The Updates Just Keep Comin'!

Well, more progress from PT yesterday!

I'm already getting more ROM (Range of Motion) back in my right ankle so I got the go-ahead to trim my brace some more. Yes, I still have some aches, a few pains, some swelling, and endurance and functional issues, but we're making progress!

We also figured out that my brace may have been causing some of my high heel pain. So yesterday afternoon we went and saw Gus and had him cut a chunk out of the back of the brace. That not only relieved that pressure point, but it opened up my ankle for even more movement! It turns out the brace was keeping my Achilles tendon from being able to flex as it should and cutting that small piece out let it move like it needed to!

Scott also added a coupe more exercises back into my routine and I do them WITHOUT the brace! Pretty soon he's going to have me start weaning out of the brace at home also. Just an hour or two per day at first, but we'll build on that.

Finally, I'm very seldom using my cane at home. I use it out in "the world" to help with balancing on uneven terrain and endurance and so on. Well, pretty soon Scott is going to start working on getting me to be able to drop the need for it as well.

Looks like all your good thinks and prayers are comin' through for me! Thanks, everyone! I'll keep workin' hard and I'll try not to let you down! Besides, I want to get back to driving and bushwhackin' some time in the not-too-distant future!

Another Quickie

We made some progress at PT today. It seems my right ankle is loosening up a bit. Accordingly, I got the OK to trim back my brace a bit. We also added a couple of exercises in and upped the leg weights a bit (we had restarted at only 5 lbs.). We are going to start slowly weaning me out of the brace at PT and doing more exercises as conditions allow.

With any luck we're getting back on track...again.

Just a quickie...

I just wanted to give you all a quick update.

As you know, I am back in my ankle brace. With it in place, and even with the lingering swelling from the surgery, I am walking around pretty well again.

The major portion of the heel pain that was nagging me is gone (no wonder after getting those huge lag bolts outta there!) and I've been trucking around pretty well, not even using my cane around the house for the most part.

I'm still a ways away from talking long strolls in the park, but I'll take all I can get!

We got good news, and not-so-good news.

Yesterday J called Doc D to see if they had an opening to get me in and get my staples out instead of waiting 'til Thursday since they were causing me quite a bit of discomfort. They did, so off we went.

In no time they got to removing the staples. I darn sure wish THIS "staples" had an "easy button!" Removing them was sheer and utter torture! It was far worse than removing the sutures from the original surgery and was definitely worse than this surgery. As they removed the staples they put some kind of adhesive strips across the incision to help keep everything in place until everything was healed a little better. They did that before also. If they don't come off on their own over the next week or so, I get to pull them off.

Anyway, after 10-15 minutes the removal pain went away and a little after that Doc D came in. He said everything was looking good, but he had another trick up his sleeve. Then he started showing us some 3D pictures of that foot. On it, he showed us a place in the heel area where some soft tissue has calcified into a rather prominent and pointy bone spur. He said if it starts causing problems he can go in and remove it. However, it is in a spot where there is a LOT going on. Nerves, muscle, ligaments, etc. So it's not just a simple go in and cut it off deal. He didn't elaborate cuz we aren't gonna even think about it unless that spot becomes an issue.

Then we asked about the left foot and he said he doesn't want to do ANYTHING with it unless absolutely necessary until all the problems with the right on are settled.

Anywho, I'm now back in compression socks and my brace (which we had t have adjusted again cuz my tendon is acting up a bit again) and getting back to walking again.

Overall, a lot of my pain issues with walking are gone or significantly reduced. There's still some discomfort in other areas, some minor residual pain from the latest surgery, and walking is still kinda of a pain, but it's all a little better and getting better by the day.

As for the other potential surgery, we just can't worry about it now. I start PT again next week and as that progresses we'll know more and deal with it then, if necessary. I guess I've lost about 4-6 weeks of progress on the tendon and some other stuff, but in no time I should be making some good gains and getting all that and more back.

Be well, everyone!

Post-Op Update *** ICK WARNING ***

The follow-up appointment was short and sweet.

They took the bandages off first and, as expected, they were caked with blood. A little saline soak and they came off no problem. Then they whisked me off to get a couple of x-rays which I did not see. While waaiting for Doc D to pop in, J grabbed a lovely shot...




*** ICK MODE ON ***








As you can see there are quite a few staples gong down along the back of my foot and on around the bottom edge. There are also some on the point of my heel. He used the same incision lines that he used when he did the original reconstructive surgery. It was also mentioned that during the procedure he found a hematoma (sp?) and removed it. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a good thing!



*** ICK MODE OFF ***

Then Doc D popped in, took a good look, decided to wait another week to take out the staples, and proclaimed everything as healing up well. Then he said I can start putting weight on it as much as I can tolerate and can let it get wet in the shower. Then we put a stockinette over it, slapped my boot on it (again...ugh), and
out the door we went.

So next Thursday we go to get the staples out and get the orders for yet more PT. Oh boy.

It's nice to get those bandages off, but this dang boot STILL sucks and no padding on the staples or swelling is just a BIT on the uncomfy side. Oh well. It should be better pretty quickly this time.

See ya!

Surgical Update

Hi all.

Sorry this has taken so long, but here's the skinny on the latest round of surgery.

I got checked into Brackenridge at 8:30 AM on 11/17 as scheduled. J was with me and "C" showed up soon after and stayed with us the whole time.

I was supposed to be taken back for prep at 9:30 then surgery was to start at 10:30. Well, things got thrown back about 45 minutes or so, but beyond that everything went well.

The staff were as nice as could be and many remembered us from the original surgery back in January.

In prep they got my IV started, did more paperwork, and just kinda waited around. Then we headed into the OR. We chatted a bit while they were getting me set up. Then they said they were gonna put the mask on me and before that happened I was out. Next thing I remember I was in recovery, waking up and feeling pretty good. I was there for a while because there were 8 or 9 of us waiting for rooms. They finally got one for me and up we went.

In the room they hooked me up with diloted on demand for pain and started giving me tylenol #3 by mouth for pain. Well, I never touched the diloted and the only thing that happened while I was there was my foot did a good bit of bleeding at first. But that settled down pretty quickly and everything went great from there.

Next morning rolled around and I still had not touched the diloted so when Doc D came in, he told me I could go home. So we did.

At home I'd been taking 1/2 the dose of Tylenol #3 that I had been in the hospital and now I only take at night as a precaution. That's not to say my foot feels GREAT, but it is all more of the discomfort of the wrapping it is in more than anything else.

Apparently, besides jsut removing the hardware, Doc D also went in and cleaned out a lot of the scar tissue frm the first go-round and he also broke loose my big toe. It has been pretty limited in its movement and he tried to remedy that. The jury is out on the results of that since I can't hardly move my toes in all this bandaging.

So all that being said, here's a couple of pics. They've also been added to the slideshow.





This just shows how my foot is bandaged. No splint or cast this time. Just gauze, some kind of fluffy padding stuff, and an ace wrap.

We go in to see Doc D tomorrow to at least take a look at the healing progress. I don't know if the stitches come out or not or if I can start using it after tomorrow.







This is most of the hardware they took out of my right foot. They could not let me keep it all due to some kind of rules, but this is the big stuff. The pic shows its size, but this is some heavy stuff. The plate and the little screws all came in from the outside. The 2 big bolts came in from the point of the heel up into the fused ankle bones. The left is pretty similar as you can see in the x-rays in the slideshow, with the exception of no big screws coming in from the back.

This right foot should be healed up in another week so I can start using it and getting it strengthened back up. When it is strong enough, we'll start planning the extraction on the left foot. That'll probably be in January or February.

I don't know if this will resolve all the problems I'd started having, but I can already feel a difference in some ways so it should let me get back to doing more than I have been for the past couple of months. I sure hope so anyway! But all I can do is keep working at it and wait and see what happens.

I guess that's it for now!

Gettin' Ready for Round 2

Well, it's set.

I go back into Brack (Brackenridge Hospital where I got put back together before) for surgery on Monday, 11/17, at which time all the metal will be removed form my right foot. Hopefully, that will relieve all the pain that is slowing me down now.

We don't have a time yet, but the plan is that I'll go in there some time in the morning for prep. The procedure should not take long...under an hour. After that I am scheduled to stay for 23 hours of observation. The trick is pain management. They want me in Brack so I can have access to IV pain meds if I need them. However, if I can manage with regular pain meds, then I could go home Monday evening or Tuesday.

In any case, there will be some bleeding to deal with, but my right foot will be back in a splint for about 2 weeks, then it should be good to get back into PT and start using it again. Get it all strengthened back up and we'll decide whether to do the left foot. But Doc D says no way it'll get done this year.

Between now and then I've got a sleep study to do, I've got to see the pain folks to come up with a primary and backup pain management plan, and we have some pre-surgical stuff to do.

Yes, I am terrified of going back into Brack and just a little less so of getting carved up again. But I know this has to be done if I'm going to do any better and by hook or by crook I'm going to do better. I'm not going to hobble around like this the rest of my life if I still have reasonable options. Besides, I've got J, some great friends, supporting family, and the best surgeon available whom I trust completely.

So let's get it on, get it done, and get back on the road.

Cheers!

Preview of Coming Events

Just thought some of you may like to know that today I'll be seeing Doc D to discuss getting at least some of the metal out of my right heel. If you have seen the X-Rays (and who could resist?) you saw 2 BIG bolts coming up from the lower point of my heel. Well, they are causing me a good deal of pain most of the time to the point that I stand no chance of driving, I can walk properly VERY little, and my PT is going almost nowhere. So it's time we gotta do something. We may just remove those, but more likely we'll just go ahead and take out everything and be done with it.

We got my sleep study moved up to this Sunday night, so we may learn something from that, we may not, but at least it will be done.

On that note, I gotta go get ready to see the sawbones. Updates as they happen.

TTFN

Here We Go Again

As most of you know, my right heel has been giving me fits. Well, it looks like it's time to start remodeling again. Soon we'll be talking to Dr. D. about going back in to take the metal out of my feet.

He says it will be 2 outpatient surgeries if we can get the pain meds figured out. Each foot should only take about 45 minutes and will "simply" be an incision where he did it before, back out the screws, and remove the plates. Then I go home and keep off the foot and take pain meds for 10-14 days. Then we get the one foot strengthened back up and go back to do the other.

On the other hand, if we can't get the pain meds thing figured out then I'm going back into Brackenridge for a few days.

It all sounds very simple and straightforward, but after the pain I experienced last time, I'm terrified of going back in. I know it isn't going to be nearly as involved and difficult as before, but I never want to even risk feeling that kind of pain again and I never want to see the inside of Brack again.

On a completely different subject, we've been trying some stuff one of my docs suggested to get me to sleep.

First, I was told to fight sleep. The idea is to wear down the brain and essentially reset it. OK. I tried it. After 2 days and nights of watching bad movies and infomercials I decided that wasn't working.

Next, it was suggested to try a CD with special music and subliminal messages. The first night I listened t the whole CD, then stayed up til 3 or 4. The next couple of nights I put the CD on continuous repeat thinking I just needed more time with it. The 3rd or 4th time into it I got so irritated at it a shut it off and got to sleep about 4 or 5. I tried it another night with the same results and gave up on it..

Finaly, it was suggested I go back on Klonopin, an anti-anxiety drug. I had taken it in the hospital and for a while after I got home. So I got a new script and gave it a shot. I've been getting 7 to 8 hrs of sleep a night since taking it! So I guess Klonopin is my new sleep buddy for the foreseeable future!

I'm still gonna go see a sleep specialist and see if they have any other answers or thoughts, but at least I'm getting some sleep and my concentration and energy levels are picking back up.

So now, it's mainly a matter of dealing with the stuff in my feet so I can get back to walking better and getting back on track on the general rehab. Well, that and convincing the insurance company that I still need rehab. They seem to think I'm all better now (if though I can barely walk, can't drive, can't negotiate stairs, etc., etc.)and they don't want to pay on it any more. So we've racked up about 2 months of PT sessions that they don't want to cover. Gotta love insurance desk docs deciding your healthcare needs!

'Till next time....

Be well!

You Asked For It....

Here are some pics of the new brace I am now wearing that was built buy Gus. It was molded according to a mold taken of my foot and leg and is quite a bit lighter than the old hi-tech mukluk I had to wear for a few weeks.

As you can see, it has a full, solid, inflexible sole plate, it comes up over my heel and on op my leg to the top of my calf. At the ankle there is a cutout above the heel and there is a hinge mechanism at the ankle. In front of the hinge there are "stops". This all allows my foot to bend down, but it cannot bend up, thereby protecting y achilles tendon from excessive strain. Gus also put some orthotics and other padding on the inside for me. Finally, the whole rig fits inside my regular running shoe.

When we are ready to let the tendon stretch a bit more, Gus can trim the "stops" or even the brace structure itself to allow more range of motion. In fact, last Friday we just opened it up a few more degrees. so I am now working that tendon just a little bit more. Also, if the thing starts wearing differently (which happens as my foot shape shifts or swelling changes, or....) Gus can adjust the shape, contours, and padding in the brace to make as comfortable as possible. Yes, Gus is a genius!

All-in-all progress is being made, although it is not nearly as rapid as before and I'm certainly not back to where I was a little over a month ago and I won't be for a while, if ever.

Another Quickie

Yes, another quick update. Sorry, but since I'm only sleeping (kinda) 1 or 2 hours a night, my concentration levels (not to mention my interest levels) are near zero so I can't write much.

First, I got my new leg brace. It is much lighter than the old boot, fits in my shoe (pretty much), and can be adjusted as my achilles tendon improves and I can move it more.

Speaking of the tendon, it is improving. It appears I have move from tendonitis to tendonosis. Meaning it is not all swollen and pissy, but it is now stiff and pissy. It's gonna take some time to get it loosened back up and recover what little range of motion and strength I had built up.

As of last Friday, I am now off ALL pain meds. I am not convinced that is a good thing, but everyone is saying it is time I started "walking through the fire." Easy for them to say!

As it turns out, all my other problems from a few weeks ago were not med withdrawals, but the med I had stopped had been masking the effects of another. Stop taking A, the side effects of B fired up big time. Now I am no longer taking med B either. The only lasting effects from that are some pain, discomfort, and nerve issues along with a wicked-nasty case of insomnia.

If I can get to sleep I sleep fine. The problem is, I can't get to sleep til somewhere between 3 and 6 am. About every 3rd or 4th day I wear down and crash, then the cycle repeats. Accordingly, my concentration, reasoning, and other stuff are getting pretty wonky most of the time so most of my energy is expended doing my PT and doing what work I can. This also means I can't focus long enough to read much at all. I just can't get what I'm reading. So the really mentally challenging stuff at work, or the stuff that requires reading a bunch, is just gonna have to wait a while. Glad I got my BIG project done!

Today was a bit of a landmark also. I had my last pain management appointment. Unless I can't pair the aches, pain, and discomfort and want to try other meds that may or may not work, they have nothing else to offer me. So I'm all done with them. On the other hand, it looks like I'm gonna have to go see a sleep specialist to figure out why I can't get to sleep. Also, I'm pretty convinced (and I'll know more this afternoon) that I'm gonna have to get some hardware removed from my right heel. That terrifies me, but the doc assures me that it isn't all that bad. I'm gonna try to get details from him today.

The PT is slowly coming around. I've been back on the stationary bike the last 2 sessions and I did a little light stuff on the total gym to stat working these ankles and tendons again. I've lost a LOT of ground and I can sure feel it. I can also tell how much the drugs were masking what was going on. But we're back on the road and we're making some small progress. I guess that's all I can ask at this point. I sure wish I could walk the hike & bike trails again though. Even if it was only a quarter to a half mile, it was sure nice while it lasted!

So that's about it for now. Thanks to everyone for your continued concern and support. It really helps.

The Latest

This is gonna be pretty short cuz I feel like warmed over death. But to get everyone up to speed...

About a week ago it was decided I have developed tendonitis or something similar in my right achilles tendon. The verdict on that? Imobilize that sucker for 4 to 6 weeks! OK, that sets us back a month or 3 on that foot. However, Gus (my orthotics guy) is working on a brace that will allow motion of that foot to a point so I can use it and exercise it as much as it can be. As it needs to move more, he can adjust the brace to allow the increased motion. The downside is that's gonna take another two weeks to get made. In the meantime I'm wearing one of those Klingon mukluks I have and that, in turn, is killing my back every time I stand up, much less walk. Not much we can do there.

Yesterday we went on a crusade to get some answers from doctors.

On the 13th I took the last of mu suboxone. Almost immediately I started having some nasty experiences, beginning with not being able to go to sleep until 4, 5, or (as last night) 6 am. There are other things happening but we'll just say it isn't fun.

So we started the day with my neurologist who swears my anti-migraine meds are not playing a factor in all this and he talked to us about a bunch of stuff. Cool.

Next up, my GP. He looked at blood work and other tests and it looks like, from a pure numbers standpoint, I'm healthy as can be. No signs of diabetes, or anything else. The only thing is that this season it seems I'm a bit more reactive to allergies.

Finally, we hit the pain management folks. These are the ones that have been prescribing the suboxone for general pain, lyrica for nerve pain, and ambien to help me sleep. Well, we dropped the suboxone, the lyrica seem sto be doing little good, and with all the new symptoms, the ambien doesn't work.

We thought my problem was suboxone withdrawals. They say suboxone was suppressing the lyrica side effects so now we are weaning me off lyrica. To help me sleep, they are switching me to lunesta. Haven't tried it yet.

So the docs are still using me as their own little chemistry set and we'll see where this boat takes us. But right now, I am exhausted, in some form of pain most of the time, and extremely frustrated. I beg your patience as I work my way through all this.

Love to all and thanks for your support.

Well, We've Been Having Fun

The past couple of weeks I've been having some pains,especially in my right ankle area. We had been working pretty hard with the PT and I had gotten some brand spankin' new orthotics, so there were a lot of reasons to be sore. So to fix that, we backed off the PT a bit and we went back to Gus to adjust the orthotics.

Well, Friday, we got the new orthotics in and they felt fantastic! The others were just too much of an adjustment all at once, so we'll work into those. Saturday we went about our business and I was able to walk pretty well with a pretty good reduction in pain all day long and even puttered around the house with some stuff well into the night (by my standards anyway).

The came Sunday.

I woke up and stuff was hurtin' and hurtin' bad. I tried to stand up. Bad idea. I just couldn't. In fact, it hurt to even move my right foot. So even to just go the short distance to the bathroom, I was back to using the wheelchair. And just getting to the chair was a painful experience.

So Sunday I stayed in bed and we babied that right foot, applying a lot of ice packs and heat.

Monday rolls around and it ain't no better, so another day in bed with ice, heat, and my laptop to I could get some work done.

Tuesday I had a PT appointment and an appointment with my surgeon. The PT appointment was canceled since I couldn't do anything and off to the doc we went.

He took some x-rays, and MRI, and blood work. Then he started talking about the possibility of another infection flare-up and, what scares me the most, removing some of the metal. So we got the x-rays (they do that there in his office) and they looked fine. We went downstairs and did the blood work. We couldn't do the MRI until yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

The MRI at Austin Radiological (ARA) was a BIG disappointment. The techs tried and tried, but I have so much metal in my feet, that the image was completely obscured and totally useless. We were sent home empty handed while they info'd the doc.

Later yesterday afternoon, we get a call from ARA saying Dr. Dalton had ordered a CT scan and asked how soon can we could get to one of their locations. Luckily these folks are all over the place and we could get to the local one very soon. We got there and did the CT with no problem.

This morning I wake up and the swelling on the right had gone down dramatically and so had a lot of the ankle pain. Even the tendon area felt better, but that changed pretty quickly when I stood up the first time. But still, it was not as bad as it had been. So we get our act together and head off to see Dr. D. again...

* The blood work showed no signs of an infection.

* The x-ray was, as I said, completely normal (for me anyway).

* The CT scan showed that everything looked completely normal as well.

So it looks like I just have a ticked off tendon. The achilles got aggravated somehow and I may have even gotten as far as developing some level of tendonitis. Without the MRI they can't be 100% sure what is going on, but there is no infection and everything else looks stable.

So my right foot is back in a boot to stabilize the tendon and keep me from messing it up more. I may get that swapped out for some kind of brace that Gus can make that I can wear with my tennies. I have to keep that tendon as stabilized as possible for the next 4 to 6 weeks. I can stand on it but I just can't move it or let it do much, if any, work.

In the meantime, Scott will do all the PT work he can on the left foot and right ankle to keep them loose so we don't lose any more progress than necessary. Also, he can do this thing where we get a prescription filled for a 10% hydrocortisone cream and he can use his sonogram equipment to infuse that directly into my tendon. It is not as effective as injections of steroids, but it can help with the healing and pain and doesn't involve the painful shots into the tendon. I like that!

So that's where things stand now. It's a bit of a setback, but I have a lot of smart, good people working on getting it resolved.

The Latest

I have not written much because there's just not a lot to tell. Things move pretty slowly these days.

We are still tinkering with my meds a little bit, but nothing drastic there. I'm about ready to be done with the pain management folks. Except for the questionable effectiveness of one med I'm still taking, they aren't of very much use. Pretty much everything they've tried has been ineffective at best and they've even admitted that there's nothing else they can do for me. So why keep paying the office visit fees?

PT is the same ol' routine except insurance is being a pain. Accordingly, we are cutting back on the visits so we don't run up a HUGE bill we can't pay if they come down on the wrong side of that decision. If they keep pushing I may have to stop going entirely and run my own program based on what my PT folks have told me. We sure can't afford it on our own.

I got some new orthotics last week. The jury is out on their effectiveness. I think they have helped some, but certainly not as much as I had hoped. They probably need more adjusting some more. Of course, my feet were REAL beat up and feel differently from hour-to-hour and they hurt in different ways or are hard to walk on at different times and under different circumstances. So I'll play along, keep an open mind, give 'em a chance, and see how that goes.

I've not heard from work about going back in except that HR would just as soon I keep working from home as long as my bosses are cool with it. Up to now they've been talking about how they'd really like to see me back. I guess they're afraid either Julie or I will get hurt there or something and sue the daylights out of them. So I suppose I'm still working from home for the foreseeable future, but I've not heard a definitive answer from my bosses yet so we'll see. In the meantime we save oodles of gas money!

As many of you have already heard (and it's no secret) my company is being sold. We don't know yet to whom so we have no idea who will be kept or dumped when it happens. So come springtime I may be scrambling around looking for a job again. Soin the words of Rosanne Rasanadana, "If it's not one t'ing it's a-nudder!"

The biggest thing lately is that my right ankle and achilles area has flared up and has made it VERY difficult to walk. We've cut quite a bit out of my PT routine to try to rest it a bit, but it just isn't giving up this time. It's better than when it first acted up, but it is still causing plenty of difficulties. If I can just get past that, I think I'll be in pretty good shape to make some more progress.

I just realized how rambling and disjointed this is. Sorry about that!

Well, I guess that's about it for this time. Thanks, again, to everyone for your support!

General Update

I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon a couple of days ago so I figured it was about time for a quick update.

There is not a whole lot to tell you that hasn't been said before. He says everything looks great and should be all healed up and ready to go. He also said I could get out of the compression socks whenever we (us and my PT) thinks we're ready. I also have the OK from him to start going back into work as I can tolerate it as long as my PT is OK with it. Same with driving. I can start trying to drive as I feel up to it. But putting pressure on pedals (especially quickly) is a bigger deal than one would think! Finally, he is sending me to get custom orthotic inserts for my shoes. I hope they help. Wearing shoes feels good, but it sure starts hurting and tiring the feet by the end of the day.

PT is pretty much routine. They've bumped me up to 12 lbs. on my leg weights and a bit more weight on my leg extension machine work. They've also added some stuff where I stand on a little inflated pillow-like disk...on one foot...without holding onto anything. Yeah, like that's gonna happen. I couldn't do that BEFORE the accident!

Since the last update I had a stretch of 4 or 5 days that felt really great! Then, last Sunday, I got hit with I don't know what and these dogs have been feelin' like they've been beaten ever since! They're starting to settle back down a little, but I have to watch what I do and not overtax them. On the other hand it looks like we have the swelling under control!

We got my lyrica prescription reduced (hand and foot swelling is a side effect), stepped up my activity, and started doing those brutal contrast baths, and my swelling dropped DRAMATICALLY! By the morning they look almost like normal feet again except right around the ankles. Of course they still feel all swollen, tingly, burning, and stuff from the nerve regeneration, but ya gotta have SOMETHING to look forward too, right?

Speaking of things dropping, my weight continues downward. I was 265-270 the day of my accident. After I could stand well enough I got on a scale and I was at 220. A few days ago I was down to 214. Pre-accident I wore XXL shirts and 48 trousers. Now it's XL's and 44's. Gotta look on the bright side of things. This accident may have saved me from a heart attack or diabetes!

So now my big issues are nerve pain and other sensations from regeneration, a little remaining swelling, and improving my balance, leg and ankle strength, and range of motion, particularly in my toes and ankles.

I've still got a LONG way to go, but with God, J, my PT crew and all you folks behind me, I'll get there!

Another milestone for ya.

As PT wrapped up I was expecting to go home and do my usual 30 minutes on the treadmill. J had other plans.

Instead, we headed over to the pavilion in the park where we had hosted our geocaching event. From there we went for a 20 minute walk along the hike and bike trail. This was my first time walking on a trail since the accident. Although this trail is paved, this section has several places that are in need of repair and are pretty rough. There are also some pretty good slopes that gave me a nice workout.

If that's not enough for ya, later in the day we also walked to our mailbox. It's in one of those pod things a few of blocks away. That was the first time for that, too. I had wheeled to it a few times in my chair, but this was the first time walking it.

In both cases I had a few wobbly moments and I wasn't breaking any land speed records, but overall I did alright. It sure was nice to get out and walk outside again. It beats the tar out of walking a treadmill! Hopefully there will be more trail walks in the near future.

Wel, it's been a while.

Now that all the BIG milestones, or most of them, have been passed there's not as much to report. Progress is slow, but I have a few things for you all.

First, as some of you know, I'm wearing real shoes again. They're not real comfortable yet because I gotta get used to them, and I don't wear them all the time, but it's good to be back in them.

I started running into problems with my crocs and the equipment at PT, so I figured it was time to start looking for shoes again. We found some that fit, but they didn't feel right. Then J remembered her cousin's hubby works with orthotics and such so we gave him a call for recommendations. We took his advice and I'm now sporting some New Balance 1062's. They have a lot of features to provide heel cushion, support, and motion control. I'm having to get used to wearing shoes again, they threw my balance off at first, and my feet hurt from being bound up and being supported properly. But on the other hand, my feet are being supported properly, they work much better for PT and my exercises, and the shoes help control the swelling.

I haven't used my wheelchair or walker much at all during the past week or maybe a bit more. I get pretty tired and sore, but it's all coming along. I just have to be careful not to overdo and take a break now and then. My biggest troubles are stepping up and down on curbs and steps and going up and down ramps. But that will all get better as my range of motion and knee strength gets better.

This past week we started this fun little thing that my therapist suggested. It's called a contrast bath and it's a real hoot. Get a tub of very hot water and a tub of ice water. Stick your feet in the hot water for three minutes, then in the ice water for a minute. Do that three times. Holy carp! Talk about a unique form of torture! But when it's done the feet feel better and it has helped dramatically with the swelling. About the only significant swelling is now just around the ankles. That can still get to softball size by the end of the day and it is usually much better by morning.

In other PT news, there isn't much to report. We've added a few exercises and added weight and/or reps to others. It's becoming quite a test of willpower and motivation. The therapist assures me that I am improving, there is still room for more improvement, and I will make more progress over time. From my point of view, I sure don't see much happening and certainly not much on the positive side. New exercises cause new pains and it's hard not to believe I've come as far as I'm going to. But I'll keep working, hoping, and praying and we'll see where this road goes.

My pain management docs have had me dropping my meds and I'm on my last week of suboxone. I am also reducing my lyrica. That should help the swelling and should also help with my memory and concentration. On the other hand, my damaged and severed nerves are sparking like crazy as they mend themselves. The worst part is the top of my forefeet, my toes, and the balls of my feet. They feel swollen and it feels like they're burning and being poked with needles almost constantly. I sure hope this doesn't go on much longer!

Also this past week or so we went through my clothes to see what fit and what didn't. I ended up with only a few shirts and a couple of jackets. A few stores around here were having some good sales so we went out and got me resupplied. So now I have big boy clothes to wear when we go out of the house and when I go back to work.

Speaking of work, we haven't talked to the docs yet, but we're starting to work out how I can start going back to work a few hours a couple of days a week to start. Of course, J will have to drive me down and wait for me. I really hate that, but it can't be avoided unless my boss says not to bother with it until I can drive myself. But, as I said, we're looking at just starting off light and then building up as my physical condition and PT schedule allows. We don't have a starting date for that yet, but it won't be until early September at the earliest and we still have to talk to my docs about it and get their OKs.

Well, I think that about does it. I've pretty much gotten into a slow-moving routine and the progress is slow, but Scott assures me progress is being made so I'll keep plugging along!

So What's Up?

It's been a while so I thought I'd bring you up to speed on what's been happening lately.

First, on the medical side, the last trip to the pain management docs yielded four things. I can keep weaning off the suboxone, I can start weaning off the lyrica, I can stop taking the tramadol, and apparently I have completely exhausted all their capabilities.

The suboxone and lyrica are both types of pain meds that they want me off of and I want off of. Besides, they were none too effective anyway. The tramadol is another pain med given to em for dealing with the pain created by physical therapy. It wasn't working at all.

After all this I told them my feet were in some level of pain all the time. The essentially told me that's just too damn bad because they had nothing else to offer me. You would think since they are pain specialists and there are an absurd number of medications out there that they would be able to figure out something to help me with my pain. Apparently not. I'm on my own from here on out.

On the physical therapy side of things, there have been a few changes of late.

The balancing exercise I told you about where I stand on a trampoline with my feet in various positions has been modified. They now through a ball to me while I stand on the trampoline. Talk about some hard work! My feet and knees feel like Jell-O after that one.

My time on the elliptical machine and the total gym have both been increased. I expect the elliptical will continue to be increased much as the treadmill was. That thing is quite the workout and I'm rather enjoying it even though sometimes it feels like I'm gonna fall off the thing.

My weights and/or reps keep getting bumped up on my platform and leg extension machine exercises. The platform work is cool, but I could not hate that machine any more if I tried. It is a booger to get in and out of, it is a booger to setup and use, and by the time I am done on it something about it makes my feet hurt so much I can barely stand up.

Finally, I think, they have modified my stationary bike. Until today I've been using a bike they had removed the seat from and I operated it by sitting in a chair behind it. Today they put me on one with a seat to increase my aerobic activity and to work my back and my balance a little more. That's all well and good except that the seat on that thing could not be any more uncomfortable if it were made of a block of old hickory. I swear my butt must be bruised like I just took a good old fashioned beating!

On the work front, I gave them an update on my situation and they could not be any more supportive. I am so very lucky in that regard. They continue to tell me to take all the time I need and even though they'd love to see me back, they would rather I do what I gotta do and take care of myself first. How great is that?

As for my walking, I am now using the straight cane almost exclusively. I think we've used the wheelchair once and the walker twice in the past week, and neither ever get used at home except when I use the walker in the middle of the night and in the morning to steady myself a bit when I first get out of bed.

That is not to say there are no consequences for all the walking. I need to walk as much as I can, but it is causing all kinds of extreme swelling from the tip of my toes all the way through my ankle. I also have a wide variety of aches and pains to go with the swelling, the worst being in the balls of my feet and in my ankles as everything gets used to being used again. And now that I'm getting off the lyrica, I should have a nice variety of pains come in as nerves reawaken and I have nothing to dull the effect.

It never ceases to amaze me that for the amount of damage that was done to my heels and the extensive surgery that was done to repair them, I have almost no pain in my heels. I do have one little spot on one heel and I'm still not used to walking on hard surfaces without shoes so that hurts them a good bit, but other than that, it's the rest of my feet and ankles that are causing me all the pain and discomfort. Weird.

That's all I can think of for now so I'll close with this little reminder....

Save the handicapped stalls for handicapped folks if at all possible. They don't have any other options and they often have other needs than just the basic business.

I know. That was kinda weird too, but trust me. It's important!

PT Update 17 July 08

Today got off to a rough start. I wasn't feeling very well to begin with, but to add insult to injury (no pun intended) I woke up with my feet almost as swollen as they are late in the evening. This is NOT a good thing!

But I am determined to not let anything get in the way of doing at least SOMETHING, we head off to PT and I hope for the best.

The best was not exactly what happened, but we did have a few changes.

First, as you can see in the pic above,they started me on a new machine today. The elliptical. For those not familiar with this particular little lovely piece of torture equipment, it essentially gives you the same physical and aerobic workout as running, but without the impact.

From what I could tell, the main adjustments on this thing is the level of resistance (I started at 1, of course) and how long you spend on it. Today I put 7 minutes on the thing and it wasn't too bad. In fact, I kinda liked it. Getting my gimpy self on and off it was a challenge, but it was kinda nice...for now.

The next big change is, since I'm using a friend's treadmill at home, we are dropping it from the routine at PT to give more time for other fun. Also, we are changing the emphasis on the treadmill from building time to keeping the time static at 30 minutes and working on form, gait, speed, and incline. In that order. So when you look at the treadmill log you'll see what looks like a dip in my progress, but it is planned that way. No big.

If you'll remember I told you some time ago about an exercise of standing with my feet in certain positions to work on balance. Well, for the last few sessions we've been doing that with a bit of a twist. I stand on pillows for more challenge. Today we ramped it up a bit more. I stand on a mini trampoline! Talk about a challenge!

To add to the fun we are now waiting to see if insurance will approve more sessions. You may have noticed that we only had 2 sessions this week. That's because we are only approved for a total of 25 sessions unless and until we can show the insurance company that I still need to keep going. Since we are quickly approaching that limitation, we're cutting back on the frequency a bit until we hear from the insurance company. It is obscene that some insurance company rep with no medical knowledge has such a powerful role in dictating medical care from their little cubicle. But that's a whole other rant.

So that's about it. More challenges, more work, and steady progress.

Bless you all.

Treadmill Log Update

I made a bit of a change in the log.

First, and most obvious, is I changed it to a plotted line area graph just to through some color in there.

The other change is not quite so obvious.

There is another line in there and it is defined as a "Progress Index." This is a value which is derived from all of the other values in the graph, but it also takes into account the incline of the treadmill. My hope is that this will give a more complete indication of the overall progress while still being able to see the individual exercise factors. Adding the incline itself into the graph skews the overall viewability of the graph, but this "Index" helps to show its effect on the overall exercise value.

I also just discovered that while the PT treadmill incline is based on degrees, the one I am using at home is based on percent. So, I need to go back and recalculate to equate the two so you'll see some strange fluctuations in the graph soon.

That's it. Short and sweet this time.

OK, So What Have You Done Lately?

Funny you should ask.

As of today, Scott decided I am doing well enough that it was time for a little bit of change.

I still use the wheelchair primarily when we are out and about, but he wants me to start using the walker more (under close supervision, of course).

But you know that thing about using the walker solo at home and we'll start learning to use a quad cane? Well, that's out the window.

I am now cleared to use a regular straight cane at home, without direct supervision, as much as I can tolerate! We completely skipped the quad cane! Woo-hoo!

Other than that, things went pretty much as expected except this was a late afternoon session. This meant my feet were already sore, stiff, and swollen by the time of our appointment. That made the session nothing but a sheer test of determination, will power, and endurance. Check out the Therapy and Treadmill logs and decide for yourself how I did.

The new leg machine is an adventure. Getting in it wasn't too bad although it is reminiscent of the Mercury astronauts getting into their space capsules. The exercises were a VERY good workout, even at only 10 lbs. My knees are still tired 5 hours later. Getting out of the darn thing was a nightmare. I thought I'd be stuck there and I'd be found later with my arm partly chewed off in a hopeless attempt at escape! OK. Maybe it wasn't quite THAT bad, but it was something I'm gonna have to work on. The exercise don't mean nuttin' if you can't stick the dismount! Ask any gymnast!

So that's about it for today. Praise The Lord and pass the ice packs!

PT Update

Well, another day, more changes.

I was expecting just another routine PT session, except going longer on the treadmill. Wrong.

I DID go longer on the treadmill (30 minutes). I also went a bit faster (1MPH) and, as it turns out, during the last 3 sessions the treadmill has been at a 2 degree incline. But that wasn't enough. They also threw a couple of new things at me.

First, you may recall I mentioned some new balancing exercises where I stand with my feet in certain positions and let go of my walker for 30 seconds. Well, I still do that, but now I stand on pillows. Once that looks good, I'll be standing on a trampoline!

Also as I've mentioned before, we've been talking about starting on working with a quad cane. That's those canes with four feet at the bottom. We may still do that, but Scott has his eye on pretty much skipping that and getting me to a straight cane!

For those of you not watching my Physical Therapy Progress Log, I am up to using 10 pound ankle weights (that's 10 pounds on each leg) when I do my platform leg exercises. Apparently this is not enough. Starting Wednesday, I will be using a new machine. It's the one Annie has me trying out in the picture above. Once I get used to it, we'll be jacking up the weight and reps some more, so watch for that new column being added to the PT Log.

Well, I guess that's it for today. If it's not, it should be!

Little Gains, But Good Ones

There haven't been a lot of big gains lately and no more are really expected for a while. However, there have been a few small ones that are really pretty cool.

As mentioned in a previous post, I can now get in the van. But now I don't need to use the walker to get into it. I can just step, turn, and sit. All I need is to hold onto the van during the transition for a little help with balance.

I am about to make the move away from the hospital bed! The past couple of nights I've been sleeping on a regular bed and that's been going pretty well. So some time this weekend we will probably rearrange things a bit, completing the move to "the big boy bed."

Next, as some of you saw, I had to use a 'sliding board' to heft myself from place to place. Well, I don't use it for anything any longer. I can just stand and step to what I need to move to. Like getting into the van, I still need to hold onto something for a little help with balance, but that's it.

Probably the biggest improvement is that I don't use my wheelchair in the house. At all. Ever. I now use my walker exclusively at home. Pretty soon we'll start trying to use it elsewhere as well, working towards getting out of the wheelchair altogether. Pretty soon, they're going to start working on teaching me how to use a cane of some sort instead of the walker.

I still have a long way to go. I'd like to take a regular shower. I want to drive my X. It'd be nice to be able to find caches myself. I'd REALLY like to walk without assistance or supervision. I could probably go on listing stuff all day, but there's really little point in that. It will all come in time. For now, I'll take all the small victories I can get!

Back on Track

After the previously reported setback, I had to take some time to let things settle down. My right achilles and the stuff that wraps around the heel is still very tender and is slowing me down in some ways, but things overall are coming along anyway.

As you can tell from my therapy log, my leg weights are now up to 10lbs (per leg) and I am racking up more time on the treadmill (Time on the treadmill is more important than speed. Speed will come on its own later.) and on the Total Gym.

Also, my step-ups have gotten easier and I've graduated from seated ankle rocking exercises to doing them while standing. That's a little hairy. I stand with both feet on a rocker board and rock back and forth on my ankles while trying to not fall on my...self.

I've also been given the OK to use my walker in the house without someone right next to me although I still have to have someone near. The objective here is to use my wheelchair as little as I can stand when in a semi-controlled environment. This will help with leg strengthening, swelling reduction, balance, nerve regeneration, and more.

I don't see any more huge leaps of progress like we were doing early on, but these little steps are just fine by me!

A Bit Of A Setback

Some time after doing my treadmill work Thursday morning and some walking later, my right heel and ankle started hurting. A lot. I think I pushed it too hard on the treadmill. I got a little overeager trying to push for more speed and more time. I accomplished both, but it cost me.

I took it easy the rest of Thursday, but when I got to PT Friday, it was still hurting a lot. I was still able to do the platform work but I had to fight through the Total Gym and REALLY fight through the step-ups. When I tried the treadmill I couldn't stand even a few minutes at VERY low speed without huge pains so we stopped, iced down the ankle and heel, and I finished up on the stationary bike. I've been babying it ever since.

It still hurts but seems to be getting a little better. I'm trying to do enough to keep it kind of loose but I have to be very careful not to go too far and stress it out again.

I'm considering it a hard lesson learned. I'll get it back in shape as soon as possible and then I'll get back to work as best I can.

Don't expect any more dramatic increases in the treadmill!

In Response

I was sitting here and thought it was high time I replied to all of your comments.

First and foremost, I can never thank all of you sufficiently for caring enough and taking the time to read my ramblings and leave or email comments. I am absolutely convinced that your prayers, good thoughts, good humor, and positive energy are major reasons for my progress.

Even though I don't reply to the comments here and do not even always remember to reply to the emails, please know that I eagerly anticipate, read, and treasure every word.

That being said, I have to say a few things.

First, credit must be given where it is due. Yes, I've endured a lot and I have worked hard to come back. However, there are others who make my work possible and make it pay off.

First, I must thank The Lord for taking good care of me and surrounding me with such terrific people.

At the top of the list of those people is J. She puts in an incredible amount of time and effort to make sure I have clothes to wear, to help me get ready each day, to make sure everything is scheduled just right, to get me where I need to be, and so much more. She does things for me or because of me that she should never be asked to do, but she has done them, oftentimes without being asked and always without a single complaint. She is an amazing person and she deserves far more recognition for my recovery than anyone, especially me, has given her.

Next, I could not have made the progress I have without the efforts of the PT staff. They are a phenomenal bunch. They always seem to know what I need to do and how to get me to do it, regardless of how I feel that day. They challenge, encourage, motivate, and work me without being cruel or condescending. They also know when I'm having a bad day and we just have to take it a little easy without making me feel like some kind of failure for it. Every day I both look forward to and dread going, but by the time I leave there, I feel great, I'm glad I went, I don't want to leave, and I'm looking forward to the next session.

Last, but certainly not least, we have some incredible friends. They help me and they help J so she can help me. They will do anything J or I need, sometimes before we know we need it. They insist they aren't doing anything special, but without their loving and selfless support, our lives would be so much more difficult, I can't even imagine what it would be like.

Now some folks have called me a hero, a role model, etc. Don't take this the wrong way, but I am none of these things. The Marine that sacrifices himself for his buddies is a hero. The fireman that willingly enters a burning building is a hero. I'm just a guy trying to recover from a bad accident that was the result of a bad decision. I appreciate the sentiment, but it is completely misplaced to put me anywhere near the same level as the true heroes of this world.

That is not to say that I don't want this experience to have an affect on people. Just the opposite. If what I have been through has had any kind of positive influence on anyone in some way, then maybe...just maybe...at least a little good has come out of this mess. Maybe I can help someone to believe and trust in The Lord, to not give up, to stand up to adversity, or even just quietly persevere. If anything like that comes of this, that would be great.

So thanks, again, to everyone for the comments. The continuing outpouring of support has been truly humbling.

God bless you all.

New Blog Link

I just wanted to let you know about a new link I put on the blog.

More and more folks have been asking for details of what I have to do in PT, so I created a "Physical Therapy Log." It is just a simple spreadsheet that shows the progression of tasks, weights, reps, etc. that they have me do in each PT session.

I only went back as far as I could reasonably recall details and I'm sure it's pretty close but I doubt it is wholly accurate except for the last couple of days.

Finally, I did not include my "homework" exercises or the specific exercises I do on the platform.

Medical Update and Blog Info

This is gonna be a short one, folks.

First, we had a visit with the surgeon today. After taking some x-rays he came in and took a look. The verdict? Everything looks great! He's VERY happy with the progress both in the healing and in the rehab. In his words, "My part's done. Now it's up to you and the physical therapy people."

Finally, we got every x-ray the surgeon's office has taken and I've added them to the slideshow!

For those that don't know, you can hover your mouse over the slideshow to control it, or you can click on it to go to the album they are in and see all the pics in a larger size.

That's it. G'nite!

So. What's been happening lately?

Hello everyone.

No major announcements. I just thought it may be time to let you in on what we've been working on the past few days.

First, at the last PT, they increased my exercises to 12 reps per set and Monday we'll be going up to 7.5 lb weights. Also, I did 11 minutes, 14 seconds on the treadmill at a new personal highest speed of .7 MPH. It was also decided that our new goal is to get me out of the wheelchair full time as soon as possible. That means we step up my walking exercises to doing it as much as possible. Time to really push the boundaries of my endurance!

On the home front, we did an experiment last night. First, I tried walking from inside to outside for the first time! Outside being down the ramp and into the garage. That was pretty challenging because of the angle of the ramp. It forces me to really flex my ankles and concentrate heavily on my balance. Also, we tinkered with getting me into the van instead of the car. This means using the walker to get out of the wheelchair, take a step or two, then turn to sit in the seat. Quite an exercise in balance and coordination. To sum it up, both experiments went VERY well. So much so that we are now using the van as my primary transport vehicle! Unfortunately that means taking both the wheelchair and the walker everywhere we go since I need to use the walker to stand and transfer between the van and the wheelchair. On the up side, it is much easier for J to get the chair in the van than getting it into the car.

So far, the big challenge in standing and taking a step or two between the van and the wheelchair has been dealing with the different and uneven surfaces encountered in that short time. You wouldn't think that little bit would be a big deal, but it sure is!

We are also working on transferring me between different pieces of furniture in the house by standing using the walker instead if using the sliding board. We went to my office this morning where I needed to do a bit of work. When we left, we brought my office chair home so I can work on transferring to it and so I can use it when I get out of the wheelchair.

Finally, and probably most importantly, we are trying to me to take every opportunity to walk me whenever I need to move from place to place within the house . Of course, I can only do this if the pain and swelling levels are down some and if I have someone to accompany me. Both J and S have been pitching in on this duty. Thanks to both of them!

Well, I suppose that's about it for now. Stay tuned for more.

God bless you all.

PT Update

After a bit of a rough weekend, we headed into physical therapy wondering how it would go.

We weren't there long before Scott announced that today was the day we hit the treadmill!

I have to admit, having NEVER been on a treadmill in my life, I was more than a little apprehensive about getting on one in my current physical state. It turns out I had nothing to worry about.

After the usual manual work on my feet, Scott had me walk over to the treadmill. He showed me how to get on it, explained what we were going to do, then he told me to get on the thing. That first step was the hardest. Stepping up onto it was a bit painful. I stepped up with my left foot so for a moment all my weight was on my right foot, which wasn't too bad. The bad part was when I had to push up with my left foot. I had not done that before and it was a bit rough, but we got through it just fine.

When I got up there, Scott told me a couple more little things, then he hit the button and off I went at a blazing .1 MPH! I took to that machine like you would not believe! I stretched my stride, worked on my gait, worked on foot placement, and much more. It was quite a workout for my feet, knees, legs, and my entire body, especially as Scott worked me up to a mind-numbing .5 MPH! Far too soon it was over. I stepped down off of it without difficulty and walked over to the Total Gym.

I really liked the treadmill. I'm looking forward to using it again! I like the Total Gym, too. It makes me feel more like I'm really rebuilding my legs.

I wonder what Scott has in mind me for me next time!

Another day,another update.

Not much for you today.

Since everything was feeling a bit better, I walked 2 laps again today before doing my usual platform exercises. At the exercises I was bumped up to 6 lbs. of weights which I handled well.

After the platform, I got a bit of a surprise. We went over the the "Total Gym" for the first time!

This machine (see the pic above left and the new pics in the slideshow) works as a kind of anti-gravity device. You law on a sliding board. The board can be angled. The lower the angle, the less weight is put on your feet. At the angle used today, I was pressing about 40% of m body weight. I did this for about 5 minutes and it felt GREAT! As I get stronger, the angle will be raised and the time will be extended.

After the Total Gym I went for another 10 minute ride on the stationary bike.

When that was done I was given some more exercises to add onto the home routine.

Overall, I felt much better and everything went much smoother. I stood up very well, my walking was pretty good, and my balance, range of motion, flexibility, and strength were all improved. As we used to say in The Corps....OOHRAH!

That's it for today! (And that was enough! Sheesh!)

General Update

Hi everyone!

No MAJOR news this time around but on the eve of the day marking 5 months since the accident, I thought I'd post what has been going on lately.

First, you may have noticed I changed the blog layout again. I took out a lot of stuff and added a slideshow. As I collect more pics relating to the accident, they'll show up in the slideshow. But be warned. Some of the pics that will be going up are pretty graphic. They were taken in the ER and during the following hospital stays.

Well, my PT is going in fits and starts, as expected. I started doing better, then I got hit with some pain and swelling so we had to back off a little. That's going to be the normal routine from here on out.

Two PT sessions ago I walked 2 laps around the room (about 300 feet). I had help and was very much using my walker of course, but I walked with my head up, with better flow, and my balance was better. It was good enough that I got the OK to carefully, and with supervision, walk around the house 2 or 3 times per day. Which I have started doing.

Walking at home is a LOT different than walking at PT. The carpet at PT is that unpadded, industrial stuff. At home we have padded carpet or the stone tiles. The tiles aren't too bad except it is a rather rough surface and the grout lines are something to experience. The carpet is a whole other problem. Between the padding and the swelling in my feet, it feels like I am walking with water balloons strapped to the bottoms of my feet! That really affects my senses of balance and stability!

With all this walking, exercise, standing, transferring without the sliding board (meaning I stand up as I move between my chair and other things), comes a rather unpleasant side effect...increased swelling. So now I'm finding myself with my feet up either in my wheelchair leg supports or, when it REALLY gets bad, back in bed. I'm spending more time working and such in bed again than I have since shortly after leaving the hospital (which was 4 months ago today, by the way).

On a completely different subject, you more observant folks out there will notice in some of the slideshow pics that I am wearing Crocs. Yes, Crocs...on MY feet. When these things first came out I SWORE I'd never spend that kinda money on ugly plastic shoes. Well, I have 3 pair and may get more.

When I started PT, they said I'd need some kind of shoes or something to cover my feet when I'm on the equipment and when I start walking. Well, OK. We thought we could easily find some oversize tennis shoes or something. We were wrong. I tried on shoes up a size 16E and could not find ANYTHING that would accommodate the swelling without looking like clown shoes.

Then we spied some Crocs and tried them just for the heck of it. And whaddaya know. They fit great because the wide opening and wide toes accommodate the swelling very well. Also, they are surprisingly comfortable, provide pretty good support, the sole and material provides good padding and decent traction, they are very lightweight but provide some protection, and the inside sole surface kinda massages and helps desensitize my feet. Who'd-a thunk it? So now I have 2 pair in my regular size 12 for normal wear and a pair of 13's that fit well when the swelling is up.

Well, That about does it for now. I think, by-and-large, I am now in a routine with my PT, both in the work I do and how I respond to it. There will be good days and not-so-good days. All I can do is trust in the Lord and keep working to get my strength and abilities back as soon as possible.

More Progress

Today was another physical therapy day and we headed off expecting a rather routine session. Stand up, do the 'stutter walk', do the same ol' exercises, and spend some time on the stationary bike.

Well, it didn't quite turn out that way.

First, Scott had me stand without my boots (the ones my brother calls "Klingon mukluks"). Well, OK. That's a little different.

Then he told me to start walking. Without the mukluks. So I figure we'll just take a few steps to test the waters a bit. Boy, was I wrong! That dude had me walk around the ENTIRE PT room! OK. So it's not a 5 mile hiking trail. Heck. It's not even a 1/4 mile track, but it's a pretty good distance for me! And without the mukluks!

So we're strolling along with my "stutter step" where I move the walker forward, step 1 foot and then the other up to it, stop, then do it again. All of a sudden Scott tells me to try to walk normally...flowing my steps 1 after the other without pausing. After a moment of sheer panic, I give it a shot and I did it! At first I could only get 3, maybe 4 steps in a row, but pretty quickly I was able to just keep going!

Sure, I still had a little balance trouble, my depth perception was a bit off so I could not always tell where the floor was, and Scott was still holding onto me just a little, but I was getting it done!

So we get back to the table and I get ready to start the exercise routine and I get told we're upping the weights. As it turned out, that was no big deal, either. I was able to complete all reps of all sets without difficulty! Sweet!

So we get done with those and they tell me to get into my chair and roll over to the stationary bike. Ummm, no, I don't think so. I tell them I wanna WALK over! So they agree, and I do. And even better than before!

Now all I have to do is be able to walk with my head up instead of watching my foot placement and without Scott spotting me and I can start walking at home! You KNOW what I'm gonna be trying REAL hard to do Thursday!

Another Milestone Falls!!!

Yes, the next milestone falls. In fact, a couple of them!

See that pic to the left? I'm not just standing there. I'm walking!!! In fact, I was walking pretty darn well all things considered!!!

We finally got the walker yesterday and they told us to bring it with us to PT as soon as we got it. And boy, they meant it! The very first thing we did today was put it to use! Scott checked it out, deemed it a good walker, set it front of me, and told me we were gonna take a few steps and that we did!

After that, we did the usual exercises, then Scott had me walk about halfway across the room to the stationary bike!

Next I was given the go-ahead to sleep without those darn boots! So now the only time those boots are on are when I am standing or walking!

And to top it all off, my brother and his wife, who had just gotten in from the Seattle area and I only get to see every 2 or 3 years, had met us there at the rehab facility so they were there to see me take my very first steps since January 6th and share in the moment!

Wow! What a day! Praise the Lord!

It is so exciting to knock these milestones down and all with minimal pain to boot. Sure, there is some discomfort and a few muscle aches, but I can't say that the PT has really caused me any undue pain. I simply cannot understand why the Lord is smiling on me to such a degree, but I'm sure not going to question His judgment!

Now on to rebuild my sense of balance, leg strength, and coordination. Then after that, I dump the boots and start walking at home.

I think I can FINALLY see the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel!

PT Follow-up

Another round of PT today and I just thought you may want to see me standing up (with the aid of Scott, of course).

As you can't see, Scott has his knees bracing my right knee and he's holding onto a web belt that is around my waist. I've got a death grip on his arms because my knees are always trying to buckle, my feet hurt like mad, and my sense of balance is completely whacked out.

You may notice that my back is NOT to the chair. That's because I have already stood up twice and this time I took shuffle steps to get turned around so I could sit down on the exercise platform. When I'm done with the exercises we do there, we then do this little dance again to get me back into my wheelchair. From there I go to the stationary bike and then I'm done for the day.

Another Milestone!

Today we went to physical therapy expecting more table exercising work and then moving on to the stationary cycle for the first time.

Well, that was mostly true.

So, sporting my new Crocs (I swore I'd NEVER wear them, but they were the only thing we found that would fit over all my swelling.), we were off. We got there and the therapist we had originally wanted to see was back. His name is Scott. We said hello and asked how his vacation went. All very civilized. But the chit-chat didn't last long.

First he started working my feet like the other guy did. Well, no, that isn't exactly accurate. The other guy used lotion and did more of a deep tissue foot massage. Scott didn't bother with any lotion and he acted more like he was taking a detailed inventory of every part of my feet. He was finding stuff to hurt that I didn't even know existed! He alternated between doing that and stretching my ankles, calves, and knees to the point that I thought I was gonna be the rubbery guy in the next Fantastic Four movie!

And while he was doing that and I was doing my best to keep from jumping through the ceiling, he decides that this was a great time to tell me that we were going to be standing up today! Well, now, this is the thing that I've been the most frightened of in this whole physical therapy hoo-hah and I immediately went into "HOLY CARP!!!" panic mode. This was NOT what we were told to expect today!

Next thing ya know, Scott is putting a safety belt around me and telling me how "we" are going to be standing up together. I'm trying to determine the best way to escape! But I stayed calm (really, I DID!!!) and like the good Marine I've always tried to be, I followed orders.

He grabbed the safety belt around my waist, braced my upper body and my right knee, told me exactly how to brace myself and shift my weight, then up we went while Julie braced my wheelchair and held her breath. Piece of cake except that my knees wanted to buckle. There was absolutely no pain whatsoever! We stood there for a good 45 seconds before I just knew my knees were going to completely give out, and he helped me back down into my wheelchair.

I STOOD UP!!! I REALLY STOOD UP!!! HOLY COW AND PRAISE THE LORD!!! I STOOD UP!!!

He let me rest for a bit, then we did it again. This time I was able to stay up a little longer. Then we did it again, but this time he had me shift my weight back and forth. OK, so this time it started to hurt. Then he had me pick up my feet and shuffle to my left to get to the exercise table! This really hurt and I didn't do real well, but I got there. Then after my exercise routine, he had me stand up and do the shuffle back to my wheelchair. It still hurt, but I was able to do a little better this time. Then it was off to the stationary bike and then we were done for the day.

Now, several hours later, things are starting to really hurt and swell. We'll wait and see how things are tomorrow, but everything should be just fine. These aches and pains are all from parts being used that haven't been used in a while and the only way out of it is through.

With help from The Lord and "J", I know I'll make it. It's just a matter of time now!

MEDICAL UPDATE 5/14/08

Just a quick update after our visit with the surgeon as a follow up to the infection.

First, he is no longer concerned about the infection. We have a couple days of meds left and he thinks that will be sufficient. He know thinks it was just a common bacteria that worked its way in, not anything major picked up from the accident itself. So that's over with unless something flares up again later.

He also did a quick overall exam and has decided that, as far as he's concerned, I should keep the boots off as much as possible and start using my feet as much as I can stand! He says that everything looks all healed up and they should be able to take whatever I can throw at them (up to a point, anyway).

I may still have to have some of the metal removed, mainly the 2 screws going into the back of each heel, but we'll have to wait and see. If the metal isn't bothering me as we proceed, it'll stay.

(Thanks, D, for the toe cozies! They're comin' in handy!)

So How'd It Go?

I should have posted this sooner. I apologize.

The physical therapy (PT) went surprisingly easily, though I suspect it will get much more difficult VERY soon.

To make a long story short, they want me to start spending much more time with my feet out of the boots! This is great news! Of course, I still need to wear them at night and when moving around so that they are protected, but when sitting around the house, they come off! The main idea is that My feet will start getting recovered from being desensitized faster and just being out of the boots is a workout and help with flexibility and range of motion.

They also gave me more exercises to do at home and ideas for various techniques to help even more with many different facets of recovery.

They also talked about how we need to start looking into walkers! Wasn't expecting that one for quite some time!

The staff there seems to be a good group of folks that seem to really know what they are doing and take a genuine interest in their patients. It looks like we backed the right horse.

For a process that will take a long time, it seems we really got off to a jump start!

Here We Go!

Last Friday I finally made it to the physical therapy evaluation and I start the physical therapy tomorrow.

As usual with ANYTHING in this whole process, I have VERY mixed feelings about this.

Of course, I am very happy that I have hit this next milestone and I can FINALLY start working towards getting back on my feet, walking, and driving my X. All that is very exciting.

On the other hand, it is absolutely terrifying.

There are going to be aches, pain, and days that I'd rather stay in the wheelchair. We have even talked with the therapists and the pain management docs about what drugs I'll need to help keep the pain under control. That is not a good sign!

OK. So what am I facing?

Well, at first we'll have to do a lot of work to desensitize my feet. Right now my skin is extremely sensitive to be touched in any way. There are times that even the light touch of a cotton ball will send me through the ceiling and the skin always feels like it is burning.

For some time we will be working on joint flexibility, range of motion, and upper body and leg strengthening. Once all that is at a good level, then we'll start working on putting weight on my feet. Once my feet can bear my full weight (Thank the Lord I've lost quite a few pounds!), then we'll work on my standing and shifting my weight in all directions. Once I'm good with that, we start walking. Some time during all that I'll start getting weaned out of the boots I'm in and migrating from wheelchair to walker to canes and, hopefully, to walking without any assistance.

At this point, before we've really done any work, they are saying it will be about a year before I can just walk without any assistance on a flat surface for any length of time. Something like walking with J for a short jaunt through Wally World or something. It will be longer before I can walk down an improved trail and even longer, of course, until I can walk along a lightly improved trail. Odds are I will never be able to hike in rough terrain or do any bushwhacking to caches.

For now I'll be happy if God will let me get out of these boots, out of this chair, and start wearing real shoes again. That's all I can hope for right now. When I see that those will come true, I'll set my sights on walking unassisted. After that, I'll worry about the rest.

So, here we go. It'll be a lot of work, but it's for a BIG prize!

So What Have I Learned?

Today marks 4 months since the accident. Yesterday marked 3 months since I got out of the hospital. So in these months of periodic isolation and many nights of staring at ceilings, what have I learned?

First and foremost I had plenty of time to reflect on my spiritual life. Or lack of one, if you will. I had been searching for answers for several years. During my "down time", as I call it (the time I was laid up in the hospitals and then at home, largely immobile), I did a lot of thinking and taking long, hard looks at myself, where I was, and how I got there..and I don't mean just in regards to the accident. I also had some very enlightening conversations with a friend who, much to his surprise, helped focus some of my thoughts and clarified others. All of this culminated, about 2 weeks ago, in my accepting Christ. I did so publicly last Sunday when we all visited the church my friend attends.

Another thing I've learned is how much I love and depend on "J" and have taken that, and her, for granted. Through all of this she has been right there, more than willing to do anything that was even remotely necessary to help me recover. There have been many times when she could have (and maybe should have) told me to fend for myself, but not her. She stepped right up to the plate every single time. She also fought for me when everyone else wanted to treat me like a side of beef. She stood up to insurance, hospitals, doctors, you name it. I cannot begin to imagine having to go through all this without her.

I learned that I have friends. Not "myspace" type friends, but true friends. Friends that sit with you in the hospital all night so your wife can get a break. Friends that will drive an hour to come visit you just so you won't feel alone. Friends that come and do work around your house for you without even being asked. Friends who sit with you day after day for no other reason than they want to spend time with you. These friends know who they are and I thank them for all they've done and I want them to know I value them more than I ever thought I could.

I learned that I am not as alone and invisible as I thought. People were coming to see me before I was even out of the ER. Folks I'd never heard of were asking about me and sending me good wishes. And here I had always believed I was all but alone in the world and I was of little significance to any but a very few. Boy, was I wrong! This event has made me step back and take another long, hard look at my place in the world. It's all new to me so I don't quite know what to make of it, but I'll figure it out.

There are other things I have learned, but I think I'll keep them to myself for the time being. Maybe permanently. I'm sure I have even more to learn as this process goes on. I just hope I'm paying attention to the lessons as they come.

MEDICAL UPDATE 5/1/08

This morning was the critical "3-months out" appointment with the surgeon.

First, the infection. He says it's looking "good" so far. It still hurts and it looks kinda ugly, but apparently it's doing what it's supposed to do. Also, he said he was surprised at the results. He was expecting things to be worse. As it turns out all tests indicate that the bug did NOT attach itself to the metal and that it appears to be a completely localized situation.

Back to the original purpose for the visit. He looked at the x-rays and decided it's time for the physical therapy to begin. He says everything in both heels looks good and I can go start learning how to walk again and he was absolutely giddy. I take that as a good sign. It should take about a year before I am able to just walk normally like walking with "J" through the grocery store. I can also start weaning off the boots under direction from the therapists. Getting those off and starting to use a walker are the next big milestones.

So we are continuing on the antibiotics for another couple of weeks, we can go visit the physical therapists and decide where to go and then get that started, then go back to see the surgeon in 2 weeks to check on the status of the infection.

Beyond that, it's all physical therapy and working towards walking again.

Here we go!

MEDICAL UPDATE 4/29/08

It looks like we are winning the fight against the infection.

The surgeon's office did two tests when we went there. The first one confirmed that I have an infectious bug in there. The second confirmed that the antibiotics I am taking do kill this kind of bug. So now it's just a matter of being sure we take enough of it to kill all the big we can and hope that it hasn't attached itself to my bionic parts.

ICK WARNING!

A couple of days ago, the hole looked like it was closing up, but something had formed nearby. It felt like a puffy blister, but it wasn't a blister. The doc described it as an "infection tract" and that it sounded like a normal reaction. The doc said it sounded like a normal condition but we needed to keep an eye on it.

With that info we waited until late yesterday when we changed the bandage and inspected the area. When the bandage came off, we were surprised with a good bit of bloody ooze dripping from the hole in my heel. So we look at the puffy place and it is dark purply, but it is no longer raised and pressing gently on the spot causes more dripping. So we keep pressing until the dripping stops and then bandage everything back up.

ALL CLEAR!

This morning I get up and start moving around. The heel still hurts like crazy, but after moving around a bit it eases up some. "J" calls the surgeons office this morning and give the details. They say it all sounds like good and normal progress against the infection! Yay!

So I'm up, working, moving, and it is well into the tolerable pain area. In fact, right now my left foot and hip are bothering me far more than my right heel.

Sounds like another baby step in the right direction!

Next up, if something else doesn't happen, is an appointment with the surgeon Thursday to evaluate the infection and see if I'm ready to start the physical therapy that'll get me walking again.

How It Happened

We went to a geoevent today and while there I had to keep telling the story of what happened. Although this medium obviously won't tell everyone in the world the story, it's a start. So here goes.

One bright, lovely morning "J" and I went after a couple of FTF's and breakfast. We got one, got STF on the other, then off to breakfast we go. On the way there (Cafe Java, a GREAT place) we passed a cache called "Humpty Dumpty". Don't look for it. It's been archived.

This cache had been on my radar for a while and I had a bad feeling about it from day one. But any cache in my home turf that I haven't gotten just gnaws at me. It taunts me. As we pass by I say something about always wanting to stop and grab it, but I probably shouldn't. We had breakfast and we were headed back home. We get close to the cache site and we decide to stop and I'll just go "check it out".

So we find a place to park and "J" decides to stay with the "X" (my xTerra, not my ex-wife) while I go to the cache. I get there and I'm faced with a 20-25' retaining wall. It's those dry-fit blocks. The big ones. I knew from the description and talking to other cachers that climbing was required. I test out the blocks to be sure there is enough room for good hand and toe holds. All looks good. I climb up a row or two just to be sure. Still good. So I make the momentous decision. I go for it.

I climbed up the wall just fine. I traversed from side to side checking out some obvious hiding places. Then I start feeling my hands and toes getting tired and I decide it's time to get down before I get too tired to hold on any longer. So I start working my way down, getting my feet down a couple of rows. I make sure they are well in place and I start moving my right hand to a lower point.

It is right then that the block I am holding with my left hand just flies out of its place. In a blink of an eye I tried to get my right hand to a block. At the same time I thought of the trash can below me that had a bundle of sticks and limbs sticking straight up out of it. Then I have the realization that I'm going down.

With the can in mind, and my body starting to fall back, I push off out and a little to my right to avoid the can. Then that 30 year old Marine training kicked in. I thought to hit the ground fairly squarely with my feet, trying to flex mainly on the balls of my feet, and go into a "tuck and roll".

It would have worked if Round Rock would learn how to lay a sidewalk straight and level, but this one was angled to one side and that made my feet hit squarely on both heels. The moment I hit I tucked and rolled, but I felt something give and I knew something had broken. I thought it was one or both ankles. When I came to stop I grabbed my cell phone and called Julie and told her, "Get over here, I think I broke my ankles!". She started asking a question and I yelled at her to "Shut up and get here!"

She was there in a flash. I could see the terror in her eyes, so I took over and yelled at her to call 911. That got her into action. We spent the next few minutes trying to explain to 911 just where the heck we were. During that time I was getting my boots off. Then the pain came. In huge, mind-numbing waves.

In what seemed like the passing of eternity but was really just a few minutes, a fire department emergency unit was there and very soon after an EMT was kneeling over me and saying hi. It was then I found out I had a compound fracture with a piece of bone sticking out of the heel of my right foot. In no time they had me checked out, on a board, stabilized, then on a gurney and headed to the hospital. They were extremely good at what they did and they tried to ease my pain, but as it turns out all they had was morphine and morphine has absolutely NO effect on me.

Through the pain, about all I remember after that is getting into an ER trauma room, they took me for some x-rays and CT scans, kept trying to get morphine in me to ease my pain, and then they got me into surgery to put the bone back into my right heel and get the hole stitched up. I vaguely remember returning from that surgery, but I don't remember where I returned to.

If you want details of what happened from there until I got to the HealthSouth facility, you're pretty much on your own.

Well, that's it as best as I can remember.