Advice and thoughts

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User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 14:20

Feeling quite nervous again. My husband suffered Spinal cord compression 10 months ago

He has been getting on well and recently brilliant ,started driving again going to tesco on his own and last week joined a small

Disabled swimming club .when he came home from any of these outings you could see how much better he felt from doing these

Tasks. My concern is out of the blue he will complain of leg pain and since the swimming twinges in his back he will then take paracetamol for the next twelve hours and gradually he will get back to progressing this happens now and then with the legs.

We do have a hospital appointment Friday but I'm just wondering if anyone could advise me should he take more rest or push for progress I'm worried that spinal cord compression is possible again or would the swimming and the extra activities be raking their

toll?t thanks Susan .

User

Posted 01 Feb 2015 at 22:47

Hi,

My dad is due to have an operation tomorrow to insert rods into his spine and try to remove some (all?) of his spinal tumour. I'm not sure if he has been diagnosed with full SCC but I can sympathise, spinal problems are very scary! Was your husband able to walk before diagnosis of SCC? Has he had full mobility since? One thing I have learnt is - keep asking someone until another scan is done. It's the only way to be sure. I'm not sure of the probability of it happening again, but it's always better to check, I would think (in my opinion).

I hope you get good news.

K x

User

Posted 02 Feb 2015 at 04:22

It's difficult to know if he is simply just pushing himself too hard, when he goes swimming, or there is slight impingement on the spinal cord again. It may be that the oncologist suggests another scan just to check.

It is great that he has been recovering strength and regained his independence...and it may just be that he takes it a bit easier this week till he's had it checked out on Friday?

You'll know this already, but if he develops, weakness, urinary or bowel problems, or feels pins/needles. Numbness or increasing pain to let GP and his prostate team know immediately, in case there is some pressure on nerves again.

Hopefully it is that he's just been overdoing the exercise.

Warm wishes

Sue

Edited by member 02 Feb 2015 at 04:24 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 02 Feb 2015 at 10:53

We say this all of the time but the fact is that we are all different and what works for one may not work as well for another. I picked up my grandson last year and suffered a prolapsed disc between L1 and L2. It caused extreme pain and I also have nerve damage affecting my right leg. I also have arthritis in both hips, my right one is the worst of the two.

I am a member of a swimming club and my wife and I swim at least three times a week and sometimes more if we have time. Now, there is swimming and there is paddling around in the water. I do swimming. Front crawl for at least 30 mins and in fact I have just increased my swims to 40 mins. I follow that up with 15 mins in the steam room and then 15 mins in the Jacuzzi with the side jets concentrated on my lower back. Paddling around in the water having a laugh will probably do little to help your husbands condition and my advice would be to take swimming lessons with someone who is qualified and knows what they are doing. Your husband will start off, as I did, only doing as much as his condition allows but as his fitness and swimming style improves the positive effects will allow him to do more and so the cycle will continue. If on the other hand the effects of swimming exercise are doing more harm than good then of course he will need to stop and find another way.

Swimming has had a positive effect for me. I feel fitter, I am losing weight that I put on when recuperating after my RRP but best of all the exercise has improved my back injury and is having positive effects on my arthritis too. I walk properly again and I am almost pain free. So I would say try it out and see if it has positive results for you too.

Steve

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