More Good News!

After weeks of things seeming like they were moving so slowly, the past week has been full of big steps and good news.

Today I started with an appointment with my plastic surgeon.  Last week, my orthopedic surgeon gave the go-ahead for working on prosthetics by saying I could bear weight on all limbs.  The only holdup since then has been waiting to see if plastics would also let us start work.

I'm happy to say that plastics gave the go-ahead for prosthetics today!  They also gave me a good report on the wound healing, and we're able to significantly simplify my wound dressings.

After plastics we grabbed some lunch in the hospital cafeteria.  My second appointment of the day was with trauma.  I wasn't sure what this appointment would entail.  It turned out to be just to get some closure and see if I had any questions or problems.  I won't be having to see them anymore, so that's one less appointment to worry about.

Since plastics gave me such good news, we went to the prosthetist's office after trauma.  After sharing the news with them I was fitted with a shrinker.  I saw they had parallel bars in the room we were in and said that I wanted to stand up again today before we left.  After standing a few times the prosthetist told me to try and make my way down the bars.  I wasn't sure I would be able to do it, but here's the result:

Hospital Tales: The Handshake

The day after my accident, my best friend Daniel (and many other members of my family and friends) came to see me. After he arrived and was told he could go back to where I was, Daniel came up, and I stuck my right hand out for a handshake. Daniel lightly took my hand and shook it. I responded by saying, "Don't shake my hand like a girl. I just got hit by a truck, don't give me a girly handshake." Daniel said "Okay then" and shook my hand again. "That's more like it," I assured him.

Milestone: Standing Up for the First Time

Since I was given weight bearing status yesterday by my orthopedic doctor, I've been excited to try to stand up. My physical therapist came today, and he was just as excited for me to try it.  He had a walker with him, so I tried it and succeeded!  I still have a long way to go before I'd be ready to do any more, as standing for one minute was all I could do.  That said, this was a huge step and a goal I can mark as accomplished.