Photographs: Part 2

As promised, here is another set of photos that were selected to more specifically showcase the car's damage up-close. But as another point of clarification, most (emphasis on "most") of the carnage strewn about the car's interior is from the deer; that is, for example, the deer's heart ejected onto the floor of the passenger side, but the blood saturation on the left side of the driver's seat is all me. You can also see a pair of seemingly-intact Adidas Sambas in the vehicle, and I honestly think it unfortunate that they were never recovered.

With very few exceptions, the pictures are only going to become progressively more graphic from here on out; if you're bothered by blood, stray animal tissues, involuntary organ donation, or anything similarly unsettling, do yourself a favor and don't view any more of the picture posts.

Anyway...

Orthopedic Update...

I forgot to mention this, but the February checkup with my orthopedic surgeon went very well; my right femur is entirely healed--the bone stim, raw milk, and heavily eccentric squatting did the trick--and I have been officially discharged from yet another "major player" in my steadily-declining medical entourage.

To be clear, it is not at all that any doctor at any stage of the process has been unnecessary or inadequate, but this doctor in particular is one of the medical "all stars" that has been absolutely instrumental in putting me back together; as happy as I am to have wrapped on my foreseeable orthopedic endeavors, it is at least somewhat bittersweet, as this doctor and his staff were a genuine pleasure to work with (and be worked on by).

In other good news, my surgeon clued me in to Wolff's law when I informed him that I no longer desired any orthopedic intervention to remove the myositis ossificans in my left quadriceps. Honestly, Wikipedia does a better job of summing it up than I ever could (emphasis added):

Wolff's law is a theory developed by the German Anatomist/Surgeon Julius Wolff (1835-1902) in the 19th century that states that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads it is placed under. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. The converse is true as well: if the loading on a bone decreases, the bone will be adapted and become weaker.

That's good to hear, as my undesired "extra" bone will gradually remodel itself over time and at least partially wear down, which will certainly ease the biomechanical discomfort of having an irregularly shaped lump of bone taking up residence in my musculature.

Photographs: Part 1

Even though I like to think that my narrative skills have painted a sufficiently vivid picture, I've mulled over the prospects of posting photographs for some time; consequently, my decision to do so is not an effort to establish further credibility amongst my scant readership, as I offer my story and related musings on an "as is" basis; I feel no need or desire to "prove" that what I claim is fact, but I do feel that certain choice pictures can create a far more tangible effect than what mere words can accomplish.

I will post subsequent pictorials at some point in the next few weeks, but I've opted for broader shots here to characterize the general devastation.

Pulmonology and Massage...

I'm a little late in getting this up, but the checkup with my pulmonologist was very positive; I'll still get scoped sometime this summer, but after a series of abbreviated breathing tests, it was determined that my airways and lungs are perfectly clear and my overall pulmonary health has returned to normal levels.

That's an excellent development, and the news of further bronchoscopies was neither surprising nor disheartening; barring any unprecedented leaps in medical technology (molecular nanotechnology, anyone?), I've always known that I'll require consistent endoscopic examination due to the dangers of recurring bronchial stenosis, so calling such a revelation "news" is probably a misnomer.

In other news, a good friend of mine also happens to be an incredibly talented masseuse, and she and I were finally able to get together last Tuesday, where she proceeded to both demonstrate her occupational talents and avail me of interesting and insightful conversation. Not only did she alleviate a great deal of my rotator cuff, pectoral, and upper back pains, but she also worked my shoulders through a previously unattainable range of motion, which really did wonders for my pain level. We're planning on meeting on a weekly basis for the foreseeable future, so suffice it to say that I'm really looking forward to my weekly sessions and eagerly await this Thursday's massage.

Checkups '07...

I'll be having my normal retinue of checkups over the next couple months, starting with my pulmonologist this Friday. It's likely that I'll be getting another bronchoscopy sometime this year, so I'm guessing that I'll be scoped again in the coming months (perhaps during Spring Break?).

I'm also slated to see my orthopedic surgeon on the 28th of this month, which could very well mark the conclusion of my bone stim usage--assuming bone growth is as expected around the osteotomy site. Although my femur obviously doesn't feel any different structurally, I'm reasonably confident of a positive verdict this time around, as I've worn that accursed stim pretty reliably (easily greater than 90% of the prescribed time). I'll also recruit him to take a semi-official look at my pec and shoulder issues, as he should be able to more or less verify that I dodged a bullet this time around.

And although it's presently being rescheduled, I'll likely be in to see my neural ophthalmologist at some point in March, where I can look forward to some ridiculously dilated pupils accompanied by excruciatingly bright lights.