A Patient's Story

One Saturday in June, I went to my doctor's office. My major complaints were: very tired, ear ache, and nausea. After an extensive medical examination, the doctor said I had pneumonia in both lungs. She gave me an antibiotic for "walking pneumonia" and an inhaler to break up the stuff in the lungs. She said to come back Monday.

It did not get better; and on Monday my doctor saw me and sent me to the hospital. They checked me in, put in on an IV with antibiotics that very night. By morning, my left eye was very light sensitive and I had double vision. That put up a lot of red flags for the doctors, as it could be "real-bad-serious" stuff happening in my head. I showed no signs of improvement on the pneumonia that morning, so the doctor ordered an X-ray and a CAT scan of my lung. Because of the eye situation they did a facial MRI to check if any bone structures were not in place. All was good with my head MRI.

Because I was not getting better with the pneumonia by Wednesday morning, they knocked me out; and did a scope of my lungs to get a culture specimen that would take 24 to 72 hours for results. That night, because there were no answers on the eye situation - which indicates worse things, they did an MRI on my brain. I do indeed have a brain and it showed nothing wrong that would cause the eye situation. My doctors then wanted to do a spinal tap on me. I refused.

The doctors came in the next day to advise me to have the spinal tap; and I still refused. Later that morning my "Infectious Disease" doctor came in to tell me that I am a very sick lady. At that point, even without a medical degree, I came to that conclusion myself. I have been on antibiotics for five days (2 days oral and 3 days IV) and not getting better. I have been running a high fever; and I am pretty much mentally and physically out of everything.

Finally that afternoon, the specimen from my lung they cultured turns up positive that - I had Legionnaires' disease. The doctors are now able to tailor my antibiotics and target the bacteria.

I was assigned a whole team of doctors at the hospital - two lung doctors, one ophthalmologist, one neurologist and a doctor of "Infectious Disease."

I was told on my eye situation that my eye is light sensitive. The "double vision" is caused by the nerve - which is responsible for the left eye to pull left - did not properly function to send any messages to that eye.

After being released from the hospital, I did see two ophthalmologists, including one that specializes in eye nerves. All eye doctors say that in most cases the nerve heals itself and will work again within three months. Since I left the hospital, my lungs healed very quickly and I felt improvements, except for my poor vision. I am still home because of my imperfect and poor vision.

Since I did not get a total vision improvement from the eye doctors, I consulted with a chiropactor that I used in the past. He did not promise me a cure; but he will apply a treatment that will bring more blood flow to the injured area - "the sixth nerve." Increasing the blood flow in that nerve will increase the healing process. The illness I have with my eye is called "sixth nerve palsy." After two visits with the chiropactor, I felt some real terrific improvements in my vision.

My vision is getting better; but I'm not sure when it will be back to it's normal and perfect state. I can't wait for my next chiropractic treatment!