Posted on 09/10/2007 6:04:04 PM PDT by commish
I had heard that he was starting to get some feeling back and getting off his respirator for brief periods. Maybe that would have happened anyway. Maybe I’m remembering wrong.
The reason it stuck in my mind is that he was doing something that most other quadripalegics can’t do because they don’t have the financial resources, that is be engaged in an aggressive PT program to keep his body in the best shape he could. It turned out that it that they think it had the unexpected benefit of some nerve regeneration. That’s how I remember the article. I just wish I could recall where I read it.
Steroids such as decadron and prednisone were routinely used for many years immediately following SCI. Studies identified questionable long term benefit from steroid use, and side effects are many, particularly in compromised patients with SCI.
I don't know.
Poor guy. I hope he recovers. His family must be beside themselves.
Prayers for Kevin. Please God, allow this man to walk again.
Yes, this is an absolutely excellent development. Once the cord is cut, it's over.
In 1995 I suffered a compression fracture at exactly the same place. The doc told me there are 3 types of injury you can have to the spine.
The Christopher Reeve with paralysis.
The complete break and snapping of the cord, most likely death
or the one I have that seperated into 4 pieces like a badly cut pie.
The swelling around the neck put pressure on the spilnal cord and caused loss of function from the neck down for about 3 months, but feeling came back over time. I did have to learn to do things all over again, like walk and use my hands again. It was rough, and I saw people at PT that would never walk again. I felt ashamed that I was so lucky to have survived it all, and had nothing but admiration for the courage some of these people have.
Thank you for your story, and prayers for you in your continued recovery. The life we have is a blessing, and we all need to be reminded how quickly it can all be taken away. Stories like yours are very important to hear, I can’t even imagine the hours, days, months and years of pain and work you have had to endure to recover.
WVIB-TV just reported that Everett has voluntary movement in all 4 limbs, and that the movement has progressed "Significantly since the first tests after the operation.
THey said that Dr. C says that Everett still has a very long hard road ahead, and that there may still be complications in the days ahead, but that at the moment he is much more optimistic about Everett's long term prognosis.
Awesome!!!!
The Doctor said that they have lessened Everett's sedation so that he could communicate and follow simple commands.
The Doc said Everett showed touch sensation at all test points and performed all the movement tasks asked of him during the latest exam. The oc said there was "very little" swelling remaining on the spinal cord, and that if things continue to progress as they have today for the next couple days, he is very optimistic about Everett's recovery chances.
Fantastic news—gave me chills at this remarkable improvement and potential for Everett’s recovery. Hats off to the first responders and to the surgeons. Awesome!
"Based on our experience, the fact that he's moving so well, so early after such a catastrophic injury means he will walk again," said Dr. Barth Green, chairman of the department of neurological surgery at the University of Miami school of medicine.
"It's totally spectacular, totally unexpected," Green told The Associated Press by telephone from Miami.
Green said the key was the quick action taken by Cappuccino to run an ice-cold saline solution through Everett's system that put the player in a hypothermic state. Doctors at the Miami Project have demonstrated in their laboratories that such action significantly decreases the damage to the spinal cord due to swelling and movement.
"We've been doing a protocol on humans and having similar experiences for many months now," Green said. "But this is the first time I'm aware of that the doctor was with the patient when he was injured and the hypothermia was started within minutes of the injury. We know the earlier it's started, the better."
That’s great. Considering is was bruised and treated almost immediately, it doesn’t really surprise me.
Strange thing is, I saw a clip of the accident on CNN in the radiology dept waiting for an x-ray of my son’s wrist, which he hurt playing soccer. It made me glad we were just there for a wrist. If you didn’t know he was hurt, you wouldn’t have noticed that he fell funny. Once you knew, you could see how limp he was as he went down.
I’ll keep praying.
“He’s moving both [legs] to a point, to a degree that he will end
up walking. He will walk out of the hospital.”
On Monday afternoon, Cappuccino, an orthopedic spinal surgeon, described Everett’s chances of a complete recovery as “unlikely” and between 5 and 10 percent.
The next day, however, Green said he had spoken to Cappuccino and described him as “elated.” “I think he’s walking on clouds right now,” Green said. “Any physician would be. What he told you yesterday is the case 99 percent of the time. That is that people who are paralyzed stay paralyzed.”
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