Two weeks yesterday ....

Just a quick note to let you know that all continues to go well for the "two week mark" . . . I return to the foot surgeon on Friday for a late afternoon appointment. We will take x-rays to make sure that the foot is still in the correct positon, remove stitches/staples and have a new hard cast put on. The skin under the cast has been extremely itchy, so pray for some relief from this! This is part of the healing process, but it is incredibly frustrating to not be able to itch your skin. Continue to pray that the tendon that we transferred heals & grows in the new position quickly .... if the tendon contracts and stays short prior to healing, then we are going to be back to our original problem. It has looked like it was healing correctly in the past only to discover otherwise, so we are being cautiously optimistic about this.

The pain continues to be minimal and I'm only taking one pain pill per day. The real "test" on pain will come when we walk on it. The two pins that are in the foot will come out in another four weeks. The final cast is supposed to come off two days after Christmas, although I'm going to check on removing it the Friday before Christmas (assuming all is healed). All four of the small toes are "droopy" and are not in the correct positon. This is something that will need to be corrected eventually, but for now they look strange although it is not a big issue. (I actually had this problem prior to the last surgery, so nothing new here.)

I am back to work at JA. My mom takes me to work & picks me up each day. We had kids in the Village today and again on Friday. The scooter is working out well and is a lifesaver in helping with mobility.

I will write more after my doctor appointment on Friday and will give you the latest update!

Tis the Season ....

I went back to work on Tuesday and Wednesday of this past week. We had 136 kids in the Village on Tuesday and really needed someone to stuff bears at Build-A-Bear Workshop, so I sat and stuffed/sewed bears. We had an office Thanksgiving celebration on Tuesday afternoon, so it was fun to be part of that also. I am still feeling well and no obvious signs of infection. I am getting around on crutches, although I can't be on them for a long time ... 20-30 minutes is about the limit at one time. The swelling in the foot has been manageable and does go down when the foot is elevated. The "itch-e-ness" inside the cast has been okay .... I have a talc spray in an aerosol can called "Cast Blast" that is cool and can be sprayed down inside the cast.

We had a quiet Thanksgiving here at home w/the four of us, but it was nice. It was nice to have a relaxing and quiet day. I slept in, had pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, watched the parade & sipped coffee. I had ordered this leg covering plastic sleeve off the Internet to use in the shower, so we tried it yesterday morning. To my surprise, it didn't leak and kept the cast totally dry. I sat in the shower for twenty minutes and it was wonderful!! It has been 1 1/2 weeks with no water on the skin, so it was good to get rehydrated & then piled on the moisturizer cream. I helped with some food preparations on Friday evening and then my mom finished cooking on Thursday morning. As you can imagine, everything was scrumptious!

I normally do shopping the day after Thanksgiving, but that was out of the picture this year. In and out of the car & stores with crutches, is a bit much today. My mom went alone this morning and I may try to go to Garden Ridge this afternoon with her. I know they have a motorized cart that I can ride. I purchased Christmas cards several weeks ago, so I am going to work on those this afternoon. My mom will do holiday decorating inside the house, so I will watch and help a little with that ..... although it is hard to decorate, while sitting. I have Christmas music turned on now and am ready for the festivities to begin!

Stepping up to a new week ....

Well I'm not ready to dance yet, but I am feeling considerably better. Thankfully, the pain in the foot is very minimal, I am sleeping through the night without pain medicine and am feeling well during the day. Today has been my first day "home alone," so it has been filled with movies, reading, scrap booking and sending e-mails. I picked up a "cold" at the hospital, so I am hoping that I have caught it at the early stages.

I may return to my office on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week for a bit of time and just a "change of scenery." I am not going to "WORK" - don't panic! I have rented a motorized scooter that is being delivered to work early this week and it will stay there for the next five weeks. This will allow me to not need to use the crutches during the day and will help facilitate movement much easier, when working with students. We have students in Enterprise Village this week on Monday (today) & Tuesday and then there is a little break until November 29th.

I go back to the surgeon on Friday, December 1st to have staples removed, x-rays taken and a new cast put on at that time. We are thinking of going with a red cast and putting a green holiday bow around the cast .... What do you think? The purple cast now doesn't really go with the leopard crutches either, but you have to create a little fun in the midst of a "non-fun" situation. I figured out that 6 weeks with no weight on the foot falls on the day after Christmas .... start praying now that it heals fast and per chance I can get the final cast off on the Friday before Christmas. I can't think of a better Christmas gift!

I continue to be thankful for medical miracles & patient surgeons, being able to do the surgery locally, friends that pray faithfully, breakfasts in bed, and much more. The Eickhorst family has much to be thankful for this holiday season and I am sure you do, too. Wishing you a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Saturday at the Eickhorst House ...

Today was a MUCH better day with the pain medication situation ... ya, hoo! We have found the combination and frequency that works and there has been no nausea today. I can also stay awake longer than ten minutes and no more double vision. My dad was concerned about "muscle atrophy," so I slowly ventured from the bedroom to the kitchen table for lunch. The "bed tray scene" doesn't last very long in his book. We had "Gretchen's Gourmet Leftovers" for lunch.

The cast that I had put on yesterday seems to be okay. We thought it might be overly tight in one spot, as it was very painful last night, but this has subsided. I made it through the entire night last night without having to get up myself (or anyone else in the house) for pain medicine. The "four hour pain medicine feeding," wasn't the most fun for anyone.

I took a long nap this afternoon and talked with my former physical therapist on the phone (now a great friend), which was nice. She sent me a fun Thanksgiving card via the computer with turkeys dancing and singing .... delightful! Better scoot for now ... my leopard crutches need to make their way to the table for dinner.

Great News! Praise God! (from Gretchen)

The prayers of many have been answered! We just returned from the "casting" appointment and our first opportunity to see Jenny's foot when the bandages came off. Tears of joy were flowing as we witnessed a new flat and straight foot! Needless to say, mom was ecstatic! Jenny could hardly believe it and was suffering from some nausea, so she has yet to realize the full impact of what has been accomplished. Today she will change pain meds to hopefully allow her to be more alert.

Going into the appointment, I was anxious to see if it looked different from last spring when her foot was slightly tilted immediately after the surgery. Today it definitely looked different...what encouragement!

Please continue to pray that her recovery goes well with no infection (the main concern). She will have stitches removed in 2 weeks and a "holiday cast" put on. If all is healed in 6 weeks (December 27), she will go to a walking cast then.

We are rejoicing in this good news and giving God all the praise for this wonderful Thanksgiving gift! Thank you for your prayers and loving support. It has meant so much to Jenny and our family!

Sleeping lots!

I am resting at home and the pain seems to be more manageable today. I've been napping lots and eating solid foods. I return to the surgeon tomorrow at 1:00 to have a hard cast put on and the current bulky bandage will come off. It is good to be at home and away from all the "hospital hustle." Thanks for your continued prayers!

Wednesday Update - My First Steps

Just a note to let everyone know that I am no longer in the hospital but will be recuperating at my parents' home through Thanksgiving. I have had some difficulty with the pain control, but hopefully that will improve soon. So now it's lots of naps, charting the meds, and enjoying the meals on a bed tray (while it lasts! :)

THANK YOU again for your continued prayers and loving support! I am very blessed to know all of you!

Moving Ahead One Step at a Time

My Tuesday foot surgery was approximately 2 1/2 hours, and it went very well. Dr. Krause indicated that I now have a flat foot, although it is in a large splint (to allow for swelling) and outer bandage. I won't see it until Friday afternoon when I receive a hard cast.

The good news is the doctors did somewhat less than anticipated, not requiring bone from the hip, so the recovery will be "easier". They were able to use the previous incision spots. The top foot bones were rotated down, held with a plate and screws; the bone by the arch was extended; and the main tendon was moved to allow the foot to lay flat. I will be in Missouri Baptist Hospital overnight and hopefully return back to my parents' home sometime on Wednesday.

Mom had a long day of waiting from 11:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., but a little humor in the midst of it all late afternoon on Tuesday. The surgical waiting room has senior volunteers answering the phones from the operating rooms and recovery areas. However, the volunteers leave at 4:00 p.m., and there were many families left waiting for surgery results, including Mom. When she asked how everyone would know what's happening, the volunteer who was leaving said she needed to get a family "volunteer" to answer phones when she left. So guess who answered the phone lines from 4:00-5:30 p.m. - Gretchen! So those former receptionist skills came in handy! :) It provided a lively ending to the waiting before she was able to come to my room.

We realize the test comes with time, whether the foot remains flat, but we will continue to pray for this result. Thank you to everyone who has supported us through prayer and calls! I have my JA "Build-a-Bear" teddy by my side in the hospital room.

Please check back on Wednesday or Thursday for further updates. Thanks and keep praying!

Stepping forward on Tuesday!

My foot surgery will occur at noon on Tuesday, November 14th at Missouri Baptist Hospital. Many of you know that I met with two orthopedic foot surgeons in the Chicago area at the end of October and we are using their recommendations for one final attempt at correcting a very challenging medical situation. The overall goal is to get the foot to remain flat and make contact with the ground. We are going to do bone grafting from the pelvis area and will transfer bone to the foot to lengthen the large tendon in the foot that aids in foot position.

I will likely spend one night at the hospital and will come home on Wednesday. My surgeon is partnering with another surgeon and they have the operating room scheduled for the entire afternoon on Tuesday. As surgery goes, they are going to be pretty aggressive in attempting to solve the current problem. I will come home with the foot in a splint and then will return to the surgeon's office for a hard cast on Friday, November 17th. I will need to be in a hard cast for a minimum of six weeks and possibly longer.

I moved things to my parents' house this weekend, have my house decorated for Christmas and am ready to get on with feeling better. I have fun leopard print crutches . . . you have to do something to get through a tough situation. Thankfully, I have been very fortunate in the past with no infections from surgery (either in the foot or hip), so pray that this continues. I am relaxed about the situation and realize that God will orchestrate all the details in upcoming days. Keep praying for the skill of my surgeons (Dr. Krause and Dr. Noonan) on Tuesday, that I don't get sick from the anesthetic, patience, and that the foot will respond like it should. Thanks for your prayers!