A DAY AT THE BEACH

It's hard to believe that it's been 4 months since the accident...Sometimes it feels like it's been a year. As you can see from the picture below Mike's facial nerves are starting to connect. (Although there isn't any improvement in the right eye lid yet) Sometimes it's hard for him not to smile. :) We are all so excited to see his fuller smile.

We saw two different doctors today. First we saw his Physical Medicine doctor. We conducted another nerve study on the muscles and nerves in Mike's right arm from his neck to his fingers. This entailed sticking a 3" needle in about 1 1/2 inches into the muscles in his arms (in about 10 different locations). The doctor would then send a small current thru the needle to see how his muscles would react to the nerve being stimulated. Yes it looked painful! I'm sure it was. This went on for about 45 minutes and we found out the the # 8 nerve in the elbow has been damaged whether by the brake in the humorous bone or due to the surgery to repair the break. This damaged nerve will result in him having a weaker arm and hopeful over time (about a year) it will heal it self...if after a year there isn't a significant increase in the strength of his arm they can preform surgery to take a closer look at repairing the nerve. We are hopeful he won't need the exploratory surgery.

On that note...we saw the Orthopedic Surgeon today right after his morning appointment and Mike is scheduled for surgery in mid October to remove all the hardware in his arm. That's right all the hardware. His doctor said he had consulted with another doctor and they both feel his bone has healed and removing the hardware will allow his arm to heal and be used more effectively. Mike has had some pains that are directly related to the hardware (one wire, one 5" plate and about 14 screws). Let's just say that while he's not quit looking forward to the surgery he's looking forward to getting it all out.

Our goals are to continue getting him stronger, thru his next few surgeries and maybe back to work before the end of the year. We are so grateful for his rapid recovery and our continued strength from our Father in Heaven.