Alison!!! (son update)
Thank You, Alison!!
Thank you so much for your kind thoughts and well wishes and healing energies! Everyone here has been so supportive and I *know* that all the positive energies have been working wonders for him - and us!
A quick, but detailed, update for *everyone* who's asked (there have been MANY!)
He has not yet been given the go ahead for outpatient physical therapy. In fact, he's still basically confined to his bed (95%) or wheelchair for another couple of weeks at least. After that, he has many, many months of therapy ahead. His pelvic bone was fractured on *both* sides of the sacral bone (we had only thought it was right, the one they operated on, but, no, the orthopedists hadn't missed it, *we* had in all the emotional confusion.) The right side had actually slid up over itself requiring them to pull it back and pin it in place. Thankfully, the left side was *simply* a clean break (like any break is "simple!) The other broken bone was his L1 vertabrae and is now enclosed in a cage. All three are healing nicely, but his orthopedist does not want to take ANY chances (and mama agrees!)
The skin grafts on the multitude of 3rd degree burns have been nothing short of miraculous!! 98% 'take' - and *continue* to heal beautifully!! They're now to the point of fully attached and skinned over with new growth. Still *very* red and tender (and Itching! great sign!), but no longer open ANYwhere, so the risk of infection has dropped considerably (Yay!!) There was some burn damage to the surface layers of muscle below, but nothing that seems to affect him in those areas (that we can tell.) The surrounding muscles may still yet grow a bit to help compensate.
He still has a lot of muscle weakness (expected) and he does have some problems with his left knee/calf. He cannot lift his calf when laying down, it just doesn't respond. He says that the numbness is gone and he can feel it, it just won't move. His neurosurgeon says that "medically" they've pretty much done what they can do there. He and I are no where near giving up on it though! He *can* operate it when he's standing (which is to go back & forth to the bathroom), and occasionally when he's sitting, so, where there's movement, there's hope!
It's been very rough on him emotionally and mentally, but he's shown incredible resililence and strength there as well. I fully expected him to be *much* more depressed and impatient than he has been (oh, and he has been!) All in all, he's looking at it as a very important life lesson and has his sights set on the long term future (mama is so proud!)
He still has a long way to go, and who knows what strenous physical therapy will be like, but for now, he's getting better one day at a time.
My husband and I are also taking it one day at a time. He still needs someone nearby 24/7 and is very dependent on us. It has been incredibly draining and limiting on all of us, but we are all soooo very, VERY grateful that he survived and is in as remarkably good shape as he is!!
Thank you *ALL* for all the support you've given us! You guys are just the greatest! =)