Dog Show Weekend!

This weekend was regional specialities and supported entries at the Ocala dog show grounds for the Belgian Shepherds. Thanks to my wonderful friends Stacy, Shanna and John; I was able to attend both days this week-end. My first dog show week-end out since the accident. Hurrah!

The person setting in the walker with the pro-camera? Well, that's me. I've been putting together the puzzle pieces to get back into showing and photographing dogs with my changed circumstances. This week-end, I did a dry run test of the photography portion.

Here is a close up of my working rig. The walker is an Etac Avant. the bag hanging from the front of the walker is a Skip Hop Duo Double Diaper Bag. In the cane holder of the walker is a camera monopod.

There is nothing particularly innovative about my rig. Rather, I knew what I wanted to be able to do and knew that the walker I was sent home with wouldn't work. I proceeded to set about finding solutions that would work for me; to give me the flexibility and freedom to achieve my goals. Search Engines and the Internet were my advisers and friends!

I can barely walk with a walker, so I need a walker that provides me good, stable support; the walker needs to frame me. Further, my walker and I; along with one of my dogs, need to be able to travel about outdoors, and over rough terrain. Eventually, my walker, my dog, and my camera equipment will find a way to make it back to the dog show/trial circuit.

As I started looking for a walker; my initial set of requirements were: rugged, stable, big wheels, no cable brakes and the ability to turn on a dime for competition dog obedience. My search led me to the Etac Avant, and I couldn't be happier. By the way, I purchased my Etac walker from Amazon.com, and can highly recommend the service and pricing.

Next, I needed a way to carry around my dog gear and my professional camera equipment. Currently, backpacks are not an option due to my shoulder and collar bone injuries; I'm leery of waist belts or fanny packs due to my inherent instability and I don't yet have the strength and endurance to pull something behind me. That sort of left a walker bag, but all of the walker bags I had seen in medical supply catalogs were just too small.

Back to my friends the Internet and Search Engines. I discovered that baby stroller and bicycle accessories make fine and dandy walker and wheelchair accessories and usually cost less than medical supplies. I hunted around on the net for awhile, then telephoned Skip Hop and spoke with a representative. I ordered my Skip Hop Duo Double in a color scheme to match my walker, and can honestly say that it is working out wonderful. Even for day to day use, the bag is more useful than the wire basket which came standard with the walker.

Yes, things are looking up. Over the next week I'll go through the photos I took of the dogs in the ring, and work on my prep work and training for showing in AKC Obedience and Rally in Spring.

..
Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.
..
Dr. Seuss; Oh the Places You'll Go!

Accident Scene Photos

Opened the mail today, and I had received a DVD full of accident scene photos taken by the highway patrol.


This is one of the photos. This is the passenger side; my side of the car; after I was cut out. As I flipped through the photos, I just kept thinking; oh my; we are all so lucky to be alive. And, seeing the conditions of the two dog crates, we are incredibly lucky the dogs are fine.

Oh, and this my friends, is a very good illustration why I have always believed that dogs should travel in cars inside of crates. Those crates saved their lives. It also helped that our team mates were at the accident scene helping with our dogs, since neither of us were in any shape to care for our dogs.

Bionic Leg

I've received my disk of x-rays from the surgeon. So, I'm putting up some pictures to give you all an idea of the bionic leg. This would be my right leg. Who knows what happened; whether I was madly pushing my passenger side brake pad, or exploded in the air bag, and/or most definitely trapped by the entire contents of the engine block settling in the passenger side leg space.

Eventually, I'll get the x-ray images from the second hospital, the before images if you will, with the hip to ankle external fixator. Or, you can peek at the picture of my knee on the trauma table a few hours post injury.

As a side note, one of these days, I really want to take a trip to a trauma center and see one of these super duper imaging tables. I have absolutely no recollection of the whole experience. After surgery, while I was doing something about having a PICC line installed, I recall somebody telling me about this wonderful machine that scanned and imaged my whole body. Fortunately, excluding all the damage to my extremities; this rest of my body is in pretty good shape.

My right leg is the worst injury; in the beginning we didn't know if I would keep the leg, or if I would ever walk. I'm hobbling around now with a walker, and I'm gradually improving in strength in PT; however, it's unknown how much function I'll regain.

The picture above left is a full body standing x-ray. This was taken on my first surgeon visit following cast/brace removal. I was a few steps ambulatory, and could step up on a 3" step, but not a full height step. It took me several weeks to be able to "stand", hanging on for dear life to the walker, without putting too much weight on my hands (which had just themselves been removed from casts). Finally, it dawned on me that I wasn't balanced; and if I wore a sandal with a heel on my right foot I could balance. The standing body x-ray is used to measure the amount of leg length discrepancy. The x-ray technician puts blocks under my right (short) leg until my hips are even; then snaps the x-ray. The surgeon uses this x-ray to determine the prescription for the shoe lift. I have a 3 cm discrepancy.

At any rate, the standing x-ray also has the benefit of illustrating my bionic leg! I have a IM nail in the femur, as well as a plate from the knee upwards about 1/2 of the femur, and another IM nail in the tibia. A screw in my ankle, a screw in my hip, and a whole bunch of screws in my knee.

Above, is the x-ray of the knee, and below is the x-ray of the tib/fib.

These x-rays were taken 6 weeks after the second surgery. The third surgery removed the femur plate and many of the screws.

PS - click the pictures to view a larger image!