Let's Roll - Part One - A Little Mud On The Tires

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West(ie) Side Story

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Amazed And Perplexed

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The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

SUBJECT: The continuing knee saga.

We went to the wound care center this morning and met with Dr. Marcus for the first time.  She examined G’s wound and told us her plan of action and proceeded to cut away all the hypergranulation (overgrown new tissue) with cuticle clippers.  I don’t like blood and gore.  The process was gruesome looking, and thankfully did not cause G any pain.  Once the blood and gore was over with, she dabbed silver nitrate around the edges, dusted the wound with Multidex Powder Wound Dressing which looked like sawdust and then bandaged it.

She assured us that the orthopaedic surgeon had done everything he should have thus far.  She also gave G a set of instructions about eating a high protein diet (which he's already been doing) with six small meals per day.

“No showering,” she said.

G visibly slumped in the examining chair.  He’d graduated from sponge bathing to showering a couple of weeks ago. 

“I stink if I don’t shower,” he replied.  In his opinion sponge bathing just doesn't cut it.

Dr. Marcus correctly gauged his resistance and got blunt. 

“There are so many bugs around the mouth and nose area, not to mention the terrible bugs around the anus.  Showering with an open wound is essentially pooping in the wound.”  Ugh!  Seriously?

With this sort of blunt speech she knew she would get her point across. 

“And don’t sponge bathe with a washcloth either,” she instructed.  “Your washcloths have bugs too.”

Now I feel like I need to throw out all our washcloths and buy new ones and sterilize them after each use.

The good news is that G has avoided infection for three months, is walking like a champ with his new knee and is pain free.  The bad news is he’s back to sponge bathing and can’t shower for four to six weeks more.

Methinks he beginneth to stinketh.

Endeavor To Persevere

 

The open wound on G’s knee is healing oh so slowly.  The doctor ordered a wound V.A.C. be put on the wound on April 12th to speed up the healing process.  G endured three weeks of the wound V.A.C. therapy while tethered to an electrical outlet.  The battery could last up to six hours when unplugged.  During the times when G was unplugged, he had to carry the wound V.A.C. slung over his shoulder like a purse.  The wound V.A.C. did its job.  It came off four days ago.  It was a great relief for G.  We are back to dry bandaging, this time over collagen strips.

Two months with an open healing wound has culminated in a very sore knee.  The skin and tissue surrounding the wound has become irritated and sore.  However, there is no sign of infection.  All looks well, but G’s knee is sore, and he is limping almost as badly as he was before the knee replacement surgery.

 

March and April were difficult months with us alternating in turn in the battle to keep our spirits positive.  The black hole beckons.  It has been an unusually cool, grey and rainy spring in Georgia spreading a bit more gloom on this already weary and sometimes discouraged couple. 

Because of the MDS (which is not being treated now), G's blood counts are currently dropping, and he may need intervention soon to boost his WBC.

We must be getting close to the finish line, but we can’t be sure.  We find ourselves close to giving up and in danger of sliding down into the black hole.  We must soldier on to the finish line.  This will end eventually, right? 

 

Click on the link below and give the following song a listen.

"It's Going to be Alright" - Sara Groves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmzo3KxP5wo

 

"Time Flies Like An Arrow; Fruit Flies Like A Banana." ~ Anthony G. Oettinger

 

Tick tock, tick tock.  Time can soar on swift wings or plod slowly and painfully depending on what we face.  Events can happen so swiftly that it makes one’s head spin.  Then there is the thing that drags on and on seemingly without end. 

After months of delay, including an unexpected diagnosis of MDS, G has finally gotten a new knee.  On March 4th, G had a total knee replacement.  Surgery was successful.  The MDS complicated the process somewhat causing G to need a blood transfusion before being discharged from the hospital, but on the fourth day, G was discharged, and we (including our dog) temporarily moved in with our good friends Kirk and Joan. 

 

Staying in Kirk and Joan’s single level house was a wiser choice than our 5th wheel.  Their moral support and help were invaluable to us those first ten days.  This was southern hospitality at its most gracious.  (We actually had numerous offers of temporary quarters from several good friends.  Thanks to all of you for your concern, support and kind offers.)

G’s home physical therapist is Anastasia, a wonderful Greek woman who we have become quite fond of.  Her European inflection sounds so similar to my late grandparents’ Slovakian accent that she feels nearly like family and reminds me of how much they are missed.

 

G now has one perfectly straight leg and one bowed leg.

 

By the tenth day, G felt ready to go home, and we returned to our 5th wheel.  This is Anastasia’s first experience giving home therapy to a patient living in an RV.  She comes three days a week and has predictably fallen under Duncan the Westie’s spell.  On arrival, Anastasia first greets the Westie, “I’ve been waiting all day to see you!” she exclaims before turning her attention to her patient.

PT has been going well.  G can bend up to 117 degrees.  On March 15th, the staples were removed, and the swelling was gradually reducing.  However, a small hole in the incision opened and began to seep blood.  G’s orthopaedic surgeon cleaned off the bloody scab and inserted a swab into the hole.  The hole was quite deep, and he was able to turn the swab in a 360 degree circle deep under the skin.  There appeared to be a small cavern with a reservoir of blood lying below the surface preventing full healing.  Although there were no signs or symptoms of infection, G’s doctor decided to reopen the incision for exploration and irrigation.  Any infection would travel to the new joint which would require a subsequent surgery with a new knee replacement joint device.  No thank you!

On April 1st (April Fool’s Day) G was back in the hospital for the “suspected infection.”  His incision was reopened, explored and irrigated.  Cultures were taken, and the incision was left open, packed and bandaged.  The open wound is 10 cm long, 4 cm wide and 1 cm deep.  Surgery took about an hour, and I took G home the same day.  I drove the short drive home and pulled into the driveway.  We didn't notice that G’s wound had hemorrhaged during the trip until we went to get out of the truck.  His bandaging was blood soaked right through, blood was dripping down his leg, and a pool of blood had gathered at his feet on the truck floor mat. 

We had never seen this much blood before and were both completely undone by the sight of it.  G put pressure on the wound, and I drove him to the ER.  G left a trail of blood from the ER door to the front desk and to the seating area.  Nurses brought a towel and leak proof pad to place beneath his elevated leg.  G used the towel to form a soft tourniquet around his leg.  A janitor was summoned to mop up the floor.  G turned to me and said, "My life has turned into a dumpster fire."

When G finally got taken back to a bed, the nurses cut off the bloody bandaging, and we got our first look at the gapping, packed wound.  The sight of it gave me shivers.  The packing was left in place, the wound rebandaged, and we eventually went home.  This is not an April Fool’s Day story!

 

Physical therapy has been suspended while the wound is healing.  A home nurse comes three times per week to repack and bandage the wound.  The good news is that the cultures came back negative; no infection present.  G had no chemo during the month of March, and all chemo has been suspended until his wound heals.  A blood draw today revealed that his counts are slowly dropping.  It’s now a race between the healing of his wound and the dropping of his blood counts.  Tick tock, tick tock.

 

 

Gone Fishin'

We escaped to Cedar Key, Florida with our friends Steve and Sue for a few days of fun and fishin'.  Their condo is situated on the Gulf Coast in the quaint fishing village of Cedar Key.  The village has a nice slow pace and is a treasure trove of Gulf views, wildlife and good food.

Gulf view condos

 

 

 

Here comes our ride! 

 

The four of us went fishing with Captain Jim on the "Saltwater Assassin." It was a foggy day in the Gulf with a bit of wind and choppy water, but we were dressed for it and eager to fish.

 

 



G fishing for Sea Trout.

 

Captain Jim grew up in Cedar Key and knows all the best fishing holes in the Gulf.  He owns Saltwater Assassin Fishing Charters based in Cedar Key.  www.fishcedarkey.com/.  All of us caught fish with five "keepers" at 15 inches or longer.

 

 

Steve's lucky fishing hat: Women want me.  Fish fear me.

 

 

Pleased with our catch.

 

Catch of the day - Sea Trout.

 

The day before we went out fishing, Captain Jim took a Canadian couple out, and they brought back a dozen Sea Trout.  We happened to be hanging out at the dock when the "Saltwater Assassin" returned, and the Canadian couple gave us their catch!  We came home with a total of seventeen fish.  Awesome!

 

 



Captain Jim filleting our fish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christy and G

 

Just a guy and his dog windsurfing.

 

 

 

A very old Live Oak.

 

Spanish moss laden trees.

 

 

 

 

Found this RV T-shirt for G in one of the shops.  Perfect.

 

A good time was had by all.  Thanks Steve and Sue!