March 8th - May 4th, 2025

Saturday March 8th - Sunday May 4th

General Updates and Happenings

• The last two months have flown by! I have gone to Denver twice, each time for a week, and planning another visit in May. There has continued to be a lot of medical coordinating, insurance navigation, moving appointments around, and getting things scheduled. I celebrated my 34th birthday, got my braces off the next day, and later in April Patrick and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. We’ve navigated some health concerns for our 6 yr old boxer, Mac; are prepping for springtime at the house, trying to continue playing as much volleyball as possible and get out in nature as weather permits. The Nuggets making it through round 1 of the playoffs has certainly been a highlight!

• 3/12-20 Denver trip

  • got to catch up with my cousin in ABQ before my flight on 3/12

  • dinner with sisters, neices and their bfs, and a few close family friends on 3/13 after my ophthalmology appointment

  • enjoyed lots of hanging with mom and Calvin, as well as lots of yummy friend time

  • cousins and kids came on 3/16 and all stayed at my mama’s; 10 people in the house was quite wild but also so nice to spend time with everyone! I didn’t see everyone the night they arrived as I was spending time with my BFF. Calvin and I left super early on 3/17 to go to my surgery in Co Springs; when we got back after surgery, we had a full house!

  • Appointments: ophthalmology specialty clinic, massage, surgery, hip specialist appointment which I ended up messing up and missing (it got rescheduled for 4/15) - more details on all of these under the “Medical” section below

• 4/1 34th birthday! On the eve of my birthday, Patrick and I made 50 chocolate covered strawberries with dark and white chocolate, and lots of toppings (coconut, pistachios, cacao nibs, salt). On my bday, we enjoyed a lazy morning at home, went on a beautiful drive and discovered a cool dispensary/smoke lounge/bar that we hope to revisit, and then played volleyball. We made Korean bbq for dinner, which is one of my favs, and came home to watch the crazy Nuggets-Timberwolves game. The day after my bday I got my braces off and then met up with all of Patrick’s family at the park for pizza and cheesecake which was lovely. (Photos here).

  • My cousin made me an amazing image of me - he’s a very talented artist!

• Shortly before my next Denver trip, my mom was able to get scheduled for a spinal surgery she’s been working towards for some time. It came up very fast! She got scheduled for surgery on 4/22, less than a week after I was planning to be back in Taos. I really wanted to extend my trip but had my big dental appointment on 4/24, the same day as Patrick and my anniversary, and other plans I couldn’t miss. I haven’t had much experience being on the other side of important surgeries - meaning, being away from someone very important to you while they are in a surgery, waiting to hear updates, not knowing what is going on, and all the worrying. I feel far away and also, everything went well. She is doing great and I’ve decided to go back to Denver for the last two weeks of May to help out and spend time with her during her recovery, as well as to take care of some medical needs of my own.

• 4/10-16 Denver trip

  • lots of time with my mom enjoying her home and yummy outdoor space

  • my bestie bought a house and I got to spend a lot of time there enjoying the space, bringing her plants, hosting a Nuggets final game of the season watch party and snack fest

  • funeral for one of my dad’s best friends in Evergreen, at the church next door to where my dad’s ashes are spread; very hard time both celebrating his life and seeing lots of family and family friends. I’m very glad I was able to be there for the celebration.

  • appointments: eye appointment got moved to 5/30, hip preservation specialist (details below under Medical)

  • pampering: massage, facial and dermaplane, new windshield (all thanks to mama!)

• Patrick and my 9th anniversary:

  • 4/19 we were treated to front section seats at Santana in ABQ by a colleague of mine from 10ish years ago. We got a wonderful airbnb, watched the first nuggets playoff game, cooked delicious dinner, went to the amazing concert (wow what a stage presence that crew has! and, I’ve never been that close up at a huge venue, such a treat!), and enjoyed a yummy dormingo (lazy sunday) the following day with a late checkout :)

  • 4/24 was our actual anniversary, we enjoyed a sunrise hot tub, made steak and eggs for breakfast, I got my bloodwork done for an upcoming appointment, and then we drove to Angel Fire for my big dental appointment. We made ramen for dinner and it turned out delicious!

• Social life:

  • I love going to Denver and getting to see all of my cherished friends and family, though sometimes it is hard to return to Taos and feel far away.

  • I’m so happy for longer days and the start to outdoor volleyball, more activities in the evening with sunshine, and tbh, the end to another ski season that I haven’t been able to participate in.

  • I still struggle with balancing my need for lots of rest with wanting to do more socializing. I often cancel plans and am hard on myself about it, though I am usually listening to my body/mind/spirit and the need to do less. I always hope and look forward to when I think I might have more “spaciousness” in my life and am realizing I need to just let go and be with what I have and can do now… enjoy it because it is all I have!

  • A dear friend wanted to treat me to a trip to Vegas with her to see Dead and Co at the Sphere - we did this last year and had such an amazing time! She lives in CHI and is one of my closest girlfriends so I am very excited to have a weekend away together mid May! From there I’ll go to Denver for two weeks.

• Financial Status: I am currently taking money every month from my retirement accounts, which is extremely helpful and also difficult knowing I will deplete them all by November. My largest account will be depleted in July and then I’ll start taking from the smaller account. I sure hope we can get some clarity on the lawsuit soon and don’t have to go to trial, where the financial burden will likely continue for at least another year or two.

  • Disability benefits: My application was denied as of March 21st. At least I finally heard something, so now we can go to the next step which is to appeal. My disability attorney will take this process on and I’m just waiting to hear from them what they need from me and/or my providers to move forward. We have 60 days to appeal so I should hear from them soon.

  • Victim’s Compensation Fund: no update, I am giving up on this avenue for now…

  • HSD Benefits: 2025 food stamps have been approved to continue; what a huge help!

• Lawsuit: The trial is now in October of this year, and things continue to progress, but it sure feels slow… I am so grateful for the team representing us and feel comfortable and confident in them.

Medical Updates (Photos here)

• Mouth

  • Surgery Healing: 2/26 Oral Surgery to remove a tooth on the upper left and do bone grafting. I had a follow-up appointment scheduled for 3/10 but he also said it wasn’t necessary if things were healing well and feeling okay. I was already seeing the Orthodontist on 3/12 so decided to skip the follow-up with him.

  • 3/12 Orthodontist: she was very pleased with how my tooth extraction and grafting were healing and said I might even be able to get my braces off on 4/2! She discussed this with my oral surgery team on 3/14 and let me know that afternoon that it was a go! Huge update.

  • Lots of back and forth work on my part with the Orthodontist and Dentist to figure out next steps after getting my braces off. My dentist likes certain types of retainers more than others, so I had to make sure the orthodontist was okay with what he requested and figure out how to get it - they had to scan my teeth after the braces were off, send it to a lab, and I’ll go back 4/9 to pick it up. The other big next step to figure out is when to get in with the Dentist next, and we landed on a 3 hour appointment on 4/24. This will be a revision of most of the top teeth, including a bridge, lots of bonding/veneers, and splinting to help with stability.

  • 4/2 Orthodontist: 2 hour appointment to get my braces off, which was painful but more exciting than anything else. Wow does it feel good to have my teeth out and they look so nice and straight, pretty white compared to what I was imagining, I’m so happy! I’ll go back on 4/9 to get the retainer, and then see her on 6/11 for a “final” check up.

  • 4/9 Orthodontist for retainer pick up: easy appointment and after all the coordinating, I learned I didn’t even need to pick up the retainer that day as she didn’t think I should start wearing it until after my 4/24 dental appointment. (and now that I’m past the 4/24 appt, I’m still not wearing the retainer so it was a lot of scrambling for no reason)

  • Insurance coverage for dental work: The estimated cost for my dental work next steps is $14,000 and I’m working with BCBS NM to get my medical plan to kick in as it is supposed to, though it is much more complicated than it needs to be and it was feeling like I was going to have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed later. UGH. Then, my retainers will have to be redone, and I’m not sure at this point if there will be an extra cost but I imagine there will be. In the month leading up to my dental appt, I spent so much time calling BCBS, figuring out payment options with my mom, talking to my dentist’s office, and didn’t get it all sorted out until the few days before the appointment. BCBS said I needed to submit the claim after the treatment was complete and they assured me the care would be covered under my medical plan. Huge relief! And, my dentist is willing to work with me on payment and wait until we see what happens with insurance.

    • I submitted the claim on 4/25 and should hear back in the next 30 days.

  • 4/24 Dental Appt: This appointment ended up being 2.5 hours instead of 3, and I’m very happy with the progress! These are temporaries and with such a complicated case, he thought the lab would take about 3 weeks to get the finals sent back. I will be in Vegas at the 3 week mark so luckily he put in a rush order and I’ll go back to get the finals on 5/14, assuming all goes well.

    • It was a very painful numbing process likely due to all the scar tissue on the upper left; it was hard to inject and he said that my tissues don’t move like normal, my nerves are likely not in the “normal” location… overall, ow! He also did some gum lazering and my gums have been very sad but finally getting better in the last couple of days.

    • He is an amazing dentist that I’m so grateful to have found; he is generously willing to work with me on payment, I paid $1000 day of and have submitted the claim to BCBS. What exhausting back and forth prep work on this with BCBS folks!

• Face

  • 3/17 for cosmetic plastic surgery with my Co Springs plastics and reconstructive surgeon.

    • Lots of back and forth trying to figure out if my nose could happen this day too as he originally wanted to use filler and not my own fat, which created complications due to paperwork and having surgery at the hospital. I finally found out on 3/15 that yes it can, and surgery is 10:30 am with 7:30 arrival, so Calvin and I had to leave Denver at 6 am!

    • The surgery went very well and he ended up taking fat from my belly and injecting it in my left cheek under the scar and also in my nose. He also did a scar revision of the lower left cheek to hopefully get my mouth to move better. This was general anesthesia for 1.5 hours.

    • Healing: I had some pain, swelling, and bruising of my face and nose but not nearly what I was expecting. The scar revision had a bandage that took about a week to come off, and once it did, the scar underneath is so minimal compared to what it was before! I’m super happy with the results. My tummy hurt the most and continued to hurt for a couple of weeks but now is feeling back to normal, except for a little bunched up fat that is slightly visible—it looks almost like a bruise—and is painful to the touch. I need to start working on it more with a gua sha tool and put scar strips on it.

• Eyes

  • Vision: no changes, I am still not comfortable driving at night and often have difficulties with sunlight and indoor lighting reflections.

  • Dryness also continues to be an issue and I continue to use drops many times a day and gel at night to keep my eyes moist.

  • 3/13 Initial Appt with UC Health Eye Specialty Department: I thought I was seeing a neuro-ophthalmologist, but no, this was a general ophthalmology appointment with a “gatekeeper” to the other specialties. I was initially very frustrated as it was so unexpected and I wish I had been told the nature of my appointment instead of being told I was scheduling with a neuro-ophthalmologist. She said my vision was fine and didn’t see any general ophthalmic concerns, and suggested I schedule a follow-up for testing to assess which specialty clinic, if any, would best meet my needs. I asked if we could do it that day, and luckily they made it work. We ruled out any neuro-ophthalmology issues, which is very good, and she referred me to another specialist for in dry eye, Sjogrens, and neuropathic pain. She said he is “world renouned” in his expertise and will hopefully be able to help me.

  • Next steps: 4/11 UC Health Ophthalmology Specialist

    • I LOVED reading his bio on the UC health website: “I strive to provide exceptional and comprehensive eye care, especially concerning physical and mental health as the eyes are a window into the overall health of an individual. My passion is improving eye discomfort/pain and the treatment of dry eye / ocular surface disease / neuropathic pain.” I’m excited to see what comes of this and also not super hopeful for a big change… this is my last resort.

    • I traveled to Denver on 4/10 for this appointment, bringing the pups with me and stopping on the way at the accident site (photo here). On Friday morning, 4/11, I got a call that my new eye provider called in sick and they wanted me to come in and see someone else. I told them I really wanted to see him and was there any way to get me in before 4/16… unfortunately, his next available is 5/30, so I took that appointment and am on a waitlist for appointments sooner. I was very bummed that this change happened but it is also just how it goes, and my mom and I had a very nice day together!

• Orthopedic

  • Ankles

    • L ankle: unstable but prolotherapy has helped, still having a lot of nerve problems and it is causing tightness at the bottom of my foot which is translating to back pain. This continues to evolve and I sure wish it was improving, but it does not seem to be… I’ll see the orthopedic surgeon in ABQ who took out the plates on 6/9.

    • R ankle: doing pretty good! also had prolotherapy to help my ankle remain stable as we transition to more outdoor volleyball which I enjoy barefoot!

    • When I’m not playing volleyball, it helps my entire body feel better when I remember to wear shoes all the time with good arch support. There aren’t sandals that my chiropractor approves of for this type of support, which is hard for me as we get into warmer weather. I love being barefoot!

  • Left Arm/Hand: I continue to have pain and stiffness in my hand and fingers but my arm is pain free :)

  • Back/Shoulders: I’m still working on getting my shoulders to behave properly, I think a lot of it comes from grief and subconsciously protecting my heart. The function of my ribcage continues to be problematic, as it relates to my spine and pelvis - I suffer from back pain on a daily basis.

  • Knees

    • Still hurting regularly without much change. All of the bodywork I do with providers and at home helps manage the pain levels. They haven’t gotten worse but also haven’t gotten better. I discussed my frustration with the ongoing pain at my PT appointment on 3/6 and she said given everything my knees have been through, they are likely to have ongoing pain that we will need to continue to mange as we have been.

    • My chiropractor’s office is offering me a dry needling treatment to see if it can help with bilateral knee pain, but I haven’t had any treatments yet. Hopefully soon!

  • Hips

    • I’m having increasing pain and instability in both hips and it is getting harder to push through the pain and do my regular workouts to continue strengthening my body, as well as my desire to do more long walks and play volleyball several times a week. Lately, I am in pain most of the time even at rest, and activity creates a big spike in my pain levels and then it is harder to get it to calm down. It is also no longer just the right hip, but both hips that are causing a lot of pain, the right primarily at the front and side, and the left primarily at the back where the SI joint is.

    • 4/15 Hip Preservation Specialist: This appointment was our initial appointment for my right hip and to determine next steps for my labral team. He is amazing! Personable, professional, caring, thorough, and passionate about what he does.

      • Diagnosis/discussion: I have two underlying conditions that affect the stability of my hip including dysplasia (the femur head is not covered sufficiently by the hip joint) and hypermobility (on the spectrum of Ehlers-Danlos). I so appreciated him considering these and explaining the implications for hip stability, ensuring we understood the detailed information he provided. As a result of the semi-collision, my femur was broken, and when it was repaired, a slight rotation of the femur occurred, which further impacts the hip’s stability. Also, I have a significant tear in my labrum (cartilage that surrounds the joint). As we have already tried several other avenues of managing pain and keeping the hip stable, including chiropractic, PT, and injections, he is recommending surgery. This new information was very validating for me and my Taos providers, who have suspected there had to be more going on in my hip than simply a labral tear. Given my left hip also suffered serious trauma from the accident, I am trying to get an MRI to make sure I don’t also have surgical considerations on the left.

      • Recommended treatment: Surgery to include 1) right hip arthroscopy, labral repair, femoroplasty, and one week later, 2) a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) procedure. He would do the first surgery, and his partner in Denver, whom I still need to see, would do the PAO. The healing time would be 6-8 weeks of a gradual return to weight bearing, a strict PT protocol for 6+ months, and about 9-12 months to impact activities like jumping. Yikes! More info on these surgeries can be found here.

      • Next steps: My Taos providers feel very validated with this new information and feel that surgery is a good plan. We discussed that I might want to get an MRI of my left hip to make sure there’s nothing we are missing; I worked very hard to get the order placed and am scheduled for 5/9 in Santa Fe. I then scheduled to see the 2nd surgeon on 5/20 and the 1st surgeon on 5/21. After these visits, I hope to have a concrete plan that both surgeons agree on and to get more information about recovery timeline. I am thinking I’ll schedule surgery sometime in early fall but TBD. There’s a lot to think about! Having these surgeries will prolong the life of my hip so that I don’t need a hip replacement as early as I would otherwise. There are so many considerations including how long I will need to be in Denver, whether my mom will have the capacity to help with my recovery as she is also going through her own, if we need additional help, and how recovery requirements and trial obligations can fit together or if it won’t be possible to do before a 13 day trial.

  • PT: missing a few weeks for my Denver trips is always hard but I continue to be in good shape and do my home workouts when I can. I’m excited that I can do weight machines now and it feels really good! My PT and I continue to work on strengthening my back chain (hamstrings, glutes) and core to prep me for surgery and try to keep me out of pain. When other parts of my body, like my knees or ankles, need additional support that is where we focus, but otherwise we are focusing a lot on the hips.

• General

  • Neurology

    • Increasing my vanlafaxine dosage has helped with headaches and general pain, as well as my mental and emotional health. I’ve even been able to start reducing my lyrica dosage from 600mg/day to 500mg/day and now working on the switch to 400. This is helpful so that when I am experiencing more pain, specifically due to weather patterns, I can increase my dosage back to 600 and have that extra support.

    • 4/27 I went to Santa Fe for a brain MRI and while I haven’t talked to my neurologist about the results yet, as far as I can tell everything looks normal. We wanted to rule out any issues that could be causing headaches and also compare with a pre-accident MRI.

  • 4/28 Hematology new patient appointment in Santa Fe for 4/28 to manage my hereditary hemochromatosis. Interestingly, my iron levels were well managed and stable prior to the accident and since, have gotten out of control. She shared a hemachromatosis diet that I will review and consider, and given my high levels at the time of my visit, I was able to get a phlebotomy in the clinic that day. It’s been hard to schedule blood donations in Taos as there’s only 1 day/month and my schedule is so crazy. Ideally I would be donating blood every quarter to keep on top of my levels.

  • Bodywork: I continue to have immense gratitude for all of my bodywork providers who keep me feeling as best I can. My regular appointments of full body myofascial chiropractic care, nervous system regulation, postural support, and massage are immensely helpful and still needed weekly. I leave most appointments with something new to be mindful of or try, and with so much going on all the time, it is often hard to fully settle in and integrate what I’m learning and working on. It is easy to get overwhelmed ad feel like I’m not doing enough - but I am doing my best!

    • Feldenkrais movement therapy with the goal of, in my provider’s words, “giving your body more options for movement” and “helping your skeleton and supporting infrastructure interact with gravity more effectively, and your nervous system connect the dots to calm when you are in less effortful alignment”

      • 3/11 appointment: hips, idea of moving from the high point of the hip joint

      • I have noticed that my shoulders are doing a lot better, I’ve started sleeping in a different position that is more “stacked” and my chiropractor even noticed a big improvement in my shoulders/back/neck. I’m very excited to continue this work!

      • 4/22 appointment after a long break: we focused on my whole body and then honed in on my ankles/feet. She suggested playing around with walking backward to feel my knees, ankles, and feet go through the full range of motion.

      • I’ll be seeing her twice monthly again starting in May.

    • Pain injection appointments:

      • 3/27 where we focused on both ankles and my left leg from slightly above the knee and down. Prolotherapy to help stabilize both ankles and trigger point injections up my left leg to reduce pain/dysfunction and possibly get the nerves to calm down.

      • 4/9 we focused on my thighs even more and up into my right hip

      • 5/14 next appoitnment will likely focus on SI joint stability through prolotherapy and trigger points in my thighs that contribute to knee and hip pain/instability

    • Myofascial chiropractor: I continue to see her weekly and so value our time together. She evaluates and adjusts nearly my entire body every single week. We have such a great relationship; both learning from each other and sharing a lot of ourselves.

    • Massage and energy work: I also continue to see these two practitioners weekly. In an appointment on 4/23, I knew my nervous system was out of whack and upon receiving energy work, I’ve never had such big twitch releases. My provider said we were “getting the scared out” - I know with my recent hip surgery information, my mom’s surgery, and upcoming dental work, I had a lot on my mind and in my body. I’ve had similar experiences in several appts since then.

  • My sleep has been pretty disturbed over the last months but as I have started using weed sleep gummies along with L-theanine/melatonin/magnesium gummies, it has improved significantly. I have a much easier time falling asleep and while I still wake up several times a night, I am able to fall back asleep much quicker than before. The only downside of using THC on a daily basis is the dry mouth effect that really ramps up my Sjogrens! And somehow, I’m still so tired all the time and can easily nap for 2 hours/day if I have the space!

  • Mental health:

    • I remain easily triggered into sympathetic mode (fight or flight); it feels more regular since the beginning of the year. I notice myself being startled easily, even by my own body like my teeth hurting and wondering if it is a serious or scary issue popping up. At times, I have the feeling that I cannot escape my body and ongoing pain/dysfunction, there’s always something to be aware of, or afraid of, or create more mindful movement, and it is exhausting, it invades my every thought, I feel claustrophobic. I have many practices to help with these feelings and thoughts, and I continue working on them…

    • My ketamine group therapy group has been extended and increased to twice monthly, I’m excited to have this resource regularly and on a continuous basis rather than sporadically as it has been. In my last session on 5/2, I opened up more than I ever have in that group and it felt extremely supportive and safe. Ahhhh.

    • I’m also continuing my behavioral health therapy every week or so where we focus on somatics and releasing trauma from the body. She’s amazing.

  • My digestive system continues to be super wonky and hard to regulate! I’m using all the tools I know well to try and stay regular, but it is a challenge!

On the Horizon

• Weekly appts in Taos: bodywork, pain management, myofascial chiropractic, PT, behavioral health

• Weekly meetings with legal team for civil suit

• 5/9: L hip MRI in Santa Fe

• 5/14: Dentist in Angel Fire to finish upper teeth work

• 5/14: Pain Injection Specialist

• 5/15-18: Vegas Trip!

• 5/18-6/1: Denver

  • 5/20: Hip Specialist/Surgeon #2

  • 5/21: Hip Specialist/Surgeon #1

  • 5/30: Dry Eye and Neuropathic Pain Specialist

• 6/6 and 6/20: Ketamine Group Therapy

• 6/9: Follow up with ABQ Orthopedic Surgeon re: L arm and L ankle

• 6/11: ABQ Orthodontist F/u

• TBD: Taos Orthopedic Surgeon to discuss hip surgery plan