Let the therapy begin

Accidents and the process of recovery from them are both loaded with trauma. I think that’s pretty obvious.

So how does a person navigate the Byzantine corridors of institutional health care and come out the other side in good shape – both physically and mentally? I think the key is finding the right team members and working to make sure they understand just whose team their on.

Building a good team just got a lot easier

My experience at Genesis East had been tremendous. The care was good. The caution was good. Even the food was good.

But I was still concerned with how things might go once I left the 24/7 watchful gaze of the various nurses, techs, doctors and other caregivers who had been such an important part of my life over the preceding eight days. I met with my general practitioner to fill him in on my eventful week and promised to keep him in the loop. I also followed up with my trauma surgeon who had put the plates in my back and screwed my ribs together.

I had questions about medications and Caroline managed to get a hospital bed delivered to our house so I didn’t have to trundle up and down flights of stairs the first few weeks of my recovery at home. She had also coordinated all of the medicines (painkillers mostly, I think) with our regular pharmacist to make sure I had everything I needed to get off to a good start.

But the questions I had – and the concerns that went along with them – related to that “shattered” scapula and just how we were planning on putting Humpty Dumpty (me) back together again.

Dr. Myles Luszczyk, ORA Orthopedics

For that solution, I was relying on ORA surgeon, Dr. Myles Luszczyk. He had introduced himself to me on the second day I was in the hospital.

As I explained during that introduction, we had met a few times before – I’ve worked with ORA for years and art directed photo sessions with Dr. Myles (as he prefers to be called) on a few occasions. I knew he was the right guy for this job and so I was looking forward to meeting with him a week or so after my discharge.

John Tyron, ORA Orthopedics

When I went to ORA for the consultation with the doctor, I was introduced to his Physician’s Assistant, John Tyron. The meeting went well and John recommended a few movements I could do at home before my first physical therapy appointment with an ORA therapist. The physician, PA and physical therapist would work together on creating and managing my recovery.

Sounded good (and easy) in practice. But how would things turn out for real?

The first day of the rest of my life

Kathryn Ellsworth, ORA Physical Therapy

When I met Kathryn Ellsworth, the head Physical Therapist at ORA’s location on Northwest Blvd in Davenport, I was curious about whether or not the realities of having all of these services under one roof really met the expectations I had as a patient. What I found surprised even me.

Kathryn had read my file prior to my arrival. As part of her preparation, she had reviewed my x-rays (taken during my visit at ORA) as well as the notes made by both Dr. Myles and John. She also did her own evaluation of my range of motion, muscle strength and over-all soreness (healing progression).

That first session was more of a “get-to-know-you” session, with Kathryn battering me with questions as she developed a better understanding of my injury and the state of my recovery. She also evaluated my attitude and outlook – and as a part of that conversation, we talked about my goals for recovery.

Some people want to be able to play their favorite sport and get back to doing the things they did before their injury. There was more to it than that for me. I had survived a fall that, by all accounts, could have killed me.

So I wanted the reward of recovery to be worth all the pain that would come with it. For me, there was one place that was so special; I’ve always told myself I had to see it one more time before I checked out for good.

I want to go back to the Quetico/Boundary Waters. Northern Minnesota and Ontario are special places to me – full of memories of friends and my dad. I have a long way to go before I’m in shape to canoe, portage, and pack my way through the wilderness for two weeks.

But that’s the goal. That’s my journey.

I took this photo in early November after my very first visit with my ORA PT, Katherine Ellsworth.

So where does it go from here?

I am determined to get better, day-by-day. I’m not looking for major breakthroughs. I just keep looking for one little thing that goes better today than it did yesterday or last week.

Kathryn encourages that approach. But she keeps piling on the exercises and the stretches. And we keep laughing.

It’s just another step on the trail back.