Bloggers Jack and Randy have both received news that they have been accepted to OCS. Jack is attending OCC 193 (October 2006) while Randy will be heading down for OCC 192 (June 2006).
Congratulations men. You both have much to look forward to.
SSgt C during pickup
Candidate L. helps a fellow candidate up the “skyscraper” on the confidence course
It’s been five weeks since my surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital and I guess things are going as expected. Two weeks ago I switched from percocet to Tylenol, we realized I popped about 110 pills (out of 135) and I still needed to wean myself off. Since then things have been getting better with the leg. Either as a result of the injury or the surgery, I lost all muscle control in my right leg, other than my ankle and toes. Three weeks of physical therapy remedied that and I am now able to move the leg (with the obvious exception of my hip).
I had my first consult with my local orthopedic specialist here in Boston a week ago at Boston Medical Center. After about an hour and a half in the waiting room I was seen by Doctor C, who after glancing at my x-rays from Hanscom said I should come back in 4 weeks. I guess no news is good news, but I was hoping for something like, “it looks like your femur is healing and you probably won’t need a partial hip transplant.†Maybe that was too much to ask, if Doctor C knew that I assume he would have told me. My next appointment is in 3 weeks, which is 8 weeks after the surgery. I hope for some better news then.
Yesterday at 1400, the remaining candidates of Charlie Company were commissioned as Second Lieutenants into the United States Marine Corps. I would have done anything to graduate with them. Congratulations Charlie company.
GySgt G in the face of Candidate N (week 3 DOR)
Candidate K and Candidate C during Martial Arts II
Finally got around to taking photos of my x-rays from Hanscom. As you can see, the surgeons had to re-align the head of the femur before screwing the three titanium screws into my leg.
Adrienne says the procedure can be done with minimally invasive techniques, using only a small incision to achieve correct results. This is called ORIF (open reduction internal fixation), and is the reason why a cast was not necessary.
The procedure is typically begun by using a power drill to create a path for the screws. The orthopedic surgeon then manually puts the screws in place with a screwdriver. The surgeon typically asks the x-ray technician to periodically check the alignment of the joint with x-ray photos. After the screws have been inserted and the alignment is deemed correct, the incision is sealed with stitches at the deep layers and is superficially closed with staples.
The staples were removed 10 days post-op with a fancy medical version of a staple remover.
According to a Staff Sergeant in Quantico, in order for my injury to be covered under the military’s insurance, I needed a consult with a military physician, since I lived within 50 miles of a base.
Yesterday Adrienne and I made our way out to Hanscom Air Force Base, located about 30 minutes from my house. I was told I needed to be seen by a physician, who would give me a referral to a local Boston orthopedic specialist.
We arrived to the medical clinic at around 1315 and were told that I needed to be registered with Tricare before I could be seen. So I hobbled to the Tricare office, where I was then told I needed a DD-261 filled out by my CO at Quantico before anything could be done. Nobody at my local OSO office had ever heard of a DD-261, apparently it is an Air Force form that the Navy/Marine Corps doesn’t use. So we faxed a copy to Quantico, but since it was now 1430, there was no way I was going to get the form filled out that day and I wouldn’t be seen by a physician, which meant I would have to come back to Hanscom when they received the form back from Quantico.
But thanks to the awesome people at Hanscom, they bent their typical rules and proceeded with the process! I was registered with Tricare, x-rayed, and had a successful consult with a Lieutenant Colonel all within the next 2 hours. I am very happy about this because now I will be able to keep my appointment on the 28th with the orthopedic specialist at Boston Medical Center that I booked almost 3 weeks ago. Sweet.