My Motorcycle Injuries

I believe that time can either be a useful friend or a subtle enemy. This past week I saw a news story about a teenage girl in North Carolina that lost a leg along with some fingers in a shark attack. During the interview she displayed a truly brave and uplifting spirit when talking about the attack and consequent injuries to her body. She stated, in essence, that she didn’t want to be pitied or viewed as a defeated victim. I thought to myself “good for her!” with a sense of assurance that she was going to successfully move past the initial trauma of the shark attack. I truly wish her well and hope that her spirit will endure in the coming years. Although I do not feel that my injuries could possibly compare to hers, I do wish that I could warn her concerning the issue of time. I sincerely hope that time does not wear down her spirit and her sense of inner strength. If I could warn her, I would let her know that time can be a harsh opponent that relentlessly causes subtle challenges as...

I went for my two week post-op appointment today with the surgeon. He said that everything is fine and that I will be able to function normally after another two weeks. He said that he removed a small tumor during the surgery, and I must have looked a little shocked as he spoke because he immediately told me not to worry because it was a common thing with this type of surgery, and said that the tests came back as benign. Whew! The weird thing is that when I told my wife about this later today she said that the surgeon told her about it immediately after the surgery and she told me later that day at home. I don’t remember the conversation at all, but I’ve always been a little goofy with the process of recovering from anesthesia. Good thing there wasn’t a swampland salesman at the surgical center. I really hope that this is my last accident related surgery for, I don’t know; let’s say the next thirty years or so. I’m feeling much better now with only a hint of discomfort, and the pain is...

I’ve made a lot of progress in healing from my latest surgery. Things are nowhere near 100%, but I am much better. I’ve been told that I’ll be free to resume normal living after another three weeks.  I noticed something unusual last week about my accident injuries. The thing is that I couldn’t feel them. All day. The pain from this latest surgery was so pronounced that it eclipsed the “normal” pain that I feel daily. It’s all back now, but it was pretty much gone for a few days. I still feel a degree of pain from the surgery now, but not enough to make the other pains seem nonexistent. I guess the lesson to be learned is that things could always be worse and that I should be in no hurry when reacting to pain. It’s just there, and it doesn’t mean all that much. If my mind is stronger than my body, I really don’t need to consider the need for further surgery on my leg or arm quite so much. I think that the same lesson guides me to relax a little, live life, and endure the annoyance o...

I finally had the surgery this past Wednesday. It was performed early in the morning and I was home before noon. The surgeon told my wife that everything went well. I expected to be past the worst of any pain or discomfort within a couple of days, but that hasn’t been the case. I was in some fairly debilitating pain for the first two days, and I’ve experienced really annoying pain since then. I didn’t attend church services yesterday, and I’m trying to lay low today. My wife and daughter were home all last week, but they are both back to work today. I promised that I would behave while they’re gone today, so here I am behaving. It frustrates me to some extent that I have to go through all of this. I honestly believed that my recovery would be simpler and quicker (recovery was far simpler the last time that I had an incisional hernia). The last one was higher on my waist, but I thought that this one would be the same nonetheless. I was wrong. The pain has been severe at times, but not s...

                                                             I went to a clinic this past Saturday morning in order to have all of the tests done that are needed for my upcoming surgery. These things are usually done at the hospital in which the surgery takes place, but I went to a walk-in clinic that was suggested by the surgeon’s office because the surgery won’t actually be performed in a hospital and I don’t have a primary care physician. The surgery will be performed at an outparcel building of a hospital that’s used exclusively for surgery and called a “center” . The above x-ray was taken at the clinic as part of my pre-op requirements. It clearly shows the stent in my aorta to the right of my spine. I always envisioned the aorta to be pencil thin, but it’s actually quite wide in diameter. Consequently, the stent looks huge to me...

I’ve mentioned before that I am now taking care of my new niece. She’s adorable and has a very sweet personality (you know… for a baby). She requires about as much attention and work as any three month old would, but she really is a good baby and doesn’t need a lot of “extra” effort like some kids do. My energy levels have been very much deficient since the accident, and this babysitting gig has been a little rough on me. I’ll only have her until sometime next week, and then I’ll not have her again until mid-August when I’ll begin taking care of her every weekday throughout the school year. I believe that family should help family, and I do count it an honor to be able to help my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, but some days leave me a bit drained. There’s something that I’ve noticed about myself during the past couple of weeks as I’ve spent my days alone with the little cutie. Almost every time that I pick her up I have an overwhelming thought in the back of my mind that I need to b...

I’ve been busy lately between work, babysitting, and stuff around the house. I keep noticing that my leg hurts all of the time now in ways that it didn’t hurt just months ago. The pain is far less frequent in my hip and thigh areas, but it’s consistent and annoying in my knee and shin. I have a lot of metal in all of those areas and walking is becoming a little more difficult as time roles on. I know in the back of my mind that I’ll eventually have to go back to an orthopedic surgeon. The original doctor that did all of the work is very skilled, but the location of his practice requires an hour-long journey round trip. Part of that time even involves higher speed highway driving. Yeah, the distance thing is unfavorable. Unfortunately, he is also a very poor communicator. I’ve been to a second doctor that is located just a few minutes drive from my house, has a great reputation, and was an excellent communicator when speaking to me about every aspect of my needs. I like the communicator...