RR
....glutton for punishment.....
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Tomorrow will be the 10 year anniversary of my accident. Given that bow season is here, someone asked that I repost this story for everyone. Some of you may have read it 10 years ago at CSF when originally posted or one of the reposts since. But for those who haven't heard or read this before, enjoy 
....
On Saturday, Sept 22nd, 2007, I went into work for about 8 hours and then headed for the woods to bow hunt. I was tired and PO'd from work and really needed the relaxation of a nice evening hunt. We had our 3 year accreditation visit scheduled for the following Monday and we'd all been putting in extra hours to prepare. I had worked about 60 hours that week and really needed the break.
I picked up my father in law and headed to the farm. He headed to the backside of the farm. I made the decision to go to my favorite stand where I'd seen four the previous Saturday. This is a wooden built stand that I've hunted for more than 10 years and have taken 15-16 deer from in that time. It has never failed to account for at least one deer in a season.
I got to the stand at about 4:30PM and tied my bow off and started climbing. As I reached the top rung of the ladder, I grabbed for a limb that I've used a thousand times to haul myself into my seat. The limb broke sending all 230lbs of me tumbling backward approximately 18ft to the ground below. I landed on my back on my pack and some wood. I was immediately out. I don't know for how long, but I know I was unconscious for a bit.
I came to and tried to get up. It was a definite no go. I could move my arms and my legs. My toes and fingers all worked, but I didn't have the strength to stand and even attempting to was excruciating. I suspected then that I'd broken my back. I tried yelling for help, but I didn't have the wind to yell very loud and my father in law was some distance away by that point. I think I passed out again somewhere along there.
I remember fumbling my cell phone out of it's case, but I don't remember who I called. Turns out I called my mother in law first who couldn't understand what I was saying and assumed it was an obscene phone call (Lots of gasping/heavy breathing, No caller ID). I called my wife next and finally got her to understand what had happened and that I was seriously injured. She was at work about 20 mins from where we hunt. She headed toward me while trying to get my father in law on his cell phone. At this point I had passed out again.
I remember hearing my father in law coming through the woods to me that woke me up. He was on the phone with my wife and was directing her how to find us. Unfortunately he didn't believe that my back was broken and tried to get me to my feet again, which of course didn't work too well. Finally I think it sunk in how bad I was hurt and he sat down with me and talked to me, trying to keep me alert. I was in and out again.
My wife arrived and they finally got 911 on the way. When the dispatcher asked her the cause of the accident she replied, "Stupidity." Yes, somewhere in the archives of Orange Co. 911 there exists that recording. I have a such a loving wife. They were trying to figure out how the EMT's were gonna get me out of the woods, I ain't the easiest package to haul around and I was about 100 yds into some pretty thick woods from the cornfield which was as far as the ambulance could go. We were about a mile off the paved road. As soon as she hung up the phone I remember hearing sirens in the distance. I think I passed out again. My wife headed out to the paved road to lead the EMS crew into where I was while my father in law stayed with me to keep me conscious. I remember him telling me a story about a mutual friend of ours doing this same thing 20 years ago and having to crawl 3 miles back to his house. At least I wouldn’t be crawling.
The EMT crew finally arrived and checked me over. They cut my shirt away and found a deformity around L-1. My hips hurt and my left hand was starting to turn purple. I was having trouble breathing. They put a cervical collar on me and strapped me to a back board and discussed briefly how they would haul my rather large carriage out of the woods to the ambulance. I heard the word helicopter mentioned for the first time somewhere around here. They discussed using the John Deere Gator they had along to cart me out. They actually got it stuck trying to get it in to me so that was thankfully out. The female EMT was driving it into the woods and all I can hear is this engine revving coming right toward me. I'm laying there thinking, "This ***** is gonna run me over" and it's not like I can get up and move. Finally I hear the "Wham" of the gator getting stuck between two trees. They had to cut one of them down later to get it out. What can I say, the EMT's had new toys to play with....
The three men and one woman of the EMS crew lifted me and carried me about 50 yds before they had to stop for a break. You know those backboards flex right? Yeah that part kinda sucked. This was repeated a couple more times before we got back to the cornfield. The trouble was instead of following the well used foot trail that leads from where I park my truck to that stand they chose to head through the densest damn cedar thicket on that property. I was pissed...A week later when I finally got home and showered for the first time I had cedar nettles washed out of my hair.
Once I was out in the open they did a more thorough exam and became concerned about my breathing. They were convinced that my right lung was partially collapsed. They stuck a needle in my chest to relieve the pressure. They found out then my lung wasn’t collapsed. The needle in the chest thing really sucked.
At this point they find out that both of UNC’s helo’s are occupied at the moment but they can get one in from Duke and take me to UNC. It was a go. 5 minutes later the helo was touching down and everyone was covered in dirt from the cornfield. They got me on the helo and while strapping me down, ripped the needle out of my chest. It hurt, but it immediately felt better once it was out of there too. Within minutes they were unloading me on the roof of UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. I remember asking for water and being told they couldn’t give me anything because I’d likely be in surgery soon.
They got me into the ER and I was in and out of consciousness through most of it. I remember them catheterizing me. I wish I didn’t. I remember meeting my Neurosurgeon for the first time. He said that they knew my back was broken, but that I still had use of all extremities and while I may need surgery I should recover without loss of function. He said they would do Xrays soon to confirm and then make a plan. I again asked for water and he said unfortunately no since I may be a candidate for emergency surgery.
Several hours, two brutal sets of xrays, an MRI from hell and CT scan later they determine that I have a severe burst fracture of L-1. My hips and ribs are unbroken as is my left hand.
About that MRI...My shoulders barely fit into the machine....actually barely is stretching it....my shoulders didn't fit the machine...so every time the table moved back and forth in the scanner, my shoulders drug along the sides. Imagine how that repeated sretching and compression felt on that shattered vertebra...
At this point it's about 2 AM. Since I’m not losing any strength in my lower body and the surgery itself carries a level of risk of paralysis, they decide to postpone 'til the next day when the doctors are fresher. I finally got some water. The doctor described for me for the first time the surgery they would do. 8 titanium screws into the vertebra that’s broken plus the two above and one below. 2 titanium rods run through those screws plus a horizontal stabilizing bar connecting them. They will take my own bone fragments along with cadaver bone (I see dead people...) and seed the area around it to allow bone growth to fuse all this in place.
They move me into a room sometime that night along with a fellow who’s just had his second brain surgery and isn’t quite himself. I was pretty looped out on strong painkillers from here forward so the next couple of days are a blur. I remember them bumping my surgery from Sunday to Monday because more emergent cases came first. Since I still had use of my legs I was less severe than some of those who were coming in. Starting Monday morning early I started having muscle spasms in my back. My legs were being drawn straight up into my body by these spasms. I felt like I was being torn in half every time one came on. They came about every half hour.
....On Saturday, Sept 22nd, 2007, I went into work for about 8 hours and then headed for the woods to bow hunt. I was tired and PO'd from work and really needed the relaxation of a nice evening hunt. We had our 3 year accreditation visit scheduled for the following Monday and we'd all been putting in extra hours to prepare. I had worked about 60 hours that week and really needed the break.
I picked up my father in law and headed to the farm. He headed to the backside of the farm. I made the decision to go to my favorite stand where I'd seen four the previous Saturday. This is a wooden built stand that I've hunted for more than 10 years and have taken 15-16 deer from in that time. It has never failed to account for at least one deer in a season.
I got to the stand at about 4:30PM and tied my bow off and started climbing. As I reached the top rung of the ladder, I grabbed for a limb that I've used a thousand times to haul myself into my seat. The limb broke sending all 230lbs of me tumbling backward approximately 18ft to the ground below. I landed on my back on my pack and some wood. I was immediately out. I don't know for how long, but I know I was unconscious for a bit.
I came to and tried to get up. It was a definite no go. I could move my arms and my legs. My toes and fingers all worked, but I didn't have the strength to stand and even attempting to was excruciating. I suspected then that I'd broken my back. I tried yelling for help, but I didn't have the wind to yell very loud and my father in law was some distance away by that point. I think I passed out again somewhere along there.
I remember fumbling my cell phone out of it's case, but I don't remember who I called. Turns out I called my mother in law first who couldn't understand what I was saying and assumed it was an obscene phone call (Lots of gasping/heavy breathing, No caller ID). I called my wife next and finally got her to understand what had happened and that I was seriously injured. She was at work about 20 mins from where we hunt. She headed toward me while trying to get my father in law on his cell phone. At this point I had passed out again.
I remember hearing my father in law coming through the woods to me that woke me up. He was on the phone with my wife and was directing her how to find us. Unfortunately he didn't believe that my back was broken and tried to get me to my feet again, which of course didn't work too well. Finally I think it sunk in how bad I was hurt and he sat down with me and talked to me, trying to keep me alert. I was in and out again.
My wife arrived and they finally got 911 on the way. When the dispatcher asked her the cause of the accident she replied, "Stupidity." Yes, somewhere in the archives of Orange Co. 911 there exists that recording. I have a such a loving wife. They were trying to figure out how the EMT's were gonna get me out of the woods, I ain't the easiest package to haul around and I was about 100 yds into some pretty thick woods from the cornfield which was as far as the ambulance could go. We were about a mile off the paved road. As soon as she hung up the phone I remember hearing sirens in the distance. I think I passed out again. My wife headed out to the paved road to lead the EMS crew into where I was while my father in law stayed with me to keep me conscious. I remember him telling me a story about a mutual friend of ours doing this same thing 20 years ago and having to crawl 3 miles back to his house. At least I wouldn’t be crawling.
The EMT crew finally arrived and checked me over. They cut my shirt away and found a deformity around L-1. My hips hurt and my left hand was starting to turn purple. I was having trouble breathing. They put a cervical collar on me and strapped me to a back board and discussed briefly how they would haul my rather large carriage out of the woods to the ambulance. I heard the word helicopter mentioned for the first time somewhere around here. They discussed using the John Deere Gator they had along to cart me out. They actually got it stuck trying to get it in to me so that was thankfully out. The female EMT was driving it into the woods and all I can hear is this engine revving coming right toward me. I'm laying there thinking, "This ***** is gonna run me over" and it's not like I can get up and move. Finally I hear the "Wham" of the gator getting stuck between two trees. They had to cut one of them down later to get it out. What can I say, the EMT's had new toys to play with....
The three men and one woman of the EMS crew lifted me and carried me about 50 yds before they had to stop for a break. You know those backboards flex right? Yeah that part kinda sucked. This was repeated a couple more times before we got back to the cornfield. The trouble was instead of following the well used foot trail that leads from where I park my truck to that stand they chose to head through the densest damn cedar thicket on that property. I was pissed...A week later when I finally got home and showered for the first time I had cedar nettles washed out of my hair.
Once I was out in the open they did a more thorough exam and became concerned about my breathing. They were convinced that my right lung was partially collapsed. They stuck a needle in my chest to relieve the pressure. They found out then my lung wasn’t collapsed. The needle in the chest thing really sucked.
At this point they find out that both of UNC’s helo’s are occupied at the moment but they can get one in from Duke and take me to UNC. It was a go. 5 minutes later the helo was touching down and everyone was covered in dirt from the cornfield. They got me on the helo and while strapping me down, ripped the needle out of my chest. It hurt, but it immediately felt better once it was out of there too. Within minutes they were unloading me on the roof of UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. I remember asking for water and being told they couldn’t give me anything because I’d likely be in surgery soon.
They got me into the ER and I was in and out of consciousness through most of it. I remember them catheterizing me. I wish I didn’t. I remember meeting my Neurosurgeon for the first time. He said that they knew my back was broken, but that I still had use of all extremities and while I may need surgery I should recover without loss of function. He said they would do Xrays soon to confirm and then make a plan. I again asked for water and he said unfortunately no since I may be a candidate for emergency surgery.
Several hours, two brutal sets of xrays, an MRI from hell and CT scan later they determine that I have a severe burst fracture of L-1. My hips and ribs are unbroken as is my left hand.
About that MRI...My shoulders barely fit into the machine....actually barely is stretching it....my shoulders didn't fit the machine...so every time the table moved back and forth in the scanner, my shoulders drug along the sides. Imagine how that repeated sretching and compression felt on that shattered vertebra...
At this point it's about 2 AM. Since I’m not losing any strength in my lower body and the surgery itself carries a level of risk of paralysis, they decide to postpone 'til the next day when the doctors are fresher. I finally got some water. The doctor described for me for the first time the surgery they would do. 8 titanium screws into the vertebra that’s broken plus the two above and one below. 2 titanium rods run through those screws plus a horizontal stabilizing bar connecting them. They will take my own bone fragments along with cadaver bone (I see dead people...) and seed the area around it to allow bone growth to fuse all this in place.
They move me into a room sometime that night along with a fellow who’s just had his second brain surgery and isn’t quite himself. I was pretty looped out on strong painkillers from here forward so the next couple of days are a blur. I remember them bumping my surgery from Sunday to Monday because more emergent cases came first. Since I still had use of my legs I was less severe than some of those who were coming in. Starting Monday morning early I started having muscle spasms in my back. My legs were being drawn straight up into my body by these spasms. I felt like I was being torn in half every time one came on. They came about every half hour.
