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Up to now...

Jul. 17, 2005:

  • Boating accident, everything but bone at mid-bicep in right arm gets severed
  • The amazing Dr. James puts my veins and arteries back together and the amazing Dr. Starker puts my muscles, ligaments, and tendons back together. Also, Dr. Starker locates most of severed nerves and tags them.
  • lots of therapy

Oct. 14, 2005:

  • the amazing Dr. Zager of UPenn hospital relocates the remainder of missing nerves and puts them all back together using nerves from the back of my legs. Dr. Zager says that I now have the best possible chance at a full recovery. In six months I'll know better what's growing back and what I may or may not get back.
    • 50% or better for - elbow, forearm, and wrist
    • 40% or better for - opening and closing my hand
    • 10% for - fine motor movements in fingers

Oct. 28, 2005:

  • regain some feeling just under accident site

Nov. 06, 2005:

  • regain mild tricep function... now I can extend my arm :-)
  • very little bicep movement

Dec. 01, 2005:

  • tricep and bicep are getting stronger
  • my therapist uses an ace-bandage to tie my hand to the exercise machine for rehabilitation :-P
  • is that my wrist twitchin?

Jan. 04, 2006:

  • tricep is stronger
  • returning to RPI in the spring of 2006 semester!!!
  • now strong enough to do exercises with a thera-band
  • still can't bend arm in against gravity well but getting better
  • I can now turn my arm palm down <-- new function!

Feb. 07, 2006:

  • got new cast from therapist in Albany, NY
    • now everyone tells me it looks like I have a robotic arm
    • NO MORE SLING!!!!
  • I have more bicep function
    • starting to work on having purposeful control of my elbow other than just forcing extension and bending
  • I felt a cool breeze on my elbow the other day :-D

May 10, 2006:

  • bicep and tricep still getting stronger
  • when I do certain exercises the muscles in my forearm tighten and makes my hand palm up or palm down.
    • I can't make my hand palm up or down myself though... give it time :-D

Oct. 25, 2006:

  • I can almost pick my arm up all the way from having it lay next to my side
  • I am getting better at making my hand palm up and palm down
    • That's "supination" and "pronation" for those of you that care to know :-)
  • I can bend my wrist foreward and backward
  • I can bend my fingers!!!!
    • I can't extend them yet but... soon enough :-)
  • Thanks to my therapist's creativity and my ability to control my wrist I can shift
    a stick-shift car again :-P

Mar. 15, 2007

  • I can completely pick my arm up from laying at my side
  • I can now bend my fingers to the point where I can close a fist
  • I can carry things like:
    • a shaving cream can or razor
    • a cordless phone
    • other light-weight and non-cumbersome objects
  • I can open and close doors that have handles instead of knobs
  • I can feel hot and cold on my hand (it doesn't feel the same as on my left hand but I can feel it)

Jul. 25, 2007

  • I can bend my arm all the way up with it laying next to my side
  • I can do a two-handed push-up
  • I can hug with two arms
  • Still improving at palming up and down
  • I can bend my wrist foreward and backward better than before
  • I can extend my fingers a little but not all the way
  • I can shift a standard without having to wear a cast :-D
  • Things I can do with my right hand:
    • Open doors that have handles, not knobs
    • Hold a banana and eat it
    • Hold my coffee mug!!!!!
    • Hold jars and bottles still while I unscrew the cap with my left hand
    • There's more but I can't think of them right now :-P
Last updated on: 07/25/2007