After about two months in her braces Mary said she wanted a present for her 21 birthday and that it was to be casted again in a double hip spica. She wanted her knees bent at 90 degrees and her legs spread at only 60 degrees. The cast must also be in bright pink as my mom’s was. The day before her birthday I got all the supplies we needed and the next morning on her birthday we put on the cast just as she had described. She then said that this present would be long lasting one and that I was only allowed to take it off after my 21 birthday which was four months away. I had my cast on now for two months and decided to keep it on for another month. It was then time to have it changed as it was not fresh any more. I removed it on the Friday night so that I could have the weekend ahead before replacing it with a new one. Once it was off I managed to get to the bathroom with Mary’s help. As she lowered me into the bath I had a terrible pain in my back and as I lay in the bath I felt that I had no sensation in my left leg and realised that a vertebrae must be pinching a nerve or something quite serious. My legs were week from being casted but I managed to move my left leg although it was stiff but there was no movement in my right leg. Mary helped me out of the bath and back to the room. We discussed the predicament and I had to get as much mobility and strength in my legs as possible before going to a doctor. The only option was for me to use crutches and to walk and exercise as much as possible. Mary would move and exercise my right leg and I used the crutches wherever I went because I could not put any weight on my right leg. After a week of strenuous exercising my left leg was strong enough and the following Wednesday I made an appointment at the doctor. Later that afternoon I crutched down to the hospital and told the doctor that about three weeks back I had felt a pain in my back and a numbness in my leg but it was not to bad and thought it would get better and it did till last Monday when I slipped and fell. I felt tremendous pain in my back and my leg was numb. He examined my leg and back and then had the sister bring a wheelchair and I was taken for x-rays. After about an hour I was summoned back to the doctor and he said that he had bad news. One of my lower back vertebrae had dislocated and shifted and was pressing dangerously on my spinal cord. He then told me that I was to be admitted immediately to hospital and that he was going to put me in traction. The only option would be to operate as soon as possible. I was taken from the doctors consulting room directly to the ward and admitted. The nurses first took padding and wrapped my ankles and then secured the traction to my legs. Then they placed a harness around my hips as well and secured it. Then they put padding around my knees and hung then in the air also hanging position. Once all was in place they widened my legs to 90 degrees and then tightened the traction cables. Once all was in place I could not move and I felt quite aroused not being able to move but not being casted. The last thing they did was to put in a catheter and I was then left alone. I phoned Mary and told her all that had happened and she said she would love to be there but her being in her cast it was not possible. I then phoned my parents and told them the true story as well and what I had told the doctors. They said that they would come down and be there and that they stay at the apartment if that was ok. I felt comfortable and fell asleep quickly. The next morning I was awoken and told that I would not be given anything to eat as they had scheduled my operation for 9am. At about my folks came in and wished me the best and accompanied me to outside the operating theatre. Later when I awoke slightly my mom was there but I was too sleepy I closed my eyes and drifted off again. Later that afternoon I awoke again and felt that my back was rigid. My father told me that they had placed me in a back brace that extended over my shoulders and down and around my hips. The doctor had said that I could be discharged the next morning but that I would have to keep the brace on for six weeks without removing it and then another six weeks but then removing it for longer and longer periods. I should lie on my back but was allowed to walk around but not to sit up at all and that the brace would prevent that. The next morning I was discharged and my dad took me to the apartment. He then asked if I wanted to have my legs casted and joined to the back braces and I said please. We first had lunch and then my dad casted my legs. He first took cotton wool padding that wrapped it from my toes up over my legs and used bright red fibreglass. He bent my knees to only 20 degrees. The back brace had an a attachment around the hips which could be removed from the rest of the brace and then he spread my legs out to 90 degrees and added a spreader bar between the ankles and one below the knees. Then he put more padding and helped me up into a standing position and added more padding around my hips and over the brace. He then proceeded to put more fibreglass around my hips and over the brace. I was now in the straightest cast that I had been yet. Luckily my wheel chair had all hydraulics and could be adjusted to any position that was required. Then he adjusted the straps around my upper body and around my legs. Once secured I adjusted the hydraulics so that I was in a standing position and I was then able to move around the apartment again. My parents then went home and Mary and I were alone again in our lovely casts. The only problem I had was to manoeuvre through doorways but l could adjust the chair sideways as well and the go through. The next three months went by too quickly as we were both engrossed in our studies. I kept my cast on till after my birthday and we both decided that we would keep the casts on for an extra month till the end of the final exams. After the exams it was time to remove the casts. Mary was going to be first and although it wasn’t easy I managed to take hers off bit by bit. Her muscles were nonexistent after being in her cast for five months. She then helped me cut off my casts as well and then we took off my back brace as well for the first time. That night we just lay on the bed and slept well. Over the next week we both slowly gained more mobility and eventually could walk around without our wheelchairs or crutches. We then went home.

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