by Kimberly Michell

Created on: July 08, 2008

As I look back at the past year, my life has been changed irrevocably. With so many medical professionals telling me they could "all but cure" my cerebral palsy with a simple implant, I began to believe. The implant is called an Intrathecal (directly into the spinal fluid) Baclofen (an antispasmodic medication) Pump and is made by Medtronic. It is sold to those of us with spastic disabilities as a miracle. It is placed under the ribcage in the front of your body and a lead is passed through to the spine which pumps the liquid baclofen directly into the cerebral spinal fluid.

I was promised that within three to four months, with physical therapy I would be walking almost normally and would be so much more functional. At first I said, "Absolutely not! No one is messing with my spine. I am completely functional and there is nothing I want to do that I cannot including, remodeling my own house." But, my doctor kept pressuring me to try the test and promising that I would even be a better mother because I would be able to run and play in the yard with my daughter without the fear of falling down. After several months, and several arguments with my doctor, I finally agreed to the test.

Except for a severe headache for several days, the test went well. With much apprehension, I finally agreed to the procedure and it was scheduled for May 9, 2007. I did not know that I would never be the same again. I expected to be "cured" and instead wound up feeling "conned."

The procedure is scheduled as an outpatient one but in my opinion having been through it should be at least an overnight stay in the hospital. You feel as if you have had a through and through gun shot wound with the lead passed through to your back. I also feel it would have been better to stay overnight to monitor my reaction to the intrathecal baclofen. But, at any rate, I woke up at about 2:30PM and was back on the road being driven the 50 miles back home. When I got home I did the only thing I could do under the circumstances, which is take pain medication and go to bed.

The next morning I woke up very sick to my stomach, but excited because all of the spasticity in my legs was gone and for the first time in my life my feet were flat on the ground. I know having your feet flat on the ground doesn't sound like much to most people but to me it was a "miracle" just as the doctors had said. The excitement didn't last long however because it gave way to a round of severe vomiting, headache and an inability to

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