THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTERJUNE 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association Network- Serving Kentuckiana.
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Message From the President Dear Members & Friends- July’s meeting will be held at Frazier Rehab Institute, 220 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, in the 10th floor dining room at 6:30 p.m. - David Allgood All articles this edition are taken from the Internet-ed
POST-INJURY MRI PREDICTS SPINAL CORD RECOVERY
MRI imaging is giving neurosurgeons good insight into whether patients with serious spinal cord injuries can recover, a new study shows. Within 48 hours of the injury, these images should be able to provide a reasonable prediction of a patient's fate, Canadian researchers reported in the June issue of the journal Radiology. Currently, MRIs are commonly but inconsistently performed on spinal cord injury patients, noted study co-author Dr. Michael G. Fehlings, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto. In light of the study results, they should become the ìstandard of care, unless pressing medical circumstances preclude the test from being done,î he said. |
injuries in the United States. In the new study, Fehlings and colleagues examined 100 patients-79 men and 21 women-with severe spinal cord injuries, mostly as a result of motor vehicle accidents. The patients underwent MRI scans that ìallow doctors to see the site of spinal cord injury and to appreciate whether the spine is fractured and whether there is pressure on the spinal cord,î Fehlings said. His team found that three factors-severity of spinal cord compression, bleeding and spinal cord swelling-were directly connected to poor outcomes. Essentially, the factors indicate a ìmore severe injury with less opportunity for recovery,î Fehlings said. But the prognosis was good for patients without those symptoms, even if they were severely injured. In addition to predicting the likelihood of recovery, MRI images can help doctors determine whether patients should undergo spinal cord decompression surgery, Fehlings said. There is, of course, a potential downside to a bleak prediction: It could leave patients with little hope for the future. But Fehlings said that's not necessarily so. ìCommunication with patients is an art. It is important for physicians to communicate a sense of hope even in the setting of a severe spinal cord injury,î he said. (Continue On Page Two)
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THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER | ||
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Derby City Area Chapter ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large. *** PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT TREASURER LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE FUNDRAISING CHAIR CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER PAST PRESIDENT BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE- Mike Perry NSCIA Editor- Barbara Davis Visit Our Website at The Derby City Area Chapter Newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Frazier Rehab Institute |
POST-INJURY MRI, CONT'D From another perspective, one doctor said it is important for patients ìto understand the bleakness of the futureî if there are signs of those factors discussed in the study. ìBetter to know than to be given false hope,î reasoned Dr. Robert Quencer, a radiologist at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
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Refrigerator Calendar
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DISABLED LAUD EFFORTS TO MAKE INTIMACY EASIER Alan Tholkes expected good-natured ribbing when he shared his new product idea with colleagues at HealthPostures, the ergonomic furniture company in Glencoe, Minn., that he co-founded in 1999. The idea was a gliding chair with adjustable legs and back support, but it would not be something you'd take to a softball game. The IntimateRider (www.intimaterider.com), now being launched nationally and retailing for just under $500, is a sex aid for the physically disabled. That includes Tholkes, who became a quadriplegic at the age of 17 as the result of a car crash. The chair, he said, is especially helpful for people with spinal cord injuries, arthritis, chronic back pain and other debilitating ailments, offering support and ease of motion that allows many couples to enjoy sex again. While inventor Tholkes, Minnesota's 1991 Entrepreneur of the Year, jokes that the "R&D (research and development) was a lot of fun," the chair, and the reason behind its development, is serious business. While tantalizing sexual messages rain down on the able-bodied, those with disabilities hear something quite different from advertisers, culture, and too often, their doctors: Silence. "When I went through post accident rehab in the 1970's at age 18, it was one of those things that got shuffled under the rug," Tholkes said. "They taught me how to feed, dress, and take care of myself, but nobody brought up the subject of how I was going to have sex, which was at the top of my list." As many as 11,000 Americans suffer spinal cord injuries every year, he points out, and more than 80 percent of them are males between the ages of 16 and 30. "You're young, aggressive, invincible," said Tholkes, 49, who maintains good arm function that allows him to move himself in and out of his manual wheelchair. "At that age, sex is still a predominant topic on your mind." While many men and women with spinal |
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cord injuries regain all or some form of their sexual capabilities, depending on the degree of injury and its location, "society looks at someone in the wheelchair," Tholkes said, "and assumes you're not in that group anymore." It's not only people in wheelchairs who face this reality. The website of the Arthritis Foundation (www.arthritis.org) offers "A Guide to Intimacy With Arthritis", that demonstrates a hunger for answers among a population whose sexual desires clearly haven't waned, despite often agonizing physical or emotional challenges. Among their questions:
(Continued On Page Five)
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SEXUALITY, CONT'D Christ Kost, 37 of Shakopee, has heard these concerns and more, as a personal trainer for Accua Advanced Fitness Training in Savage and as a man who has lived with osteoarthritis for 16 years. Married to Erin Kost and the father of a 17-month-old son, he keeps physically fit, but can't deny that some days are marked by aches and pain that are unusual for a young man. A longtime volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation's north central chapter, which includes Minnesota, he also speaks to young people anxious about intimacy issues and particularly worried about whether able-bodied people will find them desirable. Eight years ago, he delivered a candid talk to participants at the American Juvenile Arthritis Foundation's convention in Washington, D.C. A lot of people are just worried about being able to live normal lifestyles,' he said. ìThey see media-made intimacy. Honestly, that's not the way it is. I told them, 'You're not going to be in a porn movie with cameras all around you. It's you and your significant other.'î TIPS FOR DISABLED TRAVELERS
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FOR SALE***
WC Lift; $7,000 new; only used 2 months; asking $3,000. Invacare Storm TDX 3 Power WC; full reclining; less that 1 year old; $12,000 new; asking $2,000. Quickie II manual chair; good cond.; $800. Call David 589-6620. NC topper; used; 3 E&J Manual chairs; used; 1 Quicksilver Action manual chair; Monarch hand controls. 93,000 miles. Price negotiable. Call Ruth @ 239-9754 after 5 p.m. *Shower Chair; 2 yrs old, negotiable; Invacare 900 Action Power Chair; 4 yrs. Old; $600. Call 448-5296. *Cookbooks for Sale: Recipes compiled by Chapter members; $10:00. Call David @ 589-6620. *Video tapes for sale. Various topics related to spinal cord injuries. Call David Allgood or Buddy Lawson. ***If assistance is needed to pay for any of the above items, contact Kentucky Assistive Technology Loan Corporation at 1-800-327-5287 for information on loans at 5% interest to qualified candidates.
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You are cordially invited to join us! The Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association We meet: WHEN- Third Monday of every month from 6:30 to 9:00 PM If you wish to be a member, donor, and/or be on the mailing list of the Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association please complete and mail the following form to the address below
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