Health in Bali
“What started out as a dream holiday in Bali became a fight to walk again for 11-year-old-Michelle*”
*Name changed for privacy
Michelle: “On the 3rd of January 2006, less than twenty minutes after reaching my long awaited dream holiday destination with my Dad and older sister to visit my mum, there was a terrible accident… I had run straight through the glass doors of my mother’s beautiful villa and was severely cut by the falling glass. Luckily for me, I was not aware at the time of how seriously I had been injured and just followed what I was told to do by my parents and my mum’s fiance.They lay me down on a duvet and carried me to the car to take me to the BIMC.”
Michelle’s mum: “The most important thing was to keep her very still while getting her out of the door as quick as possible without injuring her further, due to the sharp shards of glass embedded in and around her. She was trapped halfway through two overlapping sliding glass doors. We covered her legs to quickly hide the horrific injuries so as not to panic her. I tried hard not to be sick. Big lumps of flesh were missing and it looked like some madman had chopped up her legs with an axe. It was hard to meet her questioning look… she had no idea.”
Michelle’s dad: “We pulled the large pieces out of her thighs and lower legs so we could lift her out. There was so much blood pumping out of such a little girl that our chief concern was that it was a major artery and we needed to stop the bleeding before she bled to death on the living room floor. Ripping up sheets, I tied tourniquets at the site of the large wounds on her legs and thighs. Her face was also covered in blood and but we were relieved to find just one deep gash to her forehead. Her arms and body however, were covered in lacerations and horrendous cuts, and at first glance her right foot seemed to have been severed at the ankle with just the skin holding it in place.”
Michelle: “At the BIMC the nurses had to cut my clothes off and clean my wounds so the doctor could examine me. She said that I would need a plastic surgeon to work on me and I was a little worried that my face was cut up and really wanted a mirror to see it.”
BIMC: “We quickly assessed Michelle’s injuries, stopped the bleeding, stabilized her and briefed her parents on the options available to them. After reassuring Michelle and her parents, we immediately arranged for a specialist plastic surgeon, experienced in tendon and nerve repair, to be available for Michelle at Prima Medika.”
Michelle: “Shortly after, I was put into an ambulance to take me to a bigger hospital where an experienced surgeon was waiting to operate. The ambulance ride was not very comfortable but it meant I could lie down and was supportive on my cut legs. When I got to the big hospital, I was put into an emergency room and given first aid as my legs were bleeding again. I was taken into surgery, which lasted four hours. But it felt like I had just closed my eyes then opened them again! It felt so short. I was also in a lot of pain though and my whole body hurt and I could not feel my feet.”
Michelle’s mum: “They estimated the surgery would take about two hours, but the four hours outside the surgery doors were the hardest and longest of my entire life, the work was complicated as tendons and nerves particularly at the ankles, had been severed and needed rejoining. My thoughts ranged from elation that she was being so well looked after to whether they could save her feet or she’d even survive the surgery.”
Michelle: “I was in the hospital in a large private suite for three nights wired up to several drips, during which time I was well treated. The nurses came, fed, dressed and bathed me, as I could not bend my arms and they were very helpful and just a call away. It was quite hard to get the holiday insurance company and the doctors to understand each other but after they had the insurance sorted, I was given a wheelchair, as I was not allowed to put any weight on my feet. I thanked the doctors and nurses and was once again put into the outside world! I still had to go to hospital every three days for check-ups and new bandages.”
Michelle and her family were flown back to the UK First Class by Thai Airways and met by an ambulance at the airport to take them home. Michelle then spent two months using a wheelchair and crutches. Doctor’s at BUPA UK say the surgery performed by surgeon Nyoman of Prima Medika was world class.
Michelle has now made a full recovery and looking forward to visiting Bali again next summer, and has asked her mum to put conspicuous stickers on all her glass door to prevent any more nasty surprises. Sincere thanks from the publishers and Michelle’s family for the help of BIMC, Prima Medika and in particular to plastic surgeon Nyoman and his team for their fast reactions, professionalism and skilled care.
BIMC is a 24-hour medical and emergency centre and since Michelle’s emergency has acquired a hospital licence that now allows them to perform operations such as Michelle’s on-site.
Where : Kuta
Tel : +62 (361) 761263
www.bimcbali.com
