The 6 week check up...

  Today Dave had his 6 week check up. He was very nervous leading up to his appointment since he had no idea what to expect. We arrived at the hospital around 10:30 to check in to schedule his x-rays. When Dave went into the room to have his x-rays they asked him to remove his neck brace and to move his head up and down and side to side. He was very nervous doing this since he has had no movement with his neck for the past 6 weeks. He also felt a little light headed and was pretty white while doing this because of his nerves. After that we had to go to his surgeon's office to have his appointment. The doctor came in and said Dave is healing well. He still has a broken neck but is very happy the progress that he has made. With that GREAT news he handed Dave a protocol to start weening him off of his neck brace. The 1st week he has to go 4 hours in the morning without a brace. The 2nd week he will go 4 hours in the afternoon without a brace. The 3rd week he will go 4 hours in the morning, 4 hours in the afternoon and 4 hours in the evening without the brace and the 4th week is no brace! He has been ok'd to go to Antigua! The doctor said no crazy rides or doing any rough activities and to take it easy for the time being. We asked the doctor about his chest spasms and he wasn't able to give us a definite answer. He reviewed the x-rays and said it could be possible he has a small hairline fracture and a bruised inside but would have a radiologist look at it to make sure he wasn't missing anything major. Overall, the visit went great and he has to go back in 6 week for more x-rays and another check up.

  After this appointment we came home and Dave decided to take his brace off for a few hours. You could tell that he was very nervous and apprehensive about doing this. When he first took his brace off I couldn't help but laugh that he looked like a bobble head. I took a picture but he won't let me post it (I will try and get a picture up soon). He kept the brace off for only an hour and he put it back on because it hurt to move his head. The doctor said the pain he will experience within the next few weeks will be more extreme.

  Thank you for all the prayers we couldn't be happier or more grateful with his outcome as of now.

Some good news

  Sorry for not posting any updates the past week and a half. Each day Dave is getting better. On Halloween he got out of the house for the first time and we went to his sister's house and we celebrated Halloween in style with our family. That weekend Dave had some buddies over to hunt and hang out. He/We have had so many generous gifts and visitors throughout this whole thing. Again we can't thank everyone enough. He received some amazing gifts: steaks, breads, salami, popcorn, meats, soups, cookies, plants, magazines, candies, cards and so much more. On top of that we have had some amazing cooked dinners by so many people. Needless to say we have been eating good and can't thank everyone enough for taking care of us/him.

  From about the end of October through early November Dave started having some weird feelings in his neck. He described it as cold water running down the back of his neck. It didn't hurt him but he said it was a weird feeling. The other issue he was experiencing was chest cramps and having a hard time breathing. This was bad for a few days which brought us to go to the doctors on Monday, November 5th.

  We went to the doctors and told the nurse what he was experiencing since the doctor was in surgery. She was concerned and said she will tell the doctor and if it is anything bad we will hear back from them. No phone call that day so that means either she forgot to tell him or he wasn't concerned. At that time they gave him a temporary handicap parking permit (which we aren't going to use) and they wanted Dave to push back when he goes back to work. Instead of him going back last week Wednesday he was told to go back on Monday, November 12.

  Today was Dave's first day back and he said it went great. This was his first day without taking any naps and he had to get up early. He is getting rides to and from work so that eases my concerns since I didn't want him to drive right away. He has been ok to drive but we are taking everything a day at a time.

  I will post on here when I can or when I feel is necessary. With some of the good improvements I felt it was important to post! With December 4th approaching quickly we are hoping for good news and hopefully the procedure worked and Dave will be able to start weening himself off his neck brace and we can still take our trip to Antigua at the end of December!

In case there are no more updates for awhile have a Happy Thanksgiving and treasure all the moments with your family and loved ones! Safe Travels!

What is going on in my crazy head...

Tuesday Oct 30-

What is going on in my crazy head...

  Crazy that this accident happen over a week. Time sure seems to fly (not sure if Dave thinks this right now). Having something happen like this really changes your thinking. You start to think about the past and how you wish you could change things that happen. Then you think about what is currently going on and all the decisions you have to make and you have the future and you wonder what REALLY the outcome will be and what would life be like without him. This is when it hits me on how lucky he was and how lucky we all are that he is still here. I've been good at masking my emotions in front of him since he has had a few "moments".  I try not to have him see me cry since this causes him to worry since he already feels bad about putting me in this spot and many other feelings I'm sure he has experienced. Usually it is the other way around and I have a ton of "crying moments" and he is usually "moment-less".  I've teared up once in front of him but all the other times I had a "moment" alone. I don't want him to feel I feel overwhelmed with doing everything.  I want him to keep focusing on getting better and not about me. Yes sometimes I feel more stressed and have no time and everything needs to be done at that moment but I think that is life and some how most things are done within the appropriate time. To sum it all up I hear a song on the radio and get teary-eyed since I feel so lucky to have him around to drive me crazy still. I can say lately all the little things make me feel so lucky and blessed. As I would tell everyone enjoy every day and every minute since we never know when it might be our last or someone we love lasts. Life is short and I have seen that all too much within my 29 years of life and something like this happening reminds me how precious and short life is and how happy I am to have him here with me. I know many people that would do anything for another moment with a loved one that was lost to soon (including myself), so seize the day and moment and try not to focus to much on the bad since even that will pass.

About Dave-
Yesterday was his first day with NO PAIN MEDS at all!!! Woot, woot! He is one strong dude and ready to get back to life. I made a call into his doctor's office to try and schedule a 2 week appt to find out if it ok for him to go back to work next week. We are still waiting for the call back so hopefully that will be good news! Dave has been grumpy this week since he was suppose to be hunting at his property all week and this is "suppose" to be the time of the rut and something called the running moon. Him and his family members have their theory and this was "suppose" to be the best week to hunt of the year. Last night he was watching outside the Bucks chase the Does and started pouting. He is very bummed he is not out there in the woods to test out this theory. I think it is mean to pick on these animals at a time they are "vulnerable" and doing what is in their nature.  So now he is just living his hunting life through his friends and family. Poor guy :( but I'm happy he is alive and will be able to hunt next year!

Happy Halloween Everyone and bundle up and stay warm since this thing called winter is creeping up on us fast! I'll do my best to get some pics of Dave with the kiddos so you can see just how good he is doing and how he is almost back to normal!

The past weekend

Friday October 26- A good start to the day. I talked to the nurse from Dave's neurologist office and she gave him the ok to be mobile, wean him off this drugs, to sleep on his side and to go to the Tigers game! I called to see if they had any handicap seating and there is none so Dave will not be going to the game. :( She was great and I talked to her for awhile and asked her many questions Dave and I had on what he could and could not do. He didn't take nearly as many naps during the day and he is only taking ibuprofen 800. Rose and Bryan stopped by on their way out of town with a good dinner so Dave has been eating good and we are thankful for all the food.

Saturday - Dave relaxed most of the day and hung out with Eric and Brian. They are having a guys weekend by watching football, Tiger's and hunting. With them being here that allowed me to get out and I went into GR to hang out with my nephew and we went to Boo at the Zoo. Sara and Matt also swung by at night so we had a nice little gathering at the house to watch Michigan and Tiger's lose. BOO :( Fun day but not for the teams we were rooting for.

Sunday - Brian and Eric hung out all day and did what they did the day before: hunting, watched more sports and relaxed. I had plans to go to Chicago for a jewelry & accessory show with Shawna so the guys really helped me out by being here. Dave can do a lot but he is still very limited on his range of motion so having someone around helps. I got home in time to watch the Tiger's battle it out to try and stay alive and unfortunately they lost so no game on Monday for me :( Good run Tiger's hopefully they are as much fun to watch next year.

Monday - I woke up motivated to clean and scrub the house after guy weekend and get things organized for this week. Today I realized we both were a little testy toward each other and I think Dave has had a few "moments". Nothing bad but poor me feeling. I feel bad that I have to remind him how luck he is. Rose, Dave's step mom, had a high school friend pass away Saturday night after falling from a tree stand around 8pm. We don't know if it was the same kind but that is the reason why I tell Dave I don't EVER want him in a climber and how he is lucky with the outcome he has been given! Connie & Jim came over at night since they just got back from their Key West trip!

Overall, Dave has been sleeping much better at night and each day he gets a little better!

Thursday, October 25

  It is crazy how each day he continues to get better and better. He is talking so much more, back to his feisty self and I think I am starting to drive him nuts! The first thing he did in the morning was shower. This was the first time from the accident. It went well and he is finally clean and smelling so much better! I know that is mean but sponge baths aren't the same. This was the first time I actually had to put new pads on his brace. I hate taking it off and putting it back on but each time I do it I get more comfortable but still it is nerve racking.

 He is moving around the house himself so I just have to make sure our little dog stays out of his way since Dave's big feet could run him over and I also have to make sure there isn't anything in his way to trip on. He has been spreading out his muscle relaxers to every 10 hours and we changed up his pain meds to ibuprofen 800 since he hates how loopy he feels from the other pain meds. He usually moves from the couch, to the chair, standing up and stretching his arms very carefully (nothing major).

  He loves/hates me waiting on him but I think he is slowly getting use to it. He still takes a lot of naps throughout the day but is pretty alert for the most part. His food intake is getting much better. He actually hasn't lost any weight probably for a few reasons: 1) we have been lucky that so many people have made us amazing meals (if I was cooking he might lose weight) 2) he hasn't had a bowel movement (I know TMI) but this is expected because of all the meds. I keep telling him prune juice and he said he rather be backed up than drink that stuff. On top of all the foods Terry and Michelle sent him a beautiful peace lily, The Barnes family (my sister Kait and Jon) sent him balloons in the hospital along with chocolate and a Sports Illustrated and he just received a nice green plant arrangement from his work. He does joke that he wonders if people think he died but I know that is his way of saying thanks and he is grateful for everything (by the way he has said thank you but everyone that has sent him things knows his personality and sarcasm).

  Last night he was pumped up for his football draft and he won the first round but said he will probably get screwed this round. Not sure what that means but I'm glad he is trying to get back to normal the best he can. We stacked the computer up on 3 large books so it was closer to eye level and he isn't bending anything. We also stayed up to watch the Tigers and Dave still thinks he knows all and should be the coach. He said Justin would pitch bad on Wednesday since he had a 5 day break instead of 4 and he also said the Tigers are awful on the west coast. Well it showed so lets hope for them to win the next 3 at home. We have tickets to game 5 but it is not looking like we will go so those will go up for sale probably real soon :(

I will post a picture of Dave soon so you don't keep thinking he is laid up in bed. He still looks rough but so much better than the pictures I posted the other day!

Thanks for following his journey and God is so good!

Love D&J

October 23 & 24

Tuesday, October 23 - Dave was in the hospital still within the ICU department since they didn't have any beds and they needed to keep an eye on the swelling. He slept most of the day while at the hospital. He didn't say much but he would wake up to eat (very little) and to do therapy. I also had to learn how to change his neck brace. How nerve racking but I think I got it down. Tuesday night Dave's Dad, step mom Rose and one of his best friends Jer were at the hospital and came to the house after he was released. Rose helped a lot. She helped me understand what jibberish the doctors were talking and she made a few meals to get us started. Dave pretty much slept the whole time and was mobile only to move from the couch to the bedroom. When we got him in bed I brought over his toothbrush and paste. That itself is a process since you have to relearn and do things differently. Instead of bending over a sink you have to swish with one glass and spit in another. He was real dizzy at this time so I had to bring it to him in bed. He made the goal to want to brush his teeth standing in the bathroom the next day and to shower. 
  After that he had to carefully lower himself into bed by doing squats. After doing that he has to carefully lay down on his side and log roll to his back. I gave him a sponge bath and he asked me to put lotion on his feet. I'm not a foot person but this was the least I could do. Once he was down he wanted his phone. I gave it to him and after reading only part of his messages from family members, friends and co-workers he had a moment of feeling he let everyone down. I feel I have been strong and haven't cried at all in front of him but when he said that it broke my heart. I keep telling him life happens to everyone and you let NO ONE DOWN and we need to be thankful that you are ok (for the most part). Reminding him that he fell from about 14', when he was originally 25' up and only having bruises and a broken neck was a blessing. On top of that he was sent home and any quick movement he could have been paralyzed or worse. Once given his prognosis he was originally told minimum of 3 months in a neck brace and possibly 6 months and maybe a halo or surgery. Looking at all that news it is ok to have a moment but after that he needed to be strong and to thank God since for the most part he was alright. He normally isn't like that but, as expected, he is going through a lot of emotions.

This is a tree climber and how they work their way up and down a tree.

Wednesday, October 24 - Today was much better than yesterday! Dave woke up in the morning did a little walking around the house, brushed his teeth by the sink and dressed himself (for the most part). He made some necessary phone calls for work and not long after that he started feeling tired again. I give him his muscle relaxers every 8 hours and pain pills every 4. He woke up for lunch and ate quite a bit of food. I have to cut up his food in small pieces and help feed him since it is difficult to see what is below him. He tells me he can do it but we he struggles a little without help and it gets a little messy but our dog, Kelby, doesn't mind. He wanted to try and not take his muscle relaxer at 6pm (the time he was schedule to take it) since he wanted to be awake for some of the Tigers game. Lindsey and Eric came over and cooked up a GREAT meal! They made vension bacon steak (I think the venison was the doe Dave shot last week), bacon poppers, mashed potatoes, corn and a pasta salad. This was a DREAM meal for Dave. It was so awesome of them to help and Lindsey even helped me clean up. After that we had to go back and get the climber down and his bow (the one Dave fell from). WOW!!!...After seeing how high up he was it hit me. That was so scary. Eric kept saying a tree climber is nothing but he can't fool me. Before he headed up the tree we (really I mean Eric) discovered the climber rope that straps the 2 pieces together so you aren't more than 3'-4' apart was broke and the pieces were really far about from each other, about 8' away from each other. Dave keeps piecing things together slowly and it is making more sense how and why he fell. This strap alone is another saftely devise (I guess). Eric shimmied his way up the tree and said it is easy. Pretty sure Lindsey and I didn't think it was or looked that easy. I wish I brought my phone out there to take a picutre of what I was looking at since that is when it really hit me. At that time I realized how THANKFUL and LUCKY we are he is alive and not paralyzed! Praise GOD!! Lindz and Eric left around 8pm and not long after that I get a phone call that a car that was approaching them from the other direction lost its tire and the tire came crashing into their Mustang at 55 miles per hour! I was so freaked getting that call from Eric but we were so thankful everyone was ok (minus the Stang). The other car had its tires rotated and the place didn't bolt them on tight! Wow what a HUGE and possibly deadly mistake. I'm so thankful they are ok. I hope all the drama and craziness is over for us, them and everyone else we know for awhile since I don't think we or anyone else can take any more. Overall, it was a better day minus the accident and the Tigers stinking the place up.

Lets hope for a 'W' tomorrow from the Tigers!!!

The day we would think differently about a climber!

This blog currently is being written by Jen: I want to start off saying Thank You for all the love and support we have had the past few days. It has meant so much to Dave and myself. My goal right now for this blog is to keep people posted on Dave. We have had so many texts, emails, phone calls, facebook messages and gifts/food I can not thank everyone enough. I also have had so many people wanting an update that I haven't been able to reach everyone. As much as I wish I could my phone dies before I have a chance or I'm busy catering to Dave, doing my homework and doing all the house work. I know many people are wondering what happened and how Dave is doing so I figured this would be a good way for me to try and keep everyone updated!!! Please forgive me for any spelling, punctuation and grammar errors. I try to read over it but I'm sure there are many errors that are missed!
  

Traverse City

  To start it off what a great start to last weekend! My family came over Friday night and we went to a haunted house and had pizza and hung out.  On Saturday we made the trip up to Traverse City to celebrate Steph's 30th. There was a group of about 15-20 people and all where huge State fans minus Dave and myself! Pretty pumped that Blue pulled off the win! It was a great group of people and we had a blast!





The Day Everything Happened...


Dave took this picture when lying in the woods.

 Early Sunday evening Dave and Eric decided to go hunting. They headed out around 5 pm and it sounded like they had a good evening and saw some deer. They were wrapping up the evening (around 7:30) and going to meet at there gathering spot to head in. Dave was getting down from his tree climber (not sure how to describe what it is) and had a little slip and it looks the rope broke that keeps the climber together (there is a more in depth story on what happened but doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me). One little error sent Dave and the device plummeting to the ground from about 14'. Dave was awake and aware but shook up after the fall. He found his phone and called Eric. This is a reason why you should always have a buddy system and for someone to know where you are. Eric went running over there and saw he was awake, talking and moving but ran back to the house (just under a mile) to get his truck and me. On our way back there I was asking Eric if we should call 911. When we got out there we all decided that was the best thing to do. That was my first 911 call ever and I knew to remain calm but it was very scary. Eric went to the front of the driveway to guide them back on our property and I stayed with Dave. The whole time he was very calm but very pale (meaning he would give Casper a run for his money) and he also had a good gash above his eye. I was very concerned but had to remain calm so he didn't see me worry since Dave has a weak stomach and I knew if he saw me panic he would start to panic too. As we were there I kept him talking to me and had him lay flat on his back.

Waiting in ER

  Within a matter of minutes we had firefighters, volunteer firefighters and ambulance on the scene. If you have seen the boon-dock place we live in it is comforting to know how quickly they can get here. On scene we had about 25 people and they all had a job. It was pretty dark so they had lights set up, people cutting and clearing out a path. It was crazy watching everything but I knew Dave was in good hands. I'm not a person to cry when something like this happens but at one point after everyone was there I had to sit down for a minute and catch my breath since I felt I was going to pass out or get sick. That went away quickly but I think it finally hit me at that time what was happening and I was concerned what the outcome would be.

 

In ER and a pic of his black and blue eye with 2 stitches

Sunday night after being release thinking he was fine

We (Eric and myself) arrived at the hospital and they brought us back the ER room. Dave was still very pale but talking to us and still himself and had his sense of humor. When they were moving him on the board he flipped Eric and I off and smiled about that. Nice, real nice but for some reason I think we both found comfort in that. Weird, I know! Not long after Eric and I got to the hospital Dave's mom, sister and step dad were soon to follow. We were at the hospital for about 4 hours and after many x-rays and a few stitches along with scratches and bruises along his arm, hands and head Dave was released saying he would feel very sore for weeks and he will feel like he was hit by a bus. Eric, Dave and myself headed home around 12:30am Monday morning. Dave was very sore and we had to help him sit and lay. We went to bed that night and he didn't sleep well and I was up with him all night. He finally went to sleep around 6 am. Not long after that we were woke up from the phone ringing around 8:30 am from the hospital. They said to come in since they noticed some swelling around soft tissues. We asked if it was an emergency and they said no but we should get there immediately. Dave then dressed himself and did his normal routine but very slowly. We also let the dog out, got gas and made a stop for coffee since we didn't feel we were in that big of a rush. They said to go in through the ER and not long after that he was submit to a ER room where we hung out for about 3 hours until they scheduled an MRI. Dave was in for the MRI from 12-1pm and was wheeled back into the room. Around 1:45pm we were told the news...BROKEN NECK! About 5 seconds after that the room filled with a nurses and they put a neck brace on Dave. At that moment Dave went into shock and shut down and I felt anger and rage throughout my body knowing they sent us home the night before. The ER doctor couldn't answer our questions since he doesn't know much about neck injuries and wanted us to talk to the neurosurgeon but he was in surgery for a few more hours. The waiting game continued and that was the worst. They ordered up a CT scan so they could see everything better. Everything about that day was a roller coaster since we were told good news and then bad news.

 He had a stress fracture and cracked vertebra on his C5 and C6.  If you look at the back of a vertebra there is a little tail that slips over the next vertebra and that broke off. (We were worried that the piece that broke off would move and go under or between the vertebra when they were doing traction and the doctor said he wasn't concerned about that at all. He said it would just dissolve.) In addition to the broken piece, the vertebra shifted to one side so it was out of alignment. So there were 2 possible treatments. One was to go in surgically and move it into place and fuse the vertebra to the next one. Two was to do traction and try and to manipulate it back into place.  Rose, thought that they would do option one because this would have been the best out come for the hospital. After missing it the lst day, this treatment would assure them that the problem was taken care of. Good thing for Dave, the Neurosurgeon was incredible. Every decision he made was based on what was good for Dave. He felt that if they fused the vertebra together, it would limited his range of motion, both up and down and side to side. So he wanted to try the traction first. If he couldn't get it back in place then he would have to do surgery. Let me just tell you, that Dr. Bromblay was the best doctor, that we have had the pleasure to deal with.

 

  I will place the pictures of the devise that they placed on Dave's head. It was held in place by pressure (It did cut the skin on the right side and he has a scab there) and there was a string tied to the middle. At the bottom of the string was a hook that they placed weights on. They took and x-ray and then added 10lbs to the hook, took another x-ray, added 10 lbs to the hook and took another x-ray. At this point Dr. Bromblay thought he could manipulate it so he held the halo and turned Dave's head to the left, very slowly. They took another x-ray. It didn't work so he added another 10 lbs, took an x-ray and then turned the head again. As you all know it worked. ( The weights were to make a space between the vertebra so that he could move the one back into place.) He then waited about 10 minutes and took another x-ray. He was happy with the results so he slowly removed the weights. Took another x-ray and then removed the halo. Then another x-ray. Rose, Dave's step mom,  was talking to Dave at this point and the doctor yelled at Rose to come look at the x-ray. He was so excited. It was a great sign! The next day they took another x-ray and that showed that the vertebra were beginning to move back to their original spots. I know the pictures looked painful but Dave said he was not in pain at all. 

Traction device

So why is he in a neck brace. When they do the traction they not only move the spine but all the muscles and ligaments that are attached to the spine. The ligament that was by the vertebra shifted. So if you think about pulling a rubber band until it almost breaks and then release it, it goes back into shape. Well the muscles and ligaments need to go back into shape but takes a lot longer to go back into place. Those muscles and ligaments need to be nice and snug with the spine to keep the vertebra in place and aligned. So the neck brace keeps him (unless he does something stupid like bending forward) from moving those muscles and ligaments so they can heal and get nice and snug. So the OT told him that he couldn't BLT (not the sandwich) No bending, no lifting/leaning (nothing over the weight of a gal of milk) and no twisting. (I bet you know he broke at least two of the rules before he left the hospital) He is suppose to pretend that he has a book on his head.

This is his neck brace and very drugged up.

He will be in the brace for at least 6 weeks. At that time they will take more x-rays to determine if the spine is stable. (They will have him bend his neck forward, backward and side to side as they take the x-ray.) If he has been a good boy and the muscles and ligaments have healed, the vertebra that was broken, should remain in place. If it doesn't then he will have to go to option number one and have it fused. So the next 6 weeks are crucial for a great recovery and no surgery.

 

He will be on pain meds and muscle relaxers for at least the next two weeks. He can walk some, take a shower and sleep. He shouldn't do much more than that for these two weeks.