A Flyover Blog

Happy Birthday

 

Today is Mitch's birthday. When I saw him laying in the ER all bloody and broken up 10 weeks ago, I really didn't think he'd be up and getting ready to bike again this soon. Thanks to fantastic doctors, lots of prayer and one fabulous husband with an iron will and nerves of steel.

I snapped this pic yesterday which, it turns out, was the only non-rainy day we're going to have this week. He was working on his titanium bike, the old Clark Kent, getting it ready for his return to the trail.  Mitch's surgeon surprised us last week by clearing him to begin riding - two months early! - with a few conditions: He can only ride for a mile or two and stop as soon as his arm or wrist begins to hurt. He must protect his knee and elbow with pads and the wrist must be braced. And he can't ride a stiff bike; he must have a "cushy" ride, meaning the bike will have to absorb shock and basicly float like a big old Buick.

Protective gear is ordered, cushy shock-absorbing bike parts are being installed, and he's making great progress in therapy, too. If the weather clears, Mitch should be able to get back on 2 wheels early next week. In the meantime, Happy Birthday, Mitchell-man. I love you!

On The Mend

 

Sorry about the very long delay in Mitch's post-op report. I brought the boy home in a full leg brace and his arms aren't strong enough for crutches, so you know how my week has gone. The surgery Tuesday went better than expected. Thanks for the prayers!  Once he got in there, the surgeon didn't find any foreign matter. What he discovered was a lot of damaged tissue. It was too damaged to heal and instead just caused problems until it became infected over the Easter weekend. He removed everything that wasn't good and stitched the knee up.

Mitch was out of bed an hour after surgery dragging that leg brace down the hall in search of a bathroom and a Coke, in that order. His nurse ran along behind him pushing a wheel chair yelling, "Wait, Mr. Raymer!" That's my Mitch.

We go back Monday for a post-op visit. Hopefully, (fingers crossed) he'll get rid of the brace and get a green light to begin physical therapy for his right elbow and left wrist, which was postponed by this surgery. Once therapy starts and that knee is on the mend, I think we'll both feel better. It's been a long 8 weeks since the accident; yes, it was 8 weeks ago today. Time to get the boy strong enough to get back out on the trail!

Adorable puppy pic from CuteOverload.

Back to Surgery

 

Mitch was scheduled to begin therapy today on both arms. However, over the weekend, his right knee turned ugly and developed a fever. So, he spent Easter Sunday pretty much confined to the couch with an ice pack.  This morning the orthopedic surgeon scheduled him for surgery tomorrow afternoon. We suspect that something is embedded in the knee. If you've been following the Big Bad Bike Wreck saga, Mitch did have a punture wound in addition to the hematoma which we've been nursing it along for seven weeks. Even though he's had 2 x-rays and 2 MRI's the doctor feels pretty certain that something is there - a bit of gravel, a blade of grass, even a bit of fabric from his pants. So, he's going back to the O.R. This will be surgery number 4. Not what we wanted to do, but it's time to get this knee cleaned up and on the mend.  I'll let you know how it goes. Stay tuned...

Adorable puppy photo by Spriritwood Images.

Another Good Report

  

Mitch got another encouraging report last Friday, this one from his plastic surgeon. His face has healed remarkably fast and, though his has some visible scarring right now, the doctor believes the area around his eyebrow and right eye will fill in and smooth out in the coming weeks. After all, it's only been one month since the accident.  Mitch lost substantial flesh around his right eyebrow, so that needs to fill back in. We're to give it six months to heal on its own, then visit again to see if some cosmetic work is required to get his Hugh Jackman face back.

I suppose you've heard about the other 2 newsworthy cycling accidents in the news this week. It wasn't a dog that did Matt Lauer in last Sunday, it was a deer. Matt flipped over the handle bars - just like Mitch - and separated his shoulder.  Lance Armstrong took a tumble yesterday in a race and broke his collarbone. There are dangers around every turn, people. Remember to wear those helmets!

Photo from CuteOverload.

Encouraging Report

 

We received good news from Mitch's orthopedic surgeon Monday. Mitch is doing extremely well. Doc was pleased with the range of motion he's already gained in his right arm, and x-rays of the left wrist showed the bones are beginning to heal. We got to see the hardware installed in his arm to keep it stable. It's called a t-plate; the top of the thing extends across his wrist keeping the pieces of his shattered bones in place.

He also x-rayed the right knee again. It looks good. The hematoma continues to get smaller and there is no sign of infection in the puncture wound. The doctor estimates the wound will remain open for another month, so yesterday I headed back to the surgical supply store for more dressings. Mitch is making extraordinary progress (thanks for all  the prayers!) but he's getting very impatient. It will be at least 3 more weeks before he can drive - pretty hard to do with one good leg! lol

As for me, I'm trying to get back into a work routine for a few hours every morning. Up to now, that has been impossible but he's really on the mend, now. Our next stop on the Road to Recovery: the plastic surgeon on Friday.

Photo from Worth1000.com.

Day 20

 

The accident was 3 weeks ago tomorrow so I thought I'd give you an update on how we're doing. Mitch is recovering much faster than anyone anticipated, but the fact is that he's injured three limbs and his head, so it's gonna take some time. He's gaining range of movement every day in the right arm. He also has extremely good movement in the fingers of his left hand and the swelling is gone, but his wrist bones are held in place with plates and screws and supported by a splint, so it will be a while before he can begin working on the wrist. His face is looking fantastic! 

The knee? Well, it's still draining and the wound is still gaping but I think we're gaining some ground. The hematoma is shrinking. We'll find out more Monday morning, when we see the orthopedic surgeon again. I visited the surgical supply store up in the industrial district twice this week to buy dressings. Yeah, this job is too big for Walgreen's bandage section. Eewww. We get daily phone calls from family and friends, so his spirits are good. Friday, cousins Penny and Charlie from Texas came to see him.

How am I? Exhausted. That's the word of the day. I am not complaining, just tellin' the truth. I've hit the point now where my hand and arm screams non-stop and there's nothing I can do but just keep going. I think I'll be able to start working again at least a little while every day. Thank goodness my office is at home! We're both looking forward to getting back to that illusive state called "normal"... but that's a little ways off yet.

Mitch: Day 15

   

Mitch had a tough day yesterday, but he got a good overall report from the Orthopedic Surgeon. Yesterday, they removed the cast and took 15 staples out of his left wrist. Ouch. The cast has been replaced by a brace. The doctor is extremely pleased with the mobility he's regained in his right elbow, but says it will takes weeks to regain full extention in that arm. He was also pleased that Mitch is already able to move the fingers on the left hand. He could tell Mitch has been working really hard.

Our one minor setback was with the right knee. It suffered a puncture wound and a hematoma the size of a soccer ball. The knee has been draining now for 5 days from a deep dime-sized hole and the hematoma has gone down to grapefruit size. We've been hitting it aggresively with heat/cold packs and changing the dressing round the clock. The doctor put Mitch on a heavy round of antibiotics to keep infection from setting in and taught me a technique to clean the puncture wound twice a day. If I described it your toenails would curl, so I'll spare you the details.

Driving and returning to work aren't even being discussed yet, but I think once we get the knee on the mend he'll improve rapidly. We return next Monday so he can check the knee's progress and get an x-ray of the wrist. Thanks for your continued prayers and all the encouragement. It is extremely difficult for someone has active as Mitch to be down this long, so your messages mean a lot!

Image from Cute Overload. 

On The Mend

I want to thank everyone again for all the messages of love and support. You are incredible and I can't thank you enough! I am happy to report that Mitch is making very good progress. The bike accident was two weeks ago today and we hit a big milestone this weekend; Mitch is able to shower by himself! Woo hoo! He's regained enough mobility in his right arm (that one had the dislocated elbow) to handle a bath scrungy, so I bought a long plastic sleeve thingy at Bach Medical Supply to keep the cast dry on his left arm and turned him loose. He still needs help drying off but it's got to be a great feeling not being bathed by someone else - even if it is your wife.

My nephews took pics of Mitch in the ER with their cell phones and if I ever figure out how to get them  downloaded on my computer, I'll share them with you. I say this because his facial injuries were severe, but thanks to one young and very gifted plastic surgeon, his scars will be miniscule and his right eyebrow is back above his eye where it belongs.

Monday morning we go to the orthopedic surgeon for his 2 week follow up. I'm hoping he removes the large cast on his left arm and replaces it with something less cumbersome while the wrist heals from its surgery. Mitch also asked for and got some less potent pain pills late last week, which should do the trick during the day and keep him from feeling so dull.  That huge hematoma on his right knee has been draining on its own for 3 days now. Gross but necessary. It's gone from soccer ball size to grapefruit. I'll have the doc check on it, too, when we see him tomorrow.

Mitch still can't drive and won't be able to until the knee heals and his arms are much farther along, but all-in-all his progress has been nothing short of spectacular. I'll post another update after our doctor visit tomorrow.

Mrs. Raymer, Your Husband's Had An Accident

 

That's what I heard when I answered the phone a week ago today. Mitch and I had a perfectly good Sunday going. We'd taken his mom to dinner, ran a few errands and then came back to the house to change and go to the park. It was sunny and cold. Mitch and I have cold weather gear, so temp isn't really a factor. Mitch left our driveway on his Orbea Alma at 3:15. I pulled out of the drive 5 minutes later and headed to the park for a walk.  That's been our routine since I can no longer ride a bike with my damaged hand; he rides 12 miles; I drive to the park and walk 3, and he meets me there.

A mile or so from the house, my cell phone rang. It was a stranger calling to tell me Mitch had wrecked on the trail. I got his location, whipped the car around and drove like a mad woman back up Lone Pine. Two cyclists were waiting for me at the trail head. I gave one the first aid kit I carry and told him to ride ahead, then ran a quarter of a mile down the trail. I found Mitch laying quite still, covered in blood, being attended to by 2 doctors who just happened to be jogging on the trail, too.

Turns out, a couple walking their dog turned it off its lead (which is against city ordinance) and it ran headlong at Mitch. He swerved to avoid it, hit a patch of mud and went end over end. The dog, which weighed 60 or 70 pounds, tried to bite several people who stopped to help. I don't know what it's owners were thinking - taking an aggressive dog to a city park and turning it loose; I can't go there.

Long story short: Mitch was taken by ambulance to St. John's Hospital. FYI: I chose St. John's. No way was I letting Cox get their hands on him! Mitch suffered a shattered left wrist, a dislocated right elbow, severe trauma to his right knee with a soccer ball sized hematoma, a severed artery above his right eye and muliple facial lacerations. He's had plastic surgery on his face, had his right arm reset and then had another surgery to put plates and screws in his left wrist. We came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to our family and friends who surrounded us every step of the way. My brother and SIL actually beat the ambulance to the hospital! Our family and friends were nothing short of amazing, and I can't begin to tell you what a comfort it was to know I was not alone this week.

Mitch's recovery has been miraculous so far; he improves every single day. His 2 injured arms will keep him from driving any time soon, but he's able to use his laptop a little so he can work from his office here at the house once his head clears from the drugs.

As for his bike riding, Mitch probably won't be able to ride the Orbea any more; the wrist injuries were too severe. Amazingly, the Alma wasn't even scratched! This is a picture of Mitch and the Alma; I took it in November when we went on our Katy Trail holiday.

We are home resting and recouping. As you know, I have very limited use of my left hand, so we're quite a team, Mitch and I. You should see us trying to put on a pair of his socks! I appreciate all the prayers and well wishes, and hope you'll remember us for the next few weeks while he mends!

 

Biking

 

Mitch has been logging a lot of miles on his Orbea Alma 29er the past few weeks. He did his first 35 mile ride in October. Actually it was 38 miles, turns out that 35 number was just an estimate. The following day, we got in the car and he drove the route for me so I could see where he went. (If you'll recall, I used to ride, too. But bicycling is one of the things I can no longer do, since my IV injury. Now, I walk and take pics.)

I could not believe his bike route! This was not flat straight road course; this was up the hill and down the hill - very challenging! Our neice and nephew, Mike and Whit came over a few days later. Mitch and Mike hit the bike trail while Whit and I took a walk.

 

I'm so glad I didn't marry a couch potato! Last week, we finally went on our big Katy Trail Adventure in central Missouri. It was gorgeous! Stop by tomorrow for a special post dedicated to our trip.