Living with Traumatic Brain Injury

WHAT HAPPENED TO PAUL ?
(For anyone who wants to know but didn’t want to ask)

Note: This narrative is submitted in the hope it will discourage anyone from trying to drive when they are sleepy.

For me, June 12, 2007 was one of those days that forever changes one’s life.
About 3:30 am, I left my home in northwest Raleigh to pick up courier deliveries at a lab in Durham, for delivery to hospitals in Danville and Lynchburg, Virginia.

Before 7:00 am in Lynchburg, I finished visiting hospitals for the day, or so I thought.

After a fast-food biscuit, I decided to return home through South Boston and Roxboro about an equal distance via highway 501. The trip was uneventful until almost reaching Durham. I had realized that I was getting sleepy and had already decided to stop in north Durham for a coffee break. Well into Durham County about 9:40 am, near Bahama, the sleep I had missed the night before took over with devastating results.

Still at highway speed, I ran just out of the road on my right in a grassy area, remember waking up a split second or two, enough to realize I had a problem, but passed out apparently as I crossed into the median and rolled 4 or 5 times. I was told later that one of my rear wheels broke off, axle and all.

Someone in a nearby house heard the noise and called for help. Thankfully my pick-up landed right side up but totally destroyed. The next thing I remembered was a noise waking me up. I opened my eyes, looked to my right and saw the rescue squad cutting the cab’s right front corner post. I later learned that the doors were jammed, all the glass was broken, and they removed the roof to get me out.

I was conscious only a few seconds at most but remember being very much at peace emotionally and understanding I’d had an accident and they were working to get me out. I do not remember any pain though my injuries were extensive and some quite serious. Since that time, I have no memory of the next 6 or 7 weeks except for a few of many visitors near the end of that time.

The accident occurred about 14 miles from Duke Hospital, one of our country’s the top ten medical centers and probably one of the reasons I survived. Some of the other reasons had to be the tremendous support and prayers of my family and friends, especially my wife of 44 years who drove to Duke every day for almost 2 months while working full time.

My injuries, complications, and medical procedures included:
1. Traumatic brain injury- TBI
2. Left arm broken at shoulder and lacerated to the bone
3. Perforated colon (large intestine)
4. Neck ligaments damaged requiring a neck collar for weeks
5. Dysphasia - a complication from the TBI, requiring a very unpleasant diet.
6. Multiple glass fragments piercing the skin & discovered later
7. Kidney failure
8. Heart a-fib
9. Life support & oxygen
10. Allergic reaction to antibiotic
11. Tracheotomy
12. Blood clot in arm requiring insertion of strainer in artery

My TBI was apparently from the beating my head took from the roof and left window. I’ve undergone several weeks of speech therapy at Duke and Rex hospitals as well as some very uncomfortable swallow tests. My principal brain problem from the TBI is short term memory and focusing on tasks but progress is continuing. The TBI also caused dysphasia which is a swallowing problem where involuntary valves in the throat fail to distinguish properly between food or drink and air.

The first several weeks were spent on life support and even longer on oxygen.
To get me off life support, the doctors had to perform a tracheotomy so I could breathe.

My left arm was cleaned and set soon after the accident, but would not stay in place. On July 10, a steel plate and several screws were placed in my shoulder, and the 4 inch incision was totally healed when I regained consciousness. The left shoulder, arm, and hand were still getting therapy at Rex until recently. Considerable improvement has been made but full use and range of motion are not likely.

It seems now like I drifted in and out of consciousness for several days before waking completely. I remember having several lines and tubes attached for oxygen, vital signs, and food as well as an ostomy bag. There is no memory of the life support but I do remember the hole in my throat and an 11 inch incision in my abdomen as they healed.

Around the third week in July, having improved sufficiently, I was transported to Duke’s inpatient rehab unit at their north Durham facility and was released on August 13.

On September 11, I returned for a 4 hour operation performed by reopening the same, then healed, 11 inch incision to reverse the ostomy and reconnect my plumbing.

Additional outpatient surgery was done on January 4 to remove glass fragments from beneath my skin which healed over and were not discovered during my earlier visits. And wouldn’t you know it - another allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

This summer I return for repair of at least four incisional hernias. I finished with the last of three therapists around the end of February.

My love and deep appreciation for all the prayers & support of my friends and family.

Paul 12/28/07
Updated 3/20/08