 Poster: A snowHead
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Hey Guys,
Here's a reminder to get any injuries checked out properly on return home. I'm a few weeks post op after surgery to fix a facial fracture after I missed a jump and kneed myself in the face skiing off piste in Tignes in mid April. (I know... I know... what was I thinking!)
Whilst the treatment in the local medical centre was ok, and they referred me to Bourg Hospital for a scan, if I hadn't had the foresight to arrange an appointment with a surgeon when I got home I would have been left with permanent double vision looking upwards and nerve injury. Bourg hospital told me there was a small fracture, but that it would heal by itself. I had a CT scan, and was assured the scan would be sent to the teaching hospital in Grenoble and they would contact me if they needed to see me, but if I didn't hear anything it would be fine in 6 weeks or so. Needless to say I didn't hear from them.
Luckily I have a bit of medical knowledge and had an appointment arranged for the Monday after I got back. I needed various scans and eye tests and had surgery on the Thursday. I now have a titanium plate inserted under my eye, and some residual numbness, but at least the double vision is almost gone.
Worryingly, not one of the doctors in France even examined my eyes or checked my vision. Nor did they advise follow up at home. I dread to think of the outcome if I had just left it alone. As I kite surf and climb, not having had the surgery would have been a disaster! And there was a risk that my eye could have become shrunken in time.
So beware...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pending, oh dear, glad you are on the mend now though.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Crikey!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Pending, well done for posting this.
It's important to re recognise of course that there's huge variation in england regarding the treatment of trauma. I had a very difficult time following grade 3 shoulder separation and broken back. The shoulder was the problem, and only by accessing one of the leading shoulder specialists (Ian bayley at stanmore) did I feel I was heading in the right direction regarding diagnosis and treatment. So bear in mind that this is not a 'French versus England' issue in what I am about to say.
I think your advice is right - don't assume that there will be good movement of information around foreign systems - the trauma clinics in all alpine countries have huge throughput during the season and once you are processed it's entirely possible that your file will be put on one side. 'Right...done that one...' as you go out through the door.... '...next!...'.
A colleague had a very major shunt in 2013 and the Peroneal nerve was severed during pelvic surgery - much to the horror and disapproval of medical friends of mine including a leading German neurologist, who says it is extremely unlikely that this would have been done in England or Germany. But if you are badly smashed up, and he was, you are in the hands of the local medical services.
Note the controversy surrounding schumacher., where Gary Harstein has gone out on a limb suggesting that taking Schumacher to Moutiers was wrong since they don't have the neurology facilities of Grenoble. But what do you do? Once the helicopter has landed you are pretty much in trust to the medics. It's interesting reading joe Simpson on how he was treated by the NHS on return to uk,
I have found that's it's vital to impress on doctors that I am interested in maintaining a very high level of fitness not just returning to daily living - talk to everyone, the receptionists, the paramedics, the nurses, the medics, about being at a high level in climbing and skiing, and then, in my experience, I get much better recognition of what treatment I really need to get back to the right level of function,
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 1-06-14 14:41; edited 2 times in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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valais2, absolutely right. When I went to the fracture clinic back in the UK the consultants aim was only that I shouldn't have a stiff knee.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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When I fractured my femur in January in Val Thorens, I was in hospital in Moutiers for 6 days - I was advised by the Consultant there to get followed up by an Orthopaedic Consultant when I come back to Scotland which I did. Even if he hadn't told me to do this, I would still have went to the docs when I came home.
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