July 14-16th

So these past three days God has put some incredible people in my path.

Thursday the 14th we went to Costco to do our shopping and I ran into a gentleman who came up to me and introduced himself and took off his hat and proceeded to say: " i too had to wear a Halo and all I can say is hang in there it does get better."

We proceeded to speak for about 30 minutes or so. Most of the questions I asked were about how he functions now and what restrictions he has. As these are the two biggest concerns I have for myself. He did have the surgery and has his c-1 to c-6 fused. His mobility is far better than I expected. He is a lieutenant colonel in the Army and still on active duty and he has to be in his 40's I would say. He had the surgery in his 20's. It was great to see someone who is still active and living life the same after surgery as before.

Friday was our 5 year anniversary. We went to Dukes Chowder House on Green Lake for dinner. When we got there we had asked to sit at the far table outside and the Manager seating us had said: "I don't have a waiter for that table yet do you mind waiting a bit fro them to get here" We were not in a hurry so we had said that would not be a problem at all. we were seated and then after a bit our waiter came to our table to take our order. The first thing he had said to me was " I had to wear a Halo as well and since have made a full recovery" He had no after effects of his accident as well. Again just what I needed to hear that day!!!

Saturday we went to Home Depot to return some tile and get a new bath mirror. The lady at the returns counter also told us that her Aunt had to wear a Halo as well and her neck is doing a lot better. She was older and had a lot more injuries but her neck healed well.

Through all of this I have come to realize that the only reason I am here still is there is a plan for me. I just do not know yet what it is. It is very obvious though it was not my time. God has put people in my life to help me deal with my feelings and get me through the tough times as well.

July 12th 2010

Today we had a doctor appointment with the attending doctor for the first time. we actually got some real answers for once. They were not the answers we wanted but still there is hope for me to make a full recovery.

So the vertebrae has still not stabilized fully to allow the fibrous tissue to develop and heal yet. Think of the c-1 as a donut that has broken into 4 pieces. There are 4 spots where there is breaks in the bone that need to heal. The weight of my skull is also preventing this as well cause it is also pushing down on the c-1 causing it to spread out more as well. If it does not stabilize I will need to have surgery to correct this. The other thing is if it spreads to far out the bone can not fuse naturally either. If the bone does heal on its own the only thing that will hinder me over time will be the onset of arthritis. We will not know when it will set in and how severe it will be until it happens.

So right now we are playing the waiting game as to how it is going to act over the next few weeks. Pray for healing and the pain to subside some so I am able to enjoy some the days this summer.

July 8th 2010

This morning I woke up to Mindy thinking that my pins had moved again during the night. throughout the day it looked liked it was getting worse. So we had to go back to the ER. I am getting tired of that place. This time we called the clinic and they suggested we go to the ER because the clinic hours were now closed. This was a very bad day to go to the ER at Harborview. This was one of the hottest days we have had so far this summer. We got there around 430pm and checked in to be seen. The waiting room was packed. There were people there who had been waiting since 1130am and still had not been seen yet. We waited till 715pm and finally were seen. Again we had to wait till the spine specialist was able to come and see us. Long story short everything was still in alignment and the pins were still in the correct place. We finally got out of there at 1030pm. The people who were waiting since 1130am were still waiting. Very long day for them.

July 7th 2010

This morning I awoke to the most excruciating pain since the accident. I screamed out to mindy thinking that my pins had to much pressure and cracked my skull. "My pins just cracked my skull. Call 911 now!!". Meanwhile Mindy was in tue bathroom throwing up. She had become sick overnight and spent most of the morning in the bathroom. She came running in to the bedroom to me crying out in pain and our daughter Alex screaming from me waking her by yelling. In a panicked voice she asked what happend. I yelled out again that my skull just cracked.

Woodinville firefighters arrived in 3 minutes. It felt very reassuring knowing they got here so fast. They then had to wait till AMR came to transport me to harbourview. The long ride went by quickly but very painfull. Every bump n the road resonates through my head. Being strapped down to the wood back board is not very comfortable.

Still not knowing if my skull has cracked or not we were seen by the ER docs. Given the delicate matter involved we had to wait till the spine specialist was available. We got xrays done and finally find out what was going on. The very loud cracking sound I heard and felt in my head was not my skull cracking. What it was was the back two pins had slipped and moved. All of the pins are supposed to be torqued down to 8lbs per inch. They were all at 3-4 lbs. They did not have an explanation for me as to why they loosened so much. We had just had appt. on friday and they checked them all. As a result of this occurring it made the pins scrape my skull as they moved up my head. This pain was so intense that nothing they gave me in the ER could take it away. After knowing that my neck was not in jeopardy of getting more injured and was stable they sent me home.

So now not only do I have to deal with the pain of my broken neck but add to that the injury sites of the pins scrapping my skull as well. It feels as though I have to start all over again. I was doing so well everyday before this. My pain level was manageable daily with less pain meds. Now I am going to have to take even more pills again.

July 4th 2010

Today we tried to have as normal a day as possible. My wife and I went to church for the first time in quite awhile. Through all of this I truly believe God was watching over me and made sure I made it through the way I did. That is the only explanation I have for why I did not end up the way many of the hospital staff had said was typical for c-1 fracture patients. Many times I was told I was lucky to be alive. It was nice to give my thanks to the lord for everything he has done for me and the support he has shown us in the greatest time of need for us.

Later that afternoon we made our way to the lake. This place holds a special place in my heart. This is where my wife and I were married. Every year Mindy's aunt & uncle have a big BBQ. The people who live on the lake all pitch in to pay for a big fireworks display. I spent most of the day sitting in a deck chair watching them all play volleyball and bocce ball. it was our typical fourth of july, rainy and windy. It didn't stop them from playing in the rain though. We had the full spread of food and desserts to make may day go by. Finally the show started around 10:15 and as always was very entertaining and beautiful. It is amazing what they can do with powder and explosives. We finally got home around 11:30pm, What a long day.

July 2nd 2010

I had my first doctor appt today to follow up and see how things look. During the appt they had mentioned again about surgery and if my neck doesn't heal properly I may need to do this soon than later. They checked the halo and made sure it is still in the correct position as well as testing the pins to make aure they are tight. We took some more xrays just to verify position and see if anything has moved. Appt went well. We now follow up again on the 19th of July.

June 27 2010

First full day at home went well. I am really tired and sore. Most of my pain is in the neck muscles. I have very little pain right at the break. It's more of a dull ache that gets stronger as the Pain pills wear off. The hardest part is trying to lay down and sit up in bed. This puts the most stress onh neck and really hurts a lot. It takes a while to calm down after doing these. The other thing I never thought would be difficult is going to the bathroom. Try going but never looking down at all.

June 22 2010 after 911 call

After calling 911 it seemed like the longest wait of my life. Time really went by at a snails pace. When the paramedics arrived they like me figured I just had strained my neck. This was before thier assessment of my spine. Once they did this it seemed like they had a switch go off in them. No more joking or casual talk. The level of intensity on thier face was immediate. They strapped me to they back board and placed a c collar on me. My pain level was so intense I started to make me shiver. They put me in the back of the ambulance and started out to harbourview. They gave me morphine to help with the pain but it only took a small edge off. But it was just enough to make it bearable. The drive was so horrible, we really need to pave our roads better.

Once we arrived in the ER I was seen very quickly. The initial trauma X-rays were very blurry from the swelling and they could not tell what had happend. I needed to wait till they could do an MRI and more X-rays. Finally they were able to get better films and pictures which showed I had broken my c-1 vertebrae in 4 different spots. Two on each side. They were not sure if surgery was an option or not considering where and what I had broken. It was a 50/50 decision as to what to do. The first step was to imobilize my neck and place me in a halo. This is a vest that goes around your chest with metal bars extending up to a ring around your head that is secured to your skull by 4 titanium pins. The pins are screwed into the ring and push on the skull and held by tension. I will need to wear this for at least 3 months. After spending 4 days in the hospital I was released and able to go home. I was able to walk to the car and out of the hospital. For that I am very blessed.

June 22 2010

This was the day of my accident. My brother inlaw and I went to a local bike park to ride. The trail we were going down looked like it was a technical section but seemed doable. I was the first to go down. It was a short little downhill section with a left hand turn at the bottom. As I started down the hill I was in control till I got towards the bottom. I was carrying more speed than I wanted. I was not able to make the left. The left was built up by a retaining wall of about 3 feet. I went over the dirt berm and crashed over the handle bars. I fell the 3feet over my bike and landed on my head. As I was crashing I tried to tuck and roll out of it. I took most the impact on my head.

I layer on the dirt for awhile after to catch my breath and get my bearings. After about 10 minutes I tried to sit up and just didn't feel right. So I laid back down again. After another 10 I tried to sit again and no good. I kept feeling that my neck was really stiff and extremely sore. We called my wife to come get us and she met us there. I got up and walked to the car. Once there I told my wife we needed to go to the ER. As we drove down he road we took a left turn on to the main road, this is when I felt my neck move about an inch out of place. At that moment is when I felt the most intense aweful pain in my life. This when we called 911 and stopped the car right in the middle of the road.

Why I am doing this.

Many days have past since my injury happend. My first few posts will take you back to the day of my accident to tell you how it happend and what transpired in the days following. My reactions to the process and how it made me feel with the news that was given to me. I want to take you on my journey through this. Thanks for following.