4 replies to this topic

[elyse]

hey,
i was just wondering if anybody has had anything simular to this and what their results were..?

my boyfriend was involved in a car accident with me. he suffered a "stretched and pinched" c5 and c6. this was september the 8th.. so it's been about two months. he's still in icu and hasn't had his surgery yet because he has had really bad problems with his lungs. he's doing GREAT now and they're hoping to have surgery sometime next week. i was hoping since the spine isn't fractured or anything he'll have a better chance of recovering? right now he is a "complete" and can't move or feel anything below his chest.

anything would be greatly appreciated:)
-Elyse

[carolline]

Hi elyse,

It's difficult to answer your question.Coz I'm not SCI,although I'm wondering why the doctor will cure first and stabilized his lungs.And later the cervical operation.Sorry I'm just confused(coz we had the same case)But they can do operation at the same time,even there's a lung contussion with a chest drainage on it.Well I do'nt know how's big the damage of his lungs.As his C5-C6(it's included in the spine) has been pinched and stretched/and there's no sensation and movement below his chest. And it's been two months now...Have you tried to ask the doctor about his situation? Or ask something about the operation they'll do,and about your bf status.
And about his recovery..for sure he'll be recover..but it depends on his level of injury.Sorry If I did'nt give you a clear and positive answer about your query.

We hope that he will be fine.

[Simon]

Hi
Your description is a little confusing but if he has lung damage, then they cannot operate before he has recovered from this because the anastetic would probably kill him as it surpresses the lungs amongst other things.
I am very puzzled by the fact he has no spinal cord injury but no feel/movement, normally this type of injury have some leg movement/feeling at least. Have they done an mri?
This is the difficult bit - all his spinal care/surgery should be done at a spinal unit not a general hospital, you say he's on icu which is understandable because of his lungs but I assume its NOT a spinal unit?
I have heard many horror stories over the years about this sort of thing and maybe it would pay to ask why he is not being transferred to a spinal unit there are 17 throughout the UK. Don't know where your located but if you tell me can let you know the nearest.

[elyse]

sorry i don't really understand quite everything that is going on so that is why my description is probably a little fuzzy.

his lungs are fine now and they are operable. he was in a surgical intensive care unit and was just transferred to a medical surgical intensive care unit.

also, i'm not quite sure what a mri is.

[carolline]

MRI.......Magnetic Resonance Imaging. It will be view even the smallest nerve.It's giving most viable or clear images than CT scan.Usually all patients with damage in the spine under went for this exam.So it may easily detect wich nerve has been damage.I hope that he will have his operation as soon as possible.