legless

Yeah dysreflexia is a bugger and it doesn’t just affect quads. Anyone with an injury at T6 or above may be susceptible to it. I’m a complete T4 and get it though not very often. I don’t get all of the symptoms either. For me the first sign will often be a feeling like a stuffed up nose and the associated dull sinusy sensation. I get the pounding headache due to the hypertensive response and sometimes a bit of sweating. I had an incident several months post-injury due to putting on a uridome too tightly preventing my bladder from emptying. The dysreflexia attack was bad enough that I started convulsing and passed out. It was mainly bowels and bladder issues that caused it in me. It wasn’t until 20 years after my injury that I found out that paras could get dysreflexia. No one told me. It explained a lot.

I had posted this in the forum as a new topic then figured it might better go here so I’m reposting it.

an oldie but a newbie

Postby legless » 24 Aug 2013
Hi Graham and Mad Spazzers.

Well I’ve been in a chair since an bike accident in 1977 which resulted in an injury to T3/T4/T5 but am functionally complete T4. To say it’s a life-changing event is never an understatement but I was young and resilient and realised early on that I was luckier than many other people were in many ways. Physically I still had full use of my arms and hands and I had the overwhelming support of my family and good friends.

I was an electrician at a Coal mine before my injury but mines tend to not be too accessible. I’ve studied very things since and worked for many years doing CAD work (CAD manager and network support) in the Railway Signalling industry. I’ve studied anatomy and physiology, electronics and done some engineering.

I moved to Brisbane after getting out of hospital and have lived here ever since. Had some health issues in recent years (getting old is a bitch). Never married. Terrible at dating, but always was, though I keep hoping there’s someone out there.

So I’m oldie to the life but a newbie to the board. Be gentle with me. Anyone who’d like to chat say “hi”.

Peter