Week 9-10
Dimitri continues to make strides. He can cut his meat now, peel a hard-boiled egg, do up a few buttons on his dress shirt and shave his whole head and face. He also started walking our dog on a leash and progressed in strength and intensity in the gym and pool.Nerve pain continues to be a huge issue, and Dimitri is learning to pace himself and understand the importance of sleep. If he has a poor night of sleep, his pain is worse, and he is much less coordinated.
He continues to wait to get into the outpatient clinics the hospital has referred him to.
He started hand therapy with Jane from Sunshine Physio, as his hands were beginning to regress. She already has made a big difference, for which we are super grateful.
Dimitri has diminished sensation in some areas of his body. He got a big, deep cut on the bottom of his foot and was unaware of it. He did, however, have pain in his calf. He visited our local Urgent Care, where they ruled out infection. This experience does serve as a reminder that he has to be more careful because of the challenges with sensation.
When Dimitri gets tired, or it’s later in the day, he can walk like a “staggering drunk,” as he would say. He is not drinking any alcohol for an entire year, as he was told that it could interfere with his spinal cord healing.
Many folks are asking about me. I slept a couple of 15 hour days once Dimitri came home and now feel in top form. We had two other significant family events. Joseph has gone to play pro hockey in Sweden for the season, and Kaylynn is doing in-person classes at U of L. I keep thinking of his neurosurgeon’s words, “your lives will look very different, but you will have a great quality of life.” Dimitri has already surpassed ALL wishful thinking, and we are indeed very blessed.