Internal (unseen) damage from a 40ft climbing fall
I am aware that the statistics regarding a 40ft climbing fall, which result in "decking-out" are not favorable. I survived such a fall only recently. Major injuries seem to have only been a broken & fractured right leg (above and below the knee). This being said, I am sure that there is a lot more unseen/non-diagnosed damage to my body, including a concussion.
I will be going for more tests, these will not necessarily be related to my bone breakages, to hopefully find out what other damage occurred.
Does anyone have the knowledge or experience to help me start my own self-diagnosis?
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/20523. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
2 answers
A mostly non-medical answer.
If you live in the United States (US) and you have health insurance. You can be relatively sure that the medical and legal communities both agree there there is very little risk of significant medical issues requiring more testing, then you are recieving.
Google 'medical testing based on malpractice concerns' and you will find millions of articles talking about the number of tests doctors order to prevent getting sued.
Trauma perspective.
I used to be EMT with a volunteer fire company that had, what has been listed as one of the 10 most dangerous roads in the US, I have seen a lot of trauma. There are no absolutes, but in general, the bad things might happen, have fairly observable symptoms.
Could you have had some strange physical stress, the has weakened some blood vessel, that could rupture at any moment causing you to die from internal bleeding in minutes; yes, you could. But realistically those type of bleeds (aneurysm) happen from organic issues (life > death) much more commonly. Otherwise healthy people die from these all of the time.
I would not be overly concerned with self diagnosis, focus on the what the medical staff are telling you, things like blood clots following a lower leg fracture are big risks. Don't let worry about the very low probably, overlooked risks distract you from addressing the very high probability risks of recovering from your diagnosed injuries.
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Doctors are not omniscient. They miss things. Some are sedentary, and they don't understand how important a full recovery is to an athletic person.
Everyone, when going to a doc, needs to think through what to ask his doc, and know how to ask -- or insist -- effectively. We are not giving the OP medical advice here; we are suggesting how to manage his visits to his docs effectively.
I suggest:
(1) if you suspect concussion, drop everything and go to a doc, an ER or a walk-in clinic sooner than ASAP.
(2) When you visit your docs, bring someone with you who knows your situation well, is outspoken without being abrasive, and can advocate for you. Such a person is called a Patient Advocate and, according to the Institute for Health Care Improvement can be a professional PA or a family member or close friend. The Institute says:
A time of illness is a stressful time for patients as well as for their families. The best-laid plans can go awry, judgment is impaired, and, put simply, you are not at your best when you are sick. Patients need someone who can look out for their best interests and help navigate the confusing healthcare system–in other words, an advocate.....
An advocate is a “supporter, believer, sponsor, promoter, campaigner, backer, or spokesperson.”...... An effective advocate is someone you trust who is willing to act on your behalf as well as someone who can work well with other members of your healthcare team such as your doctors and nurses.
An advocate may be a member of your family, such as a spouse, a child, another family member, or a close friend. Another type of advocate is a professional advocate. Hospitals usually have professionals who play this role called Patient Representatives or Patient Advocates.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/20527. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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