My story
I was a proud owner operator of a succesful heavy equip company.
I then received a massive brain stem stroke from a chiropactic neck manipulation that put a end to it. My dream job has just been shattered.
I was 12 years old when i first got the chance to operate equip with my dad and enjoyed it ever since, so later in life i bought the equipment company from my dad.
Ever thing was going as well as possible with the buy out.
On One my work days while I was operating a excavator, i started feeling upper shoulder/back discomfort from bouncing around all day. I figured that night when I came home, I will tell my wife Anny that I am going to see if I can get my sore upper back/shoulder adjusted from a chiropractor. [i see chiror's about maybe 3 times per year-if that.
He did some adjustments out of his house as I went numerous times before mainly for my knees and sometimes my lower back, but never once was i told by him or any chiropractor’s, that there's a risk working on a neck that could possible be life threatening or cause a stroke. I guess-I found out the hard way.
If I would have known then what I know now, this would of never happened and I’d be living a normal life doing what i love-instead of being a quadriplegic like i am now.
As he worked on me the first time he manipulated my neck, I didn’t think that was really necessary working on my neck when my pain was in my shoulder, but figured he knows what he’s doing.
Then came the painful click in my neck. I thought-boy, I think it feels worse now than when I came in. He assured me it was just the rough treatment and go home and put ice packs on of which he gave me from his own ice box.
I went home and was constantly putting ice packs on, but the new aggravating pain wouldn’t go away, normally it subsides but this didn’t.
I told my wife that night, i am going to try and take a short nap before we go out to eat and drink. That night I couldn’t sleep for beans because of neck discomfort, but eventually did.
The next morn was routine as normal, but was out and about more on this job which required bending over, so when I bent over I got light headed. I passed that off as maybe a little left over hang over from the night before when we went out.
I kept working, but as I was walking I was still getting this light headed feelings even when standing up and exerting myself doing hand work. I thought-boy, this is a weird lingering hang over, but it subsided and the day dragged on.
Little did I know a tear had started in my main arteries below my brain.
A few days later with the same pain I told my wife I am going to the chiropractor again to try to get this pain fixed, she said are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor first cause you never get headaches like this for so long “I should have listened, but instead I said let me call him and see what he says?.
With her sitting by my side listening, I asked him should I see a doctor? He asked me if I had trouble going 1 or two? I said no, so he said come on in I’ll fix you up. Little did I know it would be the last time I say good bye to my wife for months, almost forever.
So i ended up going to see him, after putting my arm across my body and doing a few body twist, he eventually got to manipulating my neck, after twisting [manipulating] of my neck bones I started feeling my toes and legs just a tingling [pin & needles type thing]
I yelled out, i cant move my legs! thinking, O-its nothing. He in turn said, your kidding me right? i said, no i am not! some thing is wrong. At this point, i am starting to worry and was getting very nervous. Not long there after, the tingling worked its why up my legs and covered my whole body and just like that, i lost my ability to talk, move, but i could see straight ahead. To me it was the scariest point of this whole ordeal.
By the time the chiropractor figured out i was not moving & stopped talking by not answering his questions and by having that scared look in my eyes. Then he yelled for his wife to call 911 ASAP.
I thought to my self when i heard-call 911 that this is not good for 911 to be called.
I do however remember before blacking out, him sticking his fingers in my mouth to hold my tongue as to keep my air way open until the ambulance came. In my passed out state - i dreamt having this scary dream, but as i came to from the dream, i realised the dream was real. I really wasn't a 100% sure because i was in a daze.
It took two MRI’s to determine what went wrong and when Doctors told my wife it was a brain stem stroke, she didn’t have a clue that it’s the worst stroke to have, she never heard of it.
Heres from her diary.
Heres from her diary.
July 3, 2000 They did an MRA - it was a brain stem stroke. When the Dr. told me that-I thought-well, that can't be too bad - I had never heard of that kind of stroke before, boy was i wrong. The Dr. said he would be disabled and there was still a chance he might not pull through.
From my book publisher
BRAIN STEM STROKES ARE CONSIDERED THE WORST KIND OF STROKE BECAUSE THEY AFFECT EVERY PART OF BODY, NORMALLY ASIDE FROM ONE’S MENTAL FUNCTION’S.
PROSPECTS FROM REGAINING MUCH OR ANY MOVEMENT OR SPEECH ARE MINIMAL “AND DUE TO ITS RARITY, THERE’S NO ONE IN THIS LOCATION TO SPEEK TO ABOUT IT AT THE TIME OF HIS BRAIN STEM STROKE , NOT DOC’S, NURSES OR FELLOW SUFFERER’S ”ANN NOTES “. IT SEEMED NO ONE KNEW MUCH AT ALL ABOUT IT HERE”
THIS MYSTERIOUS AFFLICTION HAD LITERALLY LOCKED HER HUSBAND INSIDE HIS OWN BODY, AND THEREFORE LIKELY OUT OF HIS LOVED ONE’S LIVES. AGONIZING ONLY BEGINS TO DESCRIBE HER PAIN.
After i made it through the night, I later found out, there was a slim chance of me not even making it, but i did against the odds.
My wife and I have been living a upside down world ever since meeting new friends and challenging obstacles along the way that we took for granted before.
I ended up writing a book of my ordeals since my stroke so after 7 years of on and off again writing of time consuming Emails back & forth with my publisher because phone was not a option for me, i finally had it published.
https://www.scottslockedin.com is my web site.
To this day my problems are:
- I cant walk so i am in a power wheelchair
- I cant talk, i mean i can [garbaled], but its not well enough for just any one to figure out. One must be around me for some time to figure out what i am trying to say. I can nod my head yes & no just fine.
- I am pretty much a non moving fixture in my wheelchair, my right arm moves just enough so i can operate my power wheelchair and like i said, my head moves, but about 85%
- eating is ok, i just have to stay away from harder foods or i'll cough.
- I cant control my breathing [its like being on auto pilot] i just breath in and out none stop which makes it even harder to talk-such as it is. Try to talk or even blowing when always breathing, its hard
- I have feeling through out my body, thats a good thing.
- I get hoyered in and out of bed. Basically i cant do nothing without help except drive my wheelchair and use a computer VIA a headstick-thats my hands.
