At 15 weeks since the accident, 24 days since the halo came off and just three days until the return visit to the doctor, I finally figured it out. I recorded the visit where the doctor removed the halo. I've converted the audio on the cell phone to something I can upload.
Here is a slide show along with a snippet of the doctor's comments before halo removal, answering the question we didn't ask. Jan believes after I filed the complaint and caused a big stink, the doctor felt he needed to add an unsolicited verdict on the halo setup. This was the thing he said that annoyed me but I kept quiet because the halo was still on her at this point.
Here is a slide show along with a snippet of the doctor's comments before halo removal, answering the question we didn't ask. Jan believes after I filed the complaint and caused a big stink, the doctor felt he needed to add an unsolicited verdict on the halo setup. This was the thing he said that annoyed me but I kept quiet because the halo was still on her at this point.
Jan certainly sounds like she`s ready to get out of that thing. The only comment I can make regarding the fit of the halo is that it looks even more uncomfortable than mine. Her head definately seems to be pushed forward more than mine was. If anything, mine was pushed back, kind of like when you tuck your chin in. When I had to have my pins repositioned due to infection, I told the doctor that I felt like my head was tilted slightly to one side and slightly downward. I also told him the vest didn`t seem to be sitting on my shoulders properly. He played around with the adjustments while I was laying down. Then he sat me up to see if it was any better. It was quite a bit better. My head felt a little straighter and some of the weight was now distributed onto my shoulders and chest. It felt better but nonetheless took a few days to adjust to the new position. Unfortunately, he wouldn`t agree to loosen the vest...:)
ReplyDeleteI have a question for your wife. I have been getting cracking sounds from the area of my fracture..This started about two or three weeks prior to the halo removal, after I reached too far to wipe a spill off the floor. At the time, I felt a sharp pain in my neck. (No more wiping up spills for me after that.) I don`t know if it`s related or not. Perhaps it`s a coincidence. In any case, it seems to be getting worse. It happens when I make certain slight movements with my neck, or sometimes even when I take a deep breath...crack. It`s a little disconcerting. There`s no huge pain involved, just a dull ache in the back of my neck. I was wondering if Jan has experienced this. Maybe it`s normal when bones are healing.
I do know she had some popping and cracking before the halo came off but she was never sure if it was her neck or the halo bars. I'll have her comment.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fit, it was too high in the back by at least an inch and the doctor that put it on, the second doctor at the second ER visit and the nurse practitioner at two separate visits would not even consider adjusting it.
They tried to scare Jan by telling her she could be paralyzed if it moved and we all know that's bull crap, especially after 45 days! If you could have seen them jerking her around, trying to get the vest under her the very first time in the ER with no neck support, you'd know she could not have been damaged any more.
I had popping sounds coming from my halo but I don't remember any in my neck. There were times I wished my neck could have popped to relieve pressure. I had trouble with pinched nerves. My left leg still tingles at times - I can't rest on it without it feeling like it is going to sleep or tingling and the skin feels raw. It's not as bad as it was but it's still hanging on.
ReplyDeleteDo you think you pulled something? Have you been back to the doctor or called to ask if this is normal?
I reached over one day to pick up the remote and bent forward and the room went round and round. I screamed for Greg. Needless to say that was the last time I did that. I think I dropped more stuff while I had the halo then my whole life.
How are you feeling? I'm back to the doctor tomorrow. I took the collar off a few minutes while I was by myself today. It still feels freaky. I am guessing I will start PT soon.
Hi Jan. About two weeks before I had the halo removed I bent down to wipe up some water that had spilled on the floor. I over-reached and felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck. Just like you, I learned my lesson and never did that again...But the cracking sound started sometime after that. Don`t know if it`s related or not. I am also seeing my doctor tomorrow but I`m not sure what happens next. I seem to recall the doctors at the hospital saying that I would be wearing a foam collar after this one. We`ll see. My neck feels very weak at the moment and I still don`t have much range. I can`t imagine walking around without a collar - that would be scary. I don`t think I`ll be able to drive for some time yet since I`m a long ways from being able to do a shoulder check, or even look left and right for that matter. I agree with you that the harder it is to pick things up off the floor, the more things you seem to drop... :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck tomorrow. Please let me know how it goes.
Ok, here`s what happened with my appointment today. My fracture is about 75% healed. It`s enough for me to start moving around without the brace, a little bit at a time. But he said that I should put the brace back on when I have pain, which he assured me, I will for the next little while. He said I could return to work on April 20th. I asked about the cracking in my neck. He was not the least bit worried and said it was just the ligaments. I told him I felt my neck was very weak. He said it was normal. He did not say anything about physiotherapy which surprised me a bit since I have very little range of movement. I will see how it goes in the next couple of weeks. I can always talk to my family doctor about physio if I feel I still need it then.
ReplyDeleteI trust this doctor. He is Chief of Neurosurgery at this hospital. I can`t get much better than that. He told me that for the next year or so, I will probably have a fair bit of pain in my neck - especially when the weather is damp. (I always thought that was a myth, but apparently it`s not...) And, as a matter of fact, it`s raining here today, and my neck is quite sore. So there you go. I forgot to ask him when I can start running again...I don`t think I`ll be doing that for a while yet...My neck hurts just thinking about running. Life is almost back to normal. Now I just have to get used to driving again, slowly but surely. Thank goodness I have a few weeks to prepare.
Jan: How did your appointment go?
We just got back and Greg will post a blog entry. I'm pretty tired as it is always a full day with these folks for the simplest thing.
ReplyDelete