Home sweet home

After 17 nights in hospital I'm home. This is good, very good. I haven't magically gained more mobility, a shorter healing time, or less discomfort. Nonetheless, it is wonderful to be home. Thanks to Kata and Leslie for orchestrating the break out, and to Jim for building extra legs to make my now-downstairs bed a convenient height.

So far I've got myself juice from the fridge, made toast with butter and marmite (yum), put on a CD, and had a shower with a little help from Kata. Not much, but a start.

Exit visa

When an employee leaves Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), they get a sheet of paper with the names of about a dozen people and departments that must sign the form before they can leave. I don't know what is supposed to happen if you don't get all the signatures, but then again, I've never met anyone who left without them... Good to know that we can be sure no federally funded paper clips are left unaccounted for. After all, it only takes a day or two to get the form filled in (which with an average LANL salary costs...).

This morning my Occupational Therapist signed off on my hospital exit visa. Apparently I can now wash myself, dress myself (with a sock aid), get in and out of bed, and am potty trained. Now I just need signatures from PT and the doctors...

Patience level: low

Sometime around Saturday my patience ran out. I think a two week stretch of being good, patient and not-so-sarcastic is a laudable innings. However, it couldn't last. I now want out, to be in my own home and in control (albeit in some limited sense for a while longer).

Another weekend of the very finest Kata-care with various visitations. Many thanks to Polar for constructing some intermediate steps that should allow me to get on to my deck and over the threshold into the house (in 4" not 8" steps -- 4" I can do, 8" is optimistic with the walker). I haven't seen them yet but I'm told they are a fine construction.

New cast

Another forward step. I have a new cast on my left forearm (above) which is both much lighter than the earlier one, and doesn't extend to include my elbow. I have much improved mobility though I think I might need this new one tweaked as it cuts in slightly when walking with my elbow bent.

Stress control sheep

Actually from Monday but I have only just downloaded the photos from my phone. First, sheep (ram) and Simeon in non-stressed mode. Second, sheep and Simeon on stressed mode -- isn't it said that pain shared is pain halved?

1) 2)

The news keeps roliing in... wrist good

This seems to be the afternoon for news. The bones of my left wrist are still in a good position so it is unlikely that I'll need an operation there. The surgeon says she'll come in tomorrow to put it in a cast that doesn't go as far as the elbow. Hurrah again!

I've also seen my post-op x-rays and the femur shots are scary -- one big rod almost the length of the bone with a screw holding it near the knee end. Then a big rod/screw through into the head (ball) of the femur. The bone in between shows several fractures.

Exit date: Tuesday?

I'm told that I'll likely be released on Tuesday (30 Jan, day 17). Hurrah!

Good news for sticking my neck out

News from the neurosurgeon after a bone scan and the MRI of my neck: C3 fracture looks very good. I should wear the neck brace most of the time, especially when moving about, for the next 2--3 weeks. However, I also have a T4 fracture. This should be fine on it's own, was likely due to over-extension with back rounded. Also, two broken ribs show up on my right side but no amount of prodding finds a sore spot. They are probably left over from an injury at the end of last year, mostly healed.

I'm so dizzy... (Wednesday, day 11)

Occupational Therapy at 8am: "Might I take a shower?", "yes"... Oh! How wonderful that felt. Had my arm in a plastic bag, leg wound open and neck still in a brace. The physician even visited and took out the remaining staples (10 days after op) so that I could have an MRI of my neck. Slight dizzy spell trying to get dressed -- perhaps I was too relaxed -- but that soon passed.

No "new" ability in Physical Therapy but consolidation and less pain for the same. Laura stopped buy with delicious mango and grapes (big hit) and I'm waiting to hear results from my x-rays (leg and wrist) and MRI (neck) earlier today. Visits also from Andre, Rayko and Jim, and a chance to see Rayko's stitches from the weekend.

Quiet day

Kata came in in the morning to say goodbye before heading back to PA, pesky work. Leslie brought Chicken Mole Burritos (OK, tofu for herself) from Viva (yum) and, inconceivable as it may sound, "The Princess Bride" played on TV at a convenient time
so we watched that.

Monday, monday (day 9)

Party in room 248: Kata, Leslie, Laura, Anne, Don, Ari and Rima all visited and there was much telling of stories.I think Polar wins quote of the day for his later report to SUOC (even if it may not be entirely accurate):

His leg is about the size of a German torpedo, containing enough blood to offer transfusions to the entire US Olympic high altitude marathon running team.

His left arm is in a hard cast from his fingers around his elbow, which keeps him from picking his nose. The neck brace has a bit to do with that as well. His right arm looks like some purple abstract art, bruised from the IVs. There is a hospital sign above his head and outside the door labeling him as a "Medium Safety Risk". That's a good one. However, since Leslie injured another climbing partner this past weekend, we are labeling her a "High Safety Risk".

He has to go to group physical therapy sessions where they sit in a circle just like other 12 step programs, "Hi, I'm Simeon. I fell down and couldn't get up." From what I can gather, they play soccer or badminton with a Nerf ball with their various mangled limbs. I told him this morning on the phone, "I want you to go in to that group session today, and I want you to WIN!"

Weekend of Kata-care

I like Kata-care. Katalin bought me an appropriate wardrobe of baggy trousers (a fashion nightmare, but practical), brought tasty munchies and was generally lovely to have around. The weekend saw a rush of visitations (Leslie, Rayko, Naomi, Matt, Don, Carol, Dan, Carl that I can remember now) which was great, if perhaps tiring at times. I should probably have paced myself a little...

Road trip

The road from Burlington to Ithaca takes 7 hours to travel and is bumpy. The ambulance had the suspension of an pickup. I arrived in the Medical Rehab Unit of the Cayuga Medical Center in good spirits but promptly bonked for the rest of Friday (day 6): sleep and pain meds. Kata's attention was a wonderful consolation though.

Life in Burlington

I stayed in Burlington through Friday (day 6). Leslie provided invaluable support by spending all of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday with me, acting a press agent, and as my advocate. I was somewhat surprised to hear of a report in the Ithaca Times, apparently from the AP wire service. Flowers and email messages started to arrive almost before I was out of the OR (thanks to all, and many thank to the volunteers running the email printing and delivery service at Fletcher Allen in Burlington.

On Tuesday I received 2 units of blood to help increase my low (<20) hematocrit level and that had a marked effect on how I felt and apparently on my appearance too. Much of Wednesday and Thursday were spent dicussing what would happen next; both with physicians and the case manager in Burlington (who wrestled with my insurance company), and with Carol, Elly and Naomi in Ithaca who helped advise me (thanks!!).

Milestones over this period included being able to pee for myself, being helped to stand up on my good leg, and later doing it without my vision blurring. Tried the TV at one point and quickly decided that TV-free is the way I want to continue living, what rubbish!

Surgery

When I arrived in Burlington on Saturday evening I was examined, x-rayed and then went to the operating room for some preliminary work. The dislocation of my left wrist was reduced, a fractured bone chip set, and the arm put in plaster to just above the elbow. A rod was also inserted through my right leg just below the knee. This protruded a few inches either side and I assume was to help hold/align the femur later. Quite gruesome looking. When I came to I was in the formerly orthopedic ward and managed to sleep for periods of high-medication.

Leslie arrived on Sunday (day 1) morning with tales of who was about at the Mountainfest slide show on Saturday night. I had more x-rays, CAT scans and examinations, bit "nil by mouth" as they say in England. Later I was put under again so that my femur could be pinned. When I came to I was in the orthopedic ward and was told that all had gone well. The rod through my lower leg had vanished.

So, this is how it went...

I met up with Leslie on friday night at "The Hut" in the Adirondacks, after an intense couple of days meeting in NYC for the OAI-ORE technical committee. We got a late start but were finally on the hike in to Pitchoff North around 10am on Saturday morning (let us call this Day0). We first checked out Central Pillar, which was overrun with climbers, and then started our way hiking along the foot of the cliff. On the trail is normally covered with several feet of snow I mis-stepped just below Tendonitis. To my surprise and horror, I didn't just fall over but started accelerating down the icy gulley. As I neared a big boulder it was obvious that pain lay ahead of me. I don't recall the details of my trajectory from then but suffice it to say that I was bounced a couple of times after hitting the boulder and came to rest in a crumpled heap with my right leg in an odd position. Ouch.

Apparently, up above there was immediate recognition that "oh, he's in a bad way". Leslie and other started down to help me as I complained and suggested my leg was broken. There was a physician Olga and several WFRs amoung the numerous climbers present. I was carefully poked, prodded, and rearranged with the conclusion that I had a broken femur and/or hip, a dislocated wrist and possible spinal issues. With some drugs and many down jackets I was made modetately comfortable as others went for help.

Several batches of Lake Placid Search and Rescue arrived and started procedures to immobilize my neck, transfer me to a backboard and finally tie me in to a litter. As soon as I was in the litter, various of the climbing community vocally argued to get me out asap. A belay was set and I was passed hand-over-hand by the climbers for about 200 feet down the gulley. From there the SAR team took me over the lake and then out on a ATV trailer. After then my recollections get more confused as the mix of drugs was increased. I was first taken to Lake Placid hostital with the intention of helicopter to Burlington. The weather precluded the helicopter so I was moved to Saranac Lake hospital before finally getting an ambulance to Burlington, arriving around 9pm.