Misdiagnosis By The Surgeon - July 15th, 1994
2 January 2001
I was a very healthy 35 year old agricultural pilot one morning when I had what we call a fairly routine engine problem which was a cracked cylinder and the engine did quit at a very bad time. I was raised around the business with my father being in it since the 40's and I was trained very well. I managed to get the airplane down in an irrigated cotton field but just before I could get it completely stopped it tipped over on it's back in a soft ditch.
I knew there was broken bones and I could smell fuel leaking out of the tanks but I was trapped inside and unable to open either door because they were jammed shut but I managed to elbow the right window out and crawl away in case of fire. The ambulance took me to a small town hospital and that's the state law to go to the nearest hospital first where I was x-rayed. The second and third left ribs were badly broken due to blunt force trauma from something in the cockpit of the airplane. I was hit in the upper chest on the left side but the ribs were actually broken in the back side or posterior. There was also about 4 broken vertebae in the thoracic area but caused no problems other than lots of pain because they were all compression fractures. Immediately, I was sent to Pine Bluff, AR for surgery because they felt the injuries had caused a dissection or tearing of the aorta.
When the surgeons opened me up through a thoracotomy they found a thoracic aortic aneurysm and elected to repair it but were unable to get the dacron graft to hold and after 2 tries the doctor told my family that things didn't look good at all but he was going to try one more time. He finally got the graft to hold after clamping off blood flow to my legs for around 35 minutes the 3rd time and closed me back up.
I woke up from about a 22 day coma and found I was ventillator dependent and after 34 days in CVICU I was sent to rehab floor but was unable to move my legs, I had spinal cord injury. I spent another month and a half there and was then taken to Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO for spinal cord rehab and to learn to live in a wheelchair and be as independent as possible. After 4 1/2 months there I was able to come home but had to have our home modified for wheelchairs.
I still do physical therapy every day and can! ! walk on braces and a walker but still unable to walk without them but I will never give up as long as I'm making progress. I do have bowel/bladder function and sensation with severe burning and throbbing in my legs at night which keeps me awake many nights. I was able to get off the vent after about a month because they did do a trach on me while in CVICU but not after having pneumonia and ARDS { Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome}. They cut the nerve to my left vocal cord during surgery because they felt it was in the way but after arriving in Colorado I received a teflon injection and was given a voice back, a little raspy but it works.
I was told the aneurysm was there from birth and that the tissue was very weak and it would not hold the sutures to put the graft in place but they finally managed to get them to hold. I can say God was definitely in my corner at the time because from what I'm told I'm not supposed to be here today.
Update 9 Apr 2001
Anything can happen during the repair of the thoracic aorta because I lost the use of my legs for a long time. But even after over 6 1/2 years it's still improving and my wonderful physical therapist has even had me walk around the gym with only one brace and we plan to get rid of the wheelchair and braces one day. She evidently went to the good ol' PT school because she is some kind of a tough therapist and that's what I was really wanting shortly after I decided to fire my doctor at the time and get a real doc who is a neurologist in Pine Bluff, Dr. Sue Frigon. Since I was able to get her things have improved dramatically and especially after I found this awesome physical therapist in our new home town of Heber Springs, Ark. Her name is Sheila Presely in case anyone wants to know a REAL PT.
Discussion, comments, or questions: Mike Myhand
© Copyright 2001 Mike Myhand
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