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Hello everyone and many thanks for the thoughts and prayers sent my way.
I've been out of the hospital for about a week now so I feel certain that the most critical stages of my recovery toward survival are over.
To explain the "accident... On February 12th,there was a major ice storm in my area. Not unheard of in central Texas, but not unusual. As I was setting at my office desk facing the street, I noticed one of my lady neighbors out walking her dog. As she got directing in front of my house, down she went. Concerned for her safety, I quickly donned some appropriate clothing and went out to assist. By that time a couple of other neighbors who had witnessed her fall had gathered and together we got her to her feet, and convinced that she had no injuries, we assisted her on her way.
I remained outside for a few more minutes, chatting with my neighbors before the conversation ended and all returned to their homes. I wanted to check out the icing in front of my house, so I remained for a few more minutes.
The next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital 3 weeks later. Apparently, I had slipped and fallen in the street, crushing my skull. My next door neighbor noticed me lying there at some point and assisted me into my house (none of which I remember).
Emergency services were called and in a matter of minutes I was on my way to a hospital specializing in brain injuries. (This is one advantage of living near a major metropolitan area.) The doctors decided that the best immediate course of action was to open my skull to allow for the brain swelling that would certainly follow. in a few days in which more swelling was detected, they decided to remove sections of of skull. Of course, sections of my brain were attached to the skull, so they were removed as well and placed in a freezer to minimize deterioration awaiting future replacement. It was during this stage my "lights came back on. I must admit that I wasn't making a lot of sense at first, but I was recognizing family and understood I was in a hospital And thus began my first recovery therapy sessions. These were meager at first, but ramped up in the days that followed until I was able to walk the hospital hallway and eat most meals in a dining room with a little assistance.
The third surgery was about 2 weeks after the second, after MRI's and CT's to insure my parts still fit my head. The good news is that they did, so they were replaced (along with a titanium plate and screws) so the shape of my head was more like a human that the creature from the lost lagoon.
The therapy sessions kicked up another notch and more cognitive tasks were introduced. I found that I tended to tire quickly during longer sessions, so they scaled back to shorter duration activities.
Even, with obvious limitations, all the staff echoed the same theme: remarkable recover given the extent of injuries.
I still have lots of therapy sessions ahead o me, but I'm not doing things that were well beyond my abilities just a couple of week ago.
The brain is an interesting organ with amazing potential. I can tell that some of the sections that were "disconnected are now beginning to knit new pathways to allow me to function a higher levels each day.
Yes, I have a long way to go, but every day is a clear step forward.
Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I feel certain that whey were instrumental in turning what could have been and end-of-life scenario to one that hat a promising future.
And, thanks for your concern about financial support. We happen to be blessed with an excellent health plan. It has covered all our hospital and medical and pharmacy bills to date and it is paying for all of my therapy sessions (both at home and in medical facilities).
So, While I'm in no shape to take a canoeing trip this season. I'm not ruling out next year!
Keep paddling, my friends!
Wayne
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