Injured Pete
- Thread starter TIRE
- Start date
"So Pete is continuing to improve :-) The strength and movement in his arms seems to be getting better every day and he is able to sit up on his own (unassisted) for longer periods of time. He still doesn't have movement in his fingers yet, but his mom and dad swear they saw him move his index finger twice over the weekend in an attempt to "pick his nose" :-) I didnt see this, but I dont doubt for a second that this happened. I feel like some of his movement may start to come back when he's not even trying.
His respiratory therapist came in and spoke with us last night and delivered the great news that Pete is breathing on his own "exceptionally well" so the plan is to have his tracheostomy completely removed on Monday! I am more excited about this than Pete is I think, but this is another giant step in recovery! We were also informed that updated neck x-rays were sent to his neurosurgeon down at UVA yesterday as well. Hopefully the bone graft in his neck is fusing properly and we can also remove the neck brace soon as well. The neck brace restricts so much of his movement so once this is moved I fully expect to see major improvements on what Pete is able to do for himself, like eating and picking his nose :-)
So much progress in the first couple of weeks, I can't wait to see what I'm posting about a month from now! Call of Duty and NHL 2013 here we come!"
Man I had no idea that he was in a neck brace all of this time. I cant imagine what that would be like. I have been to the ER afew and had to wear one for for an half hour or so. Its not fun. i remember when i was 5 years old i fell on my bike and they made me wear one for afew hours and it felt like hell. It was so uncomfortable i thought i was going to die. I just cant imagine wearing one for over a month. Get well soon Pete.
His respiratory therapist came in and spoke with us last night and delivered the great news that Pete is breathing on his own "exceptionally well" so the plan is to have his tracheostomy completely removed on Monday! I am more excited about this than Pete is I think, but this is another giant step in recovery! We were also informed that updated neck x-rays were sent to his neurosurgeon down at UVA yesterday as well. Hopefully the bone graft in his neck is fusing properly and we can also remove the neck brace soon as well. The neck brace restricts so much of his movement so once this is moved I fully expect to see major improvements on what Pete is able to do for himself, like eating and picking his nose :-)
So much progress in the first couple of weeks, I can't wait to see what I'm posting about a month from now! Call of Duty and NHL 2013 here we come!"
Man I had no idea that he was in a neck brace all of this time. I cant imagine what that would be like. I have been to the ER afew and had to wear one for for an half hour or so. Its not fun. i remember when i was 5 years old i fell on my bike and they made me wear one for afew hours and it felt like hell. It was so uncomfortable i thought i was going to die. I just cant imagine wearing one for over a month. Get well soon Pete.
"Pete really seemed to have a good time yesterday being able to get out of the hospital. They went to the mall, Best Buy, and Panera...to my surpirse the only things that Pete spent money on was a bagel and coffee from Panera. He usually can't walk out of a Best Buy without buying SOMETHING. He got back to the hospital a little before 1:00 which gave him enough time to get a few hours of physical therapy in. When I got to the hospital he was pretty exhausted, but he was starving and refused to eat hosptial food so we actually BOTH took a trip across the street to the Blimpies and got some pizza for dinner. I think his trip during the day has given him a little extra confidence to start exploring the hospital grounds a little more :-)
Since Pete doesn't think much of his milestones and doesn't always share everything he did in a day, I've been sharing emails back and forth with his OT (occupational therapist) She likes to share with me when Pete has overcome a milestone since he doesn't always like to share these things. Yesterday afternoon she informed me that Pete was able to completely put his shirt on, on his own/unassisted! Again, Pete doesn't see the big deal but this is another huge accomplishment. This has been one of the hardest things for him to do since this requires him to lift his arms up over his head. I asked her about his triceps again, because it seems to me like this would also use some of his tricep muscles. She informed me that she is pretty confident that both triceps are present. Whenever electrical stimulation is applied to his left tricep they are able to see a pretty strong muscle contraction. Triceps are also on the same nerve that allow for his finger movement so she's not suprised that this left side is coming back so well. The right side is still in hiding and is not showing much response to electrical stimulation yet. However, he is able to push himself around quite well in a manual chair which is why they feel as though both tricpes may in fact be there, he may just clearly have a dominant side."
Some of these pics are alittle old
Since Pete doesn't think much of his milestones and doesn't always share everything he did in a day, I've been sharing emails back and forth with his OT (occupational therapist) She likes to share with me when Pete has overcome a milestone since he doesn't always like to share these things. Yesterday afternoon she informed me that Pete was able to completely put his shirt on, on his own/unassisted! Again, Pete doesn't see the big deal but this is another huge accomplishment. This has been one of the hardest things for him to do since this requires him to lift his arms up over his head. I asked her about his triceps again, because it seems to me like this would also use some of his tricep muscles. She informed me that she is pretty confident that both triceps are present. Whenever electrical stimulation is applied to his left tricep they are able to see a pretty strong muscle contraction. Triceps are also on the same nerve that allow for his finger movement so she's not suprised that this left side is coming back so well. The right side is still in hiding and is not showing much response to electrical stimulation yet. However, he is able to push himself around quite well in a manual chair which is why they feel as though both tricpes may in fact be there, he may just clearly have a dominant side."
Some of these pics are alittle old
Thanks for keeping all of us updated on his recovery progress. We are all thinking positive thoughts here."Pete really seemed to have a good time yesterday being able to get out of the hospital. They went to the mall, Best Buy, and Panera...to my surpirse the only things that Pete spent money on was a bagel and coffee from Panera. He usually can't walk out of a Best Buy without buying SOMETHING. He got back to the hospital a little before 1:00 which gave him enough time to get a few hours of physical therapy in. When I got to the hospital he was pretty exhausted, but he was starving and refused to eat hosptial food so we actually BOTH took a trip across the street to the Blimpies and got some pizza for dinner. I think his trip during the day has given him a little extra confidence to start exploring the hospital grounds a little more :-)
Since Pete doesn't think much of his milestones and doesn't always share everything he did in a day, I've been sharing emails back and forth with his OT (occupational therapist) She likes to share with me when Pete has overcome a milestone since he doesn't always like to share these things. Yesterday afternoon she informed me that Pete was able to completely put his shirt on, on his own/unassisted! Again, Pete doesn't see the big deal but this is another huge accomplishment. This has been one of the hardest things for him to do since this requires him to lift his arms up over his head. I asked her about his triceps again, because it seems to me like this would also use some of his tricep muscles. She informed me that she is pretty confident that both triceps are present. Whenever electrical stimulation is applied to his left tricep they are able to see a pretty strong muscle contraction. Triceps are also on the same nerve that allow for his finger movement so she's not suprised that this left side is coming back so well. The right side is still in hiding and is not showing much response to electrical stimulation yet. However, he is able to push himself around quite well in a manual chair which is why they feel as though both tricpes may in fact be there, he may just clearly have a dominant side."
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Some of these pics are alittle old
So today I traveled to Washington DC to visit Pete in the hospital that he is staying in. I stayed for a good hour or so and had a nice chat. So nice to finally see him after his injury. I was very impresed by the progress he was making and he looked better than I thought he would. We talked about his progress, the accident, what we can expect in the future, as well as some other things. We also talked about what parts of his body he could and could not move. I noticed that he was moving his arms pretty well. I think that the fingers will come next. He is making great progress but please keep him in your prayers that he regains his more movement. Sorry about the blurry pic. not sure why it came out that way
Good to hear that he his improving greatly! I'll keep him in my prayers and wish him a fast recovery!
My prayers sent
In the last few weeks, Pete has made afew improvements. He now has some movement in his legs and toes! Unfortunatly, there was a small setback afew days ago. Here is what his wife has to say...
Yesterday, the club and I, about 15-20 of us, went to his townhouse and helped his family move out. It was alittle sad when we moved his tools and motorcycle parts. It only took about an hour for us to strip down the house and load everything into a a club member's trailer, then another hour to unload it at the new house. Not bad! since his 08 yz250f has not sold yet, they are going to raffle it off at the club christmas party.
Still sending warm and best wishes to Pete for a full and healthy recovery.
Still sending warm and best wishes to Pete for a full and healthy recovery.