Monday – 9/13/2010

I am back at the nursing home and out of the hospital. I got back on Friday afternoon, in time to enjoy the weekend football games. My friend Donna brought me in an Ohio State sweatshirt which I was thrilled to receive. I have a lot of these, but this is the first one I have that is gray. I plan to get a lot of use out of it. I still feel great!  My body recovered a lot stronger than I would have thought. My wounds are healing nicely. I will be back at Metro next week for a quick glance over, and then back there two weeks later to turn on the Cough Assist System. I’m excited to see what the system is all about. If my cough is as strong as the doctors expect it to be I will be in great shape. And hopefully will greatly reduce my chances for pneumonia this winter.

While at the hospital last week I had the chance to visit some old and new friends. I spent some time on the floor devoted to spinal cord injuries. This afforded me the opportunity to catch up with the young woman from Columbus who is rehabbing at Metro. We only met a few times but already are very at ease with each other and able to draw support from one another. I’ve always felt talking to a fellow spinal cord patient can offer a different kind of assurance than a doctor. I also paid a visit to the therapy gym to say hello to all my old therapists who I always enjoy seeing. I think the biggest payoff though was when I visited the ICU floor. The last time the nurses and doctors there saw me was after I coded… again, and was in rough shape. They only knew me as a guy who was always on his back, struggling to breathe and usually filled with some type of infection. You can imagine their surprise when I came sipping and puffing into the unit in my wheelchair! It was great to see their reactions!  There was one nurse in particular who was completely floored and ecstatic to see the shape I was in. It was pretty nice to see them on a different occasion, and it made me feel pretty good to know that I looked great and healthy in their eyes.

So now here I am back into my “routine” even though I hate using that word. I don’t want a routine, per se, but it’s nice to be able to be back on the computer and feel somewhat productive. I spent my customary several hours in the courtyard today. It was a gorgeous day! I particularly spent a lot of time watching the birds and airplanes soar above me. I always try to guess where the plane is headed from and where it’s going to when I see one. Sometimes I wonder if I ever know any of the many passengers sitting 35,000 feet above me cruising through the jet stream.

I’ve also resumed some of my stretching and massage therapy with Dave and Pat. I hope to get back to standing within the next week or so. Pat and I had a very interesting conversation today that left me with a lot to think about — good stuff.

Finally, I am amassing quite the collection of scars. For a guy who never had a broken bone before my broken neck, I quickly made up for that by the number of scars I have received. My newest one is a 10 inch line of scar tissue running down the middle of my back; I also have a 2 inch scar on my left waistline, and a 4 inch scar across my left abs . They complement the ones still hanging around from my feeding tube, chest tube, pacer and of course skull and neck. If I were to take my shirt off I would look like a human voodoo doll who certainly ticked off a great many which doctors. But I’m quite fond of my scars as they serve as a reminder of where I was, what I’ve been through, and where I am today. Plus, the girls always dig scars…

My fraternity from Lehigh will be having a fundraiser for me at an upcoming Lehigh football game in October. This will be the second annual tailgate fundraiser in my honor. Last year’s was a bigger success than I could hope for, and I am sure this year will be as well. All of my fraternity brothers have certainly stepped up to offer their support since my injury. Unfortunately, I might not be able to make it due to some travel restrictions, but will be there in spirit. I’ll be posting more details about it in the future.

All of your prayers and support made a huge difference this past week. I thank you for them. It also reminds me of what my friend Steve told me when sharing a story about a Michigan student who recovered from a serious spinal injury. That is, “not all of my recovery will come from the doctors, God still plays the biggest part.” I didn’t need Steve to tell me this, but the point I want to make is that I believe it is your prayers that are also certainly helping me along. For this I am, and will remain grateful!

Scott