“DOCTORS have successfully reattached a woman’s head after her skull became detached from her spine while playing football. Megan King revealed how she was left “internally decapitaded” after she fell to the ground while playing soccer in 2005. 3 Megan King revealed how she was left “internally decapitaded” after she fell to the ground while”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
Megan King revealed how she was left “internally decapitaded” after she fell to the ground while playing soccer in 2005.
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Megan King revealed how she was left “internally decapitaded” after she fell to the ground while playing soccerCredit: instagram//thetravelinghaloofhope/
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She said her bone joints became weak, and her muscles began to tear apartCredit: instagram//thetravelinghaloofhope/
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Now, after 37 painful surgeries, Ms King’s skull has been fixed to her spine, all he day down to her pelvisCredit: instagram//thetravelinghaloofhope/Ms King, who was just 16 at the time, said the fall severely damaged her spine and tore off her shoulder muscles.
She had to go through more than 30 surgeries and was forced to spend more than a year on crutches.
However, over the years, her injuries got worse,
She said her bone joints became weak, and her muscles began to tear apart, leaving her in unbearable pain.
Doctors were left baffled by her medical condition as to why she was not able to heal.
Finally in 2015 – a decade after her disastrous fall – medical experts were able to diagnose her with hypermobile Ehler ‘s-Danlos syndrome (hEDS).
It is a rare genetic disorder that stops the formation of collagen, which works as major tissue holding the bones together – in her body.
In 2016, Ms King’s neck was fitted with a halo brace – a metal device that is directly screwed into her skull – to keep her head uprght.
However, her skull almost got internally detached from her spine while doctors were attempting to remove the device.
The rare condition is called Atlanto-occipital dislocation (AOD) – or internal decapitation in non-medical terms.
Ms King, who is now 35, told DailyMail: “I flew my chair back to keep gravity from decapitating me.
“My neurosurgeon had to hold my skull in place with his hands. I couldn’t stand. My right side was shaking uncontrollably.”
Doctors rushed to conduct an emergency surgery to fuse her skull back to her spine and save her life.
She added: “It was a horror show. I woke up unable to move my head at all.”
Now, after 37 painful surgeries, Ms King’s skull has been fixed to her spine, all he day down to her pelvis, which means she can’t move her head in any direction.
The process is called spinal fusion, where the bones in her spine are joined together to prevent them from moving.
Ms King said: ‘I’m literally a human statue. My spine doesn’t move at all. But that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped living.”
Patient Colin Miller, from Herne Bay, reflected on the “fascinating” experience of strumming a tune as doctors performed the operation.
Colin, 64, played the chords on his acoustic guitar to keep mobility in his hand and fingers during the eight-hour surgery.
The musician was diagnosed with glioblastoma – a fast-growing type of brain tumour – in October 2023.
“I was given a choice of being awake or asleep for the procedure,” Colin revealed.
“The doctor questioned how I use motor movements on my left side, and I told him I play the guitar.
“So not to lose mobility in my hand and fingers, they asked me to bring in my guitar and I was woken up part way through my surgery and played different tunes.
“I couldn’t process playing any familiar songs but strummed chords.
“The whole experience was fascinating.”
Glioblastomas are treated with surgery if the patient is well enough, with the hopes of removing as much of the tumour as possible.
Then a course of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or both usually follows.
The average survival time is 12-18 months, with tragically only 25 per cent of patients living for over a year.
But every case is different, and some patients live beyond five years or longer.