Sunday, June 28, 2009

I know it's been a week since the last post, but we were so busy the time got away from me. Jess finished up her driving lessons and did great. She is now the proud driver of a semi-big, blue pickup truck and looks like a true southern belle in it. She had a very nice instructor and all went well.

Mark is doing very well also. The foot seems to be healing very nicely and quicker than they thought. The doctors talked about doing a scan this week to see inside and perhaps removing "Lester" (as Mark has named the fixator) by the end of the week. We'll just wait and see what happens, but Mark is hoping to be "Lesterless" sooner than later. Then they will fit him for a boot and he will still have to be non-weight bearing for several more weeks, but the outlook is very good.

We had our family meeting on Wednesday morning and Mark and Jess talked about coming home to Cleveland instead of staying on in Tampa when he is discharged. It's a positive move since there will be a larger support network here for them. The projected discharge date is around the end of September.

They enjoyed a fun night out on Friday when they went to a Toby Keith/Trace Atkins concert at the Ford Amphitheater in Tampa. They were transported by Mark's recreational therapist, Carrie, in a wheelchair van. They were joined by Veronica and Bradley and Anthony and Ivonne. Mark called his cousin Alison to find out if she was going to the concert and sure enough they met up too. Alison texted her mother and I with the greatest photo taken on her phone from the concert. Now I have to figure out how to get it off the phone and onto the computer. If I can, I'll be sure to post it.

As for me, my flight back to Cleveland went smoothly and it was good to get home. I haven't been home for five weeks and it sure feels nice. I know Mark and Jess can handle things in Tampa.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day to all the dads who follow our blog. Unfortunately we were not able to see Rich or Grandpa Pete today, but we did talk to both of them.

We've had a quiet Sunday, but yesterday was very interesting. We attended a medal ceremony for one of the other polytrauma patients, SGT Joel Tavera. Joel was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. He was injured in Iraq when a rocket hit his vehicle dead on. He and another soldier were the only ones to survive. Joel was burned over sixty percent of his body, lost an eye and a leg and had many, many other injuries as well as a TBI. His parents have been at his side since he was life flighted to Germany. Jose and Marissa are wonderful people who have lived here at the Fisher House with us since last August. Their devotion to their son and their friendship toward the other boys is unsurpassed.

The ceremony was very moving and when Jose lifted Joel to a standing position in his specially equipped wheelchair, there was not a dry eye among the spectators. It was a real testament to Joel and all the heroes there that it was so well attended and that the attendees included off duty nurses, therapists, doctors, the medical director, and other VA employees who also brought their spouses and children. It shows how these folks feel about the young men recuperating here. They are treated like sons and brothers, not just patients, and their families also care about the guys and families here. This ceremony was a chance for them to introduce their families to ours. Our heroes were all in uniform and the photo below is just a quick one that was taken as they grouped them for a formal photo taken by the VA public relations department. I will be sure to add that photo or link as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, I will share this photo that actually only has a few of the guys in it, as well as Mark and Jess.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Mark is doing so well that they took his stitches out yesterday morning, much to his relief. They were so itchy. The doctor said that was the sign that they needed to come out. When he unwrapped his foot, sure enough they were loose. Late yesterday afternoon, he had a problem with spasms in the leg which were actually visible to Jess and I. Everyone was worried about the hamstring tightening up again, so today his doctor put him back on an anti-spasmodic drug to help prevent any tightening.

His therapist cleared him this morning to leave the main hospital and return to his little apartment. He can transfer hmself very well using just his good leg and keeping his boo-boo off the floor. He was happy to go back to his own digs. Jess and I were out when his doctor called me to say she was sending him "home" and by the time we got back, he was already there with the help of one of our favorite nursing assistants, Rick.

Jess had her first driving-on-the-USA-side-of-the-road lesson this afternoon and did very well according to the instructor. She was a little nervous, but he had her out in traffic and will eventually take her out in Mark's truck so she can practice driving Big Blue. Look out Tampa, here she comes! I know she will do great once she gets used to the right side of the road.

Well, it's off to get some dinner with the kiddos. Mark's buying so I'm not complaining!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I would like to take a minute to let everyone who reads this that we have experienced a very sad day today. Our beloved Grammie Mary passed away this morning after battling Alzheimer's for the last seven years.

Mary Fonda Lalli was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, and nurse. Her family meant the world to her and she will be missed by so many people, especially her husband of almost 63 years, Peter.

Mark and I saw her last in Washington, while he was at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Even though she was in the later stages of Alzheimer's and her memory had failed terribly, she again became a nurse the moment she walked into Mark's ICU room. She read the monitors and questioned the nurses and tended to Mark by sitting with him and holding his hand which eased his anxiety and agitation. Once we would leave the room, she would ask why we were there. As soon as we would return, the nurse and grandma came back as well and she took care of her boy. Mark doesn't remember those episodes because they are too far back in his recovery, but he enjoyed hearing the story again today as we reminisced about Grandma and the fun we had with her. One of Mark and Peter's fondest memories was that Grammie let them eat cold pasta for breakfast, because she did too!

Grammie, you will always be in our hearts because of the memories we have there. You will never be forgotten. We love you.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Today marks the 20 month anniversary of Mark's crash and 18 months here in Tampa. It is absolutely hard to believe that so much time has passed. I feel as if we are in a time warp. Mark has come so far and his spirits have been especially high the last few days despite the surgery. He mentioned to his doctor and therapist today that the tunnel may have gotten longer on Friday, but the light at the end got brighter. I thought that was one hell of an attitude!

His spirits are especially high as well because Jess arrives back in Tampa tomorrow night. She is on her way as I write this.

Mark's day today went very well. He had so many visitors; therapists, nurses, social workers, and other patients. We were amazed at the attention. He was up in the wheelchair and we took a quick trip to the 5th floor for a quick visit to the nurses there.

When Mark's doctors came to change his dressing, he took a picture of his foot with his iPhone. I have put it below at his request. If you don't want to see it, close out of this blog before you get to it. It's kind of a cross between a robot foot and Fred Flintstone feet!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Mark had a very quiet day today. We went to the chapel for church and when he got back, his foot was a "bit bothersome" and he got back into bed. That was it as far as getting up went. He fell asleep right after lunch and stayed asleep the rest of the afternoon. Rich and I finally went up and woke him up about four o'clock since I had to take Rich to the airport at five and he wanted to spend a little more time with Mark. Once he got over the initial groggies, he was feeling much better. I think the last two days had finally caught up with him.

He is not in too much pain. He is still hooked up to the morphine pump, but has not pushed the button since last night. It does make him queasy so they are giving him something else orally and he seems to be doing okay with just that.

I went back up to his room tonight and brought him an ice cream pop and found him happy and comfortable watching Nemo on TV. He and I both got a big kick out of the fish with the short term memory loss problem. When I left him to come back downstairs he was very comfy and not in much pain, just achy. I think the worst may be behind him, hopefully. He will most likely stay in the main hospital for the remainder of the week on semi-bed rest. He had grumbled about that prior to the operation, but now he thinks it's not a bad idea.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Yesterday was quite a long day for all of us, so it was with surprise and delight when I sat down to write something, I found that Peter had already posted an update on Mark's surgery.

We were told by one of the doctors that he was first on the list and had to be in the surgery suite by 5:45 a.m. That meant we were all up at five and when Rich and I got to the surgery center Mark was no where around, and neither was anyone else. After wandering around for a while, a nurse told us to go to the 3rd floor ambulatory surgery department. There we finally found a nurse that knew what was going on and she told us that Mark was scheduled for 11:30 a.m and that they decided he would not come there but be picked up and taken directly to the surgery suite at about 10 a.m. At that point, Mark called us from his room and we all decided to try and get a little more sleep.

Finally at about 8:30 we went to Mark's apartment and waited for him to be picked up by the surgery orderly. He went in and we waited in the surgical waiting room. Mark's operation started at 11:30 and he was done about 2:30 p.m. His doctor came and talked to us and told us everything had gone very smoothly and that he would be in recovery for about an hour. Then he was taken to the rehab section of the hospital where he will be for about a week.

As Peter explained they did the Achilles lengthening and a split tendon transfer. He does have an external fixator on his foot and looks a bit like Robocop. We were there this morning when they took the bandages off and it looked amazingly well, with just a little swelling and bruising. They told him he could be up for a little while so we found a leg rest for his wheelchair that would keep his leg elevated and took him outside for a while. It may have been too much in addition to the pain medication because he felt a little queasy and warm, so Rich took him back and got him resettled in his room.

We will try to get him out a little again tomorrow, but he is doing great and managed to get into his chair with just a one leg transfer. We are very encouraged that this procedure will allow him to walk normally.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Just a quick update. Mark made it through the surgery fine. The operation took about 2 hours to complete. In it, they were able to lengthen Mark's Achillies tendon as well as perform a split tendon transfer which will add upward flexion to Mark's foot and allow his heel to reach a 90 degree angle and make it easier to walk. They attached an external fixator to keep the ankle immobilized while all the tendons heal. All in all, the doctors were very pleased.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

We made it to Tampa after driving fifteen hours yesterday to Jacksonville and then the remaining three hours to Tampa this morning.

We got to Mark just as he was heading to the surgeons for a pre-op visit. We were very encouraged to hear the results of the tests that were done. The EMG showed good muscle function and tone and they are going to thego ahead with the tendon transfer which will prevent the Achilles from tightening again and keep his foot from turning in. The other good news was that the length difference in his legs is not that great, much less than initially thought, and that he will probably only need an internal lift in his shoe to even them out. He was very happy about that development.

Doing the tendon transfer will mean that they will put on an external fixator which will keep everything in place instead of a cast. The recovery will be longer and it will mean at a minimum of 8 weeks with no weight bearing, but after the incisions heal, he can shower without worry about getting it wet, etc. He will be placed back in the main hospital for about a week or so on the orthopedic floor. Hopefully, he will get back to his apartment before too long.

Well, we are off to take him out to dinner. The surgery is first thing tomorrow and he cannot eat anything after midnight, so he has a big meal planned for tonight. And milkshakes!! We will post tomorrow once everything is done and he is settled.