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Ruth Petersen
My name is Ruth Grace Petersen. I am 50 years old, and I live in
Colorado.
My story is very complicated, so here is the short
version.
I was first paralyzed at age 5, whole body.
My mom called our family doctor and he told her to move my
chin to chest
constantly.
After over 24 hours, my mother and my father were
exhausted, and all I could
do was think and complain of the school work I was missing,
I had ust started
kindergarten. I missed only a week, my body seemed to go
back to normal again.
During my childhood, I was kept very active with a lot of
sports and
activities.
Our family doctor knew it was a blood flow problem, but did
not know what- I
remember, I had to take
baby aspirin for a long time.(we are talking in the
early 1960's).
I did ok, until my first heart attack during laparoscopy
for
endometriosis. I was 21 years old.
Nothing was done for it. They said it was mild,but showed
up on EKG..my
heart attacks since, in my late 30's,early 40's
showed up in symptoms and in
blood work, only a couple showed on EKG. |  |
In the late 80's to late 90's, I had leg /arm
troubles and nerve
troubles. I was misdiagnosed for a decade with
(MSMultiple Sclerosis), by a very
prominent neurologist.
It wasn't till I had a massive stroke, that took my
whole body I regained
my right side back right away after I woke from coma. My
left side to this
day, I have been fighting for it back. I walk with a AFO
brace on my left
leg and finally I can grasp with my left hand.
It wasn't until I went to a new neurologist, that she
repeated the MS
spinal tap test and it was negative. All her scans showed
as old/new strokes not
MS. An angiogram showed 2 aneurysms and beading in my both
upper inner
carotids, FMD in my vertebral's at c2 level (inoperable
area) and in renals. She
could not say what it was, just that it is really rare.
Comforting?
That was
in 1998. I was told that there was no operation available
that they knew of
yet.
I was sent to several neurosurgeons.
In 1999, One did identify that it was FMD. He gave me a
referral to a
doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Who, he heard had
started to do this
operation procedure. So off to Mayo I went.
Several trips
later. I was one of the
first dozen, for right side in Jan 1999,and then left was
done 6 months
later in August of 1999
I had right and left upper carotid vein replacements done.
There was a
healed aneurysm, above a very active one. I was told this
was very rare to see
and find a healed aneurysm. It then dawned on me. That is
why I was paralyzed
at age 5.
Since 2003, I had my last stroke of 3 small blood clots to
inner brain, due
to medication problem. small tia's.
Surprisingly in 2003, my FMD went and stayed dormant until
2007. When it was
found in celiac and right renal.
However, As of my last angiogram 2007, it showed my FMD was
dormant again.No
FMD was seen or found. Except I do have a very small
aneurysm at the end of
my right renal artery.
Somehow during all this, I managed to have 3 wonderful
healthy bright sons.
However, my marriage did not survive.
I am not alone. I
have been with my
boyfriend for 14 years now.
Interesting point, when I was 25 years old, I learned at
my father's
funeral, I was adopted. I was told by my mother that I am
1/2 Norwegian and 1/2
Italian. My birth mother was in a boarding school on Staten
Island.
I've filed with the state (NY closed adoption
records) but haven't heard
anything.
Everything suddenly fell into place, as to my past health
mysteries and why
it wasn't related to my parents.
Ruth Petersen
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