Post by linda on Aug 21, 2019 21:09:12 GMT -5
Hello,
I have a question on behalf of a friend. He was in a motorcycle crash two years ago and is a T3/4 para, complete. Since he has spent a long time in hospital and rehab, it is just now that he is learning to deal with everything on his own, real life as a wheeler outside from healthcare institutions. He is unlucky to live in a small village with limited access to public transportation, and since Germany is such an exquisite example for bureaucracy at its best, getting a car or getting back to work takes like forever, at least no end in sight for the moment. It’s hard to believe that the situation in a developed country as Germany is this way these days, but it seems to be bearable only with a respective amount of humor. Just to give you an idea, I will briefly put down how yet another visit at the only neurologist‘s place in town (an old man) a few days ago was like. And this one was no exception:
Stupid Neurologist: Please get on the examination table.
Friend: How do you want me to get up there? I can’t. I‘m paralyzed, you see? It’s much too high to get up there.
S.N.: Oh, I‘m going to help you.
F.: Oh, please better not. I rather prefer to have the examination carried out while remaining seated in the chair.
S.N., even though not seeing my friend for the first time, starts with the sensory test by touching his feet in various ways.
S.N.: Can you feel this?
F.: No.
S.N.: How about this?
F.: No.
S.N.: And this?
F.: I can’t feel any of this. I‘m paralyzed, T3/4, complete.
The foot moves as a reaction to the touch of the doctor.
S.N.: But you just moved your foot!
F.: That wasn’t me.
Neurologist touches again, the foot moves again
S.N.: But there you did it again!
F.: No, I didn’t move my foot. I can’t. It’s a reaction to your touch.
S.N.: Ah, you are right, these things can happen in case of SCI ...
Anyways, my friend is having difficulties with severe spasticity, even though he was told that this does not occur in case of a complete injury. Probably since he was very sporty before his accident, he still has quite strong muscles in the legs and abdomen, which make the transfers extremely difficult, let alone the strong pain that he is in constantly. The doctors say it’s some sort of phantom pain. The legs are so stiff that it requires enormous strength to move them, and often enough they just jump back to the other position once he could finally place them as he intends to. Also the abdomen flexes, which would just through him suddenly on his back when seated on the bed or the floor. A transfer from the floor to the chair seems to lie in far distant future.
It used to be better a while ago, when he could at least transfer from the chair to his bed without the sliding board, but since the spasticity has gotten worse, it’s absolutely impossible now. So my question to you guys with SCI: do you have any tips with this?
And one more question: I have come across some jokes here on PD about wheelers wearing those gloves with only half fingers. Why is that? It seems to be quite useful to me and my friend here was so happy to have bought a pair. But something must be wrong with it, since you guys keep joking about it ...
Thanks in advance for your help!
I have a question on behalf of a friend. He was in a motorcycle crash two years ago and is a T3/4 para, complete. Since he has spent a long time in hospital and rehab, it is just now that he is learning to deal with everything on his own, real life as a wheeler outside from healthcare institutions. He is unlucky to live in a small village with limited access to public transportation, and since Germany is such an exquisite example for bureaucracy at its best, getting a car or getting back to work takes like forever, at least no end in sight for the moment. It’s hard to believe that the situation in a developed country as Germany is this way these days, but it seems to be bearable only with a respective amount of humor. Just to give you an idea, I will briefly put down how yet another visit at the only neurologist‘s place in town (an old man) a few days ago was like. And this one was no exception:
Stupid Neurologist: Please get on the examination table.
Friend: How do you want me to get up there? I can’t. I‘m paralyzed, you see? It’s much too high to get up there.
S.N.: Oh, I‘m going to help you.
F.: Oh, please better not. I rather prefer to have the examination carried out while remaining seated in the chair.
S.N., even though not seeing my friend for the first time, starts with the sensory test by touching his feet in various ways.
S.N.: Can you feel this?
F.: No.
S.N.: How about this?
F.: No.
S.N.: And this?
F.: I can’t feel any of this. I‘m paralyzed, T3/4, complete.
The foot moves as a reaction to the touch of the doctor.
S.N.: But you just moved your foot!
F.: That wasn’t me.
Neurologist touches again, the foot moves again
S.N.: But there you did it again!
F.: No, I didn’t move my foot. I can’t. It’s a reaction to your touch.
S.N.: Ah, you are right, these things can happen in case of SCI ...
Anyways, my friend is having difficulties with severe spasticity, even though he was told that this does not occur in case of a complete injury. Probably since he was very sporty before his accident, he still has quite strong muscles in the legs and abdomen, which make the transfers extremely difficult, let alone the strong pain that he is in constantly. The doctors say it’s some sort of phantom pain. The legs are so stiff that it requires enormous strength to move them, and often enough they just jump back to the other position once he could finally place them as he intends to. Also the abdomen flexes, which would just through him suddenly on his back when seated on the bed or the floor. A transfer from the floor to the chair seems to lie in far distant future.
It used to be better a while ago, when he could at least transfer from the chair to his bed without the sliding board, but since the spasticity has gotten worse, it’s absolutely impossible now. So my question to you guys with SCI: do you have any tips with this?
And one more question: I have come across some jokes here on PD about wheelers wearing those gloves with only half fingers. Why is that? It seems to be quite useful to me and my friend here was so happy to have bought a pair. But something must be wrong with it, since you guys keep joking about it ...
Thanks in advance for your help!
