My story is about an unexpected life event. One that has left me thinking endlessly about what could have, might have, or should have been. After much contemplation, I have come to happily accept and find comfort in what is, rather than dwell on, and stress about, what could have been. It is, in the end, all about fate after all, and we all know there is no controlling fate. It is what it is, period. It will do what it wants to do, when it wants, whether we like it or not. In my case it handed me a hefty dose of physical pain mixed in with alot of inconvenience. BUT, and it`s a big but, it allowed me to keep my life. I figure I got off easy.
On December 16, 2008, a frigid but ordinary morning, I was involved in a car accident that left me with a double fracture in the C-2 vertebra in my neck. In order for the fracture to heal, my head and neck had to be immobilized in a special brace called a halo vest. The halo vest consists of a titanium circle of metal placed around the head and held there by four screws attached to the skull bone. Two on each side of the forehead above the eyebrows, and two behind each ear. The circle, or “halo”, is then attached by four titanium posts to a rigid vest that is snugly, and I mean (snugly), fitted onto the torso. The vest is lined on the inside with thick, warm sheepskin, for added comfort...
Of course I had never seen such a device nor did I have any idea what was in store for me, so, once I was able to do so, I scoured the internet, hungry for information. I was disappointed to find relatively little information on-line about other individuals going through, or having gone through, a similar experience to mine. Since I was unable to do any of the things I normally do while wearing the halo vest, i.e.: drive, go to work, exercise…sleep, etc, etc., I decided that I would try to use some of my time to write my story for those who might be facing similar circumstances – or, maybe even for those who have come to take things like, life, and independence, for granted.
Being immobilized in a halo vest is a fairly unique situation to be in, and one that comes with all sorts of unknowns, challenges and mostly, fears. And while it's true my life has been temporarily put on hold, I say Big Deal. And when people say, "You poor thing, it must be terrible", I tell them it's not so bad, because it could have been so. much. worse. But, let me start at the beginning.
On December 16, 2008, a frigid but ordinary morning, I was involved in a car accident that left me with a double fracture in the C-2 vertebra in my neck. In order for the fracture to heal, my head and neck had to be immobilized in a special brace called a halo vest. The halo vest consists of a titanium circle of metal placed around the head and held there by four screws attached to the skull bone. Two on each side of the forehead above the eyebrows, and two behind each ear. The circle, or “halo”, is then attached by four titanium posts to a rigid vest that is snugly, and I mean (snugly), fitted onto the torso. The vest is lined on the inside with thick, warm sheepskin, for added comfort...
Of course I had never seen such a device nor did I have any idea what was in store for me, so, once I was able to do so, I scoured the internet, hungry for information. I was disappointed to find relatively little information on-line about other individuals going through, or having gone through, a similar experience to mine. Since I was unable to do any of the things I normally do while wearing the halo vest, i.e.: drive, go to work, exercise…sleep, etc, etc., I decided that I would try to use some of my time to write my story for those who might be facing similar circumstances – or, maybe even for those who have come to take things like, life, and independence, for granted.
Being immobilized in a halo vest is a fairly unique situation to be in, and one that comes with all sorts of unknowns, challenges and mostly, fears. And while it's true my life has been temporarily put on hold, I say Big Deal. And when people say, "You poor thing, it must be terrible", I tell them it's not so bad, because it could have been so. much. worse. But, let me start at the beginning.
What happened…?
I didn’t see him coming on that early Tuesday morning. I was happily chatting with my sister who was sitting right next to me, as we began our drive into work together. By the time I noticed the car bearing down on me it was just…too late. Within a second of making my left-hand turn, I heard, and felt, a crushing blow to the driver’s side of my car. I also heard, and felt, a not-so-pleasant cracking in my upper neck. The pain was fierce and immediate, and I grabbed at my neck knowing instinctively it was something bad. Despite the excruciating pain, I was relieved to find I was able to move my legs, which I did compulsively throughout the ordeal. I also noticed that I had normal feeling in my arms, and everywhere else, for that matter. My sister who was mere inches away escaped without injury, thank God, as did her boyfriend who sat in the back. I would have never forgiven myself if anything had happened to her. She is and always will be my “little” sister and trusts me, (trusted me?), to take her safely to work and back every day.
Within minutes of the crash, my husband was by my side, and the ambulance and fire department arrived soon after. While the fire-fighters proceeded to do serious damage to my car, (that’s ok, I forgive you), I was fitted with a tight cervical collar, carefully put onto a backboard, tucked into an inflatable cocoon that ensured I didn’t move an inch, and whisked away by ambulance to the nearest hospital. My husband followed closely behind, as did the ambulance carrying my sister who, thankfully, was deemed to be without serious injury later that morning. It was an absolutely surreal experience. Since I was unable to move, my vision was narrowly restricted to the area directly above my head. I couldn't see anything that was going on around me, however, I could hear plenty, including the screaming siren of the ambulance - and it was frightening to say the least.
Once at the hospital, I was quickly wheeled into an examination room where ER staff cut the clothing off of my body. A ridiculously young-looking ER doctor then stuck me with pins all over to determine whether I had any nerve damage but thankfully, everything seemed fine on the neurological front. They nonetheless continued to stick me with pins on a daily basis throughout my stay in the hospital. Next came a quick abdominal ultrasound to see whether I had any internal damage and/or bleeding. I didn`t. After that, the doctor examined my neck and said he didn`t believe anything was broken but that we should get an x-ray, just to confirm... A nurse then gave me a shot of…God knows what, which relaxed me a little but barely took the edge off the pain. I still couldn`t move my head a fraction of an inch without feeling excruciating pain so once I arrived at x-ray, I was astonished to hear the radiologist ask me if I could stand up(!) for the procedure. Short conversation; here`s how it went :
NO!
I didn’t see him coming on that early Tuesday morning. I was happily chatting with my sister who was sitting right next to me, as we began our drive into work together. By the time I noticed the car bearing down on me it was just…too late. Within a second of making my left-hand turn, I heard, and felt, a crushing blow to the driver’s side of my car. I also heard, and felt, a not-so-pleasant cracking in my upper neck. The pain was fierce and immediate, and I grabbed at my neck knowing instinctively it was something bad. Despite the excruciating pain, I was relieved to find I was able to move my legs, which I did compulsively throughout the ordeal. I also noticed that I had normal feeling in my arms, and everywhere else, for that matter. My sister who was mere inches away escaped without injury, thank God, as did her boyfriend who sat in the back. I would have never forgiven myself if anything had happened to her. She is and always will be my “little” sister and trusts me, (trusted me?), to take her safely to work and back every day.
Within minutes of the crash, my husband was by my side, and the ambulance and fire department arrived soon after. While the fire-fighters proceeded to do serious damage to my car, (that’s ok, I forgive you), I was fitted with a tight cervical collar, carefully put onto a backboard, tucked into an inflatable cocoon that ensured I didn’t move an inch, and whisked away by ambulance to the nearest hospital. My husband followed closely behind, as did the ambulance carrying my sister who, thankfully, was deemed to be without serious injury later that morning. It was an absolutely surreal experience. Since I was unable to move, my vision was narrowly restricted to the area directly above my head. I couldn't see anything that was going on around me, however, I could hear plenty, including the screaming siren of the ambulance - and it was frightening to say the least.
Once at the hospital, I was quickly wheeled into an examination room where ER staff cut the clothing off of my body. A ridiculously young-looking ER doctor then stuck me with pins all over to determine whether I had any nerve damage but thankfully, everything seemed fine on the neurological front. They nonetheless continued to stick me with pins on a daily basis throughout my stay in the hospital. Next came a quick abdominal ultrasound to see whether I had any internal damage and/or bleeding. I didn`t. After that, the doctor examined my neck and said he didn`t believe anything was broken but that we should get an x-ray, just to confirm... A nurse then gave me a shot of…God knows what, which relaxed me a little but barely took the edge off the pain. I still couldn`t move my head a fraction of an inch without feeling excruciating pain so once I arrived at x-ray, I was astonished to hear the radiologist ask me if I could stand up(!) for the procedure. Short conversation; here`s how it went :
NO!
All the while I`m thinking about that cracking I felt in my neck on impact. What the heck was that? I’m not moving until they tell me there`s nothing broken. Well, not long after that, (in painkiller time..), the ER doctor came back to tell me I was very lucky, and that there was nothing broken. He said I just had a severe sprain in my neck and quickly removed my neck brace.
"So.., he said, with a big smile on his face, let`s see if you can get up. If you can, you`re free to leave”. Fantastic, I thought, excellent news. All that worry for nothing! This is going to hurt, but hey, it`s just pain, there`s nothing broken! I tried my very, very, very hardest to get up. I really wanted to go home - and so did my exhausted husband, (who unlike me, was not on painkiller time). But the pain was simply excruciating. I tried once, twice, three times, all the while grasping my neck to give it some support. Finally, the doctor yelled for me to stop and put the brace back on. He said this didn`t seem normal and decided to send me for a scan thinking now that there might be some ligament damage.
Long story short, I have a double fracture in my upper neck known as a “hangman`s fracture”. Lovely name I know. And, well, they happened to miss it on the x-ray. No further explanation is provided by the radiologist.
Despite this gigantic error, I found the ER doctor to be kind and compassionate. He told me that it was rare for someone to present at the hospital with this type of unstable fracture and not have neurological consequenes. He said this is why he did not suspect serious damage at first, adding that I was extremely lucky given the injury I sustained. Every neurologist I would see after that (and I saw many), would tell me the same thing. It is very humbling, and I was, am, and always will be, hugely grateful.
From that moment on my every move was scrutinized and I was not permitted to move an inch. For awhile I was not even allowed to raise my arm to scratch my nose! I was prepared for transfer to an Ottawa hospital where I would likely undergo surgery that night. As it happened, I was transferred to the other hospital but did not require surgery that night. However, my fracture was unstable, and for four days, while neurosurgeons decided how they would deal with my injury, I remained braced and miserably flat on my back unable to move and in a lot of pain. I was kept medicated for the neck pain, but nothing helped the back pain I was feeling from not being able to move. It was probably the hardest thing for me to deal with at that point. I was on a glucose IV because it was pretty much impossible to eat in that position without choking to death.. Though after a while I did master the art of swallowing giant pills while on my back. I hope that little trick never comes in handy again.
Three times a day during my entire seven-day stay at the hospital, a nurse would come and jab me in the stomach with a needle full of heparin, an anticoagulant used to reduce the risk of blood clots from lack of movement. You would think that would be horrible, and at first it was, but amazingly, like anything else, you get used to it quickly, and then needles in your stomach seem like a minor thing in the scheme of things.
I had many friends and family members surrounding me during my time at the hospital. Being buzzed on painkillers is hard on the memory though, and thinking back, I now have trouble putting the pieces of memory back together. Some things I remember clearly, while others, well, buzzzz. I am very grateful to all of those who took time out of their busy lives to come and see me. Although the details of your visit may be vague, I know exactly who you are. (Thank you).
Long story short, I have a double fracture in my upper neck known as a “hangman`s fracture”. Lovely name I know. And, well, they happened to miss it on the x-ray. No further explanation is provided by the radiologist.
Despite this gigantic error, I found the ER doctor to be kind and compassionate. He told me that it was rare for someone to present at the hospital with this type of unstable fracture and not have neurological consequenes. He said this is why he did not suspect serious damage at first, adding that I was extremely lucky given the injury I sustained. Every neurologist I would see after that (and I saw many), would tell me the same thing. It is very humbling, and I was, am, and always will be, hugely grateful.
From that moment on my every move was scrutinized and I was not permitted to move an inch. For awhile I was not even allowed to raise my arm to scratch my nose! I was prepared for transfer to an Ottawa hospital where I would likely undergo surgery that night. As it happened, I was transferred to the other hospital but did not require surgery that night. However, my fracture was unstable, and for four days, while neurosurgeons decided how they would deal with my injury, I remained braced and miserably flat on my back unable to move and in a lot of pain. I was kept medicated for the neck pain, but nothing helped the back pain I was feeling from not being able to move. It was probably the hardest thing for me to deal with at that point. I was on a glucose IV because it was pretty much impossible to eat in that position without choking to death.. Though after a while I did master the art of swallowing giant pills while on my back. I hope that little trick never comes in handy again.
Three times a day during my entire seven-day stay at the hospital, a nurse would come and jab me in the stomach with a needle full of heparin, an anticoagulant used to reduce the risk of blood clots from lack of movement. You would think that would be horrible, and at first it was, but amazingly, like anything else, you get used to it quickly, and then needles in your stomach seem like a minor thing in the scheme of things.
I had many friends and family members surrounding me during my time at the hospital. Being buzzed on painkillers is hard on the memory though, and thinking back, I now have trouble putting the pieces of memory back together. Some things I remember clearly, while others, well, buzzzz. I am very grateful to all of those who took time out of their busy lives to come and see me. Although the details of your visit may be vague, I know exactly who you are. (Thank you).
Your ER visit was very different from my wife's. She was discharged only 16 hours after being admitted and only 9 hours after having the halo fitted. I felt like she got the bum's rush!
ReplyDeleteI was in the hospital for about four days before they decided to go with the halo. There was some debate about whether or not to operate. Once the halo was put on, I was only in the hospital for another two days or so. Your wife's experience certainly was different..
ReplyDeleteThank You so much for detailed informations and tips. It will help me a lot. I had an accident 7 days ago (C1 broken in several pieces) and I'm wearing Halo vest for 3 days now. Quite painful experience.
ReplyDeleteGeorge
Hi George. I apologize for not responding sooner - haven`t checked by blog in a while. I am glad you found the information useful. I still read it from time to time to remind myself it all actually happened and to continue to be grateful things didn`t turn out worse than they did. As difficult as it is for you now, it will one day only be a distant memory. One day at a time. Stay positive. I`m happy to answer any questions if you have any.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lise, things are much better now, no pain, just patience and time. Seriously, your blog was/is so helpful, especially to pass those first days or a week. Hair washing is quite an experience itself, but consider that all of your tips were life savers. Take care, I'm glad you are doing fine and thanks a lot again.
ReplyDeleteP.S. it wasn't C1, it was C2 like yours. My mistake.
George
Hi George. I am happy to hear you are doing better. You have gotten through the worst part. Stay positive and you will do fine. It sounds like you have had a serious accident (was it a car accident?), but you are going to get through this. I often think about what I went through - it seems like just yesterday in some ways. I don`t think I will ever forget it, but life does get back to normal and it`s easy to forget how close you came to losing everyting. I wrote the blog to help anyone else in my situation as much as I could so I`m really glad you have found it helpful. I am back to my normal activities and busy work schedule, but I often think about my time in the halo. I thought I would never get through it, but I did and so will you. No one can ever know what it`s like to experience this unless they have gone through it. I hope you have some support to help you and wish you all the best.
ReplyDelete