parties

It's been a busy weekend, many things to do at the house and a wonderful Christmas party. I went to the Christmas party of one of my biggest Genex customers on Sunday where there were lots of people that I knew and many of them knew of my situation. I was able to say hello to the partners, many employees and owners of other small businesses that I have done work with. It was good for the soul, as they all said they were glad to see me up and around and looking like I was doing much better. One of the coolest stories that I have heard was from Dale VanErden, one of the owners. He said in the week following my accident he was about to cut a limb off a roof and thought about me, saw a rope in his truck and thought wisely to use it. Needless to say he slid off the roof, the rope caught him. Good for him and I'm glad something good came to somebody else out of the situation...
Saturday I was at the mountain and they were busy. They had plenty of employees working and I was feeling like not a very productive member of society. But I did get a magazine mostly read though. That is a bad thing about not being able to drive. All in due time..... The CT scan is tomorrow and I'll see were we are after that.

good and bad

Well, I should say that everything went perfect yesterday. In most cases, it did. They x-rayed my hip, then I saw the orthopedic doctor and he watched me walk down the hall. He said, as far as he was concerned, I was healed and I didn't need to see him again. YAY, one gone. Then we went down the hall to the hand doctor, to have him look at my pinky. He said, it is differently dislocated and he would be happy to operate on it next week on Thursday, oh joy... He thinks that it has been out since the accident?? and that it got missed at the time, what with the right hand and arm being so swelled soon after. Who knows, but it is still out today and it needs fixing. I signed so much paperwork for HIPA, and so the doctor can get paid by the insurance company etc it wasn't funny. I try to keep in mind that it is the pinky and it is along way from being important in my overall well being, my driving, and me being back to work. I wasn't taking the whole process very well by the time 12:00 came around and we had been there since 8:00, but a slow ride home in a snowstorm and I had calmed down some.

The pinky

Well, I had a weird experience with one of the "quirks" on Monday. The rehab. therapist has been working with my right hand right along, but on Monday he felt the pinky finger was overly swelled up. I went to the ER, because I was already in the right building, and they checked it out and they did an x-ray while I was there. The therapist had been working on the range of motion, especially on the pinky finger, but it seems it was dis-located on Monday. I really don't know if I made it go out, I don't think so, or he did or if it was something different, but it still out... So the hospital put a finger splint on it and I told them I was going to see the orthopedic doctor on Thursday anyway for a follow-up on my pelvis and he could take a look then. It didn't slow down the progress, just a bump in the road. I still have four different doctors to follow-up with in the next week. O joy....... I haven't seen this many doctors in my whole life.
Kevin had a great idea, referring to the last post, that I should take the diving evaluation in a dump truck. LOL Carole didn't think it was such a good idea. I've gotten some invites to a few Christmas parties just recently. I am going to try and make as many as possible, it will be good to see a bunch of different people.
Other than the quirk above, the rehab. must be working. At the mountain I've occasionally been using a hole puncher to put a hole in the passes, their plastic is about the thickness of a credit card. Yesterday was the first time that I have been able to do it with my right hand only. A small success, I know, but to me it shows that hand is getting stronger.

impressions

Over the last couple of days, that I have been at the mountain, I have noticed some peoples impressions of me. I have been there, following the rules, staying near my wife's desk, and answering the phone when it's convenient. But, a couple of times previously, when I talked to people who knew of my situation, I noticed that they are looking me over to see if they can see something wrong with me..... It's kind of subtle, but they are doing it. I don't let it bother me, but I know they are doing it. I previously talked about needing a bandage to go around my head....... I don't know what they are hoping to see, maybe my ears twitching or an arm shake, I just don't know. LOL I think I look normal, I don't do anything weird that I know of. If they would read the blog that would help......

Over it

So, I got over it. Carole talked with the neurologist and the rehab. doctors today and we now have the CT scan scheduled for the 17th. I think we have the doctor scheduling worked for right now. We will wait and see what happens. I learned today that theoretically your personal care physician would make a decision on the driving, but in my case the rehab doctor and the neurologist will decide together.
I continue to go to rehab. at the hospital, where they are regularly making me sweat. I am getting two kinds of rehab. there. One person is working on my endurance and overall balance, which has gotten a lot better. The other person is stretching the ligaments/muscles of my little fingers on my right hand and my making my right wrist go backward further. I feel good about it and I am glad they are making the rehab. challenging. I also think that I am getting the insurance company's moneys worth from the process. The people that I am working with there have been great and happy to talk with me about the whole process too.

status quo

Well, yesterday was a confusing day. We went to see the neurologist, who I haven't seen before, for an evaluation. I guess the right answer would be, lets wait a little longer, sort of. After we waited an hour to see him, he said in so many words, that he would like to see a new CT scan before he makes any decisions. I was apprehensive before I saw him and frustrated afterward. He did an evaluation of my balance, strength, and vision which I feel I did all right on. But I had a list of questions, that I had made up before hand, about the so called "quirks", so I wouldn't forget anything. We briefly talked about all of them and he made some notes and we moved on. On his behalf, he doesn't have a new picture to look at since the one taken on Sept.26th. Witch would have been comprehensible, but I have had the paperwork from his office, about this meeting, for a month. So that's what a blog is about I think, spilling your guts to who ever is reading with no repercussions. I will let it go....... we will get a new CT scan scheduled soon and I'll be back, but for today it's the status quo.

neurologist

Tomorrow is an important day in the whole scheme of things. I have a scheduled visit with the neurologist in Syracuse. I think he is going to develop some sort of plan after he evaluates my performance todate and or we converse. I still have the driving evaluation with somebody at Upstate hospital who I think will use a computer then will ride with me to check out my driving skills. I feel real confident about this step, but I haven't driven anything since September 25th. It seems like a long time ago, but I have had lots of great people giving me a lift were ever I needed to go. I expect the situation with the neurologist will be similar to the orthopedic doctor. The ortho. guy told me, he had seen me several times and I had seen him once and that was that day. I got to tell you, that's a little weird..... So I hope he will have some direction as when I can go back work and when the diving evaluation will be, first. I am trying not to be too eager about the situation because I know he can make a ya, nay or lets wait a little longer decision. I made a list of shall we say a few quirks that I would like to discuss with him, but none are keeping me off my feet. As I have said before, one step at a time. I want to go back permanently and not get injured or be back in the hospital. We'll see what tomorrow brings......