So we've been home almost a week now, and Mom is doing pretty well. We do have a couple of prayer requests, however. The antibiotic really makes her nauseated in the mornings. So, mornings aren't much fun for her. Additionally, she just doesn't feel great. This isn't anything new - she's been pretty much this way since she has been awake enough to know how she feels. But, she's getting tired of feeling "eh". So, please pray that we can get over the nausea and get to feeling better all around.
We go back to the docs on Friday, so maybe we'll start to have a better idea of timing for the remaining surgeries.
Also, as we rapidly approach the holidays, please keep the other family involved in this tragedy in your prayers. I've been pondering how I'd be feeling this Thanksgiving if we had lost Mom, but I know I can't even begin to imagine the pain that family is feeling. So, please keep them in your prayers this holiday season.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Day 45 - November 13, 2008
"Free! Free at last!"
That's what Mom had to say on our drive home yesterday. She did just great on our trip home. She wasn't apprehensive at all, and the travel didn't hurt her. We got her home, had our visit from home health care, and started to get her settled in. We certainly had to make some adjustments - moving furniture, taking the bed off the frame - but she is so happy to be home. She watched the sunrise out her patio window this morning. She could see our cattle out in the pasture. She got to sleep in her own bed!
While there are a few things that have been a little difficult about being home, I must say that today has gone pretty much flawlessly! She said earlier today that she felt like this was the best morning she'd had since this all started! We've gotten her medicine figured out, figured out where we have to put all the furniture so she can maneuver through the house, but all in all, it has been fantastic!
That's all for now! Praise the Lord... we're home!
That's what Mom had to say on our drive home yesterday. She did just great on our trip home. She wasn't apprehensive at all, and the travel didn't hurt her. We got her home, had our visit from home health care, and started to get her settled in. We certainly had to make some adjustments - moving furniture, taking the bed off the frame - but she is so happy to be home. She watched the sunrise out her patio window this morning. She could see our cattle out in the pasture. She got to sleep in her own bed!
While there are a few things that have been a little difficult about being home, I must say that today has gone pretty much flawlessly! She said earlier today that she felt like this was the best morning she'd had since this all started! We've gotten her medicine figured out, figured out where we have to put all the furniture so she can maneuver through the house, but all in all, it has been fantastic!
That's all for now! Praise the Lord... we're home!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Day 44 - November 12, 2008
WE'RE GOING HOME (for now, at least)!!!
We're taking Mom home this afternoon!!! She's excited, but a little nervous. There will obviously be some challenges, but we're going to tackle them!!
So, we'll take her home for awhile, then she'll have to come back to OKC for some additional surgeries. We're not sure when those surgeries will be, so for now, we're taking her home!!!!
I'll keep you posted as to how we're doing at home!
We're taking Mom home this afternoon!!! She's excited, but a little nervous. There will obviously be some challenges, but we're going to tackle them!!
So, we'll take her home for awhile, then she'll have to come back to OKC for some additional surgeries. We're not sure when those surgeries will be, so for now, we're taking her home!!!!
I'll keep you posted as to how we're doing at home!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Day 42 - November 10, 2008
Good Morning!
Went to the plastics doc on Friday. Until now, Mom hasn't been able to bend her legs at the knees (so they're stuck out in front of her, even in the wheelchair) or really move her feet at the ankle very much. This has been a plastics restriction because those movements could tear the grafts loose. As of Friday, she has no restrictions on movement or anything related to her plastic surgery. As far as the surgeon is concerned, these are successful grafts! She now pretty much keeps the skin grafts unwrapped, and she can get them wet, put lotion on them - pretty much everything except soak them in a bath!! So, this is very good news for us! Maneuvering in the wheelchair will be much easier without her feet stuck out straight in front of her. It takes a lot of room to turn a corner like that!!
So, then this weekend, the therapists began working with her on bending her legs. Since she hasn't done this in about 6 weeks, they were very concerned that it would be painful and difficult. With the first attempt, she could bend them almost to 90 degrees. Even when she can't bend them any further, it isn't pain; rather, it is tightness. So, they are thrilled to pieces with that bit of information!!
I know that this might not sound like a very big deal to many of you. Let me tell you, being able to bend those legs is a really big deal as far as her ability to do a lot of things - get in a car, sit in a chair, maneuver in the wheelchair - this is a big deal for her and comfort!! Praise the Lord yet again - more positive steps forward.
The hope is that we'll be able to take her home sometime this week. Please pray for us - going home presents its own set of challenges. We do have it arranged such that she can get a wheelchair in and maneuver through most of the house. For those of you who have been in our home, she obviously won't be down in the basement or in the lower den area of our home. Also means she won't be doing laundry (small victory for her - probably the first time in at least MY lifetime that someone else will be doing the laundry on a regular basis for her!!). But, she can maneuver into her bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen. Bathroom maneuverability is still be to be determined, but we have some strategies in case that doesn't work. However, it is just going to be a little different for her in that she probably won't be able to just take off and go outside or zip down the stairs - as I said, it will have its own set of challenges. So, please just keep her and those of us who will be helping her in your prayers.
We don't know much regarding timing of additional surgeries. We go back to the ortho docs next week, so we'll see what they have to say. Hopefully we'll start to get an idea of timing of next steps.
That's all for today! More as we know anything!
Went to the plastics doc on Friday. Until now, Mom hasn't been able to bend her legs at the knees (so they're stuck out in front of her, even in the wheelchair) or really move her feet at the ankle very much. This has been a plastics restriction because those movements could tear the grafts loose. As of Friday, she has no restrictions on movement or anything related to her plastic surgery. As far as the surgeon is concerned, these are successful grafts! She now pretty much keeps the skin grafts unwrapped, and she can get them wet, put lotion on them - pretty much everything except soak them in a bath!! So, this is very good news for us! Maneuvering in the wheelchair will be much easier without her feet stuck out straight in front of her. It takes a lot of room to turn a corner like that!!
So, then this weekend, the therapists began working with her on bending her legs. Since she hasn't done this in about 6 weeks, they were very concerned that it would be painful and difficult. With the first attempt, she could bend them almost to 90 degrees. Even when she can't bend them any further, it isn't pain; rather, it is tightness. So, they are thrilled to pieces with that bit of information!!
I know that this might not sound like a very big deal to many of you. Let me tell you, being able to bend those legs is a really big deal as far as her ability to do a lot of things - get in a car, sit in a chair, maneuver in the wheelchair - this is a big deal for her and comfort!! Praise the Lord yet again - more positive steps forward.
The hope is that we'll be able to take her home sometime this week. Please pray for us - going home presents its own set of challenges. We do have it arranged such that she can get a wheelchair in and maneuver through most of the house. For those of you who have been in our home, she obviously won't be down in the basement or in the lower den area of our home. Also means she won't be doing laundry (small victory for her - probably the first time in at least MY lifetime that someone else will be doing the laundry on a regular basis for her!!). But, she can maneuver into her bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen. Bathroom maneuverability is still be to be determined, but we have some strategies in case that doesn't work. However, it is just going to be a little different for her in that she probably won't be able to just take off and go outside or zip down the stairs - as I said, it will have its own set of challenges. So, please just keep her and those of us who will be helping her in your prayers.
We don't know much regarding timing of additional surgeries. We go back to the ortho docs next week, so we'll see what they have to say. Hopefully we'll start to get an idea of timing of next steps.
That's all for today! More as we know anything!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Day 38 - November 6, 2008
We had doctor appointments yesterday!
We saw both the orthopaedic doc and the spinal doc.
The spinal doc took out the staples, and was very pleased with her progress. He'll want to see her again in about 4 weeks to do some x-rays. But, he's happy so far!
The ortho doc spent a great deal of time with us. He undressed all her wounds and took out all the remaining sutures. They also removed the staples from her left leg. The staples in her right leg remain since that's a plastic surgery wound rather than an ortho wound. He wants her to be working to gain more ankle motion - so, pending a discussion with plastics tomorrow, she'll start working on getting motion back in her ankles. Additionally, he wants her doing more bending at the knees. His plan is to look at her again in 2 weeks, then start to make some decisions regarding timing of remaining surgeries. The surgery to do the bone graft will depend at least somewhat on plastics. Since the bone graft will be directly under the muscle graft, ortho wants to be certain they won't damage the graft when they do surgery. As such, plastics may have them hold off awhile longer before beginning that repair. He also informed us that it may take more than one surgery to get her right leg fixed. As much as we all want to think that just one more surgery will get it, it is entirely possible that it will require more than one. He also reminded us that if they are unable to get that bone to heal, an amputation is still a possibility. As far as the left foot goes, they're still not sure what they are going to do. They'll continue to watch how it is progressing and determine if and when they will do surgery. It is possible that her foot could begin to heal in a "satisfactory" manner. If it does so, she won't require surgery. This probably isn't the most optimal situation on a long-term basis, however. They would be able to better repair it surgically, but will just watch to see how it behaves. He also reminded us that on a long-term basis, the left foot is the biggest threat to her mobility.
So, we're back to rehab for now. She's progressing well on the rehab front. She's able to do many things on her own, which is more than the rehab folks thought she would be able to do. The report from this morning is that she will probably be able to go home early to mid week next week!
That's all we know for now. Please keep Mom in your prayers. She definitely has times when she gets worried about all the challenges that still lie ahead. I think she's looking forward to getting to go home, but also nervous about the challenges that will present. We also need to add another request to the list - please pray specifically for the ability of her body to heal her bones and accept a bone graft. That truly appears to be our biggest challenge of the moment. It's a big unknown and has significant implications for her long-term. We need as successful of a graft as possible - on the first try. Please keep that specifically in your prayers!
Alright - I'm going to get back to being productive at the office. As usual, thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers. We truly believe they make a difference!
We saw both the orthopaedic doc and the spinal doc.
The spinal doc took out the staples, and was very pleased with her progress. He'll want to see her again in about 4 weeks to do some x-rays. But, he's happy so far!
The ortho doc spent a great deal of time with us. He undressed all her wounds and took out all the remaining sutures. They also removed the staples from her left leg. The staples in her right leg remain since that's a plastic surgery wound rather than an ortho wound. He wants her to be working to gain more ankle motion - so, pending a discussion with plastics tomorrow, she'll start working on getting motion back in her ankles. Additionally, he wants her doing more bending at the knees. His plan is to look at her again in 2 weeks, then start to make some decisions regarding timing of remaining surgeries. The surgery to do the bone graft will depend at least somewhat on plastics. Since the bone graft will be directly under the muscle graft, ortho wants to be certain they won't damage the graft when they do surgery. As such, plastics may have them hold off awhile longer before beginning that repair. He also informed us that it may take more than one surgery to get her right leg fixed. As much as we all want to think that just one more surgery will get it, it is entirely possible that it will require more than one. He also reminded us that if they are unable to get that bone to heal, an amputation is still a possibility. As far as the left foot goes, they're still not sure what they are going to do. They'll continue to watch how it is progressing and determine if and when they will do surgery. It is possible that her foot could begin to heal in a "satisfactory" manner. If it does so, she won't require surgery. This probably isn't the most optimal situation on a long-term basis, however. They would be able to better repair it surgically, but will just watch to see how it behaves. He also reminded us that on a long-term basis, the left foot is the biggest threat to her mobility.
So, we're back to rehab for now. She's progressing well on the rehab front. She's able to do many things on her own, which is more than the rehab folks thought she would be able to do. The report from this morning is that she will probably be able to go home early to mid week next week!
That's all we know for now. Please keep Mom in your prayers. She definitely has times when she gets worried about all the challenges that still lie ahead. I think she's looking forward to getting to go home, but also nervous about the challenges that will present. We also need to add another request to the list - please pray specifically for the ability of her body to heal her bones and accept a bone graft. That truly appears to be our biggest challenge of the moment. It's a big unknown and has significant implications for her long-term. We need as successful of a graft as possible - on the first try. Please keep that specifically in your prayers!
Alright - I'm going to get back to being productive at the office. As usual, thank you so much for your continued thoughts and prayers. We truly believe they make a difference!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Day 35 - November 3, 2008
Happy Monday!
Mom had a really good weekend. She's getting stronger and stronger. Please pray for her cough, though. She has a cough that nobody really understands. Her lungs are in good shape, but when she starts talking, she has a coughing fit! Now we need rid of that cough!
Her legs are really looking a lot better. For those of you who have been enjoying "bovine" jokes, the "bovine" was peeled off like a scab on Saturday, so you'll have to come up with a new joke. :-) The donor site looks very good, and the swelling in her legs has really reduced. The stitches have pretty much all come out (but we still have staples), and the incisions are really looking good. I haven't seen the grafts lately to give an update on those.
She's getting very good at being able to do things herself; stronger and stronger all the time. I think she has mixed feelings about going home. She is really looking forward to being able to be in her own home, but very nervous about what all that will entail. The hospital is built for mobility with wheelchairs and such. There is always someone around to handle whatever she needs. We all know it is going to be a big challenge to be at home without all the convenience a hospital provides. So, steps forward, but steps forward to a new set of challenges. That's one thing we've certainly figured out with this process - every improvement has its own set of challenges. I think we're all ready for some steps forward WITHOUT any new challenges!
We still don't have a timeline for getting her home. All her therapists think she's improving very well, but still no commitment for a "graduation" date. We do have a follow-up with the plastic surgeon on Friday, then with the ortho docs on Wednesday of next week. We'd like some happy news out of those!
That's all the updates for now!
Mom had a really good weekend. She's getting stronger and stronger. Please pray for her cough, though. She has a cough that nobody really understands. Her lungs are in good shape, but when she starts talking, she has a coughing fit! Now we need rid of that cough!
Her legs are really looking a lot better. For those of you who have been enjoying "bovine" jokes, the "bovine" was peeled off like a scab on Saturday, so you'll have to come up with a new joke. :-) The donor site looks very good, and the swelling in her legs has really reduced. The stitches have pretty much all come out (but we still have staples), and the incisions are really looking good. I haven't seen the grafts lately to give an update on those.
She's getting very good at being able to do things herself; stronger and stronger all the time. I think she has mixed feelings about going home. She is really looking forward to being able to be in her own home, but very nervous about what all that will entail. The hospital is built for mobility with wheelchairs and such. There is always someone around to handle whatever she needs. We all know it is going to be a big challenge to be at home without all the convenience a hospital provides. So, steps forward, but steps forward to a new set of challenges. That's one thing we've certainly figured out with this process - every improvement has its own set of challenges. I think we're all ready for some steps forward WITHOUT any new challenges!
We still don't have a timeline for getting her home. All her therapists think she's improving very well, but still no commitment for a "graduation" date. We do have a follow-up with the plastic surgeon on Friday, then with the ortho docs on Wednesday of next week. We'd like some happy news out of those!
That's all the updates for now!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Day 32 - October 31, 2008
Ok - so I've officially skipped a day on the blog. Now that she's in rehab, there's not as much new news to report every day. We do have some today, though!
We've stopped her respiratory therapy for now. She's got a really dry cough, so they're trying to get rid of that.
They finally took out all the sutures. She still has staples in various places, but all the sutures are removed. She says it all kind of feels like she's been in a cat fight. I can only imagine!!
She's getting more and more mobile all the time. I know there's only so much you can do when you can't really move your legs much, but she's working on doing as much of that as possible!
She finally got to see Aaron today for the first time since the accident. He was in OKC for a check-up, and his dad took him by to see Mom. She really enjoyed that! She seems to really enjoy the visits from all of you who come by - I think she is also very humbled by how much people care about her. Thanks for letting her know how much she is appreciated!
That's all for now. I probably won't post over the weekend unless there is some major breaking news. She won't do much therapy, so she'll just get to enjoy visitors and get some rest.
More later!
We've stopped her respiratory therapy for now. She's got a really dry cough, so they're trying to get rid of that.
They finally took out all the sutures. She still has staples in various places, but all the sutures are removed. She says it all kind of feels like she's been in a cat fight. I can only imagine!!
She's getting more and more mobile all the time. I know there's only so much you can do when you can't really move your legs much, but she's working on doing as much of that as possible!
She finally got to see Aaron today for the first time since the accident. He was in OKC for a check-up, and his dad took him by to see Mom. She really enjoyed that! She seems to really enjoy the visits from all of you who come by - I think she is also very humbled by how much people care about her. Thanks for letting her know how much she is appreciated!
That's all for now. I probably won't post over the weekend unless there is some major breaking news. She won't do much therapy, so she'll just get to enjoy visitors and get some rest.
More later!
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