At the scene of the accident I refused transport to a Kingman hospital and chose to have my wife pick me up and take me to a hospital near our home in Phoenix. I knew surgery was needed on the wrist and that a hospital stay was inevitable. We arrived at the hospitals emergency room about eight hours after the accident. I was able to be seen by a doctor within a few minutes and he ordered xrays of my wrist and a scan of my head. I had both done and was having the debris removed from the road rash on my knees, elbows and forehead when I noticed my doctor was having an animated discussion with the rest of the team that was working on me.
He came over and told me that the head scan showed that I had a subdural hematoma and I was going to be transferred to a level one trauma center about fifteen miles away. I heard them call for a helicopter and knew my injuries more serious than I had first thought. I guess the helicopter was on another call because they came in and told me I was going to be transported by ambulance and Terri would have to drive herself to the new hospital because a doctor would be traveling with the ambulance crew as a "precaution".
On the ride over to the level one trauma unit the doctor told me I was in for a new experience. He said the moment I arrived at the unit I would be having about five or six doctors working on me at the same time. I was the only patient in the trauma unit and there were at least eight doctors around the operating table checking my injuries. I had a doctor on each leg and arm, another was doing an ultra sound on my torso checking each organ for placement and internal bleeding. another was checking the cut on my head and another was checking my eyes and ears and then there was the lead doctor asking questions and giving orders to the whole team. After the initial exam I was sent to have xrays done on my wrist and torso and a MRI on my head. I was then sent to ICU.
I was getting a brain scan every six hours to keep track of the the size of the bleed. The next morning the doctor told me the bleed had not increased in size and that it was only about a teaspoon of blood and it was in the membrane that surrounds the brain and there was nearly no chance of it doing any damage as long as it didn't start bleeding again. I was told the wrist surgery wouldn't be scheduled till they were sure the the bleed was done. They continued the scans all day Saturday and Sunday morning. The doctor came in around 8 AM Sunday and said the blood had been reabsorbed and there was no signs that there had ever been a bleed.
I was released from ICU Monday morning and had my wrist surgery that evening. I was discharged Tuesday at noon.
I have been recuperating at home and everything seems to be fine. The most difficult thing I have had to deal with is the brain concussion. For two weeks it felt like I was sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool. The doctors have told me to expect a full recovery.
Today I went in for xrays on my wrist in preparation for my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. It was really interesting to see the plate and screws they used to reattach the bone to the wrist.
I just had to take some pictures of the xrays and the scar that my forearm. My wife thinks the scar on my forehead adds character. I plan on going to Kingman to take a look at my motorcycle. The insurance company is calling it a total loss and told me I could have it back for about two thousand dollars if I want to repair it myself.
I want to thank everyone who has helped me throughout this ordeal. The cards, calls and prayers have been appreciated.
Enjoying Life on Purpose !!!
Tony Estes
DeerSlayer
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