No one plans on tragedy striking, but danger can find its way, waiting for a momentary lapse in decision making. It only takes a second. One second too many.
I learned this on December 7 while felling trees. A rogue limb five stories above me snapped off and sailed straight into my head and face. The impact flattened me.
Somehow, I walked to my back door and got inside my house. Had my wife not been home, I would have died. She called my neighbor. I vaguely remember a high-speed car ride, laying on my wife’s lap as she compressed bleeding. With help, I walked into the emergency room, met the trauma team, and then lost consciousness.
My first surgery was that night, repairing a right subdural hematoma, a broken skull, a broken orbit, a broken sinus cavity, and a broken palate. My wife has a picture of me prepped for surgery. It’s grizzly.
“How’s he doing?”
“We are doing our best.”
That means it’s 50/50.
Within 24 hours, all three of my sons arrived to join my wife and my nurse Diann. I was never alone. Even at my worst, with my speech alternating between non-sensical and obscene, I was never alone.
After my first surgery, my pain worsened into a splitting headache so intense that I couldn’t bear it. Couldn’t sleep. Yet day after day, my brain CT scan showed no no evidence of ongoing internal bleeding.
My wife continued to insist that this level of pain couldn’t be normal, that I had a high pain threshold and wouldn’t be complaining of unbearable pain if there wasn’t trouble somewhere. So, seven days after my first surgery, I had my second.
Burr holes on the left side this time. Blood literally spraying out. The pressure relieved, I finally began feeling better. Still a mess, but better.
Moved to the subacute, then to Mary Freebed, where I spent a few weeks beginning my rehabilitation. How blessed I was to have friends and colleagues coming to spend time with me, encouraging me.
I started remembering some things, including my first post-op meetings with the operating doctors. They said something I’ll never forget, and this is really the part of my story I’d like to share.
“IT’S A MIRACLE THAT YOU ARE ALIVE AND AN EVEN GREATER MIRACLE THAT YOU ARE WALKING, TALKING, AND ON YOUR WAY TO HEALING. IF YOU HADN’T BEEN AS FIT AND AS CONDITIONED AS YOU WERE WHEN THAT TREE HIT, YOU WOULDN’T BE HERE TODAY.”
I’ve given a great deal of thought to this these past few months, and feel obligated to share with you my simple strength and fitness program. Nothing dramatic. Nothing that requires gifted athleticism. Just a program based upon what I’ve learned in pain management, metabolic medicine, and biological hormone restoration therapy.
As you read through this, keep in mind that despite my devastating injury, I have no spine damage. No permanent muscle injury. No vision or hearing loss. No damage to my posture. And, the strength I’ve lost is slowly returning.
Here’s my program:
DAILY SUPPLEMENTS
-3 grams omega three fatty acids
-5 grams of creatine
-1500mg of magnesium thionate
-one Super B vitamin tablet
-Berberine 500mg three times daily
-vitamin D 5000 units
-vitamin C 500mg
-prebiotic/probiotic 1 dose
-resveratrol 500mg
-multivitamin 1 dose
I’m able to take all of this in one swallow first thing in the morning. However, if this is too hard on your stomach, you can divide your intake throughout the day.
NUTRITION
-Breakfast: 3 eggs, two pieces of bacon, Met Rx 30g protein bar
-Lunch: meat and vegetable mix such as chili, steak, green beans, baked chicken, sweet potatoes, etc.
-Pre-workout: blackberries, Met Rx 30g protein bar
-Dinner: similar to lunch but alternating salmon, green beans, shrimp, brown rice
BEVERAGES
-no alcohol
-18 ounces green tea or Irish breakfast tea, 2-3 times daily
-ice water
MALE BHRT (bioidentical hormone replacement therapy)
-2200 mg bioidentical testosterone pellets placed every 3-4 months OR bioidentical testosterone cream applied to scrotum twice daily; goal is a free testosterone level 28-38 ng/dl
-200mg Armor/NP thyroid by mouth on empty stomach; goal is a free T3 thyroid of 3.4-4.2 pg/ml
FEMALE BHRT (bioidentical hormone replacement therapy)
-100 mg bioidentical testosterone pellets placed every 3-4 months OR bioidentical testosterone cream applied to perilabial region twice daily; goal is free testosterone level of 4-6 ng/dl
-60 mg Armor/NP thyroid by mouth on empty stomach; goal is a free T3 thyroid of 3.2-4.0 pg/ml
TRAINING
3-4 times weekly, 45-60 minutes each session, 60 seconds of rest between sets, training with my personal trainer
LAB WORK
-Blood draw at Revive Pain Solutions Grand Rapids every 3-4 months to assess/adjust
-Blood donations when hemoglobin/hematocrit exceed 18/54
That’s it! Honestly, it isn’t at all overwhelming once you make it part of your daily routine, and even if you are starting from scratch, it won’t take more than 8 months to build yourself into a survival machine!
Revive Pain Solutions Grand Rapids specializes in creating customized, comprehensive metabolic and hormonal restoration for every patient who comes our way. Don’t let injuries, chronic pain, struggles with weight, inexperience with exercise, or health care frustrations stop you. Your life may depend upon this.
Still hesitant? Check out our patient reviews, give us a call, and stop by our office.