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Home Medical and Vet Remedies, as Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors and Vets! |
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Home Medical and Vet Remedies, as Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors and Vets! |
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Paraplegia.Symptoms* - The most typical examples of this affection occur in cases in which the spinal cord has been ini *red. It will be found that the legs are completely paralyzed, and that the patient has lost control of the bladder and of the rectum. In some instances there is unusual sensitiveness of the skin in the paralyzed parts. The outcome of the disease depends upon the extent and nature of the injury. In some cases the patient is permanently paralyzed, and may never recover complete control of the bladder and of the rectum. In these cases the bowels are evacuated without the influence of the will, in fact often without the patient's knowledge, and the catheter must be constantly used to draw the urine. In most cases a severe inflammation of the bladder occurs, and may shorten the patient's wretched existence. Most of the cases of paraplegia which result from disease are due to an inflammation of the spinal cord. In these cases the patient usually notices for some time before the paralysis becomes evident, that he is not so steady upon his feet as formerly ; and he is especially apt to trip and stumble while walking. After a time he experiences a sense of constriction around the waist, as if a band were bound tightly around his body. Subsequently he notices that the power of the legs is impaired, and often perceives that the sensibility of the skin is also less acute. A most troublesome and severe symptom of this complaint is the occurrence of bed sores. These may be formed on any projecting part of the paralyzed limb, and occur with especial frequency on the buttocks and over the hip bones. They are apt to begin with a simple reddening of the skin, which soon gives place to a deep ulcer. This ulcer increases rapidly in size as the flesh mortifies, and may become as large as the palm of the hand. The bottom and sides of these ulcers are covered with gray, decaying flesh, and the odor emitted by the patient is overpowering. Recovery from this affection rarely, if ever, occurs; in the majority of cases a fatal result ensues within a few months. Sometimes the paralysis is limited to a single nerve, and the symptoms depend, of course, upon the nerve thus affected. Among the most commonly affected nerves are those which supply the eyelids and those which run to the face. Paralysis of the nerve supplying the eyelids causes a drooping of the upper lid, and usually a squint. If the paralysis be caused by cold or by nervous exhaustion, it may disappear spontaneously after a time, and usually yields readily to treatment. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
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