[j&v4ever]

December 1, 2008 my girlfriend and i were driving home from a concert at the new house of blues in houston, I was driving and hit a 1400 lb. bull on a dark country road. We were in a 2001 saturn coupe and the bull basically crushed the top of the car causing a fracture on her c2, described by the doctors as similar to diving into shallow water. It was deemed class A incomplete, I have a vague idea of what that means and could use a little clarity. From looking at the MRI the Dr. does not think the spinal cord sheath was punctured and they don't think that there is any clotting on the spinal cord itself, though there are some very small shadowy areas that the Dr. is not sure about, but he seems optimistic. So far she has been on a ventilator but is breathing stronger on her own everyday, she says her right arm is in pain constantly, and she claims to be able to feel touch slightly all over her body, but she has no movement except for in one of her shoulders, but she has only been able to move it maybe 3 times since the accident. She is in a Halo right now and the Dr. is happy with the alligment the halo gave to the bone and he so far does not think that she will need surgery to allign the spinal cord. I'm a little familiar with some rehab as i worked as a PT tech for 2 years while i was in college but never had a patient with this level of injury, let alone the person that I love most in this world. I feel blessed to have stumbled across this website and read for about 5 hours when I found it. God bless all of you for being so strong, I read some amazing uplifting stories. If anyone has any advice or encouragement for me I sure could use it for her sake, she is a beautiful 25 year old woman graduated from the university of houston. We had just been out looking at engagement rings a few days before the accident and are in the process of remodeling our newly purchased home in a small town outside of houston. I'm torn to pieces right now, but keep a smile on my face for her and as much as she can, she has kept one for me.

God Bless

joe

Attached thumbnail(s)

• 

[Lisse08]

j&v4ever, on Dec 10 2008, 12:03 AM, said:

December 1, 2008 my girlfriend and i were driving home from a concert at the new house of blues in houston, I was driving and hit a 1400 lb. bull on a dark country road. We were in a 2001 saturn coupe and the bull basically crushed the top of the car causing a fracture on her c2, described by the doctors as similar to diving into shallow water. It was deemed class A incomplete, I have a vague idea of what that means and could use a little clarity. From looking at the MRI the Dr. does not think the spinal cord sheath was punctured and they don't think that there is any clotting on the spinal cord itself, though there are some very small shadowy areas that the Dr. is not sure about, but he seems optimistic. So far she has been on a ventilator but is breathing stronger on her own everyday, she says her right arm is in pain constantly, and she claims to be able to feel touch slightly all over her body, but she has no movement except for in one of her shoulders, but she has only been able to move it maybe 3 times since the accident. She is in a Halo right now and the Dr. is happy with the alligment the halo gave to the bone and he so far does not think that she will need surgery to allign the spinal cord. I'm a little familiar with some rehab as i worked as a PT tech for 2 years while i was in college but never had a patient with this level of injury, let alone the person that I love most in this world. I feel blessed to have stumbled across this website and read for about 5 hours when I found it. God bless all of you for being so strong, I read some amazing uplifting stories. If anyone has any advice or encouragement for me I sure could use it for her sake, she is a beautiful 25 year old woman graduated from the university of houston. We had just been out looking at engagement rings a few days before the accident and are in the process of remodeling our newly purchased home in a small town outside of houston. I'm torn to pieces right now, but keep a smile on my face for her and as much as she can, she has kept one for me.

God Bless

joe

-------------------------------
The top vertebra is called C-1, the next is C-2, etc. Cervical SCI's usually cause loss of function in the arms and legs, resulting in quadriplegia. The effects of SCI depend on the type of injury and the level of the injury. SCI can be divided into two types of injury - complete and incomplete. A complete injury means that there is no function below the level of the injury; no sensation and no voluntary movement. Both sides of the body are equally affected. An incomplete injury means that there is some functioning below the primary level of the injury. A person with an incomplete injury may be able to move one limb more than another, may be able to feel parts of the body that cannot be moved, or may have more functioning on one side of the body than the other.

The most important step is these situations is to keep your faith in God. Prayer is power! My brother was injured in Feb '08 and let's just say it's been a very long year. Since the injury we have found that love, laughter, and friendship are the foundation. She needs to you remain strong and provide continuing encouragement. She can overcome the many obstacles she has endured and those yet to come.

Lisse08

[Tash]

Well, j&v4ever,

I too believe in prayer. That is so important! I also want to say that you have to remain strong for her and for yourself. I am the gf / carer of a c5/6 incomplete. One thing that I have found that is so helpful is communication and being open. This might mean more to you later than right now. Anyway, remember to communicate with her and be open and candid about your feelings always. Another thing when she asks you about what is going on with her tell her the truth. It may hurt both ways but very necessary to be honest and to tell her the truth.

Also, stay the course with your plans with her. The ring, the house everything. If you tuly love her and I hear it in your words that you do stay the course with your plans with her. That gives her hope to pull through and it also removes any doubt in her mind of things that will eventually paly apart in your relationship. Basically about that she will soon be wondering if you are gonna stick around. Always, always tell her that you love her and that you are there for her always and agian stay the course with your plans with her.

Encourage her! Always make sure you encourage her, now there is a difference between pushing her and encouraging her. So remember to jsut encourage her to try to do all that she can to regain her strength. With that being said I want to say please dont let her try to do to much to fast WHEN she gets to the point of physical therapy. Take it slow and tell her to let her body heal and the rest will fall in place.

Last thing...or until at least I think of something else. Always remember to take some time out for YOURSELF. That is just as important as prayer. I only say that because this is a tough thing to go through. You dont want to get burned out. You have to be storong for yourself and you need time to reflect on the things that you do for lesure. I only say that because as a carer now since September 9, 2007 @200am on Sunday....I have found that taking time out for myself has been helpful and it has given me time to think about my man, our relationship, our children and myself. I also want to say to that I know you are probaly thinking that you will never get burned out because you love her so much. But jsut being honest and open with you .....YOU DO. It sneaks up on you sometimes. That is why I say take soem time out for yourself. That was not said with the intent to be mean in any way.

Right now you may feel that your only place to be is right there by her side all the time. That is a good place to be but I have found that sometimes when you are not right there by her side you can still be there in her heart and in her mind. So it is ok to take some time away from her side it strengthens you and your realationship.

I pray that my words help you and I am always willing to talk and i am a good listener as well. Oh and by the way I live here in Troy, Texas close to Temple, close to Killeen.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST...WELCOME TO APPARELYZED! You will find so many wonderful people here to help you as you grow in this new adventure of your life. The folks here are gr8 people. Keep reading the posts and when you get a chance and are ready to talk come into the chat room. Talk to different folks from around the world that can relate with you or educate you.

Tell your gf that I have her in my prayers and you as well. Take care. Oh you can pm me if you desire I would love to hear from you.