After being discharged from Kings lodge rehab centre. I returned home but was unable to care for my three and half year old son Jamie for another month so that I could get more of my strength back. I had lots of out-patient appointments as I had an open wound in my mouth(which showed the bone to my lower jaw). I was on a lot of antibiotics and pain killers, the antibiotics was to keep a way infections and the pain killers were to keep me pain free. I also had to use a mouth wash to keep my mouth clean as it was full of stitches and I used vitamin E oil on my scars which I had on the outside of my face. Time had stood still during the tiem of returning home until August of the same year. My surgeon could do no treatment until my open wound in my mouth had healed up which took along time to heal. So my surgeon deicided that it was worth trying oxygen therapy which you have to sit in a chamber for a period of time every day for a few weeks in my case it was to be five weeks in total, and hopefully would help the healing process inside my mouth. So I was sent to Plymouth in Devon, UK for five weeks treatment. At that time I would have to leave my son again with the nursery nurse (Jayne) who cared for him after my accident as there was nobody else to care for him. I stayed in a lovely cottage called "Bay Cottage" right near the coast it was a lovely palce and the people who owned were the friendlest people you could ever meet. I had transport to the hospital each day for treatment except the weekend which was my own to do as I liked. I did a lot of walking along the coast and sunbathing during them times. I did miss my son very much and jayne and here family did come down for a weeks holiday so that I could spend some time during my treatment with him even if it was a short time. I did have a few set backs during my time there one in which I suffered a fit in the chamber (apparently I was sensitive to pure oxygen but I mange to carry on with the rest of the treatment. I then returned home and was re-united with my son Jamie. The treatment didn't help to save the bone which was open in my mouth but my surgeon says it made the rest of my jaw bone that extra stronger than it had been. So I had to go into hospital to have the dead bone removed and some plates removed too and he was able to stitch the wound up but left an indentation on my gum line. I have had numerous overnight and longer stays in hospital for operations having teeth taken out, plates and bone graft. Here is some that I remember -: accident in 1996 & treatment in Plymouth, Infections in jaw 1997, Plates came out when I was twenty weeks pregnant because of infections in 1998 and Katie my daughter was born the same year, Had a bone graft taken from my hip to my top and lower jaw in 1999, I also moved form my flat to a house the same year, Fourteen implants inserted eight at the top and six at the bottom also top implants were uncovered three to six months later in the same year of 2000, bottom implants were uncovered in february 2001 and during that time eleven appointments for all the bridge work to build my new teeth and this year I have just come out of hospital having had my bone smoothered on each side to make it more symetrical. Then the last one is to put one more implant in and have my scar re-opened to cleaned it so that it doesn't show up so much under my lower lip. I haven't gone into much detail over the operations one of the worsed was having the bone graft as the bone was taken from my hip and put into my top and lower jaw(three ops in one). I could not go home after leaving hospital as I lived in a second floor flat so I had to go and stay in a nursing home for the perios I was on crutches in total about six weeks and I missed my children very much during that time. I also moved homes as well. I was going to write the rest that follows but I am getting very tired writing so it looks as if I will have to do another update shortly after this one. Thanks for understanding and hope that it can be of some help to anyone who has been in the same position.
I sustained a smashed jaw which was in so many pieces that the surgeon could only guess how my jaw would have looked. I was operated on for more than 8 hrs putting Titainum plates in to hold all the pieces together. I lost all my front teeth of which were all my own and was very proud of them. I didn't know about my head injury until afterwards. I was in ICU for a week and I was transferred to a ward but didn't and could not understand why I was there. After about another week I kept going back and forth to a mirror hoping to see myself but never did and haven't since. My face was so swollen, I had 2 black eyes and was covered in blue stitches on my face. I have 2 scars on each side of the lower jaw where they had to open me up to put the plates in, another running along my chin line and another one in the shape of a "C" across the front of my chin just below my lip. I am unable to open my mouth like everyone else can and my jaw isn't symmetrical.
Family and friends visted me, one in particular came to see me in ICU and he stood by my side and cryed but I don't know how I managed to reply with "don't cry or you will make me cry". He has stayed my friend and found a good Lawyer for me. When I was on the ward recovering he went to see if my flat was alright and cleaned it,brought in the washing as I had left it on the line to dry on my balcony.
I can't remember being told about my head injury. There were lots of people and Dr's from the head injury team asking me lots of questions like -: what is your name, where do you live, how old are you and how many fingers and toes do I have? All silly usual questions that you get when you suffer a head injury. I was told that I told one Dr to shut up and leave me alone or something to that effect. At one stage I remember ringing the police from a phone on the ward but I don't think I got through some how and then I tryed smashing the fire alarm which I did because I wanted to go home and they wouldn't let me. In the end they had to give me an injection so that I could get some sleep but not before telling them that I wasn't going to drink something that looked like washing-up liquid. The nurses kept saying you are not well enough to go home but they wouldn't tell me what had happen, if they did I can't remember. I could not remember my son Jamie coming to visit me with a nursery nurse who was looking after him as there wasn't anyone to have him as I looked after him on my own without a partner and still do. she volunteered to care for him until I was well enough. After 2 weeks on the ward I was transferred to Kings Lodge a rehab centre to get my strength back. I was well enough to leave the hospital but not well enough to go home. So they sent me to the rehab centre for another 2 weeks and it was there that I realised the extent of my face and head injuries and what had happen to me. I can remember that I was due to go for an x-ray on my knees as they too got damaged but not broken. They wanted to know what the fluid was that I had around my knees. I do know they were very painful. I went with a nurse and came to a zebra crossing in the grounds of the hospital to get to the main building of the hospital. I couldn't do it I just stood and broke down, tears rolling down my face. The nurse had to take me back inside. I did have my x-ray taken a couple of days later and took a diferent route to get there without having to cross the zebra crossing.
What has happen to me since the accident, well that is another story waiting to be written and what a story it will be. I do know that I am a strong person not to die because I don't know where my son Jamie would be if I hadn't survived and I wouldn't have a beautiful daughter called Katie. My face and I will never be the same, even now there will always be a reminder when ever I look in the mirror that I will never see me (the way I used to be) ever again.
Email Caroline
