Update 10/24/09

Paul had surgery to repair his wrists yesterday. The surgeon said he had never seen wrists in such bad shape; the bones, like pieces of a broken mirror, were completely shattered into many small bits by the impact. The surgeon worked until 11pm to complete the surgery because he had to piece many tiny fragments back together again and reset the pieces with plates and pins. He remarked that Paul's wrists were a small sacrifice to his brain. If he had not covered his face with them, he probably would not be alive today.

Post surgery Paul has acquired a low-grade fever (99-100) which is most likely due to an infection in one of his wounds. This is still being evaluated. The pressure in his head was also up for a while, but has been brought back down to about 10. The doctor said this is not abnormal and could have been a result of all of the shifting around. The Orthopedic surgeon feels Paul will have a positive result and should have good mobility in his wrists again; however, he will require six months to a year of therapy. Paul is scheduled to also have surgery to repair bones in and around his face because the compression of the hit fractured many of them. This has to be done soon before they start to heal improperly; however, the medical team is waiting for him to stabilize first. He is still in the induced coma, which I believe he will not be weaned out of until he is stable and his surgeries are completed. My family has been very impressed by the medical team at Alfred Hospital where they have been providing world-class care, support and kindness. My family is more than grateful for the time that they spend explaining everything and for their overall dedication to providing top-notch care.

--Tara