An Update on Benjamin - December 6, 2023

Benjamin had an appointment with his orthopedic surgeon on Tuesday.  We got there early and they had him do some CT scans.  We waited in the office.  The surgeon came in and closed the door behind him.  He said, "The left leg is healing really good.  The right leg is not.  It's what we call a non-union.  I am pessimistic since I deal with trauma, but I'm going to try to be patient.  We'll get you a bone stimulator that we'll have you wear for 20 minutes a day for three months.  At the end of 3 months, we'll look at it again."

We had been praying for better news, but there was some good news there.  He is ahead of most as far as his left leg is concerned.  He is released to go back to work on Monday!  He doesn't have to wear the boot anymore!  He'll still go to physical therapy three times a week.  He is making great strides there.  Speaking of strides, click the arrow on the video below to see Benjamin walking with no boot and no walker.  He's getting better every day!

We asked what the surgery would look like, if the bone in the right leg doesn't heal in 3 months.  He told us that, if necessary, the surgery could be scheduled at 6 months, 9 months, or whatever.  He would miss 2 weeks of work.  It would involve removing the existing hardware (plates, screws, etc.) and putting in new hardware, along with cement.  I'm not sure I got all that right.  Hopefully it won't come to that.

The doctor was happy that Benjamin hasn't been on any pain meds and has cut his Gabapentin down to only one pill a day.  That's the pill for nerve pain.  He's tried going without it, but has trouble sleeping.  We asked about the tingling and the numbness in his right foot and right hand.  The doctor said that the tingling meant that feeling could come back.  He said that if the foot and hand is numb, it may be like that permanently, but said that's not chiseled in stone.  He's seen it come back.

The doctor wants to get him back to work as quickly as possible.  He told us that Benjamin could be released to drive in another month.  We kept it quiet that I've already been letting him drive on back roads on the way back from therapy.  For the time being, we'll be dropping him off at work and picking him up.  Traffic where he works in Lake Charles (actually, Westlake, LA) is a little more hectic than around here.

Although not the overall report we prayed for, we're going to focus on the positive and still work hard and move forward.  He's been really working hard at rehab and we're proud of him.  Benjamin has an appointment at the neurosurgeon's office in Lafayette tomorrow afternoon.  They will review the CT scans and make determinations on releasing him and/or discussing limitations.  

Thank you for your continued concern and especially your earnest prayers.  God is so good to us.  Even if He did nothing more for us, we praise Him.  It's from Him that all Blessings flow.

I've Got Your Back

Today was a big day as far as doctor visits go.  Benjamin had an appointment at 1PM with his neurosurgeon in Lafayette who performed his spine surgery.  Prior to the visit we had to have X-rays done on his spine.  That appointment was at noon and those X-rays would be immediately sent to the neurosurgeon.  The X-ray location and the neurosurgeon's offices were in two different buildings about a block away.  That's usually not a big ordeal, but when you have to get out a walker and a wheelchair and stand and pivot and sit and then stow away all that equipment only to wash, rinse and repeat a few minutes later, well, that's "tracas."  [TRAH KAH] "trouble or problem" in Cajun French.

But you know what?  There's another way to look at it.  It gave us good practice.  By the end of the day, Tricia and I were like a pit crew on pit row getting the walker out of the back seat and setting it by the opened passenger door, popping the trunk to remove the wheel chair, opening it and putting the cushion seat on, rolling to the front door and locking the wheels.  Benjamin stands, pivots, sits, foot rests are put on the chair and Benjamin rolls clear of the car.  All doors are closed and the trunk shut before the car speeds away.  If you listen closely, you can almost hear the whirring of the air impact wrenches and the squeal of tires...  

We went in and were seen by the neurosurgeon's office.  The staff was very thorough and explained things so well.  It was not rushed.  They asked if we had questions.  Of course we did!  I asked, "We never saw anything but the big scar on his back.  Can you show us what was done to Benjamin's spine?"  She pulled this up quickly and began to explain:

Benjamin's spine suffered compression fractures in the lumbar region and sacrum.  L2 was pushing toward the cord, with little pieces broken off.  To stabilize this, his back was cut open and two titanium rods were put on either side of the spine and fastened with screws.  To do this you must go two vertebrae above and two vertebrae below the damage, so the rods went from the Thoracic group (T11) to the Lumbar group (L4).  You can see the rods and anchoring screws in the x-ray above.  He will have some range of motion issues (some diminished bending/twisting), but they keep stressing that he is young and healthy and his muscles will develop to compensate.  Who's got your back?  The rods answer saying, "I've got your back."  Ultimately, God has our backs!

The pelvis was fractured, along with the sacrum.  If you look at the film above, you can see that two 5-inch screws were inserted to 'hold things in place.'  Yikes!  He certainly has some hardware in him.  Benjamin's off of all pain medication and muscle relaxers and is only on gabapentin for nerve pain and trazadone for a sleep aid when nerve pain persists.  We discussed nerve pain.  Nerve damage is slow to heal.  They wrote OT/PT orders which will be communicated to Rehab to help with that.  They want the back brace on at all times.  No sleeping on the stomach.  They want him taking Vitamin D and calcium.

They looked at his "pins and needles" sensation in his right (dominant) hand - mainly the ring finger and pinky.  It looks like damage to the ulna nerve (funny bone), however, it could be caused by the neck.  In looking at the film, there appears to be a slight bulge in the cervical group (C6, if I remember correctly).  We were shown the opening where the nerve goes out and to the right arm.  The opening was large and doesn't appear to have damaged the nerve.  Only time will tell on the nerve damage.

Overall, they were very pleased with his progress in rehab, range of motion, strength and want to see him again in a month.  He heads back to Physical and Occupational Therapy tomorrow afternoon and our next appointment is with his orthopedic surgeon on October 12th.  We'll see what he has to say about his pelvic area and especially, legs.  When will he be load-bearing?  We're just a month out from the injury.  In many ways it seems like a LONG time, but we look at where he was versus where he is now and it is a testimony to the Goodness of God.  To God be the Glory, great things He hath done!