Botox + Physical Therapy + Casts + Wheelchair

[Monica]

Hey everyone, I just thought I'd post about what's going on in my medical life. (and believe me, I have a VERY busy medical life, lol) I have a muscle desease as some may know. My leg tendons are tight, and in order for me to walk normally, they have to be stretched out. (I can walk without aide just fine, I just have trouble balancing) This of course means lots of excersize.

Anyway, last Tuesday, I went to my Muscular Dystrophy doctor, and she said I would need Botox injections every three months in my back leg muscles to relax them, so my other leg muscles would have a chance to get built up. In order to help the weaker leg muscles, I would need physical therapy. In addition, I will need a series of casts, that will stretch out my tendons, and I will get new casts weekly. While this is going on, my Grandpa let me borrow the electric wheelchair that was up at his store. :)

I had my first injections on Tuesday, and after two days, I found it difficult to walk. I can walk when I need too, it's just hard and tiring, so now I use the wheelchair a lot. This morning was my first time with the physical therapist. It was fun, but now I'm rather sore, heh. I'll get my first casts on the 24th.

Does anyone else have any medical stories to share? I have tons more but it'd take forever, hehe. :)

[Tudorcat]

Well nothing even close to as exciting as yours but....

My left hand is now free from its hellish bandage finally after abouth 1 ½ month of longing and waiting.:giggle:

I still cant use it though it looks really weird and out of shape and all the strenght I once had in it is long gone.

The weirdest thing about it is that the wounded fingers dont have any "memories". They cant give me the information on what they are touching even if it is my own hair or my cat Tudor .
Eveything feels strange or wrong. :uhoh:

It will take another 5 weeks before we can see how well its been healing and how much of its flexability and sences that will return.

If I am lucky I can go back to normal and if not I might have to change jobs and stuff but thats to soon to think of.

:kitty:

[gdorf]

I have some medical troubles, but they seem to be nothing compared to you. :)

Basically, the tendons in my shoulders are very stretched and there is torn cartiladge somewhere in the joint. All of the joints in my arms are extrememly flexible, which caused this to appear as I hit a growth spurt. The result of this is that my shoulders make a popping and grinding noise when I move them in a certain direction across my body and they come out of socket extrememely easily.

I've been through physical therapy, and now am doing an at-home plan to build some of the muscles in my shoulders. If the plan doesn't help, I am looking at surgery on both of my shoulders. :(

The thing that worries me (and the doctors) the most, is that with time these sort of things may be happening with other joints in my arms. They are are VERY flexible.

Luckily, I can still play any sport un-inhibited, and can even usually lift weights fine. Its just the occasional time that my shoulder dislocates when I am benching that causes injury. Also, I can't wakeboard or snowboard. :(

[TheGeepster]

Paralyzing muscles relaxes them? How strange...

I do hope you recover well Monica.

[inori]

Medical stories? Not a thing. I sprained my wrist rather badly in junior high, and my ankle in college; I got eight stitches in my chin my senior year of high school; I think I broke a rib one year playing football, but never had that confirmed. Those are the worst things that have ever happened to me, medically.

Good luck with the PT, Monica and with the hand, Tudorcat.

[mikeron]

Just the usual wear and tear: a few broken noses, a broken wrist, sprained wrist, sprained thumb (twice :p), fractured rib, something or other to do with the cartelidge in my knee, but nothing as traumatic as what you've described. That sounds like one of the more frustrating problems. Good luck.

[Ich]

I broke my hand once (I started going on AGN a lot more then) and nothing more really. I've had a lot of stitches (about 30 on the back of my leg, a scar about 2 inches long and half an inch wide) and various other problems. My broken hand was bad; I had what they called "Cornflakes" of the bone because I landed on my hand with all my weight, and it kind of shattered the base of some of my metacarpals. I had to wear a cast made of some fabric with aluminum rods running through it, and velcro so I could take it off to shower.

[Prrkitty]

Monica, sorry to hear that you're having ... fun (as you put it)... but sounds kinda not fun... to a point. :) Hang in there hon. I'll try to be in IM more now so if you need someone to talk to - I'll be there.

As for medical conditions... mine are long... complicated and very painful.

1) DISH (Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis)
2) Ankylosing Spondylitis
3) Spinal Stenosis
4) Osteoarthritis
5) Fibromyalgia and CFS

Calcium is growing all up and down around and inside my spinal canal and cord. Parts of my back and neck has already fused solid. Several surgeons I've seen has recommended not to do any surgery until it's really necessary. Plus... any of the calcium they might could clear out... would only grow back.

So... I make each day I live ... the best I can.
:)
Prr :kitty:

[Monica]

Is it ok to bring this thread up? I wanted to say that I got my first casts this morning, and now I can't walk at all. I got to choose the color, and I chose blue. I might get purple or pink next week. :)