Yes, believe it or not, your halo is your friend. It may feel more like an unwanted visitor that is hanging around too long and keeping you from doing the things you'd like to do - but it is very much your friend. It is, quite literally, saving your neck. Doctors don`t just put halo vests on people so neurologist residents can get some use out of those nifty, shiny little wrenches they all carry around in their pockets to tighten the screws on your halo. If you are immobilized in one of these, it is because you have a serious neck injury and it has been determined that the halo will give you the best result. It is a more conservative approach than surgery, and research has shown that it gives good results. Personally, given the choice, I would rather live with discomfort for three months, than have permanent metal in my neck. But that`s just me.
So, I say embrace your halo, accept it, recognize it as your friend. Remind yourself everyday that it is there for a very good reason. The day will come soon when it will come off and you will be grateful for the protection it provided while your injury was healing. Now, I know that`s easy for me to say since I have been halo-free for two weeks :), so for those of you who are currently struggling through daily life with a halo, I offer the following comments, based on my own experience. In no way should any of this be taken as professional advice.
The Art of Sleeping in a Halo Vest
There isn`t any. It`s all trial and error. However, as I said in a previous post, I highly recommend a hospital bed. You will likely have difficulty sleeping on your back and in your own bed at first. In my case, this was not possible for several weeks. The best I could do was raise the bed and sleep in a semi-seated position. My husband would help me by placing pillows in various places until something felt right. Sometimes this would take quite a while but thankfully, my husband is very patient when it comes to these things. One thing I did find very helpful was to place a small pillow between the two bars in the back of my head. This allows your head to rest on something, rather than be suspended in mid-air between the two bars. Not only is this uncomfortable, but it means that all of the weight of your head is held by the bars, which are resting directly on the pillow. In turn, this puts pressure on your pins and, well, it hurts. The hospital bed also allows you to raise your knees and that relieves some the the pressure placed on your ribs and abdomen from the vest. You may also find it helpful to roll a small towel and place it through the bars and around your neck. This will give some needed support to that area and will feel more natural.
After a while, I began to slowly lower the bed so that I could get used to the feeling of being flat on my back. When I was sleeping nearly flat, I made my way back to my own bed. This was hit and miss at first and there were nights when I migrated back downstairs to my comfort zone. After five weeks, I was done with the hospital bed.
Bathing
I found that you can actually take a bath in a halo vest. This was a pleasant discovery because I am not a sponge bath kind of person. However, I had no choice with that for the first three weeks or so. After I recovered from my various complications, my husband suggested I try taking a bath in the guest bathroom. The bath in our master suite is much too big and difficult to get in and out of even at the best of times. The guest bath is smaller and much easier to deal with. For added safety, we had a temporary safety bar installed on the side of the bath and put in a rubber mat. Very important since you can not see your feet while wearing the halo and the last thing you want to do is fall.. Even though my legs are strong, I don`t think I could have raised myself out of the bath without something to grab onto. In any case, I would highly recommend getting assistance, if you can, at least for the first few times you get in and out of the bath. You will only be able to fill the bath with so much water, as you want to keep the water level at least a couple of inches below the bottom of the vest. Still, it`s enough that it actually feels like a real bath. And you have to be very careful when you wash not to splash too much water around. My little bath was very comforting to me and became a nightly ritual.
For cleaning underneath the vest, you will need assistance. We used a long piece of cheese cloth, doubled up and slightly dampened with a bit of water and some 70% rubbing alcohol. My husband would thread the cloth through the back openings on the vest, underneath the cami or tank I was wearing and seesaw back and forth to clean my back. I could usually manage the front myself. I would then remove the slightly damp cami, and change into a clean, dry one. This worked very well and the lining of the vest always stayed nice and dry. I did this no more than a couple of times a week. Alcohol can be very drying to the skin and unless you are exercising heavily and perspiring (which you likely are not...), more often than that is probably not necessary.
Eating
Eating was a challenge at first. For some reason, I was having alot of difficulty swallowing properly. It was a real problem for me, and one that had me somewhat worried that I may have some lingering neurological issues. I also had difficulty opening my mouth normally. This is apparently normal at first, but does get better as time goes by. The swallowing improved also, but it took much, much longer. In the meantime, I simply made sure that I took small bites, and that I was sitting up properly when I was eating. It is more difficult to recover from choking on something if you are confined to a halo and can`t move your neck. Be careful. It also helps if you can somehow raise your plate so that you can see what you are eating. Either way, eating is rather messy in a halo as things are bound to drop off your fork on the way up.
I think it`s a good idea to eat lightly while wearing the halo vest, especially in the evening. I found that my vest always felt more uncomfortable at night and it didn`t help if I overate even the tiniest bit. There`s just no room under the vest for any expansion whatsoever. I wore a small sized vest and it was tight. Unfortunately, that`s just the way it has to be, so you have to work around it. I didn`t have a huge appetite throughout the entire time I was immobilized so that helped a bit.
So, I say embrace your halo, accept it, recognize it as your friend. Remind yourself everyday that it is there for a very good reason. The day will come soon when it will come off and you will be grateful for the protection it provided while your injury was healing. Now, I know that`s easy for me to say since I have been halo-free for two weeks :), so for those of you who are currently struggling through daily life with a halo, I offer the following comments, based on my own experience. In no way should any of this be taken as professional advice.
The Art of Sleeping in a Halo Vest
There isn`t any. It`s all trial and error. However, as I said in a previous post, I highly recommend a hospital bed. You will likely have difficulty sleeping on your back and in your own bed at first. In my case, this was not possible for several weeks. The best I could do was raise the bed and sleep in a semi-seated position. My husband would help me by placing pillows in various places until something felt right. Sometimes this would take quite a while but thankfully, my husband is very patient when it comes to these things. One thing I did find very helpful was to place a small pillow between the two bars in the back of my head. This allows your head to rest on something, rather than be suspended in mid-air between the two bars. Not only is this uncomfortable, but it means that all of the weight of your head is held by the bars, which are resting directly on the pillow. In turn, this puts pressure on your pins and, well, it hurts. The hospital bed also allows you to raise your knees and that relieves some the the pressure placed on your ribs and abdomen from the vest. You may also find it helpful to roll a small towel and place it through the bars and around your neck. This will give some needed support to that area and will feel more natural.
After a while, I began to slowly lower the bed so that I could get used to the feeling of being flat on my back. When I was sleeping nearly flat, I made my way back to my own bed. This was hit and miss at first and there were nights when I migrated back downstairs to my comfort zone. After five weeks, I was done with the hospital bed.
Bathing
I found that you can actually take a bath in a halo vest. This was a pleasant discovery because I am not a sponge bath kind of person. However, I had no choice with that for the first three weeks or so. After I recovered from my various complications, my husband suggested I try taking a bath in the guest bathroom. The bath in our master suite is much too big and difficult to get in and out of even at the best of times. The guest bath is smaller and much easier to deal with. For added safety, we had a temporary safety bar installed on the side of the bath and put in a rubber mat. Very important since you can not see your feet while wearing the halo and the last thing you want to do is fall.. Even though my legs are strong, I don`t think I could have raised myself out of the bath without something to grab onto. In any case, I would highly recommend getting assistance, if you can, at least for the first few times you get in and out of the bath. You will only be able to fill the bath with so much water, as you want to keep the water level at least a couple of inches below the bottom of the vest. Still, it`s enough that it actually feels like a real bath. And you have to be very careful when you wash not to splash too much water around. My little bath was very comforting to me and became a nightly ritual.
For cleaning underneath the vest, you will need assistance. We used a long piece of cheese cloth, doubled up and slightly dampened with a bit of water and some 70% rubbing alcohol. My husband would thread the cloth through the back openings on the vest, underneath the cami or tank I was wearing and seesaw back and forth to clean my back. I could usually manage the front myself. I would then remove the slightly damp cami, and change into a clean, dry one. This worked very well and the lining of the vest always stayed nice and dry. I did this no more than a couple of times a week. Alcohol can be very drying to the skin and unless you are exercising heavily and perspiring (which you likely are not...), more often than that is probably not necessary.
Eating
Eating was a challenge at first. For some reason, I was having alot of difficulty swallowing properly. It was a real problem for me, and one that had me somewhat worried that I may have some lingering neurological issues. I also had difficulty opening my mouth normally. This is apparently normal at first, but does get better as time goes by. The swallowing improved also, but it took much, much longer. In the meantime, I simply made sure that I took small bites, and that I was sitting up properly when I was eating. It is more difficult to recover from choking on something if you are confined to a halo and can`t move your neck. Be careful. It also helps if you can somehow raise your plate so that you can see what you are eating. Either way, eating is rather messy in a halo as things are bound to drop off your fork on the way up.
I think it`s a good idea to eat lightly while wearing the halo vest, especially in the evening. I found that my vest always felt more uncomfortable at night and it didn`t help if I overate even the tiniest bit. There`s just no room under the vest for any expansion whatsoever. I wore a small sized vest and it was tight. Unfortunately, that`s just the way it has to be, so you have to work around it. I didn`t have a huge appetite throughout the entire time I was immobilized so that helped a bit.
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