Broken Neck at Burningman?

brattynat · Post by **brattynat** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:11 am

Hi! I know it sounds bizarre and admittedly not too bright. My brother broke his neck in Nicaragua and has been in a brace for the last 6 weeks. He went in today expecting to have it taken off only to find out he has to keep it on for another 6 weeks. Yes he's extremely lucky in that he's only lost sensation in part of his hand instead of being a parapelegic or dead, but it's still frustrating to be stuck at home in the summer after a ruined trip and not being able to do anything at all. The only thing that's been keeping him going up until now were his plans for BM. He still wants to go, really, really, really badly. Does anyone here know of anyone who has gone with a major injury that limits mobility? Any tips, suggestions on remaining diligent enough not to hurt yourself more? He's at the point where his vertabrae will be healed in time, it's his ligiments that are the problem. I think his playa name this year will be bobblehead. He is able to take the brace off for short periods of time, for shaving, cleaning and whatnot. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:20 am

Contact Hot Wheelz camp (should be linked to theme camps list on main website, if not in this year's list, should be in last years) they should have a lot of info. Talk to his doctor. If you can't be frank about hte event, consider getting a new one, but also lay out the nature of the conditions to her or him so an informed medical opinion can be made. Medical staff at bm is available at 911 at burningman.com if you have any questions.
Make sure there's money and a vehicle available if he has to leave early and stay in a hotel somewhere. And someone to stay at camp and pack up for him if needed. Talk to your neighbors when you are there, create goodwill and community that knows what's going on. It may be difficult on him not being an experienced cripple, and haveing to educate the people around him, but it's worth doing. Make sure he watches his energy level and fluid intake carefully, as his reserves are lower than usual.

If it's really not going to work, get hims tarted on a plan for decompression or a regional. I know it sucks, but if it's really bad, it's not worth the risk that it's his last bm.

Good luck.

frenchblue1 · Post by **frenchblue1** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 11:29 am

Sorry to hear about your brother. My brother also broke his neck and was in a "halo". Knowing a little about the situation he is going to want to have something that protects his pins. The playa will be awful and need cleaning daily.
Wish you all the best.

brattynat · Post by **brattynat** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 12:36 pm

thanks for the tips so far, I'm taking it all to heart and will be compiling some info for him later today. He fortunately is not in a halo, he was just borderline. He managed to make it from a beach in Nicaragua to Canada, taking various modes of transportation (starting with a surfboard and duct tape), 4 days in all, not even suspecting it was broken(thought it was badly sprained), and without making the injury worse. (He smashed his head on the roof of a cab at one point)
Hooray for Duct-tape!
Maybe we'll try and camp near the HeeBeeJeeBee's... or as close as we can get to the emergency tent just in case! My husband is also a ranger so that will help too in terms of getting help if we need it.

Dork · Post by **Dork** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 12:38 pm

I gave a ride on my art car to a guy who had broken his back right before the event and was in some sort of large, painful looking brace. He was attempting to walk to center camp with some friends but gave up and flagged me down after an hour and only making it a couple of blocks. I've also given rides to a couple of people in wheelchairs who weren't feeling up for the long trek from one side of the playa to the other. None of those people seemed to regret being there.

If your brother is willing to accept help from people and take some extra precautions, I see no reason why he shouldn't go. Assuming his doctor oks it of course. Even if he has to spend the majority of his time sitting in camp, it could still be better than sitting around at home.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 1:12 pm

Her duty could be to grab interesting people to come by and sit with him! Better make sure the camp has a shade structure and other amenities so that it's a desireable hang out spot.

If you poke around here you will find stories of people more or less camp bound who welcomed people in and had a great time.

Isotopia · Post by **Isotopia** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:37 pm

Tell him no Thunderdome or trampolines.

diane o'thirst · Post by **diane o'thirst** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 9:16 pm

Sorry to hear about his injury. I'd advise he sits this year out and heal up. The Playa is stressful and kind of dangerous under the best of circumstances.

FWIW, I stayed home from the Burn last year because I had Stage III cancer. I could have been stubborn and said, "Fuck the cancer, I'm going!" but I probably would have fallen flat on my face and had to have been helicoptered out to Reno my first day out there. Instead, I chose to stay home, and trade in that sat-out year for the chance of many, many more years to come. It was actually a pretty easy trade-off and it's paying off already.

A broken neck's nothing to mess with. Like you said, he is unspeakably lucky to have only lost some feeling in one hand. When I was growing up, a broken neck (like cancer) was a death sentence! Tell him to be patient and if he really really really does want to go to the Burn, he'll feel the same way next year.

robotland · Post by **robotland** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:40 am

I just recently found out that I have a ruptured disc in my neck, along with nasty bone spurs and what the doc called "gross physical abnormalities"...I'll be bringing my portable cervical traction rig to Burning Man, and not wearing any particularly heavy hats. There's a chance that I might be able to retrofit the waterbag weight on the traction rig as a solar shower....

panda · Post by **panda** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:03 am

A friend of mine went in 2002 with a broken collarbone. He ended up not really being able to walk long distances, and so stayed at camp most of the time. Since this is a possibility, it might be worth considering whether the bigger bummer would be to stay home entirely, or to be on the playa and find out you're stuck at camp *just beyond* the reach of all the fun and excitement.

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 9:04 am

We keep a push wheelchair in camp in case of emergencies ... like when my back sucks. They're hard to find, but crop up in thrift shops on occasion. Maybe he could use one of those?

blyslv · Post by **blyslv** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 11:30 am

What's the possibility of reinjury and the consequences of that? I mean if there is any real possibility that he could end up paralyzed, maybe he should stay home.

Accpeting help from stangers is all well and good. But going to an event expecting help from stangers is not good.

Marmot · Post by **Marmot** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 12:22 pm

In 2003 I got a herniated disc about 1 week before Burning Man. It was insanely painful. The doctor strongly urged me to not go, lest I risk permanent nerve damage. I didn't listen to him. So did it screw me upmore? I think probably. It took a good 2 years before I was no longer in chronic pain. So your brother should ask himself: if he experiences complications in the future, is he comfortable wondering with no regrets "what if" his decision to go to Burning Man played a role in his prolonged suffering? Also, the radical self-reliance principal seems in direct violation. I will never forget hobbling along in pain. At one point, I just could not take it any more and I begged an old geezer in a large, empty, very unmutated golf cart for a ride. He said no. Somehow I think the answer would have been different had I been a young female hottie instead of a balding, myopic 30something. Even at, or perhaps ESPECIALLY AT, Burning Man, you should not rely on the kindness of strangers to help you with your extra burden.

seelivemusic · Post by **seelivemusic** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 1:07 pm

Now, I have nowhere near a broken neck but I did snap the tendon that makes sure your knee cap does not end up in the middle of your thigh while dancing to Pyromania. I had surgery and was in a cast for 2 months and various braces/phys therapy for months afterwards.

All this happened in Jan and I decided in March that I was not going to frolic on the playa this year. Then June rolled around and I said to myself, you frickin' idiot you were dancing to Pyromania! You must go to the burn!

So, I won't be climbing around much, but I'm bringing a couple of knee braces, some ice packs, and I can ride my bike. The only bummer is that my crutches are metal and I don't think they will burn.

blueniteowl · Post by **blueniteowl** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 2:09 pm

I bet you could trade you metal ones at a med outpost for wood ones. That would solve one problem.

seelivemusic · Post by **seelivemusic** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 7:27 pm

you don't think they would mind the 3 month sweaty pit smell?

Post by **trilobyte** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:33 pm

Think about how lucky your brother was, going 4 whole days without even knowing how seriously he was injured.

What if he does something on his first day to aggrevate the injury, and either doesn't even realize it or shrugs it off because he'll be damned if he's gonna pack it in now. That would be a week (or more?) that he would be away from proper medical care. Gerlach does not have the facilities to deal with that kind of injury, it's a trip to Reno (you know, that 2 hour drive over some bumpy/twisty roads).

I know that for the most part, cuts and bruises and strained ligaments and cartiledge don't heal as quickly (or at all) while you're out there (dunno if it's the altitude, the climate, or the lack of proper sleep, diet, or something else).

I hate to sound so negative, but while I'm sure it's important for him to make it out there, it's probably more important that he not wind up with severe/permanent injuries too. As mentioned above, he could consider getting involved with the regional group to plan decom. Not only working on some big project of his own, but he could help organize. Considering that people are out there for the week and taking a few weeks to adjust back to the world after, having someone so fresh and raring to go would be a real gift for the community. And remember, there's a really good chance that there'll be another burn next year.

~Trilo~

Broken Neck at Burningman?

Broken Neck at Burningman?

!!!