IT'S OFF!! 2 WEEKS EARLY AND I FEEL FRRRRREEEEEEEEE! Here's what happened:
The day before my routine tightening and shower appointment (27/04) there was a message on my phone from my orthotist asking me to go to the fracture clinic before the appointment. I freaked out a bit, given the day I had last Wednesday, I was worried they had found something more serious upon further inspection of the CT scan. I called the fracture clinic, told them I was anxious and the doc said "it's nothing to worry about, they just want to decide whether the HALO can come off or if you need another re-adjustment". "Come off? It might come off?". I tried not to get my hopes up but needless to say, I didn't sleep so well on Thursday night. It turned out that was my last night sleeping in the HALO. WOO HOO!
Last week's visit to the Alfred wasn't a complete waste of time as the doctor had since looked at the CT and decided I was healed enough for removal, as opposed to risking more problems with the pin sites. Yay! The removal wasn't as bad as I was expecting. I had watched youtube videos of HALOs being removed and was expecting a bit of pain. The feeling was more of intense pressure rather than pain, but it doesn't take long. It's not a pleasant feeling but I had been through worse and it was nowhere near as bad as having it fitted. I felt a little light headed at first and every tiny movement in my neck felt amplified but it wasn't as weird as I expected. It was lovely to get the vest removed and feel the air on my back. I now have to wear a Miami J collar for the next 4 weeks, which is a bit of a bummer but I can tolerate anything after the HALO!
The first thing I did was hug C and it felt amaaaaaaaazing! Then, I spent the whole day with a massive grin on my face (see above) thinking "I couldn't do that with the halo on" (hug, get in and out of a car without contorting, sit in a comfortable position, put a T-Shirt over my head, scratch my head, scratch my back, brush my hair, wear a beanie, did I mention hug?) It was like little pieces of joy being dispensed to me all throughout the day. I put my head against the pillows that night, pulled the duvet right over my shoulders and it felt divine. C cuddled into my back and I was in heaven! I haven't had the full hair-wash-shower yet (I've been advised to wait until the pin holes are fully sealed) but tonight's the night and I can't wait.
For the next 4 weeks, I'm only allowed to remove the collar when I change the linings (every 2-3 days or after I wash my hair) but so far it's a piece of cake compared to the HALO. I have to be cautious as the fracture is still somewhat unstable and I'm more vulnerable in the collar. My shoulders and neck feel a bit stiff and the pin sites are itchy but that's minor niggles. IT'S OFF! Most of my non-halo clothes are at the festival site so I'm still wearing wide necked tops and this morning I stepped into one and laughed as I pulled it up, forgetting it could have gone over my head. Sometimes, it's the little things we barely consider in life that we take for granted.
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