Upon leaving the ER, they wheeled me up to ICU and I spent a very hallucinogenic night there. I did sleep, but I was in a lot of pain. The nurses kept waking me up because the arterial line that was connected to my left wrist was acting up. This line was used to monitor my blood pressure and oxygen levels, breathing rate, etc. It was especially important because I was undergoing spinal perfusion protocol, meaning they were trying to elevate my blood pressure with IV drugs to help improve blood flow, and therefore healing, to the spinal cord. My left arm, however, was the one most impacted by the nerve damage from my spine. Overnight, the nerve pain in that arm and hand became worse, and I kept moving it into positions that were more comfortable for me, but optimal for arterial line readings.
The next morning, one of the spinal physician assistants came to check on me. The tests showed I was getting weaker in the left arm. Spine surgery needed to happen ASAP.
In order to do the surgery, they had to take me off the blood thinner medication, which of course increased my risk of stroke. It was a long day of waiting for the surgery, and 6 hours of so of surgery itself. But, I came out of it so much better. I no longer had numbness in my right hand, and I regained some feeling in my left as well. More importantly, that stabbing pain in my neck was finally gone. I could truly breathe a sigh of relief.
A disc that had ruptured, causing me nerve pain, and was removed from my neck.
The next morning, I woke up feeling more human. I made my first Facebook post explaining the situation:
But, I was still very much a wreck. Because of the traction, I could not sit up more than 30 degrees or the bones in my leg would start pulling apart. Blood was still on my face, and plastered in my hair making it stiff, like I was wearing too much hairspray. I also had blood all over my hands still, despite the efforts of the ER nurses to wash it off. It was ingrained in my fingerprints and cuticles. Keep in mind, I hadn’t eaten anything since Saturday morning, and it was now Monday. And I didn’t see that changing until I could sit up more than 30 degrees anyway.
I was thankful when they decided that I would undergo femur surgery that day. From what I understand, the surgery was pretty quick – a couple of hours. And then, I remember them saying to me post-op, “Your leg is now weight-bearing as tolerated.” What? That’s impossible? I’d known over a dozen people to have broken their femurs too, and none of them were allowed to put significant weight on it for 6 weeks. How could this be? But, it was what it was. It didn’t take me long to be determined for the next step…. I wanted to walk again.
But first I needed to start eating again, after being three days on solely IV fluids, and I needed to do a bit of self care… I still had blood dried in my hair, make it stiff like I had too much hairspray. I still had blood all over my hands. I hadn’t bathed in days, and I was feeling good enough to know that I felt dirty. I asked the nurse to help bathe me. But that day she never got around to it. I was so thankful when my friend Heather arrived to visit. She is a long-time nurse herself and knew what to do. She more or less took over, asked the nurses for the right supplies, and started bathing me herself. It was then that we discovered a second laceration on my head – this time in the back, about 4 inches long. It probably should have been stitched but was easily overlooked in the ER. Now, it was too late to stitch. But, Heather got a good deal of blood out of my hair, some more off my hands, and bathed my skin so I didn’t feel like an oily mess. I finally felt minutely humane again.
The next morning my friend Natalie visited (In the post below), helping to brush my hair more to get the dread-lock snarls out that had developed over the last few days. As she left, the physical therapists arrived…. And then I learned to walk again….
After laying down for days it admittedly felt really strange to sit up again. My blood pressure dropped, which made them hesitant to allow me to stand.
Sitting up was the first step.
But I told them I wanted to walk and that I could walk. My constant persistence and positive attitude persuaded them to allow me to do so…
By the next day, I walked to the end of the hall and back:
Aside from skiing, biking, and all outdoorsy things,Brittany Walker Konsella also loves smiles and chocolate 🙂 Even though she excels at higher level math and chemistry, she still confuses left from right. Find out more about Brittany!
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Brittany tells more of her story about her trauma recovery, going through another surgery, learning to walk again, and finally being discharged from the ICU!
Aside from skiing, biking, and all outdoorsy things, Brittany Walker Konsella also loves smiles and chocolate :) Even though she excels at higher level math and chemistry, she still confuses left from right. Find out more about Brittany!
One thought on “Unlucky Lucky Part 2 – A story of trauma recovery”
Stoked you are working hard and successful in your comeback. You are in our thoughts and prayers – Uwe and Pam
Stoked you are working hard and successful in your comeback. You are in our thoughts and prayers – Uwe and Pam