|
| Free Books & Music |
Click to join Brainstormers101
The EzineXchange - Your Source
For Free Newsletters
High Lift to a Life Sentence
By Blaine Stanziana
In
1979 at the age of 21, I was involved in an industrial accident in which I
received a head injury.
Several months after this head injury I began to have unexplained symptoms. I would hallucinate ( events from my past would appear in front of my eyes. I would even recognize them ) then dry heave terribly.
So I began to see doctor's who could find no explanation for these horrific events that now took over my life. Then in 1988, I took a Grand-mal seizure while working up on a deck some six feet from the cement floor, fell back head first causing numerous injuries and a second brain Injury with a subdural hematoma.
Now in 1990 I began to get some answers, the period between the two Head traumas (1979 to 1988) when I was hallucinating and dry heaving, I was taking complex partial seizures. Doctors have estimated that I took over 35,000 of these seizures.
The 1979 Head Trauma had given me epilepsy that went undiagnosed for 11 yrs, not 1 doctor ever asked me if I ever had a head injury.
I have emotional problems, mood swings, nightmares and a balance problem. I take 3 antidepressants and anticonvulsants daily. In July of 1998 I was walking down our street with my wife. I suddenly lost my balance and fell on my right arm. I fractured it so badly that I was in surgery with in 12 hrs. They had to drill 4 pins into my bone coming up through the skin all hooking to a metal bar for some 55 days. What fun that was.
Now in February of 1999, I thought I had developed a cold in my neck, so I put hot and cold packs on it for a week or so. Then I began to notice that my left arm was going numb and was loosing strength, so my doctor ordered an MRI of my neck.
When he received the results of the MRI, he immediately phoned my home and asked my wife and I to get to his office as soon as possible.
When we arrived he told me to sit down that he had terrible news, he pointed out that vertebrate C-4 C-5 C-6 and the disc for C-7 had degenerated away so badly that a sudden stop in my car could have broken my neck. I was told that I was 3 weeks from being in a wheel chair for the rest of my life. He ordered emergency surgery.
In March of 1999 they performed the operation. They removed what was left of the degenerated vertebrate, they took 3 inches of bone from my left leg and placed it in my neck. After 4 days in the hospital I went home. I had to sit and sleep in my living room chair for some 40 days, I had to be sponged bathed for over two months.
I had to wear several neck braces for over 5 months, I was not even allowed to ride in a car for 50 days. Then I began to notice that my voice was not returning to normal months after that surgery. I was speaking very hoarse. That operation had put a lesion on my right vocal cord. In August of 1999 I had to have laser surgery on my vocal cords to help my voice return to normal. I have always said:
A Head Injury Comes With A Life Sentence
I Thank GOD everything worked.
Head Injuries disable more people than every other disease combined!!
"Yes my life has truly be a disaster, but it has not changed the person that I am. I still open doors for little old ladies, I help who ever I can. I tell people that life is too short to fuss and fight over little things. I tell people to live for right now."
Copyright 2001-2002 Blaine Stanziana. All Rights Reserved.
Click here to send John Pistorius your Tale of Survival