Day 76 "Depressed And Worried About My Mom"

Today my mood has been really low.  I slept just about all day.  I was just depressed and upset about my Mom.  She sustained a broken pelvis in the car accident she was in last Saturday and I worry she’s never going to be right again.  The doctor told her that it would take about six to eight weeks to heal but that’s just an estimate.  Mom and I don’t always see eye to eye on things and sometimes argue about the dumbest things but we both love each other a lot and I just want her to get better.

I read that a broken pelvis is one of the most serious conditions a victim of a vehicle accident can endure.  The pelvis is the ring-like structure of bones at the lower end of the trunk which cradle and protect the lower digestive tract.  Even a small fracture from an accident can cause the victim unbearable pain.  More severe breaks do not only affect the bone, but can damage the delicate internal organs shielded and protected by the pelvis.   The pelvis takes a great deal of time to heal, and during that time eating, moving, and sleeping often become sources of agony.  The healing time for a broken pelvis is anywhere from 6 to 12 weeks depending on the overall health and age of the person affected.

Facts about a broken pelvis

• Almost 60% of all broken pelvises are caused by high impact vehicle accidents.
• Victims of fractured pelvises usually have peripheral injuries such as head, chest, abdomen, and genitourinary trauma.
• Multiple organ damage is also a common aspect of broken pelvises, and 40% of people die of hemorrhaging.
• Overall, the fatality rate for pelvic fractures is estimated to be as high as 55%.
• Surgery generally follows broken pelvises between 24 to 72 hours after the accident.

Treating a broken pelvis is a very expensive regimen of rehabilitation and medication.  Many X-rays are needed, and depending on the condition of the victim and the severity of the injury, surgery is often a requirement to repair the damage.  Screws, bolts and metal plates facilitate the healing of the bones, but do not make the recuperating process any easier for the victim.

Treatments for fractured pelvises

• Bed rest.
• Pain control management of symptoms.
• Isolation of potential complications such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, constipation, and infection.
• Proper nutrition rehabilitation.

So from what I've read my Mom has a long road a head of her to recovery.  As hard as it is for me to take care of myself I need to help my Mom by doing the grocery shopping, cleaning the house, doing her laundry, making sure she eats, and takes her medications.  I hope that Guardian Angel that was with her the day of the accident is sticking around for a while. 




Normal pelvis. Click to enlarge.



Broken pelvis. Click to enlarge.

Day 58 "More Random Thoughts"

First off, I want to say that I've had yet another pretty good day with Bell's Palsy.  I'm hoping that it doesn't last too long and that my face will be back to normal soon.  My goal is to keep on taking my pills and following the doctor's orders one hundred percent.  I do have to say that even though it is annoying that the paralysis causes my mouth not to function correctly, which means I wear a lot of what I drink, it does make me laugh.  Laughter is good for the sole and is helping me to remain sane.

In terms of the Bell's Palsy I have my own theory on what may have caused it. About ten years ago I had a root canal done and had the tooth filled but never had the crown put on it. Well, about two years ago the filling started coming out and In the last six months the last of the filling has come out. Anyway, my sister works for a dentist and has gotten me prescriptions three times because the thing gets so infected. Well the doctor I saw told me I have a bad cavity where the filling was.

The day before yesterday I laid in bed for hours and the pain in and around the gum of that tooth was horrible. This happens from time to time and sometimes I'll wake up and I'll have dried blood on my face. It was uncomfortable all day and later in the evening I was getting a drink of water and when I went to open my mouth I got like a charlie horse in my jaw. It felt really funny and has never happened to me. I'm thinking that the infection in my tooth was so bad that it caused stress on my facial muscles. One of the times I got antibiotics from my sister I had a partial paralysis in my face but it didn't effect my eye like this time. However, since I've started taking the meds I'm feeling much better and I'm going to have the tooth pulled as soon as I'm done on medications for the infection.

Today my mood was pretty stable all day which is an improvement over the highs and lows I had been having.  The only problem I had today was with the Seroquel XR I took last night.  I took it later than normal because I had to eat with one of the medication's I'm on for Bell's Palsy and it caused me to sleep really late today.  I also missed taking a bunch of pills because of this.  So tonight, I just adjusted the times of the pills I needed to take and got to take it a little earlier.  They say that if you eat with the XR (extended release) form of the drug the food can cause the drug to become IR (immediate release) which is something I'm going to look in to.  I had the unfortunate experience of taking an Seroquel IR given to me once and it hit me like a train in about ten minutes and it seemed to where off me and then I couldn't go back to sleep.  I like the how the XR gradually releases the drug in to my system which really helps me to sleep more comfortably the entire night.
 
Finally, I just want to say how happy and grateful I am for the invention of the computer.  When I was in my early twenties we didn't have cell phones or computers.  You had to get on the old rotary dial or push button phone and actually call someone.  The invention of the computer has helped me to stay in touch with the world with the strike of a key.  I can pretty much say what I want and do what I please and because it's the Internet that's my right.  The Internet has given me the opportunity to have a space where I can share with you about my bipolar disorder.  Hopefully something I've written will inspire someone else to take control of their illness and be an optimistic bipolar.