Paralysis nightmare
Mystery injury floors Coast mum
COOMERA Waters mum Carly Brown has been left partially paralysed – for no apparent reason.
In a medical mystery that has devastated her young family, the 36-year-old nurse thought her leg had merely “gone to sleep” in September last year but is now grappling with an uncertain future as it has never regained sensation.
“I woke up fine but a couple of hours later stood up to take my daughter to gymnastics and my right leg felt numb,” recalled Carly, who has spent six months in hospital since February.
“The whole day I said to my husband ‘It’s not coming back’ and that night I put weight on the leg … and collapsed. That’s when we knew it was time to go to hospital.”
After a week in hospital having tests including two MRIs, doctors were unable to find what was causing the numbness that had spread to her lower back and left leg. Carly limped on for two months, including working as a theatre nurse and helping raise her children aged 5 and 2, before a Brisbane neurosurgeon finally found an answer.
She had suffered a T9/10 spinal cord injury with partial paraplegia and a T9 spinal cord lesion.
“They don’t know what caused it and I couldn’t have done anything to prevent it,” said Carly, who only the evening before her nightmare began had driven to and from Brisbane to see a musical.
“My neurosurgeon has seen this once in his career and most doctors are the same. They just said I was unlucky, which was difficult to hear.
“The surgeon said it was too dangerous to operate so I kept limping on but was deteriorating.
“Finally he decided to operate, which was quite scary.”
That was in February, with Carly spending the next three months in hospital learning to walk again.
“I started in a wheelchair and then moved to a walking frame,” she said. “Now I’m on two crutches but require a wheelchair for long distances.
“I’m back in hospital for a month doing intense rehab as they say you make the most progress in the first two years. They don’t know what the future holds but my dream is to walk without crutches.”
The medical drama has also taken a huge financial toll, with friends launching a Go Fund Me campaign to help support the family.
“We’ve never cried poor or asked for anything but I can’t explain how difficult it’s been financially,” Carly said.
“To go from a full-time management position to not working for eight months has been devastating. We’ve effectively lost a house deposit.
“You feel a bit helpless and some days are harder than others. I never thought this would be my life but I also don’t want to give up yet.”
MY NEUROSURGEON HAS SEEN THIS ONCE IN HIS CAREER AND MOST DOCTORS ARE THE SAME. THEY JUST SAID I WAS UNLUCKY, WHICH WAS DIFFICULT TO HEAR CARLY BROWN