What Really Happend

Hey gang,

I think its time you got the whole story…

On Saturday night I was riding on the rail trail going south into Scotland (on) at about 10 o’clock at night.  I was riding at about 30km+ an hour when I hit something. Went over the handle bars and landed on the top of my head.  I was not unconscious, as remember a very weird sensation like floating down the trail. I stopped in a fetal position lying on my right side with my left arm over my head, in front of my face.  My bike was at my feel with the lights still on. 

This is when the fun began; trying to convince myself that I would be ok on the trail for about 12 hours as I knew no one would be on the trail until the morning. Thank goodness at about midnight the farmer who lives beside the trail came home and saw my bike head light, they had had some break-ins so decided to investigate. And that is when I was found. 

They called the ambulance and Darcy. When the ambulance arrived they put me on that dam spine board for transport to Brantford general.  They have no spinal cord facilities in Brantford. So searched the province for a spinal cord facility with an empty bed ….which too a loooooong time. There was one bed open at Toronto western. But they wanted to make sure I was in physically good shape other than the injury of course.  So I was loaded into the ambulance and shipped to Toronto for assessment still on the dam spine board. I believe I arrived in Toronto after 4 am. And soon after sensei Bentley arrived. It was very reassuring to have him here.

 I had a CT scan and an MRI due to my claustrophobia I was very concerned about spending 20 -25 minutes in a 2 foot tube.  I played some mind games. The machine makes a lot of racket with many different pulsating sounds so… I counted sounds to 100 25 times so I knew when my time was up. I was actually pretty close. A fortunate thing is that Toronto western is world renownd spinal cord injury facility. My surgeon dr. Failings is also world renownd.after my assessment, they want permission to do surgery to fuse vertebrae C3-C7 by cutting off all of the boney protuberances and stabilizing with 2 titanium rods and bolting it all together. This removes pressure from the spinal cord. So I know have 32 staples in my neck and I will have a lovely scar.  The surgery started at 2:30 and I was awake by 8pm. And according to the surgan it went very well. Now it is a matter of time, to wait and see what heals.

I was in ICU from Sunday evening to Thursday… what an amazing place, with amazing staff!!! I am now on the spinal cord injury ward and will remain here until I am capable of going to a rehab hospital. 

So what is moving…I have movement in my head and neck, shoulders, and biceps. And feeling in my chest to the bottom of my sternum. I can move my right arm bicep and actually do a curl with it. Left arm doesn’t move yet.  My right leg I can move, but movement changes a bit depending on how tired I am. i can move my toes and sometimes bend my knee.  My left leg is in one big muscle cramp. And only moves when the muscles twitch. Hands and fingers don’t move yet, but I am working on them. Things that we forget about. Since my stomach is paralized so is my diaphragm and my bowels and bladder which makes life a little complicated i.e. diapers an someone wiping my bum. Note: I hung my dignity at the door; I’ll get it on the way out. That’s how ....

now whats happening …I sat up yesterday in a chair for 45 minutes and today for an hour and 15 minutes.  I have sadistic physio therapist who will get me moving. I am now a member of the Canadian paraplegic association, and I am going to joning them to make the world aware of spinal cord injuries hopefully you will help.

Signing off for today.

Thanks again for all of your support.