My TM Story by Angela Jackson

“You have the body of a 45-year-old, and your lab results are normal. You have nothing to be concerned about.” These are the words my doctor spoke to me during my annual wellness visit in December 2018. I made it through January and most of February without any disruption. On February 27, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. I was supposed to go to the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Indiana Pacers basketball game. The night before, instead of gathering my usual office clothes, I pulled out my Dallas Maverick jacket, a top, and jeans. When I woke up the next morning, my left thigh was numb. I thought sleeping on my left side caused the numbness. I massaged my thigh, got ready for work, and grabbed Ibuprofen so I could take it when I got to work. At times I think about why I didn’t take Ibuprofen at home. If I had taken two pills when I first got up, would that have helped in any way? Probably not. My one-hour drive to work was uneventful. When I arrived at work, I took two Ibuprofen hoping it would help my thigh return to normal.

Around 3:00 p.m., I got up from my desk to go to the restroom and my entire left leg was heavy, painful, and numb. I used my left hand to lift my leg and walked slowly to the restroom. On the way back to my office one of my colleagues asked me if I was okay. Tears developed in my eyes; I told her something was wrong with my leg. I refused her help, went to my office, and called my doctor. I explained to the receptionist what was going on with my leg and pleaded for an appointment. I was asked if I could be there in 30 minutes. I explained that my drive from work to them is 40 minutes. She put me on hold and asked the doctor if it was okay to make an appointment. The doctor agreed and I gathered my belongings and said goodbye to my team. I refused to be helped to my car, which I later regretted.

I used the same walking method that I had used earlier to go to the restroom, but this time the walk was longer. I had to go to the elevator, through the lobby, out to the parking garage, up four steps, and walk past several cars to get to my car. Thankfully, my right leg was not affected, which meant I could drive. Before leaving the parking lot I made two calls: one to my husband and then to my friend. I informed each of them what was happening and that I was leaving work to go to the doctor.

Some people say that when it rains it pours. As soon as I left the parking lot, a light rain started. I prayed there would be no accidents on the drive to the doctor’s office because I knew I would have to go to an emergency room if I was late.

When I arrived, I used my car and sidewalk railing as a crutch to support my gait. I signed in and before I could sit down, the door to the patient area opened. The medical assistant called my name and escorted me to an exam room. The doctor entered the room after the medical assistant left me. We discussed possible causes that would bring about the numbness. In November of 2018, during my weekly appointment at an allergy clinic, a nurse administered a shot that had hit my sciatic nerve. This was ruled out because I had recovered. The doctor finished examining me, prescribed prednisone, and arranged for me to see a neurologist. She instructed me to go to the emergency room if I began to feel worse. Before leaving the parking lot, I got settled in the car. I called my husband, Bo, and asked him to pick up the prescription on his way home from work.

Bo and I talked about the bizarre situation. We prayed the medicine would be effective and return my leg to normal. I got dressed for bed, took three prednisone, and laid on the sofa. I turned on the TV. But all I could think about was: what was going on with me? My sister came home around 7:00 p.m. and asked how my day was. By that time, I couldn’t move from the waist down. I replied “Awful,” and started crying. She was shocked at my response and rushed to the sofa to console me. I asked her to get me some clothes and tell Bo to take me to an emergency room.

When we arrived at the hospital’s ambulance bay, my medical journey began. I was assigned a bed in the hospital. I took several tests, did x-rays and MRIs, and was discharged with a pinched nerve diagnosis. I was then referred to a neurosurgeon.

Positive movement:

Bo secured me in a wheelchair. On the morning of March 1, 2019, I got a call from Lonestar Neurology responding to my doctor’s referral to set an appointment. Upon checking in I was quickly moved to an exam room. Within a few minutes, neurologist Dr. Zhao entered the room and thoroughly examined me, and told me that my diagnosis was Transverse Myelitis (TM). She consulted with Dr. Ansari, who also thoroughly examined and agreed with the diagnosis.

Understanding the severity of the diagnosis:

Dr. Ansari explained TM and the seriousness of the illness. I learned that I must be hospitalized as soon as possible. Dr. Ansari didn’t want us to wait for an ambulance. He instructed Bo to take me to Baylor Centennial Hospital, two blocks away from his office. The doctor called the hospital emergency room (ER), told them we were coming, and gave them a list of tests to perform.

Hospital Acute Care and Rehabilitation:

A hospital nurse met us at the ER on the curb with a wheelchair. While rolling me into the hospital he told us Dr. Ansari had given him all the instructions to start my treatment and testing. I was placed in an exam bay. The testing and other procedures began: MRIs, CAT scans, blood draws, a lumbar puncture, insertion of a urinary catheter, and a steroid drip. The next morning, I was moved from the ER to the ICU. The hospital staff spent four days caring for me and monitoring me to ensure the paralysis wasn’t moving above my waist. I was moved from intensive care to an acute care room, where I was treated with acute physical and occupational rehabilitation for 31 days. I was told I may not walk again, but God had a different plan. I left inpatient rehabilitation using a walker. After discharge, I went to physical therapy two or three times a week for a year.

Things I didn’t expect to happen in the hospitals:

• Being scolded by a nurse because we entered the ER through the wrong door.
• Lying on a hospital bed in the ER hallway waiting to be treated.
• Diagnosed with a pinched nerve after having an MRI, hip X-rays, and blood test.
• During discharge from the ER, an attendant attempted to make me walk to the car using crutches. Eventually, I was put in a wheelchair and rolled to the car.
• The next day I went to an unnecessary follow-up visit with the same neurosurgeon that had diagnosed me with a pinched nerve, now stating I didn’t have a pinched nerve.
• None of the nurses working in the ER could find a good vein to draw blood, even after trying every tactic. A surgeon was called and he couldn’t find a vein, so he put an IV catheter in my neck.
• I had to stay overnight in the emergency room and then moved to the intensive care unit the next morning due to my injury having the severity of a car accident victim.
• After four days in the ICU, I was moved to a private room. A nurse greeted me and immediately started talking to me about discharge protocol. This message caused unrest because I was told I would be receiving more treatment.
• My stay was extended by one day due to an allergic reaction to a batch of plasma.
• After a port was removed from my neck, I blacked out, a code blue was called and another day was added to my stay.
• To the best of my ability, I explained idiopathic transverse myelitis to 100% of the hospital nurses and other staff who treated me.

I listed the unexpected things because you can’t expect the unexpected. What you can do is deal with what is occurring positively and be thankful for the corrective measures that assisted in your care and recovery.

I’m conquering a health battle I never imagined I would have to fight. Through it all, I shed a lot of tears grieving what I had lost and trying to understand what was happening to me, wondering what my life would be like in the future.

The good news: I am walking Independently with some lingering symptoms; tight muscles, lower extremity sensitivity, hip impingement, and nerve tingling.

I’m thankful for my loving, caring, supportive, and outstanding husband Bo Jackson. He stayed at the hospital for 31 days. No words can explain all that he’s done for me.

I’m thankful for my daughters Candace and Courtney for their unconditional sacrifices, love, and support.

I’m thankful for my brothers and sisters. I’m so grateful for our family relationship; a loving bond that can’t be broken.

I’m thankful for my extended family and friends. Their visits, cards, flowers, food, phone calls, and love warmed my heart.

I’m thankful for Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Centennial and Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation Frisco Texas. Your staff is amazing. Kudos to the nursing staff.

I’m thankful for Dr. Vicki Seidmeyer, Dr. Ramin Ansari, and Dr. Yu Zhao. They are physicians who demonstrate that they truly care. They are patient-focused. Their contribution to my recovery will never be forgotten.