Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Back and Spine Surgery (Expert Forum)
fractured 7th cervical vertebrae
Questions in the Back and Spine Surgery forum are being answered by Paul J. Slosar, MD, President, SpineCare Medical Group of Daly City, CA.
fractured 7th cervical vertebrae
by rose151, Mar 04, 2009 11:33AM
Hi, my sonis 31yrs and has just had a fall and has fractured his 7th cervical vertebrae, he was in hospital for 4 days and now has to wear a special collar that covers his chest , back of his neck and jaw, and to eat he has to have another support put on his forehead so that the jaw piece can be unscrewed and removed so that he can eat, he has been prescribed strong pain killers, but is still in alot of pain as he cant seem to get comfortable in anyway, he only sleeps a couple of hours at night as he cant stand the pain, he had another scan after fitting this collar to make sure that it was in place,and has been told that he has to keep this collar on for approx 4 months, can you suggest anyway/thing that may help to make him comfortable, as just sitting in a chair or the sofa is really painfull and uncomfortable,he just doesnt know where to put himself, the other thing is he cant shower fully as he cant remove this collar, any suggestions on how we can wash his hair as well????i would be so gratefull for any professional suggestions that you can give me,
kind regards...a worried mother
kind regards...a worried mother
Member Comments (2)
by necknacked, Mar 14, 2009 08:40PM
To: rose151
if you had a second collar, you could wash his hair in the tub if he positioned himself on all fours and let you do the the work. then carefully remove the wet collar and replace with dry one, with minimal movement. i would also call the doctor and make him aware of his level of pain and inadequate pain regimen. if he is uncomfortable with this, seek out a pain management specialist who wont be uncomfortable prescribing proper dosing for legitimate problems. if he had pain relief, he'd probably be able to find a comfortable position.
by DILOPHOSAURUS, Apr 16, 2009 04:41AM
To: rose
I was in a situation like this a few years ago and I got more use to it after a while. When my 4 months was up taking my brace off was scary. I think you need to go to a dr just in case this pain is not expected.
