On January 30th, we hit the one year mark from our attack in Denver. It seems all so very surreal that it has now been one full year since our lives were drastically changed forever. I would not be at the place I am today without the continued support, love, and prayers from all of you who have followed my journey towards recovery. And quite the journey it has been.

The last several months I have been doing pretty well. As I noted in my last entry, I had developed tendonitis that was causing a lot of pain in my hips and legs. That has started to get somewhat better as I have been working with a pelvic pain specialist. But as I've become more mobile, I have been experiencing more and more pain and pressure in my lower back where the rod/screw goes through the Iliac bones of the pelvis and through the joint of the sacrum. I joke that I now can better empathize with people (mostly older individuals) who have metal joints or plates, and how you can really feel the change in temperatures and the cold really makes it difficult to move. I still deal with the neuropathy but that will just take time as nerves are so very slow a growing back (about 1mm/day).

Over the course of the last few weeks I have been having many one-year check-up doctor visits. The urethra reconstructive surgery has remained successful and no major scar tissue as of yet has developed. This is great news, as complications post-surgery can often be an issue. I have been waiting to see a mental health professional since August and was finally able to see a psychiatrist at the beginning of the year. For several months I had been having horrible night terrors that kept me from getting a good nights rest. I was able to get a medication that has helped tremendously with PTSD and I am finally getting good sleep. It was also nice to hear some words of affirmation that I am handling this traumatic life event very well. While I still have some bad days (as it gets frustrating at times being a young "healthy" 28 year-old living with chronic pain), overall I really have been doing very well mentally.

This past week I also met with my orthopedic surgeon. My last appointment in September went well and it was determined that nothing else needed to be done at that time. At this recent meeting, they determined that it would be best to remove the rod/screw from my pelvic bone in hopes that this will help relieve some of the pain and pressure I have been experiencing. I never expected that this could even be a possibility! I think my Drs. refrained from telling me this information in an effort to not get my hopes up but, given the strength of my muscles around the pelvis and how well the bones have healed, the rod is no longer needed to hold me together. My surgeon explained that surgery will be about one hour and he will get me into surgery this coming Monday, February 14th. I am hopeful that this will provide me some needed relief. I have been warned however, that the relief this surgery will provide me with will most likely be temporary, as I will likely develop arthritis in my lower back in about 5 years. Once that happens, a surgeon will then go back in and place smaller, less invasive screws to help with the arthritis.

As for our perpetrator, the Denver court in December changed their ruling and deemed him incompetent to stand trial. They sentenced him for another 3 more months in the mental health hospital to be "brought to competency" with his 5th "preliminary hearing" set for March 17th. The continued delay has been frustrating as we still have not had our day in court. Hopefully this will be the last of these preliminary hearings and we begin to move towards some kind of justice. What makes matters more frustrating is that we cannot pursue any civil action against him or the State of Colorado until the criminal trial is completed. 

As always, thank you all for the continued prayers and support. Best wishes, Austin & Collin