Story - Close Encounters of the Devotee Kind

Close Encounters of the Devotee Kind

Sarah was having the most horrible dream, terrifying visions of leering, gray faces and violently spinning purple and orange lights. She felt pain, though she was pretty sure somewhere in the back of her mind that she shouldn't have been able to, then she felt a deep cold sensation down her right leg. The rest of her night was spent in restless, uncomfortable sleep, and when her alarm clock buzzed aggressively she felt like she hadn't slept at all. Then, as the turned off her alarm and pulled off the sheets, she screamed.

"Miss Jones, I'm afraid we simply don't have any explanation. It's... it's like nothing we've ever seen. Your right leg has been expertly amputated, as you can obviously see, and it's completely healed. By all accounts and by every means of examination we have, your leg was amputated mid thigh at least a decade ago." the doctor said, obviously deeply confused.

"But it was there YESTERDAY!" Sarah said exasperated, like someone who had been saying the same thing over and over all day. She was sitting on an exam table, her left leg dangling out of her hospital gown, her right leg - well, her right stump - pressing flat into the padded exam table top. "I had two legs went I went to bed, I've been over this a hundred times today!" she said, openly crying again. She had indeed woken to find her right leg completely gone, just a smooth, round stump in it's place. She could feel it, move it, it didn't hurt at all, but the fact remained that her leg was gone without a trace. She had vague recollections of bad dreams, but in all the panic of awaking as an amputee, she didn't put much thought into her nightmares.

"I understand your concern." said the new doctor unconvincingly. What was he, the eight? Ninth? She had lost count. Some time after lunch she realized they weren't diagnosing anything any more, they were just curious. Nothing like it had ever been seen, completely new phenomena, totally astonishing, blah blah blah - there was an air of sarcasm to all of it, though, an underlying incredulity that made Sarah uncomfortable. "But right now there is no indication that things will get worse. Other than the, um..., unusual situation, you are in perfect health, so..."

"So what? You're sending me home?" she said, looking defeated.

"There's nothing more we can do here, Sarah." the doctor said with a resigned sigh. "There is simply nothing medically wrong with you - at least nothing any part of medical science has ever encountered before. Go home, get some rest, and call this number in the morning - It's the number of a local rehab center with a good outpatient program to help you adjust."

"Adjust??" Sarah said, not fully understanding.

"Yes, adjust to your, um... situation." he said again, his bedside manner completely undone by the bizarre situation. "I believe you indicated earlier that you were familiar with the use of crutches?"

"So that's it? Give the one legged girl a pair of crutches and send her home?" Sarah was trying not to cry again, she was tired of it and didn't want to give this guy the satisfaction. The doctor handed her a pair of ordinary aluminum underarm crutches and she grabbed hold of them, angry and annoyed and a little afraid. With a little effort she stood on her one remaining leg and got her balance, taking a few tentative steps around the room. She was clumsy and the crutches hurt her shoulders, but at least she was walking and not being pushed in a wheelchair. She ushered the doctor out of the room and then slowly got dressed.

She crutched out of the room, the leg of her slacks folded crudely around her stump, and signed all the paperwork necessary for release, painfully aware of all the eyes tracking her every move. She was frightened and annoyed and tired and wanted nothing more than just getting back home. Thankfully the hospital provided a shuttle back to her condo and, after the most disturbing, frightening, and bizarre day of her whole life, she crutched into her living room and plopped heavily onto the couch, letting her crutches clatter to the floor. Her good leg ached, her shoulders ached, and she had no idea what she was going to do now that she was an amputee. She looked at the number to the outpatient rehab center and resolved to call it in the morning. She turned on the TV, watching something stupid that she couldn't pay attention to, and soon the stress of the day finally overcame her and she fell into a deep sleep.

The dreams again. The leering faces, the pain, the cool sensations, the flashing lights. She tossed and turned and finally cried out, waking herself and rolling off the couch, unbalanced because of her missing leg. She threw her hands out to catch herself and saw her right arm - or what remained of it, just another smooth, round stump that ended between her elbow and shoulder. She hit the floor with a thud and cried out, more from shock than actual pain.

"Sarah, we would like to formally apologize." said the very official looking man in the very expensive suit. Certainly not a doctor, possibly an administrator of some kind. Maybe a lawyer. "In short, we found your story yesterday so completely implausible that we honestly thought you were a psychiatric patient. The number you were given yesterday as you were discharged was to a psychiatric hotline, not a rehab center." the man looked very red, very nervous.

"So all that time yesterday, you never believed me? Not a single person?" she said angrily. She lay semi-reclined in bed, her arm stump waving animatedly as she shouted.

"Please, see it from our point of view, Sarah." the man said. "What has happened to you, well, it's simply not possible!"

"And yet here I am!" she said, staring at him and holding up her new stump.

"Please take my word, and the promise of the entire staff of this hospital, that we are doing everything we can to understand this situation and ensure that is doesn't happen again."

"Ha!" she shouted, her eyes puffy with tears. "You have no idea what's going on, how can you say you can stop it?"

"You will be staying here, in a private room in the hospital, and there are teams from the CDC and bio-toxins lab at your condo testing everything they can. We'll find the issue, and until you do, you should be safe here."

"I don't feel safe anywhere..." Sarah said, rubbing her arm stump with her slender left hand.

"Hi, I'm Olivia." said the young nurses' aid as she entered Sarah's room with a tray of food. Sarah had to admit it smelled great and she was starving after a day of the most extreme and intensive medical tests she had ever experienced.

"Hi Olivia." Sarah said quietly, trying to force a weak smile. "What's that?"

"Dinner - don't look at it that way, it's not hospital food. I went out and got a nice dinner from a place down the street - marinated grilled chicken, vegetables - it should be good." she smiled and set up Sarah's tray and raised her bed a little so Sarah was sitting up more.

"Thanks, Olivia." said Sarah and grabbed the fork from the tray. She looked down at the knife and the grilled chicken breasts and started to cry.

"It's OK Sarah, I can help." Olivia said, quickly grabbing the knife and fork and cutting Sarah's food into bite sized pieces. "Don't you worry about a thing, I can help you take care of whatever you need. You're my only patient tonight." she smiled warmly.

Sarah ate slowly, not really speaking. Halfway through dinner she looked up at Olivia. "I have to..." she said, a note of urgency in her voice.

"To what, Sarah?" Olivia asked, getting to her feet.

Sarah looked at her, a cross between panicked and embarrassed, and Olivia understood. "You want the bedpan or try for the toilet?" she asked.

"Toilet, I can make it." Sarah said, and Olivia helped her into a rolling attendant chair and pushed her into the bathroom, then helped her onto the toilet and looked away discretely as Sarah urinated, then helped her get cleaned up. to her credit, Sarah didn't cry when Olivia had to help her wipe.

Once Sarah was back in bed and had finished dinner, Olivia turned on the TV.

"Stay and watch with me?" Sarah asked, more fear and desperation in her voice than she expected.

"Sure." Olivia said cheerfully. "Like I said - you're my only patient tonight."

The two watched TV until close to midnight and Olivia finally fell asleep in the reclining chair by Sarah's bed. Sarah, too, finally succumbed to sleep, though she continued to fight it until after 1am according to the big round clock on the wall. She fell asleep, her left hand holding the stump of her right arm, and hoped that she wouldn't have those terrible bad dreams again.

The dreams came, though, and Sarah was terrified, she was confused. The same dreams, the insane leering faces, the bizarre sensations, the lights. There were voices in this one, too, something Sarah could barely make out. The sensations and sounds and fears all rolled and swirled together until Sarah finally awoke, gasping. In the half light of the private room she could see that Olivia was still sitting near the bed, tossing and thrashing and moaning in her sleep.

"Olivia!" she called out in little more than a whisper. She swallowed, then took a deep breath and called out more loudly. "Olivia! Wake up!" she said.

Olivia's eyes popped open with a start and she looked around the room as if she had momentarily forgotten where she was. "Oh, Sarah, I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. I had the most bizarre dream..." she said, still groggy and wiping sleep from her eyes.

"Olivia, look at me." Sarah said in the most calm voice she could manage. "I want you to stay calm, OK?"

Olivia looked at Sarah curiously, then froze, as if something was suddenly dawning on her. She looked down, following Sarah's gaze to her legs - or what had been her legs, anyway. Her long, athletic legs were now short, underdeveloped, lifeless, and totally numb.

"Sarah..." she said, her breath coming quickly, panic starting to set in. "Sarah, I can't feel my legs!" Olivia cried, staring down at her now crippled, paralyzed legs.

"Me either Olivia." Sarah said, pulling off her sheets. Both legs ended in round stumps between knee and hip, her left arm now her only remaining limb. "Maybe we can get matching wheelchairs...."

There was an insane rush around the hospital as soon as Sarah and Olivia's conditions were discovered. According to hallway surveillance both women had never left the room and nobody had gotten in, the door remained shut the whole time. There was no explanation for the situation and everyone in the hospital was completely baffled.

"How are you feeling?" Sarah asked Olivia as they wheeled her back into the room they now shared. Olivia's eyes were red from recent crying.

"I'm paralyzed completely from T2 down. And it looks as if..."

"As if you've been paralyzed for years." Sarah said, completely understanding.

"As if I've been paralyzed since birth..." Olivia corrected bitterly.

Sarah watched as Olivia struggled to transfer out of her hospital wheelchair onto the bed beside her, dragging her small, crippled legs with her. Her feet were curled and ankles turned in and her legs lacked all muscle tone. It really looked like she had been in a wheelchair all her life. Sarah could see the bulky hospital diaper under her hospital gown and her cheeks went pink, embarrassed.

"Don't be embarrassed." Olivia said with a sigh, seeing her reaction. "Last night I helped you use the toilet. Ironically, tonight I can't use it any more..." she said, patting the diaper. "But this isn't our fault, it's just something crazy, insane that happened..."

"That is happening." Sarah corrected.

"You think?" Olivia asked, looking at her wide-eyed.

"It's been three nights in a row for me, why wouldn't I?" she said. "Maybe you should sleep in a different room Olivia." Olivia shook her head.

"No, I figure we're in this together now. If they're coming back for you, chances are they'll want me too."

Sarah reached out her one remaining hand and Olivia took hold of it, grasping it firmly.

"Besides." Olivia continued, lifting one of her limp legs and shifting it on the bed. "We've got to try and stay awake all night and see what happens."

The two women sat in the hospital bed together, eating and watching TV and chatting as if they had known each other forever. They were both being monitored via a tangle of wires, and there was a closed circuit TV camera watching them both. Sarah needed a lot of help to get simple things done with only one arm and no legs, but even paralyzed Olivia was a big help. Sarah helped Olivia with a couple diaper changes as well, not feeling at all embarrassed by it any more. It was surprising and bizarre how quickly they both seemed to be adjusting to disabled life - though in the confines of a fully staffed hospital Sarah was certain things were not nearly as complicated as they would be back home.

One AM rolled around with the women still awake and chatting. Then 1:30, 1:45, 1:55 and both women were wide awake, watching television and talking animatedly. Olivia was giving Sara a stump massage that felt really wonderful, and both women were giggling about calling it a 'foot massage'. At 1:58am exactly, however, both women dropped to the bed and fell into a deep and immediate sleep.

The dreams were more terrifying than ever, and Sarah realized that in some way, she was actually awake and experiencing everything for real, not in a typical dream state. She felt the cold gripping sensation on her left arm and then knew immediately that her last remaining limb was gone. She looked around frantically and saw more swirling colors, bizarre otherworldly faces, but she couldn't make anything out clearly, it was like she was on some very strong hallucinogenic drug trip.

Sarah woke with a gasp and the lights were already coming on. It was still 1:58am according to the hospital clock, but it seemed like the dream 'attack' had taken hours. A doctor and two nurses rushed into the room and started checking things - a cold stethoscope was pressed to Sarah's breast. Olivia was still thrashing a bit and Sarah reached for her, but realized immediately that her left arm was, as she had experienced in the dream, amputated at the same level as her right arm. She was a quadruple amputee, helpless.

One of the nurses shook Olivia awake and she cried out. "Sarah!" she said, arms groping around. "Sarah, I can't see!" she said, panicked. "Where are you??"

"I'm here Olivia." Sarah said. "I'm right here, the doctor is here too."

"I can't find you Sarah, take my hand." she said, her voice still panicky.

"I can't Olivia, I don't have any arms now." Sarah said. "And it looks like your eyes are gone, sweety." she said, not wishing to belabor the point. Olivia's hands went to her eyes, then pulled away when they felt the hollow, empty eyelids.

The cameras caught nothing but three and a half seconds of static. The multiple vital signs monitors were level and flat until that static hit, then both women's vital signs jumped up as if they were terrified. That was all the evidence that was collected, aside from the fact that Sarah's left arm was amputated and Olivia's eyes were both surgically removed.

In their hospital room, they sat in wheelchairs, across from each other at a square table their breakfast was spread out on. Eggs, bacon, coffee, waffles. It all smelled great, but neither woman had much appetite. Sarah was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts someone had found for her, her stumps exposed. Olivia was in small sweatpants and fuzzy socks covering her crippled legs and feet, though her bulky diaper was obvious under it. she wore sunglasses, too - at her own insistence. Both women were being fed by orderlies who seemed more than a little uncomfortable being there - it was obvious everyone in the hospital knew what had happened, or had at least heard something bizarre. Olivia turned her head to where she imagined Sarah was sitting.

"So, what's next?" She said.

Sarah stared at her and started to reply...

Story - Life Changes

Life Changes By ParaGirl
Tina had been up with her ankles aching and feeling strange. She shrugged it off to overtraining on the track and did some stretches each morning, and she was usually OK, but she was getting concerned. Her feet and ankles felt strange lately, she had some bouts of numbness, and she noticed herself getting clumsy sometimes. She really began to get concerned as her track times started going up, though she was running as hard and as fast as she could. She talked to her coach about her concerns, and she sent Tina to the school nurse, who poked and prodded a little and recommended aspirin and a break from track. She said it was strained muscles, and to rest for a while. Tina was somewhat relieved, though she felt bad about missing track, and took the advice.
Even though Tina rested for a week, taking aspirin and keeping her activity to a minimum, her ankles got worse. They didnt hurt, exactly, but they just didnt seem to be working right. It was a Thursday morning, and as she got up to get out of bed, her feet just turned in at the ankles and she fell. Her mother took her to the hospital that morning, and after a battery of tests, her doctor came in to talk to Tina.
Hello again Tina. We have the test results back, and Im afraid they have confirmed my suspicion. You are in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis. Tina, Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the Central Nervous System, your brain and spinal cord. In a person with MS, the insulation surrounding the nerves, called myelin, is damaged or destroyed. When this occurs, messages from your brain are lost or interrupted. There are various symptoms you may experience with MS -- vision loss, double/blurred vision, numbness, coordination problems, balance problems, etc, but many people with MS, with proper treatment, are able to live full and healthy lives.
Will I get better? Tina asked, obviously afraid of the diagnosis.
Well, currently there is no cure, but were hopeful that there will be a cure soon, were getting closer to it every day.
But what about my ankles? She asked, looking up from the hospital wheelchair she had been in since she had gotten there. Her ankles were very weak now and it was very difficult for her to walk.
Your ankles seem to have been affected most, and at this time it appears to be irreversible. I will make an appointment with you in our orthopaedics department right now, and you can be fitted with a pair of braces to help stabilize your ankles.
Braces? Ill need crutches and braces? Tina was almost hysterical at the thought.
No, Tina, no crutches, at least not now. They will give you shoe inserts that reach to just below yoru knee that help stabilize your ankles. They will barely be noticeable, and for now you wont even need crutches.
For now? Tina asked.
In many people, MS is a progressive disease. It may not, but chances your ankles, or even legs, will get worse, forcing you to use crutches, possible longer braces. I wont lie to you, Tina- there is a chance you could end up in a wheelchair. I know this is a lot for a young girl to take in, but its not all gloom- there are millions of people who live very normal, successful daily lives with MS. Even famous people, like Michael J. Fox, have MS. My suggestion to you is to follow the treatment plan Ill outline for you, do exercises that dont raise your body temperature, eat properly, and live as normal a life as possible.
Tina was wheeled to orthopaedics, where a very nice woman who introduced herself as Dr. Sadler helped her onto the examining table. She looked over some charts, explained the measurements she was taking, explained how Tinas braces would help her walk better, and just made Tina feel better. She finally brought out a pair of plastic braces that were much smaller than Tina had originally imagined they would be. They were a white plastic, with a wide velcro strap that would fit around her shin, just below her knee. Dr. Sadler put them on Tinas feet and Tian put her sneakers back on over them. They were tight- Dr. Sadler said she might want to go up a half size when buying new shoes. Tina carefully stood up and Dr. Sadler helped her take a step- she was fine, the support of the braces almost totally counteracted the effects of the MS. Tina walked around the room a few times to get used to the new sensation of the braces, but aside from a slightly clumsy looking gait, she could walk better than she had in a week. She left the hospital with a much brighter outlook for the future.
School wasnt as difficult as Tina had thought. She was still a member of the track team- honorary anyway- and still stayed late with the team doing stretching, though she avoided any rigorous excercise as her doctor had recommended. She got some looks because of the way she walked in the braces- a bit stiff and kind of clumsy- and she got a lot of looks when she walked out onto the track field in shorts, her AFO braces out in the open. Most of the reaction from her friends and peers was very positive, though there were people who werent sure what to do or say around her. She took it all in stride, but the fear of her condition getting worse was always in the back of her mind.
Tinas fears began to come true in the middle of the school year, just after the holidays. She found that, even in the braces, her gait was getting worse, her toes turning inward sharply, and she was losing sensation in her feet, she could no longer feel her toes or the soles of her feet. When she went in for a check-up in February, her doctor saw her gait and became very concerned. He did a few more tests, mostly reflexive tests on Tinas legs.
Tina, as Im sure you know, your condition is getting worse. You have a 40 percent loss of sensation in your left foot, a 35 percent loss in your right foot, and your muscles are beginning to show signs of contraction and atrophy. Fortunately most of the effect is still concentrated in the nerve bundle for the lower legs, thats very good actually. You can still stay in the smaller AFO braces, but youre going to have to start using crutches, and Im going to get you into a physical therapy program three days a week, to help stop the damage to your feet from progressing.
Tina had expected as much, and had been contemplating crutches herself as it got more and more strenuous to walk straight. One thing her doctor said did bother her, though.
Doctor, she asked, What did you mean when you said most of the effect is in my lower legs?
Tina, these last tests show that there is some effect- very little, I must say- in your knees and upper thighs. You obviously dont even notice it, which shows how minor it is. We will keep an eye on it, but for now I wouldnt worry. Youre doing very well with your diet and exercise.
Tina left the hospital on a pair of aluminium forearm crutches, and she had to admit that walking was much easier for her using them. She could tell her mother was bothered by them, though she didnt say anything about them. The AFOs could be ignored easily enough, but to see her daughter walk in on cripple crutches somehow confirmed Tinas disability.
Tina saw more stares at school, and more people uncomfortable around her, but overall her experience didnt change much once she was on the crutches. Carrying her books became impossible, so she got a backpack to carry everything in. She no longer went out with the track team, because three days a week she left school early and went to Physical Therapy at the local rehab center. She had massage therapy on her feet, hydrotherapy in a very warm whirlpool tub, and several other types of therapy on her feet and legs. She was gaining a lot of upper body strength due to all the crutch walking, too. Though the therapy wasnt helping her regain much use of her feet, she thought it was helping the rest of her legs stay strong so she could stay out of a wheelchair. It wasnt until almost six months later that she noticed a problem with her knees.
Im afraid its still progressing Tina. Its slow, but its fairly steady in its progression. The feeling in your knees will progress to the point where your ankles are at- you already have a significant loss of motor function in your left knee, which Im sure you already know. Walking in your current braces will continue to get more difficult for you- I would guess that youll be able to use them for another month, maybe two. Fortunately you can be fitted with full leg braces, they should keep you on your feet for a long time, maybe indefinitely, depending on the MS.
By this time, Tina had read up on everything she could find on MS. She knew the Doctor was being optimistic for her, but that he could be right, her legs could stop getting better tomorrow. She could also wake up blind one morning, too- the symptoms of MS were random, at best. She was fitted for a set of full metal leg braces, knowing the day would come sooner or later when she would need them.
Dr. Sadler showed Tina how to put on her leg braces. They were long and not quite as heavy as Tina thought they would be. She slipped her feet into the shoes- she had to help her feet a lot now, she had very little feeling or motor control left in them. Dr. Sadler showed her how to buckle all the straps that encased her legs, how to lock and unlock the knee locks. Tina had to actually learn how to walk on the large new KAFO braces, first practicing on parallel bars, then with her crutches. It was difficult, but Tina got the hang of swinging her legs through the supports of the crutches, making sure her heels and feet landed together and evenly. School wasnt in session, but it was less than two weeks before her senior year started. She found herself looking at college brochures, noticing things like wheelchair accessibility more than athletic programs. She was hopeful that her condition would stop with her legs as they were now, but something inside her told her otherwise.
Tinas senior year was eventful, to say the least. She started dating, a guy who didnt mind the braces at all, and when she told him the truth, about how she would probably get worse, he was genuinely OK with that. She was accepted to a good state college in the program she wanted, journalism, and she gave a talk on MS to the whole school, inviting guest speakers in to talk about the disease and the search for a cure. The high point of the presentation was when their state Senator came up the podium to talk about state programs to support help research for MS. He admitted that he, too, was diagnosed with MS when he was twenty years old, and he had obviously lived a very full and successful life in spite of the disease. It had affected his hearing to a degree, apparently, and one of his hands didnt work well, but he had lived a long time with the disease and still become a senator. Tina received a standing ovation for her presentation, and they did a story in the newspaper about the whole thing, with Tina on the front page in her braces and on crutches.
Tina didnt even notice the next problems until they were very obvious. She got up one Saturday morning and began putting her leg braces on, first slipping her feet into the sneakers that were attached to them. It took her two tries to tie her shoe, and she had trouble with every buckle on the braces, her hands not cooperating with the leather bands. She froze, thinking back over the last week or so, realizing that she had been having problems with her hands she hadnt even noticed, or had purposely ignored. A trip to the doctor confirmed what she feared- the MS was affecting her hands and arms, too, more quickly than it had effected her legs. For the first time, Tina was looking at a wheelchair and thinking the word confinement.
She was still able to use her crutches, but started using a wheelchair at home to rest her arms, which were getting tired more easily. It soon got to the point where her mother had to help her put her braces on and take them off, and after a few months she began to forgo the leg braces entirely, using the wheelchair full time. The last time she put her leg braces on was for her high school graduation- she wanted so much to walk up and receive her diploma, and she was able to, just barely, crutch up to the principal and take the rolled piece of paper, waving it over her head triumphantly before crutching slowly back down to her wheelchair.
College life in a wheelchair wasnt that bad- the campus was very well accessible, and there were many disabled people on campus, both student and staff. One of her own teachers was an arm amputee, and he pointed to people with his shiny chrome hook all the time. She continued a physical therapy program every other day, mostly for arm strengthening now, as her legs were very bed. Out of her braces, Tinas legs were thin, she could barely move them at all any more. Her toes curled in and her feet pointed inward naturally, making it difficult to adjust them well in her wheelchair, and it was almost impossible to cross them any more. She kept with the manual wheelchair for her entire freshman and part of her sophomore year, but as she asked for a helping push more and more, as her arms got weaker and the pushing of her wheelchair got more difficult, she knew she had to make a choice.
Her new wheelchair was red, a motorized model with a simple joystick mechanism for driving it. It became much easier for Tina to get around the campus in it, but it also separated her more from other people. A woman in such a wheelchair was obviously very disabled, and not many people knew what to do around Tina any more. Her real friends stayed by her and helped her through the tough times she had, and she again adapted to life with MS. She finished school with honors, getting her degree in Journalism and getting a job with a major metropolitan newspaper.
Tina married her college boyfriend, who had helped her so much during her toughest times. After college, her MS seemed to stop progressing, and though her arms were weak and she still needed her power wheelchair, she never got any worse. She started a family, won several journalism awards, and eventually wrote a book about her struggles with MS.
The End