Tag: paralyzed

Surgery Recovery, Uncategorized

Adios, cast!

marysalis

On Wednesday, I had my six-week checkup at Shriners. The place was hopping; Dr. K had just gotten back from doing some mission work with kids in Ethiopia, so everyone was eager to see him — especially me! I couldn’t wait to get my cast off. I had been wondering, with a mixture of anxiety and excitement, what was going on under there and how my arm would look.

Dr. K and his orthopedic team started off by draining my leg — I’ll spare you those lovely details. Then they got to work removing my cast. I’ve never broken a bone or had any reason to be in a cast before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The saw they used was pretty cool. Even though it sounded terrifying and cut through the fiberglass cast with ease, the blade couldn’t cut you if it hit your skin. Medical gadgets are pretty amazing.

IMG_1677
The big reveal!

I was worried about it possibly being moldy and gross under the cast, but Dr. K said everything looked great and was headed in the right direction. The incisions are healing up nicely and the new flap on my triceps (where the new muscle and nerves are) appears healthy. Yay! Good news. My arm may not be the prettiest anymore — there are quite a few scars — but, oh well, it’s worth it. And it’s just nice to be able to see my arm again! Continue reading “Adios, cast!” →

Surgery Recovery, Uncategorized

In the waiting

marysalis

Today marks six weeks post-op. — high time for a mini update! Day by day, it feels like my recovery is dragging on slowly, but at the same time, I can’t believe it’s already been six weeks.  Since my arm and leg are still healing, I haven’t been able to do any PT or weight bearing of any kind on my arm. It’s felt weird not going to therapy. I miss my Magee family! It’s hard to feel like I’m losing some of the strength I had worked so hard to gain in PT. But I try to remind myself that sometimes you have to take a little step backward to move forward.

This time next week my cast will be off! Wednesday, April 24 is the day. The plan (that I know of) is for Dr. Kozin to remove the cast on my right arm and replace it with some sort of brace. I’m not sure what the restrictions will be with that yet — so stay tuned. There may or may not be any new triceps movement just yet. Like I’ve said before, nerves are lazy. They take a little while to wake up and introduce themselves to one another. But I’m feeling all kinds of tingles! I’m going to take that as a good sign. Dr. K is also going to drain my left leg next Wednesday. I have developed some excess fluid where they took the gracilis out. It’s nothing harmful, but better to get rid of.

Even though my recovery will be far from over — remember, I’m having part two of this surgery again in six months — I’m excited for this next step and my possibilities in the future. Continue reading “In the waiting” →

Surgery Recovery, Uncategorized

Post-op. Update

marysalis

Hello! I have a lot of updates since my last post. As you know, I had my long-awaited surgery on Thursday. I’m going to try my best to explain the surgery again. Dr. Scott Kozin from Shriners Philadelphia led a team of three surgeons. They took out the gracilis muscle, its nerves, and arteries/veins from my left leg, moved it all up into the triceps region of my right arm and attached it to the healthy supinator nerve, which runs down into my wrist. Obviously, it was more complicated than that, but we’ll stick with that. In a few months, when this all heals, I’ll be able to extend my arm (triceps) when I think about rolling my wrist over. Crazy. It will take some time to retrain my brain, for sure, but I’m up for the challenge. This is only the beginning of what Dr. Kozin plans to do. In about six months, I’ll have the surgery again, this time using my other gracilis muscle to give me biceps function.

I know this chapter in my journey is going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it in the end. Having better arm function in my right arm is the first step in regaining some more of my independence! And I’m so ready for that.

This latest adventure started on Thursday morning. My parents and I hustled out the door to make our 6 a.m. arrival time. The team at Shriners was wide awake and ready to get started — definitely more caffeinated than I was. The first question they asked when I arrived at pre-op. was whether I wanted cupcakes, butterflies, or rainbows on my pillowcase. It’s funny being 24 at a children’s hospital! Those pillowcases are a sweet gesture to ease a kid’s nerves though — and it calmed mine a little, too. After some prep, I rolled into the operating room around 7:30 a.m. and drifted off to dream land. Anesthesia is some amazing stuff. I woke up around 5 p.m. in the ICU ward oblivious to all the amazing work that Dr. Kozin and his team had done the previous nine hours. Continue reading “Post-op. Update” →

Surgery Recovery, Uncategorized

Onto my next adventure…

marysalis

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m getting surgery! It seems like I’ve been waiting forever for it to happen, but now that March 7 is only a week away, I’m starting to experience a whirlwind of emotions — I’m excited, nervous, anxious, and everything in between. Before I jump in and explain the surgery, let’s rewind and take this chapter in my journey from the top. I’ve covered a lot of hard miles to get to this point.

I’ve been dedicated to doing physical therapy for a year and a half now. I’ve seen some really good return in my left arm/hand/fingers and a bit in my left leg, but my right side is still very weak. Over the summer, I started feeling like I ‘plateaued’ in PT and in my recovery, but I was still determined to recover more function, especially in my right arm. A common misconception about people who are paralyzed is that they’re just trying to walk again. Of course, I would LOVE to walk my dog and run the Broad Street Run again someday. But honestly, I’d trade that any day to be able to put my hair in a ponytail, write with my dominant hand, and be independent again. Continue reading “Onto my next adventure…” →