Getting from my bed to my wheelchair- before and after

When I first arrived on Feb 5th, it took 6 people to transfer me from bed to wheelchair.



After 3 weeks of upper body strengthening and therapy, I can transfer all by my self.

Another sitemeter graph...

Life at Aspen Ridge

Mike and Scott from work helped wire up some of my DVR's to watch my recorded show.


Sleeping arrangement


My first "Grandma size" bed was 6" too short, I felt I would roll off. I'd only get 4 hours sleep each night.


Meet the insomnia buster.



Finally getting my haircut

Occupational Therapists help with the re-entry into normal life

Karin and Scott, the best OT's in the world.


Teaching me how to get dressed.


They bargained with me, we'll take you outside if you'll do your free weights.

Friends from work come to visit

Sorry Johnny for cutting you off.

Meet some of my Nurses and CNA's

Cherice brings my first breakfast at Aspen Ridge

Jana takes my vitals before I drop to sleep at night.

Chris is the best night male CNA.


Patrica
Elli brings me water and Ice.

Katie Jackson. A brand new CNA Who went to School with my son Shawn. She has a very friendly, caring temperament. Perfect for the job here.

Kari from Logan has been one of my night nurses.



Stacy changes my bandages and cleans my wounds twice a week.





Cristina from Logan actually give a pretty painless shot.

My first post

Here is my simple exploratory surgery. It looks pretty extensive to me. But the nerve was in-tact. When this heals, I start Physical Therapy on my right leg.

Post-Op Update

David's surgery on Friday gave a few answers on his long term right leg nerve health. There was some definite trauma to the nerves, but despite the stretching and blood residue, the nerves are intact. The surgeon anticipates that within 2 weeks to 2 years, nerve impulses will return and he'll have better control and feeling in his leg.

His TOSH experience was not very positive. He got to the hospital for surgery on Thursday, and then found out he'd have to wait until Friday at 10 am. In actually, he had to wait until 4 pm, worrying and worrying. He'd only brought his MP3 player to keep him occupied, and he had almost 28 hours at TOSH. He said that the equipment and comfort level of TOSH was about 40 years back. The only thing that made the wait tolerable was his nurse Emily. After being in a world-class hospital, and a new rehab center, TOSH seemed somewhat antiquated. Also, his nurse put his IV right in his wrist. Anytime he used his hand or wrist, the IV would dig in and cause pain. So this meant he couldn't use his hands for lifting himself in bed or for wheelchair transfers.

Tomorrow he meets with Dr. Goodman for a checkup on his stump. The staples will likely be removed, and he'll meet with a prosthetist on his C-Leg.

The best time to visit David is between 4-9 PM, because he has most of his appointments and therapy in the morning and early afternoon. Please call him at Aspen Ridge at 801-713-3119 before visiting, to make sure he's ready and available for you.

Surgery Postponed till Friday

I spoke with David tonight. He was supposed to have his surgery this afternoon, but when his blood levels were taken, the blood was too thin to operate. They transferred him to TOSH to stay overnight. They will be giving him some frozen plasma to bulk up his blood, and hopefully he'll be set for surgery around 10 am.

In the surgery, the extent of his nerve damage will be discovered. Either the nerves are intact, and just need more time to heal...or the nerve injury was so severe that it is irreparable and he will have to walk with a spring-loaded brace to position his foot. He's sad that this additional surgery will add time to his stay in Aspen Ridge, but hopefully they will be able to fix any damage, and he'll have a better outcome for his right leg.

Surgery Today

Today David will be going in for another surgery at TOSH. He has been doing well with physical therapy, but continues to have difficulty with his right foot. Today the surgeons will enter the leg through one of the scars from the last surgery. They will do some nerve testing to see the extent of the nerve damage from the accident. The surgery will likely be an outpatient procedure, and he'll return to Aspen Ridge this evening. Please keep him in your prayers...David NEEDS his right leg intact to be able to walk with a normal gait once he's fitted with the prosthetic on the left.

Worldwide support for David

One-hour home visit

Friday, right before Rosie and had to leave for the airport, David was done with an ortho appointment at TOSH. The driver from Aspen Ridge said that David could come to the house for a few minutes. He was overcome with joy, as he hasn't been to the house since a week before the accident. The wheelchair transfer was a little tricky, and required three of us to get him up the front steps and into the house.

Barbara was all smiles to have him home for a few minutes!

Mystic was more than happy to take an immediate perch on dad's leg. She's the only family member that hasn't seen him in 6 weeks, and was slunking around his leg and the wheelchair for the whole visit.


I'm so glad that I got to be there for David's first trip home. It's still going to be a long time (3-5 weeks before he can come home for good), but hopefully his drivers for future appointments will be gracious enough to let him visit the house occasionally.

The Van of Doom

This is the van that nearly ate David alive.

I finally got hold of some of the accident pictures. They are incredibly scary, and it's a miracle that all three men in the car survived. Pics courtesy of Ken Wooton.

I am so grateful to all those who stopped at the accident site to help David, Nathan, and Bruce out of the wreckage. It's a true blessing that their lives were spared.