woodchurch science

many of you won’t have heard of thalidomide but it was a drug first introduced in the 1950s as a sedative. because it was deemed to be so safe, it was prescribed to pregnant women to combat the nausea associated with morning sickness. however some women who took the drug in early pregnancy gave birth to children with severe birth defects such as missing or shortened limbs, known as phocomelia. approximately 40% of those children died within a year of their birth and survivors faced life with major physical challenges.
 

shortly after the link between thalidomide and birth defects was proven it was banned from use world-wide.

now thalidomide has what is known as a racemic structure – that is it contains both left and right-handed versions of the same molecule in equal amounts. can you see the difference? one is the mirror image of the other. one version is effective against morning sickness, the other causes birth defects. whether you were successful in not suffering from morning sickness or had a sadly deformed child was merely the luck of the draw.




hydrogels are a network of polymer chains that are water-soluble, sometimes found as a colloidal* gel in which water is the dispersion medium. hydrogels are super-absorbent (they can contain over 99% water) natural or synthetic polymers.

common uses for hydrogels are:
disposable nappies where they “capture” urine, or in sanitary towels
contact lenses (silicone hydrogels, polyacrylamides)
breast implants
granules for holding soil moisture in arid or dry areas
dressings for healing of burn or other hard-to-heal wounds and
beauty treatments (see this additional video – scroll down to locate and hit play).

common ingredients are e.g. polyvinyl alcohol, sodium polyacrylate, acrylate polymers and copolymers with an abundance of hydrophilic* groups.

glossary:
colloidal = mixture of two phases like liquid/solid, liquid/gas, other examples include butter, ink, smoke, tarmac (read more here)
hydrophilic = water-loving (read more here)

have just returned from the fracture clinic with news that i have (a) been signed off work for another 2 months – 3rd october at least, (b) must continue to wear the sternum brace until then, (c) x-rays show that injury is stable and new bone growth is proceeding well, (d) because of the 3 compression fractures i have lost height! – i have been 6′2″ since i was about 15 but now i’m only 5′11½”!

below are some of todays x-rays and ct scans showing the vertebrae damage. each of the vertebrae should be roughly rectangular in shape (not squashed and triangular!). the ct scans (both vertical and horizontal), and although a bit small, show some fragmental damage around the edges.




i have had a second set of x rays, which have confirmed the presence of the three fractured vertebrae (t7,t8 and t10). i’m still wearing the sternum pattern brace and will continue to do so until at least the 15th august 2006.
i have had a quotation for repairs to my bike at birkenhead cycles. it’s effectively a right-off as repairs will cost upwards of £277 (the bike originally only cost £200).
my solicitors have informed me that the third party has admitted liability (as if he could do anything else) and my medical records are in the process of being handed over to an independent medical expert and i’m awaiting a visit/report.

ok, so now i’m home after two weeks in hospital and i can begin to fill in the gaps about the accident, the diagnosis, the treatment and the outlook for the future.
as i said in my previous posting i don’t remember much about the fraction of a second after the initial impact apart from realising that i was blameless and that the driver had pulled out on me without looking (despite my yellow fluorescent jacket). the picture of my helmet below shows what could have happened to my head so if you don’t wear one then please start (now!). i’m convinced it saved my life.
next look at the picture of the bike (largely unscathed apart from a few scratches). the gears are shot from the impact with the road, but the most amazing bit is the shape of the pedal (banana!). the car must have hit that full on and thankfully it wasn’t my lower leg or it wouldn’t have bent in the same way.
the bruise on my thigh/bum although quite livid is painless; i can’t feel it at all but it looks good.
now to my main injuries; i have 3 wedge fractures to the thoracic vertebrae (see spine picture). the neck vertebrae are ‘cervical’ or c, the mid back are ‘thoracic’ or t and the lower back are ‘lumbar’ or l. i have fractures to t7, t8 and t10.
treatment involves me wearing the latest in spinal injury fashion (see picture) for 6 to 8 weeks. i alternate between seated upright and lying down a lot. i am also on a cocktail of drugs. i went in with no medication at all but came out with the following: enoxaparin (to prevent blood clotting), omeprazole (to inhibit gastric acid formation), diclofenac (anti-inflammatory), dihydrocodeine and paracetomol (painkillers). whilst in hospital i also had regular morphine injections. i also have to thank jim the male nurse for his special cocktail of laxatives which loosened up my constipated bowels from the consistency of set concrete to a venezuelan mud slide.
there is a finally a picture of some of the fantastic nursing team who i can’t thank enough for their hard work, professionalism,
care and dedication. words can’t express how i feel for them.
i now need to lie down…(please keep in touch by making a comment, click on the comment link at the top of this post).




7.50am tuesday 27th june 2006, upton road, motorist pulled out, hit me/bike (don’t remember next second). landed on tarmac in agony clutching back…traffic stopped…crowd gathered…’keep still’…999…wait…ambulance/paramedics arrived…back board/neck brace/head restraints…into ambulance…to a and e at arrowe park.
examined by doctors…x rays…ct scan…wait…diagnosis = 2 x wedge fractures of thoracic 7 and 8 vertebrae (broken back to you and me)
treatment 7-10 days bed rest, back brace 6-8 weeks…there goes my summer holiday…think of me…