The ol' man broke his neck last night...
Discussion
...in three places along with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
He did a bit too much celebrating yesterday for his 67th birthday and a simple trip to the toilet resulted in a not so simple trip back down the stairs.
Been in the hospital with him all night expecting him to be sent home with nothing worse than a hangover so came as bit of a shock when they told us the result.
Still sat in the hospital, still in a bit of shock really, waiting for him to be referred to Cardiff where I'm guessing it'll then be a lengthy road to recovery.
Has anyone got any positive stories or first hand experiences with such injuries?
He did a bit too much celebrating yesterday for his 67th birthday and a simple trip to the toilet resulted in a not so simple trip back down the stairs.
Been in the hospital with him all night expecting him to be sent home with nothing worse than a hangover so came as bit of a shock when they told us the result.
Still sat in the hospital, still in a bit of shock really, waiting for him to be referred to Cardiff where I'm guessing it'll then be a lengthy road to recovery.
Has anyone got any positive stories or first hand experiences with such injuries?
.... here's hoping he has a speedy recovery !
If there are neck fractures but no spinal cord injury then they'll probably get better with time. I've met a lot of patients going through that. It's just frustrating having to wear a collar/brace frame.
How bad is the bleeding on the brain? I'm guessing not that severe if he's communicative. In which case that'll probably clear up in time too.
In fact today I scanned a woman I scanned 18 months ago when she originally had a spontaneous bleed and collapsed down a flight of stairs, banging her head on the way down. Ended up in ITU in the nearby neuro centre for a couple of weeks. Seeing her today you'd never had known.
I've no personal experience of the road to recovery though. I'm sure it's not easy but the end results are there for sure.
How bad is the bleeding on the brain? I'm guessing not that severe if he's communicative. In which case that'll probably clear up in time too.
In fact today I scanned a woman I scanned 18 months ago when she originally had a spontaneous bleed and collapsed down a flight of stairs, banging her head on the way down. Ended up in ITU in the nearby neuro centre for a couple of weeks. Seeing her today you'd never had known.
I've no personal experience of the road to recovery though. I'm sure it's not easy but the end results are there for sure.
First of all, hope your dad is ok, suck a shock when these things happen.
My granny was a passenger in a Morris Minor van that crashed into a loch while touring the Hebrides in the early 1970s. She was attended to by the local GP who diagnosed whiplash and recommended a couple of asprin and a dram. They travelled back home to High Wycombe via ferry, coach and train and it took a couple of days. She was still really stiff and could not fully mobilize her neck, despite trying so she went to her GP. Long and the short of it, she ended up in traction, with a cradle bolted to her skull and she had to remain in a horizontal revolving contraption for several months. She ended up having some bone from her pelvis fused to her vertebrae, so she lost most side turning ability. She used to tell the children in her primary school class that the dents in her skull were eyes in the back of her head! She went on to move to the Hebrides, and despite my grandads ever eventful driving she went on for many many years.
My granny was a passenger in a Morris Minor van that crashed into a loch while touring the Hebrides in the early 1970s. She was attended to by the local GP who diagnosed whiplash and recommended a couple of asprin and a dram. They travelled back home to High Wycombe via ferry, coach and train and it took a couple of days. She was still really stiff and could not fully mobilize her neck, despite trying so she went to her GP. Long and the short of it, she ended up in traction, with a cradle bolted to her skull and she had to remain in a horizontal revolving contraption for several months. She ended up having some bone from her pelvis fused to her vertebrae, so she lost most side turning ability. She used to tell the children in her primary school class that the dents in her skull were eyes in the back of her head! She went on to move to the Hebrides, and despite my grandads ever eventful driving she went on for many many years.
As others have said, best wishes for your dad.
Can't comment on neck issues but I did have a fall 3 years ago, slipped over, went down backwards with the rear of my skull hitting the wood floor first taking the brunt of the impact. This happened at approx 8pm, I knew nothing until I woke up at 7am the following morning in A&E, I was given some headache tablets and sent away. As the day progressed, I was sat in my truck, (working away in Belfast) and the headaches slowly got more severe. Following morning was sent back to A&E, luckily the consultant that day was a neuro guy who sent me for tests and discovered I had fractured my skull in 3 places and I had 3 bleeds on my brain.
I was kept in and put on a ward to be monitored on a very regular basis, mainly hourly, basic stuff, like being asked my name, day of week, date, etc, etc. Didn't make any sense to me back then, but on reflection it does. This continued to happen through the night also, and during the day, sent for regular CT scans to monitor the swelling on the bleeds. All was well till midway through the 2nd day in hospital when the consultant, (who was excellent) informed me that 1 of the bleeds was starting to swell and that if it carried on they would have to operate, (drill into the skull iirc?) to try and relieve presure/swelling.
Fortunately this didn't happen as the bleed held where it was after the initial swelling. A few days later I was released from hospital with some headache tablets and sent on my way. Could not fly due to pressure, so it was quite a long bus ride, ferry, and finally a taxi from Holyhead to Basildon as I was not allowed to drive.
Once home, I was put under the neuro department at a nearby hospital and was monitored over time, and had more scans to check the fractures and swelling. This was ongoing for approx 5 months until my neuro consultant gave me the news that I was now clear of all the bleeds, I was delighted and fully appreciate it could have been a whole different story. My consultant informed me how 'lucky' I was when he pointed out that the injuries I received were what he'd expect to see after a major head impact after a serious car crash.
I did suffer a little bit on returning home, it was memory loss mainly and was a bit odd to deal with, but that soon all got back to normal. I do seem to have a much shorter temper these days, and can snap at the slightest thing but am very good at controlling that so that it doesn't escalate.
I may or may not have suffered a bit with depression, but feel this could relate more to different issues I have had to deal with, rather than the injuries I sustained.
Does your dad still drive? There could definitely be issues here if he does, trust me on this I know.
Hope some of that helps, and best wishes to your dad.
Can't comment on neck issues but I did have a fall 3 years ago, slipped over, went down backwards with the rear of my skull hitting the wood floor first taking the brunt of the impact. This happened at approx 8pm, I knew nothing until I woke up at 7am the following morning in A&E, I was given some headache tablets and sent away. As the day progressed, I was sat in my truck, (working away in Belfast) and the headaches slowly got more severe. Following morning was sent back to A&E, luckily the consultant that day was a neuro guy who sent me for tests and discovered I had fractured my skull in 3 places and I had 3 bleeds on my brain.
I was kept in and put on a ward to be monitored on a very regular basis, mainly hourly, basic stuff, like being asked my name, day of week, date, etc, etc. Didn't make any sense to me back then, but on reflection it does. This continued to happen through the night also, and during the day, sent for regular CT scans to monitor the swelling on the bleeds. All was well till midway through the 2nd day in hospital when the consultant, (who was excellent) informed me that 1 of the bleeds was starting to swell and that if it carried on they would have to operate, (drill into the skull iirc?) to try and relieve presure/swelling.
Fortunately this didn't happen as the bleed held where it was after the initial swelling. A few days later I was released from hospital with some headache tablets and sent on my way. Could not fly due to pressure, so it was quite a long bus ride, ferry, and finally a taxi from Holyhead to Basildon as I was not allowed to drive.
Once home, I was put under the neuro department at a nearby hospital and was monitored over time, and had more scans to check the fractures and swelling. This was ongoing for approx 5 months until my neuro consultant gave me the news that I was now clear of all the bleeds, I was delighted and fully appreciate it could have been a whole different story. My consultant informed me how 'lucky' I was when he pointed out that the injuries I received were what he'd expect to see after a major head impact after a serious car crash.
I did suffer a little bit on returning home, it was memory loss mainly and was a bit odd to deal with, but that soon all got back to normal. I do seem to have a much shorter temper these days, and can snap at the slightest thing but am very good at controlling that so that it doesn't escalate.
I may or may not have suffered a bit with depression, but feel this could relate more to different issues I have had to deal with, rather than the injuries I sustained.
Does your dad still drive? There could definitely be issues here if he does, trust me on this I know.
Hope some of that helps, and best wishes to your dad.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff