Thank you everyone for the support!
6/19/2008
Hello everyone! Ryan here. I am sorry it's been so long without an update from me but the keep me busy as all here in therapy and classes and when I am done my body is ready to shut down! I have some great news though, 1. Maricela and I are getting married on this Sunday 6/22 /08 here at the Shepherd Spinal Center! If anyone would like to join us we would love to see you there. It is happening at 1:30 in the Marcus building, 7th floor. If you go up to the 7th floor you are there! 2. I get discharged form here on next Thursday 6/26/08! Woo Hoo! I have a super bad custom titanium chair on the way and a great friend of the family (PJ Hart) has gone way out on a limb by fixing my house so that it will work for me when I get there in a wheelchair. He replaced every door in my house because they were too narrow. He built the ramps i need to get in. He installed brand new hard wood floors! And he remodeled the master bath that was too small for me to even get in into a super bath with eveything I need as a paraplegic! Thanks again PJ for getting it done so fast!
As far as my condition, I have been healing very well form my surgery that included them fusing my T1-T6 vertebrae with two titanium rods and 12 titanium skrews. My T3 vertebrae was totally destroyed in the accident. I have really blown through the program here and am getting discharged faster than most patients could ever hope for. I have to tell you it really pays to be in shape and always take care of your body. If I wasnt in the shape I was in I probably would have been here for an extra month and then had to go to the "day program" which involves going home but you still have to come back everyday for 2-4 weeks for full days of therapy. So I feel very fortunate that I still have enough strength in my body to really work hard and get home quicker.
I have to say that I have read all of the comments you guys have left and it is very touching and very humbling to have so many people caring for you and sending love and support. I love you guys! So many comments have brought tears to my eyes and really helped keep me positive through this whole experience. I am very positive because of many reasons. I am alive and I am lucky for that blessing. Even though I cracked my cranium and had a hematoma on the brain for some crazy reason I have NO brain damage. I truly believe these first two things are because God was looking out for me and it makes me very happy an positive about my condition. My spinal chord did not get cut or punctured but while being drug under a landscape trailer it did get injured. A swollen spinal chord can take up to 2 years to go down so I have to tell you guys that I really won't know if I will ever walk again for more than a year. But even if i don't, you will never hear me complain because I am thankful for the many blessings I have received. Of course there is a small chance I could get my legs back an rest assured that I will not give up working my tail off trying to get them back. I will always be trying to move them and using the power of the brain to try and reconnect. Please keep me in your prayers and thank everyone again for everything that you guys have done over the past two months. I truly love you guys and hope to stay in contact with all of you.
Sincerely.
Ryan
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More info on Ryan coming!
6/17/2008
Ryan tried to post a update last week and somehow it did not take. We will have a current post on his state in the next 24 hours. Ryan has been working really hard thru rehab and his daily routine at Shepard. He is doing good and most importantly is in GREAT spirits. He is reading all the comments...so please keep them coming. More to come...
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Post Op and Rehab
5/21/2008
Just got off the phone with Ryan this morning. He sounds great. Here is sort of a breakdown of what has happened since his surgery last Thursday.
The surgery was 4.5 hours long. The T-3 was crushed pretty badly. The surgeons inserted 2 rods plus 10 Ti screws to keep everything in place. At that point they stapled him back together. Ryan spent Thursday thru Sunday in ICU. They moved him to the Rehabilitation floor on Monday. He’s in pretty bad pain at the moment. They have him on percocet and neuron pain pills. He also has a patch to help with the random bouts of pain. His ribs seem to bother him the most at the moment. I think he broke something like 6 or 8 ribs in the accident.
His rehabilitation currently consists of getting used to the electric chair they have him using to get around. Ryan is learning how to drive it…and hopefully how to keep all 4 wheels on the ground. In the morning they have him doing some neck stretches and motion exercises. His neck is completely tight at the moment. He really can’t turn to the side after being in a neck brace for almost 2 weeks. His body is still going thru a major healing process. His body temperature is way off at night. He described it as waking up on a sheet of ice. The doctors have some more cat scans scheduled for today and tomorrow post op. They are hoping to have a better grasp on his condition. Ryan has felt some tingling in his legs and some nerve waves working their up thru his legs. This is hopeful news for sure. Ryan’s spinal cord is still pretty swollen from the Trauma.
He says he is completely overwhelmed by the amount of emails on his site and the folks that have come to visit him. He appreciates everyone thinking and praying for him. Your well wishes have him feeling good. Ryan should hopefully have a lap-top in a few days. He is excited to start responding to everyone’s emails and to post his own progress and reports. Thank you to everyone.
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Ryan's Surgery
5/16/2008
From all accounts from the doctors, Ryan surgery went better than the doctors had aniticpated. They say they saw no damage to his spinal cord, which is GREAT news. They inserted a titanium plate in his back, running from T1 to T6. They hope to have him starting his rehab sessions as early as tomorrow! stay tuned........
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SURGERY UPDATE
5/15/2008
We just heard from Mari. Ryan is out of surgery and recovering as we speak. No new news on condition changes as of yet, but hopefully we will know more before long....
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THANK YOU!
5/15/2008
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING YOU GUYS ARE DOING FOR RYAN AND OUR FAMILY. YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS HAVE BEEN A BIG KEY IN HELPING US GET THROUGH THIS. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL TO GOD BECAUSE HE IS STILL HERE WITH US.
MARICELA
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Latest on Ryno
5/14/2008
Ryan is scheduled for surgery on Thursday. They will be fusing some vertabrae together. Hopefully this will relieve some pressure on his spinal cord and allow him to regain some sensation in his lower body. I will let everyone know how it goes....
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Ryan's Condition
5/11/2008
Category 1 racer Ryan Barnett is recovering in an Atlanta hospital from a collision with a car last Saturday night.
Barnett, who is the marketing manager for Blue Competition Cycles, was out for a quick spin prior to Sunday's Sandy Springs Classic criterium when the accident occurred, said Blue's Brady Rogers.
Barnett fractured his skull, broke ribs and his pelvis and fractured his back in the T3 and T4 vertebrae area, Rogers said. He said Barnett has "some paralysis from the waist down."
Barnett is at Atlanta's Shepherd Center, where cyclist Saul Raisin was treated after his 2006 accident. Rogers said doctors will operate on Barnett next week to try to relieve pressure on the spine and possibly reduce the paralysis.
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