"Visit to A&E"

On Sunday 30th November 2008 I visited A & E as I had been awake all night with pains in my left shoulder and neck. I was checked out for heart problems and was told that my heart was ok and my other organs appeared to be in good order. During that day my left arm became immovable and the pain was intense.I told the doctor and he said that it was a trapped nerve. I managed to get home at about 5pm (I arrived at the A & E at approximately 7.30 that morning) I did have to wait for the results of blood tests. At about 8pm my right arm became painful and immovable. My wife took me back to the A & E. after waiting several hours I was seen by a young doctor. She gave me one Codine tablet, some muscle relaxants and a sheet of execises for my shoulders. The next day my leg became very difficult to move and to walk wih. Eventually my GP referred ne to the Stroke Clinic at Aintree Hospitals. I was given an MRI scan and told that I had an 'abnormality on my spinal cord'. I was immediately hospitalised. The eventual diagnosies was that I had contracted 'acute transverse myelitus'. This is an uncommon condition which, in my case due to the site of the inflammation was potentially life threatening.

I appreciate the the disease I have is uncommon, but to have both arms disfunctional within a short space of time I think should have resulted more than the treatment that I was given. I don't know if I will recover the use of my left arm (it is not very useful at present). I do think that the presenting symptoms should have been beeter investigated.