With Dr. Birgfeld

Met today at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with Dr. Craig Birgfeld, the surgeon who put me back together, for followup. Healing is proceeding normally. He anticipates that motor and sensory function should gradually return to normal over about the next year. Improvements will likely be noticeable month to month rather than day to day as at present.

Today I was able to make the left corner of my mouth move up and out a little bit--much better than the complete paralysis that I had been experiencing. He said that I could resume driving if I could see clearly in the mirrors (I can) and could begin to resume normal activities, but should be aware that I will tire more easily during the healing process. I was instructed to massage the scars in the eyelids so that the lids would more easily move to the correct positions and so that they would not thicken in the areas of the scars.

I was happy tonight to be able to meet with my Boy Scouts for the first time since the accident. I am scoutmaster and it was a pleasure to be back with the boys. We'll be doing lots of hiking again this summer, so I am glad I will be recovered from surgery prior to that. I'll know life is returning to normal when my face doesn't hurt any more.