Greg's accident
Stephen King has a short story titled "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away." It's a powerful title with evocative imagery, and one that often returns to me. Especially in times like these.
Two weeks ago, on our last day of vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Greg suffered an accident in the water while bodysurfing. A wave caught him from behind and slammed him face-first into the sand, hyperextending his neck and contusing his spinal cord. This hyperextension, along with some heretofore unknown spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal; in his case, caused by bone spurs at C4 and C5) and inflammation have resulted in something called central cord syndrome. A CAT scan and MRI confirmed that Greg does not have any fractures, nor are there are slipped, bulging, or other disk issues.
The first week, he suffered a LOT of neuropathy - pain and tingling - as well as swelling in his forearms and hands, and a significant loss of grip strength. He could not drive, lift anything, open bottles, use a knife, etc.
However, as the swelling decreases, we anticipate that Greg will make a full recovery. It will probably take 6-8 weeks, but there should be no permanent damage. He is currently on a regime of anti-inflammatory and pain medication, and should be starting physical therapy soon.
Stephen King has a short story titled "All That You Love Will Be Carried Away." It's a powerful title with evocative imagery, and one that often returns to me. Especially in times like these.
Two weeks ago, on our last day of vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Greg suffered an accident in the water while bodysurfing. A wave caught him from behind and slammed him face-first into the sand, hyperextending his neck and contusing his spinal cord. This hyperextension, along with some heretofore unknown spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal; in his case, caused by bone spurs at C4 and C5) and inflammation have resulted in something called central cord syndrome. A CAT scan and MRI confirmed that Greg does not have any fractures, nor are there are slipped, bulging, or other disk issues.
The first week, he suffered a LOT of neuropathy - pain and tingling - as well as swelling in his forearms and hands, and a significant loss of grip strength. He could not drive, lift anything, open bottles, use a knife, etc.
However, as the swelling decreases, we anticipate that Greg will make a full recovery. It will probably take 6-8 weeks, but there should be no permanent damage. He is currently on a regime of anti-inflammatory and pain medication, and should be starting physical therapy soon.