Posted on Matt Cavallo
Many of you have read my previous article about how a denied insurance authorization led me to an MS relapse, rendering me nonfunctional on my right side. As it turned out, MRI studies revealed that I had two new active lesions on my brain and one on the right side of my cervical spine that was 4mm in width and 3cm in length stretching from C2 to C4.
The symptoms of this relapse were tragic. They affected my cognition, speech,swallowing, function of my right arm and hand, and drop foot on my right side. From a cognitive standpoint, I was having trouble with my word recollection and memory. The cognitive deficits affected my ability to perform at my usual level at my job and, all of a sudden, it changed conversations about me at the office. I typically travel to meet with clients and go to the home office. Once my disability became apparent, I was asked to stay home. This caused unnecessary fear and anxiety that my MS was going to cost me my full-time employment. The stress and worry of this situation spilled over to my family relationships and my condition was making my wife and my two small boys worry as well.
From a physical standpoint, side effects were even worse. Walking was dangerous. I am well known for my dog story and how when I lost my ability to walk with Transverse Myelitis in 2005, the gift of a puppy helped to get me up on my feet and out walking every day. It had been like that for the past 11 years until this relapse in March. While I was still trying to walk, the drop foot was making it dangerous to do so. I did not have the strength or speed to keep up with my 11 year old dog. Negotiating sidewalk curbs was an adventure that almost caused several falls. My right knee was weak and gave out on me every other step. I was shifting all of my weight to my left side causing friction and stress on those muscles to compensate for my right side deficits. This led to soreness and pain in the left side, while creating risk of injury on my right side that was numb.
Losing the use of my right arm and hand was also severely debilitating. I could not raise or lower my arm without assistance. I could not grab anything with my hand, including eating utensils, keys, phones or any small tool that assists you with the tasks of everyday living. I could not dress or bath myself independently, nor apply deodorant properly. Even using the bathroom became a daunting chore. The lesion on my spine felt as if it was pressing on my cervical fusion causing intense pain in my neck. I couldn’t sleep and was having trouble swallowing. It felt like food was continually stuck in my esophagus.
All aspects of my life were spiraling out of control. As I completely lost my independence, I felt embarrassed and ashamed. So, where was I to turn to for help?
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