Hello everyone. I have a friend who fell down head first from a 15 ft tree last january 9, 2009 and he broke his spinal cord C5-C6. He is now paralyzed from the head down for almost 4 months now. Aside from being bed-ridden, he suffers from bed sores and depression. He is given therapy twice a week but still his condition is not getting better. He also has an infected liver. The problem becomes bigger and bigger and it keeps on adding up. I feel so sorry for my friend. Can someone reassure me that he'll be okay? To those who had experience with such case, how long did it take before a quadriplegic person will be able to function normally again? What does it take for them to walk and do normal things again? What are the things we need to know? How do we take care of such person? Does he have special needs, aside from feeding and toilet needs? Can someone please shed some light on my frustrations? thanks...my email is joann_xvi@yahoo.com. appreciate any information we can get. Thank you very much.

Hi.

I have the same injury, albeit incomplete. If your friend has whats considered an incomplete injury, with locomotor training there is a good chance to see good return. A complete injury, that high up on the spine, most likely will result in very little return. The depression is foreseeable in someone who is stuck in bed all day, paralyzed, probably in pain. It can be treated with medication , counseling, and most importantly time. It's said amongst Spinal Cord Injury groups that 80 percent of the recovery of the patient is seen within the first 8-12 months, and an additional 15 percent after 20-24 months. After that time period the functional return without the assistance of therapies is very limited and most likely will be unnoticed with time, and written off as practice and technique rather than functional return.

As for the pressure sores and infection, those are the things you should focus on now instead of walking. Walking is the gold at the end of the rainbow. Pressure sores and infection can single-handedly keep your friend from progressing with therapy and if left unchecked can end in their death. For the pressure sores keep weight even and off the sores, and after they are healed take preventative steps towards them. Clean dry skin with even weight shouldn't get sores. They are a product of uneven load , soiled clothing, and a lack of sensation. An air matress can help take the load off the person and even it out amongst the rest of their body.

Quite frankly, without knowing specifics about your friend it's impossible to predict an outcome. Hell, it's hard to predict an outcome for an SCI patient even with all the specifics. The persons recovery at the six-month mark will be a good indication of what is going to end up happening. Statistically your friend, given his survival up to 4 months past his injury, will most likely survive if the Spinal Cord Injury is the only thing they are contending with. The amount of functional return he will get in the rest of his body below his nipple line is impossible to tell you at this point.

Best of luck, to you and your friend.

Sam

he should never give up hope, docs may say one thing but they have been proved wrong before... work hard towards his goals and take it from there.

It sounds as though your friend is in need of a good SCI rehab facility that can not only work to get him in as best health as possible (not to restore function, but to just get healthy), but to also train family and friends how to care for him. Has he been to any kind of rehab since his injury? Are you one of those who will be taking care of him? My husband did his rehab at Craig Hospital in Denver, CO. They sent a representative to Phoenix to evaluate him and once accepted, they assisted us in getting insurance to agree to send him there. This may be an option for your friend if he doesn't live near such a facility.

The initial rehab (acute rehab) serves the purpose of dealing with the injury at the level he is at "right now." You can't begin to think about restorative therapies (chronic rehab) until you have a handle on taking good care of him in his current condition. And yes . . . there is much more to know other than feeding and bladder/bowel care.

If you are unable to help him receive this acute rehab . . . send me a personal message and I'd be happy to copy the handbook I received along with many teaching CD's for care.

And, I (all too well) know that it's hard not to focus on walking and moving right now . . . but try and remember, if he isn't helped to stay as healthy as he can at his current level of need, then he will never get to the point of participating in therapies that may improve his function. The first 6 to 12 months are mostly about care.

Hope this helps,
Joye