Transverse Myelitis

TM? I'll bet you thought that was Transcendental Meditation. Didn't you?

You know, if this were to be a redneck story I would have to begin with 'Hey...y'all ain't goin' to belieeeve this shit'. Unfortunately though, I am unable, herein, to segue into fast cars, loyal hunting dogs, unfaithful women or beer and so redneck just won't cut it. Similarly, 'Once upon a Time' is just too lame to consider and so I will just get on with it as you are probably tired of the long winded preamble. Besides, Joanie is making noises with the paper shredder in the next room so...

A few weeks ago I was driving along in Ohio, kickin my kitty, stylin' and profilin' with the best of them in my Kenworth T-600. With a recent bath and fresh shave I did look good.

Since it was Ohio and since I had recently received some beautiful, hand autographed paperwork from one of the more dedicated public servants down on US 35, I was particularly vigilant for uh...road hazards. One hazard I did miss, although about three hours from that particular time point it would find me, all on its own.

It had been an uneventful morning, except for the rain. Traffic was medium, the sun came up on schedule brightening gray skies and I was early for my last delivery in Columbus about twenty miles away. Just an average day trucking and delivering freight. I had seen many just like it over the last 1.3 million miles.

I had upholstered couches and recliners in the trailer today and I was anxious to get them off so I could call in MT and get to my next dispatch. I dropped a gear, hit the exit ramp off 270 for Roberts Road and turned left.

About a half hour after I bumped the dock the receiver showed up and together we threw the load in record time. No OS+D, papers all signed and posted to the Driver Tech computer, everything running like a clock but I noticed a slight pain in my back about midway up. If you are much older than thirty you have probably come to terms with something aching or hurting most of the time and so you probably do what I did that morning and slough it off. Besides, ramped up from the recent exercise no little back pain was going to deter me. I was ready to run.

Dispatch was not though and after about an hour of waiting I headed to the Pilot truck stop out on exit 79 for some decent coffee.

Those people at PFJ advertise that they have the best coffee on the interstate and I have to allow that the claim is well founded although how they can maintain that quality when they ship the stuff in those 8500 gallon tank trailers is quite beyond me. Nonetheless I parked and headed across the parking lot.

The rain had abated to some degree but it was breezy with a temperature in the high forties so this Florida boy in a thin jacket, hustled just a little, along with 'Tee' shirted locals. That coffee was going to taste mighty good and it did!

Passing a few pleasantries with other drivers I started back across the tarmac. My truck was about two hundred yards away. About a hundred feet into that journey I began to notice a tingling sensation in my right foot. Now that was pretty strange since it felt a little like my foot was going to sleep so I stopped at one of the fuel islands and did some stretching. I even banged the offending foot against a concrete bollard a few times just to try and shake the feeling. It didn't help so I continued towards my truck. Then I stumbled and damn near dumped my fresh coffee before I recovered enough to stand straight. The tingling was now crawling past my knee. Worse yet, my left foot was tingling too. I was halfway to the truck.

I don't know when it occurred to me that I was somehow in trouble. I'm pretty dense on things like that but most pains can be walked off. We have all done that a hundred times. The body is good at that sort of thing but the closer I got to the truck the worse my walking became. I stumbled and then I stumbled again...and again. My right leg was just not working and the harder I willed it to work the worse it became. When I made it to the grab bar by my door I could barely stand.

I did stand though as there was little alternative but I held tight to the grab bar as I unlocked my door and stuffed my hard won coffee inside on the mat. Then I used my left leg to drag my right leg and me into the truck. So far so good and I hadn't spilled the coffee. First things first, after all.

I sat on the seat for a few minutes and tried to resume 'normal' but the numbness persisted. Then it was into the bunk for some stretching. It had to be a pinched nerve. It felt like a pinched nerve. Rest and stretching would help. Wouldn't it? The answer to that was no. And I mean a great big fat NO!

Several hours later I knew I was going to have to call an audible.

Friends took me to Riverside Methodist in Columbus. There I learned the truth. It was a pinched nerve...sort of. My spinal cord was the nerve in question and it was much more than pinched. I had Transverse Myelitis. Listening through all the doctorese it was apparent that recovery was a long way off if at all.

A week later I left the ICU for Physical therapy. Acute In-Patient Physical Therapy they call it and it is something like a boot camp for brain and spinal cord injuries. Up early, get dressed on your own, meals in the dining room, (no hiding in your room) work late and then rest just as hard and tomorrow it starts all over again. I loved it. After the first week I earned my 'green certificate'. I could then use the bathroom and get into bed from the wheelchair unsupervised. Apart from the embarrassment of the other option, the freedom was a milestone. I was learning and becoming stronger.

Miss Katie, Miss Sarah and Miss Paula drilled me hard. No slip-ups into easy accommodation were tolerated. All movements were to be controlled and even. 'Trust the leg', 'Shorter steps', 'Hips forward', 'Squeeze your butt when you lift', Heel first'.'These were their mantras and I repeat them to myself with every outing.I still do. Without these dedicated ladies I would still be slinging my bad leg like a sack of concrete. Thank you all so very much. I mean that more than you know.

Another week and I am again home in Florida, still learning to walk but feeling more confident with each step. Funny, I don't remember it being all that hard learning this same function sixty some years ago but what the hell. I figure that when you get older you forget shit so I am just putting my shoulder to the wheel and hamstering it out.

For those of you who do not know. Transverse Myelitis is an inflammatory lesion or lesions of the spinal cord across its thickness in which the myelin sheath of the neurons is damaged. This adversely affects conduction of signals in the affected nerves, causing impairment in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions depending on which nerves are involved.. The lesions are inflammatory, and involve the spinal cord on both sides. With acute transverse myelitis, the onset is sudden and the disease progresses rapidly in hours or days.

The cause for many occurrences of Transverse Myelitis is up for debate. In my case the doctors said it was idiopathic. At first I thought that was a snide remark that meant I had STUPID written on my forehead but instead of punching someone I looked it up. (Greek was never my forte'.) The word means arising from unknown causes, but as a functional process of the disease, for some reason my immune system had attacked my spinal cord. Maybe a virus, maybe an injury...who knows? The result is the same. One leg paralyzed, the other one just numb.

Recovery is very might be, maybe, could be, if in nature, although early treatment may lead to 90-100% recovery. Time frame for that recovery is up to two years. Wheelchairs are for pussies though so in the meanwhile I will be out pounding the pavement with walker and cane. It ain't pretty. It ain't fast but I am standing and I am moving.'Heel first', Squeeze the butt'...Yeah.


Believe that I am motivated. I'll have to be if I ever want to get back to fast cars, women, unfaithful or otherwise and some fine old mountain brewed, Tennessee sippin' whiskey. (See? I did work in a redneck angle after all.) Maybe I'll even try some of the other TM...just in case the stress gets to me, of course.