Book Talk: Tom Combs, ‘Nerve Damage’

In 2008, Tom Combs, an emergency-room physician suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). This involves bleeding in the space between the brain and the thin layer of tissue that covers it. It may be caused by head trauma or a bleeding aneurysm, and it is morbidly serious.

According to the Health Library, half the people who experience SAH suffer immediate death. However, of those who don’t, one-third die in the hospital; one-third survive with a disability, and one-third return to normal functioning. But, for those who survive, seizures and spasms are common complications. So, Dr. Combs retired from medical practice and turned his talents to writing.

In his debut novel, “Nerve Damage” (2014, 316 pages in softcover format), he states in the Dedication, “For twenty-five years, I’ve worked the front lines of U.S. emergency care alongside police, fire/rescue paramedics, EMTs, nurses, fellow doctors, technicians, air rescue crews, and the many others who respond when illness, trauma, or tragedy strike.” So, it’s apparent that Combs knows the medical establishment from both sides, patient and provider.