Christy Bullock was taking a bike journey together with her father in fall 2021 close to Mount Cheaha in east Alabama. It was a journey that will eternally change her life.
A difficult flip round a curve didn’t go as deliberate, and he or she hit a guardrail. The guardrail stopped her physique however – with the load of her helmet – her head stored shifting ahead. After that, the scene pale round her.
The paramedics who responded to the decision weren’t simply any paramedics — they had been Bullock’s co-workers. Bullock had been a paramedic for 11 years, and her co-workers and associates had been first on the scene to deal with her. Her husband was additionally a paramedic and was initially scheduled to work that day however, fortunately, didn’t.
Bullock was airlifted to the College of Alabama at Birmingham. Her prognosis was poor. She had a tear in her vertebral and carotid arteries, in addition to a major laceration on her chin. She suffered a serious, paralyzing injury to her arm and an injury to her brachial plexus, a community of nerves that ship indicators from the spinal cord to the shoulder, arm and hand.
Bullock additionally had a tibial plateau fracture, 5 or 6 fractured ribs, a liver laceration, adrenal hematomas and a laceration of her spleen. If that weren’t sufficient, her lungs had been bruised, and plenty of inside organs had been bruised or bleeding.
However that wasn’t the worst of it. She additionally had an atlanto-occipital dislocation. An inside decapitation.
Trauma surgeon Lauren Tanner, M.D., within the Division of Trauma and Acute Care Surgical procedure, admitted Bullock on her arrival at UAB Hospital. Along with the speedy trauma care group, Bullock was additionally handled by Division of Neurosurgery Assistant Professor Dr. Jakub Godzik, who described the scenario as grim at greatest.
“Essentially the most life-threatening of her accidents was an atlanto-occipital dislocation — which suggests all ligaments that join her cranium to her spine had been severed. That is usually deadly,” Godzik stated. “Simply to place it in perspective, the conventional distance between the cranium and spine is normally 1-2 millimeters. Survivable trauma may attain 3-5 mm of separation. Hers was 10-15 mm.”
Coming to
Bullock’s first reminiscence within the hospital was seeing respiratory therapist Lori Ann Patterson, who referred to as her daughter, Natalie, a good friend of Bullock’s, on FaceTime. Bullock says this was a number of days after the injury.
“I simply bear in mind seeing a well-known face and sobbing as a result of that was the primary time I felt like a human being once more,” Bullock stated. “I used to be intubated on the ventilator, and my arm was paralyzed. Plus, I used to be stabilized by the halo neck stabilizer, so couldn’t talk.”
A halo machine protects the spine and neck following a critical accident or injury. Whereas it serves a necessary operate of stopping additional harm to the injured areas, it will possibly really feel extraordinarily restrictive for sufferers. That and the limitless days in intensive care finally started to take their toll on Bullock.
“I used to be within the UAB ICU for nearly three months,” Bullock stated. “I had a very exhausting time. Days and nights began mixing, and I used to be experiencing deliria.”
Operation Sundown
Bullock’s nurses — Stacey McCoy and Lauren Brown, who she nonetheless talks with to at the present time — observed she was having a tough time. So, they enacted “Operation Sundown.” After about an hour of safely getting ready Bullock for the transport, Bullock’s nurses wheeled her as much as the helipad of UAB Hospital in order that Bullock may see the sundown. For Bullock, this was a reminiscence she’s going to always remember.
“Once they took me as much as see the sundown over Birmingham, I cried the whole time, and so did my household,” Bullock stated. “UAB went above and past caring for me. Stacey and Lauren additionally got here to see me usually, doing my hair, portray my nails and adorning my room in Christmas lights, even on their days off.”
Bullock famous that Godzik additionally checked on her each day, returning to see how she was doing and even coming as much as the hospital on Thanksgiving Day to go to her and to make her vacation within the ICU somewhat bit extra bearable.
“The extent of the separation is especially the explanation Mrs. Bullock’s survival was astounding,” Godzik stated. “The diploma of harm to the craniocervical junction resulted in an uncommon post-operative course and issues, reminiscent of delayed hydrocephalus that resulted in a short lived comatose state. The extent of her injury was really distinctive, and it was superb to see her get well so properly. I might come near saying her survival was a close to miracle.”
The great thing about multidisciplinary care
Godzik notes that a part of Bullock’s profitable restoration was because of the collaborative nature of the UAB Division of Neurosurgery and all groups concerned in her care.
“It could not have been potential to get her to the place she is now with out the teamwork of the neuro-critical care group, trauma group and neurosurgical group. Her distinctive case was reviewed many instances at our spine indications convention,” Godzik stated. “With this collective expertise, we had been capable of navigate her advanced post-operative course.”
Bullock is now cell and strolling. She does bodily remedy twice every week, particularly for her proper leg, which she hopes will make a full restoration. Final month, Bullock had one other follow-up surgical procedure for her Achilles tendon with Division of Orthopaedic Surgical procedure Assistant Professor Dr. Michael Johnson on her highway to therapeutic.
Most not too long ago, Part Chief of Trauma Dr. Jonathan Quade eliminated the {hardware} put in by Johnson, and Bullock additionally has a knee surgical procedure scheduled with Part Chief of Sports activities Medication Dr. Amit Momaya.
Unhealthy days, however good days, too
“I wish to inform those that your restoration and feelings will ebb and move. There will likely be very tough instances mentally and bodily. It’s necessary to recollect on the dangerous days {that a} good day is on the horizon, and for me, these darkish days have made the nice days that significantly better,” Bullock stated.
Trauma survivors and their households are invited to affix the Trauma Survivors Community at UAB. The TSN supplies a neighborhood for these seeking to join with others and rebuild their lives after traumatic injury. The TSN affords sources, peer assist and alternatives to present again to others.
This story initially appeared on the UAB Information web site.
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