The Injury... Cauda Equina Syndrome...

This post is a Year and a few months delayed, as I have written in my post (here) I was supposed to write a separate post with regard to my injury after posting my Return of the Comeback post. (kala mo naman basketball player e hahaha) Now, I am constructing this post a day before my Labor 1 Exam, I think I am already ready and prepared for that exam. I think therefore I am. Hahaha! Now on to the details.

Little Backstory. Before my injury, I was a physically active person. I can play different sports though I never excelled in any particular sport, but basketball was my favorite among them. I identify myself as a Jack of all Trades, Master of None kind of person, or what I call as a General Specialist. :)

Before the night of October 17 2007, I was already experiencing a major back pain which started when I carried my uncle sometime July 2007. That night on July, I was supposed to go to the dorm, but my Lola asked me to carry Uncle Boy from his seat to his bed. Uncle was already unable to move that time since his cataract has gotten worse and and he was afraid to move, he was practically bed-ridden at that time. I had done that countless of times already and since I was a burly fellow and my uncle was already thin at that time, I didn't think that an accident can happen. But unfortunately, when I was trying to carry him he got startled and resisted, that was when I heard something crack from the inside. I didn't think about it at first but I knew immediately something was wrong inside my body. There was always a sharp pain that was radiating from my back to my legs. It was distracting. But as I have said earlier, I was a physically active person. I didn't mind a little pain here and there. I thought that this will be gone a few days after. 

But. It. Didn't. 

It has gotten much worse.

This happened when I was already in Law School, preliminary exams were done. The pain has gotten much worse but it was tolerable on my part . The School clinic was no help at all, all they told me was to lose more weight. WTF! I wasn't able to concentrate in school anymore. I was either sleeping at the library to keep my mind off  the pain or at the dorm lying on the floor. 

When the final exams came, I just willed myself to finish the semester. I was only thinking that I just need a bed rest for a week or so then I'll be healed. 

But boy, how wrong I was. 

The morning of October 16 2007, Arianne and Kali were inviting me to go Baguio with them but I refused, I didn't tell them I think I couldn't stand up anymore, the pain was truly unbearable. As I was lying on the floor of my room in the dorm, I called Tito Roy to fetch me since I wanted to go to a hospital. 

When Tito Roy arrived he saw me lying on the floor, he asked me what happened, I remember I just said "Di po ako makabangon, Masakit". He assisted me in getting up and we picked my mom up from the office and went to the hospital near our house in Muntinlupa. When we arrived at the Emergency Room, the doctor asked me what I was feeling and I relayed to him eveything. He injected me with some kind of strong pain reliever. After a few minutes, I was not feeling any pain anymore. 

I tried jumping, running, and moving from side to side. I thought I was healed. 

We went home but around 4 am I was awakened by a sudden pain from my back. I thought somebody was squeezing my back from the inside. I then realized that my legs had no sensation anymore. We went back to the hospital, the Doctor again injected me with the same medicine from last night. He told me that I need to get an XRAY. He asked the assistant to bring a wheelchair. I remember saying, "Gago, di ko kailangan niyan maglalakad ako", but when I planted my foot on the floor I suddenly felt that I was falling forward. 

Tito was able to catch me and assisted me to the wheel chair. He then asked me "Bet, bakit ka naihi?", I answered "Hindi po". But I saw my short pants was wet. 

I got afraid, I held my tears back. 

When I was admitted at the Hospital, the doctor came in and said that he needs to operate on me immediately but he was not able to tell us why. My Mom and Aunt contacted our doctor in PGH and told him everything. Doc said to bring me to PGH immediately.

When I was already in PGH, the doctor told me that they need to do a MRI on me to check what happened inside. When the results came in, he immediately went to my room and told me that what happened to me was what they call "Cauda Equina Syndrome". 

They told me that in the Philippines it was a rare case, that I was the 2nd or 3rd one they knew. That they need to operate on me immediately, I remembered they told us to prepare at least 2-3 Million pesos for the surgery. 

But we didn't have enough money for the operation. We asked the Doctor what are the chances of me getting better if I will be operated on. I think he said 10% only and that there was a larger chance that something may go wrong. 

In verbatim, he told me "Either makalakad ka o mawala pagkalalaki mo". 

I clearly remember the night when he told me that I will forever be unable to walk and will be stuck on a wheelchair. Well! Fuck you Doc! Nakakalakad na ako kahit onti onti. Mabagal oo pero basta makakarating ako sa pupuntahan ko. Pakyu ka!

We got out of PGH and looked for a second opinion from a kinder doctor. We found one in Mandaluyong. He looked at the results of the MRI and confirmed the findings that it is indeed Cauda Equina Sydrome. He asked for a different test. He just wanted to confirm a few details. 

Here are the results.

 

Severe Spinal Stenosis L4-L5 and L5-S1. Doc Casino told me that if we were in a foreign country, the treatment will be easier. Since laser surgery was the only way to do minimally invasive procedure which has a higher chance of not damaging the nerves around the spine.