Question
Thanks so much for answering my question. How long does spinal shock lasts and the dr. keeps saying my nephew is very sick in which I can't understand how. They have him on a dialysis machine and they need to put something in him for the blood clot they believed to have moved into his lung. They made the first attempt Tuesday of this week and they are going to try it again sometime this week. They couldn't do it because his heart rate and blood pressure dropped. What exactly is he sick of or what do they mean by he is really sick? They keep reverting back to his c2 injury which doesn't make sense to me. Please explain!!!

Answer
hi rosie-
i'll be guessing a little bit here, trying to make inferences about what is wrong, so please keep that in mind- best bet is to ask the doctor blunt, direct questions...

ok, if he's on a dialysis machine he must have had injury to his kidneys or liver, i think- otherwise these organs would be working as spinal injury doesn't affect them particularly.  

The blood clot (pulmonary embolism, yes?) can be very dangerous- it can travel around and get stuck in places that would be very bad. you say they'll 'put something in him' for it--usually for blood clots they give you blood thinner medicines, and the only other thing i can think of would be chest tubes (these suck excess fluid from the lungs- not really sounding right for a clot..)

I think you need to inquire as to what other injuries he sustained- an actual spinal cord injury would change the way his body reacts (ie the drop in pressure, heart rate). The shock from the original trauma should be behind him, this is why i suggest questioning the doctor- get the medical lstaff to EXPLAIN, they sometimes skip this part it seems...

get back to me, if you like, and again good luck-
leslie