tfdchief injured in accident

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Chief!

Hadn't checked in on the hearth room for a while, so I read your thread, beginning to end. Wow! Glad to hear you are well on the road to recovery. What happened to you was an accident, pure and simple, could happen to any of us out here. We all (especially on this site) partake in activities that could get us seriously hurt. Cutting wood, operating chain saws, splitters, hunting, skiing, motorcycles,boats, etc. If we thought about the one in a million chance, we'd never do anything.

Keep getting better, heal up as best as you can, then go about doing whatever you want to do. So very glad that everything is on the upswing for you. Hope you are giving that grandson lots of hugs. My son is about the same age. He must have been pretty freaked out, but he will be fine. Kids are amazing that way.

Hope your fantastic progress continues.
Cheers.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
Very well said Jake. Now if you could just learn the correct way to split wood you would truly be a professional.

The way God intended . . . horizontal? ;)
 
Sen JB, Wow you read the whole thread, sorry it is so long.....just a lot of really thoughtful caring people like you on here. Thanks for the encouragement.
And yes BG, I am lucky. It took me a while to realize that, because I didn't feel real lucky all laid up and hurting. But I could be dead, and I am not! I going to go at it again some day like it never happened I hope and pray.
I am getting stronger every day. 3 weeks, 4 days 'til the brace comes off :)
 
tfdchief said:
Sen JB, Wow you read the whole thread, sorry it is so long.....just a lot of really thoughtful caring people like you on here. Thanks for the encouragement.
And yes BG, I am lucky. It took me a while to realize that, because I didn't feel real lucky all laid up and hurting. But I could be dead, and I am not! I going to go at it again some day like it never happened I hope and pray.
I am getting stronger every day. 3 weeks, 4 days 'til the brace comes off :)

When you start counting the hours and minutes, we'll know you are healed.
 
Backwoods Savage said:
tfdchief said:
Sen JB, Wow you read the whole thread, sorry it is so long.....just a lot of really thoughtful caring people like you on here. Thanks for the encouragement.
And yes BG, I am lucky. It took me a while to realize that, because I didn't feel real lucky all laid up and hurting. But I could be dead, and I am not! I going to go at it again some day like it never happened I hope and pray.
I am getting stronger every day. 3 weeks, 4 days 'til the brace comes off :)

When you start counting the hours and minutes, we'll know you are healed.
I can hardly wait!
 
Update:

Well, at the coaxing of some of the members who have PMed me, I am back on this thread with an update. I last reported that I was to get my brace off on Monday Sept. 12th. I thought that would be the day I got to start slowly getting back to normal, and maybe go back to work.

I guess the reason I haven’t posted is because I was a little disappointed. Not a good excuse though for all those kind and caring people on this forum who want and deserve to get an update.

The appointment was on Monday and the Dr. did take the brace off, which is what I had expected. It was a long day. with the Dr. 3 hours away from home. I was really glad to get the brace off. The rest of it didn’t go quite like I thought it would though. I thought at this point I would get to start rehabbing the back, bend and lift a little. Not so, he said still no bending, twisting, or lifting, and I can’t go back to work yet either. He wants an X-ray 10 days after the brace came off to make sure everything is OK with it off. Then he wants to see me in 6 more weeks, Oct 24. So, I am still stuck at home with not much to do. Kind of let down.

He was a little more frank with me this time. He said I had extremely serious injuries and am very, very, lucky to be where I am today. He still hasn’t ruled out surgery, but said if I follow the rules and don’t screw up anything, that the need for surgery was pretty remote.

So, I am just trying to be thankful for what I have at this point. Hard though when you have waited 12 weeks for what you thought would be much more.

Thanks to all of you for thinking about me,

Steve
 
You have had a really serious back injury, and the fact the brace is off is good news in itself.
The fact that you need to take it real easy for a few weeks is a disappointment, but you are moving forward a step at a time, too slowly for you, but it's still progress forwards.
Just be really careful, try to organise your home so there is nothing to trip you up or cause anything that can damage your back, last thing you want now is a step backwards after the progress you have made.

Take care, last thing you want now is to be back in that brace..........
 
tfdchief said:
Update:

Well, at the coaxing of some of the members who have PMed me, I am back on this thread with an update. I last reported that I was to get my brace off on Monday Sept. 12th. I thought that would be the day I got to start slowly getting back to normal, and maybe go back to work.

I guess the reason I haven’t posted is because I was a little disappointed. Not a good excuse though for all those kind and caring people on this forum who want and deserve to get an update.

The appointment was on Monday and the Dr. did take the brace off, which is what I had expected. It was a long day. with the Dr. 3 hours away from home. I was really glad to get the brace off. The rest of it didn’t go quite like I thought it would though. I thought at this point I would get to start rehabbing the back, bend and lift a little. Not so, he said still no bending, twisting, or lifting, and I can’t go back to work yet either. He wants an X-ray 10 days after the brace came off to make sure everything is OK with it off. Then he wants to see me in 6 more weeks, Oct 24. So, I am still stuck at home with not much to do. Kind of let down.

He was a little more frank with me this time. He said I had extremely serious injuries and am very, very, lucky to be where I am today. He still hasn’t ruled out surgery, but said if I follow the rules and don’t screw up anything, that the need for surgery was pretty remote.

So, I am just trying to be thankful for what I have at this point. Hard though when you have waited 12 weeks for what you thought would be much more.

Thanks to all of you for thinking about me,

Steve


You have the brace off and surgery looks to be avoided.

Rest and enjoy a brace-free night's sleep.
 
A seamstress/tailor measure tape has centimeters on one side. Typically, about 100 centimeters. It might be a representation of 100 years in a life. Put a pin in the tape at the age you were injured. Next, put a pin in the tape six months(0.5 cm) further along. Stand back four feet and look at the tape. You had a wonderful and successful life up to the first pin. You will continue that life after the second pin for a long time. Best wishes for relief from the pain and a quick recovery. Some day, you might have to buy a second tape. :)

Our tape has paper clips for each member of the immediate family. It lets our boys know where their grandparents and parents are in the march through life and helps them weather the day to day wins/losses in their lives.
 
You're tough i'll give ya that.If you have doubts of your limits don't do it.Don't wanna go back to day 1.I wish you the best.I kept hoping for the best as i read these replies.Good for you.
 
Steve is indeed a tough one. However, he still can use some encouragement for us folks here on hearth.com. Some of us can too easily relate to what he is going through and I'm one that can say it is indeed a rough row to hoe and one that is tougher if you go alone. Methinks Steve has some good friends here on hearth.com and we need to make him aware of that.

Keep on healing Steve.
 
Hang in there Steve you've made huge progress looking back at the beginning.. It's hard when you're in that situation but we see leaps and bounds from the outside.. Before you know it you'll be back to loading that stove just give it time..

Ray
 
JimboM said:
A seamstress/tailor measure tape has centimeters on one side. Typically, about 100 centimeters. It might be a representation of 100 years in a life. Put a pin in the tape at the age you were injured. Next, put a pin in the tape six months(0.5 cm) further along. Stand back four feet and look at the tape. You had a wonderful and successful life up to the first pin. You will continue that life after the second pin for a long time. Best wishes for relief from the pain and a quick recovery. Some day, you might have to buy a second tape. :)

Our tape has paper clips for each member of the immediate family. It lets our boys know where their grandparents and parents are in the march through life and helps them weather the day to day wins/losses in their lives.

jimbo, that was one of the most fantastic analogies ive ever heard , what a wonderful gift to give!

steve, been following your progress, glad to see its moving along, remember small steps still get you somewhere. just be careful to avoid steps back , you never wanna fight for the same ground twice as patton said. i know your home community as well as our hearth community all want to see you up and back on the job. as for the support from both , working in your chosen profession earns the respect of us all, as i posted way back , my grandfather was a firefighter so i have a soft spot for the guys who run to the flames. my hope is that you are able to fill that role again soon, but remember to get there you have to ensure your body is as ready as your spirit. until then , sit back heal up and accept our heartfelt thoughts to help you on that path. best wishes on your continued recovery my friend!
 
Hang in there Steve! I'm about 7 weeks out from have a microdiscectomy performed to fix a herniated disk on my S1-L5 disk. I'm just starting to feel like I can do some things other than walking! According to the doctors this was a simple procedure so I can only imagine what your recovery is like. I picked up my son today(2 years old) for the first time since the surgery, I didn't have any issues but I can tell you it had me worried. :lol:

You had a serious injury(as you know) so give your body the time it needs to mend up properly. You don't want to do something to cause the healing process to start over again.
 
Hang in there Steve. I can relate in a small way. 17 yrs ago weeks before my Son was born I fell 22 feet head first off an extention ladder which was on a set of staging. I was helping my Dad paint his gambrel garage. They told me I was lucky to be alive. I was admitted as a trauma patient and had over 6 hrs surgery on both arms with 42 pieces of bone taken out and pins and external fixators put in for 12 and a half weeks.like you I was pretty accustomed to doing for myself and had to have some humility when folks asked to help.I have some limited probs now, but like your charater I don't let much slow me down. Io in no way am comparing my flight to yours, but I am very epmpathetic to your journey. God loves you and yours and my family will keep you close by in our prayers. Take care.
 
I am glad you decided to post the update Steve. I knew these fine folks here would be happy to hear as well as offer some great words of encouragement. :)
 
Where should I start? I would like to answer everyone of you, but there are so many it would make this thread a blog. I don't want to do that since the Moderators have been kind enough to leave it where it probably doesn't really belong. So, THANK YOU, each and everyone of you, for your support, your encouragement, advise, well wishes, concerns, prayers, care packages, and just being there for me. I WILL get through this, but without all of you, it will have been a lot harder. And to all of you who are also recovering from injury, surgery or illness, I offer my prayers for your speedy recovery. As BG said, "What warms the hearth, warms the heart" You all have warmed my heart!

I will let you all know how next Thursday goes.

Thanks, and looking forward to burning wood!

Steve
 
Keep the faith . . . and remember that our bodies heal slowly . . . but better to heal slowly than the alternative.
 
tfdchief...

Don't know how I missed this! So sorry you had this accident, but let me offer you some encouragement.

I had an accident in October of last year. Broke 2 vertebrae on both sides - making for an unstable spinal fracture - and 7 broken ribs. Had emergency surgery and 2 rods and 12 screws, plus they fused 7 vertebrae. It was a very serious injury and the chance of paralysis was extremely high - but for the grace of God.

I am currently doing activities like: splitting wood manually, running, biking, bending, moving, shaking, and playing with my 2.5 year old daughter like I never thought would be possible. It is a long long road, but it is one that will most likely get you back to normal. Be encouraged! This too shall pass. I still feel my back muscles every single second of the day, but that too will dissipate one day. You and I have seen grace extending in that we are both still able to walk, talk and move - we could have easily been dead.

Stay strong and know that it gets better - soon you will be far away from this and look back in awe.
 
I know you are disappointed, but you are still on your feet and on your way to recovery. You've been around long enough to know that patience almost always pays off. Keep us posted.
 
brianbeech said:
tfdchief...

Don't know how I missed this! So sorry you had this accident, but let me offer you some encouragement.

I had an accident in October of last year. Broke 2 vertebrae on both sides - making for an unstable spinal fracture - and 7 broken ribs. Had emergency surgery and 2 rods and 12 screws, plus they fused 7 vertebrae. It was a very serious injury and the chance of paralysis was extremely high - but for the grace of God.

I am currently doing activities like: splitting wood manually, running, biking, bending, moving, shaking, and playing with my 2.5 year old daughter like I never thought would be possible. It is a long long road, but it is one that will most likely get you back to normal. Be encouraged! This too shall pass. I still feel my back muscles every single second of the day, but that too will dissipate one day. You and I have seen grace extending in that we are both still able to walk, talk and move - we could have easily been dead.

Stay strong and know that it gets better - soon you will be far away from this and look back in awe.
Wow, sounds a lot like my situation. I had 2 broken in half and one in pieces. Most if not all of my ribs were broken. "very serious injury and the chance of paralysis was extremely high" My doctor said the same thing but didn't want to do surgery because he was going to have to fuse 7 vertebrae and said i would have very little mobility. He wanted to try a brace first and see if I would heal. Well, week 14 and I am healing. Sounds like you came out pretty good, thank God. "You and I have seen grace extending in that we are both still able to walk, talk and move - we could have easily been dead" YES, and I am very thankful.
Glad you came out well,
Thanks,
Steve
 
Flatbedford said:
I know you are disappointed, but you are still on your feet and on your way to recovery. You've been around long enough to know that patience almost always pays off. Keep us posted.
Steve, You are so right. A wise person I know once said "good things come to those who wait" I have used it for advise to others many times. Now I guess I have to live what I preach.
 
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