Chevy & GMC Vans

Ok I know you all love pictures so I finally have some for you.
These first two are of me shortly after I arrived at the hospital.





It really doesn't look so bad, right? I guess optimism is only skin deep!

Here's what the helmet looked like. It was difficult to capture the damage in a photo but I did my best.

And lastly here's what I look like in my fancy brace:

Sorry to hear of your accident.Had a 5th lumbar dics removed myself yrs ago.Took about a yr to come back from that.Do follow what you are told to do for the recovery even if you feel better.For me the setbacks where painful and long.So just take it easy for now.Lots of things we all miss in our busy lifes and maybe now it would be a good time to take note of them.Sunsets,landscapes,etc.Take care of yourself now and looking forward to hear of your progress in your recovery.

Gary

I uploaded some of my radiology images as well. I realize that some people may not be interested in seeing my damaged insides so instead of posting pictures I have submitted them in link form.

This one is looking at my spine straight in from the front. It's pretty easy to see where the problem is.

This is an X-ray looking from my right side in towards my center. It's harder to see but you can make out the broken vertebrae as a wedge shape.

And this is an MRI (I think) looking straight down the spine from the top. You can see the broken bone fragments are all forward of the spine, none into the spinal cord area.

I think in the X-ray you can also see leftover food in me. Weird.

Good thing you had a brain bucket on! not that it helped with the spine but you didn't need a cracked melon as well.

How have you been feeling lately anyways James ? thanks for the pics, and continued success with the recovery

I have been feeling pretty good. My wife and I were supposed to go on a trip this week but we had to cancel it because of this. She decided to take the week off anyway since she already had the vacation time approved, so I have enjoyed spending the week with her. The time passes much quicker when you're not by yourself all day.
Tuesday we went to the Body Worlds Body Worlds exhibit in L.A. and that was pretty neat. I was looking at the displays to get a better idea of what had happened to me. After four hours of walking around I was pretty tired, but that's a vast improvement over my stamina at this time last month.
We have also been cleaning up and reorganizing our bedroom. I have been being mindful of my back, but I think I may have pushed my 10 pound lifting restriction yesterday because I was a little sore when I woke up this morning.
The doctor told me that soreness in the morning is an indication that I overdid things the day before. So I'll be laying low today.

I have another follow-up visit with the doctor in San Diego on the 26th of this month so I'll let you guys know what the he says about how I'm doing too.

I had my latest doctor visit last week. He said the bone looks stable and my healing is going very well. I still have all the same restrictions as far as lifting, bending and all that. The doctor warned me to be careful. He said lots of people aggravate their injuries at this stage because they are feeling good and they stop paying attention to their movements. However, he did say that I can take the brace off long enough to take a shower like a normal person.
I'm feeling well enough to tackle some light duty stuff in the garage. I'll be doing some wiring on the van, trying to polish the taillights on the van and working on my gauge mounts for the Monte Carlo in the next few days. That should keep me busy without causing problems.

6spd_monte wrote:I had my latest doctor visit last week. He said the bone looks stable and my healing is going very well. I still have all the same restrictions as far as lifting, bending and all that. The doctor warned me to be careful. He said lots of people aggravate their injuries at this stage because they are feeling good and they stop paying attention to their movements. However, he did say that I can take the brace off long enough to take a shower like a normal person.
I'm feeling well enough to tackle some light duty stuff in the garage. I'll be doing some wiring on the van, trying to polish the taillights on the van and working on my gauge mounts for the Monte Carlo in the next few days. That should keep me busy without causing problems.

James,
Listen to this old guy with a bad back.Baby steps,just baby steps for now.That will come to pay back to you ten times over as you get older.

You're one lucky SOB, pally! Be careful and heed the doctor