home life post surgery

each day becomes easier. almost two weeks later and i'm going on my daily 15 minute walks with natalie and the trusty walker. peyton isn't afraid of the walker and also enjoys going on the walks too. my mobility is increasing on a daily basis but is slow going regardless. my next follow-up appointment is december 23, who knows what each chapter will bring. i'll be working hard each day at getting stronger.

discharge day

well i'm getting kicked out of the hospital. just waiting on my meds to get filled, got my bags packed and my walker ready to go. i don't remember much of the car ride but i do remember getting home. i did overdo it at walgreens waiting on my script, thought i could just zip around with the walker. home now and time for rest.

it was definitely a sleepless night for natalie as she slept on what was considered a couch. i also woke up in the most excruciating pain which made me question my decision on the surgery. the day went much better but i came to the conclusion that i would stay until saturday, i just wasn't ready physically. i still had my stream of visitors and would like to thank kevin and janine if i haven't done so already.

my intro to the p.t. people

i thought getting out of bed with a walker would be a breeze, i was wrong and my body failed me. i felt like a newborn colt trying to get his legs under him. there was going to be some serious work to be done and i wanted to be out as quick as possible. i was finally able to eat and i did for most of my meals that day.     natalie stayed the night.......

Surgery Day

Well November 16th has arrived and i haven't slept for two days it seems. up at 0500 i think to arrive by 0630 for my 0900 surgery at st. john detroit. i arrive at same day surgery and am taken to a little waiting room to sit with natalie until they take me to pre-op. they take me to pre-op at 0800 and the wait is excruciating, i lay in a draped off room with everyone else for their various surgeries but nobody can see anybody (patient privacy). i am finally wheeled to the surgical suite and am given my goodnight medicine.

  the next thing that i remember is being wheeled into my room and seeing my wife and mom, woo hoo i  made it through. much of my day is spent with a couple people visiting and i don't remember much of that day other than pushing the button on my pain pump. i was told that my wife tried to feed me a hamburger which i think i requested but that turned into a hot mess. the red jell-o was delicious though.

well i went to the surgeon on 11/10 and surgery was decided on 11/16. holy crap so much stuff to get done along with approval, picking up my aspen quickdraw brace, making arrangements for the dog, and all kinds of other things. luckily my wife has a very flexible schedule and was able to take off the days she needed to. and for my mom for some of the running around. and my dad keeping me in his thoughts and prayers (from indianapolis). and for everyone else in my circle of family and friends thank you from the bottom of my heart.

next on the list of items began p.t. which didn't help and actually hurt more as it progressed. thrown in there were weekly visits to occupational medicine. then on august 1 i had an mri of my lower spine, herniation and protrusion of my L2-L3. i was immediately referred to a specialist. as i waited for approval i decided to call and see what the hold up was and told that i would have an independent medical evaluation (aka defense medical exam), there would be no specialist at this time. i went to the ime and it turned out that i was injured at work and that i should have surgery.

  i finally went to the specialist in september and it was recommended that i try epidural steroid injections as a last resort before going ahead with surgery. two injections and the relief i hoped for wasn't there. time for a consult with the surgeon again.

i should have started this on july 2, 2010 when my injury happened, but oh well here goes nothing. it happened at 1330 that day while on an emergency run in oak park. nothing special other than a fall that happened a couple hours previous with the person still on the floor. nothing life threatening other than the complaint of back and neck pain. the fall was due to a hypoglycemic incident and the person losing their balance. easily corrected with some D50. next comes the backboard part. after securing the body next is the head. we had a student with us so that was going to be his duty. i crouched down and had the oak park public safety officers lift the head end up onto my knees  so we could secure. this really shouldn't take that long since i was going step by step with the student but apparently there was some sort of mental block that prevented this. now time to carry the patient out 50-60 yards out to the cot which didn't fit in the house. we arrived at the e.r. without incident. while moving the patient from our cot to the hospital cot it happened. it was like being hit by a freight train in the back and i almost dropped the patient. i immediately knew something happened when i felt numbness from my lower back down my ass to the front of my right leg. i also had to be helped back into the rig to begin my medical odyssey which started at the emergency room since occ med was closed for the weekend.