newbie

[little-anne]

Hi, this is my first post here so not sure where to start.

My husband was run over and trapped under a Land rover early February . Was airlifted to Addenbrooks with skull fractures, fractured C2, T6, 6 ribs, pelvis, compromised and open ankle, collarbone and multiple facial fractures.

He is recovering well and with a back and cervical brace can now spend time in a wheelchair. Cannot weight bear so no walking yet.

He can be aggressive and irritable, especially if fobbed.

Latest x ray was good, so doctor suddenly says "Do you want to go home tomorrow ?".

He is no where near ready physio wise, rehab was delayed waiting for brace. Can't even transfer out of bed alone let alone get to a loo or up any stairs.

I really want him home but am terrified we will not cope, especially as I have to work.

I even had a panic attack when I accidentally deleted my first attempt to write this post.

Do doctors tend to blurt these things out unannounced.

We have a meeting on Friday and am hoping for a little clarity, though realise I am probably going to be disappointed on that score.

What normally happens with discharge ?

Will any help be offered ?

With the brace, I can't put it on at 5.45 and expect him to tolerate it till 1pm, or leave him in bed the whole time.

Does anyone else recall these problems in the early days?

[Kirk5w7]

Hi Little-Anne and welcome, what a dread ful situation for you both.

I would expect you would need to have your home inspected to ensure there are sufficient aids, it is a safe environment for your husband to be in .

I am surprised they are contemplating sending him home yet, but I suspect the doctor has Bly said this to get the wheels in motion.

My injury was not so severe, I had no physical traumas to deal with all brain injury related, but the social services came and installed banisters on my stairs, I had none, I had a downstairs shower room or they would have insisted on a commode.

I was supposed to put a bed downstairs so that I wouldn't have to climb stairs if I was in the house alone, so you see they have to check out the environment they are releasing your husband into. The doctor just makes the decision that he is well enough to be supported at home.

So do not let them push you into a situation that will cause you too much stress. If your husband has to be on his own for that length of time then perhaps you need home care to get him up washed and dressed, get his breakfast etc, make sure all is well before you get home.

These are all things that need to be in place, including visits from a physiotherapist, but depending on the area you live in time scales can be so different.

I had to wait over6 weeks for physiotherapy to start at home, by that time I'd done it myself and they only visited 3 times.

So accept all the help you need, I know you want your husband home but don't overstretch yourself or underestimate what effect this will have on you.

You will be able to do this in time but it will be a slow, stressful period, you will need to look after you too.

The NHS is brilliant but can be lacking at times and aftercare is one of them, if you are too eager to step in they will let you, so just be honest and insist on all the help they can offer, you owe it to your husband and yourself xxxx

Take care and keep us posted ! Love to you both Janet xx

[Hidden]

If you husband was run over, contact a headway recommended solicitor and get the ball rolling on that, the insurers can arrange for interim payments wich can be used to pay for therapy and care whilst a case is being processed, I found a huge difference in the quality of private care compared to NHS. I n fact if I'd have gone with NHS Physio I would probably have died considering what they wanted to try to get me to do.

[sporan]

I havenot had anywhere near the experiences that your husband has had although a close friend of mine did (was in a coma for 3 weeks) and also my father-in-law has dementia and admitted to hospital.

In both cases before they were discharged there was a meeting with hospital social worker who liases with the regional care system, plus medical assesment staff from the hospital. This meeting discussed the support and care available at home and made sure that the proper and relevant support was in place before discharge.

It is obviously such a distressing time for you but, although hard, you have to stand up and give fully the situation that exists at home so that a proper home assesment can be made and adjustments made before he leaves hospital.

Was the Doctor that 'blurted' this out the Doctor that is usually responsible for his care? The reason I ask is that sometimes there are Doctors that charge in on cases that they are not normally involved with and make snap judgements without full knowledge of the case in order to get 'brownie points' for clearing a bed to help hospital bed block figures.

Truely hoping your situation is sorted properly soon. I am sure that there are plenty of others with a better understanding of this than I do and will soon post a reply with better info than I have been able to supply.

Best wishes to both you and your husband,

Sporan

[StrawberryCream]

I didn't have all the physical injuries that your husband has but was extremely weak after the coma, had balance problems and was walking only few steps/short distance with a Zimmer frame. I was also coming home to be on my own so the hospital had to plan discharge to make sure I could manage or was supported to manage the essential activities of daily living. I was brought home before discharge by an OT who assessed my home environment, decided what aids I would need and got them delivered before I was actually discharged home. SS home care was also organised. A Physio also visited me at home once I was discharged.

Maybe the doctor blurted out 'discharge tomorrow' not realising all the assessment of the home environment hadn't yet been done or maybe he meant to say ' to start planning for discharge tomorrow' meaning the assessment planning would start and not as it can also be construed that the discharge would be tomorrow. The NHS certainly has its limitations but I don't think it would actually just discharge when your husband is still wheelchair bound as they would need to be sure your home can accommodate a wheelchair etc etc.

Best wishes to you both

[razyheath43]

Hi sorry to read this,ring the headway helpline they have a fantastic lady based at addenbrookes who will come and meet you both on the ward.reach out for support and remember addenbrookes has a duty of care to you as well,good luck xx

[Hidden]

Hi

Sorry to read your post would also recommend contacting headway 0808 800 2244 for support

Best wishes

[little-anne]

Thank you for all your replies. We have a meeting with headway this afternoon and a family meeting tomorrow.Hopefully we will get some idea of how we move forward from here.

Jon is doing so well, though he can't see that at the moment. He is sure to be home soon but I hope he will be mobilising more by then. I think his OT will take in hand the discharge plans.

I get the feeling the doctor was one who sees his part of the person rather than the "whole". I'm glad some are feeling part of him is ready but think the rest of him must catch up first.

Will take all on board for our meetings.......

[Niki25]

Gosh this seems far too soon to be talking about your hubby coming home. I know rehab centres like to have a date to work towards but dont let them rush you into a situation you cant cope with. You are probably only just starting to cope with what has happened. My daughter Niki has been in hospital since February last year and is coming home tomorrow. After all this time I am filled with fear even though I have arrange private PAs to help her while I am at work as we agreed she didnt want me to be her carer. I worry about everything but people who have been through this tell me it will get easier as we get into a routine. Niki has been wanting to discharge for a couple of months but we asked her to bear with us until we had all the funding sorted and knew there would be ongoing therapy in the community ready to take over from the rehab centre - its a slow process but I needed to know that we would cope and Nikis recovery wouldnt be impaired by not getting everything sorted. So tommorrow is D Day - literally (discharge day). Im fairly new on this site but have had some brilliant support just by reading other peoples posts and the responses Ive had to a couple I did so thankyou everyone. Good luck Little-Anne I hope you find it as helpful as I have and wishing hubby a speedy recovery

K

x

[Hidden]

They let me out early due to the fact I was a pain in the arsenal and would have literally crawled home. This was after three weeks in a coma and three weeks after care. They told my wife there would be a complete care package in place so not to worry. It was six weeks before even the district nurse turned up, then the So called assessment was done by some OT and they decided to get me a bath board! That took two weeks to arrive, by then I'd spent two grand on bio bidets and bath lifts, I then bought the adjustable beds and paid for walking aids, wheelchairs and scooters, I financed all my OT and Physio, paid for neurologists and psychologists. I eventually got the costs back in spades from the insurance company because we immediately put in the claim the accident occurred. It took four years to settle, but today thanks to the very expensive care I have recieved I can walk, cycle and stay awake longer, I'm not falling apart and I have enough money for the security of my family. I don't have to work which is a godsend as my life expectancy is a lot shorter and I can spend my time with the important people in my life. People rave about the NHS care that they have recieved, but it can be a lottery depending on where you are and who you see. I don't joke when I say the NHS physio could have killed me, three months after coming out of hospital this numpty wanted to put me on a bicycle on a rolling road! Every Private physio has independently confirmed that I probably would have experienced a full hemipariesis or a stroke. IF you have a claim you need to lay the blame as soon as possible, trust me in three or four years you'll be glad you did.