SNN_August 2020 Issue FA_low res

NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST 8
At the hospital, the news came through “Nick, we are
sorry to tell you that you have broken your neck”, at which
point Brent broke down in tears. It was a shattering blow
and a clear indication of how hard I had struck the ground
after flying for a few metres. I had shattered two discs
between C6 and C7 and dislocated my neck. There was
quite a mess in there, including damage to nerves, which
connected to my hands and fingers.
The next day I was flown to Christchurch and transferred
to Burwood, where I had an operation. I had a titanium H
plate screwed into my neck to secure the shattered bones,
and the surgeons inserted some thigh bone into my neck
in place of the discs which had been destroyed… all very
clever! It was the start of my new life.
How hard was the rehab at Burwood, and the
mental adjustment?
At first I struggled to compute the whole event of flying off
a bike and injuring myself so badly. It was the result of a
reasonable decision I’d made to test out a few new bike
models. I was excited to see how they felt to ride...nothing
bad happening entered my mind. So here I was lying in a
hospital bed, having had an operation to fix my neck…I
actually felt very grateful to the surgeon, who did a great
job of putting things back straight in my neck again.
At this stage, I clearly recall not being able to hold a phone
in my hand, but I wasn’t sure why. I guess the drugs were
keeping me comfortable. I was taking 19 tablets per day at
the start. All the Burwood staff were so kind, patient and
friendly. I had to be moved around in my bed every four
hours to stop getting bedsores.
It took a few days for me to realise that my voice was not
the same. One of the nerves controlling my vocal cords
was paralysed, and I couldn’t speak normally. This was
upsetting, and the impact of this loss took several days to
sink in. Within 24 hours I had started to write a blog of my
rehab time at Burwood, which I published on Facebook so
my friends could keep up with developments and news.
The blog turned into a great form of therapy, helping me
to express thoughts and feelings at the time. I had a lovely
view from the window by my bed of trees and shrubs.
It was spring time and the weather was warming up by
the day.
A pleasant routine developed over the next few days. My
wonderfully supportive wife, Megan, was staying at Ranui
House in town, so she was able to drop round every day.
She took leave from her job teaching at her Dunedin high
school for the duration of my stay at Burwood… her
school, Kaikorai Valley College, was totally supportive of
her taking time off.
I was blessed to have not just Megan with me, but also my
fabulous stepdaughter Hannah too. Mark, my
brother-in-law, was also there, he was an amazing nurse!
How hard was it physically?
After a few days in bed, it was time to get my body up and
moving around again…I had no idea what sort of struggle
lay ahead! I experienced severe abdominal cramps, as I
tried to push myself up in bed. I had apparently also
Nick says his family and friends have been a huge part of his recovery.
cracked T-11, but the doctors weren’t concerned about
that…I still don’t know what caused the very
uncomfortable cramps.
Just managing to straighten up in bed was an ordeal but
it was the first attempt at standing that was weird.
I didn’t feel connected to my feet at all! With lots of
encouragement, I took my first tentative steps, with the
physios checking my every move! I managed to walk over
to the wheelchair at the end of the bed, and carefully
lowered myself into it. It was a moment of triumph – I had
quite a few witnesses!
Now, I could be wheelchaired down the corridor to have
my first look around the place. I distinctly remember my
first sip of coffee after four days of pill-taking and liquids,
was mind blowing! The intensity of the flavour was like an
explosion in my brain. Then the sweetness of a piece of
caramel slice, which my friend Paul had given me, was
similarly off the Richter scale in taste terms! My first
mouthful of ice cream was also a powerful memory. We
should try to cleanse our palates more often in normal life.
I enjoyed the physical rehab and had lots of fantastic
physios to assist me. It was, however depressing to see how
weak the muscles were in my right hand with some of the
exercises I had to do. I was getting a picture of the impact