15 replies to this topic

[Clouds]

Hi guys. First post here.

Well... where to start? On tuesday morning my dad fell of a ladder and broke his back. From what I understand it's a burst fracture of the L1. As of right now, he's not paralyzed he can still move his legs, he's not numb anywhere, but obviously he's in a great deal of pain.

When it happened, he dragged himself into the house, pushing himself with his legs. Called my mom, walked to his truck holding on to her and to everythiing he could, and she drove him to the emergency room. Apparently the people at the hospital weren't to happy that he hadnt called an ambulance.

That being said, after the x-rays, the doctors decided to send him to a orthopedic surgeon in the hospital the next city over. The next morning he was sent there, and the surgeon said he didnt want to make a decision because he wanted a spine specialist (im sure this isnt the right term, but you get the gyst of it) in montreal to look at the x-rays. It seems there is a bone chip inside his spinal tube. The surgeon here doesnt want to do the operation because of the risks involved. He said if there was surgery to be done, it would be done by the specialist in montreal.

When the specialist saw the x-rays, he called the surgeon in our city and said to put him in a body cast corset thing and to send him over on the 5th of august. The specialist said he could move around a bit and stuff, so from what I'm understanding, he doesnt seem too too worried about the risk of spinal cord injury. That's all the news we have for now. Obviously there are many questions going through my mind right now. Is the surgeon refusing to operate because it's too risky? Is choosing not to operate because he things the bone chip will fuse back to the vertebrae by itself? We just don't know. It's a waiting game at this point.

When I look at my dad and how big and strong he was his whole life, it all seems surreal to think that there's a chance he might end up in a wheelchair. I just don't know if he'd survive it. He's the kind of guy that never stops. Even on his days off he's buiding or fixing something, working on his cottage, whatever. It's just what he does. He's just not the type of person who would do well in a wheelchair (i think). I'm really sorry if this may seem insensitive, I know theres no one who says ''oh yeah I'd be fine with being in a wheelchair for the rest of my life'', but I just... I'm in shock I guess. We all are. I guess alot of you are going to be able to understand what we are all going through right now.

As of right now I'm finding solace in doing what any first born son should be doing in this situation. I'm taking care of my mom and my sister, I finished the roof he was building, I reassured him that I'd go by their house and fix what needs to be fixed, that I'd take his boat out of the water in the fall, that I'm going to step up and be the alpha dog for a while. But deep down, I am terrified and I hope things don't take a turn for the worse.

I don't even know why I'm writing this really... I mean... none of you have a crystal ball. No one knows what the odds are at this point. Just looking for comfort I guess. Trying to cope.

[Soryfam]

Welcome Clouds. I'm so sorry about your dad. You concerns are obvious through your post. As you said, we don't have a crystal ball, but we can be here to listen and answer qustions. It sounds like the doctors are letting the swelling go down before doing anything major. The body cast thing will (hopefully) help keep anything from getting worse and also keep your dad still so he doesn't accidently make a wrong move.
Your parents are lucky to have such a loving and caring son. Keep us posted and come by anytime.

Sandy

[wheeliebear75]

I've got a crystal ball....well....it's more of a teardrop shape & hangs on a gold chain.....really quite pretty , but it does NOTHING for telling the future.

He probably had "cord swelling" & they're waiting for it to go down before operating. WHEN to operate can be a tricky timing to get JUST RIGHT. If they went in too soon then it's possible that additional swelling from the operation itself might prove to be TOO MUCH. And while it may feel like you're being passed from one Dr. to another....it's better to be passed on up the chain of doctors til you've got THE BEST than it is to find out your Dr. was one of those who is too arrogant to admit that she/he was in over their head.

Right now....just take things one day at a time; make sure you keep up on the repairs to vehicles & properties....this will help keep your mind from dwelling on things as much + it will take some of the stress of your parents, stay vigilant with making your family's presence is WELL KNOWN to the hospital (this makes it HARDER to push your dad onto a back burner), if he hasn't lost functioning of his legs/bowels/bladder yet this is a GREAT sign that he might be able to stay that way, & keeping as many of his buddies & other family members up-to-date through ONE web-site or being able to type out ONE e-mail & then send it to EVERYONE is a good way to help you keep your sanity longer.

Keep asking questions & keeping us posted; the more specific the question & background info we've got the better we can help & we'd like to be here for you all if things don't improve & cheer him on when things DO improve.

[jscott92064]

Hang in there, Clouds. Will be thinking about you and your dad and your family. Come back and let us know how you are doing.

[Smileyblue]

One can easily tell the worry and fear from your post.. This must be very stressful to you and your family! Its good that you are taking charge and keeping busy, but you must remember to make time for yourself too.. You don't want to burn out, especially not so early in the game..

So far things sound promising for your father.. From what I've heard of recoveries, they tend to improve when the swelling goes down, so if he doesn't have problems yet, hopefully its a good sign..

Please make sure you check out the doctor who will do the surgery.. Too often you hear of problems during surgery causing the paralysis..

We are all here for you and your family..

[Clouds]

I just want to say thanks to all of you for writing to me. I was reading through these forums and you guys are a true testament to human adaptability, courage, and triumph in the face of adversity. I guess I'm going to keep pushing. Keep eating even if I'm not hungry, keep sleeping as much as I can, keep taking care of myself so I can take care of my family and most of all - remember that this isn't about me!

I'm trying to hope for the best and be prepared for the worse. I understand any one who is paralyzed must have went through the initial shock of ''how am I going to live my life like this, I don't think I can go on'', but again, reading through your stories... I'm proud of you guys. You give me hope.

Thank you.

[ClaraTaylor]

Hey Clouds, I must have missed your post last night but it sounds like you are doing a fantastic job of being the boss til your father gets back in on the action, your head sounds well and truly screwed on and while you're probably a mess inside (who would blame you?!) you're doing a fine job of looking after your family.
Definitely eat when you /should/, can you take food into the hospital? I had a friend in hospital and we'd take in a meal that the little group of us (all friends) could eat so that we could have a meal together. And it was usually pizza - because you're not meant to eat pizza when you're ill! It just broke up the day for her and gave her something different to look forward too.

Keep safe, and if you have any questions that the doctors and nurses can't answer do come back - there's usually one or two of us that have experienced it.

[Tetracyclone]

Hey Cloud,

If your Dad never stopped before, a wheelchair won't stop him now, should that happen.

[Clouds]

An update:

I visited my dad in the hopspital yesterday and he really seems like he's in good spirits. He's the same old vulgar, innapropriate joke making dad he's always been (lol).

Regarding his health, he's still waiting for them to come and measure him for his corset, and he has an appointment in montreal with the head orthopedic doctor. The weird thing is, he told me yesterday that the doctor in montreal had said they wouldnt need to operate when he saw the x-rays, but he wants him to go down there anyways... I dont really understand that. If he's seen the x-rays, and he wont need to operate, why would he need him to be driven two hours to see him? I guess we'll find out soon enough...

[T11WALKER]

Clouds,

Just tell your dad gravity sucks! Just kidding and I'm sorry to read about your dad's fall.

"As of right now, he's not paralyzed he can still move his legs, he's not numb anywhere, but obviously he's in a great deal of pain." What you posted here say's alot! Not to take away from your dad's injury but I bet everybody on this forum who has a SCI would have loved to be in this good of shape after an injury!

Hang in there and ask alot of questions! I fell 22' off a ladder in 2008 and they didn't operate on me until 2 weeks later. I have had about a 90% recovery.

What Smilely Blue said about checking out the Doc is very true!

Steve

[Clouds]

Thanks T11!

Ok so now im freaking annoyed with our wonderful healthcare system. We are just finding out now that the company who does the corsets are closed last week and this week, and if he doesnt have his corset by friday, he's not going to his appointment in Montreal. Ugh! We've all been waiting impatiently for friday to come, and now this!


Also, if anyone has any insight on what I was asking in my previous post, I would really appreciate it:

''Regarding his health, he's still waiting for them to come and measure him for his corset, and he has an appointment in montreal with the head orthopedic doctor. The weird thing is, he told me yesterday that the doctor in montreal had said they wouldnt need to operate when he saw the x-rays, but he wants him to go down there anyways... I dont really understand that. If he's seen the x-rays, and he wont need to operate, why would he need him to be driven two hours to see him? I guess we'll find out soon enough...''

Thanks,
Nic

[Tetracyclone]

Nic,

The situation you describe with the corset company is so typical. Do you have the help of a social worker within the hospital? If so, that person can help run interference.

They may be able to locate an off-the-shelf corset that would fit well enough for the trip. Not as comfortable as fit-to-order but might serve. They might also strap him up for the trip. Ask a lot of questions and look as innocent as possible. More often than not Canadian NHS people serve intelligently, but working in a bureaucracy can lobotomize the unwary.

Just keep expecting these people to solve the problems that come up.

[wheeliebear75]

I would think the reason being that they would still want to see him even if they won't be able to help him with an operation is to assess what neurological damage if any exists? Also an X-ray won't show them any soft tissue damage ONLY of the bones....for that you'd need an MRI & even then not all nerve damage is visible just from the scans but more is visible with an MRI or CT scan than by a simple X-ray.

[Clouds]

Hi guys, thanks again!
Well, My dad ended up getting his corset. He can get up and walk a bit, which is good news, but he was still going to the specialist today. His appointment was at 1235 and we were waiting to hear from him and he hasnt called yet (its 2:35 now).

So now it's the waiting game.
I'll keep you guys posted.
Youve all been awesome

[Soryfam]

That is good news!! Waiting stinks, but at least he has an appointment to wait for!. Thanks for the update. Are you feeling any better these days?

Sandy S

[Tetracyclone]

Fabulous news. Once again Canadians come through.