 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Most of you probably already know about my crash that occurred on February
14 in Big Mountain, MT while competing in a Nor-Am Downhill. I know it has
taken me a long time to get this posted, but I will not lie to you it has been a
very difficult three weeks. I am very fortunate to be able to write at all,
considering the severity of my injuries, and I am deeply grateful to the medical
staff that kept me alive. After spending about two weeks in the hospital I was
discharged, and I have been at home ever since. I am currently in a halo
device for my broken neck, and only partial weight bearing for the broken
pelvis, so in other words pretty gimpy. I can hobble around a little, but not
much. Jasmine is my full time nurse, and she is the person keeping me going
right now. I will be partial weight bearing for the next two months according to
my Doctor. As for the neck...well, either in the halo for another two months, or
a possible surgical fusion in the near future. I will keep you all posted. Skiing
is definitely out for a while, and I have to hope that healing goes well for skiing
in the future. In the meantime I hope to work on some projects, including
photography. So, if any of you are interested in photographic prints, I plan to
do some work in the upcoming months! Feel free to email at any time. I will
keep you posted on my progress, thank you all for your support.
-Dane
Well, after long consideration and one month of healing attempt, it has been
decided that I will go in for a fusion of my neck tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.
Due to the severity of my fracture and subsequent damage to surrounding soft
tissue it is unavoidable to have surgery. It is not all bad-at least I will be rid
of this metal cage around my head! I will be in a neck brace for approximately
6 weeks following surgery. The next two to three days will be spent in the
hospital again, back to the loony bin...ouch. I will be accepting all good vibes
for the near future, even while I am under general anaesthesia. Good bye to all
for now, I hope to talk again in a few days!
I apologize for the time between updates, I was finally released from the
hospital last night and got back to the computer today. According to the
surgeon, everything went well, and I am now officially on the road to neck
recovery. I will say one thing-the last six days have been by far the most
difficult in my life, and I hope to avoid anything like it again for a long, long
time. I am regaining movement in my neck, and some strength also. It will be
a long road, but is already steadily improving from the one I have already been
down. I thank everyone for their support during my time in the hospital, it
provided relief in times of severe pain. I have included some pictures of my
incisions, I just want people to understand how serious this has been. Thank
you again, I will keep reports coming on my forward progress.
-Dane
Week 1 at home complete. This is the beginning of the countdown, each
week passed is one less until I can be free of this walker, and the neck brace.
I have graduated to no brace while inside the house, so my neck strength has
increased quite a bit, and overall it feels more normal. Its motion is a little
mechanical at this point-feels like I have titanium plates in my neck! As for
the pelvis, overall it feels pretty good, I am still non weight bearing, but I go in
for a checkup on Wednesday, so hopefully that goes well. Otherwise, my time
behind books is going well, I am just about to finish Undaunted Courage by
Stephen Ambrose. A great historical read about Westward Expansion in the
U.S., definitely recommended. Well, again I really appreciate your compassion
during this time, and until the next update I wish you all well!
Dane
I apologize for the long delay in updating, I have found that once I was able to
be more active, I was not so inclined to play on the computer. I guess this is a
good sign. Things are really progressing for me here in Boise, I feel I have really
started to turn the corner towards normalcy. Today was my fifth day of walking
without crutches or walker, let me tell you it is a real treat to walk after three
months of being completely laid up. The neck is also healing very well, I am
getting used to my new range of motion, less than before but sufficient. The
Doctor tells me it could be 6-12 months for full range of motion. Either way, I will
be fine! I just went on my first walk up into the foothills, it is a really beautiful
time of the year, and I am extremely thankful to get to enjoy it. I want to thank
everybody again who has stood by me through this, and supported me on darker
days. This has been an amazing experience in that I have truly come to know and
appreciate all the people that care about my health. The road ahead still has some
bends, but it looks alot straighter than it did! Thanks again, all!