My Halo Cervical Neck Brace

Yes, that's right, I slept through the night! OMFG! I'll post a picture later of the sleep position. I took a muscle relaxer and a pain med and laid on my back with a pillow just above my shoulders and a rolled towel under my neck. I was on the couch rather than my bed. The couch supports my right side if I need to turn slightly on my side. well, whatever! I feel good and that's all that matters right now. In the last 6 weeks I have slept through the night maybe once or twice. I dread going to sleep - knowing I will wake up in excruciating pain 3-4 hours later. No pain medication or muscle relaxer has worked. Some people refer to it as a "stiff neck". It is a sharp pain on the left side of my neck just above my shoulder. The pain also radiates on the back of my skull below the left pin. All I can do is rub the area and wait as the pain subsides. I will typically wake up to pain and know that I have to get up and readjust my position. Getting up is what m...

On Wednesday afternoon my older brother D picked me up. He was generous enough to make the drive 1 hour south to get me and then reverse the ride 30 minutes later. He arrived on time and we gathered my gear, double checking I had everything I needed for the 3 night stay away. I was a little nervous I would forget something, pain meds, walker, wheel chair, clothes, phone. But realizing my husband would be up the following day kept this worry to a minimum. The next step, (no pun intended) would be to get down the front stairs. Besides have a halo brace on my head I have a broken right ankle and right lower leg. I've been able to do the stairs a few times with W and each time it gets easier. I should mention this isn't just a few stairs, this is a steep cement climb with wood railings on partial with about 17 steps and a landing between the 2 sets. My front door sites up from the street with the garage at street level. oh joy! Once down the stairs, away we go. Sitting in the...

I've decided to start a blog on my experiences with my halo cervical neck brace. I've searched and searched for other peoples experiences and can't find much. There are a lot of questions being asked and not a lot of answers. I will attempt to be as honest as possible about my experience in the hopes that someone finds this and makes their stay in the brace a little bit easier. I was fitted with a cervical neck brace, also known as a Halo, on October 18, 2009. One day after my very very bad motorcycle crash.