New Here

[pledgermania]

I recently came across this site and have found it helpful, so I figure I should introduce myself and join in. I am 26 yrs old, married, and have one daughter. Everyone else here seems to know everything about their SB, but I don't. I know I have myelo...(however you spell that), tethered cord, and Chiari II. If you were to meet me, you'd have no idea I have SB. My only outward trait is the scar on my back.

I've never had any complications due to the tethered cord. However, I know I cannot lift anything too heavy. I'm struggling with that since having my daughter. I want to participate in everything the same as my husband, but my daughter is at 20 lbs now and is only going to get heavier. Things that he can do with no thought, like bathing her or picking her up, are just not the same for me because I am afraid I will hurt myself. I've been told previosly by my doctors that I can live a normal life and the tethered cord should not cause me any real problems. I just can't accept that I guess. I feel like I'm driving myself crazy worrying about what will happen when my baby gets to where I really shouldn't be lifting her. I'm also afraid that getting pregnant and gaining way too much weight with that might have caused problems with my back, but there really isn't anything going on that should make me think that. I feel like the craziness is causing me to create pain where there really isn't ( I think that because I'm fine at work; I only feel this way at home). I've started to have an aversion to looking at my scar, whereas growing up I had no problems with any one seeing it.

That is probably a little much for an introductory post. But, I am here to be around other people who might understand.

[Barb]

Hi and Welcome!!! It is so wonderful to read your story!

[Dodger67]

Welcome to the forum!

About your back weakness, may I suggest you get in touch with an orthopeadic specialist or physiotherapist and see if a lumbo-sacral corset might help.

[pledgermania]

It's not that I am too weak to lift anything heavy. I was told by my neuro that I shouldn't lift more than 40 lbs. He probably pulled the exact # out of his ass, but nonetheless, I don't lift anything "heavy".

[Dodger67]

I understand that you mean weakness in the sense if the load bearing capacity of your spine rather than the power of your muscles. A corset can't make muscles stronger, it acts as additional support that takes some of the load off your spine.

Your arms are attached to your ribcage which is attached to your pelvis through your lumbar spine. A lumbar or lumbo-sacral corset actually transfers some of the load through its own structure directly from your chest to your pelvis, bypassing your lumbar spine.

[Bigwilli]

Can you share where your lesion was located?

[pledgermania]

My lesion is really low. I don't know the letter/number combo, but it is tailbone region. My scar is right above my butt crack (if that is tmi, sorry!)

[Dodger67]

If its that low, your neurologists prohibition against you lifting heavy stuff doesn't make much sense unless it is a large lesion that has seriously affected the structural integrity of your sacrum - but that is an orthopeadic matter - not neurology.
I'm probably missing something - what reason did the neurologist give you?

[pledgermania]

He didn't want me to cause problems with the tethered cord.

I don't know if it is understood from my posts that I can walk without any problems whatsoever.

Also, I wasn't always kept in the loop growing up. For so long and didn't even know what sb is. The only reason we know of my tethered cord is because I got a pylonidal cyst and had an MRI. Then the only reason I know I have the Chiari II is because I was having some pain in my scar, so I went to an adult neuro for the first time in like 10 years and he did a full MRI and noticed it. He told me that because of where my lesion is, I shouldn't have any problems. My ped-neuro is a friend of the family and keeps assuring me that I should lead a normal life without any problems.

Up to this point, I've been completely fine. My intelligience isn't effected. I'm a CPA. I work full time in the Oil/Gas industry. I gained 65 lbs when I was pregnant with my daughter last year. I've lost all but 20 so far. I think any weakness I think I feel is due to that and also that I don't work out like I used to.