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I HAVE polio. No HAD, but HAVE and I am 70 years old

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From JP w/ Polio.... again.
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From a 70 Year Old JP w/Polio
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January 23rd, 2011
I quit putting my polio in the past when I set there and watch a physician do an electromyogram on my leg muscles.. all of my leg muscles. I followed the nurse down endless corridors at UTMB Neurology until we finally came to a secluded, dark corner office filled with computers, wires and one examining table. The physician talked with me and I concluded that, unlike other doctors, he actually knew all about progressive post polio muscular atrophy.
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The electromyogram entails a needle (abut 18 guage), that is connected to the computer, being stuck deeep into the muscles. At that point, the doctor asked me to flex the muscles. He watched the computer screen and made his conclusion. He also stuck the needle into my left bicep and tricep for a baseline. He said that the arm muscles were as normal as a 16 year old's. The muscles of my legs are significantly atrophied. I have lost muscle mass and strength. "No stuff, Sherlock." The good news is that I cannot hurt myself with exercise or working on my feet all day at the pharmacy. My wife was overjoyed that I will never have to use a wheelchair.
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I wil never say that I HAD polio in 1951 again. I will say that I HAVE polio right now. I am right now engaged in a physical therapy program to strengthen my hips and legs. So far so good. However, these seemingly simple leg and hip exercises make me sweaty. My legs hurt afterwards.
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How can you put polio in the rear view mirror when you are being so profoundly affected 50 years later? You HAVE polio. When we are all dead, they will not have to be bothered, but, right now, we are alive and we need medical care. We need the system to pay attention.
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First Helper Brugmanflorida
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onwheels
replied February 9th, 2011
Great, here I thought I was the only one with this problem, I was told that I have/had Polio-Post Polio, and now Polio, which came out of remission, OUCH !! I am 63 going on 64 and this isn't fun to be in a wheelchair, when everyone else that I know is either running or walking right by me and it looks like they don't even see me,
Dianna
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Brugmanflorida
replied April 27th, 2011
You most likely do have post polio syndrome. There are a lot of theories, one being the polio virus enters your brain and stores itself inside your brain (most likely the petuitary). They dont know if its live virus that is dormant there, or just fragments remaining. regardless, one of many things can begin to happen with pps. your immune system can start to attack those areas in your brain. This would be an auto-immune response. There are many examples of this happening (from hiv going dormant for years upon initial infection inside the brain to scarlet fever where the immune system attacks cells of the heart where the virus resides, to simple allergies). So it does happen. Other theories include that it still is polio active and it comes out of dormancy in an altered state. That seems unlikely due to nobody spreading the virus to anyone at that point.

Keep in mind, i am 43 years old. I caught polio in Pennsylvania in 1968 (yes 1968). long after it was "wiped out"
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ohcalcuta
replied July 31st, 2011
Extremely eHealthy
wow, didn't know there was such in America at the time, what conditions do u have
how old were u when u got it in 68
I had a spouse who I thought was one of the last in America to get polio early 60s
good luck to u
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walknroll
replied August 2nd, 2011
Polio
Y'all need to go to the Web...Post-Polio Syndrome is the aging & wearing out of the "sprout" nerves that grew in to replace the ones burned out by the Polio Virus.
Starting an exercise program is not a good idea, it further stresses those aging & burning out nerves, neurons & muscles, leaving you weaker even faster. We all must conserve the strength we have left. Use braces, canes, wheelchairs, scooters, whatever it takes to hold on to the strength you have left!
I am a 64 yr old female who contracted Polio at 18 months of age.
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