Beyond the Pain

An Excerpt from CRASH:

In The Belly of the Whale

At 3:00 a.m. August 21, 2010 I hit the wall: literally.

Crowchild Trail, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada is a major traffic artery. Tens of thousands of commuters use Crowchild to get to and from work during the day. But at 3 in the morning the road is effectively deserted. Ten foot cement ‘fences’ serve as sound barriers at select locations along the road. Fifty fourth avenue south west is marked by a unique feature: A pull in for transit buses. At 3:00 a.m. August 21, 2010 my Baby Blue, 1992 Oldsmobile hit the cement sound barrier, at the end of the bus pull in, head on at 85 kilometres per hour.

It was my entry into the belly of the whale.

What was I doing there? Why was I there at 3 in the morning? What caused the accident? Did I have a stroke? Was I drunk? Did someone force me off the road?

All these questions would eventually be answered. But, first I would have to survive.

When I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Foothills Medical Centre I was classed in “Serious, Life Threatening” condition: bleeding heavily from my face. The skin on my chin was ripped off to the bone, a condition known to the medical community as degloving. And I had a deep laceration through my right eyebrow.

These ‘surface’ problems would need to be addressed immediately. But there were deeper problems that would necessitate 2 months in the hospital – if I survived Intensive Care Unit. And, my survival was questionable.

After surgery to repair my degloving injury and the laceration in my right eyebrow I was thoroughly assessed. A picture of my exact condition began to emerge. Diagnostic Imaging showed:

• Bilateral internal carotid artery dissociations and thrombus ¹
• C2 fracture ²
• Right proximal undisplaced fibular fracture ³
• Right calcaneal fracture ⁴
• Left C7 transverse process fracture ⁵
• Left posterior frontal stroke ⁶
• Bilateral NCA omboli ¹
• Right pneumothorax ²
• Right rib fractures

FMC (Foothills Medical Centre) is certified as a Level 1 Trauma facility so they had ready access to a team of experts who could assess and address my various problems. This team included:

• Dr. Lall, who lead the surgical team who repaired the wounds on my face,
• Dr. Buckley, Head of trauma and orthopaedic surgeon whose team was responsible for caring for my right ankle and leg,
• Dr. Bouchard, Orthopaedic surgeon and spine specialist who focused on the care of my neck injuries,
• Dr. Coutts, neurologist and neurosurgeon, specialist in strokes,
• Various ICU specialists, nursing staff, and other professionals

When my wife, Joyce, arrived at the ICU she was told that there was a good possibility that I would not survive,

Obviously, I did.

This is the story of my time in the belly of the whale; what I did there; and how I got out.

CONTINUED

Copyright 2012 Lyle T. Lachmuth, All Rights Reserved

1What is omboli

2Collapsed right lung

1Ripped carotid artery

2C2 is the so-called Hangman`s vertebrae. An injury to C2 will often result in instant death

3My right fibula was cracked

4My right heel bone was shattered

5Blah blah

6Initial indication of the stroke that resulted from the accident

I recently met with my new Pain Management Specialist.

It was 1 of those “good news, bad news’ sessions.

The good news?

After reviewing 30 years of my medical history, he discovered that there was “nothing wrong with me physically”.

YES, you heard that correctly!

YES, I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Chronic Fatigue (CFIDS). So, how is possible that with so much muscle pain, so much exhaustion, there could be nothing wrong with my body?

It’s simple really.

Very recent research into the mechanism by which Fibromyalgia operates suggest that it is due to a dysfunction of the Central Nervous System (CNS). That means the problem is in the brain, not the body.

Therefore, as I understand it, the myriad of symptoms experienced by Fibromites are the result of CNS problems.

Here’s how that news has freed me up.

If there’s nothing wrong with my muscles — well, other than the fact that 14 months in bed have atrophied them to some degree — then there’s really nothing preventing me from doing stuff. Stuff like walking, hiking, running (except I don’t DO jogging), making love (except I don’t have a lover).

So, for the past 2 weeks, I’ve hiked my butt out of bed first thing in the morning. And, gone for a walk.

When I first started I could walk  for 1/2 an hour and travel 6 blocks. Now, I walk for an hour and travel 30 or more blocks. YIPPEE!

I’m pumped!

Morning walks have been an integral part of my Spiritual / Creative Practice. For it’s on these walks that I have the alone time I need to ponder, mull, and compost ideas. And, to dialogue with God Within Me.

Starting my day this way is critical because it gets me calm, centered, and focused on what’s important. And, because it connects me to Spirit.

I’ve noticed important improvements in my life. For example, on the weekend I drove to the foothills west of Calgary and hiked in the wind.  Why is that a big deal? Because normally — whatever normal is — wind provokes massive pain. And, it didn’t! YIPPEE!

What’s the bad news?

Tune in to the next post to see why the bad news is really good news.