justinbrill.net

Hello friends and family – Justin continues to make improvements every day.  He went to school for an hour on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week and took some exams each day.  He went back to work at Red’s Savoy Pizza today.  He was there over three hours working the front desk and came home exhausted.

Tomorrow, Justin will have another physical therapy appointment.  I’m sure they will look at his walk and work on new exercises.  On Thursday next week, Justin will visit the doctor.  The doctors should be impressed with the progress he has made.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.  We are glad Justin is improving and thankful for this Spring Break week to get everything in order for school to start again on April 11.

Justin had his first physical therapy yesterday.  Everything is progressing well.  There will be work to be done on Justin’s right leg but it will catch up with his left over time.  We went for a walk all the way around our circle today.  Justin may try to go to school for an hour tomorrow and Thursday and Friday to take some tests he missed last week.  He doesn’t want to be too far behind when he returns on April 11 (week of April 4 is Spring Break).

Have a great day!

Justin has been home for two days. Lots of visitors and positive energy in the house!  Justin continues to make progress every day in his recovery. His medication still makes him loopy but his dosage is being reduced now as he is feeling less pain.  He still mostly uses a walker when he is moving around but looks much more comfortable today.  His “baby giraffe” legs are moving a little better without the walker for the loop around the kitchen.  He is very determined.

I (John) went to the scene and saw the deep footprints where he landed.  I thanked God for landing him in such soft wet ground.

Happy Easter to all of you and thank you for all you have done for us.  We are so blessed!  Continue to pray for Justin’s recovery.

Justin had another good day at the hospital, and was discharged this afternoon.  He is still well medicated, but is able to relax and rest at home.  He learned how to manage stairs today and the doctors are impressed with how quickly everything is moving for him.  The rehabilitation will take some time, but Justin is a determined young man.  The staff at UMMC Children’s Hospital was fantastic.  We are lucky in this city to have such great health care.  We’ll post occasionally as Justin progresses.  Thank you as always for your prayers and support and we hope all of you have a Happy Easter.

This morning, the doctors expressed concern that Justin had not resumed bladder or bowel function since the trauma on Saturday.  That brought morning anxiety to us.  By the afternoon and evening, however, that concern turned into relief (literally).  Justin is all good now.

Justin is moving around pretty well with the walker.  He can shuffle around half the hospital floor without getting too tired.  He took a shower today, and is sitting up for dinner at the table with his brace on.  Hopefully he can go home tomorrow!  Thanks for your prayers and concerns.  Justin’s recovery seems to be progressing well.

Overall a very good day for Justin.  Highlights included good sleep on his side, walking twice today (second time was 250 feet with a walker), sitting in a chair for a short while, and medication aligning with his pain.  Justin’s spirits remain good.  I admire his strength, composure, and positive attitude during this difficult week.

It was also another strong spiritual day – Your thoughts, prayers and communication continue to lift Justin and our entire family.  We feel so blessed to have you in our lives.  Thank you.  All of you.  Tomorrow will be another day of progress (and a late March snowfall).

By the end of the day Monday, the anesthesia from Sunday’s surgery was starting to wear off and Justin was beginning to feel more pain.  He was on his back all day and had to take his medication in liquid form because he was not allowed to sit up at all.  This gave him some nausea along with his back pain.

Today he is sitting up.  He slept well this morning now that he can sleep on his side.  Physical Therapy came and he took some steps down the hallway.  There’s a few more boxes to check off over the next couple of days.

Jane has been at the hospital 24/7 since Saturday afternoon.  We are trying to limit visitors as his pain levels fluctuate and he needs his rest.  It’s hard because he does want to see everyone and everyone wants to see him.  We hope to be home later in the week and Justin should be back in school on 4/11.  More to come on all of this later.

Hi, friends and family.  Here’s what happened this weekend.  Justin was at a local ski slope on Saturday afternoon, March 19.  The plan was to do some sledding with friends as the ski area was closed yet there was still snow on the ground.  While at the ski area, Justin decided to climb one of the chairlift poles.  As he was coming down, he slipped from the ladder and fell an estimated 20 feet.  He landed on his feet in a muddy area.  The two friends with him helped him to the car and to the emergency room at Fairview Southdale.

At Fairview Southdale, the ER doctors took x-rays and could see his L5 bone in his lower back was compressed.  Justin was feeling a little more comfortable and we transported him to the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital later on Saturday.  We spent time in the emergency room there, and Justin had an MRI.  Once the neurosurgeons reviewed the MRI, they decided to admit him.  We went to bed not knowing whether Justin would be wearing a brace as a treatment option or if surgery would be performed.

Once Dr. Guillaume and Dr. Gupte (neurosurgeons) reviewed the MRI, they decided surgery was the only course of action.  They performed the surgery on his back on Sunday, March 20.  We were told the surgery would take 3-4 hours.  The surgery was 6 hours.  Both doctors let us know that the surgery was successful but it was more complicated than they originally thought.  Justin’s L4 and S1 (bones above and below the L5) were stabilized with screws.  The L5 was stabilized with two rods.  The doctors said the facet joints located between the vertebrae were splayed more than the images would indicate.  This means the rods will be a permanent part of his anatomy.  Even though he has rods in his back, he still should be able to move normally and be athletic.

Thankfully, the L5 bone is below the spinal cord.  However, the area housing the nerve roots near L5 were compressed to only about 10% of the original space.  The dura (the membrane which houses the nerve roots that run below the spinal cord) was punctured and needed to be repaired in the L5 area.  They opened up space above this area near the L4 to relieve the pressure and get the nerves back to their original position.

Justin is under a lot of pain medication right now.  He also will be limited on Monday to laying flat.  Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers and we will try to keep you posted.