29.12.2006
OUT OF COMA
OUT OF COMA
I can feel the warm touch on my left hand and I open my eyes.
-Mamma, I shout in astonishment. What am I doing here?
She doesn´t seem to hear me, where she sits by my side with tears in her eyes.
-Thank God! You´re back, my dear child, I can hear her say.
I repeat my question.
-Are you trying to tell me something, my dear?
I coin yes with my lips as I nod my head, but otherwise I lie perfectly still under my sheet.
-Wait a moment, she says as she stands up and leaves the room.
She returns in a short while in the company of a man and a woman wearing white robes.
He seems to notice that I look at them with a stupid face.
He takes my right hand into his as he intro-duces himself and the woman as my doctor and nurse.
I cannot feel his touch.
The nurse removes the rug.
He presses lightly on the spots where my body joints its arms.
Tells me to nick my head when I feel a touch.
I feel quite bad, actually I have constant pain above my left thigh and in my right shoulder.
-Can you move your toes and fingers, young man he asks encouragingly.
I'm able to move the toes on my right feet and left hands fingers.
Mom´s got questions in her eyes as she looks at his face.
-That´s a normal paralysis, because the arm´s sensors lie in cross, he informs.
I feel bad about that I'm neither able to move my left leg nor my right arm as I somehow remember that I'm a left-footed football-player, but I´m right-handed.
He takes my left hand in his, looks into my eyes and says to me:
-You´re quite lucky my friend having such a caring mum he begins his lecture, as he gives my mother a respectful eye where she stands on the
other side of my bed holding my weak hand. Here by your side she´s been standing most of the time that you have been lying here on the
Borgarspitali's Intensive Care in a coma. She´s been holding your hand and talking to you.
When I put up an empty face the doctor affirms that even though many might be skeptical of its importance he´s quite certain about that my mother´s love for me, her unconscious son and the fact that she had sat by my side all this time, while she has spoken to and encouraged me is the main reason I've been able to awaken from my coma.
-It wasn´t just me, my mum said happily with tears in her eyes.
And the doctor carries on:
-Yourself and Bjarni Thorkelsson came via
ambulance the night of September 21 last, after an auto-accident had occurred a few hours before at Svinavatn. Bjarni was less injured and has already left the hospital.
You on the other hand were unconscious, paralized from your neck down because one vertebra was bruised and contused the cranium part of your brain, the doctor said as he pointed at his own neck. A broken rib had made a hole in your left lung, besides that you had a fractured jaw.
Here on this hospital you have been sleeping for almost five weeks.
As soon as I've been moved from the Intensive-ward my teacher of speech, Ebba a young, attractive woman tries to find out what is wrong with my organs of speech. But all in vain.
However I try I can't make a sound.
As soon as my teacher's left me my mother and father who's visiting continue to talk to me and I try to answer in my soundless way.
I try and I try until...it happens. As I try to answer by making a sound one time my nose itches and automatically my left hand moves towards it to scratch. And guess what!
I make a nasal sound.
Very pleased parents inform my teacher immediately what just had happened, and she concludes that some concretion in the coma has made it impossible for air to run through the mouth.
She thinks that the only way for me to be able to speak is by closing one of my nostrils. REHABILITATION BEGINS
10.20.75:
Pat. has shown some progress lately.
He has been eating some and put in a chair and makes a progress there too.
He is much more awake and says at least ja and mamma.
He weighs 49 kg. Goes to the general ward today. _.M./bk.10.20.75
Gen. ward room 401:
Arrived from Intensive Care at one pm, was in an car-accident in the Grimsnes. Pat. gets mash-food and liquidscheme.
Put him in a chair. Urinates into his bed; had a catheter, but because he was always touching his penis it was impossible to place a bottle by his side.
Was put in a chair.
His feet touch the floor.
Pat. has no thoraxdrain anymore.
Remember to write down what ever he says.
Wet himself once.
Has been "innhverfur" tonight, has not said anything and does not seem to be keeping abreast with anything.
Was put in a chair.
His mother demands that he be put in inner pants, for he's begun to be a little shy.
10.21.75:
Slept the whole night.
Was wet this morning.
Put in a chair.
Has diarrhea.
Got liquid-food through a tube for a long time and slime seems to fill his nose.
Had much diarrhea once.
Hasn't said anything tonight.
10.22.75:
Slept.
Sat for a long time in a chair.
Said Kaffi (coffee) today.
Wet himself twice.10.23.75:
Slept but tumble a lot about.
Eyes seem clearer.
Makes progress in physio-therapy
Wet himself.
Must remember to give him his urine-bottle off and on, but it must not be left by his side.
Has urinated in a bottle.
Moves a lot in his bed.
Patient's mouth must be cleaned well because of broken jaw.
10.24.75:
Wet one time.
Had a good sleep.
Was put on a bedpan and defecated.
Wet himself; itching on penis; must wash it in
salted water a couple of times.
10.25.75:
Slept well.
Wet himself.
Sat on a stool.
Penis was washed in salt-water to pre-vent
possible itching.
Was able to speak whole sentences, when closing left nostril.
Said he wanted to go home, that is along with his
mum and dad.
10.26.75:
Slept well.
Wet himself.
Got daily morning nursing.
Talks a little today.
Sat on a stool.
Is more perspicous.
Talks tonight.
But he wants to go home.
10.26.75:
Pat. has now been awake almost a week.
He watches and keeps tabs with every-thing that
goes on around him and has begun speech therapy
and has even spoken whole sentences. He moves
more about in his bed but is still a little spastic.
Left pupilla is still obviously wider than the right
one.
He is not incontinent any longer with his urine and excrements, but sometimes he has diffi-culties
urinating.
Blood-scanning results have been normal.
H.L./go.10.07.75:
Slept well.
Wet himself.
Morning nursing.
Spoke a little today.
Goes in a short time to Grensás.
Left thigh x-rayed. Talks tonight. Dry tonight.
10.27.75
X-ray ward Borgarsp.
An exam. on the l. thigh is required because of swelling and soreness about the middle of the left
thigh as a result of multi injury 6 weeks ago.
Doctor: Bjarni Hannesson
Le. femur: Fractions not visible. Streaklike curved calcifications can be seen medial, lateral and on
the frontside of the left thighbone, possibly
being calcifications in the hematome.
KS/b_10.28.75:
Not wet.
Slept well.
Wet this morning.
Is able to speak loud and clear even though he
doesn't close a nostril with a finger.
Ebba the teacher of speech has been training the
pat.
Walked a little with a physiotherapist.
Ate without existence. Been good tonight.
The pat. mother wants a rich diet for Ólaf.
10.29.75:
Wet.
Slept well.
Got bathed in a tub.
Probably goes to Grensas next weekend.
Got splints this morning.
Must put them on 3-4 X per day to accustom him.
10.30.75: Slept well.
Asked for a dentist because of the clamps.
Because chin bleeded a doctor from TNE (the
throat, nose and ear's section) came and re-
moved some of the wires. Oli got real hurt and
became tiresome afterwards. Urinated out on
the floor.
Splints once tonight, wet himself. Dentist didn't come.
10.31.75:
Wet this morning.
Good nights sleep.
Dentist came this morning and removed wires in
upper palate, but still has wires in the lower one.
Try and brush teeth after each meal. Got a clyster pipe after lunch and got
rid of some defecation. Was very tired at the end of the day.
Walked to the preparatory-room.
Got 1 magnyl-tablet at 18.05 because of
headaches.
Has been mentioning that he's going to kill himself.
Somewhat similar health.
11.01.75:
Pissed in the bottle tonight.
Slept well.
Walked a little with therapists.
Ate alone in bed.
Is supposed to have a black patch over one of his
eyes.
After a while must put the patch over the other
one.
Ate alone. Mouth-washed.
The clamp hurts the pat.
11.02.75:
Slept well.
Defecated.
Is similar.
Fell asleep early.
Been in better spirits.
11.03.75:
Slept well.
Is a little depressed.
Went out of bed when his mother arrived and his
spirits became much better.
Sat in a chair. Watched TV.
11.04.75:
Slept well.
Mum tells me that along with me and Bjarni in the car there were two others, Svenni my best friend and Eirikur a school chum and sorry to say that both of them were killed in the accident.
Still I'm too numb in my body and soul to realize the consequense of this loss to my future. The day has hardly gone by in all these years that I haven't thought about Svenni Gunnars one way or another. How different my life would have been if I'd enjoyed the company of my best friend surely I can't imagine myself. Thus I'm not implying that I'm not satisfied with what I have got, by all means no, but there is always the feeling that something is lacking.