Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!hcap!hnews!371!33!Jean.Prophet
From: Jean.Prophet@f33.n371.z1.fidonet.org (Jean Prophet)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Numbness
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Date: 31 Jan 91 20:54:36 GMT
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Index Number: 13288

[This is from the Spinal Injury Conference]

      To all of those of you who have cervical/spinal injuries and are 
still ambulatory (sort of):

      Question:  Do you feel times of numbness (greater than other 
times) ??  Buddy is expierencing numbness (especially in the right 
side) that will completely keep him from walking at all - in fact, he 
fell the other night because his right leg simply would not hold him 
up.

      He had been sitting at the computer playing a card game - he'd 
not sat there very long really (maybe 1/2 hour).  When we attempted to 
get up from the chair, his right leg went out from under him and he 
fell to the floor - he said his leg was numb.

      The other morning (after a nights sleep) he attempted to get out 
of bed - he told me his entire body was numb.  He TRIED to get up and 
get dressed but could not raise his legs to put his pants on.  I ended 
up lifting his legs and putting his pants and socks on him.  He layed 
there for a while, then rolled over so he could sit up - after sitting 
for a time, he was finally able to motivate by himself (sort of - 
shaky, but he did do it by himself).

      Question:  Do you all have problems (on and off) with your bowl 
movements ???  Loss of feelings so bad that 'problems' occur once in a 
while (I don't know how else to put this delicately).

      Twice this month, Buddy had an 'accident' ... he never felt it 
happening - he feels the 'gas' but that's all - when the 'accident' 
happens he knows it --- this sounds strange to me but I know he's 
telling the truth -he doesn't understand it either.

      The doctors told us his condition would get worse as he got 
older ..... I know it's very frustrating to him.

      I'm sorry this got so long and drawn out but we would appreciate 
knowing how others felt about these 'happenings'.

                             Jean & Buddy

PS.  Yes, we've made another appointment to the doctors - we just went 
back in November so we aren't ignoring his problems, but Buddy is 
becoming very 'disalousened' (sp) with doctors as they don't ever seem 
to help much.

--
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