Great Chrismas ....

We had a relaxing and joyful Christmas … it was great! Christmas Eve dinner was at my house and then we headed to church at 9pm. On the way home we dropped off gifts to a needy family that we’ve been helping. Christmas day was celebrated at mom & dad’s house … much fun! On Saturday, we traveled to central IL to celebrate with the Eickhorst clan. It snowed all day on Saturday and through the night and we woke up to 5-6” of snow on Sunday morning. I wore my boots to church … yeah! (Not really snow boots, but they worked) I was so grateful to not have crutches in the snow or open toes last weekend.

I am off work this week and am enjoying some time at home. All is still well with the foot. There was some pain a few days before Christmas, but I am confident that it was from overuse. Taking a break from pt this week and will resume with a few other pt sessions starting next week. I continue to be grateful for the little “life things” that I can do each day.

Hope you had a blessed Christmas, too!
Jenny

Holiday Happenings Week ....

I am doing okay and have been busy, busy with holiday things. It seems that I’ve had something nearly every night, which is more than I’d like …. all fun things, but night after night is a lot. No kiddos at work this week, so that will be a nice break. I only work M-W this week and then am off until January 4, 2010.

I took last Friday off, which was the first non-surgery vacation day off in 2+ years. It was marvelous! I got so much shopping and baking done … I loved it!

The pt seems to be helping my toes to be more flexible. I am getting closer to being able to spread the toes apart, but not quite there yet. You can see the toes trying, but I guess they are still thinking about performing their best. Today I whizzed through the grocery store with a cart and I moved noticeable faster than normal. The last two times I have wore my boots in the evening, I’ve had a lot of pain in the big toe (swelling). Tonight I was at a Christmas party and I couldn’t really take them off ….. it can feel fine one minute and the next minute feel awful. The bad thing is that to just look at it you wouldn’t say it is swollen. I may e-mail my Chicago dr. after the holidays and ask her if there is anything else to help w/the swelling, but I am fairly sure that the forefoot compression stocking it the “semi-cure.” Just a minor “deal with it” thing, after all I’ve been through.

As I went to bed last night I was thinking that I’ve had a cast the past two Decembers and I love the fact that there are no chilly toes shivering this month. I’m continuing to be overly cautious about slick sidewalks, streets, parking lots, etc.

Stay warm this week!
je

Pt is helping .... yippee!!

I am doing well and apologize for the lack of updates recently! Lots of holiday events happening and more things to do than usual this time of year . . . We took ROM measurements last week and things are slowly improving. Nothing earth shattering, but a few degrees of improvement in various areas. The hip strength was better as well, which was super weak when we started.

We tried this new exercise where I stand on a round ball (flat on the bottom) and do these squats. It was challenging, but it was the first time that my toes actually curved around the ball and somewhat “attached” to it. The more the toes are able to curve, bend, and become flexible, the easier it will be for me to slip into a shoe. As it is now, I can get some shoes on, but it takes some effort and I have to be sitting down to do it. I wore the forefoot compression sock to church on Sunday (under tights) and then it became too tight, so I was itching to get out of the service for the entire hour – long hour for me!

I am still learning what shoes work and what don’t ….. sometimes a pair of shoes might be good one day and then not work (for some reason) the following day. It can be frustrating, but I am learning that it just might be that way. My job is one that requires mega walking, yet I speak to a large group of people (parents/volunteers/business individuals) on a daily basis. Finding shoes that are comfy and yet professional looking is sometimes a challenge, but I am making it work. Actually, I should patent a line of fashionable, mega-comfort, non-orthopedic looking shoes.

I was reading some old notes and journal entries from long ago that I never posted and am still in awe at how far we have come. Some of the pictures that I have when things were bad are just unbelievable …. can’t wait for you to see my Christmas card picture …. sending them out this week. It has been my year to experience God’s blessings.

Today I had something interesting happen and it was likely a "God thing." Part of my job at JA entails finding needy organizations that will take new Build-A-Bears that the kids make each day in the Build-A-Bear shop (as part of BizTown). Kids make 25-30 per day, so last week I had about 100 bears that I needed to find a home for as they were piling up. This morning I piled them in my car and had planned to stop by a home that I thought was an orphanage for children. As it turned out, it was a home for families with kids that are receiving medical care in STL and need affordable housing instead of a hotel. Some of the families are there for weeks or months. Needless to say, I instantly had a big heart for what the families were/are experiencing. The director couldn't believe that I would just give them a hundred new bears .... I briefly explained that I'd give them all the bags to distribute if they would use them to bring smiles to kids suffering from health issues during the holiday season. I could have picked any place to drop off the bears, but my heart was rejoicing that I stopped at this special place today & they were very grateful for new furry friends for sick kiddos.

Wrapping paper and baking supplies are calling my name … wishing you a joyous week!

je

Walking and wiggling toes well .....

Post #380 ....

Last week was a very good week and overall I am still doing well. I wore my boots several times to work and lasted as long as I could and then changed shoes. The heel is a little over 1”, which in the shoe market today is nothing, but I feel so tall in them. The big toe is slowly “getting the hang of it” and each time I wear them, it feels a tad bit more natural. My therapist thought I walk better in the boots than a normal shoe. I ran into Dr. B (latest plastic dr.) at church this morning and he didn’t recognize me because I was walking so well! I am thoroughly enjoying doing holiday things, decorating, baking, shopping, etc. ..... I love it all!

Pt was fine … we are trying to build stamina/balance by standing on the operative leg alone on a trampoline. We will likely take ROM measurements this week, but I’m not so concerned about those any more as long as nothing is regressing.

I thankfully think about my ability to wear a shoe, walk, and return to normal life each day. As I drove to work this week, I remembered how last December I had a cast and could only wear my “one legged tights.” I need to write a thank-you note and send some updated pics to the Dallas doctor …. although the last time I did that, things went bad about two weeks after he received it. I think we are okay now, as it has now been over 8 mo. since the 2nd tendon-lengthening surgery in TX. I continue to see multiple parents everyday that this is the first time in the past five years that they have seen me with a shoe on ….. many have to tell me “their” foot surgery story, which is always comical because no matter how bad they think they’ve had it, it is NOTHING compared to my story. The past three months have been the first time in five years that we have not traveled for medical care .... short of missing IKEA before the holidays, we loved being home and not packing and unpacking.

I’m still thinking about medical careers & using what I’ve learned to help others. I thought I knew what I wanted to pursue, but it is a rather new specialty and no college in STL offers the needed classes. We’ll see what God has planned for the year ahead, but I honestly believe I should be doing something w/what I’ve learned.

God continues to provide new blessings each day …. really grateful for no open toes during this chilly week ahead!

je

Boot Weekend ....

BIG NEWS! No, not engaged – keep breathing (but you can start praying about it). This weekend was a big “milestone” in the life of my foot …. I got my foot into a boot ... yippee!! I am so, so, so excited, as I thought this day would never happen. It took some hunting to find one that zipped all the way down and had a lower heel, but DSW & Macy’s came through. I was so elated that I bought one in black and one in brown. I figured that surviving all those casts, medical boots, & hospital stays merited two pairs!

As I was checking out I was almost in tears, from happiness, & the sales gal was so confused .... I think she thought that I was upset that I didn’t find something that I wanted, but it was quite the opposite. The heel is almost 1 1/4", so it will be good for me to try and stretch the toes some. The big toe (it is fused) kinda fights it, but it will hopefully adjust. I have been somewhat hesitant to try anything but a flat shoe, so this should help some because I want to wear the boots. My pt guy wants me to bring one pair to pt tomorrow … don’t think he believes me that I got my piggies to bend.

I wore the black pair to church and out today and lasted about five hours, which is longer than I thought I'd be able to do at the beginning. The boots are definitely the most confined shoe wear that I've tried, but I am so excited that I could get the foot to lay somewhat normal. Think of how long we’ve waited for the hope of wearing a shoe/boot and now the wait is over ….. long wait, but it was worth every penny in medical travel for more opinions, consults, tests, treatment, etc. I will have to send pics to a few doctors and the medical staff in San Antonio … sent an e-mail to the Chicago dr. tonight. She wrote back and said, “Yippeeeeeeeeeee! I am psyched for you, Jen. No woman can last more than a few hours in cute boots\shoes so congrats. Hope you are enjoying regular life. Regards for a good week as well.” Dr. P

Thanksgiving was extra special this year, as we have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve enjoyed being at my house (as opposed to years past) and decorating for the holidays over the long weekend. Pt is on Mon/Wed this week and kiddos at JA on Tues.-Friday. Among other things, we are working really hard in pt on my ability to scrunch up a towel w/my toes … the toes try, but we are not there yet. However, I believe I can live w/out this skill, if it never happens. Keep praying for reduced swelling, stamina to increase, and for my grateful heart to be used to help others in the upcoming year.

Jenny

Healing Well .....

All continues to heal well with the foot. On Thursday, I walked 5 ½ miles at work and I did 4 ½ miles on Friday. I resorted to tennis shoes at the end of the week, but at least I had matching shoes on and could wear them all day. I could feel them getting tighter every few hrs., but I toughed it out. I was pretty tired both nights and the foot was achy, but nothing that you’d classify as “pain.”

Toward the end of the week I sent an e-mail to Dr. P in Chicago and updated her as to what has happened in the past two months. I attached a few pics and mentioned that overall things were going well. I told her that I’d tried on a pair of fun boots at Macy’s, but I could not do them yet (no biggie). She e-mailed back and thought my foot looked GREAT! She congratulated me on my “flat foot,” which is cause for a yippee, high-five, and hot fudge sundae session! She said that she was looking for a comfy/not-so-pricy pair of boots as well, so we’d keep each other posted as to whom found them first. It was very fun to hear back from her and to know that she appreciated the update.

I have pt on Monday and Wednesday of this week and kiddos at JA on Monday and Tuesday. I was going to try a light session at the gym this weekend, but I didn’t make it …. will try the gym sometime this week.

A year ago last week was the first tendon lengthening surgery in Dallas w/Dr. C …. that was our last ditch effort, after the gait test, to try and get the toes to lay flat. Although we had to lengthen more in a second surgery, it was one of the best medical decisions we made. I’m so thankful for strong physicians that have stuck with such a challenging medical situation. Lots to be thankful for this week!

Love & hugs,
jenny

Pt Session Update ....

Pt went well this afternoon. It was good to re-connect with my therapist as it had been 8/29, since I was there last. I have been so fortunate to be able to continue to work with the same person for the last three years. He thought my walking looked really good still & I would agree.

All the things that I suspected need work do need work, but I had not lost as much ROM as I had anticipated. We are going to do 2 sessions per week for the next three weeks and then taper off to one session a week for the last 2-3 weeks. Then, perhaps I'll be DONE!!!! Tomorrow my therapist is having lunch w/the doctor that did surgeries #2-5, so I said to give him the update and tell him that we almost good-to-go!


Funny thing is that long ago I thought surgery dr. #2-5 was the greatest dr. ever and that I'd never find anyone better. I was so bummed when he told me that he couldn't help any further ... and since then I've been blessed with other marvelous physicians.


Increasing stamina, reducing swelling, increasing ROM, trying a shoe with a small heel, and helping it to just feel more normal are the big goals. We are going to avoid any manual massage over the incision area, because we both feel like the risk is higher than the benefit (at least now).


Re: Biopsy .... I left a msg. for Dr. B's nurse yesterday and she called me back today and left me a phone message. She said that the report from when I saw Dr. B four weeks ago was final and all results came back negative. Now four weeks ago, Dr. B said that it would be another two weeks before he had the final report, so I am not sure if his nurse has the right information - it probably is still negative, but when I pressed her on it today, she said that what he told me four weeks ago was the final report. I could pay a $50 co-pay and go in & discuss it w/him, but I'm thinking it likely is not worth it -- at this point it appears to be staying closed (big blessing) and that is all that is important.

My hip was very painful this morning .... am hoping it is weather related. I need a "surgery break" for the next 6-7 months, before we do the hip over the summer. Long day today, so need to get organized for work tomorrow. Big group with 135 squirmy kiddos that have not had recess all week!

Thanks for your prayers!

je

Pt starts soon .....

Post #376 ...

I am doing okay with the foot … not a lot of change. The skin is still healing, but most looks healed and nothing is open. No word on the biopsy report yet, but I am supposed to talk with Dr. B’s nurse tomorrow. I am assuming that “no news is good news.” The report was probably filed in my chart weeks ago & no one ever keeps track of patients that are waiting for test results. It was a busy weekend with leaf raking, Trivia night at JA, errands, and went to the Michael Card concert last night.

My first pt appt. is on Wednesday afternoon after work. It will be interesting to see how much ROM I’ve lost …. anticipate some, but hopefully there won’t be a huge loss. I am very ready to get the swelling situation under control – tired of carrying around multiple pairs of shoes.

On Saturday afternoon I went to get my hair done (color ordeal). I almost cancelled the appt., because I had so much that I needed to get done on Saturday. I sat next to a lady that was complaining about upcoming hip replacement surgery and how she was “Nervous Nellie” about the situation. In the midst of talking to her, I realized that she chose the same hip surgeon that I have, so we chatted for 45 min. about hip surgery …. she got WAY more information than she probably ever intended on hearing! She was shocked that I was so casual and cool about it, but after you’ve been through 19 surgeries for a foot, the hip is nothing big!

I’ve not used the scooter at work for the past week now & am not taking any medication for pain, so hopefully we are on the upswing! Will update more after the Wed. pt appt. ……..

je

Thankful Heart Tonight .....

Good News! Hip, Hip, Hooray! The dermo. appt. today was super quick (in and out in 30 min.), because the cream is working! She thought that I should just keep doing what I'm doing for another week and we should be DONE with skin/wound care. Above are a few pics from today ... they would be more impressive if you saw the "before" pics too, but you can use your imagination. She said that there is no need to do the unna boot, since this is working.

Her feeling is that I'm likely allergic to tape adhesive that I've been using forever with bandages. She told me about something else that I could order via Internet that keeps bandages in place without tape (sticky, mesh type stuff). Dr. M thought the foot today looked like a new foot from 7 days ago - amazing difference! She told her hubby last week that I had been in to see her as a patient and he said that I was the youngest person he had ever done a hip replacement on ....... in the grand scheme of things, that seems like a little surgery now. Waiting for a call back on the biopsy report, but I'm thinking it is still going to be negative .... I think they would have called if it revealed something substantial. At this point, negative would be nice.

Thankful for the good report! (Can't think of the last time I typed about good news!)

je

Dermo Follow-Up Appt. tomorrow .....

Tomorrow afternoon is my follow-up appt. at the dermatologist’s office. I THINK the Rx cream may be working! It is somewhat hard to tell totally, but the foot looks much better than last week. I am really hoping that we don’t have to do the unna boot routine. The more I read about it last week, the more I recalled why we didn’t chose to try it over a year ago (it had been suggested by previous doctors). It is a major ordeal and not as simple as it may sound. I’ve had this extensive routine for the past week w/the cream, bandaging, keeping it dry, applying cream mid-day and tracking progress. I was out of town all last weekend and had the biggest bag of wound care supplies.

I am having issues with swelling (not new), but it is lingering on much longer than normal. Over the weekend the toenail on my pinky toe came totally off, because there had been so much swelling and my little toe was rubbing continually on the inside of the shoe. It will go down eventually, but the swelling makes wearing a shoe hard. Today I felt like I needed to change shoes mid-day, but then when I went to switch to a larger size a size up was too big ….. it is never easy. Today was also the first day that I did not use the scooter at work in probably the past three months … it was ok, but I will sleep well tonight.

I have not heard back from Dr. B’s office with the final biopsy results, so I will call them tomorrow. Last Friday was the 6 week post-op mark, so he should have the final report. Although tomorrow is his surgery day, so it will be hard to speak with him via phone.

I am scheduled to resume pt next Wednesday (probably 1-2 times/week). I am guessing that I don’t need a lot, but I want to make sure that we are not losing ROM and the pt will aid in swelling reduction eventually.

Thanks for your continued prayers!
je

Appointment Update .....

The dermo. appt. this afternoon was okay. I waited almost 1 ½ hrs. to see her. Wash U always operates with a patient seeing a PA first and then he/she goes and talks to the dr. and then the MD spends 5-8 minutes with you. It is not my favorite means of conducting an appt., but that is just how they nearly all do it. You never know what the PA is or is not conveying to the physician. It is like a cattle heard going in and out of the office door.

She agreed that the skin is a mess. (I had a big bleeding incident in the car on the way to see her, so redness was at its peak). Like everyone else, she said that the skin “should” heal and remain closed …. there is nothing that you can say to make them think otherwise on the first appointment. It may or may not be an allergic reaction – she said we’ll never really know. Her thoughts were that the skin is so incredibly thin that it breaks down with very little pressure (towel drying, clothing touching it, sock, shoe touching it, etc.) and then it struggles to heal itself. She thought I was itching it while sleeping …. if so I have no recollection of it!

She first suggested this treatment called an unna boot. Basically it is cream medication that is put all over the area and then the entire foot is tightly wrapped in this cast like material and it stays completely covered for up to 6 weeks. It is checked and re-wrapped weekly, can’t drive with it on and would involve weekly office visits ($50 co-pay each visit) for 6-8 weeks. The cast material is supposed to help w/any vascular/healing issues. Not sure what you wear for shoe wear, but a normal shoe would not work. She wanted to put it on today, but that would mean that I’d need to come back on Fri. for a 72 hr. re-check & I am out of town on Friday, so we temporarily held on trying that approach.

I had brought a list of 14 creams that we had already tried. I asked if there was any other cream. She suggested another cream corticosteroid Rx, so we’re going to use that for 1 week and I’m supposed to see her again next Wednesday.

Everyone has a different opinion on this, because another dr. had previously told me that yes the skin is thin on the top of my foot, but not so thin that it should be breaking open & bleeding. I think she thought I had let this problem go on for too long, but we’ve been trying to solve it!

We’ll see what happens I guess ….. She wasn’t in the room more than 5-8 minutes max – it was really quick. I liked her, but it was hurried. (Her husband has a private orthopedic practice, so when I see him it is not associated w/Wash U). My STL orthopod did write an Rx for more pt visits today, without seeing me, so that was good – won’t start this immediately.

Need to make slime base for kiddos working at Monsanto – gotta scoot. Thanks for praying today … will keep you updated!

je

Dermatology appointment .....

Post #372 ....

I was going to wait until tomorrow to post but just so Laura has a new entry to comment on & so no one thinks she is psycho (although your suggestion over the weekend was pretty much what happened today), I’m doing it tonight. :)

I am hanging in there and am trying to make the best of the situation. The Friday appt. was a bit of a shocker, as I didn’t dream of going to another physician. I was supposed to have Fri. afternoon off as a vacation day, but I did go back to work …. it was better to stay busy. There will be better days for an afternoon off at some point. I stopped by the medical supply place on Friday and bought my third package of gauze squares, so now I have used over 400 gauze pads.

The weekend was okay and part of me really wanted to not do anything further, but I know that is not realistic or healthy. On Saturday afternoon, mom & I went to Shriner’s hospital to visit a kiddo from church that had the same major hip surgery that I had at age five. We brought Halloween treats and attempted to give her parents some practical advice about what is ahead. I was happy that it wasn’t me in the body cast & gave her all my anti-itch cast tips. It was good to be able to help someone else. Double hip dislocation is not a fun thing.

Regarding scheduling the appt. w/the dermatologist ….. God works in mysterious ways! I received a call this morning from the receptionist at the dermatologist’s office and she told me that Nov. 25th was the first available appointment (this dr. only sees patients one day a week). I gasped on the phone and then she went onto say that I could really see any doctor in the practice and others had openings much sooner …. exactly what I needed/wanted to hear.

I already knew that there was another dr., in the same Wash U practice, that happens to be the wife of my hip surgeon (whom I really like). I thought long ago that I should see Dr. Martin’s wife at some point. I quickly asked about her availability and she had an opening on Wednesday of this week (2:30pm) …… I took that appt. & if she can’t figure it out, I can always see the head of the dermo. dept., but I didn’t think it was wise to wait 3 ½ weeks to see someone. I wanted to see this physician all along, but I didn’t think it would ever happen (changing doctors w/in the same practice, is tough w/this group). I firmly believe this is a “God thing” … no question about it ….. and I don’t have students this Wednesday, so I don’t have to juggle around coordinating coverage for a visit day.

My hip dr. is fabulous, so I am praying that his wife will be the same! He was the first doctor that we met when we moved to St. Louis and then I was his first patient to have a hip replacement at age 24, so we’ve always had a strong dr./patient relationship. She will laugh when she sees her hubby’s name listed first on my surgical history handout sheet.

All this to say that God continues to be faithful …. even when we feel like everything is falling apart. Perhaps Dr. Martin will know something that the other lady wouldn’t have known ….. it wasn’t a coincidence that I knew she was part of the same office. She doesn’t see patients downtown (only at West Co.), so that is a bonus! Pray that we make some progress on Wednesday afternoon. I am not totally convinced that it is a skin issue that we’ve missed, but we’ll see. If she doesn’t feel it is a dermo issue, then I need to hear that as well & then it is back to the plastic specialty.

Thankful for the quick Wednesday appt. and for the semi-relationship that already exists in knowing this is a reputable doctor ….. God is good all the time. Thank you for continuing to pray, share encouragement, provide insight and support. Today I felt like it was really helping and making a difference, so keep it up!

Hugs –
Jenny

Follow-Up Appt. Update ....

My appointment with Dr. B had to be moved up to this morning, because he had a surgery case that got moved from this am to this afternoon.

We didn't make a significant amount of progress. He agreed that there are now multiple areas (on top and both sides of the foot) of concern and that it certainly is not any better. He said that what we done has not hurt it significantly, but it has not solved the problem either. Dr. B is stumped as to a possible cause. About 95% of the biopsy results are back and all remain negative. He took pictures of the various open spots. He wants me to see the head of dermatology at Wash U and see if she has any further suggestions. His office has to call and try to get me in within the next month.

We briefly discussed skin grafting, but I don't think he is totally comfortable doing that ... as he said, "it wouldn't be my first choice." I think we were beyond the first choice option years ago. It is harder with multiple spots. No script for anything further as for medication or cream.

Hopefully I can get into see the Wash U dermatologist sooner than later .... can't begin to tell you how many dermo doctors I've seen already with no success. Waiting game ..... je

Step up the prayer this week ....

We are on post-op week #5 and we need to step up the prayer ..... the open areas are increasing and there is more drainage/bleeding and swelling that is happening. I really need the path report to reveal something substantial .... doesn't matter what it is at the moment, but we just need a definitive diagnosis. I'm not as concerned about treating it as I am concerned about where to go from here being tough, if we cannot pinpoint the problem. We have not tried a wound vac with this, but I am somewhat leery of trying it (often doesn't work) & it involves an external drain that is a hassle on the foot. However, I'm open to anything at this point ..... if we need to skin graft, I want to get on w/it.

Pray for: Wisdom, encouragement, path report w/problem areas to surface, treatment plan going forward and that the Dr. B will see the need to help or do something more, whether it be new Rx medication, surgery, etc.

Believing that all things are possible in Him,
Jenny

Gummy Foot Look-Alike .....

Not a lot new .... still bandaging, taping, watching and waiting. My appt. w/Dr. B is on Friday at 1:30pm. I really wish there was some Rx that would help to speed up the healing process. Not sure if he will have biopsy results back on Friday, otherwise it will be another week. My gut feeling is that it is not going to reveal much. Not all bad, but if you saw my foot now you'd agree that it needs skin healing help.

Funny story .......
I was at Wal-Mart on Saturday afternoon in the Halloween candy aisle looking for a chocolate pumpkin sucker (to take on a kiddo hospital visit next week). They had every other gross candy item, but not a simple orange chocolate sucker. However, I did run across the life size "Gross Gummy Foot" as I heard a kid commenting to his mom on how awful it looked. It was a giant gummy foot with red spots all over it that resembled blood. I looked at it on the shelf and laughed inside as I thought, "oh, goodness .... it looks like MY foot!" Then for a tiny second I thought about buying it and sending it to the joker (dr.) that started all this mess, but then on second thought he doesn't deserve the money I'd spend on postage. Hopefully by next Halloween my foot won't qualify for the "Gross Gummy Foot" look-alike! You have to keep a sense of humor in the midst of it all ...... I can't be buying Kleenex for tears at the same time that I'm funding the tape/gauze pad industry.

The pain comes and goes depending on how much I am on it. I'm amazed at how small and fragile my foot looks each morning when I wake up and then by evening it is puffy & large. I am still able to wear shoes (selectively), so that is a HUGE positive. Praying for the path report and a good appt. w/Dr. B on Friday afternoon.

Hugs -
Jenny

Agghhhh ...... healing issues continue

Aghhh!!! The small spot that was there last weekend is still there. No worse really, but no better. However, now there are two other spots that have started, so clearly the "problem areas" are slowly growing. Tonight the area at the top of the incision, where the end of the suture material was knotted, is looking rough (possibly infected) ... I can see that the suture material is not dissolving. It was bleeding in multiple places today, so we are back to bandaging and taping. The end spot is deep, so here we go with wound issues continuing. Next Monday will be the 4 week pos-op mark, so are not very far out for this deteriorating already.

To make matters a little worse, Dr. B's office wasn't overly concerened about it earlier this week. He has surgery tomorrow and then is out/on vacation or something alike until next Thursday. Actually, his nurse told me that he will be gone ALL next week, but I am supposed to have a follow-up appt. w/him next Friday .... at the rate I'm going, I will need it! I will call tomorrow to make sure that I still have an appointment for 10/30.

I really wish my former plastic guy in San Antonio was still available. I did research him on the web last night and found his new practice address/phone, which is in York, Pennsylvania. It could have been the same outcome with him as well, but I feel like he knows all the quirks, and "weird stuff" with my foot.

I've had lots of staffing issues w/some of my part-time staff this week at work, so my patience is wearing thin. It will all work out, but we may not be done with all of this as soon as I had hoped. Keep praying for wound healing and that this doesn't spiral out-of-control.

Hugs -
Jenny

Prayer request .....

I had an okay weekend ….. there still seems to be more pain than I’d like, & I’m not sure where it is coming from. It doesn’t seem like it is because of the latest incision and it doesn’t hurt all the time. Saturday night I was at the STL Mills Mall and wasn’t there ten minutes and my entire foot was hurting so bad that I could hardly walk. I hobbled around for a few stores and then gave up. I didn’t think I had been on it that much on Saturday, prior to the evening. Maybe it just needs a good pt workout/stretching …. no pattern as to when the pain starts.

Prayer request: Please pray this week about one spot on the center of the latest incision that is not closed. I thought it was getting better last week and was starting to slowly heal (so I didn’t mention it on the blog), but no such luck. Tonight I had a real time getting the bleeding to stop. It is very, very tiny and almost looks like a superficial opening. It is weird because it is in the middle of the incision. At 3 weeks out, nothing should be bleeding. Therefore, I’m going to call Dr. B’s office and will ask about it tomorrow …. probably nothing more to do now other than watch it. I think I have lost the ability to form a scab and go through the normal skin “healing process.” I don’t want to do a skin graft, so I am really praying that this week it miraculously closes.

Mom & dad got home from Hawaii today safely. They had a terrific week of perfect weather and scrumptious food & celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. We had brunch at my house this morning and then viewed pictures w/them tonight. The beach pictures, tropical flowers, water falls, and foliage were magnificent!

Wishing you a joyous fall week!
je

Moving along .....

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday ..... whew, long week! There have been some ups and downs this week, but I am hanging in there and am trying to move ahead with the healing process, walking, shoes, work, kiddos, doing "life", etc. Today I taught a 1st grade class (JA econ curriculum) to students in the city, so needless to say I'm pretty tired tonight. I will sleep well tonight, no question about that. I did this drawing on the board of how to say my last name and it must have worked because every two seconds it was "Miss Eickhorst this, and Miss Eickhorst that." The classroom was on the 3rd floor and there were no elevators (very old building), so I got my workout on the stairs today. Normally I see 120 fifth-graders each day, so the little guys were a fun change today. They loved looking at shredded money from the Fed with magnifying glasses ... they were fascinated with how old money is "retired."

My foot is finally starting to get back to wearing a normal shoe. Two weeks in the surgical shoe didn't provide much support and it didn't allow me to walk/flex/bend like I normally would. Tues. & Wed. were rough with pain but today was a bit better, so I think it is just a SLOW process. I have to keep reminding myself that next Monday will only be the week 3 post-op date, so I feel fortunate to even be wearing a shoe ... usually it takes me like 6-8 weeks before shoes enter the picture after surgery.

I plan to talk w/my physical therapist next week, but I'm wondering if it would be wise for me to do pt like twice a month for the next several months to keep the toes flexible, continue to work on strength/stamina, etc. ..... it feels like if I'm not continually keeping things moving and as flexible as I can then there is a noticeable difference in how the foot feels/performs. There is manual stretching that happens at pt that I cannot do on myself ... we'll see what happens in the next few weeks.

Keep praying for a clear, definitive, pathology report in several weeks. My next appt. w/Dr. B is on Friday, October 30th.

Hoping to see some sunshine this weekend!
je

New Foot pics .....

I moved back home over the weekend and it was great to sleep in my own bed Mom & dad are on a trip this week to celebrate their 40th anniversary, so I am on my own! Latest foot pictures are above .... still looks a little rough. It feels like I need to do some pt and the toes need a workout, but I'm going to wait another two weeks just to be on the safe side. The therapist is able to move and work the toes manually in a way that I cannot. Not sure why, but it seems that if I am not really using the foot it has a tendency to get stiff/rigid very quickly.

No kiddos at JA until Friday of this week, so that is a nice break & it means I'll be able to sit more. Today I was able to keep a normal shoe on the foot for the entire day .... I brought a Croc shoe to work just in case, but didn't need it. Tonight it looks like I have an 85 year-old ankle (puffy), but it will subside overnight.

On the way to work this morning, I was thinking about the fact that I still haven't successfully been able to truly wear a shoe with a small heel (talking an inch - nothing big) ..... will have to work on that eventually. There are times that I want to be able to wear something other than a flat shoe --- not complaining by any means, just a goal for the future. If it doesn't happen, I can live with it, but if I could wear a heeled shoe occasionally that would be nice.

Brought work home tonight, so I'd better get going on it. Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement!

Love & hugs,

jenny

Good Post-Op Appointment ....

The post-op appointment today with Dr. B went well and was pretty uneventful. As it turned out, he didn’t have to remove the long stitch as I thought was going to happen. He cut both ends of the suture material and that was it. The long part that was under the skin stays inside. He thought it looked good for the 2-week mark (relatively early for skin healing).

I can get the incision wet now and can drive. I can wear a shoe, but I’ll need to get creative w/shoe wear due to swelling. During the day I’ll keep it covered, so nothing rubs on it quite yet (for several more weeks), but at night he said to let it get air while sleeping. He prescribed an Rx for an antibiotic cream to prevent the possibility of a skin infection starting.

As for what he found during surgery, it wasn’t as “bad” as he anticipated. The tendon that was so huge was the lengthened tendon from the surgery last March and it had a bunch of un-dissolved suture material and the senovial fluid was too thick inside the tendon. He cleaned it all out. There was scar tissue and inflammation, but nothing that was majorly wrong or of big concern. He said that the tendon may decrease in size over the next year …. if it doesn’t, I didn’t get the idea that it was a big issue.

I about panicked when he said that the tendon area that he cleaned out was the one that we had lengthened last. I really didn’t want anyone to mess with that in fear that something might get altered or messed up, but we didn’t exactly know where the problem was until he opened it up. Nothing appears to have gone awry w/the tendon as for positioning (I’ve been checking the toes like every 30 minutes today).

Re: Pathology report ….. The initial path report has come back totally clean (big praise), but it will be another 4 weeks, before we have the final “official” report back.

As he said, it is somewhat of a “catch 22 situation” ….. ideally he’d like the path report to reveal something substantial so we’d know a cause and would be able to treat it & prevent it from happening again. On the other hand, he doesn’t wish a big medical problem on anyone. He didn't want to prescribe a bunch of medications today, not knowing if they were really needed.

At any rate the incision appears to be closed now, for which I am very thankful. Time will tell if it stays closed, but we are praying & hoping for this to happen. If it was going to open again, it would likely open sooner than later (the further we get out time wise, the better). I’ll carefully be “babying” the area for the next 4-6 weeks & will be overprotective of it. The skin on the entire foot looks like it needs some TLC.

I feel like the foot needs another 4-6 weeks before it feels back to normal again. Although I’d love to truly get to the bottom of all of this w/the path report, I’m so happy that it is closed that I’m content with just getting it closed. Keep praying that the area stays closed, continues to heal, path report, and no skin infection occurs.

Thankful for Dr. B’s expertise, his willingness to help and for the healing that has already occurred.

Happy weekend to you …. (toes are thankful for socks on this chilly weekend)

je

Post-Op Appt. #1 on Friday ....

Today marks the 1 1/2 week post-op mark. It feels like I've been wearing the beautiful, blue surgical shoe MUCH longer than ten days. It has been a quiet week with not much "foot happenings" yet, but I didn't want you to think that "no news" on the blog was bad news. I think all continues to heal well. I've taken the bandage off several times to give the incision some air and last night slept with a sock on it, which felt so, so good. It has been really itchy around the area, so I've stepped up the Benedryl for itch relief.

We've had very large school groups this week at work, so I am have been exhausted each night. I am still using the scooter, but was on my feet more than I had hoped today. The skin transfer area at the front of my foot is really puffy tonight, but it will decrease overnight. My toes were feeling stiff today and like they needed to be making contact with the ground more (i.e. out of the surgical shoe), so I've walked around the house in a sock some tonight. All is still okay with positioning/bone structure - whew!

My first post-op appt. is still at 10:15am on Friday .... will ask some more questions about what Dr. B is testing for related to the biopsy & the stitch may be removed. I know one test is for a micro bacteria that falls in the TB category. I read some on the web last night about tuberculosis & learned that it is transfered via air (breathing in the germ) & is often transfered from a health care worker. The bacteria can stay in your system for over a year before it starts to manifest symptoms. Think of how many health care employees I've been around in the past five years! Medication is needed to stop the bacteria, but it can take 1 1/2-2 yrs. to completely kill the disease. It may not be that at all, but we'll see. Dr. B had TB himself before, so that has to be a big reason that he knows to test for it. Nothing to worry about now ..... still praying for a clear diagnosis on the path report & for something treatable.

I will likely return to my house this weekend .... looking forward to my own bed & hopefully will be able to take a shower and get the foot wet. Will update the blog on Friday after my appt.

Need to get the foot elevated and cheer on the Cards .... go red birds! Thanks for continuing to pray and your encouraging thoughts/e-mails.

Hugs -
je

Quiet weekend ....

The week ended well and there were no big changes with the foot. I’ve loosened the bandage a few times to give it some more air & it feels better for awhile to not have the bandage be so tight. I used the scooter the entire week at work and didn’t walk much. This week coming up will be the first week with kiddos for the new school year. We have groups Tuesday through Friday and Wednesday is a huge project with the water company and there will be media at JA throughout Wednesday as well.

I’m past the worst of the post-op pain & have taped off the narcotic meds. I ventured to Wal-Mart earlier today w/mom for an ace bandage with Velcro (clips keep coming off), but they didn’t have any electric carts left, so I didn’t get very far. I’m basically home this weekend and am taking it easy. I can walk around the house with it just bandaged up, which is a nice break from the surgical shoe. It was a chilly morning today for open toes.

My follow-up appt. w/Dr. B is on Friday, Oct. 9 at 10:15am at his west county office. I think he will remove the single, fish-line stitch …. It is ouchy removing it, but I’ll make it! It has that “itchy healing feeling,” now so that is a good sign. There was some bleeding tonight, so it needs more healing time. Keep praying for complete skin healing and no need for a second surgery. I think it looks good so far, but we'll see what Dr. B says on Friday. I’m eating lots of protein to help with the healing process.

Happy fall weekend to you!
je

Doing okay ....

Thanks for all the e-mails, comments, calls, etc. this week .... they have all been great! I am hanging in there and am doing okay. Yesterday and today were pretty long days at work and there ended up being more pain than I anticipated. The pain does improve a little each day, which is a positive. I will be ready for the weekend & time to rest more.

The incision is longer than we/I had planned, but I think there was more to "clean out" than we originally thought. I peeked at the incision tonight and it is about 6-7," but the good news is that it looks awesome! The healing process has started, all is closed, no gaps in the skin, no holes or anything that resembled the possibility of opening. It is a very thin incision line and the stitching runs under the skin in one single, long stitch (looks like fishing line). The skin was nice and pink and looked better than before.

I've been able to sleep very well the past two nights, which is a huge blessing. Sleep does a lot to aid in healing. Very thankful for no cast or crutches this time. The bulky bandage is nothing, compared to what I've had in the past. We should get the path report back sometime around the first week in November - pray for a definate diagnosis & something that is treatable. Need to get back to elevating the foot ..... don't want blue toes!

je

Home with a closed and happy foot ....

Yippee .... I am done with chilly OR room #19!

I’m home and all went well with the closure surgery this morning. I slept well last night and we arrived at 6am at the downtown surgery center. I couldn’t believe how many people were already there and “in process” for 6am. I met w/Dr. B and his assistant, before I met with the anesthetic team. They showed me the MRI pics of the tendon area that was 5x bigger than normal. Five times larger was being conservative …. it could have easily passed for 10-15x larger. His plan remained the same – open it, biopsy in several areas, clean-out and closure. Dr. B’s guess is that the path report will show something in the micro-bacteria category, which he said can be treated with medication although it takes several months of medication. I am assuming oral and not IV, but we’ll figure that out later.

When I met with the anesthetic doctor, that was rather humorous. My heart rate was really high & he asked if I was nervous (no …. just running all around the house with last stuff, before I left the morning). His first question to me was whether I had ever had surgery before. Dr. B was still in the room and we both laughed before either of us answered the question. Obviously he had not read the “previous op history” section in the patient chart notes. I kindly said “yes,” that I have had multiple surgeries. Then I went on to tell him that I bet I could tell him what he was going to do next, because I’d done this so many times. I don’t think he believed me, so he told me to make my best guess. I quickly guessed that he was going to ask me to open up my mouth, so he could look inside (standard procedure in case a patient needs a breathing tube). To his amazement, I was right! He asked if I wanted to start my own IV, but I declined! :)

He didn't even make me put on the crazy surgical hat until the last final second .... and then when I woke up from the surgery the first thing that the nurse told me was that my hair still looked good. Gotta have those hospital priorities!

All went well & as planned with the surgery this morning. The synovial membrane inside the tendon was ”messed up,” as Dr. B put it. Too much of the synovial fluid, mayo substance stuff causes the healing cells to not do their job, which we are guessing is what happened. He cleaned it all out, sent samples to the pathology lab, re-stitched, and then closed w/new sutures. No cast, just a bulky dressing that will probably only fit into a glorious, blue surgical shoe for the next two weeks.

I’m somewhat tired, but overall am doing well. Thankfully no post-op nausea or vomiting. The ankle block has not worn off yet, so as of now there is no pain …. it will happen with time. I can put weight on my foot – just no more than needed. My first post-op appt. is in two weeks and then I’ll be able to see how we are doing with healing. It is SO, SO great to be home and not stuck in a hotel somewhere. Still planning on returning to work tomorrow morning. I warned them that I may be a little late .... mornings are slow going & getting ready takes longer than usual.

Thankful for a successful surgery and praying for a good path report in 6 weeks ...
je

Last Step Tomorrow .... hopefully!

Like my scooter décor? Just a little lighthearted fun, since I work with kids. Hopefully it will be the last time that it needs to be decorated. They will all be asking me to ride it next week. I do a significant amount of walking at work (easily 4-6 miles a day), so I'll use the scooter at work to help give the foot more healing time. Thankfully we have huge open areas at JA & an elevator, so it makes it easy.

It has been a busy weekend of getting final things in order for tomorrow and the upcoming week. I’m ready for our early morning on Monday and couldn’t be more at ease. I will see Dr. B before surgery and have a few additional questions for him, but nothing big. I think he only has an hour planned for the surgery, so it won’t be long.

Prayer requests for tomorrow are listed below …. Last night I was fearful about the possibility of more issues starting because of another operation, but then I realized that I can’t worry about that. If there is some bacteria/bug that is deep, we have to know it & get it treated. God is in control. We’re still praying for the surgery tomorrow to be the last one and for a good pathology report in six weeks.

I was Martha Stewart in the kitchen this weekend. I made Praline-Apple bread, pumpkin cookies, lasagna, chicken divan, potato soup, egg salad and tuna salad ….. all to take to mom/dads house to try & make food prep easier for her this week. This is WAY more than I make for myself in one week, but it will help make things a bit easier.

I’m having an early dinner at mom & dad’s house tonight (meatloaf) and then home to bed early. I went to church this morning and it was good to sing the song “It is Well With My Soul” – love that message.

7:30am – surgery time … will update the blog tomorrow afternoon. … so long open foot!

“My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need.” Philippians 4:19

Praising Him tonight for His faithfulness,
Jenny

Pre-surgery prayer requests .....

There has not been a lot new happening this week, other than getting things in place for Monday. I am incredibly glad that it is only two days away! I found out today that Dr. B has been on vacation all this week, so he should be nice and rested (let’s hope).

I finished pretty much everything at work that I had hoped to get done. I tried to do anything involving more walking this week & will plan to sit more next week. Tonight I stopped at Pei Wei on the way home and got
take out for dinner … it was great!

Prayer Requests for pre-surgery ….
- Skill, wisdom, & for no big surprises for Dr. B in the midst of surgery.
- Good anesthetic person (that anti-nausea meds will work)
- Minimal pain & quick recovery in the post-op area
- Skin healing – that it will happen & will heal well
- No new problems will begin, because of another operation
- Path report; patience, clear diagnosis & treatment plan
- Closure …. incision, foot journey, skin & this is the final “step”

I’m still at peace and am confident that all will go smoothly on Monday. Just being able to come home will be a treat!

Abiding in Him,
Jenny

Pre-Op Testing Done .....

The pre-op testing is now done and we are “good to go” for Monday, Sept. 28th at 7:30am. We have to be at the Center for Advanced Medicine (downtown) at 5:30am on Monday and it is a strong 40 minutes from our house. We’ll be up with the birds on Monday. I was reminded again today of why I’d never choose to have surgery at a large hospital … if you aren’t sick when you walk in, you probably will be when you leave. I am so glad that we will be in there early and hopefully outta there by late morning. Everything gets back up with time if you are a later case, so thankfully that won’t be a problem.

The nurse that helped with the pre-op testing said that I knew more about anesthesia and surgery than any of the hundred patients she had seen today … no surprise there. After this long, something is wrong if I don’t know about it! She laughed and laughed at my ”handout” that listed all the surgeries and my anesthetic chart of what works for me. I certainly wasn’t going to write it all out by hand or I’d have been there another hour. The nurse also said that Dr. B is a spectacular surgeon – good to hear once again.

Decided to pass on getting a pedicure this week, but I’ll do it myself. I don’t need some sudden infection from the nail tools. I had to purchase two new batteries for the scooter today – somewhat of a bummer because I hope to sell it at some point & didn’t really want to invest more in it, but such is life. I will be glad that I have it next week.

My staff can’t believe that I’m going to come back to work the day after the surgery, but Dr. B said that I could. If I don’t feel well, I’ll make a phone call and can bump it back a day. I have a million things to do before kiddos arrive the following week.

Thankful that all is in place & am so looking forward to the next step.

Off for a snack of apple slices & caramel dip ….
je

Seven days and counting .....

This weekend has been much better knowing that we have a “closure plan” in place. The past two weekends were not the greatest. Tomorrow (Mon.) I talk w/Dr. B’s op scheduler to confirm that 7:30am is the surgery time for 9/28. It will be an early morning, but there are big advantages to being his first surgical case of the day. It will seem odd getting to come home after the surgery, as usually we are back to a hotel, hospital room, or a friend’s house.

On either Tues. or Wed. of this week I have to go to Barnes downtown to do pre-op tests & blood work. The Barnes anesthesia dept. requires more than any place I’ve been, which is why there had to be one week between when I scheduled and the surgery. I have a handout on what anesthesia works & what doesn't for me .... bet they haven't seen that before! They said to count on at least 2 hrs., so that really means more like 4 hrs. – will bring my lap top & munchies.

The incision area that needs to be closed is about the size of the end of two Q-tips pushed into the skin & a hole has formed on each one. It started out looking different, but because it has been like eight weeks it formed a hole shape. It won’t look that way after he closes it. There is an area on the inside of my foot that he looked at initially too, but he didn’t say anything about that on the phone – maybe I can get him to just re-stitch it.

I am on my last roll of bandage tape, so I am hoping to make it through this week w/it and then there won’t be a need for it anymore! Planning on staying w/mom & dad for the first week and then will see how I am feeling and if driving can happen then or if I need to wait longer.

This surgery will be one of the more minor ones that we’ve done & by now I know the “surgery day routine” quite well, so I’m really calm & at peace about it all. It won't be anything that I haven't already experienced.

Pray for the next seven days to go quickly ….. I’m ready to be done, done, and done! Thanks for continuing to pray for a successful surgery, path report will be definitive, and that the skin closes well in the upcoming six weeks.

je

Countdown to Closure .... 11 days

LONG POST: Read when you have time ….. I will attempt to explain this as simplistically as possible.

After consulting with five plastic surgeons in the past six weeks, we have FINALLY made some progress. The current situation with the open incision area has definitely been one of the most challenging in seeking knowledgeable medical options, remaining patient and working hard at making wise decisions. On Monday of this week, I had mentally resorted to just “living with it,” but that has all since changed.

Just a refresher on the key players … Dr. B is the plastic surgeon w/Wash U that attends our church. Dr. K is my STL orthopod. This blog post is longer & requires explanation, so hang with me here:

From 3:30-4:30pm yesterday I had a meeting at the American Water Co. that I had to speak at & don’t you know Dr. B called my cell phone during the meeting. I was dying inside as I saw it on the cell phone & I could not stop and talk. I’ve been waiting for like 3+ weeks for the call!

I ran to my car after the meeting and called back the number & had to leave a message at 4:40pm for his secretary. She called back at 4:50, much to my surprise – late in the day. So, Dr. B & I started talking and 10 minutes into the conversation we get cut off w/the connection … so I call back, but then it took 3 tries (night machine – after 5pm) to reconnect on the phone. Satan was working overtime to try to hinder the conversation!

Here is the upshot …..
-Dr. B had talked with the radiologist and got the report from Dr. K from my appt. w/him last Friday.

- Basically both doctors are right … there is no bone infection (huge praise), but there is likely some other deep “bug” (bacteria, fungus, something weird) in the tendon/soft tissue that lies just below where it is open.

- My tendon is 5x the normal size on the MRI, so something is wrong. He feels whatever is deep has caused the skin to open and has inhibited my ability to heal now & likely in the past (would explain a lot).

- I don’t have the “normal” infection signs, which makes this so hard.

- There is a lining on the inside of the tendon, called synoviam, that may be harboring the “bug” that could/should be totally cleaned out for starters. Whatever “it” is happens to be in the soft tissue/tendon and not bone, which should be easier to treat.

Pathology 101:
Synovial membrane is the soft tissue that lines the surfaces within joints with cavities. The word "synovium" comes from a Latin word meaning "with egg," because the synovial fluid in joints that have a cavity between the bearing surfaces is like egg white.

Synovium can become irritated and thickened (mine is 5x the normal size). When this happens, the synovium can become a danger to the bearing surface structure in a variety of ways. Excess synovial fluid weeping from inflamed synovium can provide a barrier to diffusion of nutrients to cartilage. The synovial cells may also use up nutrients so that the glucose level in the tissue is almost zero. These factors may lead to starvation and death of cartilage cells (ie - wound issues can happen).

- A biopsy of the area needs to be sent to the lab and cultured and then hopefully treated w/some oral medication. He said that this is really “out of the box” & is super hard to diagnosis, but a sample of what is inside is needed for starters.

Plan:
- I scheduled today to have the biopsy & closure procedure done. Dr. B will go ahead and clean out whatever is needed and close the wound. He would rather not do a skin graft, because of the area where it is at on the foot. The area should stay closed if we get the “junk” out of there & treat w/proper medication.

- It will take 6 weeks to get the pathology lab report back. If we are lucky, the wound will close and stay closed during the 6 weeks and then we’d just treat w/some medication/IV (depending on what is found).

- If the area doesn’t remain closed or gets worse, then he will need to go back in and re-open, etc. He said that usually the first procedure is not a cure, but more of a fact finding mission.

Best Case Scenario: The wound would close well in the 6 weeks after the procedure and whatever is found on the pathology report is easy to fix with medication. I.E. No 2nd surgical procedure would be necessary.

This has to be done at the Center for Advanced Medicine Surgery Center (downtown) because that is where the best pathology lab is located, so I agreed (of course we want the best). It is not at big Barnes. He said it is new facility, good staff & it would be a positive experience (counting on him being right on this).

One day procedure …. Ok to return to work the next day.
Can walk on it right away; although not lots of walking for 1st week. No cast needed - yippeeee!!!!

6 weeks is a long time to wait, so I am fairly hopeful that we might be able to get it to stay closed – often it happens in 4 weeks.

Stitching by a plastic surgeon is always much better than any other surgeon, so that is a bonus. The surgery is scheduled for Monday, September 28th at 7:30am. (biopsy, clean-out, closure). I can return to JA the next day and will plan on a light work day w/no major decisions! I will stay w/mom & dad for at least the first week & won’t drive.

I will have one week between the surgery and when I have kids beginning on a daily basis at JA … close on time, but at least it is not like 48 hrs. prior to seeing students. God is good.

I am ok w/all of this, praising God for the progress we’ve made, thankful for lots of faithful prayer warriors & am ready to take the final step in a long journey. God has moved mightily and that is the sole reason for all of this coming together. We were a million miles away from any possibility of getting a resolution to this all last week.

Dr. B was extremely professional, gracious, and gave me an elaborate explanation of all of this on the phone, so he gets the Dr. Thorough award. I was crying in happiness as I listened to him talk, but he didn’t realize it. He is the first physician in months that has really taken time to dig deep & look for an explanation behind the problem. We WILL pray hard that the area wouldn’t need to be opened a second time. (If we have to operate a 2nd time we will cross that bridge, if required.) JA continues to be exceptionally understanding with all of this.

Six weeks is a long time to wait, but hopefully the area will be healing at the same time. I asked what are the odds that he gets inside & finds nothing … he said it is very unlikely & don’t count on it happening. Dr. B was really pleased on the phone that he thinks he has found the root of a deep problem & I wholeheartedly agreed. We have a plan in place. Think of how far we have come and how close we are to being finished …. Six weeks is nothing on second thought. No question about it …. God has provided the right doctor to work on the case.

Thank you for your patience and praying.

“Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.” – Hebrews 4:11

Thankful to Him who provides ….
Jenny

Progress is happening .... keep praying!

We are making tiny steps of progress although I'm not at a place where I can share/explain the details quite yet. Please continue to pray tomorrow (Wed.) that more things fall into place and I'm able to get the necessary appointment needed (hopefully for next week). I'll write more as soon as I have additional details in place. Know that God is at work and your prayers are making a difference. There is a sense of peace amidst everything that is occurring and in the end God's plan will happen .... He will orchestrate whatever is to happen. Today was the first day in several weeks that I was more encouraged about bringing closure (in more ways than one) to all of this - will share more in the next few days.

"God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear" - I Cor. 10:13

je

Slow progress ....

There is not a lot to report from this week …. I did see my STL orthopod on Friday & he did not see any infection on the most recent MRI. He also had a radiologist at Barnes West review the films and he agreed. We couldn’t locate the exact image that was cause for concern from the plastic surgeon. No word yet from the plastic surgeon’s office. Keep praying for timing, wise decisions & encouragement.

je

New & hopeful week ahead ...

It is a new week and I’m ready to carry on! It has been good to have a longer weekend to get refreshed with energy, stamina, rest, new attitude and I’m hopeful of taking the next step ahead this week.

Toward the end of last week and increasingly over the weekend pain has reoccurred which has not been there for a long time. On Saturday night, I finally resorted to narcotic medication. It helped marginally, but it was enough that I could sleep. Not totally sure where the pain is stemming from, but clearly something is not right.

I’m hopeful that I’ll learn some news from the plastic surgeon this week & will likely make an appt. to see the STL orthopod as well. I suspect that he doesn’t realize what is (or is not) happening w/all of this. After a holiday weekend it will be tough to get anything going on Tuesday, but we’ll see.

Good quote for this week .... "If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes." by Corrie TenBoon

Keep praying for wisdom in decision making, timing, pain relief, and a correct/clear diagnosis.

je

Waiting, waiting & more waiting . . .

The week ended with no news from either the plastic surgeon or my STL orthopod. I e-mailed my STL ortho dr. yesterday and asked him what his opinion was of a possible bone infection on the MRI, but I didn’t hear back from him.

I am having major second thoughts as to whether or not I’m working with the right plastic surgeon. He isn’t doing anything wrong w/patient care or being cautious, but communication is sorely lacking. I cannot speak to a human when I call his office and always have to leave a message …. this is annoying to say the least.

I realize that my case may be challenging, but to go 2+ weeks after an MRI and not have an accurate reading is starting to border on unacceptable. My Chicago dr. always told me that as the patient, I should always feel in control of the medical situation and if I don’t, then something is wrong …. I’m not in control of much at the moment. Unfortunately, it is not like there are other easy options out there for other physician opinions.

My biggest concern is that w/every few passing days, the open areas get deeper/larger. I know from past experience that if the area is too deep, skin grafting no longer becomes an option. This is the problem that I had before that led us to San Antonio …… this definitely cannot happen again. I have kids at work in 4 weeks & on the first day there are 140 kids, which is over our maximum by 20 kids … timing is not working in my favor.

I had 5-6 things this week that I had to say “no” to doing (Make-A-Wish assignments, holiday musical, date stuff) because I don’t know what will happen w/the next several months …. Life on “hold” is not a fun place to be & we haven’t even started the recovery weeks yet, which is usually the hardest part.

Someone at my office today joked w/me that what I'm experiencing would be what it could/would be like if we had national health care (waiting, waiting & more waiting) .... sad to say, but they are probably right.

Enough rambling ….. God is still in control & His plan is perfect. I am not required to have it all figured out, but will be happy when there is a plan! Tonight I planted fall mums at my house and took out some frustation digging. Hanging in there …. I’ll make it. Off for mint chocolate chip ice-cream ….

Happy holiday weekend to you!
je

Quiet week .....

Post #350 .....

No news to report yet .... I've not heard anything back from Dr. B's office. At about 2:00pm today I couldn't stand it anymore, so I called his office and was going to leave a message for his nurse. His nurse was with some patient & I thought I was leaving a message w/the receptionist, but she went and gave his nurse my message while I waited on the phone. The receptionist gal told me that Dr. B had not spoken w/the radiologist yet and that his nurse would remind him about it again when he returned from surgery. Dr. B is at the West Co. campus the remainder of the week, so it is likely that nothing will happen on this now until Tuesday or after of next week.

I did talk to another friend that is a doctor & she told me that bone infection typically does not spread into the blood or other places, so that is partially why no one is in a rush. Supposedly, people walk around with chronic bone infection sometimes a long time before they know they have it .... many times the symptoms are very minimal.

I had a lot of foot pain today at work - not sure what that was about. Toes are still laying flat and the thankfully the positioning still looks good.

The bummer is that we may be waiting for nothing, if there is no infection! Patience, patience .... it is hard. It is going to be a long holiday weekend .........

je

Big Prayer Week .....

This week needs to be a big one on the prayer front, so here are the requests:

1. Dr. B will get w/the radiologist early this week and will confirm if there is bone infection present or not.

2. Assuming they will need additional confirmation, that the indium (dye blood/scan) can be scheduled right away.

3. Dr. K (STL orthopod) talks w/Dr. B and gives his opinion, after reviewing the latest MRI scan. Good communication & coordination needs to happen here.

4. Timing - that things would move along & progress quickly toward a plan ... pray that God allows the next step in the medical process to happen ASAP.

This would be a lot to have happen in one week, but we're praying & believing big! The main thing that we need to know for certain ASAP is if there is or is not bone infection present. After seeing the scans on Friday & a few other minor things that have occurred, my gut feeling is that there IS a strong likelihood of infection. The dye test will require two days at the downtown Barnes hospital.

If we find out that infection exists, it will mean that it has been there since last November and was missed on a November, 2008 MRI radiologist report. You don't want to know the story behind this, as it will be more upsetting than anything you've heard in a long time.

Timing is really critical here .... I have work travel that I am holding on,
until we get this figured out. My attitude is up & down w/all of this .... I am hoping it will be better when we have a definitive answer on the bone infection question.

In His Grip,
je

Good News and Bad News ....

Just when you think you are almost done and have completed all the necessary tests, I’m not!! Today was a “good news” and “bad news” appointment …..

Bad News: The radiology report stated that there was no infection present, but Dr. B feels otherwise. Dr. B showed me color variation on the MRI. The bone area that he is concerned about is directly under the area that is open. Good bone is normally dark in color and infected bone is more of a white color. Well, the bone that is directly under the open area on the MRI film is white on my MRI scan.

So, Dr. B wants 2 weeks to talk with the radiologist and see why they feel that there is no infection present. He doesn’t want to do “exploratory” surgery and I don’t either. There is another test that may be then scheduled with dye, blood test and more scans to see if it shows an infection. Not sure why, but he didn’t want to order that test today.

If there is bone infection, then my STL orthopod would need to get involved and be present for the surgery as well ….. he’d do the “bony” part of the operation and the plastic guy would do the soft tissue part. Thankfully, they do both operate at Barnes West Co. on Thursdays. I was extremely frustrated that he had not talked w/the radiologist before I got there today – in my opinion, that should have been done in the past three days. So, it is highly likely that nothing is going to really progress on this in the next 4-6 weeks, unless Dr. B is able to talk to the radiologist right away. He noted that the open areas are getting larger.

Good News: Dr. B is being very thorough, covering all his bases, looking at all possibilities, and is trying to get to the bottom of the situation. I didn’t have my normal $50 co-pay because I was in and out of his office in like ten minutes. He gave no indication that he wouldn’t keep working with me.

Needless to say, this wasn’t the news I was hoping to hear today. I was so hoping to have the surgery & do recovery during the month of September ….. Oct/Nov. are not good months for me to have to shuffle around things at work. I am tired of buying gauze, tape, etc. & re-bandaging multiple times during the day. There is no sense of urgency with anyone on this. Today marks the six week mark, when I first saw the plastic surgeon. So, no surgery scheduled yet.

Big prayer request: Pray that Dr. B is able to consult w/the radiologist early next week and that things will move along. My STL orthopod is also now involved, so this is more coordination that needs to happen.

Need to get back to work and try to focus ….. je

No Infection!!

NO BONE INFECTION!!! I got the MRI report today from Barnes and it didn't show anything abnormal, which is a very good thing. Now there should be no reason for the plastic surgeon to be unwilling to close it. Will update more after the Friday appointment ....

je

Follow-Up Appt. on Friday ...

I have a follow up appt. scheduled with Dr. B for this Friday, August 28th at 12:30pm at his West Co. office (on Barnes West. Co campus). Very thankful that I was able to schedule quickly. We will discuss the MRI results and hopefully come up with a plan. I have absolutely no reason to believe that he won't agree w/plans to close it, but it is always a fear when you have had doctors bail on the situation before. Pray that he agrees to help!

I did find out from his nurse today that he does do some surgery at Barnes West County .... it all depends on how involved & complicated the procedure. Anything complex is downtown only, so hopefully mine is a simple deal.

je

MRI fiasco ....

The MRI appt. today was one huge fiasco! There was so much that went wrong, I won’t even begin to remember it all to share with you. It is behind me now, but I am SO, SO, SO done with Barnes downtown. I was at the MRI appointment for 4 ½ hours!!!

There were no orders for the test from the dr. when I arrived. The MRI machine was a specialized one for a foot & my foot wouldn’t fit in the tub thing properly (lack of flexibility), so it got stuck. I was in a ton of pain before anything even started (from all the positioning nonsense) and then I had to stay still in that position for what ended up being 2 hrs. & 15 minutes. I told the technician in the middle of it to just keep going w/the scans, even if I moved …… I wasn’t about to start the process over again. I knew there was no way I could remain in the crazy position that they wanted w/my foot all bent a weird way. I’ve never had issues with a simple MRI before & to my knowledge there shouldn’t be pain involved.

In the middle of it, some genius radiologist decided that I should have been having some contract material via IV, so all came to a halt to get that started. Small veins & a rookie IV tech took up another 45 minutes.

My toes were purple when I was done … I limped to the cafeteria to get a drink to take a pain pill. And then to top it all off – the parking garage attendant didn’t have change for a $50 bill, so I waited for someone to bring smaller bills. I’m emotionally finished forever with Barnes downtown!!

I will be stunned if the test reveals anything substantial. I was in there for so long that there wasn't even a "billing code" for the time that they had spent doing the test .... can't wait to see that bill.

I’ve already decided that if I can’t have this dr. close it at Barnes West Co. hospital, then I am going to find another doctor (no idea where). Hoping to have test results back on Wednesday or Thursday of this week …… pray that the results don’t get lost, deleted, etc. My toes all need some TLC tonight.

je

MRI Appt. tomorrow ....

We're back from Dallas! My prayer all last week and early on Friday morning was that it would be clearly obvious which doctor I should be working with to get the incision situation closed. It was overwhelmingly obvious that I need to continue working with the STL plastic surgeon that I saw on August 14th and hopefully get him to close it.

The Dallas dr. was very nervous about my past history and wasn't nearly as thorough as I need in a physician. He didn't want to discuss much at all, hardly asked any questions, wanted me to try an Rx of neosporin for two weeks and then come back if it doesn't heal naturally. I've already been using what he prescribed & he knew it! He took a biopsy of the area but I should not have let him do it, because now there is a larger area open, draining, hurting, throbbing, etc. (made shopping challengign). I didn't think it was going to be a big deal - wrong! He was spooked by why it had not closed naturally ..... he had no idea how to explain it, & thought it would result in a skin graft eventually. Like when? It takes 5 days to get the biopsy results, but he said himself that he doubted it would yield anything substantial.

I didn't like him well enough to merit traveling to Dallas, more expense, follow-up hassle, etc. I need someone who is overly thorough with this (STL dr. qualifies), as we don't want anything messed up now.

I moved my MRI appt. up, so I have it at 8am on Monday (8/24) at Barnes downtown. Hopefully by Wed/Thursday of this week, we can get some treatment plan in place and move forward. Now that the area is larger there is more chance for infection, so I am really keeping it carefully covered.

Other than the medical stuff & a bit of disappointment with that, we had great fun visiting Dallas & I enjoyed getting pampered for a few days. I just love southern hospitality & sweet tea!

Need to get to bed, as I'll be up w/the birds and headed downtown early tomorrow morning. Keep praying for NO bone infection to show up on the MRI .... the problem will quickly become much more substantial, if this exists. Also pray that the STL dr. will be quick w/a treatment plan. Hoping to get MRI results back on Tuesday, but will ask about this tomorrow.

Thanks for praying!
Jenny

Dallas appt. tomorrow ...

We're off to Dallas .... mom is going with me, although we are not staying at the same place. She has a "girls weekend" with three friends from High School and they meet each August. It just happened that they are having it in Dallas this weekend and they are going to the Women of Faith conference on Friday & Saturday.

Pray for clear direction, peace with whatever I learn tomorrow and that perhaps this plastic surgeon will have seen what I have happening w/some previous patient. My Dallas dr. says he is great & that I will like him, and am safe to go w/whomever I am most comfortable. I got the CD from the hospital (from appt. last Friday) w/my current x-rays, so we won't have to do those again.

It has been a very busy week at JA this week, so I am looking forward to a little break. I have a 12:30am appt. tomorrow .... he is meeting me between two five hour surgery cases.

Thanks for your faithfulness in praying!
je

Slow week ....

Not a lot new happening this week, other than I am getting increasingly frustrated by w/all the medical scheduling stuff. Everything happens at a MUCH slower pace than it should. I have an MRI scheduled for late afternoon on 8/25 in STL (it has to be done at the big Barnes downtown, so scheduling w/them is a big process). Then I'd need to do another follow-up appt. w/that surgeon and then get something surgery wise scheduled, if he decides it is necessary .... we are looking at a time frame of September.

Pray that the Friday consultation/appt. goes well w/the Dallas plastic surgeon. The appt. is at 12:30pm & I've been very impressed with his office staff. If I like him and decide to have it done in Dallas, there is a small chance that I might be able to stay and have it done on Monday (8/24). Pray for clear direction, safe travel, & that I'll be able to tell which surgeon is the best for my situation. I may need to make a quick decision, which can sometimes be tough.

Unfortunately I will not have Internet access Thursday through Sunday ... sorry.

My patience on all of this is definitely wearing thin, so pray for a positive attitude going into a long weekend. There is more drainage this week at the incision site, so the bandaging and re-bandaging is getting old.

Hugs -
je

Plastic surgeon appt. report .....

My appt. w/the plastic surgeon this morning went well. He was extremely thorough and wanted all the details on my flap surgery in San Antonio. I spent over two hours with him going through everything. There is some hardware that is very close under the skin to the area that is open, so that was the first possibility for cause to the problem.

We took new x-rays and he carefully looked over old MRI pics that I brought with me. There were a few things on both the x-rays and MRI that he questioned and noticed were not “right.” We looked at the pictures together and he explained 5-6 things that he was somewhat concerned about. He wants to make sure there is no deep bone infection, so this afternoon he received a former MRI report from the radiologist & he was going to see if he could learn anything further. He will call me early next week and will likely order a new MRI. Closing the incision is the easy part, but he doesn’t want any surprises during surgery as to a hidden infection or something …. this would be unlikely, but sometimes they take a long time to surface.

If there is no infection, it is an easy & straightforward skin closure surgery (likely less than 1 ½ hrs). If it gets complicated with something else, hardware issues, or a bone issue, everything quickly becomes much more involved. So, we will likely talk on Mon.-Tues. and see what he thinks.

At any rate, I really liked him & was super comfortable with him … he was personable, professional & would be good to work with. His West Co. office is in the same building as my hip surgeon at Barnes West hospital. His nurse gave me her direct phone number, which is always good. He normally does big cases like chest closure, open heart closure & lots with breast cancer reconstruction, so my situation is very tiny in size, but very significant with “past medical history.” I don’t think I would have gotten to see him if it had not been from a referral of someone at church – very grateful (it was a parent of a past student).

I have a crazy busy week next week. On Tues-Thurs. noon, I have a JA conference at work with 45 people (all from out-of-town) & I am responsible for evening entertaining, dinner, snacks, & making sure all are happy. We leave for Dallas late afternoon on Thursday & return Sunday night.

Thanks for your e-mail notes, calls, and prayers this week. I am okay and I am confident that God will continue to lead, direct and open doors as needed.

Headed to IL for the weekend ….. hope it is a relaxing one for you, too!

Love & hugs,
jenny

Appointments scheduled .....

I got some sleep last night, but it was hard. I kept trying to think of a way to make it work to have the surgery in San Antonio, but it is just not possible. The doctor there is actually “over qualified,” if you can imagine. He is a plastic micro surgeon and orthopedic surgeon, and I just need a top-notch plastic surgeon (not as specialized). I have to be thankful that he was available, willing and able to work with me when I needed him most a year ago for such a large operation.

Wow …. Many of you must have been praying this morning, because I did well in scheduling appointments. I will likely not need all of these appointments, but this is what I have lined up:

Friday, Aug. 14th – 9:45am – Appt. w/Dr. B (goes to my church) –(STL)
Monday, Aug. 17th – 3:30pm – Appt. w/Dr. A – in Bloomington, IL
(I am there this weekend visiting family, so I will just stay a bit longer
& my uncle went into the office and talked with them early this
morning)

Friday, Aug. 21st – 12:30pm – Dr. A (in Dallas) – referral from my Dallas surgeon …. I am supposed to be in Dallas for a few days of fun next week (Thurs-Sun).

It is better to have more scheduled than you need. It would be much easier to do the surgery here or IL, but I was very impressed with the Dallas office staff on the phone. I had two secretaries (at other STL offices) tell me that I didn’t need to see a plastic dr. & gave me the medical ring-around …. just love how they do administrative work & are able to determine medical need during a one minute phone call – blew them off & moved on.

Pray that the appt. tomorrow morning goes well & that it will be obvious which physician is the best fit for my situation and need. Hugh thanks for praying today and for the initial step of getting appointments rather quickly ….. God is good.

je

Good News & Not-So-Good News ....

The verdict is that it looks like I need to have a plastic surgeon close the open incision on the foot. The good news is that my Chicago orthopod, STL orthopod and my Dallas doctor all feel like a plastic surgeon needs to see it ASAP ... and then likely close the open wound/incision ..... everyone feels like the "allergic reaction to suture material" is probably unlikely, but we don't really know.

There is no infection or wound issue there now, but we'd like to get it closed before this happens. It is a simple surgical procedure to cut out the old area and re-stitch with external sutures only.

The bummer news today was that the surgeon in San Antonio that I've had great success with in the past & really like is moving soon from TX to PA, so it is not possible to have him do this procedure. I was really disappointed because this doctor is top notch and he already knows my history.

The process of starting over w/a new doctor is not the easiest w/my history, but I'm trying to believe that it will be okay ..... the Dallas dr. was new and he was a good fit. It is very challenging to find a plastic surgeon that does wound/incision work and does not only specialize in the "cosmetic" end of plastic surgery.

Tonight I did learn of a plastic surgeon that goes to my church, so pray that I can get into see him. Thanks Laura for calling your contact, too ... will try him tomorrow as well.

I have lots of phone calls to make early tomorrow morning to see if I can get an appointment set up quickly.

Prayer requests:
- The "right" physician will have scheduling availability w/in the next week.
- Acceptance of the situation .... really thought all of this was over.
- Wise decision making
- Need to find someone that will agree to closing it sooner than later
- No infection happens while we are trying to get details to fall into place

Just a little set-back I guess ..... it will work out ..... you'd think starting over with a new dr. would be easy by now for me, but I really dislike it. Have to keep reminding myself that this should be a very short term patient/dr. relationship ....

Long day .... we'll see what tomorrow brings.
Love & hugs,
je

Waiting on more opinions .....

I don’t have much to update yet as for progress. I’m still dealing with multiple spots on several suture lines that are open. Unfortunately, the Rx from the dermatologist dr. last week was not helpful and there is more open now than there was last week.

I am suspecting that the area is going to need to be closed surgically. Past experience tells me that once an area is open, it is nearly impossible for it to close “naturally” in my case.

I have an e-mail into my plastic surgeon in San Antonio and the orthopod in Dallas …. and I scheduled a tentative appt. w/my STL ortho guy for Wednesday afternoon. I’m back into the thick of scheduling appointments, juggling work stuff, and trying to make decisions in the midst of a not-so-common situation. All of this is somewhat a shock, because I thought & had hoped all of this was behind us.

Pray for appt. scheduling details to fall into place & that I can get some dr. to move on this in a timely manner. I don’t want to end up with an infection or wound issue, which is possible the longer it is open.

Love,
je

Chicago Report & Skin issues continue .....

Our Chicago weekend was fun, had great weather and we got to go places that we’d never been before because I could walk. I was thrilled to NOT be parking in handicapped parking. My appt. w/Dr. P on Monday was probably one of the best ever! She has two young boys and they love the Cardinals and Mr. Pujols, so we chatted about that. She spent a lot of time with us …. went to her next patient (quick one) & then came back to our room to finish with us. We had not seen her since February, so there was a lot to cover. She was very impressed w/the improvement, watched me walk, and the overall opinion was what I have now is about as “good as it will get” for movement and functionality.

She encouraged me to try to wear a heel shoe more because in my case that position forces my toes downward, which is the position we want to encourage/keep. She understood that it may not “feel” great at the beginning, but slowly keep trying them & try more on weekends for several hours at a time. She saw my STL & Dallas doctors at a big foot conference (in Canada) in July …. they all discussed the “Eickhorst case.”
There should be “medical royalty money” there somewhere …..

Actually, she has another patient that had to have major foot reconstruction similar to my situation, but because of my success w/the tendon lengthening in Dallas she is going to do it on this other patient. She asked a lot of questions about what we did differently in March & post-op procedures.

My open incision was horrible on Monday and she got to see it on one of the worst days! (I was somewhat glad, because it is very deceiving at times). The 3” area was all open, bleeding, draining, etc. … it was a mess to say the least. She was shocked that it was “her incision” & it was 2+ years old! She wanted me to go see the plastic surgeon in Chicago that I’d seen in the past, so she called his office & arranged for me to go there after I left her office.

On our way out of town we went to Evanston to see Dr. H …. I had really mixed feelings because it had been over a year since I had seen him & my last appt. w/him did not go well ….. this is why I ended up going to San Antonio for the flap/artery transfer, as he wouldn’t do it! Thankfully, he didn’t ask who did the flap surgery, but I bet he wondered.

Dr. H thought that it was an internal suture allergic reaction causing the skin breakdown & said to follow up w/a dermatologist in STL. Great …….. I’ve heard that diagnosis before.

This afternoon I went to the dermatologist in STL & she agreed w/Dr. H. Supposedly even though the incision that is the worst is from 2+ yrs. ago, the body still produces symptoms of an allergic reaction …. & the skin on the top of the foot is so thin that if I itch it, if it rubs on a shoe or anything the area repeatedly comes open and it is a continual cycle.

The dermo. dr. said that it is really tough to clear up (possibly 6-12 months) & sometimes you ultimately have to do a skin graft over the area that won’t close. She wrote a script for a topical steroid (Ultravate) & oral steroid to see if it helps any … if it doesn’t start to work in a week, she said that the next step is some nerve injections to try & get the nerves to stop producing the reaction symptoms. I have to wrap the foot in Saran wrap and wear it that way all each night for the next week – wish me luck on sleeping. Supposedly this skin scenario happens w/multiple surgeries & thin skin – I qualify with flying colors for both.

Typically the skin breakdown area starts small and gets bigger with time & what doesn’t start out as a “wound issue” can end up looking like one ….. we’re done with wound care & surgery, so hopefully the medication will help – no open skin is all I’m going for. This is my year for dating & fun shoes!

BIG PRAYER REQUEST: Pray that the oral steroid medication and cream works, because I don’t want this to linger on or have to get involved with returning to San Antonio. (I’ve been using the cream & have not had success.)

In my case this is somewhat serious because the bigger the open area gets, the harder it will be to get it to permanently close. I don’t know if I have enough skin there or not, as it is now – HOPEFULLY I DO!

Better get to bed ….. sorry for the long post, but I would greatly appreciate stepping up the prayers for the week ahead. I am shocked at how the picture below looked last week, as now the top of my foot is so irritated, raw & open now you wouldn't know that it is the same foot - stuff changes quicker than I'd like at times. I have to return to the dermo dr. next Tuesday for a follow-up appt. & to see if we are on the right track w/treatment or if we need to go to the next plan .... if the Rx is going to work, she said I should see big improvement within a week.

Keep the faith!
je