7 replies to this topic

[Channy]

For those of you who had some sensation return, can you tell me about when you 1st noticed some feelings coming back?

My fiancee has been telling me the past couple days that when he sits in his chair for too long, his ass starts to "burn" and then he knows that it's time for him to go back to bed.

And the past week or so he's been having a lot of problems with incontinence even though we're strictly following a cath every 4 hour routine. Today I was talking to him via webcam after I left the rehab center (he is only 2.5 months post injury) and he was telling me that he thinks he peed in his Depends because it felt wet to the touch. But then he kept going on about how he knew to feel down there to see if it was wet with his hands because he could FEEL it felt differently down there. It was like he could feel the change in temperature down there and had to check with his hand to see if he was wet.

Could this be the start of him regaining some sensation?

Also, you know how when you first have a SCI, they test your reflex by stroking the bottom of your foot with a pen/hand/whatever? I did that to him the other day and his toes were twitching. He couldn't feel it. But I just thought that was weird. Is that just a muscle spasm?

[Nia]

I dunno how should i put it, there may be better people people to explain...

I also have the same situation, maybe it's instinct. felt wet, and there it was leaking...i'm a complete para with no sensation whatsoever, but when something is wrong with my body, i can feel it.like when i had a lot of spasm, it means my body bla bla bla...when i have head ache, it bla bla bla...i think we sci have the 6th sense to urge us if something goes wrong, if we really care about our body...

but with a friend of mine, yes.it's a sign.but he only gain sensation in a year post- injury, but no movement 6years post injury.

everybody's different...spinal chord is one hard subject to explain...

[Stickman]

Yes it's a sign, a good one. It takes a while sometimes but after a year i was able to tell when i needed to cath or #2, and just recently i can tell if something hot is on my lap. And i get bad spasms if somethings going wrong, even just being nervous or irritated. And my butt burns almost every other day, pretty aggrevating but it's a good excuse to go lay on my stomach, stretch the abs and get out of the chair for a while.

[The Black Sheep]

I started to feel something similar to what you're describing about 5 or 6 months after my injury. I'm an incomplete injury, and I can feel pretty much everything except temperature and pain. I had been told about pressure sores and pain, but I couldn't ever feel it... until about 5 or 6 months later. I had the worst butt ache! It felt like it was on fire and I had the hardest time getting through a day of school.

It's been about 11 years since then, and I still haven't recovered that much temperature sensation or pain. I can feel extreme hot or cold a little bit, but I think the fire-butt feeling was the pain of the pressure after sitting down for so long, which I still get a little now. I can't feel typical pain, but it hurts and the closest thing I could describe it as is a burning sensation. It's really hard to explain, but maybe the pressure is causing pain, and it registers as burning. I don't know, but that's been my experience with pain on my bum and the back of my thighs. Either way, some sort of sensation IS coming back, and progression is definitely good.

[ETW Grumpy]

I had a similar experience a couple of months after I got home from the hospital. I'm an incomplete quad functioning at para level. I had no sensation in the hospital but started getting sensation after I got home. I have that burning butt feeling. I heard it best described as feeling like sitting on hot concrete. My doc says that's neuropathic or neurogenic pain. Can never remember which. I got some type of sensation, although not 100% "normal" sensation in most of my lower body. I can tell when I need to go the bathroom and the burning areas usually tell me it's time to do a pressure relief or move my leg because there's something pressing on it. I also had a similar experience as your fiance's foot jumping when being stroked. While having some pressure sores treated, my foot would react quite violently to having skin abrided and work done to it even though I had no sensation at the time. The doc called it a pain avoidance response. Hope this helps in some way.

[qbounce]

As far as the foot tickling is concerned, my left foot does the same thing when touched. It twitches too, and I can't feel a thing. For me, I know it doesn't mean anything, as I'm a complete. But, it doesn't stop my wife from tickling me anyway. haha

[Cowboysfan444]

I'M 2.5 YRS. POST INJURY AND PROBABLY STATRTED FEELING THE BURNINIG IN MY ASS ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO AND WAS PRESCRIBED LYRICA FOR THE PAIN AND IT HAS WORKED GREAT. HOPE IT WORKS FOR YOU...

[M Tustain]

Have you ever heard of Spinal Shock? The body will go to sleep after a trauma to the spinal cord and we never really know what were going to get back or not! I had hardly any feeling and no movement after my injury and now I have full sensation and some function which is still returning I think due to my FES bike also. It can take years to get a clear picture on what will return unfortunately though not everyone is so lucky but your boDy will definately change somehow.

Oh yes and the foot thing, in spinal shock your body really does shut down but after a wihile your reflexes will return (on higher injuries) and this I'm sure will be what is happening as you stroke the foot. Unfortunately it's not a return of function but I don't class it as a spasm either I think it's just the body waking back up again, now my whole leg goes if I stroke the bottom of the foot!

I wish you all the best.