18 Maande gelede ...
Op Februarie 11, 2013, Ek het nog nooit gehoor van Cauda perde sindroom (CES). That changed the next day. This very day, 18 maande gelede, I awoke with no feeling below my waist. Something very wrong was going on with my body! Ek het nie geweet dit dan, maar ek was die reis genoem cauda Equina Sindroom begin.
On this blog I’ve chronicled the first year of that journey. I have been very blessed in my recovery, veral gegewe dat dit het 14 days to have my decompression surgery and not having ANY feeling below my waist. I won’t cover the details of what has been written before, but this update gives a quick look at my progress since the one year mark.
Baie neurochirurge en ander dokters sê dat senuwee wedergeboorte kom net vir 12 maande, terwyl ander sê 12 - 18 months is the time in which what healing will happen does happen. My physical therapist told me 18 - 24 maande. I don’t know if this is “frontline” info or whether she was just trying to motivate me further than I already was.
Vir my, die maande sedert my 1 jaar herdenking is uitdagend met 'n paar klein regressie - maar, I am still seeing spurts of significant regeneration taking place. I went through a period of frequent nerve pain in the top of my right foot. This seemed to be aggravated by my evening commute, wat gewoonlik rondom 1 uur 10 minute. The last 10 - 15 minute van die stasie sou ek die "elektriese-skok" gevoel kry so bekend uit ander dele van die liggaam het vroeër in my herstel.
These were so painful I almost became a dangerous driver. I fell back on my flight training skills – ABC – Aviate (Vlieg die vliegtuig, in hierdie geval, die motor ry - maak seker dat jy nie hardloop in iets of iemand), Navigeer (Nie verlore raak en vir die motor wat dit beteken seker te maak jy mis nie 'n beurt terwyl afgelei), Kommunikeer (In die lug, ons wil die hulp van leiers op die grond te kry, in die motor, this just means Comfort – try to find a position where the pain subsides. Those pains left me about a month ago. As they left, they presented me with a going away present of more feeling in my feet. I now only have impaired feeling in a ½ - ¾ duim band om my voet, begin oor ½ duim bo die bodem van die voete (my tone uitgesonder as hulle het gevoel vir 'n geruime tyd.)
My legs have feeling back except for the backs of the legs and inner portion of the buttocks, but only the lower ½ of that and the corresponding front area. That too is a recent improvement. I am now able to walk without assistive device for over 100 voete, but my legs and hips are completely exhausted by the effort and are in moderate pain by the end. But I am improving, stadig maar seker, Ek gaan voort om te versterk en te verbeter.
I still cannot stand for more than 20 - 30 sekondes, nor sit for more than an hour without problems. This limits my ability to travel and is sorely missed (geen woordspeling bedoel.) I keep pushing to improve. If I don’t, I won’t know how much I can improve. So I work full time, met 2 hours round trip commute time. And I walk whenever I can, to the point of not being able to any more. By the time I get home I am exhausted. I still have not had to have surgery on the torn tendon in my right foot.
Despite that, God has allowed me to lead small groups and classes at church. I am truly blessed. None of us who are afflicted with CES want to stay as we are. We learn to deal with the injury and we fight to overcome as much of its affects as possible. It is easy to look around, seeing people who do not appreciate the simple act of being able to walk. Or run. Or stand for a few minutes. Or travel 6 hours to visit with old friends or many other things. Looking at these will surely lead to defeat, depressie, and a downward spiral. Look at what we can accomplish instead! Life is different, not over. It isn’t fair, but then we’ve known that for a long time. I choose to let my disability strengthen me, rather than define me. I challenge you to choose your goal and werk vir dit!
