Paralysis is a condition that affects specific muscles in the body, usually as a result of damage to the spinal cord or brain, and it can occur following an injury or the development of a neurological disorder. Temporary paralysis, while frightening, means that the paralysis eventually ends, usually after rigorous medical treatment. In most cases, paralysis occurs below the point of damage to the spinal cord. It often results in not only loss of muscle control but also feeling.
The most common cause of temporary paralysis is an injury to the spinal cord that causes tissue to swell, compressing the vertebrae. Once anti-inflammatory medication is administered for a period of time, the swelling goes down and feeling is slowly returned to the extremities. When paralysis affects the body from the waist down, the patient is considered a paraplegic; when it happens from the neck down, the victim is a quadriplegic.
According to WrongDiagnosis.com, approximately 2.5 million people in the United States suffer from some sort of paralysis, whether temporary or permanent, and about 1 million of those are caused by an injury to the spinal cord. Although temporary paralysis is not so uncommon as to be considered rare, it is certainly not the most frequently occurring condition.
When Shirley Starks awoke in her hospital bed on May 12, 2002, she was terrified to discover that not only had she been unconscious for nearly 72 hours, but she also had lost the ability to feel anything below her waist. Panic seized her as she fumbled for the call button next to her bed, frantic to find someone to answer her questions, but her fears were not allayed when two nurses and a doctor rushed into her room. She was suffering from paralysis from the hips down, and the doctors didn’t know if it was temporary or not.
On the previous Thursday, she and a friend had been driving home from the mall in the rain. She was behind the wheel of her black Ford Explorer, and although the storm was growing increasingly violent, she had no doubt that she could get them home safely. Unfortunately, however, the poor judgment of another driver in a green minivan turned her world upside down.
Starks doesn’t remember the accident and she can’t recall the three subsequent days, but she vividly remembers the feeling of utter hopelessness that fell over her when she was told that her paralysis might be permanent.
“I’d heard about paraplegics and quadriplegics, but it never occurred to me that it might hit so close to home,” Starks admits. “No one wanted to tell me that I might never regain the feeling I’d lost. That was probably the worst part about it – not knowing.”
Fortunately, Starks, who was then 29, was surrounded by family and friends as soon as she regained consciousness. Her hospital room was full of flowers representing every color of the rainbow, and her boyfriend, Mark, brought her a bouquet of Get-Well balloons that took up an entire corner. As she digested the life-changing information that her spinal cord had been compressed, she struggled to wear a happy face for her loved ones, who all wished her the best.
THE EMBARRASSMENT OF PARALYSIS
For Starks, the indignities of paralysis were even more daunting than the prospect of never being able to walk again. “I had to wear a catheter to use the restroom, and I knew that my friends could see the tubing that peaked out from the side of the bed. I was completely, utterly helpless, and I began to resent that fact almost immediately.”
Many patients who deal with permanent or temporary paralysis slip into a deep depression following their diagnosis, which is why doctors often recommend psychiatric treatment to help deal with the necessary lifestyle changes. Paraplegics and quadriplegics must learn how to live their lives without the use of their legs, and sometimes without their arms as well.
Patients who are independent are also faced with the trial of accepting help from their friends and family members. They must learn how to rely on others for simple tasks, such as fixing dinner and getting the mail, because they can’t do it on their own right away. Fortunately, however, modern science has given sufferers of paralysis new options that help them lead more independent lives, such as motorized wheel chairs.
The day after Starks regained consciousness, her physician immediately prescribed a regimen of physical therapy, testing and medication. He couldn’t be certain if the paralysis was permanent, but he explained that the chances increased the longer she stayed completely immobile. Furthermore, the doctors wanted to prevent muscular atrophy for as long as possible to facilitate a speedy recovery if she were to regain feeling in her lower body.
“My arms, torso and head were battered and bruised from the accident, so even though I couldn’t feel my legs and hip area, the pain was almost unbearable. On several occasions, I began to vomit uncontrollably because of how much it hurt.”
As the days wore on, with physical therapy twice a day and insufficient medication to dull her pain, Starks began to envision her life as a paraplegic. She would have to quit her job as a real estate agent because she couldn’t show houses in her condition, and she would probably have to sell her own home in order to pay off her medical bills.
This is another common problem with paralysis that occurs late in life. Whether temporary or not, patients must figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Some occupations, despite the laws protecting disabled individuals, are simply not possible for people with paralysis, so adjustments must be made.
MAINTAINING HOPE
When she got home from the hospital, Starks still didn’t know whether or not she would ever regain the feeling in her legs and hips. The paralysis seemed to be permanent-the doctor told her that most temporary paralysis is reversed within the first week or two-but she refused to give up hope. She rented a motorized wheel chair because she was afraid that purchasing one would solidify the permanence, then invited Mark to live with her for a few months until she could get around easily on her own.
Thankfully, Starks lived in a one-story town home with wide doorways and no front steps. This allowed her to maintain some semblance of independence while she got used to her new situation. The doctor sent her home with pain medication, anti-inflammatories and a host of other drugs to keep her blood from clotting and her blood pressure from spiking.
Two months later, during a physical therapy session at the hospital, Starks felt a sudden pain in her left leg. “It was like a hot poker shooting up from underneath my foot all the way to my thigh.” She laughs. “It was the most wonderful sensation I’ve ever felt.”
Since paralysis is commonly caused by swelling and inflammation near the spinal cord, the additional movement and anti-inflammatory medication had begun to work their magic. Within two weeks, she’d regained most of the sensation in her legs and hips-and more pain than she could reasonably manage.
“No one told me that the recovery process would be so mind-numbingly painful. The narcotics didn’t touch it and I wasn’t sleeping at all. I mean, I was thrilled that there was hope for me to walk again, but the pain was excruciating.”
Starks suggests that anyone who is diagnosed with paralysis get all of the information up front. Read everything you can about temporary paralysis and find out how the doctors can help you toward achieving a full recovery. Learn about new medications, techniques and exercise programs that can help you improve your chances of regaining feeling and muscle control.
