[Sca-cooks] A serious accident

[Jim Fox-Davis]

Ranvaig,

I know Selene's responded already, but I'd like to add my own prayers
and best wishes.  The thing I've discovered in recovering from my own
nerve injury is:  don't listen to the neurologists when they tell you
that you have only XX% chance of recovery.  In April, after damage to
the Posterior Interiosseous Nerve, which activiates the extensor nerves
and muscles in the hand, in January, the neurologist flatly told me I
had less than 30% chance of recovering -any- use of the hand.  I am now
doing -almost- everything.  I still can't open the hand out flat (fully
supinated), which mostly interferes in pouring shampoo into it and
getting change at the fast food drive thru window.  Everything else is
back.  If anything, my typing's a little better because I had to relearn
how to type with my left hand.  My strength is even coming back, albeit
slowly.

The key is time and persistance.  Once he's out of the hospital and the
bone damage is mostly healed, make sure he finds an occupational
therapist who is as committed to making things come back as he is.  The
first steps will be baby steps -- when I measured my progress in how far
I could flick a cotton ball across the table -- but it DOES come back.
 You just have to keep working it.  I nicknamed my therapist
"Torquemada," and then had to explain for her who Torquemada was.

The injury Dennis had, while it sounds far more damaging overall than
mine, sounds like it hit precisely the same nerve.  Nerve regrowth
occurs at about a millimeter a month, so it's going to take what seems
like forever.  If Dennis, once he's out of the hospital, needs
encouragement, I'd be happy to call and talk to him.  I'm not a young
pup, either -- I turned 48 in May, so I may have some perspective to
help, and would be glad to.

In the meantime, remember to take time for the happy parts of this
season of joy and rebirth, take care of yourself so you can turn around
and take care of Dennis, and know that, despite distance, you're not
alone.  You have a loving community of folks who'd be happy to lend a
long-distance hand.

Jared
(the less active poster of our house....)

ranvaig at columbus.rr.com wrote:

> My husband Dennis was in a serious accident Saturday.

[snip]