Ok, so I haven't written on the blog for a fair few months now.
Here is an update:
I had my appointment with Granger (postponed due to his son's very poor health :( ) and got the halo REMOVED!!! I thought it was gonna be pretty gory but it was fine.. only a little bit of blood came from the pin sites where the screws knocked the scabs - my brain didn't come oozing out if the holes tho, so that's a bonus!
I had expected my head to feel really light-weight after it finally being free to move and extend for the first time in 2 months but it felt like a flippin' bowling ball! If Granger hadn't put the collar on, i think my head would've hit the ground! Its amazing how quickly your muscles deteriorate when you aren't using them.
So I got home, ELATED and invited my friends over to play in the snow!! Pretty amazing.. snowball fights and sledging literally minutes after I had the halo removed :)
Things were good and the scars (which I had been really worried about) are fine. Just a subtle reminder of my experience. I did my exams and at the end of the year my AS level results were AAABB. Got myself a boyfriend and then only 5 months after I was free from the collar, I went the Ladakh in India where I spent a month trekking in the Himalayas.
Im pretty proud of myself for all that I have achieved and I'm only just 18. Just goes to show - anything is possible if you put your mind to it (as long as you are also incredibly lucky and don't destroy your nervous system in the process of breaking your neck!)
Thanks for reading.
Millie x
Monday, 17 January 2011
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Burst Fracture:
A burst fracture is a very serious form of compression fracture. In this type of fracture the bone is shattered from the injury. Bone fragments may pierce the spinal cord. The injury usually occurs from a downward or upward force along the spine. Burst fractures often result in serious spinal cord injury.
...=O
Thursday, 14 January 2010
How Long To Go?
We landed back in the UK on Christmas eve. I was due a weekly check-up and so gave Granger a ring like he told me to. This was the strangest check-up in the history of check-ups...
Picutre the scene...
It was freezing, snow everywhere. On my way back from the airport... pulled over in a busy layby off the moterway... there was a red mazda...out stepped my consultant...I aproached him...greeted him...and he tighened my screws there and then - much to the confusion of the fellow layby-ers.
Check-up ended. Continued on my journey home.
...Odd.
But although this check-up was fairly strange, it brougt with it good news. Granger has told me that I should make an appointment for the first week in January, where he would take an X-ray and if everything was going well - take the damned thing offfff!!!!!
Its amazing how the prescribed time in tho halo whittled itself down, from 3 months, to 2 months, to only a month and a half! I felt so lucky when I thought about how much worse it could have been.
A-level exams were looming in my direction. Biology, Chemistry and Geography. The teachers sort of assumed that I wouldn't be doing them due to my predicament but since I was on a roll and doing pretty much anything else, I thought that I might as well give them a shot. Besides, there was every possibility that I would be out of the halo by then!
Anyway... neadless to say, i was very excited (about the halo removel - not the exams, obviously!) and was actually counting down the days. At the same time, I tried not to get my hopes up incase the X-rays were no good and Granger turned around and said to me "Sorry Mils, its gonna be another 3 months in the halo mate!" ... that would suck.
Picutre the scene...
It was freezing, snow everywhere. On my way back from the airport... pulled over in a busy layby off the moterway... there was a red mazda...out stepped my consultant...I aproached him...greeted him...and he tighened my screws there and then - much to the confusion of the fellow layby-ers.
Check-up ended. Continued on my journey home.
...Odd.
But although this check-up was fairly strange, it brougt with it good news. Granger has told me that I should make an appointment for the first week in January, where he would take an X-ray and if everything was going well - take the damned thing offfff!!!!!
Its amazing how the prescribed time in tho halo whittled itself down, from 3 months, to 2 months, to only a month and a half! I felt so lucky when I thought about how much worse it could have been.
A-level exams were looming in my direction. Biology, Chemistry and Geography. The teachers sort of assumed that I wouldn't be doing them due to my predicament but since I was on a roll and doing pretty much anything else, I thought that I might as well give them a shot. Besides, there was every possibility that I would be out of the halo by then!
Anyway... neadless to say, i was very excited (about the halo removel - not the exams, obviously!) and was actually counting down the days. At the same time, I tried not to get my hopes up incase the X-rays were no good and Granger turned around and said to me "Sorry Mils, its gonna be another 3 months in the halo mate!" ... that would suck.
Sunday, 3 January 2010
Living With The Cage
The first few days, I just tried to get used to wearing the cage. I got tired really easily due to a mix of it being a fair bit of extra and awkward weight I was now carrying around with me and the fact that sleeping wasnt great. At this point I manage to sleep on LOADS of pillows so Im not flat, with a rolled-up towel behind my neck for support. I have to lie dead still on my back tho which sucks because I tend to sleep on my side and move about a bit.
After about two days of doing nothing but sit on my arse and make up for the days I went without food, I decided it was time to get back into things - so I went to school for half a day to set the rumours straight (ie: Millie is paralysed, Millie is in a coma, Millie won't be back at school for three months etc)
Everyone was amazed that I was back so soon. The teachers didnt know what to do with me and my friends took the role of being body guards.
The best bit to come out of going back to school had to be the reactions of the little kids, especially the 11yr old boys.
At one point I was standing outside a classroom full of said boys at the top of the stairs waiting for their lesson to finish. They started to pour out, not noticing me at first, and the gazing at me in wonderment...actually going down the stairs backwards so they could look at me for a bit longer. After the main bulk was gone, a tiny kid came shuffeling out, looking at his feet. When he glanced up and saw me, he literally stood there GAPING for full on ages. So in the end I just said "I can still SEE, you know!" and he scurried away. My friends found it hilarious.
Everything got back up to speed quite swiftly. I was going into school for almost full days and getting used to the scaffolding.
My weekly check-ups with Granger were going well...he said the pin-sites looked lovely (Mmm, yeh - lovely scabby holes in my head. Nice) and that becaus I was young, my neck should heal quite quickly. Before I knew it, I want going to be in the halo for three months but more like two.
The check up before my supposed holiday to Florida reveled that not only could I deffinatly go on my vacction, but that I could be getting the cage off a couple of weeks later!!
Granger also said that I got the injury from landing on my head, which compressed my spine - causing it to crack...which probably ment that I had fractured my skull too. That explained why my head still hurt a month after I fell!!
So I went to Florida for the week before Christmas...after having the halo on for a month, things were getting a bit easier:-
After about two days of doing nothing but sit on my arse and make up for the days I went without food, I decided it was time to get back into things - so I went to school for half a day to set the rumours straight (ie: Millie is paralysed, Millie is in a coma, Millie won't be back at school for three months etc)
Everyone was amazed that I was back so soon. The teachers didnt know what to do with me and my friends took the role of being body guards.
The best bit to come out of going back to school had to be the reactions of the little kids, especially the 11yr old boys.
At one point I was standing outside a classroom full of said boys at the top of the stairs waiting for their lesson to finish. They started to pour out, not noticing me at first, and the gazing at me in wonderment...actually going down the stairs backwards so they could look at me for a bit longer. After the main bulk was gone, a tiny kid came shuffeling out, looking at his feet. When he glanced up and saw me, he literally stood there GAPING for full on ages. So in the end I just said "I can still SEE, you know!" and he scurried away. My friends found it hilarious.
Everything got back up to speed quite swiftly. I was going into school for almost full days and getting used to the scaffolding.
My weekly check-ups with Granger were going well...he said the pin-sites looked lovely (Mmm, yeh - lovely scabby holes in my head. Nice) and that becaus I was young, my neck should heal quite quickly. Before I knew it, I want going to be in the halo for three months but more like two.
The check up before my supposed holiday to Florida reveled that not only could I deffinatly go on my vacction, but that I could be getting the cage off a couple of weeks later!!
Granger also said that I got the injury from landing on my head, which compressed my spine - causing it to crack...which probably ment that I had fractured my skull too. That explained why my head still hurt a month after I fell!!
So I went to Florida for the week before Christmas...after having the halo on for a month, things were getting a bit easier:-
- Clothes. I thought at first that I had to wear ugly big clothes with a large enough neckline to fit round all four bars that surrounded my head. But i soon learnt that as long as I could step into the neckline of a top/dress, then i could easily wriggle it up inside of the big plastic vest and look almost normal (despite the cage)
- Sleeping. Sleeping still wasnt great, but as my head and body got used to the halo and the weight of my head on the screws, I could sleep with a few less pillows and even turn on my side!! The only problem was, that if I wanted to ajust my self at all, it ment waking up to shift myself along with the cage.
- Walking. Obviously I could walk the whole time I had the halo on. But at the start, It was so tiering and awkward because of the way my whole top half was made rigid by the contraption. So as time went on, I got more used to it, and my body was able to relax into the frame a bit.
- General Movement. I could touch my toes, do a little dance, practically do back-flips by the end of my halo time.
- EATING AND DRINKING. I nearly forgot about this one. When I was first out of hospital, I had to drink through a straw and eat tiny mouthfulls at a time - I soon sorted my self out tho!!
So by the time I was in Florida, I was able to enjoy myself. Highlights ranging from the lush shopping in the US and the granny-scooters they have in all supermarkets and big stores, which I fully took advantage of!! :P
<<<> (I'm pulling the face.. The halo didn't make me perminantly cross-eyed or anything)
Friday, 1 January 2010
No Rest For The Crippled
Walking out out the hospital doors to the car was so lovely. The cool, fresh air of the outside world was amazing to breath in.
When we got home, I gave my two cats a big cuddle and sat down on the sofa. The next thing I thought was: 'I'm hungry, I'm REALLY hungry. Mmmm, Indian food would be golden right now' I hadnt eaten for 4 days and food is like the love of my life.
It just so happened that before the acciedent happened, I was supposed to be waitressing that night at a fund raising event "Indian Auction of Promises" for the trip to the Himalayers which Im going on this summer. There was Indian food there...so I decided to go.
I had been in hospital a couple of hours earlier and already I was out and about. Brilliant.
My attire for the night consisted of my baggy kick-boxing trousers and a MASSIVE white shirt of my dads. I looked so rediculous, like an actuall square. I must have looked pretty rough too.
When I got to the venue I saw all my school friends in their waitoring outfits standing by the door. Their faces were priceless. Some looked happy to see me. Some looked absolutly terrified. All of them were supprised that I was there.
I had a crowd of 30 people around me - staring. Neadless to say, I wasnt there to be a waitress, so i tucked into my first meal for days and then, after chatting to a few more people, left for home.
Good going so far, I'd say.
When we got home, I gave my two cats a big cuddle and sat down on the sofa. The next thing I thought was: 'I'm hungry, I'm REALLY hungry. Mmmm, Indian food would be golden right now' I hadnt eaten for 4 days and food is like the love of my life.
It just so happened that before the acciedent happened, I was supposed to be waitressing that night at a fund raising event "Indian Auction of Promises" for the trip to the Himalayers which Im going on this summer. There was Indian food there...so I decided to go.
I had been in hospital a couple of hours earlier and already I was out and about. Brilliant.
My attire for the night consisted of my baggy kick-boxing trousers and a MASSIVE white shirt of my dads. I looked so rediculous, like an actuall square. I must have looked pretty rough too.
When I got to the venue I saw all my school friends in their waitoring outfits standing by the door. Their faces were priceless. Some looked happy to see me. Some looked absolutly terrified. All of them were supprised that I was there.
I had a crowd of 30 people around me - staring. Neadless to say, I wasnt there to be a waitress, so i tucked into my first meal for days and then, after chatting to a few more people, left for home.
Good going so far, I'd say.
Monday, 28 December 2009
Halo Time
WOW. So its nearly all over? Well, the hospital phase anyway. I was wheeled back to my little room by a cute Dr with one of those silly little blue cloth hats. "Nice hat" ... "Thanks, Do you want one?" ... "I'm alright thanks" :) It was soooooo good to be able to SEE. I wasnt perminantly horizontal and my view streched further than the hospital ceiling. When I got to my room, I saw there was a little telly on the table across the room. sweeeeeeeet. Mum turned it on but it turned out there was no controller. So I'm only alowed to watch one channel? (since I cant yet stand up) oh well, I'll just watch telly when Im home. OMG...home.
I really couldnt wait and the Dr said if everything looked good after the physiotherapists saw me then I could go home the next day!
Sam (smiley asian Dr) came to check my frame and screws. Awwwhhh, he is so LITTLE. He looked fairly tall when I was lying flat but now I was sat up and had some perspective, I saw he was the same hight as my mum. Bless - I 'hearted' him :P
Next came a friendly Mexican man in a green sweater. He had a catalogue in one hand and an extended grabbing aid thinggy. He was talking quite alot but his accent was pretty heavy so most of the time I just nodded. (The next week, all these disabled aids arived at my house including a grey plastic stool..why on earth did I need that? haha)
The Physio girls came to have a look at me after a bit - they were quite young and very friendly. The tall one said to me: "Do you want to have a go at standing up?" YEAH i dooo. So I slowly moved so my feet were dangeling off the bed. So far so good. The cold floor felt so nice on my toes and they made contact. I was up on my feet in no time...and little dizzy but fairly steady. I took a few steps around the room with the Physio at my side. She told me to have a go at sitting down on the chair and that was it for the day.
I WAS FREE (almost)
I stayed there for the night. It was lovely not having to lie so flat but the best way with the halo was to sleep sitting upright. If I reclined too much then the weight of my skull felt like it was pulling on the front pins.
I didnt sleep much that night but it was ok. I was pretty content listening to my iPod.
The next day my parents got to the hospital at about 10:30am and I had another go at walking around. I decided to use the loo..the REAL loo. It was SO nice to not need the nurse. I felt like I had some of my dignity back.
I then saw myself in the mirror for the first time. YIKES. I really did look a bit Frankinsteinish but I wasnt as bothered by it as I thought I would be.
The rest of the day went pretty slowly as I waited for the go-ahead to leave the hospital.
I had another sesh with the Physio...all went well. I tried the stairs and felt so confident that I absent mindedly started going up the next flight when the physio said that I really needn't. Coming back down was a little bit trickyer, as I couldnt look down to see where I was putting my feet - but over all, good progress made.
My consultant came in a bit later when I was back on the bed and saw the dramatic clump of hair next to me on my bed. "Souvenir?". When I first found it I nearly had a heart attack. Was I loosing my hair from stress? From hitting my head so hard? Then I realised that it was just from the bits they shaved behind my ears for the pin sites. My hair is pretty long so it looked like loads.
Anyway, Granger, my consultant who would check up on me in Worcester just told me about the halo and talked some things through with me.
Just before I left, a stroppy Dr. who helped fit the halo (the one that slipped with the scalpel) asked if I had any questions.
"Urm, yeh. My neck feels really squashed when Im standing up. It goes all fat. And is it normal to feel sick all the time?" to which the answer was fairly unhelpful and moody. Something along the lines of: "You're neck is aligned and shouldnt feel different. You now have a better posture (which wasnt true) and there is no reason to feel sick - its all in your head."
...riiiight - thanks.
We were given some supplies for cleaning the pin sites and in the evening, I was FINALY alowed to come home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really couldnt wait and the Dr said if everything looked good after the physiotherapists saw me then I could go home the next day!
Sam (smiley asian Dr) came to check my frame and screws. Awwwhhh, he is so LITTLE. He looked fairly tall when I was lying flat but now I was sat up and had some perspective, I saw he was the same hight as my mum. Bless - I 'hearted' him :P
Next came a friendly Mexican man in a green sweater. He had a catalogue in one hand and an extended grabbing aid thinggy. He was talking quite alot but his accent was pretty heavy so most of the time I just nodded. (The next week, all these disabled aids arived at my house including a grey plastic stool..why on earth did I need that? haha)
The Physio girls came to have a look at me after a bit - they were quite young and very friendly. The tall one said to me: "Do you want to have a go at standing up?" YEAH i dooo. So I slowly moved so my feet were dangeling off the bed. So far so good. The cold floor felt so nice on my toes and they made contact. I was up on my feet in no time...and little dizzy but fairly steady. I took a few steps around the room with the Physio at my side. She told me to have a go at sitting down on the chair and that was it for the day.
I WAS FREE (almost)
I stayed there for the night. It was lovely not having to lie so flat but the best way with the halo was to sleep sitting upright. If I reclined too much then the weight of my skull felt like it was pulling on the front pins.
I didnt sleep much that night but it was ok. I was pretty content listening to my iPod.
The next day my parents got to the hospital at about 10:30am and I had another go at walking around. I decided to use the loo..the REAL loo. It was SO nice to not need the nurse. I felt like I had some of my dignity back.
I then saw myself in the mirror for the first time. YIKES. I really did look a bit Frankinsteinish but I wasnt as bothered by it as I thought I would be.
The rest of the day went pretty slowly as I waited for the go-ahead to leave the hospital.
I had another sesh with the Physio...all went well. I tried the stairs and felt so confident that I absent mindedly started going up the next flight when the physio said that I really needn't. Coming back down was a little bit trickyer, as I couldnt look down to see where I was putting my feet - but over all, good progress made.
My consultant came in a bit later when I was back on the bed and saw the dramatic clump of hair next to me on my bed. "Souvenir?". When I first found it I nearly had a heart attack. Was I loosing my hair from stress? From hitting my head so hard? Then I realised that it was just from the bits they shaved behind my ears for the pin sites. My hair is pretty long so it looked like loads.
Anyway, Granger, my consultant who would check up on me in Worcester just told me about the halo and talked some things through with me.
Just before I left, a stroppy Dr. who helped fit the halo (the one that slipped with the scalpel) asked if I had any questions.
"Urm, yeh. My neck feels really squashed when Im standing up. It goes all fat. And is it normal to feel sick all the time?" to which the answer was fairly unhelpful and moody. Something along the lines of: "You're neck is aligned and shouldnt feel different. You now have a better posture (which wasnt true) and there is no reason to feel sick - its all in your head."
...riiiight - thanks.
We were given some supplies for cleaning the pin sites and in the evening, I was FINALY alowed to come home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Birmingham
It was time for another trip in an ambulance. Apparently they wanted to fly me to the other hospital in a helicopter but there was no heli-pad at the Royal Orthopaedic - duh! So they put me on an extra flat extra hard board and drove me to B'ham. The actual injury to my spine didn't really hurt at all, but the lump on the back of my head which showed no signs of going down in the three days since the accident was hardly tolerable. The 40min ride was pretty bumpy [why don't they make ambulances smooth?] and by the time we got there I couln't help but urge them to get my off the board and onto a bed where the insufferable pain in the back of my head would chill out. "sorry, but could you just put me onto a bed?" as we waited in the hallway for them to make the bed. "any bed, I really dont mind if its not got sheets for now, pleeeeease?"
After a few more minutes of this they wheeled me into my own little room and unloaded me onto a beautifuly squishy bed. Mmmmmm. Thats when I met Fit-Doctor-Nurse guy - again, Mmmmm :P.
Fit-Doctor-Nurse guy looked to manly to be a nurse...so I decided that he was a Dr/nurse. Anyway, he was lovely and very caring. I felt so much better at this hospital. I had my own room, nice staff around me and most importantly things didnt seem to drag as much as they did in the last place.
A real sweet and very smiley asian Dr called Sam was the one who told me what course of action was to be taken. After a few hrs or not being sure whether I was going to need an opperation or a halo he let me know that it was to be a halo. YESSS!!!!!
You'll be in it for 3 months
I'LL BE IN IT FOR HOW LONG?!
upto 3 months. ... :/
And within just another hour or so, I was being wheeled into the room where they were going to fit it. The room was fairly small with Disney pictures all over the walls and full of Drs wearing silly little blue hats that tied under their chins. If I hadnt been so nervous, I would have laughed my head off at this queer scene.
The Fitting
This was not the most pleasant of experiances.The local anesthetic shots stung like a bitch which didnt seem very fair. It was wierd having 4 Dr.s and 2 nurses crowded round me but to start with it felt kind of reassuring that I had so many people watching over me. It was when they all started to squabble that I got a bit unnerved. "Is it straight?"..."urmmm does it look straight to you? You're the one in the middle"..."pass me the scalple...NOW"..."I'll just make this cut a bit bigger...oops"
WHAT DO YOU MEAN OOPS?!
[I later realised from the long scab behind my ear that he had slipped ..good one!!]
After lots of twisting and skull crunching sounds, the halo was fitted. The head Doc asked me if I could open and close my eyes because sometimes if the front pins are in a certain place, you cant close your eyes and they have to refit it. =O luckily that wasnt the case.
They told me I was now alowed to sit up. So i tried. HOLY CRAP IM PARALYSED. No matter how hard I tried to lift my body for the first time in 3 days, it wouldnt budge. The effort made me feel sick so I asked the slightly dosy man who was the only person left in the room if he could maybe find me a sick bowl. Never rely on a dosy man in times of urgent need.
I sat up...the force of me being sick left me no choice. It was gross. My stomach muscles hurt so much from the strain, and the worst part of it was that it went all down the synthetic sheep skin vest which I couldnt get wet and therefore couldnt wash. Crap.
After a few more minutes of this they wheeled me into my own little room and unloaded me onto a beautifuly squishy bed. Mmmmmm. Thats when I met Fit-Doctor-Nurse guy - again, Mmmmm :P.
Fit-Doctor-Nurse guy looked to manly to be a nurse...so I decided that he was a Dr/nurse. Anyway, he was lovely and very caring. I felt so much better at this hospital. I had my own room, nice staff around me and most importantly things didnt seem to drag as much as they did in the last place.
A real sweet and very smiley asian Dr called Sam was the one who told me what course of action was to be taken. After a few hrs or not being sure whether I was going to need an opperation or a halo he let me know that it was to be a halo. YESSS!!!!!
You'll be in it for 3 months
I'LL BE IN IT FOR HOW LONG?!
upto 3 months. ... :/
And within just another hour or so, I was being wheeled into the room where they were going to fit it. The room was fairly small with Disney pictures all over the walls and full of Drs wearing silly little blue hats that tied under their chins. If I hadnt been so nervous, I would have laughed my head off at this queer scene.
The Fitting
This was not the most pleasant of experiances.The local anesthetic shots stung like a bitch which didnt seem very fair. It was wierd having 4 Dr.s and 2 nurses crowded round me but to start with it felt kind of reassuring that I had so many people watching over me. It was when they all started to squabble that I got a bit unnerved. "Is it straight?"..."urmmm does it look straight to you? You're the one in the middle"..."pass me the scalple...NOW"..."I'll just make this cut a bit bigger...oops"
WHAT DO YOU MEAN OOPS?!
[I later realised from the long scab behind my ear that he had slipped ..good one!!]
After lots of twisting and skull crunching sounds, the halo was fitted. The head Doc asked me if I could open and close my eyes because sometimes if the front pins are in a certain place, you cant close your eyes and they have to refit it. =O luckily that wasnt the case.
They told me I was now alowed to sit up. So i tried. HOLY CRAP IM PARALYSED. No matter how hard I tried to lift my body for the first time in 3 days, it wouldnt budge. The effort made me feel sick so I asked the slightly dosy man who was the only person left in the room if he could maybe find me a sick bowl. Never rely on a dosy man in times of urgent need.
I sat up...the force of me being sick left me no choice. It was gross. My stomach muscles hurt so much from the strain, and the worst part of it was that it went all down the synthetic sheep skin vest which I couldnt get wet and therefore couldnt wash. Crap.
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