Posted on 10/23/2009 1:25:46 PM PDT by Notoriously Conservative
An American woman is convinced that a flu shot given to her has lead to a rare disorder which means she can only walk backwards. Even more strangely, she has lost the ability to talk at all - unless she is running.The woman, Desiree Jennings, took a flu jab but just ten days later, she started shaking and struggled to walk in a straight line.
She can't stay still without having a spasm, but incredibly when she either walks backwards or runs forwards, she is normal again.
Just two years ago, she married her childhood sweetheart Brandon, and was training to become a cheerleader for the Washington Redskins.
Experts have diagnosed her rare condition as 'dystonia'. But despite the huge setback in her life, she claims the only thing important to her is "love."
Why do I feel my leg being pulled?
Colonel, USAFR
“She can’t stay still without having a spasm, but incredibly when she either walks backwards or runs forwards, she is normal again.”
Isn’t this an advantage for a cheerleader?
Bull!
I saw her interviewed. This is for real. Watching her try to speak while just sitting was........painful. She’s a lovely young woman, too; very sad.
I saw this woman on the Today Show. The doctor said whatever happened to her was psychosomatic, i.e. she really is having the spasms but the reaction is caused by her brain and JUST her brain since she’s the only one who’s had this reaction to the H1N! virus.
Oh this has GOT to be a joke!
Okay, just watched the video. This is incredible and tragic, and her statement that running “is the only thing I have left” just tears your heart out.
Colonel, USAFR
My son had a dystonic reaction to a medication once. That was the only time we called paramedics to the house. It’s a horrible condition and his was of short duration, thank G-d.
People don’t hear enough about dystonia. Even the paramedics thought it could be meningitis. Dystonic allergic reactions will put the patient into something a layman could think of as a frozen seizure.
I would not give this vaccine to my family for $1,000,000. And I need the money.
It’s a real thing. I read about this with her a few weeks ago, but then she didn’t know about walking backwards or running forwards, apparently.
A most odd phenomena. If you look up the disorder, it is rare, but real. And it only gets worse over time.
Brains are funny things. For a long time, Scott Adams, the guy who pens "Dilbert", got Spasmodic Dysphonia and couldn't speak for over a year. Later could only talk verbally in rhymes, and this was part of his own therapy to restore normal speech.
So like anything, it could be a hoax, but keep an open mind (no pun intended).
For real.
Not Guilty.
At least she doesn’t have to run backwards. (Just an observation; I’m not trying to belittle her affliction)
A few protruding bellies on those girls ...
“A few protruding bellies on those girls ...”
I...uh...didn’t notice...
Maybe that's the Rev Jesse Hijacksuuuun's problem too.
sw
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