21 replies to this topic

[Vali Ene]

today is turning a week since my sister was involved in a car accident. From 4 people on that car she was the only one seriously damaged.
At the hospital we received her diagnostic : fracture on C2 vertebra with spinal cord injuries.
We've managed to transport her to a very good doctor in Athens / Greece.
Here she has an emergency surgery on spine for puting the vertebra in place for not doing anymore damage.
She recovered well from the surgery but she is still in Intensive Care Unit, connected to a lots of machines, she cannot breath by her own, only small tries to breath by using her Intercostal muscles - this thing making us optimistic for not be a complete cut of spinal cord (by not using her diafragma). In this moment she is almost awaked, she can hear us, can response to us using her eyes.

We are devasted so, plese, if you guys have something to tell us, some stories with c2 injuried people, or anything that can help us ... 
thanks alot

[Millard]

 Vali Ene, on 15 August 2011 - 07:45 PM, said:

today is turning a week since my sister was involved in a car accident. From 4 people on that car she was the only one seriously damaged.
At the hospital we received her diagnostic : fracture on C2 vertebra with spinal cord injuries.
We've managed to transport her to a very good doctor in Athens / Greece.
Here she has an emergency surgery on spine for puting the vertebra in place for not doing anymore damage.
She recovered well from the surgery but she is still in Intensive Care Unit, connected to a lots of machines, she cannot breath by her own, only small tries to breath by using her Intercostal muscles - this thing making us optimistic for not be a complete cut of spinal cord (by not using her diafragma). In this moment she is almost awaked, she can hear us, can response to us using her eyes.

We are devasted so, plese, if you guys have something to tell us, some stories with c2 injuried people, or anything that can help us ...
thanks alot

Your sisters injury is very new and way too early to make any decisions or draw any conclusions. (I am a C5-C6, 44 years post.) Your sister can continue to get return for at least 2 years or longer. It's hard to do but just be there to support her and be patient. I was unconscious for about 2 weeks after my injury.


Good luck to you both.

[pinkcloud]

[quote name='Vali Ene' timestamp='1313437547' post='246166']

hi

i'm sorry i not able to give you any insight or positive guarantees, you will see on here, some of the long time injured...are still going on strong, they are whom I look to on real hard hours of me life, not even knowing how they do it....just knowing its possible, gives me strength,

Them tubes, ugly and sometimes even scary looking..are actually beautiful inventions keeping your sister as free of pain as can be.

There not many, if any stories i am told of pain free and full body recovery after spinal cord injuries.

There are stories of miracles..people recovering much better than doctors predicted...yet this is likely the answer is the doctors just cant fully predict how an individuals cords going to function.

We cant provide a cure...yet hopefully we may be able to help with ways how to cope.

best wishes for as pain free as possible time for you all...emotionally just as important as physically

[Tetracyclone]

Dear Lady, I am so sorry to hear of your sister's condition. Christopher Reeve's injury was C2. Follow this link:

http://www.ask-exper...spectives23.pdf

you can read his story here:
http://en.wikipedia....ristopher_Reeve
and scroll down to the section titled "Injury".

Edited by Tetracyclone, 15 August 2011 - 10:09 PM.

[Illinois Boy]

Sorry about your sister....

I don't know if it's too late but using a hyperbaric oxygen chamber can reduce swelling in spinal cord.....
I wish they had one where I was after my wreck....

Jim

Edited by Illinois Boy, 16 August 2011 - 12:04 AM.

[Smileyblue]

I cant give you much info, but would like to welcome you to the site.. There are many of us (injured folk, caregivers, family, and friends) who are all willing to stand by you and give support where needed.. Please feel free to come here often..

[Vali Ene]

Thanks guys for your nice words.
I will let you know soon as possible what are the news

[goose]

I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. These next few weeks and months will feel like a rollercoaster ride. It's a very scary time for the whole family. You'll hear terms you've never heard before. If you don't understand them come here and ask, we've all heard ,learned and lived most of them. This is a great forum for gaining knowledge, friends,and also a place to unload, rant or cry.

Like Millard said it's still too early in the ballgame to really know what's going on. Just be there for her and don't treat her with kid gloves like she might break. Talk to her the same and be honest with her. Don't be scared to laugh or cry.

We are all here for you and your entire family.

[wheeliebear75]

Our injuries may all be slightly different but there is still a wealth of knowledge & a fountain of compassion.

The 1st weeks & months may almost feel surreal....that was how my mom described it. But the roller-coaster of emotions will settle down into the routine of living life.

Ask questions & demand answers (or at least explanations).

Taking care of someone else requires you take care of yourselves as well.

[Ginny]

The initial weeks and months after an injury such as your sister has had are very difficult for the person and family and friends. It sounds as if you are doing a good job for her, seeking out good care facilities. More decisions will need to be made as more information about her condition is available. In the case of a spinal cord injury, progress may be slow and it may take some time to understand what her future might look like. It's very hard to wait during this time. Do your best to keep her positive and make sure that you and other family members get rest and take care of themselves. It's hard on everyone.

[Vali Ene]

Hi guys,

The latest news are somehow good : she is in a stable condition, the doctors from Greece Hospital made their best to repare the broken bone and keep her alive after a such incident and she is now ready to go on a rehab center. She looks to have some neuronal activity below the C2 injury becausenshe can breath by her self, for few hours using only intercostal muscle.
Now, her friend and I have to manage how can we send her back in US. When they traveled to Romania (where the accident had happened) they didn't have travel insurance and her health insurance is not covering the transport back to US. We want to give my sister best rehab place so we want her in Jackson Memorial Rehab in Miami, Florida.
Anyone had experiences with this spinal recovery center?

[wheeliebear75]

So is she a U.S. citizen? If she is you MIGHT be able to get the embassies within the countries involved (Romania, Greece & USA) to get her HOME. Also it can't "hurt" to let the Christopher Reeve foundation know the circumstances.....they have helped people with things like housing after natural disasters & such....worst that can happen is they say "No sorry we can't help".

[Vali Ene]

She is a permanent resident of US (green card). We've asked for help on both Ambassies but they cannot help us with this problem, only to direct us to some companies that do this kind of medevac. In this moment we are in straight line for her evacuation and hopefully the plane will take off from Miami today at 4PM.

[goose]

Glad to hear she'll be coming back to the states. I did some outpatient therapy there years ago and thought it was an excellent facility. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Vali Ene]

Sorry for this late update :
We managed to get her back in US and now she is on ICU facility at Jackson Memorial, Miami, Florida.
A small summary of her story can be found here

Unfortunately she didn't make until now any improvements but we are hoping to see some function returning sooner or later.

From your experiences, how can we know if she is still under spinal cord shock effects or not?

[wheeliebear75]

The short answer is that "Spinal Cord Shock" is generally from about 30min after the accident to around 6wks after. During this time most people are given drugs to counteract the swelling. You will probably hear of quite a few people having these almost magical recoveries within that time frame.....this is because the swelling itself was causing there to be too much pressure on the cord, but the cord itself wasn't really all that damaged. MRI's will be able to tell if her continuing paralysis is from "cord shock" or if the spinal cord has actually been damaged. Being sent to Miami she is in one of the better hospitals for SCI in the area......kinda like the Allstate insurance company commercials.....she's in good hands.

Keep us posted & come back any time you've got questions or just need to vent.

[earthgirl]

Hi - so sorry to hear of this accident.

My 35 year old brother (who just happens to be a brain surgeon) was hit by a car while riding his bike 7 days ago and is still unconscious and in Intensive care. He also has a C2 fracture with brain stem spinal cord damage (though not severed) and we have been told to expect full body paralysis with ventilator.

I refuse to accept this.

Stay strong, every person is different and the strength and determination of the person and their family can make all the difference.

I know this is going to be a hard and long road but they survived their horrific accidents for a reason. We have to believe that.

earthgirl

[Vali Ene]

EarthGirl, is like you read my mind : they already had a big chance to not die on scene so God has other plans with them.
My sister is in Rehab now with no signs of any functions coming back - the hardest part is that she still thinks that she will get out of the bed and walk...

[wheeliebear75]

For many of us there is a specific pattern to the accepting/grieving process; in the beginning it feels like a bad dream that we'll wake up from, then there is the faze where the anger and/or depression sets in, then with the help of family friends & others in the community we can come out of it having grown & learned as we triumph & overcome.

There are some who don't really spend too much time in the denial or LOW stages of being angry or depressed.....and just seem to be able to adapt & quickly move on. There are of course those who STAY angry/depressed but thankfully with access to activities & people, the bigger a part of the community a person can be/feel like the less time they'll spend in the "angry gimp" stage.

I think it took me about 5yrs or so to start to TRULY accept & come to terms with things as they are.....but everyone is different.

[Lovleysons]

all things are possible ....my brother wasn't supposed to live through the nite....then week ...7 mths tramua icu....7 months rehabilitation .....my brother wasn't supposed to come home.... c-2 vent dependant ....he did......ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...get to a rehab quick! start asap all therapy...don't wait for them...and most importantly!!!! WATCH FOR BED SORES..!! change his postion whenever possible ....repostion arms with pillows ..legs....don't believe everyone is doing there job...unfortunately most aren't...AND THE VERY MOST IMPORTANT. DONT GIVE UP.

all things are possible ....my brother wasn't supposed to live through the nite....then week ...7 mths tramua icu....7 months rehabilitation .....my brother wasn't supposed to come home.... c-2 vent dependant ....he did......ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...get to a rehab quick! start asap all therapy...don't wait for them...and most importantly!!!! WATCH FOR BED SORES..!! change his postion whenever possible ....repostion arms with pillows ..legs....don't believe everyone is doing there job...unfortunately most aren't...AND THE VERY MOST IMPORTANT. DONT GIVE UP.

all things are possible ....my brother wasn't supposed to live through the nite....then week ...7 mths tramua icu....7 months rehabilitation .....my brother wasn't supposed to come home.... c-2 vent dependant ....he did......ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...get to a rehab quick! start asap all therapy...don't wait for them...and most importantly!!!! WATCH FOR BED SORES..!! change his postion whenever possible ....repostion arms with pillows ..legs....don't believe everyone is doing there job...unfortunately most aren't...AND THE VERY MOST IMPORTANT. DONT GIVE UP.

opps sorry about the double reply

[RollingpixV2]

I'm with the group on this. These first few weeks are only going to tell you if she will live or not.

Do be as nosy and involved in everything you can learn, her injury, social services available to you, right now this forum was probably the best decision you made so far.

Do not let anyone with so much as the sniffles around her right now, her immune system is just as delicate as the neurological one is.

There is life after a SCI, it's different, and there is RARELY a dull moment. 13 years later and I am still here. Good luck, I will pray for you.

[Vali Ene]

Thank you all for nice thoughts and for being part to this awesome community.
She is doing well, as well as can be a person with such a trauma, even we've received a photo with a big smile on her face. We are so Confident that we can manage somehow to get over this try.

Later edit :

I just received a very bad news from her doctors : they are considering her case hopeless and a waste of money and time so they want to discharge my sister as soon as possible.
Someone pointing us to Shepherd Center in Miami - is someone who can give me some contacts from this place?

Thanks a lot

Edited by Vali Ene, 18 September 2011 - 04:48 AM.