Beyond the Pain

His name was David.

He was a good looking man in his forties, always well dressed with a regal bearing in spite of his disability. He was likely taller than me but I would never know that, for that first time I met him he was confined to an electric wheelchair. I never learned by what magic he operated the wheelchair. I noticed some kind of device protruding from the right arm of the chair but I didn’t know how it worked. Voice commands? Subtle movements of his head? Psychic control? I never asked him, for I was captivated with his story.

I had occasionally seen him around the unit, only occasionally after lunch and supper meals, for he generally ate his meals in his room. I assumed it was because he was embarrassed to be fed like a baby in front of the other patients, I guess I assumed that because he was always dressed in slacks and golf shirts unlike most of us who wore jeans or sweats.

One time, when I was having my right leg manipulated by Kenny, I noticed David lying on the other exercise bed in the physiotherapy room. His wife, or at least I assumed she was his wife, was being taught how to exercise his legs and arms because he could not move them for himself. Sadly it would be a long, long time before David’s wife would be able to apply her new found skills.

It was my last day in the hospital. And, I was eager to get home to my apartment. Nine o’clock had come and gone and my son-in-law still had not arrived to pick me up. Normally I don’t particularly mind waiting. I usually have a book to read. Or, I will just wander around the corridors of my mind enjoying the imaginings conjured up there. Then David arrived. I had never seen him in all the times I had spent in the west waiting area / TV room. When David told his story I finally knew why God had arranged for me to wait.

This is a pre-publication excerpt from CRASH! The final published material may differ from this.

COPYRIGHT 2012 Lyle T. Lachmuth, All Rights Reserved

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