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Some say that Andrew Linn has nine lives. Others say he is just plain lucky. But either way this former Marine has had his share of death defying encounters in his life. Before we get to the story behind the x-ray pictured above, let’s rewind roughly five years.
Linn, a native of Cedar City, Utah, first cheated death during his tour of duty in Iraq by surviving roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices (IED’s). His second scare came upon his return from Iraq in 2008 when Linn was struck by a speeding drunk driver, luckily only sustaining a minor neck injury. Now fast forward two years to November 2010. Linn was in Las Vegas visiting family for the Thanksgiving holiday. While there one night, Linn went for a drive and fell asleep at the wheel and veered off the road and struck a chain-link fence. Which led to the x-ray above. When he hit the fence, a 2-inch diameter fence post crashed through his windshield, through his face, out the back of his neck, and then out the rear window…Wow. That’s something you only see in a horror movie.
Conscious and communicating, emergency crews had to cut the fence post just to free Linn from the vehicle. Once freed, Linn was rushed to University Medical Center where Dr. Jay Coates, Dr. Jeff Moxley and staff operated on Linn to remove the post from his head. Dr. Coates stated, “The body is an amazing thing…I doubt I’ll ever see another one like this in my lifetime.” Miraculously, the post somehow missed Linn’s spine, jugular vein and carotid artery. Dr. Coates had initial concerns because, “The minute you pull this pipe out, all hell could break loose, and he could start bleeding profusely. That was really the concern, of whether he was going to have permanent injuries from lack of blood flow to his brain.’’ And Dr. Moxley added, “People who are in accidents like this go to the morgue, not the emergency room…It’s just a miracle he lived.”
Miracle or luck, it seems Andrew Linn might just be the man with nine lives.
If you are a college sports fan or have ever turned on a TV in the month of March than you are probably familiar with the NCAA men’s basketball tournament commonly referred to as “March Madness”. A 64 team bracket challenge pitting perennial powerhouses like Duke and Kansas versus tournament newcomers and Cinderella hopefuls like Long Island University and Bucknell. Each year teams take their competitiveness to the next level during the three weeks of mayhem to see who is the best college basketball team in the country.
These games are some of the most exciting in all of sports with some teams saved in multiple overtimes or last second desperation shots. And being able to view how the bracket unfolds and cheering on your favorite team or alma mater as they advance round after round, makes each game much more memorable.
And to make this year’s tournament even more exciting, J2 Medical would like to reward these college or university affiliated medical centers with discounts based on your teams’ performance. As your team progresses throughout the tournament, that college/university affiliated medical center will advance in savings on either J2 Medical’s orthopedic scaling device Akucal or Gymie-R x-ray cassette holder. Below is a breakdown of the savings:
* Round of 32 – 5% Off an Akucal or Gymie-R
* Sweet 16- 15% Off an Akucal or Gymie-R
* Final Four- 25% Off an Akucal or Gymie-R
* National Championship- 35% Off an Akucal or Gymie-R
* National Champion-One (1) FREE Akucal AND 50% off a Gymie-R!!!!
Example: If #1 seed The Ohio State University advances to the Final Four, Ohio State University Medical Center will receive 25% off an Akucal or Gymie-R.
Good Luck to all 64 teams and medical centers! To receive these incredible savings, use the Promo Code March Madness when placing your order to receive your appropriate discount.
Let the March Madness Tournament of Savings Begin!
A little over a month ago Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow was nowhere to be seen and he predicted an early spring this year and for once I tend to believe him. Sure we have had some snow here in the Northeast since Phil’s forecast but temperatures have been steadily rising, the sun has been shining and the official first day of spring is only a few weeks away. Everyone looks forward to nicer weather. Golf clubs replace snow shovels and lawns turn green again. While getting out for a round of golf is fun, getting the lawn back in shape can be less enjoyable and more of a chore. The smell of fertilizer permeates the air and the rumble of garden tillers can be heard throughout the neighborhood. But if you are going to till, till safe.This x-ray is of 19 year-old Chris Clear from Penrose, Colorado. It was a freak accident but Chris had a 2-inch metal pin lodged in his brain after it was shot out of a garden tiller. Ouch!! Chris went to the emergency room the day the accident occurred but the foreign object went undetected for another 48 hours. Double ouch!!This spring, if Chris hasn’t already, he should take up golf and make a trip to the local Lawn Doctors instead of the ER doctors!
I know a guy that constantly deals with some major sinus problems. When Spring arrives he is almost too miserable to be around. One morning, after a late night of consuming a pizza with mushrooms, his sinuses were so congested he actually had a mushroom lodged in his sinuses. Disgusting I know. But I don’t even think that compares to the gentlemen in this x-ray. This is an x-ray of Prax Sanchez, a 72 year old man from Old Colorado City, Colorado. Mr. Sanchez had been dealing with some ear problems and went to his doctor for an MRI. During the exam, Mr. Sanchez was experiencing some intense pain and the exam could not be completed due to what the doctor described as, ”some type of interference due to metal in Mr. Sanchez’s head.” This was news to Sanchez because he was not aware of having any metal in his head. Well after leaving the doctor’s office Mr. Sanchez had a cough and out came a one-inch nail! Images from a CT scan done a year earlier confirmed that Sanchez did in fact have something about the size of a toothpick in his sinus area but went unnoticed at that time. Sanchez’s doctor stated that Mr. Sanchez probably had inhaled the nail and tissue formed around the foreign object and that it could have stayed there forever if the MRI had not dislodged it. Doctors estimated that the nail could have been inside Mr. Sanchez for 30 years!Sanchez had done some carpentry work earlier in life and could have been the time when this unfortunate nail inhale took place. When asked what he was going to do with the nail Sanchez stated, “It’s right on top of my dresser…I’m going to frame it.” That would have to be a pretty small picture frame but better than a framed mushroom!
Valentine’s Day is only two days away and hundreds of couples will become engaged on this romantic greeting card ”holiday”. According to a statistic from the Diamond Information Center, 10% of marriage proposals for the year will occur on this date. Right now hundreds of men are probably frantically searching the Internet of unique engagement ideas. One idea that is always seen on TV and in the movies is the ‘ring hidden in the restaurant food or drink’ proposal. Which is exactly what happened in this x-ray. A gentlemen in New Mexico had plopped the engagement ring in his then girlfriend’s milkshake unbeknownst to her. I can’t imagine the fear and nervousness this guy felt when she got to the bottom of the glass and the ring was gone! After a trip to the local hospital for an x-ray the ring was found, and she said ‘yes’! So guys, if this idea was the one you had up your sleeve, you might want to start your Google searches now for a new one!
Is it possible to accidentally swallow keys? When I can’t find my keys, the absolute last place I would look would be my stomach!
It is always smart to make a plan of action. Most people don’t plan a trip without knowing where they are going or how they will get there. In the “old days”, (pre 2000) to plan a road trip or vacation you would have to visit the local AAA office and obtain one of those impossible to refold maps. But now in 2011 everyone seems to have some type of GPS device in their vehicle. Whether it’s a Garmin, Tom Tom, smart-phone, stone-age MapQuest, or the car is already equipped with navigational features, the majority of drivers in the United States rarely get lost. They have a pre-determined route that gets them to their location efficiently and accurately. This same concept can be applied to joint replacement surgery.No orthopedic surgeon enters the operating room without doing some type of pre-surgical planning, or mapping out their “route”. After acquiring this information it becomes their “GPS” throughout surgery. With over 193,000 hip replacements performed each year in the U.S. and similar surgeries on other joints such as knees, shoulders, and elbows, the “GPS” must be up to date with the most accurate information to scale an image. Read More »
