight upon it--particularly if I tried to swivel upon it, suggesting the piriformis muscle may have been involved.

Though I could step into our family vehicle the week before, I could no longer do so a week later--or now months later.  Winter lethargy could not account for it as I had been able to step into our vehicle for the last 15 years or so.  Old age too does not descend from the heavens to land upon one in a weeks time.

My family doctor at that time told me it was nothing serious and that I should just rest, though I had rested all winter.  To humour me, he sent me for an ultrasound which, as I suspected, showed no abnormality.  

While strength in that leg did slowly return over the next couple of months, my flexibility and in particular my stability did not return to the pre-April 2022 event level.  That inability became compounded by self-doubt to such a degree that I fear making more attempts to get into our vehicle, proving that I cannot.

Just when I was about to once more contact my doctor, I received a letter in the mail stating that he was leaving his practice and there was no candidate available willing to take over his practice.  He was kind enough to provide me with a year full of prescription renewals prior to leaving.  I had this doctor for less than a year and a half.  I left a request with the family group practice that if a new doctor joined their clinic and accepted new patients, to please contact me.

It was almost a year later that I received a call from the clinic that they had a new doctor,  I went to the "meet-and-greet" and repeated my "April" story.  The doctor booked me for several tests, some related to my "April" episode.  This was at the tail end of Covid and with backlogs or usual long waits, the tests would be the following year.

I had been scheduled for an EMG test (Electromyography) to detect nerve, muscle and related signal transmission problems.  I wondered what this test was supposed to show for, as far as I know, there was no baseline taken after my initial injury which resulted in paralysis.  One would have to compare the "after" to the "before" to see what had changed which may account for my recent problems.  The Neurologist looked at the results and in essence told me that I was a paraplegic.  Oh, so that's why my legs haven't worked for the last fifteen years or so.  Thanks, that explains it!

 I was also booked for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging).  I can only speculate as to why he ordered this expensive test.  Did he have something in mind or was it just a shot in the dark.  My layman's reasoning had me thinking that a problem at this level would remain or worsen but not slowly improve (though not to my original ability).

The results from tests ordered by this doctor had yet to come in when I received an e-mail this time informing me that my doctor of about five months was leaving his practice.  I had met him only once at the "meet-and-greet" session when he placed these orders (though I did meet him before his departure to go over the EMG results.  He concurred with my observation, that there was no baseline to which the new results could be compared.  The test told him nothing,

However, this time around, another doctor was prepared to pick up his practice.  I received an invitation for my third meet-and-greet session for my third of four doctors in less than five years.  In fact, I didn't meet the doctor but was interview by his clinical assistant.  So much for cultivating a rapport with your family physician.  Find any doctor accepting new patients and hope they remain long enough to see them twice.

Well, finally I received a phone call from what I gathered was another clinical assistant with the MRI results.  I was told I had a bone-spur which was causing all my spasms and that I should be booked for immediate surgery.  I was told to keep taking my baclofen (spasms) and gabapentin (nerve pain).  Keep taking them??  Did they not read my intake notes stating I was a paraplegic and would be on these two medications for life (unless something better was developed).  A bone spur?  Bull-sh*t!

My new family physician, (4th in 5 yrs) also phoned me with the results.  I had yet to meet him but he spoke at a moderate pace and most of all, he listened.  I told him my doubts regarding the MRI interpretation.  Was the MRI doctor (neurologist?) misreading the healing of my original spinal injury for some new problem or did I actually have a bone spur?  My new family doctor did not act on the MRI results forwarded to him leaving me to believe that I was correct,  The MRI was misread.  No bone spur; no operation.  At least that's what I currently understand.

That's how things now stand.  I've not recovered to pre-April 2022 levels of strength, stability and confidence.  My family doctor had not ordered any follow-up tests or procedures to get to the bottom of what really happened that April and what, if anything can be done to improve my ability.  He's made a stab at it and with negative results; I suspect he's willing to drop it unless I demand more.  I suppose it's up to the patient these days to keep returning and pounding away at the clinic door, demanding new tests in order to answer "what the hell happened to me."  ["Oh, you still want me to diagnose your problem?"]

The bottom line is this:  For the last fifteen years, previous to April 2022, I was able to roll up to and step into our family vehicle.  My wife would drive me to wherever I (or we) wanted to go.  After April 2022, I could no longer step into our vehicle.  As such I am dependent on local disability transport which comes with its own set of problems.  The result is that I have been out of my house (off the property) only twelve (12) times in the last 16 months (over a year and a half) and all the trips have been for medical appointments.

In my home I have access to four rooms: my bed room, living room, kitchen and bathroom.  I try to minimize the time I spend in the last two.

Quality of life has taken another tremendous hit.  More on this to follow.