So I had been told there was pressure on my spinal chord and if they moved me then I would snap it. My only option was to have surgery open reduction of c5-6 facet joint and anterior cervical decompression and fusion . what is this jargon ? what are the risks? at the end of the day it didn't matter it needed to be done.
I was shitting my self shit just got real so many questions were running through my head : will I be able to hold my family ever again? will i wake up a Quadriplegic? will I wake up at all? have lived the life i want to live? it was just so surreal I'd never been in ambulance before nek minute I'm in hospital having the most important operation of my life.
As they wheeled me down to theater I said good buy to my wife ( who was putting on a brave face for me) and went into the waiting room chatting to the Anesthetist prior to going in we were making small talk i joked that my I wouldn't be pack marching in the near future. He told me he had been in for 20 yrs we had a bit of a chat and for a sec i had forgotten about what was about to happen. Before i know it the big doors had opened and I was breathing into a mask on my third breath i thought there is no way this thing will put me to sleep ........that was the last thing I remember.
The severity of the situation still hadn't set in I didn't feel different ( that may have been the morphine ) but that was all about to change . I needed to have a shower and I was going to walk there, mmmm as I put my feet on the ground I was shaky, real shaky and very off balance, I needed help to walk. I looked at the Nurse "is this normal?" she assured me It was normal for the circumstances..... was this how i walked from now on? I didn't know this was all perfectly normal i was only 10 hour post-op it would take a while to get back to normal. As I laid in bed hitting the self medication button I wondered what would happen next ,how different was my life going to be now? And The worry I'd put my family and friends through especially my Wife ,always there with her hand on me telling me id be OK . so the there were thoughts should i just do the the things I have been putting off or unsure about? Full time army? PT course etc all the hard questions , I mean this was my second chance , what would you do with a second chance? Today i read a article http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2013/07/08/368788_news.html I mean this guy wasn't so fortunate , how lucky was I?
Any way that's it for today I wasn't sure if id share this or if I would do it just for me but i think ill share it.
I was shown This http://mirandaoldroyd.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/crossfit-is-dangerous-and-how-it-very.html and it has given me hope and goal to get back to how I was prior to the accident I know that its not going to be easy but I will do it , I have the love and support of a amazing group of friends and family but I will write more about them later. I just hope that my blog could help somebody in a similar situation to me.
Leigh sykes
Don't loose hope; we all understand and you can come through it here is my story and please continue to visit the broken neck survivor support page on facebook we can help in any way we can (there are over 200 there to help) http://nesschesters.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/the-gift-of-being-fully-alive/
ReplyDeleteLeigh-
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are ok!! Just know that there are a lot of things you will be able to do as soon as you get out of the hospital. Ride the airdyne bike, no hands. After a week or so you can do walking lunges...slow and air squats. You won't be able to go heavy for a while or do anything explosive. I pulled a sled to get heavy work in. Working out...even a little bit will raise your testosterone and will speed up the healing process!! Email me on FB if you need any more help!!
You are very lucky and you will always remember that. I am "healed", but not a day goes by that I don't remember.
Miranda
Leigh, I am a wife and mother of 3. 4 weeks ago today, I decided to dive into our 4 ft deep, family pool. My dive didn't go so well and I ended up fracturing my C1. I am currently in a medical halo and will have it removed in September. My life changed that day, as I know I am extremely lucky to move, breathe and be alive. I am 34 years old and cannot believe I made such a childish decision, that day.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best of luck, in your healing process and will keep you in my prayers, for a full recovery.
You are not alone!
Tricia
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI fractured c-3 and c-4 and had it fused in 1999. I was in a neck brace for 3 months and did not go through the hospitals rehab. I re-learned how to kick box and I moved on from everyone telling me to slow down. Life can go on because we can adapt to the pain, They gave me last rites three different time and each time I had to say goodbye to my loved ones. It's been a long road and I'm going to lie. I seem to always be stiff and always sore from doing hardly anything but I am not on any kind of pain medication and I am very active. The gym and everything else that everybody else does. I don't let the pain run my life. When I hurt I rest when I feel good I don't let anything stand in my way. Good Luck and trust you can accomplish anything you put your mind to. I wrote the book "Death's Doorbell Rang for me". I am very impressed how well you can write about your experience. I kept a journal and it turned into a book. Don't ever let yourself think you can not do something even if the doctors say that you can't,
So proud of you, my love. xoxo
ReplyDelete