Batten down hatches - May-June-July is SCI season

[Wise Young]

I was just thinking that as we head into the beginning of summer, we will probably be inundated with posts from people and families with new spinal cord injury. It is always a sad time of the year for me. Although I am not sure, it seems that a large proportion of spinal cord injuries occur during these months in the United States.

Please do post your experiences and questions. There are plenty of people here who can help with advice concerning their experience, what works and what doesn't, and what to anticipate.

Wise.

[PB72181]

Interesting...I've also met a lot of August injuries on here. I'd be curious on what statistics are among members here as to when we were injured. That would be an interesting survey.

I'm not deaf...I'm just ignoring you! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Stiggy]

June 16 2001 10:43 am

"The Meaning of things lies not in things themselves,but in our attitude towards them"

[mikes4x4]

11-26-02 @ 8:50 pm

[SCI-Nurse]

Due to the good climate in my area (Southern California) we have little variability in incidence of SCI that is seasonal. We also do not have swimming in any of our local lakes (all drinking water reserviors), which decreases our summer time risks related to those I saw when working in the MidWest. The vast majority of our SCIs are motor vehicle (in younger people) and falls in the home in older people. We do see some increase of motor vehicle SCI around holidays such as Christmas, New Years, Independence Day, etc. when drinking is usually a factor.

Nationally, the most common time to get a SCI is a Saturday night in July.

(KLD)

[Meg1]

SCI Nurse - Dennis is within the vast majority. Saturday July 19th, 2003 just about midnight....

[dogger]

in Australia , Christmas to Easter is our ''silly season '' for SCIs . our biggest cause of injuries is motor vehicle accidents followed by diving accidents . the majority of our public holidays fall between Christmas and Easter and our climate is suitable for watersports in this time , along with the travelling and partying associated with holidays and summer/early autumn.
thank you ,
dogger

P.S. my injury happened 31Mar91 [Easter Sunday]
every day i wake up is a good one .

[This message was edited by dogger on 03-31-04 at 06:13 PM.]

[november]

12-25-02 1:00am

Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know that, so it goes on flying anyways--unknown

[PB72181]

8/21/97 around 2am...on a Wednesday night/Thursday morning in August.

I'm not deaf...I'm just ignoring you! http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

[Clipper]

August 27 at about 2 a.m. First weekend of college.

[livinadream]

June 15 2003 2pm

[Chris Chappell]

06/02/00 - 7:30am. Mountain bike accident.

[Wise Young]

PB, What a great idea. I will post a poll in the Life Forum concerning the season of spinal cord injury. Wise.

[Aquitaine]

May 21st, 1976 at 10:00pm. Auto accident when coming home from work. It was also a full moon, I know its not scientific http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif, but I've noticed many of these accidents happen during full moons, and I know a number of police who also feel this stuff tends to happen during full moons.

[Sue Maus]

Friday, June 30, 2000--7:20 pm, gorgeous summer evening. Ford Explorer rollover.

[JJmagna]

Nov. 14th 2002...10am

[kathie]

my sons mva was may 22,2001 at approx4:30 pm

[nick]

Mine was January 11, 2003 in the U.P. of Michigan at approx. 11:30 P.M.

ED

T-10 complete 1/11/03

[350zc6c7]

My girlfriends was July 12th 3003 in the U.P. of Michigan. She is a c6/c7 complete. Not sure exactly what complete means so if someone could explain it would be helpful.

Hey whtpushsu, where at in the U.P.? Our accident was close to Escanaba- they took her first to St. Francis then to Marquette.

[JDR]

August 10th, 2003 @ around 5am...yes, I was still up from the night before. Sad huh?

"Another day that I can't find my head...My feet don't look like they're my own...I'll try and find the floor below to stand...I hope I reach it once again" ~Norah Jones

[fotogrl]

How boring to be so average. I was injured May 2,2003 around 2pm piloting my motorcycle less than 35 mph in FULL protective gear.

[alan]

June 11, 1981. Early afternoon. Stone cold sober.

Alan

"Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?"

[Bill H.]

Nov 11, 2003 Hunting season my stupid fault.

Back to work finally

[Broknwing]

Originally posted by 350zc6c7:

My girlfriends was July 12th 3003 in the U.P. of Michigan. She is a c6/c7 complete.

3003? Wow, you've mastered the art of time travel http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif Please explain how you have been able to do that. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif I'd like to be able to travel back in time...Or maybe forward... http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

'Chelle
L-1 inc 11/24/03

[zillazangel]

My fiance's injury was at 2:30 am on a Saturday night in mid-May.

Zillazangel, I am an able bodied significant other of a C4/5 quadriplegic man

[paulasue]

My only sister, Priscilla Ann, was injured in an automobile accident on June 12, 2004 at 8:30 a.m. She is still in ICU in Oklahoma City but is finally almost ready to move and will be transfered to Houston, TIRR early this next week. What was supposed to be a joyeous occasion turned into a horror that weekend in June. I live in LA but had traveled to Sherman, TX for the wedding of a nephew (our brother's son), my sister was coming and all of our siblings were to be together with our Mother for the first time in over 8 years. It never happened... I got the call from my brother-in-law and my Mom and I were in the car heading to Oklahoma City before the Helicopter picked up my sister for the trip from Ponca City to OKC. As we arrived the Neurosurgeon had just left the room and my brother-in-law was weeping in devastation, the Dr. had been so blunt, he said she should have been killed instantly, broken neck - C6, if she survived the next 24 hours she would be finished from (gesture slicing the neck) here down and he would just have to get used to it. "I've been doing this 30 years" he said, "this is as bad as I have seen and the person survive it." The rest is history... she has "survived it", after pneumonia (she had one collapsed lung), a trach and ventelator (she's now being weaned) her heart stopping several times (now has a sophisticated pace maker!) The feeding tube is now directly into the stomach (yesterday) and she will have to learn to swallow again. I know all of you who have "been through it" know and understand all of the phases of the "acute stage of sci", it feels like "our" injury because those of us who are bonded with and love the injured one would gladly (well maybe not gladly) be willing to trade places rather than have to see our loved one in this condition!

My sisters mind is perfect, she can move her arms at the elbows and has some finger movement, the Doc says that will be it, but guess what?? She believes she will walk again and so do we! She has already been an inspiration to all of us with her positive "I will do it" attitude. She is a horse trainer and prior to her injury she routinely rode for 5 hrs. per day. I am certain she will ride again before she walks. Fate has such strange twists... several years ago she and I had talked about her "vision" to start a facility using her farm, horses and barns to teach people with disabilities (those who could not walk) to ride horses. I have no doubt that once she is on the other side of this she will rise to the occasion and be an inspiration to many! We are just so thankful for her life!

As for me, I have faced a full spectrum of emotion during the past 5 and a half weeks, as has her husband, children, grandchildren, siblings and our mother! From thankfulness for the answered prayer to spare her life, to anger (not at God) but general, that I had to keep on smiling and waiting on customers (I own a business) and feeling like people really didn't understand the depths of my feelings because I wanted to be by her side, to the grief over the loss and pain and suffering that this person who is so extremely dear to me is going through and accepting the fact that none of our lives will ever be the same again because on June 12, 2004, we all joined the club that no one would ever want to belong to!

Thanks to all of you who have listened to my rambling. This is the first time I have felt the strength to write a post. I have searched and researched the internet and read nearly every forum that has been posted. I have printed out books of information trying to find out what the next move is that we need to do for her to assure she will attain the greatest amount of return possible! It has been a real trip already and is only the beginning of a very long journey!

God bless all of you who are a part of this wonderful family here at CareCure Community and thank you so much to Dr. Wise Young and whoever it was who had the idea to start it! Thank you to Susan Fajt and Laura Dominigos, for testifying before the senate committee on adult stem cell research. I watched with tears of joy streaming down my face, thankful that you were willing to be a pioneer in this effort to find a cure for SCI. I have written Dr. Lima to try to get Priscilla on a waiting list, as I am sure thousands of others have done. We are interested in combining this surgery with the Hyperbaric Oxygenation Therapy immedately after the surgery, as my brother built such a chamber for a Doctor friend whose small son nearly drowned several years ago and has severe brain damage and we have free access to the Hyperbaric Chamber. Anyway, we know this is all down the road, as she is just being released to begin her Physical Therapy at TIRR in Houston next week. Thanks again for listening! "For everything there is a purpose... There is a purpose for every event under heaven- " Eccl. 3:1

A sister to all who are enduring SCI,
Paula Sue

P.S. To the Moderator, if I have posted this in the wrong place, please feel free to move it!

Paula Sue

[SCI-Nurse]

Paula Sue, welcome to Care/Cure! We are sorry you have to "join the club" but please use us as a source of support and information for your entire family.

I am glad she is going to TIRR. They have an excellent reputation. The original physician sounds like a jerk! This is a cruel and misinformed way for a health care professional to respond to a family and patient in a crisis like this. I hope when she has completed her rehab she goes back to see this doctor, just to show him how wrong he is!

Anyway, feel free to post here and on any of the other forums. Once she has access to a computer, get her on-line to us too!

(KLD)

[kate]

Hi, Paula--thanks for your detailed post, and so sorry you needed to write it. Your sister's situation sounds a lot like what my husband went through three years ago. C6, collapsed lung, pneumonia, stomach tube . . . all too familiar.

He never had a trach, or a ventilator, though. And his doctor also was extremely negative, but turned out to be quite wrong. Does your sister have sensation?

[paulasue]

KLD & Kate, thank you so much for responding to my post! I have felt pretty much alone in this once I was back home in LA! I'm not sure if she has sensation yet or not, the last time I was there she had none in her feet, she did in her shoulders and arms but not the hands. She did feel regular internal tremors though. She couldn't talk, of course, we just read her lips. The heart problems started when some of the nerves started firing again (that's how the cardiologist put it). She felt very relieved when they put in the pacemaker, because it was very scary when her heart would stop for 4 or 5 seconds at a time! She would feel panic like she was choking and couldn't breathe. The tube is out of her nose now, so it will be more comfortable for her. She is such a great gal, and has a wonderful attitude!

You know, we found out that her surgeon is considered one of the best in his business, just has a really lousy beside manner. He recently softened when my brother-in-law mentioned that we were interested in the hyperbaric oxygenation therapy as he had done alot of research and a thesis on that subject when he was in college. It will be a pleasure for Priscilla to go back and prove him wrong in his original cold, cruel diagnosis on the day of her injury though!!

Kate, how is your husband doing now and how much return has he experienced?? Is he walking? We are looking at Project Walk in California when she finishes at TIRR. Do you all know anything about their rehab program. The main criteria there is that the patient believes he or she can walk again!! It sounds like they have had a great deal of success whether or not the injury is complete or incomplete.

Thanks again for your responses!!
Paula Sue

Paula Sue

[kate]

Paula Sue, you're doing extremely well-especially since all this is so new. The learning curve for families is unbelievably steep, as everybody here knows.

My husband (known in these forums as Projectorguy) is doing very well . . . you can see images and video from his latest exploits in the Exercise Forum under the topic called "University of Florida Clinical Trial".

I need to say that he had two very important things going for him: first, he was lucky enough to be given the steroid methylprednisolone within hours of his injury. Second, he had an unusual kind of cord damage called "Brown-Sequard Syndrome", which is what you get when the damage is mostly confined to either the right or the left half of the cord (meaning, not some of each half, if that makes sense!).

This kind of injury often results in quite a lot of recovery--usually much faster than he experienced.

Anyway . . . I think that you and your family are doing all the right things on your sister's behalf. Coming here, keeping your courage up, asking for information are all major ways to be useful, and to stay sane.

Can I encourage you to visit the Caregivers forum? Many of us over there have been where you are now. In the meantime, blessings and strength to you and Priscilla Ann.

Afterthought: Here's an easy link to the website Bruce made of his work in Florida video of walking (http://florida.projectorguy.com/)

[This message was edited by kate on 07-23-04 at 06:17 PM.]

[Patonb]

Yup, thats what i've been telling my friends to.
I was last june 16th, mountian biking. I've already heared of 3 more mtn biking related spinal injuries this season so far. Fortunately only 1 has been major spinal damage.

[murrey]

That is sad Wise. If it is predictable, then it is preventable..I wonder if education is helping?
We have programs in the high schools here about drinking and driving,I sure like to think it is helping curb some of the behaviour...

[Wise Young]

murrey, there are two very effective programs that have reduced spinal cord injury in the United States. One is called Feet First which of course encourages people not to dive headfirst into unknown waters. The second is called Think First which is self-explanatory. I have heard talks providing evidence of reductions in spinal cord injury incidence in the states where these programs have been active. Wise.

[Chris Chappell]

Paula Sue, make sure and visit the other forums for information.

By using the "Find" function (above left) and inserting "Project Walk" for example you will find many topics/threads on the subject.

Prayers for your sister and family during this difficult time. Good luck. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif