http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis en-us http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/05/01/artificial-help-for-your-pee-pee http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/05/01/artificial-help-for-your-pee-pee
The device has been around for many years but very few doctors have seen it, so go talk to your doctor and get a referral for a urinary specialist. In Canada it is covered by the government insurance and otherwise it is around $8K... which is a lot but will pay off in pads allone for 10 years or less... not to mention the new freedoms that may become possible. ]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 15:06:25 GMT Dimitre http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/23/1-thing-i-wish-someone-told-me http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/23/1-thing-i-wish-someone-told-me
When you drive, use a low-profile ROHO seat cushion. This will help absorb the bumps in the road and protect your butt. Even if your shower chair is padded, for those who are paralyzed and others, this is not enough padding. Don't kid yourself and put down a low-high profile ROHO.

The three best cushions for your chair I have found in my years of experience (I've been through many many cushions) are the following:

1. ROHO - good for active people in chairs
2. Easy Ride - custom to fit your butt to completely get the pressure off
3. Aquila - has a motor that moves air about to relieve pressure from sitting.

Take care of yourselves fellow wheelchair users! I wish someone told me these two important life adjustments to prevent skin-breakdowns, so I would like to pass on this wisdom to you. ]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:59:47 GMT Wheelchair Traveler http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/17/mad-as-hell-that-i-cant-cum-for-men-only-with-advi http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/17/mad-as-hell-that-i-cant-cum-for-men-only-with-advi Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:31:42 GMT Greg http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/03/some-suggestions http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/03/some-suggestions First of all know it will get better. No two injuries are the same but the shock and grief give way to a new normal that you will get used to.
No two hospital or rehab centers are the same either. Do some research to get to the best center available for you. It may take some or lots of effort to get to the right place. It is worth it in the long run.
Document everything. Things change so fast in the early days. Take pictures and videos, write notes, start a journal. They may be needed for legal reasons but will be most valuable in seeing the improvements that are made over time.
Do your homework. There is lots of information available on the internet. Dont get caught up in false hope but also do not succumb to false dispair. In most cases the medical community can not predict the outcomes of an injury in the first few months.
Do everything safely possible to make the spinal cord send and recieve messages. Have  the injured person visualize movements and dont be afraid to touch them.
Believe it or not, it is not all bad. If you are open to it, you will have positive experiences; finding strength in yourself, the support of family and friends and kindness of strangers. You may even meet an angel or two along the way.
]]> Wed, 04 Apr 2012 02:14:33 GMT Natalie http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/03/survey-for-research-purposes http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/04/03/survey-for-research-purposes
A research lab at Stanford University has developed a survey to assess the technology needs of people with paralysis.  They hope to better understand what technology is most useful for people with paralysis as well as what movement and control is necessary to restore.

If you are a person living with paralysis of all four limbs (quadriplegia), please consider participating in this survey.  This survey should not take more than 30 minutes to complete.  US Citizens only, please.

https://stanfordmedicine.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_3qlq5Y0nA1zSeR6

Thank you,

Christine 
http://www.stanford.edu/group/nptl/cgi-bin/site/
]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2012 21:02:45 GMT ChristineNPTL http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/03/02/advice-for-my-father http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/03/02/advice-for-my-father Sat, 03 Mar 2012 03:19:12 GMT Boogle http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/02/15/some-hope http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/02/15/some-hope He has made remarkable progress over the last 5 months. I just wanted others who are starting on the SCI road to know that the doctors dont know for certain what the outcome will be. This is a case where the old adage "Time will tell" fits perfectly.
If you would like to see his progress, you can visit the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Guy-Miracle/191797194223682]]> Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:56:02 GMT Natalie http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/02/02/new-clinical-guidelines-for-transverse-myelitis http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/02/02/new-clinical-guidelines-for-transverse-myelitis Transverse myelitis is a neurological disorder caused by inflammation across both sides of one level, or segment, of the spinal cord. The term myelitis refers to inflammation of the spinal cord; transverse simply describes the position of the inflammation, that is, across the width of the spinal cord. Attacks of inflammation can damage or destroy myelin, the fatty insulating substance that covers nerve cell fibers. This damage causes nervous system scars that interrupt communications between the nerves in the spinal cord and the rest of the body.

Symptoms of transverse myelitis include a loss of spinal cord function over several hours to several weeks. What usually begins as a sudden onset of lower back pain, muscle weakness, or abnormal sensations in the toes and feet can rapidly progress to more severe symptoms, including paralysis, urinary retention, and loss of bowel control. Although some patients recover from transverse myelitis with minor or no residual problems, others suffer permanent impairments that affect their ability to perform ordinary tasks of daily living. Most patients will have only one episode of transverse myelitis; a small percentage may have a recurrence.

According to the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), about one-third of people affected with transverse myelitis experience good or full recovery from their symptoms; they regain the ability to walk normally and experience minimal urinary or bowel effects and paresthesias. Another one-third show only fair recovery and are left with significant deficits such as spastic gait, sensory dysfunction, and prominent urinary urgency or incontinence. The remaining one-third show no recovery at all, remaining paralyzed with marked dependence on others for basic functions of daily living. Unfortunately, making predictions about individual cases is difficult.

A summary of the new guidelines includes:

• Therapies are available that may help treat acute TM.
o Plasma exchange (PE) may help treat people with TM who are not helped by steroid therapy.

• Testing for an autoimmune response to aquaporin-4, a protein found in the nervous system, can help confirm acute TM caused by neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
o This testing can also help predict risk of a TM relapse.

• More and better research is needed on therapies for TM.
o Higher-quality studies on therapies should be pursued.

Sources:

AAN Summary of Evidence-Based Guidelines for Clinicians: Plasmapheresis in Neurologic Disorders
http://www.aan.com/practice/guideline/uploads/471.pdf

AAN Summary of Evidence-Based Guidelines for Patients and Their Families: Using Plasma Exchange to Treat Neurologic Conditions
http://www.aan.com/practice/guideline/uploads/472.pdf

To read more about living with TM, see Kim Harrison’s story in the Reeve Foundation's community: http://www.christopherreeve.org/site/c.mtKZKgMWKwG/b.6357597/k.3480/Living_Life_to_the_Fullest_with_TM.htm

Transverse Myelitis Association : http://www.myelitis.org/ ]]> Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:54:36 GMT PRC_Bernadette http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/01/18/i-truly-understand-that-the-upper-body-is-sensitiv http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/01/18/i-truly-understand-that-the-upper-body-is-sensitiv
Plus I have a great partner an I'm comfortable with her, I just don't kno what to do.....]]> Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:23:58 GMT Greg http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/01/06/sex-sex-sex-its-driving-me-insane-please-help http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2012/01/06/sex-sex-sex-its-driving-me-insane-please-help Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:35:40 GMT Greg http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/20/finding-a-new-way-thru-life http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/20/finding-a-new-way-thru-life Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:36:43 GMT mark http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/20/new-sci-input-needed http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/20/new-sci-input-needed FacingDisability Forum:

This doesn't appear to be a very busy board, but I'll offer ....
As my username suggests, I'm a fifty-something L1 complete just settling into the new order of things, and am hoping to see what some others here may be going through or how they are adapting. I used to be fairly active -- it was a motorsports incident -- and that hobby was also my work, leaving me with some big holes in my personal program.

Anyone else see themselves as trying to be (mostly) as active as before, as opposed to already getting used to just sitting around most of the time? For whatever it's worth, I'm an American expat living in Holland & am cautiously considering a return to the States, if it sounds like it would be a better long term prospect. Thanks, and talk to you soon!

Click Here to help us out!]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 22:02:16 GMT Annie60093 http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/20/a-change-in-the-blink-of-an-eye http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/20/a-change-in-the-blink-of-an-eye My name is Rachel Griffith,
On September 19th, 2010 I was in a car accident, I lost control of my Chevy s10, the ground was slick that day. It slide off the road and flipped hitting a tree, my side was crushed my passenger only had a few scratches. I on the other hand was trapped, they had to use the jaws of life to get me out. Then I was loaded in an ambulance to ride over to life flight who was in a hay field across the road, where I was taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital. There I was put through many tests, they found out I had broken many ribs, my scapula's, and my back, paralyzing me at the T10-T11. I then went through a 10 hour surgery to fix my back, and a week from then they had to use some of my rib as well as other things it lasted 8 hours. I spent 64 days in the hospital.[tp:youtube id=JSwC3HR3NXo]]]> Tue, 20 Dec 2011 07:43:09 GMT ParaHorseGirl http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/10/help-me http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/12/10/help-me My little brother of 11years fell from a tree one and half months ago and got paralsed. I mean he can't move his limbs at all. When it happened we rush him to one of the best Hospital in Ghana and the neurosurgeon said that the injury affected C2, C3 and C4 and so there was nothing to be done for him. He asked us to pray that that God will intervene.
My brother has now developed bed sores as a result of lying in bed for a long time. 
Can something be done with my brother's case-surgery to help him recover or not? How do we manage the bed sores?
Thanks you for your assistance]]> Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:57:36 GMT Godwin http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/11/17/syrinx-in-the-spinal-cord http://www.spinalcordinjury-paralysis.org/discussions/new-paralysis/2011/11/17/syrinx-in-the-spinal-cord Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:03:04 GMT banana