6 Month Update

January 18th, 2022 - 6 Month Update Message

It has now been six months since my near-death injury. This past November and December I had follow-up appointments with my Physiatrist Dr. Charbonneau and my Spine Surgeon Dr. Evaniew. They were both pleased with my progress, reminded me that I still have a year to go in which I may see additional improvements and that I must be careful and patient. I was reminded that I am a high functioning quadriplegic, and I am “one of kind at 56” so I must be careful I do not break as they and my wife Denise will not be happy after all their hard work to put me back together again. So how did I get better when initially we were looking at a life in a wheelchair with limited use of my arms. When it comes to spinal injuries no-one is 100% certain. However, according to Dr. Evaniew early intervention that included surgery to relieve pressure on my swollen spine followed by 60 days of intense physiotherapy (my wife Denise started in the ICU) contributed to my recovery. The result was, I was supposed to get out of the hospital in a wheelchair; I walked out a month early.

When most of us read “quadriplegic” you won’t think of me as I can walk, have functional use of my hands and can generally manage on my own with most tasks in life while not being a burden to my family. Technically I am an “ASI D Incomplete Spinal Tetraplegic” – I agree that’s a mouthful! Translates to Quadriplegic. Basically, when four or more parts of your body are impacted by a spinal injury you are a quadriplegic. My legs, arms, hands and abdomen impacted by my spinal injury. Simply put, I am like that Lego robot my son built. Generally, the robot works okay but tends to fall, drops things and can appear quirky as its neurocircuits misfire. I am improving, but my improvement and quality of life is directly attributed to my physiotherapy and rehabilitation program.

-Dimitri

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