27 replies to this topic

[carole338]

Most of us are on this site because we have SCI. I am curious to know what other health issues some of us have endured and some of the stories behind them. I, myself, will be a 10 year survivor of breast cancer in March.

Carole

[Kwag_Myers]

I have bi-lateral hip dysplasia which didn’t affect me much until I broke my left hip. Then it was 12 years of surgeons telling me that I needed a replacement but my condition was too extreme for them and they wouldn’t do it. I was two weeks away from finally having my first hip replaced by a doctor who does all the latest procedures. He actually was excited about doing my replacement. Oh well.

It’s not cancer, but it did slow me down quite a bit.

[WilliamLX]

Kwag_Myers, on Oct 3 2008, 11:40 AM, said:

I have bi-lateral hip dysplasia

Wow I thought only Labradors and German Shepards suffered from that!

In addition to my broken back, when just out of my body cast I got badly burned in an electric shower accident, suffered extensive 2nd degree burns with a couple of small areas of 3rd degree.

[CR_L1]

Just before third back OP in 96 spent two months in St Andrew's centre Billericay (Essex UK)
1st degree burns to left side of face & neck, 2nd degree to left sholder chest & top of arm & 3rd degree from left elbow to finger tips, 2nd degree to the whole of right hand & across my belly.
Ended up having skin graph to left arm from elbow to wrist.
then in 98 got meningitest got treated early & recovered with no problems.
Many painful memories of the burns........never want to go there again

[Trinity]

I have dislocated my shoulder twice, broken my collar bone, torn my anterior cruciate ligament and had that reconstructed, I have broken my scaphoid bone (falling UP stairs), and done a 'Rooney'- fractured 4th metatarsal (falling of a tightrope!). I have also given my self concussion a few times. Oh, and broken a couple of fingers (thanks to stupid school sports and a stupid hobby of throwing and catching stupid shaped objects)

I am not accident prone honest!

Breaking my back was definitely my best effort so far

Edited by trinity, 03 October 2008 - 05:23 PM.

[Unbreakable]

Had a catfish barb penetrate my foot/blood poisoning-1996

TBI/subdural hematoma/severed artery in head/crainiotomy-1997 with subsequent seizure disorder

Kidney stones-2006/ongoing

Appendicitis/appendectomy-2007

7 car wrecks- various dates, walked away from all of them except for the last one. #7 wasn't lucky for me

Last wreck resulted in paralysis, concussion, broken femur, broken left ulna, various broken ribs, lots of cuts, bruises, deep lacerations, kidneys and other organs shut down due to loss of blood, had to be on dialysis for a while.

Well, the State of Florida revoked my driver's license for some reason (seizures) so I won't have to worry about anymore wrecks, at least while I'm driving!

There's more, but those are only the stuff that warrented a trip to the hospital or got the authorities involved!

[Nicole]

I was born with arthrogryposis it's a neuromuscular condition that resulted in me being born with very limited use of my arms and legs.

[Kwag_Myers]

WilliamLX, on Oct 3 2008, 10:30 AM, said:

Kwag_Myers, on Oct 3 2008, 11:40 AM, said:

I have bi-lateral hip dysplasia

Wow I thought only Labradors and German Shepards suffered from that!

Don't start with me unless you've had your rabies shot.

[fatdave]

Well, morbid obesity to start. all my life i have been overweight, i was born 11 pounds. both my parents were short and skinny and i am 6'2 and 395 now with a peak of over 600.

i suffered a head injury in 1997 from a motorcycle accident involving a cow. I have struggled with depression and addiction, although i know those aren't medical.

I was stabbed at age 16 leading to a staph infection.

Multiple blood clots.

Tattoo that got infected, led to another bout with MRSA.

And of course my 2 year battle with back problems leading to the reason i am here.

[Angela250153]

Well up until just over 2 years ago I was very healthy, never had a day off sick, but since I hit 50 things have taken a turn.

I have so far had 2 back ops. Then last January I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Fortunately it has responded well to drug treatment and I should only have to have a lumpectomy some time within the next few months.

Then I had a few falls that gave me a knee injury. Had an arthoscopy in August and they found apart from arthritis 2 tears in the meniscus. Was informed that there is very little cartledge left and am now waiting for a knee replacement as it is a bit tricky for me now to walk with crutches. Constantly have to make sure I put my leg down in way that does not send pain shooting down my leg which can throw me off balance and could result in another fall.

[buffie]

7 car wrecks- various dates, walked away from all of them except for the last one. #7 wasn't lucky for me



Unbreakable you remind me of myself with the car wrecks, I have had 12 car wrecks. 2 really major ones that resulted in serious injury. I broke both arms, twisted up a knee, scrub all the skin off the left side of my face and my right arm was paralyzed for 7 months due to nerve damage and contracted in a bent position. It took 3 months of therapy to straighten it out and it still isn't 100% straight. That was 10 years ago and then I had the one that led me here in 2007.

[carole338]

I broke 4 ribs and two of them in two places. Fell of a roof while painting. Spent 4 days in the hospital for pain. I didn't allow my son to visit or call because he is so funny and I couldn't stand the pain when I laughed.

[Travelling Blackbird]

The guy who mentored me through my early years in the wheelchair warned me that the wheelchair wouldn't be the last thing to happen to me, that I would find myself having more accidents due to falls, and getting sick more often too, if I wasn't careful about keeping my hands clean, kidneys warm and so on. He also told me that stress would hit my partner's immune system hard. I can see from just these responses that we're not the only ones who've seen the truth in that.

I've broken a few bones in my life, before and after the incident that caused the head injury: my right wrist at a Pixies concert; left shoulder and a few ribs when a car swerved to avoid a dog on the road and came up on the path and got me instead; ribs and both arms along with my skull in the incident itself; ribs, fingers and that wrist again in falls; and my nose with a swing in a playground. Actually, I guess I was just as accident prone before as after.

I get kidney infections pretty much every year, despite doing my best to keep my lower back warm, and thanks to mold and pollen allergies, I get a chest infection every autumn without fail.

The big ones have been a brain tumor in the site of the head injury, and a minor stroke, again, thanks to the brain trouble.

Unbreakable: a catfish barb and blood poisoning. Wow. That sounds bad. How long were you hospitalized for that?

Dave: you were stabbed at 16? What the hell happened? Also: I was advised not to go ahead with tattoos because they figured it would be an extra strain on my immune system. I didn't listen, touch wood, no problems yet. Shame you had to go through that for your ink.

Carole: I completely know what you mean with the broken ribs. Everything hurts, laughing and coughing most of all.


I guess many of us have also had some bouts of depression, which counts as medical.

[fatdave]

I was stabbed in a drug deal gone VERY wrong. I was just there to accompany a friend who was making the deal. Later, i found out he wanted me to got because of my size and to act as a body guard of sorts.

He owed them money, and when we got there we were attacked. i didn't know i had been stabbed until about 10 mins after.

Later, during the trial, i found out the guy that stabbed me and shot at the car was a good friend of my father.

I have many tattoo's but the reason the one got infected was my dog licking it in my sleep.

[Unbreakable]

Travelling Blackbird- No hospitalization, just the most painful things I have probably ever experienced when my friends pulled it out of my foot with a pair of rusty pliers, then 5 days later having a doctor probe and clean it with alcohol-soaked cotton swabs. Then oral antibiotics and a shot in alternating ass cheeks of an antibiotic cocktail every day for two weeks. It was mostly my fault for not going to the doc sooner and trying to use home remedies to heal it. And of course fishing with my cast net in the dark with no shoes. I was just stupid on that one all the way around.

[Travelling Blackbird]

fatdave, on Oct 5 2008, 10:23 PM, said:

I was stabbed in a drug deal gone VERY wrong. I was just there to accompany a friend who was making the deal. Later, i found out he wanted me to got because of my size and to act as a body guard of sorts.

He owed them money, and when we got there we were attacked. i didn't know i had been stabbed until about 10 mins after.

Later, during the trial, i found out the guy that stabbed me and shot at the car was a good friend of my father.

Wow. That is a deal gone very wrong. That's a dozen different kinds of screwed up.

fatdave, on Oct 5 2008, 10:23 PM, said:

I have many tattoo's but the reason the one got infected was my dog licking it in my sleep.

That would do it. I don't let the cats or dogs near me when I have a new tattoo, not until the gel's had time to work its healing magic. Sorry to hear that one went bad on you. Hope you could save the image at least.

Unbreakable, on Oct 5 2008, 11:54 PM, said:

Travelling Blackbird- No hospitalization, just the most painful things I have probably ever experienced when my friends pulled it out of my foot with a pair of rusty pliers, then 5 days later having a doctor probe and clean it with alcohol-soaked cotton swabs. Then oral antibiotics and a shot in alternating ass cheeks of an antibiotic cocktail every day for two weeks. It was mostly my fault for not going to the doc sooner and trying to use home remedies to heal it. And of course fishing with my cast net in the dark with no shoes. I was just stupid on that one all the way around.

Sorry to agree with you, but that was pretty dumb all right. And I thought I was bad with animals! Sorry you had to go through all that, regardless of what brought it on. That must've been a hard couple of weeks.

My worst animal-related story was when our green iguana (which had always HATED me) managed to get a claw into my wrist when I was feeding him. ER trip ensued, and I had to prove that I wasn't suicidal.

[Unbreakable]

Quote

My worst animal-related story was when our green iguana (which had always HATED me) managed to get a claw into my wrist when I was feeding him. ER trip ensued, and I had to prove that I wasn't suicidal.

I have never owned an iguana. I didn't know they could claw that badly, but I had heard that they could whip with their tails pretty hard. Is that true?

[WilliamLX]

CR_L1, on Oct 3 2008, 05:16 PM, said:

Just before third back OP in 96 spent two months in St Andrew's centre Billericay (Essex UK)
1st degree burns to left side of face & neck, 2nd degree to left sholder chest & top of arm & 3rd degree from left elbow to finger tips, 2nd degree to the whole of right hand & across my belly.
Ended up having skin graph to left arm from elbow to wrist.
then in 98 got meningitest got treated early & recovered with no problems.
Many painful memories of the burns........never want to go there again

Yes burns really do hurt. I had 1st degree on my face and left ear, medium severity 2nd degree on my left arm and hand from elbow down, severe 2nd with areas of 3rd degree on the left side of my chest and stomach. Shower malfunctioned, and because of my broken wrist (happened along with my back) I couldn't turn it off, and because of my then limited ability to walk I couldn't jump out of the cubicle quickly enough. Also before I was back to work after the broken back and then burn injuries, I needed surgery on my right eyelid (in fact I was due to have that done the day I got burned [so it was postponed]).

As if all that is not bad enough I now need surgery on my right frontal sinus (all this in the space of less than 10 months). I really am starting to think that someone up there had it in for me!

Edited by WilliamLX, 06 October 2008 - 12:28 PM.

[topperf]

Some answers in here makes me wonder:

When do you realize you shouldn't be driving? After the second car wreck? Third? Fourth? maybe the fifth makes you dwell on the thought for a little longer? No?

[gsp23]

Kwag_Myers, on Oct 3 2008, 02:15 PM, said:

WilliamLX, on Oct 3 2008, 10:30 AM, said:

Kwag_Myers, on Oct 3 2008, 11:40 AM, said:

I have bi-lateral hip dysplasia

Wow I thought only Labradors and German Shepards suffered from that!

Don't start with me unless you've had your rabies shot.

Guess I can start with you then.... cause I actually have received my rabies shot (no joke).

Anyways... I had Guillan-Barre and did not have the complete recovery most people do as I am still in a chair 2yrs post because of it. One of my spinal taps gone wrong they believe also contributed to that.

Concussions of course as I have played hockey for 25 yrs.

Wrist sliced open from a hockey sled riding up on my wrist and cutting through my hockey glove and making a gash through my wrist.

Broke my arm in a car accident (damn airbag).

Broke my leg falling off a swing when I was a kid.

Ripped all the skin off the back part of my foot when I was a kid. Playing around in the baby seat on my moms bike and kicked my legs out and when they came back my foot got stuck in the spokes.

Unbreakable, on Oct 5 2008, 05:16 PM, said:

Quote

My worst animal-related story was when our green iguana (which had always HATED me) managed to get a claw into my wrist when I was feeding him. ER trip ensued, and I had to prove that I wasn't suicidal.

I have never owned an iguana. I didn't know they could claw that badly, but I had heard that they could whip with their tails pretty hard. Is that true?

Yeah those things can do some damage. My boyfriend had lost power at his house and was trying to take his iguana out of the large cage he was in so he could put in something smaller so he had heat lamps. Anyways with no power in the large cage he got tempermental and when my boyfriend reached in to take him out he bit him in the thumb, tearing the entire nail off.

EDIT: Almost forgot...
Was in a car accident when I was 16 and had glass in my eye and several stitches in my face. All healed up and you can see them only if looking hard for them and having them pointed out, but insurance gave me enough to buy a new car out of the deal Long term effects though my eyesight in my right eye is much worse than my left eye as I got the glass in only my right eye.

And the others that I didnt think about:
Depression (Bi-Polar) when I was younger. Everything seems ok now and for several years but spent a few years on Lithium and anti-depresents.

Recovering Drug addict & Alcoholic (16yrs next month)

Severe hypoglycemia that they are expecting to eventually result in diabetes for me.

Edited by gsp23, 09 October 2008 - 04:31 PM.

[Travelling Blackbird]

Unbreakable, on Oct 6 2008, 12:16 AM, said:

I have never owned an iguana. I didn't know they could claw that badly, but I had heard that they could whip with their tails pretty hard. Is that true?

The end of an iguana's tail is basically all bone and scale, so it's both hard and sharp. When they whip it, the end moves as fast as the end of a bullwhip of similar length. The longer the tail, the more dangerous it is. An adult green iguana can whip the tail fast enough to cut through clothing, skin and muscle, if the angle is right.

For the record, I never wanted the animal in the house. I don't hold with keeping lizards as pets unless you really have the perfect conditions for one, and we didn't. However, it had been abandoned at the local vet's clinic, and it needed a home till we could find a better one for it. It ended up staying two years.

A green iguana's claws are designed for climbing trees and rock surfaces, so they're pretty long and sharp, and hooked. This particular one never did any harm with his to anyone other than me. He'd sit happily on my partner's shoulders for hours without leaving a mark!

gsp23, on Oct 6 2008, 06:18 PM, said:

Yeah those things can do some damage. My boyfriend had lost power at his house and was trying to take his iguana out of the large cage he was in so he could put in something smaller so he had heat lamps. Anyways with no power in the large cage he got tempermental and when my boyfriend reached in to take him out he bit him in the thumb, tearing the entire nail off.

That doesn't surprise me in the least. They have beastly temperaments.

I return you to the thread in progress...

Edited by Travelling Blackbird, 06 October 2008 - 04:32 PM.

[Unbreakable]

Uh, the iguana sounds like a less than ideal pet unless you are related to Steve Irwin in some way.

I'll keep my cat, thanks.

[Travelling Blackbird]

Unbreakable, on Oct 6 2008, 06:53 PM, said:

Uh, the iguana sounds like a less than ideal pet unless you are related to Steve Irwin in some way.

I'll keep my cat, thanks.

Hey, I agree! I'll stick with dogs, cats and goldfish. Anything more than that is asking for trouble.

[Avocado Baby]

Ok...now I consider myself quite fortunate.

I was born with Spina Bifida and. I had an intercerception at about a year old. I developed Kyphoscoliosis when I was about 8. I've had 2 spinal fusions for it. I've had depression on and off since I was a teenager (kinda runs in the family) I've been getting UTI's more and more frequently at the moment. Currently feeling pretty ill with one.

[FROG]

I fractured C-4 and C-5 playing football in high school (1963-no permanent paralysis that time). Broke my right tibia and fibula at the boot top skiing in Vail in 1972. Had my right eye removed in 1993 as the result of a bicycling accident. Then, in October 2002, I slipped and fell at work which left me t-10 complete. I am coming up for my sixth anniversary in the chair on the 29th of this month WHOO HOO!! Guess I was pretty lucky most of the time but that last fall was a life changer.

[Travelling Blackbird]

...and right now I have the bone-achey-skin-hurty flu so I'm doped up and off work. It's my own fault for letting a cold go unchecked.

[wheeliebear75]

Well I was born with congenital cataracts. I had operations on my eyes as baby and have been LEGALLY blind ever since. But I don't really see that as being that big a deal. Just annoying at times......like when I misread the instructions for mixing some punch.......it punched me back....... IN THE TASTE BUDS! Or the times I've ran into something or someone cuz I didn't see it\them.

I have Asthma and am a diabetic.

Then there's all the crap that is in one way or another from my accident. Brain & back blah blah blah.

[kate42]

I broke my right wrist when I was two years old (my sister accidentally knocked me over on a swing), cut my head open on my kitchen counter when I was seven (still have the scar), and then there was my SCI accident, which also resulted in a mild concussion and four broken ribs. It's really surprising how few times I had been to the ER before my SCI, just considering how much of a klutz I was.