Monitoring Chronic Health Conditions After A Car Accident
by Julia Gregory
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, your car accident doctor will monitor your preexisting chronic health conditions that may have been affected as a result of the trauma and pain of your injuries. Here are some chronic health conditions that may have gotten worse as a result of your car accident and what you can do about them:
Glaucoma
If your optic nerve has been damaged as a result of your motor vehicle accident, your glaucoma may worsen. Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes a rise in your intraocular pressure. Optic nerve injuries can also raise intraocular eye pressure, and if your eye pressure becomes too high, your vision may worsen. If your doctor is unable to bring your eye pressure down to normal levels, you may sustain permanent eye damage.
Very high eye pressure from optic nerve damage and glaucoma may also raise your risk for an uncommon type of glaucoma known as closed-angle glaucoma. In addition to poor vision, closed-angle glaucoma can cause severe eye pain and redness, intense headaches, vomiting, and hypertension. If you have glaucoma and sustain an eye injury as a result of your car accident, your physician may refer you to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation and treatment.
Kidney Disease
Car accidents, especially severe accidents that have caused crushing pelvic injuries, may worsen preexisting kidney disease. Car accidents can cause bruised kidneys, a lacerated bladder, crushed ureters, and urethral collapse. All of these injuries can diminish renal function, and in severe cases, lead to renal failure.
If you have kidney disease and have been in a severe motor vehicle accident, your car accident doctor may refer you to a nephrologist, a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disorders. While kidney damage may not be apparent soon after your car accident, if you pass blood in your urine, have difficulty urinating, or retain fluid, you may have kidney damage.
If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, your car accident doctor will closely monitor your preexisting health conditions such as glaucoma, kidney disease, heart problems, neurological disease, and orthopedic problems.
The sooner complications from your auto accident are recognized and treated, the less likely you will be to experience permanent organ damage, disability, and loss of vision. It is also important to note that if you are in a car accident, you should not delay treatment. Seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible, especially if you have preexisting medical conditions.
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About Me
The decision to move one of my parents into assisted living was one of the most difficult I have ever made. I had extreme feelings of guilt that led to me being at the facility with my parent practically around the clock. It took a few months before I realized that I could not let my own life fall apart from the guilt I was feeling. I also learned that my parent was fine without me constantly hovering around. Since that time, I have had several friends express similar feelings of guilt. I started this blog to help others in the same situation understand not only their feelings about assisted living, but those of their parents.