It Shouldn’t be a Matter of Luck:
The story of a head trauma patient
© by Jacquelin Russell as told to Margaret Dore.
Prior to August 1996, I lived an essentially normal life in Kitsap County as a single mother of one teenager and two adult children. I owned my own home, I was a successful realtor and I enjoyed good health. Moreover, I had never had trouble with my vision (other than reading glasses) or found myself involved with the State’s mental health system.
And then in August 1996, I fell off a ladder, suffering a "closed head injury".
I was knocked out cold, awakening to find myself at a respected Seattle hospital. They told me that I had been airlifted by helicopter and that I had more than a hundred fractures throughout my body.
I immediately noticed that my vision had also been affected. I had double vision, no depth perception, and no peripheral vision in my right eye. My vision also seemed "crooked", as objects would dance and move around. I later discovered that I could not read, as I could not hold my focus on a page.
The doctors told me that they would address my vision later, after it had had a chance to stabilize. They did not tell me that glasses could possibly help right away, or that vision therapy was another possible treatment. They also did not tell me that there are different kinds of eye doctors, and that a "Developmental Optometrist" might have recommended such treatments.
I was then sent home with an eye patch. After about 10 days, my peripheral vision returned, but I still had no depth perception. I could not tell where I was in relation to objects or other people. To walk, I would grab a handrail or whatever was available to inch my way along.
By October 1996, I was better, but I still lacked depth perception so that walking was extremely difficult. For example, if not careful while walking on the road near my house, I would misjudge the location of the drainage ditch and fall in. I was in constant fear of falling. I was also completely dependent on everyone —just to get through the day.
While at the hospital, I had been administered a pain cocktail from which I now began to experience a kind of withdrawal. I found myself feeling paranoid and feared that I was going to have a brain hemorrhage. My sister agreed to take me back to the hospital, to the emergency room.
We arrived at approximately midnight. I was then interviewed, given a CAT scan and otherwise examined by various professionals. I was tired and I found the process overwhelming. I was in "sensory overload", a symptom I now understand is common for a person with a closed head injury.
I wanted to leave, but the MHPs (mental health professionals) had another idea. They pronounced that I was having a "bipolar manic episode". The next thing I knew, I was in shackles and locked in a white room. I was then injected with drugs against my will.
I was a head injury victim, not mentally ill. This was wrong.
With the drugs, I was not myself. I became passive with no drive or concern for my own life. Basically I was so drugged that I didn’t argue anymore. As a result, I signed a paper agreeing to stay and I remained at the hospital for three weeks.
While there, no one addressed my continuing vision symptoms: my poor depth perception and sense of location in space; the dancing objects; and my inability to read.
There was then a 90 day "less restrictive order", by which the hospital agreed to release me as long as I continued taking the drugs.
Returning home was not good. My family did not understand what I had been through. My own children now treated me as a child, needing "permission" for the smallest thing. Their mother was now a mental patient who would never recover or be able to make her own decisions. Their well-meaning condescension was unbearable.
I then got a call from an acquaintance in Seattle, asking me to meet him for lunch. Thus, I made my way to the ferry to meet him on the other side. I left all the drugs back at the house.
At lunch, he commented that he didn't understand why I was taking the drugs if my underlying problem was a head injury. "Why take them?", he said.
And so I decided to stop. I also decided not to go home, as I could not face my family’s disapproval. There was also the real possibility that they would call the MHPs (since I was no longer taking the drugs). I checked into a nearby hotel.
I then called my family, to let them know that I was all right, but not to tell them where I was. After all, I was now a "bipolar, manic, mental patient"—on the loose.
Approximately two weeks went by and I had still not gone home, essentially a fugitive from my family and the mental health system.
With this situation, I felt I needed legal advice. Thus, I picked an attorney out of the phone book and took a cab to her office.
The attorney told me that just the night before, she had attended a presentation on closed head injuries sponsored by Vision Awareness of Washington. The speaker had been Dr. George Dever, a developmental optometrist.
She said that I presented myself exactly as Dr. Dever had described a typical closed head injury patient. She also insisted that I see him right away. She immediately called his office to set up my appointment; however, he was not available. She then arranged for my immediate appointment with a Dr. Culp. This was not what I had come for, but I did what she said.
I found Dr. Culp to be a very kind man, with many helpful non-drug treatments.
A few days later, I met Dr. Dever—also a very kind man.
Dr. Dever immediately diagnosed my double vision and problems with depth perception. He said that I had an eye movement disorder due to the injury. He then suggested glasses and vision therapy as possible treatments. No one had made this suggestion before.
The glasses were amazing, as my depth perception returned and I was able to walk without fear of falling. The vision therapy also provided further relief, to help me use my eyes together. I now understand that such use is necessary for depth perception. I cannot describe the sense of relief I felt. I was able to go home and within two weeks of getting the glasses, I passed my driver’s test. The employees at the the Department of Motor Vehicles were shocked, as they had read about my injury in the paper. It was a joy to begin this return to my life. I also began my return to work, at least on a part time basis.
I then went to see the attorney again, commenting that I was bothered by the noise level at my office. She then gave me a referral for a possible auditory disorder, to Marcy and Michael McCarthy. I now understand that disruption of auditory function is also a common complaint of head trauma patients.
I now also know that the attorney, Margaret Dore, is the President of Vision Awareness of Washington which is operated out of her office. By luck I had picked her name out of the phone book. Had she not referred me, I could have easily found myself at Western State.
I have agreed to tell my story, because it should not have been a matter of luck for me to be properly referred, for what I now understand are common head trauma symptoms: double vision; an inability to read; and sensory overload. Moreover, had I received her referrals when I was first injured, much of this story would have never happened, including the resulting rift between myself and my family.
I now also understand that it is common for a hospital to not give such referrals. While perhaps not every patient would need such referrals, I fail to see how this practice is in a patient’s interest. I also point out that neither my glasses nor the vision therapy were covered by insurance. I understand that this lack of insurance is also common. To me this situation must be changed. Otherwise this story will happen again and again.
In closing, I would like to thank everyone who helped me, especially Dr. Dever , Dr. Culp and Vision Awareness of Washington. I would also like to thank my family for their effort. Finally, I would also ask everyone to donate to Vision Awareness and its national affiliate, Parents Active for Vision Education (PAVE), so that others can be helped.
Jacquelin Russell
Postscript
George Dever, O.D. is located at 1511 3rd Ave., #411, Seattle, WA 98101; (206) 624-0737. T. Michael Culp, N.D., is in practice with the University Health Clinic located at 5312 Roosevelt Wy., NE, Seattle, WA., (206) 525-8015. He uses naturopathic methods to treat head injuries and other conditions. Marcy McCarthy, M.A.Ed. and Michael McCarthy, M.Sc. Phc. treat auditory and attention disorders on Vashon Island and in Seattle at 2366 Eastlake Ave. East, #326, Seattle, WA, (206) 463-2991. They offer both "auditory integration training" and "EEG-neurofeedback".