Today was my first official checkup with the neuro trauma team @ Sunnybrook. I knew it would just be to see how things are progressing so I didn’t have big expectations on finding out what the timeline looks like. I left there feeling pleasantly surprised. And in some ways it’s not really surprising. Once we got to the core team back in April when this journey started the communication and support has been exemplary.
My appointment was for 10am, I had to arrive earlier to get an x-ray done so Andrea got us there around 9:15 and we were settled in the waiting room shortly after. The wait wasn’t long, probably less than 5 minutes to get in, get the x-ray done and be off to the neuro area. Which put us there around 9:30. Well!
They took us in @ the clinic within 10 minutes or so. They had already reviewed the x-ray (alignment good, bones healing well) and we were done there in a few minutes too. The halo nurse hadn’t expect this any more than we had, she’d booked a 9:30 meeting assuming we’d be done some time after 10 (which was my expectation too). So we waited a while for her to arrive and she was apologetic and also her usual positive self.
A hardware checkup later, pins properly torqued and we were done. Since we were ahead of schedule we talked about next steps…
I have an appointment to come back on the 3rd of July at which time I’ll get a CT scan. If that looks good to the team Tracy will take off most of the brace leaving only the pins and halo (that will be the first time my neck will get to support my head since early April).
We’ll go to get 2 x-rays to see how my neck looks for flex and extension.
If those look good the pins and halo are gone, the final few minutes to get to “freedom”.
I will still be using a neck brace for a while after that, something I had assumed all along. There will be some physio-therapy. And it will take a while for the pin openings to heal. I assume I’ll have scars to remind me of all this. I won’t describe that last part of the healing, it’s just part of the process though so I’ll get through it.
A few days later I’ll get to have my first shower since early April.
Sometimes it’s the little things.