Stitches out .... yahoo!

All went well with my St. Louis surgeon this morning. I had all the stitches removed. He said that it would continue to drain today & Tuesday and then should heal over again, but thought it looked good. No infection! He e-mailed pictures of it to Chicago today just to give them the "heads up" ..... it kinda feels like we are taking a step back with it, but it will be okay. The skin reacts to the stitches being removed - a little trauma. All is proceeding as planned and we plan to leave for Illinois early afternoon on Wednesday. Many thanks for your continued prayers and for a good meeting with the Chicago doctor at 11:30 on Thursday.

Looking Better . . .

My incision is looking much better and a lot of healing has happened over the weekend, for which I am extremely grateful! The incision is very dry (good sign) and Monday should be the final day for the antibiotic. The skin area around the stitches is very itchy, which is a sign that healing is taking place. My appointment is at 8:15am on Monday with my St. Louis doctor. I also have parent volunteer training (at work) on Monday evening, so it will be a long day.

Pray that my doctor will remove the stitches, answer final questions and give me the "all clear" to head to Chicago on Wednesday. I have "retired" the crutches for my few final days . . . I'll be using them soon enough. I'll write more after my appointment on Monday morning. Many thanks for your continued prayers and thoughts for a big week ahead!

Thursday Update . . .

The stitches are holding the incision together and it is no longer bleeding. Thankfully most of the pain is gone too, so hopefully I am through the worst of it. Keep praying specifically for these three things to happen:
1. Wound would heal and remain closed.
2. No redness to begin (sign of possible infection).
3. I'll be able to stop the antibiotic on Monday.

These are things that need to happen for us to be able to proceed with surgery as planned. With several more days of healing time, I believe it all will be okay. There is NO sign of infection now and item #1 is moving in the right direction. I have been off work the past two days, which has allowed me to rest the foot & not catch any colds from kiddos in the Village. I return to the St. Louis surgeon early Monday morning. Hope you have a great weekend!

Stitches-R-Us

BIG PRAYER REQUEST ..... The small spot on my incision that had not closed last week was still open on Monday. I went back to the surgeon and he placed three stitches in the open section to try and get it to close. The entire process was very painful! The area on the foot is extremely tender and there is not a lot of "extra skin." I used crutches today and didn't put any weight on the foot to try and get it the skin to naturally come together in the next several days. Obviously, this needs to happen by late weekend, for our Chicago plans to continue as planned. Keep praying for strength, good health (otherwise) and that the stitches will quickly heal the open wound. It doesn't need to be perfect for the upcoming surgery, just closed. I return to the St. Louis surgeon on Monday now (not Friday) to have the stitches removed and hopefully everything will progress as planned.

Final Preparations Underway . . .

Quick update . . .

Things continue to progress nicely as we make final preparations to travel to Glenview, IL for additional foot surgery on February 2nd. Our schedule continues to be the same as listed below:

January 31st - Drive to Illinois & spend the evening with family
February 1st - Meet with the Chicago surgeon for final questions & surgery details review
February 2nd - Triple Arthrodesis Surgery at Glenbrook Hospital
(Will likely be in the hospital Friday through Monday)

I have completed all the pre-op testing here in St. Louis and have been officially "cleared" for surgery. The spot on my former incision that has not been closing, due to an infection starting, is getting better with the antibiotic this week - definitely good progress this week! I have copies of x-rays ready to take with me for the Chicago surgeon to review. I meet with my St. Louis doctor on Friday, January 26th to take comparison photos (to use after surgery), and go over final details/expectations together. In doing research on the hospital where I will be staying, it looks to be a smaller sized hospital, which will likely work to my benefit.

Continue to pray for good weather and no snow as we travel to the Chicago area. I am taking medicine to get through foot pain, but otherwise feel well and am trying to get good rest this week and next. I have evening meetings the next two Mondays and kids in the Village three days next week, so pray for energy and stamina! I am in good spirits and am ready to move forward. I truly believe we have made the best possible decision and I have two top-notch doctors working on my behalf. Please continue to pray for the Chicago surgeon and her medical team - pray for wisdom, clear decisions on what will work best, and continued peace in our hearts.

What is impossible with men is possible with God .... Luke 18:27

Preparations underway for Glenview, IL trip . . .

I have been busy making preparations for our trip for surgery in the Chicago area in 2 1/2 weeks. I will go through pre-op testing on Wednesday of this week (in St. Louis) and then meet with my St. Louis surgeon on Friday, January 26th to finalize details, take more pictures to use as a comparison for later and get all final questions answered. We've made hotel reservations in Glenview, IL and have rented a small SUV, which will allow me to keep my leg and foot elevated for the ride home.

My dad is traveling a lot on business during the next 4-6 weeks, so my aunt (from Illinois) is going to come with us. She will be able to be support for my mom on Friday and will be an extra encouragement for several days. My mom will have Internet access at the hotel, so hopefully she can keep the blog updated while we are away for almost a week.

I received a portable DVD player for Christmas, so if you have good movies let me know - I'd be interested in borrowing a few from friends for several weeks. I have been extremely blessed in the past week with several things that occurred that are going to make the next several months much more manageable .... I can't share all the details, but know that God is good and He has it all under control. I am confident we are moving in the right direction, have been amazed at how details have fallen into place quickly and easily and am thankful for supportive friends. My new shoes will still be waiting for me at the beginning of May. Hope you have a great weekend!

Jenny

Next step ahead, but no new shoes yet .....

Good evening! The past 2 ½ weeks have been rough and discouraging as we have watched my foot deformity quickly return, after the cast was removed on December 22nd. This is not at all the fault of the surgeon, but instead simply the way my foot has responded to the November surgery as we attempted to correct the problem. Everything seemed to be going well until the cast was removed and things have quickly changed. Unfortunately, it is not time to buy new shoes yet! The big toe is almost 2" off the ground & doesn't make contact with the floor.

After meeting with my St. Louis surgeon, researching options, and much prayer, we have made the decision to make one final attempt at getting the foot to lie flat and in the correct position. For many reasons, the next surgery needs to be done by a surgeon in the Chicago area and my St. Louis doctor will continue with post-op follow-up care. Thankfully, I had already seen this doctor in October and we had a minimal relationship established. The surgery is called Triple Arthrodesis and is designed to get the foot in the proper position and then fuse the foot in three places, which will eliminate all movement of the foot forever. Presumably, if you eliminate all movement then there is no way for the foot to tip or remain positioned to the side.

Upcoming Surgery Details are as follows:

Wednesday, January 31 – Jenny & mom will drive to Illinois & spend the night with relatives

Thursday, February 1 – Meet with surgeon from Illinois Bone & Joint Center – Dr. Ptaszek

Friday, February 2 – Triple Arthrodesis surgery at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, IL

(no time set yet, but it will be early morning!)
- Plans are to be in the hospital from Friday through Monday.
- Will travel back to STL in a splint.
- 6-8 weeks in a hard cast w/no weight on the foot.

As with anything, there are no guarantees that this will be successful. We have slowly and thoughtfully made this decision and it has not been easy. It is tough to have faith in anything truly working at this point, but we have to try. I am thankful for these things in the midst of a very challenging medical situation:
- A Christian surgeon in St. Louis that is willing to continue to work with me on this.
- A surgeon that has coordinated setting up surgery details in a timely manner.
- Family that is supportive spiritually, emotionally and financially.
- An employer that continues to do whatever it takes to allow me to keep my job.
- A glimmer of hope that I might be able to walk, wear a shoe & live pain free someday.
- Strong support from a physical therapist that is now a good friend & very knowledgeable.

I realize this is an extremely difficult situation and it is hard to know what to say about this ordeal. Please know that I hardly know what to say about it either, so you are not alone! I’ll never understand why we haven’t been successful with previous surgeries, but we have to move forward and work with our current situation. I am doing okay emotionally and am frustrated, but not bitter or angry about it. My artificial hip (opposite side) has started to “act up” as a result of carrying all the weight and this is going to become a significant problem, if we don’t get the foot situation fixed sooner than later. I am at my parents’ house and will likely be there until mid-March. I am working now (sitting mostly) and will continue this until Tuesday, January 30th. Keep praying that the pain is manageable until we get to the surgery date.

Many thanks for your support and continued prayers …. at peace with the decision move ahead.

Love,
Jenny

Thankfulness

You have to be thankful for little things in the midst of challenging circumstances. My current surgeon (in St. Louis) and I have been e-mailing back and forth several times a day for the past few days. What doctor would take the time to correspond and promptly answer my questions HIMSELF? Needless to say, I am most impressed, grateful and thankful for his continued willingness to help me in the midst of a difficult medical circumstance, his honesty, and for coordinating future care with the Chicago surgeons. No details have been finalized yet, but things are "in process" and hopefully I'll be able to talk to someone on the Chicago team within the next few days.

There are also is a former physical therapist (now a good friend) that has done a lot of research and seeking out additional contact names for me, for which has been a true blessing! We met together for breakfast last Saturday and have e-mailed several times during this week.

Ending the day today with a thankful heart for a caring physician.

Wisdom Needed

I returned to see my orthopedic surgeon in St. Louis today, because the foot continues to tip significantly to the right. We have been communicating via e-mail & I've been sending him digital photos over the past few days and he felt it was necessary for me to return to see him.

We took additional x-rays and everything has healed well on the x-ray. There are no loose screws, hardware, etc. However, something is definitely causing the foot to not lay flat and naturally stay tipped to the right. There is about a 1 1/2" gap between the big toe and the ground & the foot does not make contact with the ground. The foot has not responded as any of us had hoped.

Clearly more treatment is needed. My current surgeon is willing to work with me and believes additional surgery is needed but because he has made two attempts at this & it has not stayed in place, he is uncomfortable operating again. He (St. Louis doctor) is suggesting possible additional surgery done by one of the Chicago surgeons that I met with in October and then he would do follow-up care in St. Louis. No physical therapy is going to happen at this time, because my current problem is not something that "pt" will significantly help. I do not regret having attempted the November surgery - you don't know what will happen unless you try.

I am looking into two final options and will likely make a decision about this within the next week. Pray for wisdom, encouragement, improved walking, and strength. I need to be open to surgery out of town, if this is the best option (likely early February). I have kids in the Village on January 5th and then everyday from January 23rd on .... stamina will be needed.

I realize this is a very challenging medical situation and thank you for your continued prayers and support. I know it is tough to understand, but appreciate your prayers & patience.