Post by cindylee on Apr 24, 2008 15:42:34 GMT -6
Hi Tony, I thought it better to answer your questions in a new post. Thanks for the good wishes!
My surgery was T11-12 and L1-2, the tumor was around 3 inches both inside and outside the cord. The surgery was over 11 1/2 hours. Just prior to surgery..a few days before, my legs were not functioning at all. I had to pick them up to move them, even in bed. I could not turn over in bed. After surgery, it was the same for almost a month. When I started walking I was still numb from the waist down. It took almost a year before I had pretty good bladder/bowel control. And the numbness started to diminish.
Today I still have numbness in both feet, with the right being worse. They are both sensitive to walking, so no barefoot walking for me. They are cold all the time, even though when I touch them, they feel warm. My left knee is still wobbly and weak, especially if I am tired. I still have balance problems. I'll be walking along and before you know it I will start to stagger. I cannot close my eyes and try to walk, it throws my balance off. So if I am in a dark room, I stagger and wobble. I still have tightness around my middle, muscle spasms if I sneeze or cough. And by the end of the day the top part of my back feels as if it will collapse onto the bottom half, especially if I have been on my feet most of the day. I still have a tough time straightening up when I get up after sitting or lying down. The fatigue is incredible sometimes, I am prone to extreme tiredness when the weather is about to change. And I cannot stand in one place very long, grocery lines do me in. I have to keep shiftiong my weight or moving. I cannot stand still without my back starting to ache. And yes, it does still ache from time to time. Not the searing pain I had before, but it lets me know when I have pushed too far. I get the cramps in my feet and legs if I drive too much or try and stretch them unexpectadly. So I do have some little nagging things that just don't get better.
But on the plus side, I have much more stamina than I did after the surgery. Certainly more after the 2 year mark. And until one month ago, I could not squat down and pet my dog. I had to have something to hang onto to pull myself back up. Last month I started being able to push a little on the ground and make my way back up. It isn't pretty, but I have started to do it.
I think time helps us get a little better or we learn to adapt in many different ways. I read some of the posts from longtime survivors and they still show improvements after many years. You just have to keep moving and not give up. It is hard to stay encouraged all the time. But always try to be or do just a smidgen more than you did the day before. And little by little you will be surprised. I know standing and pulling up my pants was a huge accomplishment for me when I could finally balance myself and do it. Grab on to the little things that you accomplish. All the small gains add up. Hang on and hang in there Tony, a year from now you'll be writing and encouraging others to do the same. I wish you good days...Cindy
My surgery was T11-12 and L1-2, the tumor was around 3 inches both inside and outside the cord. The surgery was over 11 1/2 hours. Just prior to surgery..a few days before, my legs were not functioning at all. I had to pick them up to move them, even in bed. I could not turn over in bed. After surgery, it was the same for almost a month. When I started walking I was still numb from the waist down. It took almost a year before I had pretty good bladder/bowel control. And the numbness started to diminish.
Today I still have numbness in both feet, with the right being worse. They are both sensitive to walking, so no barefoot walking for me. They are cold all the time, even though when I touch them, they feel warm. My left knee is still wobbly and weak, especially if I am tired. I still have balance problems. I'll be walking along and before you know it I will start to stagger. I cannot close my eyes and try to walk, it throws my balance off. So if I am in a dark room, I stagger and wobble. I still have tightness around my middle, muscle spasms if I sneeze or cough. And by the end of the day the top part of my back feels as if it will collapse onto the bottom half, especially if I have been on my feet most of the day. I still have a tough time straightening up when I get up after sitting or lying down. The fatigue is incredible sometimes, I am prone to extreme tiredness when the weather is about to change. And I cannot stand in one place very long, grocery lines do me in. I have to keep shiftiong my weight or moving. I cannot stand still without my back starting to ache. And yes, it does still ache from time to time. Not the searing pain I had before, but it lets me know when I have pushed too far. I get the cramps in my feet and legs if I drive too much or try and stretch them unexpectadly. So I do have some little nagging things that just don't get better.
But on the plus side, I have much more stamina than I did after the surgery. Certainly more after the 2 year mark. And until one month ago, I could not squat down and pet my dog. I had to have something to hang onto to pull myself back up. Last month I started being able to push a little on the ground and make my way back up. It isn't pretty, but I have started to do it.
I think time helps us get a little better or we learn to adapt in many different ways. I read some of the posts from longtime survivors and they still show improvements after many years. You just have to keep moving and not give up. It is hard to stay encouraged all the time. But always try to be or do just a smidgen more than you did the day before. And little by little you will be surprised. I know standing and pulling up my pants was a huge accomplishment for me when I could finally balance myself and do it. Grab on to the little things that you accomplish. All the small gains add up. Hang on and hang in there Tony, a year from now you'll be writing and encouraging others to do the same. I wish you good days...Cindy
