Sharon Greenwell - Where the Road May Lead: An Inspirational Written for Those Who Live with Chronic Conditions

Where the
Road May
Lead

An Inspirational Written for those who
live with chronic conditions

SHARON
GREENWELL

AuthorHouse

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Phone: 833-262-8899

Copyright 2020 SharonGreenwell . All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/19/2020

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0835-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-0836-0 (e)

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Contents

YESTERDAY IS HISTORY

TOMORROW IS MYSTERY

WE CALL TODAY THE PRESENT

A PRESENT IS A GIFT

THANK GOD FOR THE GIFT OF THE PRESENT

Ol Bob E., my other wing

&

Daniel, the wind beneath them

My balance and grace was a problem as a toddler and young child. A moderate learning disability and vision difficulties surfaced when I entered school, and as I got older, more symptoms appeared. Sharp pains would radiate through my head, neck and back, and I had stomach problems. The most disturbing for me, though, were the mood swings, personality changes, and memory difficulties.

My mom was a nurse, so medical care was a priority. There were always simple explanations and treatments for the physical complications. As for the others, I just became well noted for my extreme strong will.

One day, at age 40, my right side went numb. It took several weeks, many tests, and even a wrong diagnosis, but I finally had an explanation. It was a traumatic experience to discover I had birth defects known as Arnold Chiari Malformation (ACM) and Syringomyelia (SM). My family was devastated, and my whole life was about to change.

Surgeries were performed, experimental medications were tried, but there was no improvement in my conditions. At one point. I was told to learn to live with it, and dismissed from doctors care. As time passed, I noticed a steady decrease in physical capabilities and endurance, and an increase in symptoms. I sought medical treatment, but there seemed to be nothing that would explain what was happening.

A few days prior to my 50 th birthday, the pain had become more than I could continue to ignore, and I decided it was time to seek the help of professionals once again which meant more tests. It was a shock to discover that these conditions I had previously been treated for developed complications, and were now more severe than the original diagnosis.

By this time, we had a home computer, so I decided to search the internet for some information that might be helpful. I came across several groups that deal with rare conditions and it was through them that I found people that had the same conditions I did. I now had explanations, possible treatments, doctors that specialize in these conditions, and support.

It took 10+ years but most importantly, I found hope!

Do not allow knowledge to create fear .

use it to grow strength

Simple Neurological
Anatomy
Arnold Chiari
Malformation &
Syringomyelia

A natomy probably isnt a topic most people consider snuggling up with when they want to read a good book. Yet, in order to capture the jest of a neurological condition such as Arnold Chiari Malformation or Syringomyelia. There must be a basic understanding of the brain and spinal cord.

I am not a doctor, nor do I have any medical training. I was, however, determined to understand what was happening to me, and what treatment was available. I began searching the Internet, studying numerous articles with a medical dictionary by my side. I found the following valuable information.

The brain is, essentially, our control panel, monitoring and regulating everything from our status quo to our wiggling toes. It controls life sustaining functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Coordination and balance are forms of timing, also determined by the brain, allowing us to walk, talk, eat and swallow. The ability to reason, helping us find direction or solve problems and our personality, mood and behavior are also directly affected. It enables us to comprehend speech and writing, distinguish sounds and smells, recognize shapes and colors, and to determine pain from pleasure. As an added precaution, the brain produces cerebellar spinal fluid which acts as a cushion, protecting itself and spinal cord from impact and injury.

All this information has to be distributed throughout the body in order for us to accomplish even the simplest movement. Among other functions, the brain stem acts as a pathway, connecting the brains signals with the nerves. The nerves run within the spinal cord, branching out to the various parts of the body. Muscles, in turn, rely on nerve impulses for tone and mobility. By all these things working in unison, we are able to live, what most consider to be, a normal life.

Should damage occur to the brain, brain stem or spinal cord, normal functions can become confused. There may be a complete lack of pain and sensation in some areas and a hyper-sensitivity in others, reflexes may over react or react slowly, blood pressure could be raised or lowered as well as body temperature. Changes can appear in mood or personality, short term memory may be impaired, and confusion can occur periodically. Fluctuations in vision, stiffness or weakness in muscles, irritability of bowel and bladder, or even heart arrhythmias can appear. There is no part of the body or system exempt from being affected.

Arnold Chiari Malformation referred to now as ACM, and Syringomyelia, referred to now as SM, are only two of many neurological conditions, but these are the ones I have.

ACM is a malformation of the skull, forcing the brain into the spinal canal. This, in turn, can reroute spinal fluid flow and cause pressure on the spinal stem. This pressure interrupts the signals needed to complete movements and thoughts, causing confusion for the nerves as to what to do next. Some of its symptoms are headaches, neck pain, unsteady gait, coordination, numbness of hands and feet, dizziness, difficulty swallowing causing gagging or choking, speech, tinnitus, weakness and scoliosis.

SM is a cyst developed in the spinal cord. This cyst begins to fill with the rerouted spinal fluid. Think of it as a leaking outside faucet. With every drop of water, a hole develops in the ground, and continues to get deeper and larger. As the cyst expands, pressure begins to compress nerves, causing them more confusion.

With expert care and treatment, these conditions can hopefully be corrected, stopping any further damage. Unfortunately, the damage it has already caused may not be reversible. Symptoms include muscle weakness or wasting (atrophy), loss of reflexes, loss of sensation to pain and heat and scoliosis.

The nerves can sometimes heal themselves, depending on how long they have been compromised.

All the years of no diagnosis left its own scars, as well. Low self-esteem and psychological bruising never completely heal. Even though you now have an explanation, the self-doubt lingers on.

Our daily struggle to maintain quality in our lives is such