So I wanted to give more updates for the many people remembering me and praying for me. The original thread was started by Saguaro (my Father in Law) who kept people updated for the nearly 3 weeks I spent in the hospital. Original thread here: [
ramsrule.com]
Quick recap: I went running the morning of April 17th, and was struck by a car. I don't remember any it, nor the following week. My memory did not start returning to me until the 9th day after the accident. As I started to become aware, I was informed I had a severe brain injury and that things would be slow to come back to me, and I had to work at therapy, reading, and just talking. I was seriously mentally deficient, even after being released from the hospital on May 6th. I had physical issues too, including a broken neck (healed), hand soft tissue injuries (getting better), and leg and joint injuries (mostly healed).
It has been a wild ride. On Monday it will be 8 weeks since the accident. I remember, as I was becoming aware again, being told of all the stuff I could not do. I was given a good book called Living With Brain Injury by the recovery hospital, detailing the many types of injuries, how my Diffuse Axonal Injury worked, and what to expect going forward.
The book prepared me for:
Balance problems
Memory deficits
Seizures/epilepsy
Bad judgment and problem solving
Weakness
Lack of coordination
Language problems
Perceptual difficulties
Behavioral problems.
And a statistic: two thirds of all
moderate injury survivors are unable to return to work one year after the injury. I had a severe injury, which details physical deficits, paralysis, required rehabilitation, and need of intensive vocational training before returning to work in a reduced capacity. Most severe brain injury sufferers live the remainder of their lives in the care of family or a supportive home.
I was deeply concerned, but I was willing and prepared to let go of the many things that used to mean a great deal to me, because it was better to be alive with limitations than dead! And I was willing to work as hard as needed to continue to improve.
And improve I did.
Today, I am typing this from work for a 5 hour shift in my shop (which my dad kept operational while I was in the hospital, awesome!), after driving here unassisted. I have resumed running, and in fact I ran over 15 miles this week. This was after being told 5 weeks ago that I would likely not be able to run for at least a year, and possibly never again. My memory has entirely returned, except the run itself and the 8 days after the accident. It's also a little spotty after I had become lucid again, but for anything that happens these last few weeks, my memory is as sharp as ever. My speech is a little different since I stutter fairly often and have anomia (when you can't think of a word), but these have been very minor impediments and they are even slowly improving. I've been able to handle executive-level brain functions like planning and customer service, and I prepared my rental for occupation by new tenants.
My life has returned. I am a father, a husband, a business owner, landlord. I'm utterly shocked, still, at my own recovery. I have heard and read so many things that declare my injury would put me down for years. That I would probably never recover everything I'd lost. That therapy would be ongoing and perhaps last my entire life. Yet here I am, thankful and amazed.
I understand and respect the restrictions on politics and religion, so I will simply say: Soli Deo Gloria. I did not deserve this mercy, but I am thankful.
