The day has come

Well I'm headed to my grandmother's auction soon, but thought I would give a quick update about the exciting news. I was originally scheduled to have the halo removed on Tuesday (6/29). The other day though I got a phone call saying the doctor was taking that day off and my appointment was moved back another day. However, I started having some complications with the 4 screws in my skull. I could feel them shifting in and out of the skull (quite painful). Yesterday, it started getting pretty bad and was happening most of the day. I called the surgeon and they told me that the chances of the pins actually moving in and out were very small and that I should just wait it out and see Dr. Osgood on Wednesday. Unfortunately, this morning I woke up in excruciating pain. Every time I moved at all the pins would shift and I was in terrible pain. My friend, Jeremiah, had stayed the night and thankfully took me into the ER. The doctors there confirmed that the holes where my screws were had gotten bigger, causing bleeding and all sorts of fun stuff. After several phone calls to Dr. Osgood and Hershey Medical Center, the ER doctor decided to take the halo off right there (despite having no experience doing so). After a dose of morphine, the doctor and two nurses disassembled the halo, cleaned me up, put on the new collar and sent me home. I'm a free man!!! No more halo. I'll still meet with Dr. Osgood to find out how long I'll wear this collar and see what restrictions I still have. But I just wanted to let everyone know the great news. The halo is finally gone. Anybody interested in a Frankenstein costume? Thank you once again to everybody for the thoughts, prayers and everything you've all done. It's been a crazy journey and it's been such a blessing to have so much support from everyone.

June 16th Update from Jesse

Update from Jesse via Jere:

I'm still making progress and getting better. My hand continues to be the only place I still need noticeable recovery. However, every now and then I'll have a revelation about how my hand has improved. Those moments are definitely exciting, because day to day it's hard to tell. Thankfully I've completely gotten over pain (even after sleeping)...and only 13 days until I get this contraption off! In the meantime, I've started catching up on my schoolwork. Let me tell you what, nothing screams "exciting summer" like reading textbooks and writing 3 papers every week. Oh well. I must admit that as annoying as work is, it's better than sitting in front of the tv.

Well the day is approaching. I have another 22 days until the 29th. Then I can finally get rid of the head gear. Not much has happened in the last few weeks. I'm now starting to finish up my classes. I'm looking for a job to try and make some money over the summer. Beyond that, I'm down to having physical therapy once a week. The leg and arm are basically back to normal and the hand is at about 65%. The pain is gone and I'm basically used to the halo, so the heat is really the only thing that bothers me anymore. There's nothing quite like wearing a fur vest when it's 80+ degrees outside. However, I really can't complain. Many of the other people I've talked to who have worn halos end up wearing them for 4-6 months at least. A few people have said they wore one for 8-10. So being scheduled to lose this at the end of 3 months doesn't seem too bad. Plus, the recovery I've been making with my leg and arm have been quick which is very nice.

Anyway, here's how things look for the weeks ahead. I'll continue to have physical therapy once a week up until I get the halo removed. My nephew will turn a year old and my grandma's having an auction at her house. I'm sure I'll also be going to graduation parties and random other events. After the halo comes off, I'll wear a Miami-J Collar for a little bit. I'm not sure what the rules are for when or how long I have to wear it, but the physical therapist says they're actually fairly comfortable. My physical therapy after the halo's removed will be mostly for mobility of the neck. I had some concern over the loss of muscle from not using my neck, but the PT doesn't think there'll be much muscle loss. The biggest problem will be a stiff neck and getting full movement again.

OK, I think that's it for now. I need to read a chapter and write a paper so I can't procrastinate too long. I hope everyone's doing well and hope to hear from you soon!
-Jesse