Update, long overdue, 6/30/2008

If there is anyone left out there reading this blog, I wanted to send an update on Colin’s phenomenal progress!  I sincerely apologize for my lack of posting! 

Colin is doing amazing, he continues to progress, getting stronger every week.  He no longer is attending physical therapy, as his sessions covered by insurance have run out.  Although before that happened, his physical therapist took him through his gym he got a membership to and went over a routine of both weights and pool exercises for him to follow.  He did that for a while, but felt he needed a bit more, so we recently signed up for personal training twice a week which has really given him the boost that he needed to keep going. 

He is extremely active and busy most days which is great, he is by no means sitting around the house, that’s for sure!  A typical day involves the gym, occasional appointments, walks with Bosley, and various other things that keep him active.

The warm weather has been wonderful, we went out to California in May and are headed up to Canada in July for a vacation with Colin’s family and extended family.  We have gone to the beach which,  apart from a few stares at Colin’s battle wounds and a bad burn, which he blames me for:), was a success.  Colin made the decision to stay off the boat this summer for fear of reinjuring his back, something we cannot risk.  As for the 30 pills per day he was on, I am happy to announce he is down to zero!  Something Colin is really happy about.

Colin is also very anxious to get back to work and in order to be prepared for when that day comes has decided to take a crash course middle of July to prep for the plumbers test and to take the actual test days after that. 

Just wanted to send an update, not sure who, if anyone, is still checking this, but I apologize for not updating sooner.  Colin continues to thrive in his recovery and aside from a couple bumps along the way is making amazing strides.  Thank you to everyone’s support through this journey!

2/7/08

Hello everyone we are here with another update on Colin’s progress, January has been busy!  Colin has gotten back behind the wheel and passed his medical clearance test on Monday authorizing him to drive. After his accident his Doctor’s sent the registry a letter saying he was unable to drive…and after his accident he was.  With much determination and hard work he is cleared for the open road.  This is a major milestone for Colin both physically and for his morale.  Being able to drive again means getting to all his PT/OT appointments and the independence to venture out more often on his own.  It was difficult being cooped up home alone all day, a little like house arrest!  This new found independence has done wonders for his spirit and desire to continue to move forward.  Colin remains determined to be back to work, can you imagine actually missing work?? We remain confident that he will reach every goal he sets for himself, especially when looking at all he has achieved in such a short time.

We have been back to Spaulding for Doctor’s appointments and the staff that took such great care of Colin in those early days is amazed at his progress.  Our favorite visit is to his spinal surgeon Dr. Glazer – he can’t stop laughing with excitement when he sees Colin walk into his office, a nice reminder that Colin is a walking miracle in many ways.  We are looking forward to the warmer weather as I am sure many of you are.  The cold rain and snow are rough on Colin’s joints and all that hardware, plus fresh air and sunshine is sometimes the best medicine of all.  Hope this update finds you all feeling happy and healthy.  Thank you again for checking in!

With love and gratitude.

Colin & Corinne

1/20/2008

Hi everyone, it’s Colin reporting in to give an update.  Therapy is going good, my posture is still slacking but it is getting better every week.  My right arm is also getting better but range of motion is still not 100%.  All of my nerves seem to be firing just not at full capacity.  The doctors who didn’t know me thought I would never walk again, but everyone who knows me knew otherwise.  I want to thank everyone for all of your support, my wife Corinne and I could not have done it without you guys.  I still have a long way to go, but I am able to do more on my own now, I still face many obstacles but have faith I will overcome them.  I have been getting out more but my back is still weak and tires easily.  I wish I could do more than say “thank you” to everyone because that doesn’t seem like enough and doesn’t express how much I appreciate everything.  I will continue to report in with updates, in early February I have a follow up appointment with the spinal surgeon and am anxious to see how the fusion is taking.  Thanks again everyone!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!

As we enter the New Year I would love to update you all on Colin’s progress!  He is making great strides and has many goals for 2008.  Colin alternates his walking between arm crutches and a cane, and attends physical therapy up to 4 times a week.  He is making great efforts to improve his posture and trying to “walk tall”.  He still struggles with the urge to be hunched over.  A major goal at this time is strengthening his “core”  working on the abdominal muscles with a therapy ball and those lower back muscles that need to wake up!  We are celebrating the little accomplishments that mean so much: taking his socks off on his own and lifting his legs straight up off the bed.  He is also able to independently get up out of any chair of any height these days, something that was a real challenge not so long ago.  The majority of Colin’s therapy revolves around increasing his muscle strength and through repeptitive motions reminding his muscles what they are meant to do.  Colin’s major goal this year is to be walking without a cane and back to work as a plumber!  He has a long way to go, but just when we think he has hit a plateau, he is able to do something new which reminds us how far he has come.  What I admire so much about Colin is that he takes all the tools he learns in PT and brings them home, spending time lifting weights, riding the exercise bike, walking, and constantly staying busy.  He is really is working hard to achieve his goals everyday.  We are planning on sending out  new years update letter, if you would like to be on the mailing list please email team_colin@yahoo.com.  So what are your goals for 2008??  Whatever they are I hope you achieve them, with hardwork and detrmination and of course those that love you cheering you on all things are possible! 

12/17/07

Hi Everyone!

So sorry I haven’t posted in a while, it has been a busy month at our house. 

Colin is continuing to work extremely hard both during outpatient therapy and while at home.  He has been going to outpatient therapy about four times a week where they are working on everything.  He continues to work on strengthening his legs and also getting back range of motion in his right arm.  They are also now focusing on his posture as well, since he wore the brace for so long and hasn’t really used his core muscles his posture has suffered.  Colin is also still struggling with the pain that this accident has left him with.  While Colin continues to progress we have now learned that his back muscles don’t seem to be firing as they should.  Colin finds himself extremely frustrated and discouraged at times but we are working through it.  We remain optimistic that the nerves will regenerate and have come to terms that it could be a long time until we see this happen.  All Colin can do is continue to strengthen what he has and that is what he is doing.  He gets on our stationary bike at home and uses ankle weights for various exercises with his legs.  We are hanging in there and that is all we can do some days.  We are looking forward to celebrating Christmas and the New Year!  Thank you all for your continued support!

11/28/07

Colin has been making great progress.  Currently he is not only working on walking and regaining muscle strength but correcting his posture, months in the brace and the surgery his back injuries necessitated has caused his shoulders to shrug forward and caused him to walk “hunched over”.  He is transitioning to a cane from the walker to facilitate this process, he desperately wants to be rid of the walker, it makes him feel old:)  He has a rigorous PT schedule and is at Spaulding in Framingham 3-4 days a week, and is excited to go everyday.  I believe Colin is becoming more confident in his recovery, which has helped his rehabilitation greatly.  We have been venturing out more and more, we move at a snails pace but it is nice to be able to spend time outside of the house together and regaining a sense of “normal”.  Thank you for all your continued thoughts and prayers, I plan to soon upload a picture page of Colin so you can all see his progress! 

11/19/07

Wanted to write an update on how Colin’s appointments went last week, so here it goes. 

Colin saw Dr. Rodriguez, his arm surgeon, last week.  Dr. Rodriguez said everything looks good, Colin can lift up to 10 lbs. with his right arm and fully bear all of his weight through that arm.  He also allowed Colin to take the arm attachment off of his walker.  Colin’s arm has been bothering him and it is due to all the plates and metal in his arm.  Dr. Rodriguez said that unfortunately that may not get much better, we’ll have to wait and see once his muscle heals, if it does not get better in a year Colin could opt to have the metal taken out.

Colin also saw his spinal surgeon, Dr. Glazer.  Dr. Glazer was extremely happy to see Colin on his feet in the walker.  The x-rays showed that the fusion is taking and everything looks good.  He allowed Colin to stop using the brace which was a big relief for Colin and myself.  Dr. Glazer said we will have to wait and see how Colin progresses, he cannot predict how Colin will heal but is thrilled by his progress so far.

It was a great week with all the good news coming from the surgeons.  Also Colin had his OT evaluation for outpatient therapy last week and his therapist thinks she can get his arm back pretty close to 100%.  Colin has his PT evaluation this week for outpatient and is anxious to hear what his new therapist will say.  Colin and I have been getting out of the house and when we do Colin has been using his walker as opposed to the wheelchair.  It is great exercise and he is doing great with it.  I think that is all I have to report, I will be posting every Monday morning with updates on Colin’s progress so stay tuned!  Everyone have a great Thanksgiving.  I know Colin and I have so much to be thankful for this year!

11/12/07 THANK YOU!!

Let me start out by saying THANK YOU, from the bottom of our hearts thank you to all of you that came to the great fundraiser on Saturday night!  It was a huge success, and alot of fun!  With all of your help we raised around $20,000.00, and for that Colin and I are truly grateful.  I think in our everyday lives we forget sometimes about all the support and love that is available when you need it.  Since August 22, Colin and I have been reminded of this on a daily basis and it feels great.  We also want to thank everyone who helped put this event together, my sister Emily especially, she worked so hard to make sure this was a successful event!  Also my mom and sister Amber who pitched in from the west coast to help with the event!  We hope all of you that took home some of the great prizes, raffles and auction items are enjoying them.  Colin watched the video on Sunday and was truly overwhelmed by the amazing turnout, over 300 of you came out for this event.  I also want to thank all of you that have supported us from far away, and through mailed in donations.  The funds earned will help us to pay our living expenses and medical costs, and help supplement the lost income due to Colin’s inability to work at this time.  Thank you doesn’t seem like enough, but again thank you.  As for this week Colin is seeing his orthopedic doctor tomorrow regarding his arm and his spine doctor on Wednesday,  I will update on these visits later this week! 

11/9/07

Not much to report, Colin is still settling in at home and we are really trying to come up with a system that works for us!  He is extremely anxious to start outpatient, he continues to do exercises at home.  Next week will be a big week for him, we have a follow up with the arm surgeon, follow up with the spinal surgeon and outpatient rehab beginning.  Our house is bursting with activity for the fundraiser!  My family is working overtime to get everything together and to ensure this event is a success, which I am sure it will be!  Hope to see everyone there tomorrow night I am looking forward to it! 

11/8/07

Good Morning Team Colin!  I was thinking last night that there really isn’t enough time in the day.  Colin and I have been so busy lately that we are exhausted by 7pm!  Between medication schedules, therapists, medical social workers we are straight out all day.  Organizing and coordinating everything alone really could be a full time job:)  Colin did well on his own yesterday, we are both gaining confidence that he will do well when he has to be alone.  I only hope he doesn’t try to push himself to far too fast, I know how frustrating it is for him to need and ask for help.  So far he is doing a great job with keeping up with his exercises, he is also doing word puzzles and things like that for his mind, which was also recommended.  I am trying to turn him onto soduko (which I like!) but he is just not that interested… Any other ideas???  Hope you all have a great day:)