Help through recovery
Donation protected
Hello all,
As many of you know, on June 25th, I had a bicycle accident. After going over my handle bars and landing on my head, I heard a lot of pretty gnarly crunching in my neck.
I was taken to the University of Michigan ER, where I was quickly admitted and diagnosed with a jumped facet - or a dislocation of the C7 vertebrae. In more basic terms, my C7 was twisted into the exact opposite position it should have been. Luckily, nothing was broken but that clearly couldn't stay that way.
In the ER, they attempted manual traction - they tried to forcefully pull, twist, and push everything back into place by manuevering my head with the horseshoe shaped halo drilled into it.
After that failed, I was moved to the ICU. Here, they hooked me up to pulley system to try extended traction.
They started with 10 lbs at 1:00 a.m. Friday and added additional weights until they hit 35 lbs Friday evening.
At the 35 lb mark, my head literally felt like it was being pulled from my body.
We had some hope that it had worked; the pain in my arm from the compressed nerve eased up some and the initial X-rays looked positive.
We were given bad new again Saturday morning. The traction, while it looked like it had been successful, had failed.
At this point, we were out of non-invasive options. Surgery to fuse C6 and C7 together was scheduled for that Tuesday, and I was moved to the neuro surgery ward.
Those days in between traction and surgery, the main goals were pain management and basic bodily functions. I spent a lot of time eating milkshakes, drinking prune juice, and thinking about pee and poop (tip: warm prune juice is the most effective). You would too if you were being threatened with "straight caths" and enemas.
They took me down to pre-Op on Tuesday morning, around 9:00 a.m. - where I got to smoke a peace pipe of lidocane.
They moved me into surgery around 11:00. I was in surgery until around 6:00 p.m. that night.
Initially, the plan was to repair the damage through the front of my neck (or anteriorly). To get to the vertebrae, they pushed aside my vocal cords and all those semi-important tubes in the neck, and then removed cartlidge between the vertebrae. At that point, they weren't able to stretch the muscles, ligaments, etc. enough to fuse the vertebrae without causing further injury to the spine. This is essentially the same problem they were having with traction - my muscles were too strong and wouldn't allow the vertebrae to shift without causing further damage.
The result of this was a second , more invasive procedure through the back (a 2 for 1 deal?).
My doctor told me later that the only other time he wasn't successful through the front was with a body builder. Lauren rolled her eyes at this.
With this second procedure, they were able to correct the jumped facet and fuse the vertebrae with a plate and tiny titanium pins.
8 hours after going into surgery, I was back in my room for observation and recovery.
Two days later, on Thursday the 2nd - a full week after being admitted, I was finally discharged to begin the 3 month recovery process.
I'm so happy to be back at home with Lauren and our cat Maverick.
During this time in the hospital and after, I can't tell you how extremely appreciative I am of the countless calls, texts, posts, and visits I've received. You have no idea how much this lifted my spirits and helped me remain positive throughout. You all have supported both Lauren and I through an incredibly tough time. I cannot express how much it means.
At this point, I am 1 month into those 3 months of recovery. As I recover, I'm unable to remove the neckbrace, drive, lift more than 10 lbs, or work.
Pro: This means plenty of time to discover new hobbies. Like cat fishing.
Con: these 3 months fall during the time I make a large portion of my yearly income. As I see my savings being depleted and medical bills trickling in, it has become obvious that I need to ask for help to make it through this hurdle of recovery.
My current goal for this fundraiser is $10,000. This would help me survive the next few months of recovery as well as compensate for the lack of reserve funds I would normally have had set aside to cover costs through the winter.
If you're able to help in any way, I would be forever grateful.
As many of you know, on June 25th, I had a bicycle accident. After going over my handle bars and landing on my head, I heard a lot of pretty gnarly crunching in my neck.
I was taken to the University of Michigan ER, where I was quickly admitted and diagnosed with a jumped facet - or a dislocation of the C7 vertebrae. In more basic terms, my C7 was twisted into the exact opposite position it should have been. Luckily, nothing was broken but that clearly couldn't stay that way.
In the ER, they attempted manual traction - they tried to forcefully pull, twist, and push everything back into place by manuevering my head with the horseshoe shaped halo drilled into it.
After that failed, I was moved to the ICU. Here, they hooked me up to pulley system to try extended traction.
They started with 10 lbs at 1:00 a.m. Friday and added additional weights until they hit 35 lbs Friday evening.
At the 35 lb mark, my head literally felt like it was being pulled from my body.
We had some hope that it had worked; the pain in my arm from the compressed nerve eased up some and the initial X-rays looked positive.
We were given bad new again Saturday morning. The traction, while it looked like it had been successful, had failed.
At this point, we were out of non-invasive options. Surgery to fuse C6 and C7 together was scheduled for that Tuesday, and I was moved to the neuro surgery ward.
Those days in between traction and surgery, the main goals were pain management and basic bodily functions. I spent a lot of time eating milkshakes, drinking prune juice, and thinking about pee and poop (tip: warm prune juice is the most effective). You would too if you were being threatened with "straight caths" and enemas.
They took me down to pre-Op on Tuesday morning, around 9:00 a.m. - where I got to smoke a peace pipe of lidocane.
They moved me into surgery around 11:00. I was in surgery until around 6:00 p.m. that night.
Initially, the plan was to repair the damage through the front of my neck (or anteriorly). To get to the vertebrae, they pushed aside my vocal cords and all those semi-important tubes in the neck, and then removed cartlidge between the vertebrae. At that point, they weren't able to stretch the muscles, ligaments, etc. enough to fuse the vertebrae without causing further injury to the spine. This is essentially the same problem they were having with traction - my muscles were too strong and wouldn't allow the vertebrae to shift without causing further damage.
The result of this was a second , more invasive procedure through the back (a 2 for 1 deal?).
My doctor told me later that the only other time he wasn't successful through the front was with a body builder. Lauren rolled her eyes at this.
With this second procedure, they were able to correct the jumped facet and fuse the vertebrae with a plate and tiny titanium pins.
8 hours after going into surgery, I was back in my room for observation and recovery.
Two days later, on Thursday the 2nd - a full week after being admitted, I was finally discharged to begin the 3 month recovery process.
I'm so happy to be back at home with Lauren and our cat Maverick.
During this time in the hospital and after, I can't tell you how extremely appreciative I am of the countless calls, texts, posts, and visits I've received. You have no idea how much this lifted my spirits and helped me remain positive throughout. You all have supported both Lauren and I through an incredibly tough time. I cannot express how much it means.
At this point, I am 1 month into those 3 months of recovery. As I recover, I'm unable to remove the neckbrace, drive, lift more than 10 lbs, or work.
Pro: This means plenty of time to discover new hobbies. Like cat fishing.
Con: these 3 months fall during the time I make a large portion of my yearly income. As I see my savings being depleted and medical bills trickling in, it has become obvious that I need to ask for help to make it through this hurdle of recovery.
My current goal for this fundraiser is $10,000. This would help me survive the next few months of recovery as well as compensate for the lack of reserve funds I would normally have had set aside to cover costs through the winter.
If you're able to help in any way, I would be forever grateful.
Organizer
Ian Cherteiny
Organizer
Ypsilanti, MI