“I thought I dislocated my hip because the pain was so intense,” said the owner of Selah Studio in German Village of the Jan. 22 injury.
It wasn’t her hip she injured. It was worse. A lot worse.
Adams said she had a herniated disc in her spine, which then shattered part of her vertebrae, sending bone fragments into her spinal nerve. That paralyzed her right leg. The next two-and-a-half weeks were filled with uncertainty.
She needed an MRI but that wasn’t until Feb. 9, some 17 days after the painful and debilitating pop.
That first week, nothing got better. A Toradol injection helped her relax, but by the next Sunday, on Jan. 29, she started to have muscle seizures and the leg was becoming paralyzed.
An ambulance took her to the hospital because, on a scale of one to 10, her pain level was a 12, she said. The hospital gave her all sorts of medications to help with the pain. Nothing helped.
Eventually, she underwent emergency surgery on Feb. 1. It was a microdiscectomy, which means doctors surgically removed the bones that were compressing a nerve in her leg. Adams said the doctor told her husband that “it was more extensive than he anticipated it to be,” and they couldn’t get everything.
The surgery was successful and she felt 50% better, and her pain level, with the help of medication, was done to about a four or a five out of 10. But she was still dealing with the nerve pain.
The hospital discharged her the day after surgery. She was prescribed a home health nurse, as well as occupational and physical therapy. For the next four weeks post-surgery, she could not bend, lift, or twist. Adams said she’s “not afraid” of physical therapy “but I’m nervous.”
And that’s understandable. A therapeutic stretch is how she hurt herself.
Adams, a licensed esthetician and master cosmetologist, reopened her business Selah Studio Skin & Hair at 235 Buckeye St. in the German Village on April 3, but did a soft reopening of sorts in March once she was able to be upright, and move, and bend, she tested things out with a few clients. But it’s been good, working limited hours as the work as she’s recovery does tire her out.
But she feels good, which is a long way from January when she thought she’d never be able to walk again, let alone run a business.
While Adams said she will listen to what her body tells her a little more now, she also knows others, namely her hair and skin clients, also count on her.
“I’m a business owner, and that was in the forefront of my mind,” she said as she went through this medical ordeal. “But my health was first.”
And it will continue to be, as it should be with everyone. Especially those who have someone counting on them, whether it’s family and friends, or in Adams’ case, all that and business clients.
About the Author
