lisa
hi meagan, i was diagnosed with tm back in 1989. i was 26 at the time and i had one child. i got really sick during the night and had so much pain radiating from my head to feet, i thought i was having a heart attack. i was rushed to the hospital, they did a mirage of tests and told me i had a urinary tract infection. (mind you back then, ive never heard of transverse myelitis).it was a sunday, so i couldnt see my own doctor till monday. she did some tests, for lyme disease, and a few others but i was still really sick after two weeks. she sent me to a neurologist who specializes in m.s.. as soon as i saw him he knew it was transverse myelitis, but he still had to do all kinds of tests to rule out m.s. which he did. i had to have fluid drained from my spine, as well as an mri, blood tests, and so on. i had to go the hospital everyday for a week and receive steroid treatment through and iv for a week. that to me was the worst part because it made me moody, wicked hungry, and retained fluid terribly. suffice it to say, after physical therapy for about 2 or 3 months, and i would say it was about 9 months to a year before i could feel my numbness subside. i probably didnt give you my symptoms, i was completely numb from the waist down, you could throw me in hot water and my body wouldnt have know the difference, i couldnt feel my self having to urinate, or i couldnt even have an orgasm. it was horrible. i was like dead weight, and the doctor told me its caused by a virus, one they know nothing about or why. so its been almost 15 yrs and i had one relapse in 1993 and another shot of steroids, but im fine today. ive not had any symptoms or recurrences since then. i now have a daughter too. i had her in 1991 and ive been feeling wonderful. so dont lose hope eventually you will feel better with the right treatment. feel free to email me if you have any other questions. good luck