Incision Wound Issues ....

We are back from Chicago! We met w/Dr. Howard (plastic surgeon) on Friday afternoon & it was good that we went.

He cleaned scar tissue & other yellow “junk” out of the wound in his office (thank goodness for Darvacet & mom driving). Glad I have a strong stomach. He did get the tissue area to bleed, which was a good sign. The area is probably the size of a small lima bean, although it is deep. He cleaned down to the bone & thought several things …

- he guessed it has not healed because of the scar tissue in the area.
- the edema was less yesterday (have had it up)
- the circulation in that area is probably compromised and thus it
affects healing. He compared it to a type of “crush injury.”
- there is a possibility that the bone there is infected or has bacteria
around it; don’t really know unless we’d biopsy it.

THE PLAN:
The plastic surgeon prescribed cream called silver sulfadiazine & wants me to put this on the wound and keep it packed w/gauze, keep it moist, continue w/antibiotic. If it is going to start to heal on its own, he said I should see some improvement in a week (could take a long time to fully heal). He suggested that I elevate most of the time and try to be non-weight bearing for the next week, to see if this aids in healing.

If it isn’t responding in a week, then he’d likely clean it out surgically and re-stitch and see if we could get it to hold together. Skin grafting isn’t an option because of the bone involved in the area. We didn’t totally rule out the oxygen treatment suggestion. Insurance, time & practicality are big issues here.

We are going to talk or e-mail w/the plastic surgeon toward the end of next week and see where we are headed. Best case would be for it to start to heal on its own, but sounded like it could go either way. I will be blessed if this happens.

I think that between holiday stuff and the hive issues, that I’ve just been bandaging longer than I realized … I kept thinking that the drainage would stop. I’m usually on top of things more than I was this time. No issues w/snow – sloppy and rainy, but that was it.

It will work out .... God is still in control of it all. Thank you for praying on such quick notice. The visit went as well as could be expected. I'm very thankful that I could see the plastic surgeon so soon; this is a huge praise!

Happy New Year!
Jenny

Friday Chicago consult ....

Pray about for wisdom about the incision healing at 3pm tomorrow (Friday). We are headed to IL tonight and onto Chicago tomorrow morning to consult with the plastic surgeon (that we've worked with in the past) as to why the latest incision is not closing. Our trip will be rather quick and we are hoping for safe travels with no or little snow, which seems to be in the forecast for Chicago.

I e-mailed with the Chicago orthopod earlier this week and she thought it was wise for me to see the plastic surgeon regarding wound closure. I've e-mailed with him several times since Tuesday, but the future direction on resolution is unclear. He needs to see it & then we need to make a decision as to the best option. Skin grafting may or may not be an option. He has suggested an alternative treatment option (very involved), but from my research this doesn't look real viable. Hopefully we can come up with a better solution. I thought we were on the "right track" with this, but I am at about 6 weeks post-op and it shouldn't be open & drainage should not be continuing. This wound is smaller than the area that would not close last May, but it is in a different spot on the foot. We will probably return home on Saturday morning.

Thanks for your prayers!
Jenny

Keep praying ....

I am at 5 weeks post-op, since the hardware removal surgery. The incision has not healed as I had hoped. It has continued to drain liquid, has been more swollen than usual and is not totally closed yet. I met with the St. Louis orthopod this morning and he didn't think there was an infection, but my feeling is that I'm at the early stages of one. We started antibiotics today just to be on the safe side. The incision looks very similar to last spring, when we kept waiting & waiting for it to heal and it never did. Pray that the drainage will stop and that the wound will close naturally. I am not up for more skin grafting.

The blood work for the possible wheat allergy came back okay. We didn't test for gluten, so that may happen yet. The "skin issue" progressed to my hands this week, causing the skin on all my fingers to crack & be painful. I have never had issues with skin like I have in the past 6-8 weeks. I've been really discouraged about it this week, as it seems to be going on and on, with no end in sight. I feel like we've tried everything with little success. We are trying several steroid creams, but I really need closure on this. The itchiness continues to be significant. The dermatologist thinks that it is related to the foot and it is the bodies way of dealing with the stress of it all.

We are headed to the Eickhorst farm in Illinois tomorrow to celebrate Christmas. Pray for a good weekend of family time together, calm skin, and that the antibiotic will prevent any possible infection from starting in the foot.

Love & hugs,
je

Holiday Happenings ....

The foot continues to heal and the incision area is remaining closed. Still wearing a tennis shoe or Croc style and am walking as much as possible. I have students on Monday and Wednesday of this week and then am looking forward to a 4-5 week break with no kiddos. Wearing a "normal shoe," is still challenging ... I think this is due to minimal toe movement, but I'm not totally sure.

Overall the hives have been better the past week, since I've been doing the wheat-free diet. It has been challenging because wheat is in the majority of foods, but the hives have been significantly less. I've gotten to know Trader Joes & Whole Foods better than I ever thought possible.

I was thankful that I wasn't on crutches this weekend with the big snow. I shoveled my driveway on Saturday and couldn't remember the last time that I did it myself. I baked, wrapped gifts and had hot cider today. It was a cozy and chilly day in St. Louis today, but fun to be at my house and enjoying small holiday treasures. We are headed to Illinois next week for the Eickhorst family Christmas.

Hope you are enjoying the majesty of the manger ...
Jenny

Quiet week ....

There hasn't been a lot new happening this week. The foot has felt pretty weak this week, so I'm thinking we need to do some strengthening exercises at home. It has been almost 2 1/2 weeks since the hardware removal surgery, so it is still fairly early. The incision is healing, although it easily needs another week. It is hard to tell totally, but I think it is remaining closed. I am able to wear a tennis shoe or "crock" style shoe. I have students at work next week on three days, and then will have about a four week break with no kiddos .... this will be good for the foot - resting period. I don't have a follow-up appt. scheduled to return to Chicago. We are just seeing how things progress and what happens. We've been
e-mailing as needed, so for now that is working.

As for the hives, they have been somewhat better the past few days. I stopped eating wheat and all wheat products last Sunday. I'm not sure if I have a true wheat allergy or not, but there have been less hives. Wheat is in a ton of foods, so it would be good if there is not an allergy to this. I am supposed to see the allergist again next Tuesday afternoon. My Chicago orthopod suspects that the hives are caused by stress and we may never know the exact cause.

Hope you are staying warm!
Jenny

Stitches Out!

All went well with having the stitches removed on Friday morning. I was in and out of there in all of fifteen minutes! I easily need another two weeks for more healing to take place. Thankfully, the incision is staying closed - whew! It is still pretty tender and I can't do a confined shoe yet. I did wear a tennis shoe this afternoon for several hours. I am back at my house now and am able to drive.

It is clear that because there is minimal movement with the toes, this is always going to make wearing anything other than a tennis shoe challenging. A "mule style" shoe is a better choice, but that isn't the best for my hip situation. I'll figure it out somehow.

I had to stop the medication that was working on the hives. The increased heart rate and heartburn was almost worse than the hives. I woke up Saturday morning with the hives all over both hands. They subsided somewhat by the afternoon, but clearly there is something that I am still allergic to - you'd think we'd have figured it out after three months.

Hoping for a "hive free" week ....
Jenny

No Thyroid Issue ....

The good news is that all the blood work came back normal, so supposedly there is no issue with the thyroid. The thinking is that the combination of several medications (for hives) was causing an increased heart rate. I decided to stop all medication last night and see what happens. I think I just need to go several weeks with no medicine. I feel like I've been taking medication for the longest time. I was having horrible heartburn and was feeling shaky w/all the medication. Today has been a better day of feeling well w/no new hives. I am still drinking special herbal tea from the acupuncture specialist.

I get the foot stitches removed Friday morning at 8:15am. I had students today at work and walked a lot, so I'm feeling it somewhat tonight. Keep praying that the incision will remain closed, no infection will develop and healing will occur naturally as it should. Thankfully, the swelling has been minimal. It has been nice to be able to put full weight on the foot. I've been at mom & dad's house this week (no driving this week), but probably will go home this weekend.

Toe motion has continued since the surgery, so I'm thrilled that it wasn't lost. Tired feet tonight .... need to get them elevated and am looking forward to a foot soak this weekend. Many thanks for your prayers!

Love,
Jenny

Hardware Out!

We are home from Chicago and all went extremely well. Many thanks to those of you that prayed! We relaxed on Monday afternoon and shopped in Chicago at a few new places. On Tuesday morning we spent time visiting with friends in their home in Glenview, which is the same area as where the surgeon is located.

The surgery this time was at a surgery center (new place for us) and they were fantastic. Very efficient, caring, sensitive to us traveling, and concerned about pain relief. I met with my surgeon before the procedure and it only took about an hour. The surgery center wasn't super busy, being the afternoon near Thanksgiving, which worked to my benefit. I got to keep the hardware that she removed. The plate and six screws are gold! I required more anesthetic than usual and therefore it took longer to "wake up" afterward also. In the process, we suspect that there might be an issue with my thyroid ... my heart rate when sleeping was WAY to high. We'll explore that further with blood work at the end of the week, but it is simply a matter of medication if there is a problem.

Hive update .... hives were very minimal this week, for which I'm very grateful. Some on my hands on Tuesday morning, but nothing like last week. Itching skin is a characteristic of having a low thyroid issue, so maybe it all relates.

We drove to central IL late afternoon on Tuesday and stayed with relatives. Today (Wed.) we returned to St. Louis. The post-op pain has been minimal and easily controlled with medicine. This surgery has been the easiest yet - to the point that it almost seems too easy. I am able to put full weight on the foot and it is just bandaged. Stitches come out on November 30th. She (Chicago orthopod) stitched differently this time to try and ensure that the area would remain closed.

Very thankful to be home and all went so smoothly .... God continues to be faithful and is in "all the details." Wishing you a blessed, peaceful, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Love,
Jenny

Hardware removal surgery this week ...

I apologize for being slow with updates this week. All went well with traveling to Tampa (work conference) this week. It was a long week of meetings and I was only able to leave the hotel once during the week, due to a packed schedule. Amazing enough I was able to manage luggage, taxis, airports, and the hotel scene all alone. I was thankful that I could wear tennis shoes, when navigating Chicago airport terminals. I didn't make it to the beach. My hives returned with a vengeance at the Chicago airport and then were awful Friday morning (first day back to work). I am starting to think that they are "stress" induced, although the dermatologist says it is a definite allergy & we've yet to figure out the cause. I may be more "stressed" than I realize. We did more acupuncture on Friday, too. The antihistamine that I was taking was starting to dry up my foot incision so much that the skin around the incision was breaking open, so now we're trying to get it to clear up.

The hardware removal surgery is scheduled for 12:30 on Tuesday (Nov. 20th)in Chicago. We (mom & I) are driving to Chicago very early Monday morning and will likely return on Wednesday. Pray that all the foot movement that is there now will remain, surgeon skill, no nausea, and that the hives will subside (at least through mid-week). Pray also that we won't have any issues with the incision closing - it is a new spot. I think it is the only place that doesn't already have a previous incision. Today (Sat.) the hives have been minimal, so there are "good" and "bad" days. I will stay at mom & dad's house at least through the holiday week ... maybe two weeks, if I can't drive.

Trusting in Him that He will continue to be faithful with all the Tuesday details .... wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! The Eickhorst family has a lot to be thankful for this year and I'm hoping that you do too.

Love,
Jenny

Quick update ....

I had acupuncture done on Friday afternoon last week in an attempt to stop the hives from continuing. It seems to have helped ... nothing new "developed" over the weekend, which is a record. I woke up Friday morning with an ear infection also, so I'm taking medicine for that now. I am in Tampa this week (Monday through Thursday) for a work conference. The weather is supposed to be beautiful - 70's and sunny. Pray that I am healthy when traveling. I'm the only one going from my office.

The hardware removal surgery for the foot is still scheduled for Tuesday, November 20th. It is an outpatient deal at a surgery center near the Chicago orthopod's office. Not sure of a time yet - probably late morning. Our plan is to spend Monday & Tuesday night (20th & 21st) in Chicago, unless I am up for driving back right after the surgery.

Keep praying that I remain healthy between now and the surgery ... you know how it goes - they squirm at a sniffle going into surgery.

Hope you have a great week!

Matching Shoes ....

New "shoe" pictures .... yeah! These are my normal sized tennis shoes that I wore before all of this began. The black loafers are new and came from the New Balance store. I can wear them for a short time and then the "hardware spot" becomes bothersome ... it will be much better when the the metal is removed. Thankful to be wearing matching shoes!

Hardware removal soon ....

Hives are back! I have never seen something appear and reappear like this. It continues to be the worst on my face, but really they are everywhere. We are going on the better part of eight weeks, so this is definitely getting old. We changed medications late afternoon today, so we’ll see what the next few days bring. Pray for relief and permanent disappearance!

I scheduled surgery for the hardware removal. I had hoped to wait until later in December, but my surgeon was already booked. Obviously, her skills are in demand.
We are going to do it on November 20th (Tuesday before Thanksgiving) – there wasn’t a lot of choice in timing … so much for my after Thanksgiving shopping. It is outpatient, no cast, and full weight can be put on it right away. It is a metal plate and 4 screws that the Chicago orthopod will remove. We will likely do immediate follow-up care in St. Louis. It is supposed to be a small procedure, but start praying now that it is simple & nothing else gets altered. We are not taking all the hardware out … only what is bothering me. The hardware is not needed; as it has been in for over a year & is fully the inside area is totally healed.

I’m in Tampa for a work conference November 12-15th and have six visit days with students during the first two weeks in December. I’m speaking to a large group of kids at E-Free on Sunday. I read today that prayer is God’s opportunity to work – neat thought.

je

Awesome Weekend!

I had a fantastic weekend! The appointment with the Chicago orthopod went well on Friday and it was super to see her again. She was thrilled with the progress we are making with walking and was equally excited that the pain is minimal (if nothing) for the most part.

The hardware spot that is bugging me turns out to be a metal plate and five screws. The bottom line is that it all needs to be removed to eliminate pain, blistering and to not have the area rub on anything. It is supposed to be a minor procedure - no cast and 3-4 weeks of healing. We didn't schedule it yet, as I need to check with the plastic surgeon in Chicago that I've worked with in the past. We definitely don't want there to be a wound issue again, so he may "close" the area after she (orthopod) removes the hardware. I need to travel for work in November and then Thanksgiving is around the corner, so I'm thinking of a December date to have this done. I wanted to do it sooner than later, but that may not happen. It takes a bit to coordinate calendars of two surgeons and myself.

Speaking this morning about the foot miracle was a neat time of sharing and hopefully providing encouragement to others. We packed a lot into an hour and shared how God has worked over the past three years. I am talking to a group of 100 kids at church next Sunday, so pray that the message is clear to them.

I've stopped using the steroids and it has been two days with no hives, so perhaps we have "turned the corner" on this. It was wonderful to feel "well" over the weekend and I'm really hoping that it lasts.

je

Charity Walk Event ...

Today has been a big day .... I walked in a charity walk/run sponsored by my physical therapist's office at 7:30am. I walked 4 miles in an hour, and although the foot was tired at the end there was no pain .... yeah, yeah! It was quite the accomplishment for my therapist's office to see all their hard work on the foot has paid off. It was definitely a "milestone" in the foot journey, as this week will be three months of wearing a shoe.

I'm headed to Illinois on Thursday evening of this week, for a Friday morning follow-up appointment with the Chicago orthopod. It has been two months since I'v seen her and we've made significant progress, so it should be a good visit. We are going to discuss removing the hardware - not sure when that will happen, but hope to get it scheduled. It should be a minor procedure. I am hoping to taper off or stop physical therapy, too. I have appointments on Monday & Wednesday of this week and we'll take range-of-motion measurements on Wednesday. I'm speaking to an adult class at my grandparent's church next Sunday, pray that I'll share from the heart & God will be honored.

The saga with the allergic reaction continues .... still giving medicine time to fully work. It is tolerable at the moment. Thankfully, all the blood work came back okay. I have two speaking events, Chicago trip and a work trip to Tampa in the next four weeks, so I am hoping that there are no big "flare ups" and that I'll be able to quickly taper off the steroid medication.

Hope you are enjoying beautiful fall weather today!
je

Chicago next week ....

It has been a rather quiet week, as I'm still dealing with hives and am hoping that the medication starts to work by the end of the week. It is a slow, slow process! I have looked up more "home remedies" on the Internet than you can imagine.

I am doing a 3.5 mile walk on Sunday morning, which is sponsored by my physical therapist's office. I told my therpist last October that I'd do it when things improved health wise .... never dreaming that things would improve or that anyone would remember that I verbally comitted to this. It will be a proud moment for his office staff and myself .... both of us have worked really hard to get to this point with walking and movement. We are taking range-of-motion measurements on Friday (this week), so we'll hopefully see more progress.

I am looking forward to going to Chicago next Friday. It has been August since we were there last and there has been a lot of improvement since then. My orthopod also wants me to visit a special shoe place in Chicago - looks like a good place on the Internet. The hardware spot on the foot continues to be bothersome and painful, so I am thinking of possibly having the hardware removed around Christmas. We will discuss it more next week.

I have speaking events (related to the foot miracle) on October 28th (adult group) and November 4th (kiddos), so you can pray as I prepare for both. It is my desire that the magnitude of what has happened will shine brightly.

Keep praying that the hives disappear sooner rather than later .... and may they never reappear. I have been battling this for five weeks and am ready to feel well again.

je

Hives .... yikes!

I think we are finally getting to the bottom of this allergic reaction/skin deal that has continued for the past five weeks. Today I saw an allergist (who happens to go to our church) and he said that the swollen skin area around my mouth is a form of hives! Thankfully, someone cancelled an appt. and I was able to be seen much sooner than normal. The cause of it is really unknown, but basically it is swelling that comes on suddenly and causes pain on the deepest layer of skin. Emotional stress and intense exercise can make it worse …. both of which I’ve had occurring since the end of August. Supposedly it will get better with time and in the short-term the goal is just to control the uncomfortable/painful nature of it. He prescribed three medications that will hopefully cause the hives and skin to settle down.

We did blood work today too, although he was fairly confident that it would come back normal. If it was a food allergy, he said that I’ve had figured out by now what the food was that caused the swelling & it would be something fairly obvious. My lipstick is not the culprit because it is an internal problem. The good news is that it is something that should subside with time …. keep praying that it gets better sooner than later. I really want to feel better for our Chicago visit in two weeks. Last weekend was good because I took the steroid medication, but this is not something that I can keep taking long-term.

I wore a “loafer” style – closed toe – shoes to work today for the first time. I can’t even remember the last time that I wore a closed shoe …. easily two years. My physical therapist’s office is sponsoring a three mile walk/run next Sunday, and I signed up to be part of their team! I am walking and not running, but it will be a big “score” for them (& me) to be part of their group, after all we’ve been through.

Hope you have a great weekend!
je

Thanks for praying ....

Sorry for the delay in updating the blog. Our family wedding over the weekend was fantastic! By Saturday the steroid medicine began working, I was feeling better and thankfully was able to sing at the wedding as planned. We had a fun time with family and friends from Ft. Wayne. We never did really figure out what I've had an allergic reaction, too. Today was the last day of the medication to stop the reaction and tonight I'm feeling like the swelling & pain is returning on the bottom of my lip. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

We look four "range of motion" measurements of the foot on Monday at physical therapy. One of the four is now in the "normal range," two are pretty close to being normal and one is as far as normal as you can get (will likely always be this way, due to hardware). The pooling of blood has moved to under the big toe now, so it is all black/blue and looks pretty rough. Toe nail polish covers it fairly well, but it doesn't look good without it. The blood could be forming just from increased use and walking.

The Chicago orthopod e-mailed me on Monday and referred me to a shoe place in Chicago, which will likely offer me more shoe choices (wider). I will visit the shop in a little over two weeks. She said that I am walking and exercising more than her! We are looking forward to a follow-up appt. on October 26th. I had students in JA BizTown today, so my foot is pretty tired. I am thinking that I may have the hardware removed right before or after Christmas.

Pray that whatever caused the allergic reaction last week doesn't return ....

je

Prayer Needed!

All continues to progress well with the foot, but I've had a very rough week otherwise. Last weekend I had an allergic reaction to some medicine and my face has been very painful, swollen, and my lips have been super sensitive to anything all week. It has made eating and drinking hard and I've missed three days of work!! I had a steroid shot earlier in the week and am taking steroids orally and nothing is "kicking in" as hoped.

We have a big family wedding on Saturday in Indy and I am supposed to sing a solo. I have felt awful all week and am continuing to not do well .... I have waited for six months to go to the wedding .... have new shoes and whole deal and now this allergic reaction challenge. I really, really want to feel well for this weekend. Pray for me on Friday evening (rehearsal) and Saturday afternoon. I need to feel much better than I do presently and have seriously contemplated not going. I will see lots and lots of people and many will not have seen my foot, so it was the desire of my heart to be a strong witness to many.

I am supposed to leave for Indy early tomorrow morning, so pray for healing and that all will calm down inside my body. If it is not one thing, it is another .... gotta scoot to bed and am hoping for improvement tomorrow. Thanks for praying!

je

Still plugging away with therapy .....

There is not a lot new happening this week with the foot. Still plugging away at physical therapy. I heard back from the Chicago orthopod over the weekend (via e-mail) and she continues to be happy with the progress that we are making with therapy. We agreed to "watch and wait" on the hardware spot that is causing pain. The blood that had pooled in the spot is better at the moment. Most likely the hardware needs to be removed, but I am hoping to wait another several months ... I'd love to get through the holidays, but time will tell if I can wait that long. Finding shoes that work (for both feet) until I get the hardware removed, has been a huge challenge. We are going to Chicago for a follow-up appt. at the end of October.

The itchiness and skin deal continues and I saw a third doctor about it today. She thought that I'm allergic to something that has been undetermined. We are going through the "process of elimination" deal, but it is taking a long time. There is the possibility that it is just "stress," but if that is the case you'd like I would have had this long ago. Keep praying that if it is an allergy, we figure it out sooner than later.

Friday is our first day with students for the new year. It will be a long day with new staff, lots of details, and pt at 4:30. I'm trying to pace myself, but that is sometimes easier said than done. Toes are still wiggling!

je

Skin, hardware and blessings

This week has been kinda rough because I discovered on Sunday that the allergic reaction (that I'd had several weeks ago), reappeared for the 3rd time! Grrr .... by this morning I could no longer stand the "itchiness," so thankfully I was able to see a dermatologist for an emergency appointment. We're trying a different medicine for the next week, but pray that it clears up and whatever is causing it will permanently go away. My sense of taste has also been altered by the previous medicine, so hopefully this improves in the next few days.

The spot on my big toe, where the hardware is near the skin surface of the foot, started pooling blood just under the skin over the weekend; happened simply from stress and rubbing of the shoe. Thankfully, this has improved over the week and doesn't look as bad now as it did last weekend. The only option is to remove the hardware (surgically) and I really want to wait until winter (or longer) to do this.

Tonight I received a phone call from someone at church that is contemplating foot surgery and she called me to hear my opinion. I felt blessed to be able to share advice and my heart has been right where she is now (different surgeon opinions). It is my hope that what I've learned in the past will somehow be helpful and encouraging to her. I also walked into the closet where my scooter is stored today (at work) and was once again reminded at how fantastic it is not to need to use it.

Friday will be the "one month" mark of doing physical therapy. We will do a formal evaluation at the appointment and take range-of-motion exercises & then a written report will be sent to the Chicago orthopod. I am anxious to see where we are at and the progress that we've made in the past four weeks.

Getting ready for my first day with kiddos (at work) next Friday .... I'm advocating my staff wearing tennis shoes now, when working with students. I looked at old foot photos over the weekend and was shocked again at the substantial progress we have made .... the coloration and position improvements are remarkable .... God truely provides in the midst of our greatest need - well beyond our wildest hopes & dreams.

Hope you are believing and hoping in Him this week ....
je

Walking Record & Less Pain Meds ....

Today was a record for walking .... 4 1/2 miles (9,560 steps) and only one pill for discomfort! I have been trying to limit the walking to about three miles a day, but I was at this point today, before I went to physical therapy at 4pm. It is the end of the week and I'm really tired, but at least I know that I can do it! We measured range of motion today in two areas during therapy and both had increased this week - yahoo! We are in our third complete week of physical therapy, although it feels like I've been there the past three months. The aching feeling that I had earlier in the week has subsided. I think it was from wearing a "normal shoe" more last weekend.

The Chicago orthopod will get a written report in a week on the progress that we've made (at 1 month mark). I am sure we will continue therapy 3x/week for at least the first three weeks into October. I've been able to manage schedule time fairly well up to this point, but I anticipate it getting more challenging. Each session is a little over two hours, which is a lot of time for three times each week. Not complaining and know I need to do it, but am very thankful that it is next door to my office.

I booked a flight and travel plans to Tampa (in November) for work, which will be the first time in almost three years that I've been able to travel for work. I've had to cancel the past three plane tickets, because of surgery.

Keep praying that wearing a normal shoe will feel more and more natural or comfortable. I would love for the range of motion to continue at such progress, that when we end therapy it will be beyond our wildest dreams! I intentionally scheduled a follow-up appt. w/the Chicago orthopod for a ways out (end of October), so we have ample time to work hard in this area. I can do mainly "mule type" shoes for now. It is perfectly fine if this ends up being all that I'm able to wear, but hopefully at some point the shoe won't feel so foreign on the foot. It is a shoe and not a purple itchy cast though, for which I am most grateful.

Looking forward to cooler weather this weekend, planting mums, being home and baking pumpkin cookies. Headed for some mint chip ice-cream and calling it a day ....

je

Awesome doctor report today!

All went very well with my St. Louis orthopod doctor's appointment this afternoon. He was so, so happy with the progress and really didn't know what to say other than it is for sure a "God" happening! He was quite pleased and totally agreed that it is the best he has ever seen it (late July was when I saw him last). He told me another exercise to keep working on and that the tiny spot near the big toe (that has been bothering me) is a piece of hardware that is very close to the skin surface. It is something that can be removed eventually (minimal procedure), although he said that it would be best to go as long as possible before removing it. Neither one of us wants to do anything to stop the progress now. If I can live with it for several more months at a minimum, this would be best. Actually, the surgeon wasn't in the room very long, because there wasn't a lot for him to say!

I don't have to do back and see him unless a problem develops and am supposed to follow-up after I see the Chicago doctor toward the end of October.

The swelling continues to go down and even shoes that I could wear two weeks ago are now too big. My physical therapist says that things are going great and he continues to be astounded at the progress/range of motion that is increasing .... I've had therapy at 8am for the past two days, which makes for a long day after a two hour exercise session. I am fairly sure that we will continue physical therapy into mid-October, but this is fine. Thankfully, I really like the therapist and his office staff .... they do their best to make it "fun."

Someone told me to go to Nordstroms to buy shoes, because they will sell you two different sized shoes for the same price. I learned today that it has to be a difference of 1 1/2 sizes, which is not me - bummer. I am only 1 shoe size different, but it is enough to making fitting into a shoe challenging. Small annoyance ..... no big deal. Most of the shoes at Nordstroms are pretty trendy too, so this is probably a good thing. I walked 3 1/2 miles today at work, really without trying. I am trying to not do more than I should w/walking this week. The tendency is to want to move ahead quickly, since I am feeling better and then I was sore on Monday and Tuesday of this week - probably walked more than I should have over the weekend.

My first group of students at work comes on September 28th. I am extremely thankful that I have had almost a full eight weeks to work on improving walking, stamina and strength. It has made a huge difference in my ability to focus on building strength slowly without feeling the need to be "on the go" with students. October is a lighter month with students also, so the blessing will continue.

God continues to be good, faithful, and sustains the healing. I read this thought today and thought it was worth repeating: Gratitude is the firstborn child of grace, the appropriate response of the blessed. Hope you are majoring in grace and gratitude today ....

je

Walking and more walking ....

All continues to move in the right direction with therapy. My physical therapist has been excited that we can actually exercise and do much more w/rehab now. He thinks we need to do a commercial endorsement for the New Balance shoes. I thought we were working hard on pt before, but I now realize how little was possible. We've met 3x/week for over two hours each session .... have done a lot with strengthening, toe-off and increasing range of motion. I've been able to walk 2-3 miles on the treadmill on off days, did aquatic exercise this week & still doing the other exercises at home. The single limb standing is slowly getting easier .... we need to work on walking faster this coming week. I consciously think about the toe-off motion probably more than I should, but we're going to work on increasing the pace. We took measurements of the foot range of motion at therapy on Friday, and three out of four motions had increased 12-15 degrees in two weeks (in the past it has been 2-4 degrees in three months). We were thrilled that all the exercise is working! I feel like I have toted around more bags of clothing, shoes, socks, and itch cream this entire week …. all part of the process, but it is a wonder that I have the right stuff at the right place.

This will be the most “non-useful” information that you hear all week, but I walked a total of 16 miles or 33,805 steps this week! I wear a little device on my waist that measures my steps, so we can see if I am walking enough. As I am writing this on Sunday afternoon, I have walked almost three miles today.

As for pain, I'm still able to get by w/ two pain pills (one morning and one at night) & some days have done one. Finding shoes that work on both feet seems to be challenging, but thankfully it is still pretty warm in St. Louis & we can do summer shoes for easily for another six weeks. They may never be the same size, but I'll get around that somehow.

We temporarily stopped the anti-inflammatory medicine .... I had some skin/allergic reaction thing that surfaced again this week & our family doctor thought it was from that medicine - not sure if that is the case because I'd been taking it fine for several months. The swelling in the foot is better and although it is a size bigger, I don't think it looks like it. I thought we had the skin deal and itching curbed, but not quite yet … another two weeks of medicine.

I return to the St. Louis orthopod on Wednesday afternoon of this week to have him look at the hardware spot that is nearer the skin surface than we’d like. He put this hardware in, so I’m just seeking his advice at this point. It can be removed …. I want the pain on this spot to go away, although I am hesitant to let them remove it (minor procedure). This surgeon has not seen the foot since late July, so I am sure he will be happy at the positioning.

The Cubs play the Cards on Monday and then next weekend, so I told my Chicago orthopod that the Cubs need to rest up this weekend. She wrote this week and commented that she feels the miracle continues to unfold, as it slowly becomes apparent what the foot is capable of doing. I will return to see her sometime toward the end of October.

Blessings for a magnificent week ahead .... Go Cards!
je

Walked 2 1/2 Miles Today!

The first week of physical therapy was grand! I was able to do more than we ever had before and on Friday was able to walk on the treadmill for five minutes. It was quite the morning excitement in the office!

On Saturday, I went to the health club with my mom and we did aqua exercise for 45 minutes. I could do so much more in the pool water and had walked two miles during the day, prior to heading to the pool. We've been working a lot on my ability to stand on the operative foot (alone) and I could do this so much longer in the water. Hopefully this will translate to "land" at some point. Today I used the treadmill for 12 minutes and walked 2 1/2 miles throughout the day (or 5,235 steps) around the house. Pretty exciting! The swelling on the foot has been better this weekend and I haven't even had the compression sock on all that I should. I had an allergic reaction to the anti-inflammatory medication on Saturday morning and ended up sending the morning at urgent care. All is fine now and the "itching" on my legs has subsided - don't know why it took a month of taking the medicine to surface, but it did. Needless to say, I didn't fill in all the "past surgeries" section on the registration paperwork at the urgent care place ... we'd have been there all morning.

I wore two matching shoes to church on Sunday morning and it was fun to see friends that had not yet seen the foot. Still thinking about ways that God has worked in the past two months and how we can use the situation to help others in the future. Every time I see someone else on crutches or in a walking boot, it will never be the same.

Hope you had a delightful holiday weekend!
je

Ending the summer a BIG step ahead ....

Today is the 100th blog posting! As the summer comes to a close, I can't tell you how fantastic it feels to be in an entirely new place as for progress and the hopefulness that is ahead. I can vividly remember driving home from Chicago on July 27th, after meeting with the physician that recommended amputation, and complaining to my mom how we were going to end the summer no further ahead. I was anticipating more major surgery, of which I was not content with doing and was trying to process the death of the dream of walking again somewhat normal. I was lamenting on and on about how we were making no progress, none of the doctors had ever seen this before and yet there was no possible way that all of this was going to end by the finish of summer. I was incredibly wrong and had little faith for any improvement. I was very frustrated that everything was moving at a snail pace. I would have laughed at the idea of wearing any shoe at the end of August, much less being at a place of only taking two pain pills per day (more as a precautionary measure).

On Wednesday, the entire physical therapy office was still talking about the amazing progress that I've made since we stopped therapy in July. Everyone knows me by now and it was good to have something positive to talk about with the staff, since we've all spent the past 1 1/2 years trying to get motion out of a foot that wouldn't move.
Toes continue to wiggle this week; somewhat easier than last week. One of my exercises is to gather a bed sheet under the toes and see how much of the sheet I can squeeze together with the toes ... it is much harder than it sounds.

There have been several speaking opportunities that have surfaced in the past week, which would allow me to share my "story" to inspire and encourage others. I've humbly accepted two invitations to speak in October and Novemeber. It is my heartfelt prayer that God will be glorified as we praise him for the enormous blessing of restored function and pain relief. I believe the foot will continue to get stronger in weeks ahead, swelling should decrease, and my shoe choice should increase .... I am for sure at a place that I could likely live with it, if it never improved any more.

I really want to return to every doctor that I've ever seen and "show off" the foot, although the only three that would really appreciate what has happened have already seen it. I return to the St. Louis orthopod on September 12th to have him look at the screw that is near the surface of the big toe. I saw an x-ray today from last month and the spot that is bothering me is exactly where there is a screw. May get a pedicure this weekend and do red toe polish ... have to keep it lively for therapy.

Grateful for your prayers, God's blessing and for ending the summer a big step ahead .... keep the faith & don't give up hope.

Jenny

Foot Motion Ahead ...

Whew! Physical therapy was such a true "workout" today! Thought you'd like to know that the physical therapist always takes measurements of the foot on the first day to measure swelling and range of motion at various levels of the foot and ankle. Today there was more movement in the foot than there has been in over 2 1/2 years!!! The specific measurements won't mean a lot to you, but one of them I only improved 4 degrees in a three month time period earlier this summer. Today there was a 28 degree improvement from six weeks ago - totally amazing!! The therapist was very thrilled (so was I) and agreed that the walking, coloration and everything about the foot position is a massive breakthrough. He admitted himself that it is a "God deal" - no other explanation necessary. We're going to meet 3x/week, but he was pretty hopeful that since we now have something to work with, there is lots of "renewed energy" to get as much movement out of the foot as possible. (If you ever need physical therapy, you need to go to St. Louis Physical Therapy - far away the best in St. Louis.)

The therapist thought that perhaps the sharp bony spot near the big toe is the top of a screw inside and since the area was so swollen before, you could not see or feel the area. Makes total sense .... obviously, I'm going to do nothing about it at this point.

I also heard back via e-mail from the plastic surgeon and he said that the itching is totally normal and it could go on for quite some time. He said that it part of the nerves healing and scar tissue dissolving. He suggested another cream to try, which might provide some relief. He didn't think there was any way that I'd itch hard enough to break open an incision and wished me continued blessings.

Today the office notes from my July 27th appointment with the doctor (specializing in amputation) were faxed to me. The structural bone problem that I had on July 27th was described to be much more severe and no hope of it getting better in the office notes, than what he even conveyed during the appointment. He clearly stated that our February reconstructive efforts were unsuccessful and the bones had not healed properly. I thought what he said during the appointment was about as negative as it could get, so I was all the more thankful and in awe today for the miracle that has occurred. I'm simply "filing" the office notes, but the impact of what has happened was even greater was certainly greater today, having read his report.

Praising Him for His continued goodness and blessings ...

je

Fabulous Foot Friday ....

We are safely home from Chicago and had an awesome day on Friday!

Our day started with a phone call at 7am from the assistant of the pain physician, telling us that they had massive storms with flooding, closed streets, and power outages the evening before. Many schools were cancelled on Friday, over 2,000 people were without power and many businesses were closed. The pain physician had severe flooding in his neighborhood, so he was not able to make it into the office on Friday. I'll have to talk to him via e-mail, which will be okay. Thankfully, my orthopedic surgeon lived in another area of Glenview and there was not as much storm damage – whew!

She was delighted to see us and spent close to half an hour with us. She took x-rays, examined the foot carefully, watched me walk with sandals, in tennis shoes, and barefoot. She had me stand on my tip toes, stand on one foot and 10-12 other positions. She watched me walk up and down the hallway several times. She couldn’t have been happier and we all knew that we’ve waited for the happy moment of success for a long time. She said, “If you had not told me about the improvement via e-mail, I would be on the floor right now.” She kept asking me to do various things with the foot and then said, “I want you to know that I’m enjoying this!” She was astonished at the minimal amount of medicine I am taking for pain …. she even looked at my mom when I answered her question about the pain situation and asked if my answer was correct – it was. There was no attempt by anyone to explain the situation, other than a miracle from God.

We both agreed that there needs to be some additional physical therapy happen, so we’re going to do that three times/week (same therapist in St. Louis) for the next four weeks. She gave me some additional exercises to use at home and we’re going to continue to work hard on the “toe off” motion, which should eventually allow me to have more of a choice with regular shoes. We took her a framed picture (for her office) of my feet with the palm tree sandals and she loved it!

I start physical therapy (Mon/Wed/Fri) tomorrow. There is a bony spot just above the big toe that is sharp and is continually rubbing on any shoe. It has just started am I’m hoping it will either go away or get better naturally. It feels like the sharp piece needs to be filed down from the inside, although I don’t want to do this. My intention is to see how long I can live with it. There is also an itchy section on one incision that apparently is nerve/scar tissue that is healing …..apparently this can continue to quite some time, but it is annoying at the moment. The skin has broken open, because I’ve itched so hard. I’ll deal w/it – not nearly as annoying as an “itch” under a hard cast.

We had a wonderful day on Friday and had a fantastic lunch at a place called “Montana Grill” in Glenview, IL – yeast rolls were splendid! It was fun to spend time with family, have dinner out on Saturday night and delight in the first “Eickhorst” baby that was born last week into our family.

Thanks for all your prayers on Friday …. We were blessed to not have arrived during the storm on Thursday and that my orthopedic surgeon was able to make it to work on Friday. Will keep you posted on how physical therapy goes this week – pray for no “incision itching." We are taking measurements of the foot motion tomorrow at our initial physical therapy session. I am anxious to see if there is more movement there now compared to when I stopped therapy in July ... my guess is that it has increased significantly. (The bottom picture above it Jenny w/the Chicago orthopod.)

Hope you have a joyous week!
je

Pictures, Toes & Candlelight

Friday is our "big day" to show off the foot with the orthopedic surgeon in Chicago. We've waited for this day for the longest time, so hopefully she will be as excited as we are. We meet with the pain specialist at 10:45am and the orthopedic surgeon at 11:15am. Friday is her afternoon off, but she had planned a "date day" with her husband, so she will likely pass on our lunch offer for this time. She did tell us that she continues to be flabbergasted and cannot wait to see it! We made a 5x7" reprint of the foot picture with the palm tree sandals and frame it ... we are taking it to give to her.

I've been working on the "toe off" motion significantly this week in the bathtub. I take a few steps on a towel and the water helps me to be able to do more with foot motion. I think the "toe off" motion is getting a little better each week. Tonight we did exercising by candlelight .... gotta get creative!

On Monday, we had a "day away" staff retreat for work. It was at a huge, private retreat center about an hour west of St. Charles. I was reminded that last year this time, I was in a hard cast and needed a co-worker to pick me up and take me to the event. It was a blessing to be able to drive on my own, walk into the building, wiggle my during the boring parts of the meeting, and return home all by myself. Everyone noticed my two matching shoes - such fun.

Pray for safe travel from Thursday-Sunday .... I am sharing part of my "story" at my grandparent's church on Sunday morning. Pray that I am able to be concise, speak without tears and most of all bring glory to Him for his abundant blessing of healing. I typed up notes this week, but just typing them was emotional.

Will try to update the blog from a relatives house on Saturday, but if it doesn't happen check back on Sunday night .... can't wait to tell you the reaction of our favorite surgeon - she's gonna love it! Friday will also be one month, since our "summer miracle" occurred!

Rejoicing in Him,
Jenny

Matching Shoes ... Day 1 of many ahead

I wore two matching shoes to church today .... yeah, yeah! I discovered last week that my operative foot is about 1-1 1/2 sizes larger than the other foot. I went to several shoe places early in the week and had no luck finding anything that was flexible and had the ability to stretch. I did find a pair at Kohl's at the end of the week that happened to match a pair that I already owned, so that worked to my benefit. I bought them on clearance & can wear the bigger size on my right foot and then the pair that I already had on the left foot. I definitely still need to wear the tennis shoe the majority of the time, but it was fantastic to wear matching shoes for the morning.

The pain is slowly subsiding. I've been able to get away with 2 pain pills and Tylenol (each day) for the past week. It was not uncommon for me to take 8-9 pain pills in a day before, so this is big progress. I am praying that by the time I have students at work (end of Sept.), that perhaps we won't need any. If I have to do a minimal amount of medication for another several months, it is not a large issue. We're still taking anti-inflammatory medicine to help reduce the swelling that remains. My mom is continuing to manually move the foot and we're working on breaking up scar tissue inside the toe area. We will likely begin some additional physical therapy around August 27th.

I returned to the neurologist on Thursday. He said that there is no "nerve issue" that remains and he thought all the foot nerves were working at least a minimal level. He had forgotten how bad it was before, so he wasn't as excited about the progress as everyone else.

On Saturday, my mom came over to help me with some things at my house. We reorganized my bedroom closet and attempted to find the "right shoe" of many pairs that only had the left shoe on the shelf. We couldn't find the box of "shoes that I've never wear again" for the longest time in the basement .... it finally surfaced, but obviously I had put the tub in permanent storage!

We have two appointments on Friday (Aug. 24th) in Chicago, so we will go Thursday evening and stay with family in central Illinois. I am so looking forward to 11:15am on Friday, when we meet with the orthopedic doctor .... the new foot position is going to make her weekend! We meet with the pain specialist thirty minutes before seeing her. Needless to say, I cancelled the follow-up appt. with the amputation doctor - which was also supposed to happen on Friday. Our Chicago trip this week will definitely be better than our last visit. I'd love to meet again with the plastic surgeon at some point too, but that won't happen on this visit.

Laura - Loved the "sensible shoe" card .... it is classic & I fully agree with you that we are both glad that those tie up gems are not what I'm sporting these days.

Continue to pray for increased flexibility and increased range of motion behind the toes ... if I can get this stiffness to reduce somewhat, it will make everything easier. There is also a small spot that has a sharp bone piece and looks like a bunion is starting near the big toe - Band-Aid is working nicely now, but I would like this to subside somewhat naturally. Pray that God will continue to be glorified, honored and that his name will shine brightly in the midst of our summer miracle.

We may try to have lunch with the orthopedic surgeon on Friday (she has Friday afternoons off) so if that is to happen, pray for a rejoicing lunch! I'd be surprised if it happened, but perhaps she will have time available - we've talked about doing it before.

"Patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us." Romans 5:4-5

Summer shoes ....

I'm back from our Vegas weekend .... we had a fantastic time and it was a much needed break from several challenging months. We walked, walked, and walked and the foot held up amazingly well. I am sure that I walked half a mile on one day. It was definitely the most walking that I've done in over two years. We stopped when it got tired, but the pain/discomfort was manageable. I still need to wear the tennis shoes when walking, but the picture above provides hope for months ahead! It may take another several months with the tennis shoes, but you have to start somewhere. (If you click on the photo above, I think it will enlarge.)

I e-mailed the above photo to the Chicago surgeon and told her that I can't wait for her to see it in person next Friday. She wrote back within an hour and said: "I continue to be flabbergasted and cannot wait to see and feel the foot in person next week. Whatever happened in Vegas stays in Vegas, but the awesome shoes can come home with you." I would love to have lunch with her at some point, although that probably won't happen next week.

I saw lots of lots of individuals in motorized scooters on our trip. My heart went out to them as I realize that could have easily been my future. I am grateful at the grace and healing that God has provided. I am in the process of writing down some notes on how all this has transpired and details that are not coincidental. It was fun to reflect with my mom on past events and how we can use the situation and miracle to inspire or impact the lives of others. It is my hope that you will not stop praying .... the walking does get a little easier each day, but this is going to take some time yet. It is hard for me to convey that we have made HUGE progress, but there is still some function and strength issues that I'm going to need to make happen.

The skin on the bottom of the foot is beginning to get stronger. There is a small spot of bone near the big toe that is painful , so I am hoping that it resolves itself. I love to walk barefoot, so hopefully this will become more natural or tolerable at some point. We will likely resume physical therapy at the end of August for some additional sessions. There is a lot of stiffness that we need to work through and need to keep the toes moving.

Go put on your favorite pair of summer shoes and wiggle your toes ...

je

Wiggling and Walking ....

There is not much new to report this week … still just moving the toes (they move a little easier this week), exercising the foot and wearing the tennis shoe. My mom has been coming to my house almost nightly to manually move the toes.

I did write the Chicago orthopod and asked her if it was even possible for me to ever have the “toe off” motion return, given that the big toe has been fused in a permanent position. She wrote back and said that it was possible …. my motion would occur in the 2nd and 3rd toe joints and that this would be easier to start to see improvement with wearing a shoe. I fully agree & see this happening easier in the shoe. This motion is easier for me in the water, too. Can’t wait to show the Chicago orthopod how much better it looks on August 24th!

I’ll be away for a long weekend this weekend … have had a “Vegas” weekend planned with my mom since Mother’s Day. I won’t be able to walk a lot, as the foot still gets fatigued rather easily ... I am probably ahead of myself in going, but we've had this planned for the longest time. It will be nice to soak the foot in the pool with tropical greenery nearby; no gambling, but will be fun to get away for a bit. Pray for safe travel, a relaxing few days and that the healing will progress. The pain is improving with the shoe, but I'd love to have three days and not have to worry about pain. I am grateful for not attempting to travel in a flip-flop.

Each day the muscles in the foot get stretched a little more, with walking. I am blessed and am still rejoicing that we have made such a HUGE step in progress in the past two weeks.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” II Cor. 12:9

One Week of Wearing a Shoe ...

I have spent the past four days exercising, massaging, walking, and working with the foot. Because it has not been anywhere close to “normal” feeling for so long, it will likely be awhile before I am able to tell what the foot should feel like. The area under the ball of the foot is quite tender and sensitive, as the “thick skin” at the bottom the foot has not had touched any surface in quite some time. I tried to go to the pool to try water exercise but there was a Birthday party there and then it was unexpectedly closed, so I did some exercising in the bathtub at home.

I have not spoken with the Chicago orthopod, but she did send me an e-mail in response to several notes that I sent last week. She is thrilled and said that this is incredible. To be exact, her statement was, “this is God working now.” The plastic surgeon wrote back also and said that he was excited and would continue to pray, too. He wants me to keep him updated on what is happening. This doctor has patients galore and yet he continues to take time to write and remain involved. I am sure my 2” skin graft was a small case, but it has never felt that way in working with him. He is not your typical plastic surgeon & she is not your typical orthopedic surgeon. I am very thankful for my relationship w/both.

There has been a tiny, tiny incision area under the second toe that has not healed correctly since the April toe surgery. This was really bothering me last week, as now it made contact & rubbed against the floor. Thankfully, on Saturday an old “stitch” finally came to the surface & I was able to pull it out. I have had 3 doctors look at this and all said that nothing was inside there – wrong! I am sure it will heal in the days ahead.

Still able to wear the tennis shoe …. It didn’t do a lot for my little black sleeveless dress that I wore to church today, but I am grateful that it is a shoe!! As my mom said, “That is the best shoe I’ve ever seen!”

I think the pain is lessening somewhat. We started a new medicine on Thursday to help with nerve pain, so I am not sure if it is the medicine that is working or because of the improved position … could be a combination, too. I am rejoicing that a lot of feeling has returned in the toes in a short amount of time. It takes a lot of effort & concentration for me to attempt the “toe off” motion when walking, but hopefully this will get somewhat better with time. The vacation for the toes is over now, but they need to be retrained on their job … they can do it!

Praising Him for His miraculous healing, faithfulness, and care …

je

Squishy Grass, Carpet & Bathtub Floor

Tootsies are still moving! I have been significantly working with the foot and toes this week, as to promote the new motion. Tonight I set up the sprinkler on the grass at my house and when I went to turn it off, the grass was soggy. I was barefoot on the grass and for the first time in the longest time could feel the entire foot make contact with the grass. My neighbors probably wondered what was up with me walking in circles in the grass, but it was the greatest wet feeling ever. There was wet grass all over my feet (mowing crew cut grass today), but that was a good thing in my case.

I've also walked inside my house a lot and continually have made sure that my entire foot was sensing the carpet. I sat on the edge of the bathtub after work today and moved the foot on the bathtub floor - all the nerves that have not touched any surface for the longest time feel like they are starting to "wake up." I've worn the tennis shoes all day at work for the past four days .... I figured that I'd only last several hours, but that has not happened.

My mom has came over the past two nights and manually moved the foot for 15-20 minutes. The goal is to hear a "cracking" sound when you really move it, which means that scar tissue inside is breaking up. If we hear two cracking noises in one night, it is a big deal. The bottom of the foot has been sore and tired this week, but the not as much pain. Still extremely stiff, but this will hopefully improve with time and walking. I have a tennis ball at work and home which I roll my foot over ... this helps to stimulate blood flow.

I am going to try to go to the pool this weekend and walk some in the water. If you can get more motion to return in the water (w/no gravity), this often eventually translates to more movement on land.

I went to visit my physical therapist on Wednesday after work - just to show him the improvement. He was speechless and thrilled. We have worked together for the past 1 1/2 years, so we know each other well. His staff all watched me walk and shoe off the toe movement. He thought we should let the foot "come around" on its own for several weeks, before we'd start any formal exercise program again.

Rejoicing in Him & His faithfulness for a big week of improvement ... looking forward to a better weekend. Keep praying for the soreness/tired feeling to gradually get better and more "toe off" movement to return beyond my wildest expectations!

je

July 31, 2007 - Foot Debut

Foot looking flat .... fall shoes could be exciting!

Wore A Shoe - July 30-31, 2007

Are you ready for some MARVELOUS news? Miracles still happen …. there have been several rays of sunshine and huge hope in the past two days. Clearly in the midst of our darkest hour God speaks, if we trust completely.

This spoke to me on Sunday …. “Trust Him in the dark, honor Him with unwavering confidence, even in the midst of trials and storms. He will show you only into a way where, if you go cheerfully and trustfully forward, He will show you on still farther.”

After much prayer time late Sunday night, my four small toes actively moved (without moving them manually or doing anything with my hands). It was not a flicker of movement, but actual up and down toe movement. No movement has happened in any of the toes for over two years. The big toe (that is fused and never supposed to move) actually moved some, too. I also managed to get the foot into a size 10 tennis shoe that I had buried in the closet. I was scared that neither would last, so I did not call or tell anyone.

On Monday morning, the movement was still there & I could still get the foot in the shoe. The foot seemed to have changed position and laid flatter to the ground also. I wore the tennis shoe to work on that foot all day on Monday. I kept checking the toes for movement, nearly every hour, and I could still get the toes to wiggle. The toes are still stiff, but there is life in the toes.

At 4:00, I met with my St. Louis orthopedic doctor and my intention was to get his opinion on choosing a prosthetic foot. Last Saturday he agreed to see me & allowed me to be the last patient, because we both knew it was going to be a tough and emotional discussion.

I walked into his office at 4:00 in my shoe and some discomfort, but nothing severe. He fully agreed that the foot looked significantly different on Monday, than when I saw him last Tuesday (or even last Friday). He took pictures w/his digital camera and agreed that there could be hope for saving the foot. I went ahead and asked all my prosthetic questions, but deep down thinking that there is massive renewed hope that the foot still could “come around.” This doctor encouraged me to sit tight for two weeks and see if the improvements will remain or get even better.

I went to the New Balance store after the appt. & bought a pair of “rocker bottom tennis shoes” (recommended by Chicago orthopod) that promotes the stepping motion without the foot having to work as hard. My parents came over Monday night and agreed that the positioning clearly has changed, and I can now get the foot to lay flat (or pretty close). I e-mailed the Chicago orthopod and told her that there might be hope yet … she was equally thrilled and couldn’t believe that two days ago the foot looked severely deformed, coloring was awful and there was no getting the foot to lay flat.

I wore the new tennis shoes the entire day at work today. Wearing an athletic shoe is HUGE, because presumably this could lead to the ability to wear other shoes. There is definitely a glimmer of hope – things can change and what looks like the impossible is sometimes where God works best.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ….” – Isaiah 43:2

Clearly, we don’t have the situation entirely solved. There is still a lot of work that needs to happen with walking, stiffness, pain situation needs to be evaluated. Our hope and prayer is that the toe movement, improved positioning issue and ability to wear a shoe will continue improve a little each day forward; more than we could ever imagine, hope or dream. You can bet that I will be wiggling and wiggling the toes this week, to continue to promote movement.

I was supposed to be researching prosthetic feet and interviewing prosthetic fitters in St. Louis this week; needless to say we are putting a hold (hopefully more like termination) on this plan. On Friday, we heard from the surgeon that I had a substantial bone and nerve problem in the foot that could very well never be corrected. 48 hours later, following tears and great emotional distress, I am able to wear a shoe. There was a lot more that happened on Friday of a negative nature, but for now we are excited about wiggling toes and a rainbow of hope provided. Prayer works … don't stop now. My parents are ecstatic, bursting with joy and thankfulness to God!

Wiggling away ….
je

Laura – your Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s shoe card was superb timing!

Linda - I loved your hilarious card about crossing the Red Sea and the special message!

Peace needed ....

We are home from Chicago and thankfully I held up emotionally at the consultation appointment on Friday. As for this doctor providing additional information, this happened and we now need to do some more "homework" and research in the St. Louis medical community. There are always medical options as for treatment choices, but we are definitely at a place where none of the choices today are "good" choices. This is the first time in three years and none of our options are ones that you'd jump at signing up for immediately.

Mentally and emotionally I am not at a place, where I can discuss specifics yet. Friday and Saturday were extremely tough days from a mental/emotional standpoint - it was a long ride home with lots of Kleenex. I did speak with the female Chicago orthopod late on Friday evening. As always, I needed to talk with her, but there were things shared in this conversation that I was not prepared to hear. We both tried to be hopeful, but deep down both of us were likely falling apart on the inside.

I realize this blog entry is pretty general few details. Pray for emotional peace, clear wisdom, that fear will not overtake the situation, a longing to trust God completely, sleep, and patience in decision making. I am struggling significantly and need to make it through the work week somehow. Not sure how long I will last, but I'm going to attempt to go to church .... thank you for the many prayers on Friday!

je

Girls Night, Sweet Corn and Pocket Folders

On Monday evening, two of my friends came to my house for dinner and “Girls Night.” They brought Chinese food for dinner and we sat and talked, talked, and talked. We hadn’t seen each other since last November (my fault), and it was good to catch up together. Even though it was at my house, it was my first “social” deal in the past eight months. They are both fantastic moms and it was fun to have them at my house.

About 11:00 this morning, the Chicago orthopod called me on my cell phone to talk in preparation for my consultation appointment on Friday (referral from her). I was the Back-to-School aisle at Wal-Mart in the Valley counting out almost 2,000 pocket folders for work. Needless to say, the timing was not ideal and I wasn’t in the best spot to truly discuss what I wanted. I had notes with questions, but those were on my desk at the office. Today is her surgery day, so I had expected to hear from her Tuesday evening.

We discussed the logistics for Friday and she said that the new doctor would be candid and willing to answer all my questions. He has medical records that I sent via Fed Ex (last week), the last two notes from my current Chicago orthopod and they discussed my case at the foot conference two weeks ago. She reminded me that we are just seeking any additional insight or a reasonable explanation as to why the foot is the way it is and no decision as to future treatment has to be made on Friday. Why didn’t I think of this simple fact? We discussed pain, the rough week last week, and she continues to be calm, reassuring, intelligent, and very collected with her thoughts. Although there may not be many “options” left, no one is going to require a final treatment decision tomorrow – taking time is a wise choice.

The best thing in the conversation was the fact that she told me that she will absolutely continue to work with me and is in this for the “long haul.” She said, “We will get through it together and I will be your shepherd and guide. I have an investment in your foot.” This was big news and something that I really needed her to confirm & formally verbalize. Clearly there are substantial and challenging decisions that are ahead. Probably some of the largest decisions I will be required to make in my lifetime.

She confirmed that I know my foot situation and terms very well, can articulate concerns, and there was no need for nervousness about Friday.
We ended the conversation with her telling me a good place to shop on Friday near the doctor’s office. Although it is only shopping and I am not up for much “shopping,” clearly she is trying to make all of this more palatable and knows that this is an interest that I like!

I cannot meet with her on Friday, because she is not in the office. However, she is going to call me at 4:00 to talk about what we learned at the 2:00 consultation and we will then make a decision about if or when I need to meet with her in person. At the moment, we have an appointment on August 3rd, but it may make sense to move this to Monday – and try to avoid making a second trip in seven days.

The pain management doctor e-mailed back also this morning and he prescribed a different medication for nerve pain. I attempted to pick this up at the pharmacy tonight, but there is an issue with insurance coverage. The doctor & the insurance company have to talk first – it is never as simple as it should be.

I met with the St. Louis orthopod this afternoon also and we took x-rays today to take on a CD for Friday. He knows the surgeon that I will consult with, but not on a personal level. He is anxious to learn what he may offer as for suggestions or advice, too. He fully agreed that this has been a very long medical journey and understands my hesitation and concern as to the probable success of surgically “correcting” the foot deformity.

Emotionally I am doing somewhat better than last week – hanging in there. I am thankful for hearing back from the Chicago doctor today and the reassurance that she will be my shepherd … she is a huge blessing.

Pray specifically for the following –
- I will be able to cope, be open to advice, and remain emotionally strong at the consultation appointment on Friday (2:00pm). The drive home could be long.

- God will provide wisdom and clear direction; perhaps the strongest that we’ve ever needed or felt.

- Stamina … we need to take it “one day at a time”
- Scheduling … if we need to see the Chicago orthopod on Monday, details for this need to come together late afternoon on Friday.

- Thoughts – despite the pain, my desire is to not think about the foot situation continually during the day or night.

Thankful for small, positive things that are happening … many of which mean nothing in the grand scheme, but are part of everyday life.
- I was able to drive to get an x-ray today & walked into the office.
- Got my nails done on the way home from work.
- Had sweet corn during dinner from my grandparent’s farm in IL.
- My neighbor brought me a loaf of homemade zucchini bread.
- Photos of smiley, charming kids – Loved the pics, Laura!
- Pink roses in the middle of my kitchen table.
- Yummy fresh peaches

God continues to remain faithful in the midst of challenging days. I know I’ve said it before, but thank you again for praying for such a long period of time. Someday I will share with you the amazing ways that doors have opened, circumstances have not been coincidental and family and friends have been an unbelievable encouragement when I have felt like giving up. Doing my best ….

Love,
je

Consultation appointment next week ....

The Chicago orthopedic surgeon e-mailed back on Wednesday evening and said that she had talked with another surgeon, friend at a foot conference (last weekend) about my case. She would like me to see this doctor for a consultation appointment. The new physician is also a foot/ankle orthopedic surgeon, but he does a lot of very challenging foot cases. He is older in age and presumably has tackled thousands of medical cases. My current doctor studied under him as part of medical school. We (current surgeon & myself) decided that physical therapy needs to be on “hold” until we see where we are headed. Although I desired to taper off of this, it was still hard to hear that we are “done.”

I made a few phone calls early this morning and was able to get a consultation appointment scheduled (2:00pm) for next Friday, July 27th in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois (Chicago suburb). Someone was praying this morning, because this doctor only sees patients 1 ½ days per week and I was able to quickly get an appointment. I spoke to a generic “scheduling” person at a large hospital, so it wasn’t even his personal assistant. God is good, especially in times when everything else seems to be falling apart.

The past 3-4 days have been the largest emotional challenge ever. I cannot go into all the details now, but let’s just say that the magnitude of the present situation has been totally overwhelming. Today was the first day in three years that I was stayed home for several hours this morning, to “pull it together” mentally. I made it through the day, but not w/out tears. I’m thankful for a supportive boss and co-workers.

Big prayer request: I very much need to meet w/my current Chicago orthopedic surgeon after the consultation appointment with the new doctor. Preferably this would happen on the same day, but this would need to happen very late afternoon on Friday, July 27th (like 4:00-5:00). It would be nice to not have to stay in Chicago the entire weekend and wait to see her on the following Monday. Pray that something can be worked out. There are ways that this could happen, but it would be highly unusual for a doctor to see me during “off” hours.

There is absolutely no indication that my current Chicago orthopedic surgeon will tell me that she is “done” with my case, but at the difficultly level of the situation, it is always a possibility. It has happened before when I least expected it, so I am very fearful of it happening again. She is a big reason that I did not give up long ago. I have a significant desire to and emotional need to keep working with her. She is a huge blessing.

It has been a long day and week …. I’m not sleeping well, so I need to try to get to bed earlier tonight. Keep praying for strong faith and that I will truly take one step at a time. Pray that I will be able to relax about what is to come and will not worry about the situation continually for the next week.

Looking forward to a wedding shower in Illinois on Saturday with a future Eickhorst “bride-to-be” ……

In His grasp,
je

Attitude is everything ....

I have not written much yet this week, because not a lot has happened. I am waiting to hear back from the pain management physician and the Chicago orthopod – e-mailed both on Sunday. The Chicago orthopod is just back from a conference, so she is likely swamped with patient issues. The pain doctor may be on vacation this week, but until we talk, I’m only able to talk the anti-inflammatory medication.

I did physical therapy on Monday and Wednesday of this week, which were the final two sessions left on my current pt script. I had candid discussions on Monday and today about realistic potential progress and the therapist readily admitted that from a functional aspect, we are not making the needed progress. The bottom line is that it is all about function. He basically said that based on where we are today, there will likely not be substantial progress. This has never been vocalized in a formal sense in three years. Both of us have known it for awhile, but we've both have been hoping we were wrong. While it is not great news, I appreciate his honesty and willingness to accept the fact that what we have today for function may be "it." I estimated that I am doing about 10-15% of what I would normally do on a daily basis. We also talked about my feelings as for moving forward, what this might mean and my fears at the moment. I’ve worked with the same therapist individual for the past 1 ½ years and he was more straightforward about it today than ever before.

Although the frustration of continuing with pt and not seeing progress is not what I want, it is tough to realize that we’ve given it our best attempt and for function ability, what we have today could be “it.” As I was driving home, I was feeling rather low and that after all we’ve been through the end result is obviously not the desired outcome. I arrived home and found the following message in my e-mail …. rather fitting for my struggle with the foot. Once again it reminded me that attitude is significant …. it is a foot deformity and God can either cause the situation to change or will provide grace to deal with it. You are always stronger than you think you are – no matter what happens.

Headed Homeward
by Max Lucado
Aging is God’s idea. It’s one of the ways he keeps us headed homeward. We can’t change the process, but we can change our attitude. Here is a thought. What if we looked at the aging body as we look at the growth of a tulip? Do you ever see anyone mourning over the passing of the tulip bulb? Do gardeners weep as the bulb begins to weaken? Of course not. We don’t purchase tulip girdles or petal wrinkle cream or consult plastic-leaf surgeons. We don’t mourn the passing of the bulb; we celebrate it. Tulip lovers rejoice the minute the bulb weakens. “Watch that one,” they say. “It’s about to blossom.”

Could it be heaven does the same? The angels point to our bodies. The more frail we become, the more excited they become. “We are waiting for God to finish making us his own children, which means our bodies will be made free” (Rom. 8:23).
You could add your own adjective, couldn’t you? Which word describes your body? My cancerous body? My arthritic body? My deformed body? My crippled body? My ever-expanding body? The word may be different, but the message is the same: These bodies are weak. They began decaying the minute we began breathing.

And, according to God, that’s a part of the plan. Every wrinkle and every needle take us one step closer to the last step when Jesus will change our simple bodies into forever bodies. No pain. No depression. No sickness. No end. This is not our forever house. It will serve for the time being. But there is nothing like the moment we enter his door.

Feeling Fuzzy

I started on the medications prescribed by the surgeon in Chicago that specializes in pain management. It is not a good combination, so far. The pain medicine and the drug related for nerves both make me very sleepy, mentally "fuzzy" and in a fog. I have slept the better part of the day today. It is not normal for me to be very quiet and not want to talk. Clearly I am not myself and there is a trade off for relief from pain or feeling constantly medicated. I opted to deal with the pain several days this week, instead of feeling loopy. Obviously, I'll have to see what can be adjusted next week. Part of me doesn't have the energy to try to coordinate something different . . . it is much more of a challenge with the distance issue. You can never just call and talk to the doctor at his office. He told me at our appointment that it is just a matter of trying different drug combinations.

There are three physical therapy visits on my current script from the orthopod. I am spending a lot of money and time on this and am not seeing any substantial results. I am at pt 2-2 1/2 hours each visit. We have done 12 visits and from a functional and pain standpoint, it is no different from when I started. I'm sure the Chicago doctor will want me to continue, but my motivation and stamina for this are waning. I'm sure we'll talk via e-mail this week, because pt can't continue without her writing a new script.

I boxed up shoes today that I either have not worn in three years or will likely never wear again. They were a constant reminder in the closet of what feels like the impossible.

Hoping that next week will be better ....
je

Prescription coordination day ....

I’ve been e-mailing the pain doctor (Chicago) all day today and we’ve spent a lot of time going back and forth with ideas. Thankfully, he has been quick in responding and suggestions. The bottom line is that we changed the pain medicine prescription and the anti-inflammatory medicine from what we discussed last Friday. We are going to start these tomorrow along with another medicine related to nerves, so we’ll see if this helps. The pain medication has serious “street value,” so I had to jump through mega hoops today to coordinate getting that filled in St. Louis, given that the prescribing doctor is in Chicago. Fax, mail, e-mail and phone don’t work when you are talking about drugs with resale value …. like I’m going to set up a stand with a pink and white awning in my driveway, but I understand the caution. My St. Louis orthopod ended up helping us and facilitating the process.

I scheduled a follow-up appointment with the Chicago orthopedic surgeon for Friday, August 3rd, but this may be too soon. If I need to see the surgeon with Lyola University, then this needs to happen at the same time. I did send a long thank-you letter today to the plastic surgeon in Chicago, thanking him for his professional advice and ongoing help.

Keep praying that the Chicago orthopedic surgeon will connect with the Lyola doctor (at some foot conference) at the end of this week and hopefully she will call at the beginning of next week with his advice. I know it is not a long time to wait, but the waiting seems like forever. I wake up each morning and look at the foot to see if by chance it decided over night to relax and revert to the normal position …..

Signing off to head to dinner at mom & dad’s house ….
je

Matching shoes and prayers ....

I spent the better part of Sunday getting things organized at my house and trying to get situated after having not lived at my house since early February. It is good to be back at my house, but along with it comes standing and walking. I had a rough day emotionally and was frustrated by what felt like lack of progress in Chicago. I spent considerable time researching the three prescribed medications, and probably learned more than I should.

By Sunday evening, I was feeling pretty low, in lots of pain, and was upset that there doesn’t seem to be any “good” future option as for choices. I had sent an e-mail to the Chicago orthopod expressing several concerns, and to my delight she wrote back right before I went to bed Sunday night. She didn’t write back a lot, but it was enough for me to end the day on a “better note.” There is a foot/ankle conference in Toronto at the end of this week, so she is going to speak to one of the doctors in attendance about my case. She said that she’d contact me after the conference as to how we should proceed. In the meantime, she encouraged me to take it day-by-day and just do my best. . I often feel the need to solve “everything” by tomorrow, which is not always a good thing.

She (Chicago orthopod) had the greatest “alligator leather” loafer shoes on at the Friday appointment …. I notice shoes on everyone now. I have worn an Adidas flip flop for three years on one foot and am tired of it. There are worse things, but I am ready to have the ability to wear two matching shoes. I have always loved shoes, even though there are lots that I can’t wear because of the artificial hip situation.

Blessings from today ….. this morning I arrived at work and received a job promotion (title & salary), which was a positive start to the week. Our new fiscal year started July 1 but it still came as a pleasant surprise.

I had also sent an e-mail over the weekend to the plastic surgeon (that did the skin grafting) in Chicago and updated him on my situation. I told him that we decided not to go to Baltimore at this time, since he was the one that had told me about the Baltimore doctor. He e-mailed back this morning saying that this was perfectly fine and that he’d be praying for me. In three years of seeing surgeons, no physician has ever offered to pray. I was stunned, because faith and the medical profession rarely are found together. We had a brief conversation about faith and where I went to college, within five minutes at my first appointment with him.) I think I am his first “out-of-town” patient but I am so thankful that he was willing to help me and do the skin grafting, when others in St. Louis wouldn’t even see the wound at an appointment. He has been a delight to work with …. I have the utmost confidence in his medical opinions and he has a heartfelt desire to see things get better for me. I had two names of plastic surgeons in Chicago and I picked this doctor without even calling the other person – it is not a coincidence. Although my immediate needs for a “plastic guy” are over, my gut feeling is that we are not finished working together.

As for the medication suggestions, I have not done anything with it yet. I am not normally in the “questioning mode,” but find myself very cautious about medical decisions all of a sudden. I will likely follow the plan, except for the pain medicine suggestion. I may e-mail the pain doctor some additional questions tomorrow & will do something w/it by middle of the week.

I am now on my fifth Kleenex since starting to write this, so I’d better close …. thankful for my strong relationship with the Chicago orthopod and plastic surgeon, big and little blessings of today, family, friends, and your continued prayers …. Go put on your favorite pair of shoes for me ….

je

We made it to and from Chicago safely. We met with the doctor related to pain first on Friday morning. He feels that the pain is likely caused from several sources – nerve, bone and general trauma from past surgeries. It is standard for medication to be prescribed first and this was his suggestion. He recommended an anti-inflammatory medication (steroid), nerve medication and another pain medicine. He said that there is no guarantee that if we would remove several sensory nerves, that this would solve the pain issue.

I am absolutely not comfortable taking the pain medication that he suggested. To say that it is super strong is a total understatement. It is very potent and the likelihood of me being able to function at work is pretty low. The side effects that are fairly standard would be worse than the current foot pain. I am notorious for having most of the side effects happen to me. I am still evaluating the steroid suggestion. He thought there was a lot of swelling still in the foot but honestly, I thought it looked fairly good and he saw it on a “good” day. I came home not much further ahead on having a short-term “pain” solution.

We also met with the orthopedic surgeon. She continues to be gracious, and is trying to remain positive in the midst of circumstances that are not unfolding as we had hoped. She agreed and recognized that we have two problems: 1. Functional/Walking aspect and 2. Pain issue …. if we correct one without the other, we are no further ahead. She thought the forefoot area and toes looked worse now than in May …. I fully agree. Although I hate the fact that a substantial functional issue continues to linger, it was good to hear her recognize that there is still a problem.

She (ortho doctor) said that the situation continues to defy all medical theories, plans, and the foot continues to react in a manner opposite of the planned or normal outcome. She compared it to the foot being similar to a defiant child – my foot does the opposite of what is hoped. She continues to be committed to not let this medical journey go on forever. The deformed foot positioning probably is not going to improve by itself, so we are both going to talk and evaluate week-to-week over the next several weeks.

We are going to continue to communicate via e-mail and phone. She is going to consult with another surgeon at Loyola University next weekend at a foot conference in Toronto. We will likely do another follow-up appt. at the beginning of August.

Thanks for your prayers ... especially on Friday.

je

Skin graft photo ....

Latest foot photo .... you can see the skin grafting area on the side of the foot. You can't tell anything as to the positioning of the foot, but you can tell by this photo that the skin graft area is now fully healed ... yeah! The new skin will always be dry, because the grafted skin does not have the ability to "sweat." Sorry you can't see the four small toes - this is because they are droopy again ... the straightening position did not remain after we took the pins out at the end of May.

Getting ready to head to Illinois tomorrow and then Chicago early Friday morning. I will update the blog when we return home on Saturday.

je