I've Been Hit By a Drunk Driver

Tonight was a fun night, besides the fact I had to take my boot off because the swelling got so bad that I could not ignore the pain in my ankle at all any longer.

My friend Mark came over and brought his Wii, I got to play Guitar Hero for the first time. Then he said he’d take the caretaker class with my mom and would fly over to Maui to help in my care for as long as need be until I’m going well at home. I’m very thankful…it will really help.

Great to hear that your friend is going to help out, and i hope the recovery continues to go as well as possible.

I think i actually found a short news report about your coast guard airlift. It doesn’t mention names, but the day and the circumstances seem right.

How much is the fare to island hop? That’s gotta get expensive…

I heard that was the article about me too. They just got the time wrong, as the accident was at around 10:40 PM, not 3 in the morning. Still, yup, that’sa me.

And Vunderbob, I imagine it would be; however, since my mom will also be a caretaker and has the papers to prove it, she can be reimbursed from the settlement as part of expenses and all.

Just because you’re sick is no excuse for Jar-Jar Binks imitations, young Padawan!:smiley:

Hi everyone. I guess it’s overdue time for an update.

About two Fridays ago I was released from rehab and flew back home to Maui. Unfortunately it seems my wheelchair and walker are too big for the doors in the main house, which were rather narrow to begin with anyway. Thankfully, we have a small guest room attached to the garage that was once rented out to a handicapped person, so the doors are wider. This is where I am right now. We had to get new phonelines installed for me to use the internet.

This is also where I’m thankful that my 32" HDTV can be used as a comp monitor. :smiley:

Last Wednesday, I got the staples in my leg removed from my wounds and incisions. There were at least maybe 70 staples. Some hurt, but I survived. Most pain these days come from the laceration under my foot that was caused by the gas petal upon impact. Like many drivers in Hawaii, I drive barefoot.

No new news from my attorney yet.

I will also start therapy again this week. Rehab will be 3 times a week for about 6 weeks to start with.

Overall pain has been up and down. When my foot and ankle swell is when I get a lot of constant pain. Now and then I get sharp or shooting pains through my foot and toes but the last couple days have been okay in that regard.

Progress for the most part has been okay. My wounds are healing and my family has been very helpful and supportive. My friends both online and off have been wonderful.

I was also told I have maybe four or five churches praying for me over here, and I think on different islands too. My auntie joked that I have one of the biggest personal prayer chains in the state, hahaha. It’s comforting to know that I have people wishing and praying for me, you guys included. I will try to keep things up to date for everyone.

Unfortunately I did not receive cards from those who sent them, I guess Hawaii is just so far away that we didn’t have enough time for them to arrive. Even then, I thank you for sending them, just knowing that makes me feel…well, good. Sorry, I didn’t know what other word to use, brainfart I guess, hehe.

Thank you everyone, and I’ll keep doing my best too.

I’m glad that you’re doing relatively well. Good luck on the rehab.

Glad to hear your body’s gettin’ back to normal. I’d imagine everything, all your parts, will have their own schedule but that one day you’ll suddenly realize “Hey… I’m all better again!”

Good rehabbin’ and keep us posted.

Just read the news. SO sorry. Hang in there, my friend. Perhaps the greatest asset you had\have as far as your recuperation time is concerned is your age. The younger you are, the more quickly your body heals usually.

How is your woman friend doing?

Last I heard, she’s doing very well and had just eaten ribs. So I guess she’s doing extremely good.

Hope they weren’t her own ribs! :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m glad you are finally home. I have not been through such an ordeal, but I imagine this is the tough part of recovery, when the novelty, attention, and sympathy are waning and you are stuck with the hard work of ongoing PT. Keep going, we’re still rooting for you just as strong as when we first heard!

Every day your body does a little more healing, clearing out a little more of the bad and building up a little more of the good. Aren’t bodies fantastic? :slight_smile:

Thanks for the update. Hang in there and keep us posted.

Gute und schnelle Besserung, Maui and Deva. :slight_smile:

It means " A good and speedy recovery" in German, and I only wrote it in my native language because so many other Dopers have said all the things which needed to be said better than I could have, and this was thre only way I knew to be just a little “unique”.

Seriously, though: I am so happy to know you both are alive and I hope the driver gets all the justice (punishment) the law provides for.

Please let us know how you are doing. :slight_smile:

Bill

i figured you must have gone home as i got a return to sender.

thanks for updating us. i hope all continues to go well. it does help to have familiar things and people around.

I’m posting to let you know I’m still reading what you have to post. Keep on doing what has to be done to get yourself mobile. Your progress is great.:slight_smile:

Maui Lion–you almost sound like you got run through a hamburger grinder!

Hey everyone…just saying not much to really report; I mean, how many times can I really say I’ve played my PS3? Though I did get Little Big Planet, very fun game, I urge you to try it if you can.

My physical therapy seems to be going all right, I did break my walking record with my walker, which now stands at around 110’.

The wound on the sole of my foot is healing all right, but there’s been an unfortunate circumstance: the incision on my ankle, from the surgery, isn’t healing. It keeps having drainage on the bandages, and my mother commented that it looks infected.

Wonderful.

Tomorrow I’m going to see my doctor and hopefully get some antibiotics. I’m not sure how this could have happened, everything else is healing fine it seems, and we clean the incision and wounds practically every day with a saline solution. Today we applied some Dakin’s Solution on it, which has a chlorine-like smell to it, so I’m hoping it helps with that. No wonder the incision has been hurting lately.

…and for some reason right now I think it’s twitching. What the heck? I think it’s angry.

I missed this thread until now but I’m glad to get to the end of it and see that you’re doing so much better. My thoughts are with you.

Dakin’s is a bleach/water solution.

What color is the drainage? Does the incision look inflamed?

My skin graft left pale red/pink spots while it healed but no sign of infection.

Thanks for the update, go for 150’ next.