Monday, 25 March 2013

Wednesday 22nd August - Leaving ITU...

  On the 22nd of August 2011 I was flying home after spending time volunteering within orphanages and other placements in Morocco. I travelled there alone and it was tough but incredible.

  On the 22nd of August 2012 I was coming to the realisation that maybe I wasn't dreaming, after all you don't feel pain in dreams and jesus was I feeling pain. I spent the Tuesday night in ITU with my mom sat in a chair all night. She says I didn't sleep, I was flicking between panic attacks, agonizing pain and vulnerable wimpering. When I say I couldn't move for weeks I mean exactly that. I will obviously detail all my mobility progress in my posts but for the first few weeks I really couldn't move. I couldn't eat so nurses, Joss and my mom had to feed me high calorie drinks with a straw. I couldn't move my legs at all, I couldn't lift my arms or my head, all I could do was turn my head to face either side of the room.
  The Wednesday afternoon my lung drains were able to come out. They're pretty gross things, literally a big pipe that goes through your side into your lung and is attatched to this big pot (which I'm told was full of what looked like liposuction fluid NICE). The doctor asked me to breathe in and he literally pulled the pipe out, on each side. The holes are usually small enough to be left but mine were too big and had to be stitched up and eventually got infected. I now have a hypertrophic (raised) scar on both sides. The rest of the day is mostly a blur of Iv's, tablets and people asking me the same questions 'what's your name?' 'where are you?' 'what day is it?' to keep track of my head injury. The consultants eventually decided I could be moved to a ward and when they found a bed I literally had to move beds. To move beds in a condition like mine they have to use a 'Pat slide' this required a team of nurses, they put the beds next to each other, rolled me onto my side (another scream inducing ordeal) while the plastic board is put underneath, rolled back onto it and on a count they pull the board over to the next bed roll you again and remove it. (So much more excrutiating than I could possibley explain). I was taken up to the Military ward as the nurses on it specialise in Polytrauma's (mulitple serious injuries).
   On the way Joss's mum and sister Rhianna bumped into us. This is when I broke down about my hair. I had been told some of my hair had to be cut off to stop bleeding, at this point I had no idea the extent. My hair was waist length and I knew Rhianna would understand my devastation. She tells me since that she was shocked when she saw me as understandably you just can't imagine the extent of an accident until you see the victim. My face was still ballooned, I had two black eyes, my nostril had been stitched back on, the rest of my face and neck was a mess of grazes, I was lay flat on a hospital bed an easy removal gown over my front, with oxygen in my nose, tubes in both arms and I could hardly speak. I wish there was a photo of me at this time just to see how far I've come. Mom stayed in a chair next to my new bed that night, I had my own room on the military ward for infection control and I was the youngest patient on there (in all the wards I stayed in actually).
   I will write more tomorrow, DRIVE SAFE, George x

Sunday, 24 March 2013

INJURIES...

I thought I would add a basic list of all my injuries for anyone interested...

  1. Broken Left Femur (thigh) - snapped in half and flipped over itself requiring bone removal and plates and screws.
  2. Shattered Pelvis - Six breaks around the pelvis in the pelvic ring and an acetabular fracture on the right side (the socket of the hip joint which is broken when the head of the femur is forced into it) which I now know to be quite rare and usually requires hip replacement in the future...
  3. Sacral fracture - Fractures of the sacrum (base of the spine above the tail bone)
  4. Spinal fracture -  Fracture of the lumbar 5 section of the spine.
  5. Road Burns - I aquired second degree road burns to my right shoulder, right hip, chest and right side of my head from being dragged by the car. These went through my leather jacket and jeans. My hip had to be stitched shut and the skin at the top of the burn was completley open.
  6. Broken right wrist - Only acknowledged 3 weeks after the accident.
  7. Right anterior clavicular dislocation - Dislocated collar bone (same as Joss's inury) also only ackowleged weeks after the accident.
  8. Lascerated Liver - My liver was literally burst as my liver consultant put it...
  9. Split Nose - The left half of my nose was ripped away and amazingly stitched back on
  10. Deviated Septum - the middle part of the nose has been bent out of shape from the force
  11. Hole to left side of chin - Pretty self explanetory, from the chin strap of my helmet being pulled off with force. (if we had tightened the strap that day as we nearly did, my aw would of been pulled off my face)
  12. Detatched Lip - My lower lip was ripped away from my gums
  13. Full thickness Burn to my Back - My back was stuck to the cars exhaust pipe leaving me with a full thickness burn which needed grafts.
  14. Deep Grazing - To my cheeks, arms and legs.
  15. Both Lungs filled with fluid - Had lung drains put into both lungs. 
  16. Black eyes - Not very significant but hey I've never had black eyes before!   
  17. Fractured Jaw - Acknowledged 4 months after the crash when I returned to the maxillofacial team because I still had a lot of pain chewing (no wonder) and the lovely doctor had another look at my initial MRI and CT scans focusing on my jaw.
DRIVE SAFE, George xxx   

Monday 20th - Tuesday 21st August - COMA...

On the SUNDAY night I was found a bed on the intensive care unit at the Queen Elizabeth and recieved my first blood transfusions as I had lost a horrific amount of blood, my younger brother Kasper saw me that night which would of been so horrible to see. I was in a coma but they couldn't shut my eyes fully as my face was so so swollen. He went home with my stepdad while they stabilized me and my mom stayed by my bed. He ran to my bedroom and sent my teddy bear 'Freddie' back to the hospital. YES I'm way too old for a teddy bear I am 20 but I don't care he is the best thing ever..I was left in a coma and put on a life support machine for several life saving reasons, As a way of preventing my body from going into shock and my organs shutting down, It is also a way of controlling brain swelling - I attained a massive external head injury and if my brain had swelled too much I could of been left severley brain damaged. I also had bilateral (both sides) lung drains put in as my lungs were full of fluid and I was essentially drowning from the inside.

On the MONDAY I remained in a coma, I am assuming this is when my family were told my injuries. (I will put a list of those at the bottom of this post) My left thigh was completley snapped in half and had been flipped over itself so I was taken down to theatre that day. A large section had been destroyed by the car essentially grinding it to dust so they used a metal plate and screws to hold the two ends in place with a big gap in the middle of them. I am told I was in theatre most of the day and this is when I recieved another blood transfusion. Joss came to hospital this day which he found really hard, you can't imagine what someone you love would look like after a collision like that and on a life support machine.

On the TUESDAY I woke up. The day I think most of my friends found out what happened. My blood pressure had dropped dangerously low on monday night so they were forced to reduce my sedation. I don't know the medical way or how I actually woke up but this is what I was aware of...Being in a coma is just nothing you dont dream or anything you dont see black it's just nothing. Suddenly I dreamt that I pulled something out of my throat and a few seconds later I did grab the intubation tube and pull it out (this probably happened a lot slower than I think) I opened my eyes and all I could see was spot lights and heads above me. One of them was talking to me while others tried to sort machines out and put oxygen over my face. I remember them saying 'You've been in an motorbike accident Georgia, you're in hospital' I was adament I was dreaming as I have a lot of lucid dreams where I know I'm dreaming. They kept telling me I wasnt dreaming but would you believe it? I didn't accept it was real but asked if Joss was dead. I thought if I'm like this he must be dead. They called my mom and I thought when she arrived I'd wake up...nope. I desperatley wanted to sit up I thought if I sat up it would be like on the telly I'd be sat up eating grapes...nope. They couldn't sit my bed up for hours as some of the breaks in my pelvis and spine were so close to my spinal cord they needed a specialist consultant to confirm if I could be paralyzed or not. So I was lay totally flat with a neck brace on for hours. I still hate lying totally flat now. I can't explain what it was like really, I was concious but I don't remember much of it, I couldn't move at all, I was scared but couldn't explain what of, I had a lot of panic attacks. I had oxygen pipes in my nose and a cathater (tube that goes into the urethra that contunually empties your bladder, aswell as countless IV's for fluids, morphine and other pain relief. I was having hallucinations which turned out to be an allergic reaction to tramadol, I could see rats everywhere and could see through my eyelids, I didn't sleep at all. My nurse for that day Liz was amazing, she kept saying 'we'll give you a lovely wash', that wash was the worst thing ever. I was allowed to be rolled to the left which they had to do to wash me, I cannot explain the pain that caused. Being rolled onto your side with a smashed pelvis and onto a destroyed thigh...I screamed but it wasn't a controlled scream at all it just came out it was excrutiating..I'll carry on with ITU later...drive safe, George x

Saturday, 23 March 2013

Just a few links to the media about us...

A few links I found about our collison...some more accurate than others!

http://www.basics.org.uk/press_area/archive_2012/woman_trapped_under_car_in_bromsgrove

 http://www.bromsgrovestandard.co.uk/2012/08/19/news-Woman-trapped-under-car-after-Bromsgrove-crash-48334.html

http://www.westmercia.police.uk/news/news-articles/woman-trapped-under-car-following-collision-in-bromsgrove.html

http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/archive/2012/08/20/Round-up+%28brom_news_roundup%29/9882588.Woman_airlifted_to_hospital_after_Bromsgrove_collision/

http://herefordshire-news.co.uk/2012/08/20/woman-trapped-under-car-following-collision-in-bromsgrove/


19th August - The accident - What happened...

Photo's from online
Sunday 19th August 2012. Me and my boyfriend of 5 years, Joss, had free passes to WestMidlands Safari Park. We had had these passes for months for this specific date and had never been together before. We travelled there on Joss's motorbike as we did to most places. We spent the day there in the sunshine and travelled in one of the jeeps around the animals (obviously you aren't allowed to ride a bike through a field of tigers!). We left late afternoon and decided to stop off at Joss's home to collect a pair of my boots for a night out we were planning for the next day. We arrived at Joss's and I spoke to his dad about the safari park whilst Joss got the boots...that is the last thing I remember. Apparently we left soon after to go to my house - a 5 minute journey we took almost daily. (the rest is what I am told) We entered the same roundabout as always. We travelled round the roundabout to take the 3rd exit into the Oakalls housing estate, A woman was coming off the Redditch bypass, she did not slow down, she did not stop. We were in the right lane, we were indicating correctly, Joss saw her and tried his best to swerve. She was too fast and collided with us, at this point Joss and the bike hit the floor, I am told I was thrown into the air, landing on her bonnet before I hit the floor and somehow she managed to drive over my body, she drove a further 10/12 metres dragging my body with her. Eventually she stopped and her and her passengers (including a young child) got out. When Joss realised where I was, he saw me trapped under the car and believed I had died. Police, fire crews, 3 land ambulances and a rapid response team were called and Joss called his dad who arrived soon after. The Island was shut off at every exit and entrance and at one point I remember regaining conciousness. Another driver was laying on the floor infront of me holding my hand trying to keep me awake, I couldnt converse with him then but I would love to thank him for that. I was screaming that I couldn't breathe and I couldnt move my legs, the only pain I recall was the side of my face on the road and I can remember my mouth was full of blood. The fire crew used inflatable bags to lift the car and an air ambulance with a trauma doctor on board arived and administered emergency treatment and decided to anaesthatise me on the road. Joss was taken by ambulance to the Alex where he was eventually diagnosed with a dislocated collar bone (something they can't do a lot for) he was given a sling and sent home. My mom was visited by the police and Joss's dad and told she needed to get the the Queen Elizabeth hospital in birmingham as soon as possible as I was likely not to make it. When they arrived they were attempting to stabilise me in A&E and I was in an induced coma, waiting for a bed in the intensive care unit......I wont write anymore today and I hope this doesn't upset anyone, please feel free to ask any questions below or email or whatever, drive safe, George xxx 

Starting a blog...

I have decided to start this blog as a way of viewing my progress following a serious RTA. My collision happened 7 months ago on the 19th August 2012, I wish I had thought of doing this sooner but I aim to back date my posts (using my diary) in order to view what has happened from that day not just from now. I hope this blog may help others and help people close to me to keep up to date. I don't know what I'm doing yet so bear with me, George x