My close call with death (1 Viewer)

[Scott McGillivray]

For those that are interested (and not grossed out) here is a picture of the damage I took from the heart surgery. I post this in a hope to educate some as to just how serious a "simple" accident can be on a bike.

*Not for the faint of heart*

This picture shows the incision they did to work on my heart along with 2 of the 3 holes from the tubes in my lungs.



[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/7/76/htf_imgcache_43328.jpeg][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/7/76/htf_imgcache_43328.jpeg"] [/url][/URL]


I had 20+ more staples in my groin for where the blood transfusions went it. I cant recall the technical term for it. The big insicion shown above has been healing up really, REALLY well. The one in my groin has proven to be much more stubborn. It was infected for a while and just wont seem to heal properly. I have a nurse come to my home every other day to change the dressing. I just pray it cleans itself up soon.
On a positive note, my INR level is finally correct (it has to do with how thin my blood is to prevent clots) so I dont need to get a blood test every day (which was a pain).

Again, thanks to all of you for your thoughts, concern and feedback!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

It's your flight or fight reflex overreacting to a massive injury your brain still hasn't made its peace with yet. As someone who has suffered from panic attacks from extreme stress in the past, I can promise you that things get a lot better once it sinks into your brain that you're not actually going to die. You find little coping mechanisms to break the feedback loop and then you only had the physical symptoms to deal with -- which in your case are obviously enough.

Proof that miracles do happen (or at least extremely lucky and unlikely events).

 

[McPaul]

God damn... Glad you're still with us Scott. It sounds like you've got all the quality care in the world out there. Did they take you to VGH? Time to get plenty of rest and watch lots of blu ray if you can. Glad you made the decision you did regarding the bike. Definitely time to dump it, not only because of the high accident factor, but also the psychological aspect now as well.

The world is a beautiful place! Enjoy your second chance.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Aw, dude. My heart breaks from looking at that picture. I am so glad you are taking this all so well and recovering so well besides!

I guess (just like me) you've now lost your burgeoning career as a swimsuit model too. :frowning: Makeup can do a lot of things...but sometimes it's just not worth the effort!

 

[Joel...Lane]

Wow! It's good to hear you made it through that accident. That's amazing they had to make such a large incision! Well at least when your kids or grandkids ask you one day about wanting to ride or get a motorcycle you'll be able to show them your scar and maybe they will rethink wanting one.

Good luck with your recovery.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

Yikes! Now those are some serious stitches.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Originally Posted by Paul McGowan

It sounds like you've got all the quality care in the world out there. Did they take you to VGH?

Thanks Paul,
No, I was taken to the Royal Columbian Hospital. Not sure if I shared this part of the story, but the lead paramedic that arrived on site was my brother-in law. As I lay on the road gasping for breath through my broken ribs and bloodied face, I looked up and saw him like an angel. It was such a great moment to see a loved one right there taking care of me with his team. He drove the ambulance back to the hospital (and hit EVERY bump in the road! haha) and again, amazing that he took me to the Royal Columbian as they are the regions specialists in trauma hear surgery! No one had any idea I had a torn aorta at the time until they did the CAT scan on me.

I just want to say that I hear a lot of complaints about health care being a rip off or no good or whatever. I want to make a point that I was treated exceptionally well from start to even today with the follow up. I was always treated like a person and never felt ignored or neglected. A nurse even held my hand late at night in intensive care and allowed me to pray with her. God bless all the great staff that not only saved my life, but made it a bearable experience.

One last thought, all of us Canadians that bitch and moan about paying high taxes for our healthcare, well here was one case where, for me and my family, it made all the difference. In talking with my family doctor, he guesstimated that the total bill for my accident, trauma heart surgery, hospital stay, multiple CAT scans and X-rays, medications and on and on was around $500,000. And that was all FREE for me as a Canadian. I think I got my share of my tax dollars back.

Again, just and upwelling of thankfulness to all involved and for those here sharing my story and giving me such positive and fun feedback.

 

[Francois Caron]

Well, technically it's not free. we are paying for it through our tax dollars. But at least we don't have to worry about having our insurance policy canceled at a moment's notice or being denied coverage for a number of cocked-up reasons.

Hang in there Scott!

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Hi Gang!

Well, after 9 weeks of healing up, I feel good enough to be heading back to work on Tuesday. Very excited about being this healthy and getting back to "normal" life. I go back for 2 days and then head back into the hospital on Thursday to get that creepy blood-clot filter removed via my neck. Yuck. Otherwise, I am doing pretty good. Ribs are still sore and sneezing just about kills me with pain, but much better than it was.
My bike has been repaired, but I am going to have to sell it. Sadly, the market for motorcycles has really dropped up here! My bike is not even 1 year old and I stand to lose over $10,000 selling it! That really hurts. I would love to keep it, but my family just cant go through that kind of trauma again.
Thanks again, seriously, for all the support and love! You guys are the best.

 

[mattCR]

Over this summer, a neighbor was struck on their bike. They were stopped at a light and an old woman literally ran them over. Crushed/destroyed the bike (a 2005 Harley) and put them in the hospital for a few weeks, as well as ending their career as a long-distance truck drivers, as the damage to their back puts them at months out before sitting for extended periods will be an option.

The lesson in all of this is: LOOK TWICE FOR BIKES!

 

[Francois Caron]

Originally Posted by Scott McGillivray

It's great that you're feeling so much better now! Remember to take small steps! Don't rush!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Scott McGillivray

Well, after 9 weeks of healing up, I feel good enough to be heading back to work on Tuesday. Very excited about being this healthy and getting back to "normal" life.

Originally Posted by Francois Caron

It's great that you're feeling so much better now! Remember to take small steps! Don't rush!

Scott: What Francois says. The thing I remember most about easing back into my work routine is to go REALLY slowly! I worked part-time for awhile before I got back into a regular workload. I found myself getting tired very quickly and had to realize that I couldn't just make a "return to normalcy" without a realistic plan of starting out with a few hours before getting back to a full day's work.

Listen to your body. It'll let you know when it's done too much.

 

[DaveF]

Glad to hear you're out of the hospital and regaining your strength. Mike's right: don't overdo it. We he-men want to get back at it and conquer the world, but you're helping no one if you ultimately sabotage your own healing.

 

[Francois Caron]

Hi Scott. How's the recovery coming along?

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Thanks for checking-in with me! I appreciate it.

I am back at work. I am at about 60-75% of my normal hours. Really excited that they hired a second IT person at my job. Now I can shift a bit of the load to him.

I had a bit of a setback last week. I was having chest pains and so I went to the hospital. My heart was fine, but I had another blood clot in my lung. I guess I was not dillagent enough with my blood thinning meds. Amazing that about 3 months after the impact I still can have problems.

Overall, I am feeling very blessed. Much of my ordeal is surreal to me now. I feel like I am lying to people when I explain what I went through just over 3 months ago. I saw my heart surgeon and told him how wierd it was to me that he had his hands inside of me. He laughed and said, "Oh yeah! DEEP inside of you!" He is a pretty cool dude for a surgeon! (Heck he is only about 35 years old, too!)

Again, cant thank this place enough for the great love and support.

God bless.

 

[Nelson Au]

Wow, that's an awful story and I'm glad you're on the road to recovery.

I had a stupid bicycle accident crash. My fault, went down a decent too fast and hit the side of the hill. Broke a rib and collar bone and punctured a lung. I had a chest tube for several days. The broken rib hurt like heck, so I can relate, though not to your level. Fortunately for me, a Stanford Hospital nurse stopped right after it happened and took me to Stanford.

That was 20 years ago and I kept riding up to 2 years ago till another accident that took out my bike and some teeth. Not my fault. But I'm actually looking at buying a new road bike and riding again. Now is that stupid or what!

Best of luck with your recovery and I hope you feel 100% soon!

 

[Mike Frezon]

Originally Posted by Scott McGillivray /forum/thread/289245/my-close-call-with-death/30#post_3603287

 

[James_Kiang]

Glad to hear you are doing well Scott.

Speaking of blood thinners, my 4 year old daughter has already had 3 open heart procedures and has an artificial mitral valve. She was placed on Coumadin originally but that was costing us about $40 a month. We switched (with doctor's approval of course) to Warfarin and that cut the cost to $5 a month. Not sure if you have to pay for meds up north but if you do you might ask your doctor about this.

Do you get to keep the flter after they remove it? Would you even want to???

 

[Scott McGillivray]

So sorry to hear about your little girl! I really pray she is all fixed up now. That is no way for a little princess to have to suffer. Give her a hug for me.
I am also on Warfarin, but I was told it is the exact same thing as Coumadin. Not sure the price difference. Both are rat poison! My mom recalls spreading that stuff around the farm to kill mice and rats.
I really, REALLY wanted to keep my IVC filter, but they would not let me. They showed me one that had not been inserted into anyone yet. Wow...it was a lot bigger than I expected.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

Cool. I just found a video that is pretty close to the operation I had. Not for the weak of stomach. Pretty amazing that this is what happened to me. I just cant believe I had all that done to me. Plus, mine was worse (according to my surgeon) as the tear was worse than first thought. I had to get the cloth aorta put in a few times. It took over 7 hours. Stunning that I am alive.