RSD Alert
www.rsdalert.co.uk
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We don't
have anything against doctors, but this story is a salutory
lesson about the problems RSD patients experiece. RSD is not
rare and can be treated effectively - but delayed diagnosis
can seriously affect the outcome.
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If
you have a story to tell, send it in
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Doubts about doctors |
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| I
used to believe in doctors. I was born with a congenital problem. My urethra did not form properly and I was a very sick kid, though the disorder was not diagnosed until I was 4. I had lots of kidney and urinary infections and going to the toilet was terrifying; I used to scream. But I got lucky when a doctor recognized what was happening and sent me to a specialist. They saved my life. I had a lot more surgery as a teenager, much of it cosmetic, and after all of this I had great faith in doctors. Then came the day that changed my life forever. My husband, Ray,
myself, Terry, daughter, Marlene and son Mark were coming home
in our truck after work. We were involved in a motor vehicle accident.
This accident resulted in the death of our two children. I received
full thickness burns to approx 20% of my body and partial to 10%.
My husband received full thickness burns to 15% and partial to
5%. He also received a penetration injury to his knee. I also
received 2 whiplash injuries or impact soft tissue injuries in
the neck and lower back area. This caused damage to a disc in
the lower back and damage to one in my neck. Both lungs collapsed
due to the smoke inhalation. I was in a critical condition and
had to be revived in emergency and received surgery more or less
straight away. The surgeon expected that I would lose my left
arm at the shoulder. I will not try to describe the next few months to you. Recovering from the injuries and the loss of the kids was indescribable. Not just the next few months but the next few years and still to this day it is absolutely devastating. The pain has not gone away. Time does not heal all wounds. We have learnt to live with this as well as deal with our families, who did not deal with this situation well. Both my husband and I come from dysfunctional families. Death and trauma were never spoken about and to this day these subjects are pushed under the carpet. I was not expected to make it. Then the prognosis was at least 3 months in hospital with a lot of rehabilitation. My husband's prognosis was better but they were unsure of his hands. Ray left the hospital after 3 weeks. I left 4 weeks later. What a big step. We did not go home. We never went back except
to pack everything up. We moved into a new place straight away
with borrowed things and took 6 months to get sorted. We then
kept moving until we settled in Queensland.
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