Richman

UPDATE

2006-12-23T09:31:00.000-05:00

I know that some that read my blog use it for updates on how my leg is healing. Well it has been a while since my last update. Things are healing very well. I started PT a few weeks ago. I am walking with a ankle brace in my shoe and a cane. It is a good feeling to be able to have two shoes on again. There is still pain but most of it is because my range of motion needs to be stretched back to normal locations. Having both shoes on is helping to stimulate my nerve lose in the bottom of my foot. The swelling have gone down quite a bit but will continue for a while. I'll try to what so long between updates next time.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

CLICK, CLICK Must be out of bullets.

2006-12-23T09:20:00.000-05:00

Well yesterday I was taken out of the jean pool. It was something that took more nerve to "get around " to do than anything. Anticipation is an awful thing. I told the doc to take his time and it still only took about 15 mins. What a nice Christmas present to my wife. Besides, my insurance max out of pocket was met almost by 5o times. No more little Burnsy's running around.

Hop-a-long

2006-11-14T19:16:00.000-05:00

It has been a few weeks since my last post. I have been very busy with job at work. Much to my disappointment, when I got my cast off walking was not even remotely possible. The doc informed me that I wasn't a kid anymore and that I now had the bone density of an 80 yr old man in my left leg. Now I had to be careful not to fall and break something else. Great, the only way to build up the bone density was to walk on it and I can't even put any weight on it. Well I have a walking boot that supports my leg and I am getting around with only one crutch. The days seem to have gotten a whole lot longer since I went back to work. Man do I get tired.
Well that's about it. If I don't post before, have a great Thanksgiving. Remember all the things we have to be thankful for.

Castaway

2006-10-23T19:04:00.000-05:00

Friday morning my cast is being removed!! It feels like it has been forever. Thank you for your prayers and help over the past months. I really appreciate everything that you guys have done. Now lets go riding!!!!

Slaying Dragons

2006-09-29T17:09:00.000-05:00

Today was my first day back at work. What better day to start the work week than Friday. Not long after it starts the week is over for a couple of days. It was a good feeling to be working again but it is going to be quite a while before I can do a lot.

Scrap metal

2006-09-27T10:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got the external hardware removed from my leg and a cast put on. What a different feeling. Now I don't have to be quite as cautious to no hit it against things. Things are going in the right direction.

Week and a half left.

2006-09-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

Well I just got home from my orthopedic surgeons office. She said that everything looks great and things are healing very well. In 1 1/2 weeks I go back to the OR to get the external fixture removed and then a cast put on. Things are looking up. YeHa!

Yo Fat Tony, Yous want me to wack im?

2006-09-11T08:58:00.000-05:00

I was not able to watch the Simpsons last night but Chrissy set the DVR. What a wife. I did not even remind her. Anyways, I thought it was a good intro to the season. "Lady/man lady/man lady/man" HA-HA-HA!!!!

Freedom!!

2006-09-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

What a relief! It has been a little over a month since my accident and I've been itching to get out. Now understand, I have been out to church, the doctors, a couple of friends houses, etc., but I have had to have someone else drive for me. I have to keep my foot elevated and if it is down for to long a period of time it turns a lovely shade of purple and begins to throb. Anyways, this afternoon I was home alone and decided to go for a ride. What freedom. It was very different being behind the wheel instead of the back seat. Probably not that exciting for most but it was for me. Maybe tomorrow I'll see if I can make it to church and back. We'll see.

The Bonecollector

2006-08-31T12:51:00.000-05:00

Well it's been almost a month since the accident. I don't have any new pictures though. Frankly it doesn't look that different. The stitches are gone and the wounds are healing well. I have approximately 3 1/2 more weeks with the external fixtures and then cast time followed by a lot of PT. My doctor has put me in contact with a company in CA that makes a device called a "Bone Stimulator". It uses magnetic fields in increase bone groweth. I'm not sure if I qualify for the technology yet though, I should know in a few days. On a good note, I am getting range of motion in my ankle and can wiggle my toes quite well. I think that I'm getting callouses on my butt from sitting so long. O-well.

For whom the bell tolls

2006-08-22T18:10:00.000-05:00

So last night Larry was telling Chris and I that he wanted to get us something, but the only thing that he could think of was a bell. I thought that was funny, but not as funny as Chris's comment. She said that if he gave me a bell, every time that he walked he would be able to hear it ringing because it would be shoved so far up his butt. What a wife!

What goes on in people's heads?

2006-08-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

This afternoon we took Ethan to Tae Kwondo and experienced two odd things:

1. One of the fathers looked at my leg and then looked at me and asked, "Was that a planned thing?" What could I say? I wish I had one of those "I'm stupid, here's your sign" comments like from the Blue Collar Comedy show, but I didn't.

Then:

2. When we left the place, next door is a self storage unit place and someone was yelling at us so we pulled up to the gate to see what was up. A couple went in through the gate to get some moving blankets left for them at the office that needed to be pick up by 5:00. When they pulled in the lot and got out of their car the gate automatically close behind them because closing time is 5:00. They were locked in the self storage unit compound with a 8ft high fence with barbed wire at the top surrounding the place. They had no cell phone and no one else was on the premise. We let them us our phone to call the office number they had only to have to leave a message. I hope they brought their supper and sleeping bags with them.

Under the knife take 2

2006-08-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

I especially like the 2 screws going into my tibia(shin bone). It feels like I have a cement block hanging off my foot.

This is the next external apparatus that they installed. The rod in my heel is gone, but now there is 3 wires that go in one side of my tibia and out the other.

The stitches on this side is were they plated and screwed my fibula back together.

Surgery #1

2006-08-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

These two pictures are after the first surgery. Notice the eight inch long pin going through my heel and the stitches on the inside of the leg. This is were the tibia and fibula broke out though the side.

Don't skip church to work on the house

2006-08-20T18:24:00.000-05:00

I always thought that when I heard people talking about writing a blog it seemed like a waste of time. I don't have a desk job and am never home during the day. That was until 2 weeks ago when my life changed a bit.
We just bought a new house a couple of months ago and there was a few things that we wanted to do to it to make it more usable for our family. One of the larger projects was to put a dormer on the back of the house and put a bathroom in it. This would give us two bathrooms one on each floor. Doing things like this was not that big of a project considering that this is what I do for a living. I drew up a sketch of what I wanted, made a material list, had it delivered, and lined up help. The plan was to get the dormer weather tight over the weekend and then I could pick away at the inside by myself.
Saturday was an amazing day. We had perfect weather. My two helpers and I got the roof removed and the framing all done my early afternoon and by evening time we had the roof sheathing on and the debris all cleaned up. After a long day we relaxed by a campfire and had some good conversation about the day and whatnot.
Sunday morning seemed to be going the same as Saturday had. After getting Chris, my wife, and the kids of to church, I began to finish what should have been a piece of cake roof. I was minus one helper but more than two of us on the roof of the dormer we would have been bumping into eachother. We got all the prep work done, drip edge installed and the Grace Ice and Water Shield. All that was left was to put on the shingles. No Problem!! We should be done in about two hours and have the rest of the day to relax.
Talk about great timing. My cousin had run to the store for a couple of things and came back with coffee coolatas, break time. After a short break it was back to work. Up the ladder went Brian with a bundle of shingles and then myself. I got to the top of the ladder handed the bundle to Brian and went to get another bundle. I was not expecting what happened next considering the amount of times I have carried shingles. As I went to step down the first rung of the ladder it had a different plan. The extention ladder collapsed inside itself going down for three rungs and then it caught again. (Similar to what happened to Clark Griswold in Christmas Vacation) When the ladder caught the momentum to my body going down continued and I fell to the ground. I fell approximately 18 ft and landed standing with most of my weight on my left side. My cousin said I tried to walk but fell immediately. I remember landing and then rolling on the ground in pain that I have never felt before.
To make a long story longer, rescue was called, and my wife who was in the middle of the church service, by this time, was phoned by my cousin. After telling Chris what happened I wanted to talk to her. All I could say was that it felt like my foot was on fire and I looked at it and could see the bone sticking out of the side of my leg.
Well, two surgeries later and enough metal on the inside and outside of my leg to set off most metal detectors, I can say that it is great to be alive. I have a long road of recovery ahead of me but hey look on the bright side, I now have my own blog.