DAY 62 - OCTOBER 23

Hi, everyone! It has been a long time since I have blogged, but I'm going to see if I can catch up. There seems to never be a dull moment here at Albany Med. I had planned to go back to last week, to the day of the unwiring, which was a great day, but things have been moving very fast in another direction, so I will try to catch up and go back for details at another time, if at all possible. It's hard to keep the brain cells working.
So, I'm going to skip right to the EMG that Joe had on Wednesday. Yes, very, very painful and miserable but Joe and I have been trying to convey to everyone who would listen, and some who wouldn't listen, that his last 2 1/2 to 3 fingers on both hands have been numb since the accident. It was the very first thing he began to complain about when he first became aware that he was alive and continued to tell every single team about it for about 7 - 8 weeks now. We have talked to the physical and occupational therapist about it and Hallelujah!!, finally someone began to pay attention and then everyone got in on the bandwagon. So, the results of the EMG showed that he had bilateral ulnar nerve damage, resulting in essentially carpal tunnel injury in both hands and median nerve damage on the left side. Everyone has been asking him how he thinks this might have happened. We cannot exactly figure out why we have to come up with a scenario for them - the man was run over and dragged by a tractor, for God's sake. Can't anyone figure out how these nerves might have been injured? Anyway, after the test, we were told we just had to wait for someone to read the results of the test and then they would come up with a plan - either surgery or occupational therapy or a combination of both. So, we waited and waited, and Joe vented to everyone wearing a white coat, or anyone even remotely looking like a medical person about getting the results and how long we had already waited for some kind of any answer and how his left arm and hand, in particular, just continued to get worse and weaker. This was getting to be the big concern, because now we are starting to think about serious physical therapy and Joe will need strength in his arms and hands to help negotiate the wheelchair until he is able to bear weight and start to learn to walk again. Well, he finally got to Dr. Shallett, a plastic surgery resident, whom we call Gentle Ben, because his name is Ben and he is gentle and sweet. Gentle Ben was in checking on the skin grafting that was just done and was horrified to hear PoPo's Tale of the Hands over the last 7 or 8 weeks and wanted to know who was following the case. Well, Joe said No One, scaring Ben even more, who then said that from now on, Plastics would be covering him and that by Monday, we would have an answer. Sure enough, Monday, late, Dr. Koumanis, the plastic surgeon who has done all of Joe's plastic surgery arrived, did an exam, asked some questions and explained to us, very simply, what has happened and why. After ruling out the other possibilities, he said that very often, when the body as had a severe trauma, it will swell excessively (which was certainly the case - when we first saw Joe, he was at least twice his size with the swelling - the kids said if they did not know it was their father, they would not have recognized him - even his face and head were twice their size), thereby entrapping some of the nerves that travel through tunnels, like the ulnar nerve travelling through the cubital tunnel, due to the swelling. He explained that if surgery was necessary, he would have 2 small incisions at the wrists, and an incision under the left elbow and the nerves would be freed up a bit and then hopefully some relief.. As it has turned out, it was decided that since the nerves were getting worse and not better, that surgery was indicated. Thus, tomorrow, Joe will head back for what we think is his 13th surgery to hopefully free up the nerves. We are thrilled to finally have some answers about this injury that has been plaguing him for 9 weeks. So, once again, please keep Joe in your prayers. We know that it will be a very long rehab, but we have high hopes. He feels very encouraged and I would have hounded everyone before I would have let him leave the hospital without getting an answer about the Hands!! It's been another Big Toe thing, which, by the way, is doing O.K. It is still sore, swollen and ugly - but it has not developed any infection. We are happy!!
Thank you again for all of your good wishes and prayers. Love, Cindi