[sorefm]

Hi Folks. I’ve been lurking here for awhile and thought I would take the time to introduce myself.

My name’s Fred, I’m a little over 7 months post injury as I write this. I’m not real good on the nomenclature of the injury, but as I understand it I fractured my T6, T12 and burst my L1, neurologically I’m classified as T10, ASIA D. My PT even goes further and says it’s really hemi-paraplegia since my right leg is pretty much normal in function, and why I so easily fit the ASIA D classification.

My injury resulted from a sailplane accident, that is, flying a glider. No, not an ultralight, not a hang glider, a high performance racing sailplane. I have retrograde amnesia of the day, so I can’t tell you exactly what happened, the last thing I remember of the day was pulling into the airport. Educated guesses coupled with eyewitness reports suggest I encountered some severe turbulence coupled with an equally severe downdraft that put me into a field just short of the airport. This should have been a non-event, I’ve landed in dozens of farmers field without incident---but it wasn’t. I didn’t land as much as I hit the field. And this was all on a routine local flight. I’ve competed in contests for many years and done some pretty wild things in sailplanes. My accident was equivalent to a race car driver getting creamed while he backs the family sedan out of the driveway. Oh, and my occupation is as an airline pilot...

I started out in a wheelchair and by the time I was out of the rehab hospital (6 weeks post injury) I could do about 400 feet in a walker and hobble up and down stairs with a cane. It wasn’t pretty but I was fortunate enough to be able to do that.

Today, I can get around using just a single point cane. I can actually walk without the cane for short distances but with absolutely zero style points. I am fairly confident that I have the appropriate leg strength (my extension is real good) to fly an airliner right now but my employer doesn’t want me using a cane to get to the airplane and I can’t blame them. I need to be able to walk unassisted (and without alarming the passengers!) before I can really think about getting back in the cockpit.

I’m down to only taking Celebrex and the occasional Tylenol PM to help me sleep. Kicked the morphine sulfate early on and then stopped the Neurontin. My left leg, the problem one is really tight (spasticity is suspect but I don’t have involuntary movements and the leg doesn’t “kick back” during physical testing, its just always tight) and my hamstrings seem to be lagging in the rate of recovery. Abductors and adductors are also weak which also hurts my balance.

I’ve also got the bowel and bladder issues that all of you are familiar with. I cath intermittently, I have pretty good bowel control (I’ve learned to listen to my body but its still not perfect) and I have to tell you this was the insult heaped upon my injury. Pre-injury, it had never occurred to me that this is part of what SCI’s have to deal with.

I go through the ups and downs that all of you seem to have experienced and maybe still do. And I feel guilty about it. I know I’m lucky and that for all intents and purposes, I walk, even if I have to use a cane. But I still want more. I want to walk unassisted, I want to ride my bicycle (I was/am an avid cyclist), I want to go for a hike. I want to back to work flying airplanes. I’m worried about the upcoming holidays, never my best season. And once that’s over I’ll be racing against the 1 year anniversary (April) of my injury to gain more recovery. The truth is that I’m not worried about how long my recovery might take, I’m worried it might stop before I’m able to regain medical certification to fly/work again. I know I should be happy at how far I’ve gotten and I’m relatively pain free (I just call it constant discomfort) Lest I forget to mention it, I am surrounded by a wonderful support system of people. I should quit my bitching, shouldn’t I?

Anyway, that’s me.

[qbounce]

Sorefm,
Thanks for the story and it's about TIME you posted!!

Your doing what you can, and unfortunately we're never satisfied with our progression and recovery, at first. But that's ok, cause it's your driving force to work with what you've got, and it sounds like you stand a great chance to gain much more--yes yes, pun intended.

Be impatient, it's your right. But, ease up on yourself for the holidays too, 'cause you've earned that as well.

[guido]

qbounce, on Nov 28 2009, 06:32 PM, said:

Sorefm,
Thanks for the story and it's about TIME you posted!!

Your doing what you can, and unfortunately we're never satisfied with our progression and recovery, at first. But that's ok, cause it's your driving force to work with what you've got, and it sounds like you stand a great chance to gain much more--yes yes, pun intended.

Be impatient, it's your right. But, ease up on yourself for the holidays too, 'cause you've earned that as well.

What qbounce said.

Bitching's only a problem if you do nothing with it. So keep on keeping on, and as someone else has pointed out here already: it's a marathon not a sprint.

[greybeard]

Welcome sorefm. Glad to hear you're recovering mobility.

[Tetracyclone]

Ditto the welcome, Sorefm.

I'm always ready for an inspiring story. As you approach the appearance of being able-bodied the bladder and bowel issues will keep you humble. Given all your accomplishments, a dose of humility can't hurt.

[wheeliebear75]

Well they say "any crash you can walk away from is a good crash"......well so ya rolled at 1st then walked but hey what a story! Welcome aboard........feel free to move about the cabin.

[kcl]

Fred,
It was interesting for me to read your story, because your injury level sounds very similar to my husband Tim’s and also happened around the same time. His thoracic cord infarct (stroke) happened during a lumbar back surgery on May 5th. I’m not sure what exact areas were affected, even though T7 through T11 have been mentioned in reports and he says that everything is “weird” from the bottom of his rib cage down. He was told he has Bilateral Paraparesis because he can still move his right leg some (but feels no difference between hot and cold), but can not move the left leg, yet still feels temperature in that one – strange!
Like you, he can walk short distances but with no style points , either with or without the cane. He says he walks like Fred Sanford. I’m not sure if he could go 400 feet with his walker, since he has not tried. His stamina has been pretty slow in coming back. It literally wears him out to do tasks that didn’t even take a second thought before.
I’ve given him the link to this message board hoping that it would help him, but he hasn’t shown much interest in it. I come on maybe once a month and mostly read some of the Spouse & Caregiver and Health Issues forums. I’m really glad this website exists, because there are virtually no support groups where we live (in north Florida) and I have learned a lot of things here that have helped me and my husband (whether he knows it or not).
Your story inspires me because you sound so eager to go back to work in your profession. I understand completely when you say, even though grateful for what you CAN do, you still want more. So does Tim. He was going to school and before that always worked in construction (he is 46). So far he hasn’t mentioned going back to either. Also, he’s usually like a kid a Christmas, but this year has not been excited at all.
I hope you continue to improve and keep your can-do attitude.

[sorefm]

kcl,

Thanks for the kind words. It seems Tim is very lucky to have you. There is a woman that I see occasionally in PT that has had a spinal stroke classified neurologically as a t12. First I saw her on forearm crutches, then she switched to a three wheel walker, just last week I saw her walking without any assistive device at all. She told me she only uses the walker when she's outside now. I doubt that her or I will ever return to the abilities of our pre-injury selves but maybe we'll get close.

I'm not particularly interested in giving up, but I admit to benefitting from those around me that help me (I hate needing help...) when needed and prop up my spirits.

Whatever my level of recovery will be, it will not be all my own doing. Nor will it be for your husband.

kcl, on Dec 4 2009, 04:13 PM, said:

Fred,
It was interesting for me to read your story, because your injury level sounds very similar to my husband Tim’s and also happened around the same time. His thoracic cord infarct (stroke) happened during a lumbar back surgery on May 5th. I’m not sure what exact areas were affected, even though T7 through T11 have been mentioned in reports and he says that everything is “weird” from the bottom of his rib cage down. He was told he has Bilateral Paraparesis because he can still move his right leg some (but feels no difference between hot and cold), but can not move the left leg, yet still feels temperature in that one – strange!
Like you, he can walk short distances but with no style points , either with or without the cane. He says he walks like Fred Sanford. I’m not sure if he could go 400 feet with his walker, since he has not tried. His stamina has been pretty slow in coming back. It literally wears him out to do tasks that didn’t even take a second thought before.
I’ve given him the link to this message board hoping that it would help him, but he hasn’t shown much interest in it. I come on maybe once a month and mostly read some of the Spouse & Caregiver and Health Issues forums. I’m really glad this website exists, because there are virtually no support groups where we live (in north Florida) and I have learned a lot of things here that have helped me and my husband (whether he knows it or not).
Your story inspires me because you sound so eager to go back to work in your profession. I understand completely when you say, even though grateful for what you CAN do, you still want more. So does Tim. He was going to school and before that always worked in construction (he is 46). So far he hasn’t mentioned going back to either. Also, he’s usually like a kid a Christmas, but this year has not been excited at all.
I hope you continue to improve and keep your can-do attitude.

The way I learned it, "Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing, and if you can use the airplane again its a great landing" 0 for 2 on that one.

wheeliebear75, on Nov 30 2009, 12:11 AM, said:

Well they say "any crash you can walk away from is a good crash"......well so ya rolled at 1st then walked but hey what a story! Welcome aboard........feel free to move about the cabin.

Thanks for the welcome everybody.

This post has been edited by sorefm: 07 December 2009 - 02:56 AM

[jass1]

HI Fred
we had fred in our flight school in Jacksonville florida we where good friends we lost contact.
i have been in the downdraft couple of time i was lucky i had power to pull out of it