June 29, 2011

Good News! I have been cleared from my fractures on my pelvis and collarbone. I have sufficient strength in my left arm and shoulder, and will now move forward on my road to recovery.

First, I plan to run a few laps in a pavement road-course go kart, to reintroduce my body to the speed and g-force, and to make sure that I am still able to think clearly in that environment. Then, if all continues to go well, I plan to begin racing my TK Motorsports pavement Sprint car to allow myself some in-race experience without the pressure of competing for another team. This will also allow me a chance to evaluate myself, both physically and mentally, after enduring the increased speed and forces found in the cockpit of a Sprint car. The first event with the Sprint car would be this Friday in Toledo, Ohio. If all continues to go well, I plan to return to my full time driving duties by the July 28th USAC National Midget & Silver Crown double-header at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis.

I have been so fortunate to have had all of the support and prayers of a great number of people, and for that, I am very grateful. I am also very thankful to have had the support of some great race teams, all of which have given me time to recover without any pressure related to my driving duties. I am still very thankful for my wife Jordan, as she really has taken care of me throughout all of this, and has had an uplifting outlook the entire time. Thank you to all of you who read this, for keeping me in your thoughts and for checking up on me, as well as all of your support and prayers!

-Kody

June 28, 2011

Well, tomorrow should be a big day for me. I have follow-up appointments with Dr. Scheid at Ortho-Indy and Dr. Haines at Zionsville Eyecare, and hope to get some results from the ImPACT test that I took yesterday.

The ImPACT test is a standardized cognitive test to allow athletes to measure their recovery after a concussion or head trauma. Ideally, an athlete would take this test prior to any incident to develop a baseline that can be compared to any tests taken after an injury. In my case, I did not take a baseline test before the accident. The IndyCar series doctors hope to be able to compare my results with similar athletes my age, and see if I'm within a normal range.

I have finally been able to do some exercise, and while we were in Iowa, I took advantage of the hotel pool. After swimming about, and doing a few consecutive laps, I am happy to say that my collarbone continues to perform like it should. Depending upon the results of my x-rays, I should be able to be much more aggressive in my exercise and physical conditioning.

If all goes perfectly, I may able to start thinking about my return to racing as early as this weekend, and eventually a return to my full-time duties by the end of July. This is all uncertain as of now, but I should know much more about my progress and future outlook by tomorrow.

Again, I would like to thank you all for keeping tabs on my recovery, and for your continued thoughts and prayers!

-Kody

June 20, 2011

Just got back from my appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, and all is good. Everything looks fine, and I have my hearing back to a normal level. Since my last post, I have also traveled back to Evansville, to meet with the Surgical Associates who helped me in the hospital right after the accident. All seems to be fine, and I am recovering from my trauma very well.

Over the past two weeks, I have been very fortunate to continue to heal. From June 8-12, I attended every single night of Indiana Midget Week with my wife Jordan, and to cheer Tanner on from the grandstand. After a few days at home, and then the trip to Evansville, Jordan and I drove to Milwaukee for the weekend's double-header event. While we were in Milwaukee, I took the chance to meet with the INDY Car series doctors and medical staff (which includes Nurse Titus from Ortho-Indy), and see what they thought about my progress. I was very happy to meet with them, and listen to their advice on how to make the most of my situation. Now that I'm back home for a few days before the trip to Newton, Iowa this weekend, I am happy to be feeling as good as I am. So far the only real symptom I have left is a little trouble sleeping at night. I have full range of motion back in my left arm, and my shoulder continues to feel stronger everyday. My vision also continues to function normally, and the redness in the whites of my eyes has gone down considerably. All that is left is a little yellow in my left eye, and one red section on my right eye. I have also had my strength increase significantly, where I no longer need to take naps. I have not started any physical therapy yet, at the request of the Ortho doctors, just to allow my bones to heal completely before putting any additional stress on the fractures. However, walking about and most of everyday life has been no trouble at all.

After Iowa's Racing trip, for which I will return to "Spectator-Duty," I will be back for what I hope is a final set of appointments with Dr. Scheid (Ortho) and Dr. Haines (Eyes) on the 29th. I am also in the process of scheduling an appointment with the INDY Car Medical staff to monitor my recovery from my Concussion. I would like to thank all of you again for your continued prayers, phone calls, facebook posts and messages, and just overall support!

-Kody

June 3, 2011

On Wednesday, I was able to meet with Dr. Scheid and RN Denise Titus at Ortho-Indy to take x-rays and examine a few of my injuries. My pelvis is currently fractured in two places, but is not displaced, so I am able to currently walk around without pain, and will not need any surgery to reset the bone. The other area we looked at was my collarbone, which is fractured near my left shoulder. This fracture is more painful, and greatly limits the mobility of my left arm and shoulder. The good news is that this fracture won't need surgery either, and that it should be starting to heal already. The Dr. also said that it would be a good idea to begin using my right arm (holding my left wrist) to move my left arm and shoulder, slowly stretching the muscles to help prevent my shoulder from tightening up before the bone is fully healed. I will meet with the folks at Ortho-Indy again on June 29 to check-in on my progress.

On Wednesday afternoon, I was also able to meet with Dr. Haines, a local Optomotrist. After completing a few tests on my eyes, he seemed to think that all looked like it was healing well. While my eyes are still extremely bloodshot, this is normal for the type of injury, and does not impair my vision. He did find that there is a small area on the bottom of my left eye that is not as sensitive to vision as it should be, but he expects that could be caused by some fluid on the back of my brain. As those other trauma-related injuries heal, the vision in this area should return, and I will see Dr. Haines again on the 29th for a check-up.

Thank you all again for your continued thoughts and prayers, get-well cards and well-wishes, I really appreciate all of your support!

-Kody

May 30, 2011

Hey Race Fans,

As many of you have already heard, last weekend I was involved in a serious accident while driving the #11 Wilke-PAK Motorsports/Toyota at the Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN. After taking a violent series of flips during the feature, I had to be Life-Flighted to the local Saint Mary's Hospital in Evansville, IN. After I was held in the Intensive Care Unit for a day and a half, I was moved upstairs to a normal room. The resulting injuries were: a small chip out of the base of my skull, as well as my collarbone. I also have 2 fractures on the right side of my pelvis, and one on my skull behind my left ear. Fortunately, none of these injuries will need any surgery or braces, so time in the largest factor in my healing. I was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon, and was able to watch my brother Tanner compete in both Friday's "Hoosier 100" and Saturday's "Night Before the 500."

This week, I will continue to rest from the comfort of home, and hope to heal quickly. On Wednesday morning, I have a Doctor's Appointment that should provide more information regarding my recovery. Not only do we hope to find the extent of my injuries, but also somewhat of a timeline regarding my return to racing.

For more updates on us, and my condition, please visit the Swanson Brothers-TK Motorsports Facebook page.

The following link is from a FOX 7 news station in Indiana that came to interview me on Sunday (May 22) evening and that interview has been posted below:

http://tristatehomepage.com/search-fulltext?nxd_id=273317

I would like to thank everyone for their countless prayers, cards, and well wishes, as they have been greatly appreciated during the last week. I would like to thank everyone for their continued support.

Kody Swanson