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RedditUpdate from Paul Raffaele, May 20, Sydney, Australia
Three weeks after the incident I thought I'd give a rundown on my situation.
I am walking, talking, hearing, and you might not notice any difference except for a slight unsteadiness now and then, a lingering effect of the blast on my ear. My doctor says that will go away with time.
My right forearm has a solid piece of shrapnel in it. An orthopedic surgeon at Bagram Air Base operated on it, but as it was near the joint, decided to leave the shrapnel inside. The arm is still painful. I can't even lift a coffee cup without pain, but my doctor says it will eventually settle.
I have some scattered shrapnel wounds—entry points—on the right chest, but my doctor took out the stitches the other day and they're O.K.
The surgeon at Bagram said that one piece of shrapnel hit an upper right rib, broke it and then shot across my chest under the skin and across the front of the heart, scratching the heart but not drawing blood or injuring it. A fraction of an inch to the left and it would have banged into my heart, with clear consequences. [Photographer Steve] Dupont told me there were two dead policemen by my car window just inches away and so they took shrapnel that would have hit me. Also, I had my head turned to the left. Had I had it turned to the right, the shrapnel that hit the back of my head would have got me in the throat, again with obvious consequences.
The blast has messed up my right ear with me hearing ambient noises such as doors closing, taps dripping, many times their normal strength, while human voices sound as if they were produced by a synthesizer. Music is a cacophony and sounds off-key. My doctor says this is a well-known effect of such a blast and should right itself over the next few months. I've already noticed an improvement. Though there is a long way to go.
The most significant effect comes from the three pieces of shrapnel in my brain. My neurosurgeon says they took a relatively benign path and so he's going to leave them there. The most serious effect is a considerable diminution in my peripheral vision on the left. At first I could not read, but that is getting better, though I do so with difficulty because the words get jumbled, and after a few lines my head is tired. Typing is interesting because my sense of where letters are has shifted to the right so that when I go to type 'a,' I end up typing 's,' when I go to type 'c,' I end up typing 'v' and so on. I'm aware of this and try to compensate.
Dear Mr. Raffaele: Glad to hear you are on the mend. I loved your shark piece this month, and am particularly fascinated by the fact that unborn sharks devour each other in the womb. Any video or photos of that anywhere, and any chance you can point me to where to find out more about this phenomenon? Best, Tom Juergens
Posted by Tom Juergens on June 6,2008 | 06:21AM
Sorry to read that you have an accident.All wcs staffs of kagwene is sending you quick recovery. we were waiting to here about you trip to aghanitans but the unforturenate story from the internats;. may God help. SAMA
Posted by Sama Eugene Billa,WCS Kagwene Cameroon on June 6,2008 | 01:50PM
Mr. Raffaele, Iam writing to let you know that I have just finished your latest book, Among the Cannibals. Although parts of it had me saying, "No, no!" the book is of great historical (not to mention entertainment!) value. In case you are interested, I have reviewed it at The Raabe Review and hope to keep up with your work at the Smithsonian. Here's hoping you recover quickly!
Posted by Diana Raabe on July 28,2008 | 02:58PM
Dear Mr Raffaele,
How fortunate you are!! Obviously still meant to be here!!Hope your coffee drinking arm has improved along with your sight and sound.:) TRIDZIA :)
Posted by tridzia on June 27,2009 | 06:18AM