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Wednesday, 29 April 2009

I'm done.

I can only give the briefest recap of what has been happening here since February. Physical Therapy. A Ton of it. But my last session is tomorrow and then I will have much more free time but also the responsibility to actually work out to continue growing in strength and spurring my bones to fuse. Homeschool is going well but is challenging - I'm switching curriculum next year and will be doing 2 kids, not 1. I'm going to be even more involved in my local MOPS group, which I love. We're all becoming more involved at church and are in talks with some other couples about starting a home group. The business looks like things are going to be getting better - June has 2 weddings and 1 Trash The Dress session, July has 2 TTD sessions and I think one family, August has at least two families, then high school football starts again in September. I've been able to stay out of serious debt so far and this year might be a significant turning point.

I've changed www.nikspiks.blogspot.com to be more blog + photos and not just photos. It won't be super personal stuff though. If you know me and want to keep in touch, my email address is here, you can find me on Facebook or check the NiksPiks blog.

I've enjoyed my time here and several of you were there for me when things got really tough. I appreciate those of you who felt spurred by God to join Heartbeat and provide each other with community and accountability.

If I don't return in 3 months then I will close this page. But for now I'll leave it open, just in case. :) You know where to find me!!

Saturday, 28 February 2009

8 weeks post op check up news

Yesterday was my 2 month post op follow up appointment with the neurosurgeon. While the 3 hour drive to Yakima was uncomplicated we were nearly late because of other slow vehicles in White Pass. However....

Dr. M let me out of the brace! I'm free to drive again - under the care of physical therapy of course. My longest stretch without the brace is 3 hours so far, he said I should start seeing improvement right away - stretch it to 6 hours, then 9 hours over the next few weeks. I got new x-rays of the neck extended and flexed and it all looks good. Fusion is occuring, it's just a slow process. Keep taking calcium, doing my PT and I'll go back in 6 weeks!! I nearly cried (okay, I did cry) when we left the office. Our first information was that I'd be in the brace 6-9 months, then 3-6 months and now I'm out!! I don't even have to wear the soft brace for sleeping. Yippee!!

David took pictures of the x-rays with his phone, I'll post them when I can. We also have all my previous scans on DVD to store and share wherever necessary. I can't wait to see my post accident CT scan that discovered the fracture and then the MRI the following morning that shows the vertebra is no longer dislocated.

At PT I'm doing isometrics in several different positions as well as just gaining more shoulder strength and range of motion. I love PT because it feels like every time I go they give me something that not only challenging but doable! I walk 0.7 miles to and from PT, they've given me modified Pilates for core and back stabilization, I have weight exercises for the arms and shoulders. I love it! Oh wait, it's 3x a week and I need childcare for up to 2 hours to include my walk time. Most of my appointments are predictable: every Monday it's about 11 am, Tuesdays it's about 10 am, Fridays are closer to 1 pm. If anyone is near me and available to help, I still need it but only until early April.

Thank you to all the people who have given their time, money, gas, and food to help us out these last two months! I appreciate each and every one of you! I am especially grateful to those who have been available to drive me places - you have helped keep me sane!!

Here is what a spine should look like:

Here is what happeed to me - C5 dislocation and fracture:

My x-rays from yesterday:

Here I am in the neck brace:

the incision after one week

the incision after one month

and our car:

Friday, 09 January 2009

I'm so tired and frustrated I don't even know what I want to write!

So many good and even great things have happened but I guess I need to have down times too.

GREAT: my friend C came over today with her 2yo. For 3 hours we worked on my pantry and set everything back in it's place! It's a big pantry and it was mostly organized but over the last several months it got away from me. This also allowed David to work uninterrupted for 3 hours upstairs. David's friend T came over to help him take down the outside Christmas decorations. Plus they got to visit and have some time together.

Good: dinner at Costco, one of my favorites, plus I got out of the house. A nap on the couch while the older kids watched Sesame Street. Was called by a friend asking specifically how she can help and I told her what I needed - voila it's something she can do. We went to the gym to talk to the owner: 1) he'll sell my FFC books for me and 2) he had lots of ideas for ways I can get my body strong and be ready to be without the brace when the time comes. My MOPS leader asked me to share about the accident, I was writing it last night but it got long and had to put it on hold.

Not good: AJ threw up after coming home from Costco. Feelings of evil jealousy and insecurity asking for my full attention again. Feeling limited by things outside of my control. And I'm not talking about the neck brace and the limitations that come with the injury! Feeling alone. Even with all the emails and phone calls saying "whatever you need, just ask!" yet much of what we need there are very few people who can help. As we cleaned out the pantry I came across the picture of the baby we lost and a pressed flower.

I'm frustrated and uninspired and tired. Yesterday was not this way. But I guess I have no where else to share this. Isn't that why I started blogging in the first place??

Wednesday, 07 January 2009

I'm contemplating closing this page. Perhaps it's the trauma talking. But perhaps it's just time to change gears.

I've changed the NiksPiks gallery page to be only stuff I really like. Clients only have 30 days to make their order. Since my last client was in November there's nothing there now. If I have some dynamite pictures I'll move them into some kind of "favorite" gallery. But I'm not keeping everything available and visible forever. I'm thinking of changing the name to just Nickie Robbs Photography to cut down on confusion. Did I mention there's a Nics Pics (notice the spelling???) and she lives just a few blocks from me???

I'm on Facebook all the time, love it. Love it.

I don't seem to have the time to write well. Besides, I have some forgetfulness since the accident and the doctor says I probably have a concussion. The solution for that: 3 months. Great.

Oh yeah, I had my 2 week post op appointment yesterday. I am technically released to drive. However, I must wear the brace which would cause some obvious problems driving! So it's not a good idea. Still can't lift. Can do isometrics. It's possible that I may not need physical therapy in 6-8 weeks if the isometrics do a lot of strengthening of the neck. I'm clear to see my chiropractor for mid and lower back adjustments. Obviously not the neck. :) I will be in the brace 3 months minimum. The fusion is good but it takes time to be complete. I can now turn my head from left to right, tilt left and right, and up and down a little. Up and down are the most dangerous, but I can do as much as the brace allows.

The steri strips are now off and I can see the incision, which looks awesome, just don't have a picture uploaded yet...
Gosh it's taken me a while!!

What you can kind of see is Nina on the left of the middle picture. My kids are the greatest help at getting other kids to look and smile. Will was literally at my right elbow making his cousins laugh and giggle and generally being a wackadoo 5 year old. Nina would run in, do something funny, then run out of the picture. Not the most helpful, but she got great smiles out of her cousins!