AVM Surgery (8 years ago)

[Steve]

Eight years ago I was diagnosed with a spinal cord AVM at T-2, T-3. I was operated on in Dallas, TX by a wonderful group of surgeons. My purpose of writing this is not to dwell on the past but perhaps share helpful tips that I have learned over the years to make daily life easier and as normal as possible. I consider myself very lucky. Although I do walk with a cane when I leave my house, I lead a very active and normal life. I have two teenagers and a wonderful husband so we are constantly on the go.
Over the years I have had lots of physical therapy but as we all know that can be very costly. I have found that yoga or pilates is great for the tone and stiffness. Swimming is probably the best workout we could do. We also own a Bowflex which has done wonders in keeping my muscles strong as well as stretching the muscles.
I am particular about the shoes that I wear. They can make a huge difference in the stability in your gait. I wear Ryka tennis shoes, they are made only for women. I try to buy the styles that are higher on my foot for better ankle support. I only buy shoes made by Clarks of England or Simple. Both can be found at department stores as well as online. Unfortunately, the really cute shoes, such as slides, flip flops or high heels are out of the question. Instead of carring a purse, I carry a back pack purse. It keeps my hands free and is still stylish. My cane is a collapsible cane. I pucharsed it at our local drug store. I like it because when we are out I can fold it up,use one of my daughter's hair-ties to keep it folded and store it in my backpack.
The medication I take is Zanaflex. I like it because it has the fewest side effects. Dry mouth, sleepiness etc. I have also had Botox injections in my leg muscles in the past. That has been a great help. Although it is expensive some insurances will cover the cost or some teaching hospitals may beable to enroll you in a grant program. I've done both. The botox injections really do help the spasticity and can last for many months. I was fortunate that mine lasted about 9 months each time. I also started seeing a chiropractor last summer. Surprisingly that has also helped.
I know that I could go on and on but its time for my work out. I hope this helps someone who may be searching for information. I have always felt very lucky especially when I stop to think that there are many more people in this world who are far worse off than I am!