SEE MONDAY, MARCH 10 ENTRY FOR
A PERSONAL NOTE FROM PETE & KATHY.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Surgery on Tuesday, April 8 went as planned. The skin graft was performed successfully. Pete had some pain issues on the lower leg that were resolved a few days later with the doctor loosening the bandage around the leg.

Today, the bandage was removed on both the lower leg and the upper leg (where the donor skin was taken from). The last few days have been most uncomfortable for Pete on the donor area, which is expected.

The doctor says that everything looks perfect in the healing process. Today was another BIG step in the process. The skin graft is doing well, and from here on out, there is no bandage on the lower leg. This is the first time in almost four months that Pete's leg has not been wrapped!!

It is also the first time that Pete has looked at the wound area himself, which is also a BIG step. Both seeing it for the first time AND not having it wrapped are pretty big issues to wrap your mind around when you've had to deal with something like this day after day. It's a GOOD day!

He is now allowed to begin putting some weight on the leg. He will see the doctor in two weeks for a check-up. While today is a big day, there is still quite some ways to go. At some point, rehabilitation and physical therapy will begin and consideration of what can be done in the way of tendon transfers will be discussed. For now, this alone takes some getting used to.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

After a fabulous doctor's appointment last Thursday, surgery is set for Tuesday, April 8 to do the skin graft that will finally close Pete's wound on his leg.

Bets are just about being taken on whether or not a skin graft will be needed at all by then. The wound has filled in almost completely with new tissue and new skin is rapidly bringing closure at both ends of it.

The largest part of the wound will need a small bit of work done to close the wound, but we are all wondering whether or not any skin will need to be grafted. THAT is how marvelous this circumstance has been!

While this process has been long, painstaking, and arduous, it is so encouraging to see that this much healing has taken place. While Pete still has a long way to go (rehab, future tendon transfer surgery, etc.), he has come so far to this point.

He is very much looking forward to the change in schedule - no more twice a day dressing changes! After this surgery, bandages will remain in place for at least a week.

Please pray for Tuesday to go on schedule and very smoothly. Pray for peace for Pete. Even though much progress has been made, every stint to and in the hospital has brought disheartening results to this point. It is time for that to turn around! Please pray with us that all goes well on Tuesday. The surgery is planned to be outpatient, taking place at 7:30 am.

We will post results as soon as we can on Tuesday.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

The doctor's appointment this morning went very well! As a matter of fact, he called Pete a poster child for healthy wound progression!

He is very pleased with the healing that has taken place in the wound. There is a lot of healing taking place, from new tissue generation to new skin growth on the edges of the wound. The top portion of the wound is actually closing on its own right now! It is AMAZING to watch.

The wound is ready to be closed with a skin graft right now, except for the deep contour that still exists just above the ankle. The doctor gave Pete the option of closing it now (like next week) or waiting another couple of weeks for that section to fill further with new tissue, which would allow for a greater chance of success on the graft holding and a neater looking contour of the graft in the future.

The doctor explained that the waiting of the last 3 months may make another two weeks seem long, and Pete may currently not really care if the contour is there at this point. However, a year from now, he may see that contour on his leg and wonder about or wish he would have waited another couple of weeks.

So, Pete will see the doctor again on March 27 and he will determine from there where it goes. He made the comment that with the rapid growth of tissue and some closing already, it is possible they could decide then to let it close on its own. If a graft is needed, the size of the wound even right now would make it an anticipated outpatient procedure because less skin from the donor area will be needed. That will be even more so the case two weeks from now.

Please pray for the wound to continue to heal rapidly and well!

Monday, March 10, 2008

From Pete & Kathy:

We want to take a minute to say a huge THANK YOU to all who have been praying for and supporting us through this painful and trying situation with my leg. It has meant so much to us to receive your love and our hearts couldn't be more thankful!

My recovery is taking much longer than I would have ever thought possible. We never expected for the events of the last almost three months to take place. But they have, and we are doing as well as can be expected, and even better, because of your love and support.

I also wanted to say thanks for everyone's sensitivity. This experience has been extremely painful physically. I communicated that it would be too hard for me to receive visitors at the hospital and at home. You not only listened, but you understood, and that means more to me than I can say. Please know that I would have loved to have had lots of people and the door to my room would have been wide open if the circumstances had not been so painful for me.

Even though Kathy and I know we could never repay you all for what you have given to us in time, attention, prayer, food and more, our hearts will be forever grateful, and will always be open to do for you what you have done for us.

We love each and every one of you dearly!

Pete & Kathy

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Pete's doctor appointment went GREAT this morning! The dressing change was painless! The doctor said the wound is still filling in rapidly and is even "done" filling in a couple of places. He ordered continuation of the twice a day dressing changes for the next two weeks.

When he sees Pete then, he anticipates bringing the use of the Wound VAC back in for 1-2 weeks to promote more tissue growth in the two deeper areas of the wound. He wants the tissue to come as far to the surface as it can for the skin graft to take hold.

Then, it's on to the skin graft to close the wound. The doctor was very pleased with what he saw today! The wound is actually growing smaller, which eventually will require a smaller amount of skin to be transplanted for the graft.

Watching this tissue growth take place is amazing. It is as though you can see the picture of how God literally "knit" us together in the womb. That's kind of what is taking place in Pete's leg.

While he is still under orders to rest and keep the leg elevated and fairly immobile, he is now allowed to travel some by wheelchair. As you can see by the note above, we are actively looking for a wheelchair that has a right leg extension that allows the leg to be kept straight out. If you or someone you know has a wheelchair they can borrow for a couple of months, please let us know.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Pete is on a good roll of dressing changes with less and less pain! AND, there's LOTS of new healthy filler tissue that is rapidly filling the wound. Continue to pray for that tissue to grow and remain strong and healthy! He sees the doctor on Thursday morning again.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Pete saw the doctor this morning. The dressing change was anticipated to be pretty painful as the doctor isn't quite as gentle as the nurses. However, after explaining to us the reasons he does the dressing change the way he does, Pete held on for the best and it turned out to not be as bad as we thought!

The doctor did notice that the home dressing changes were not being done as instructed. However, that has now been addressed and all seems to be looking very well. The new tissue is growing into the wound quite rapidly. The doctor mentioned that if it continues to fill this rapidly, he can see doing the skin graft to close the wound in 2-3 weeks!

The next doctor visit is next Thursday, February 28. Please pray that each successive dressing change (two times each day) will result in the discovery of added tissue growth, health, and less pain and trauma.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Pete came home this afternoon after two pretty uneventful and much less painful dressing changes. Nurses will now come to his home twice a day to change the dressing on the wound. New, healthy looking tissue is filling the wound areas, both in the older wound area and the newer area. Please pray for these dressing changes to go well, and for strength as Pete begins to apply some weight to his right leg. He will see the doctor on Thursday.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

11:00 am — We had a fantastic miracle take place today!! Friday and Saturday's dressing changes were VERY painful for Pete, as there are some raw, exposed nerves in the ankle area. As the church prayed together about 9:00 am for the morning dressing change to go well, the report came between services that Pete experienced VERY LITTLE PAIN during that dressing change!!

Saturday, February 16, 2008

11:00 am — Pete underwent his second dressing change at bedside at 10:00 am. It was painful, but nothing like yesterday. However, that's usually the case when nurses handle this stuff instead of doctors. They really took their time and were very conscientious of how Pete was handling it.

The wound itself looked very good. New filler tissue is already growing at a good pace in the upper area of the wound.

He will have another dressing change tonight. The goal is to have him endure dressing changes with only oral pain meds. When he can do that, they can send him home. The earliest he will go home at this point is still most likely on Monday.

Continue to pray for healthy tissue to fill in the places where muscle and tissue is missing and for the relief of pain and discomfort, especially in the ankle area.

Friday, February 15, 2008

4:00 pm — The dressing change happened today at 2:00 pm. It was extremely painful for Pete. The doctor said that the entire wound looks very good. He was especially looking for how much the new area of the wound (lower portion of leg from mid-calf to ankle) would bleed. It hardly bled at all, which was what he wanted. That means that new tissue is already beginning to regenerate in that area.

Also, the new area of the wound has raw nerves exposed, which creates a whole new level of pain and discomfort, especially when the dressing is changed and those nerves are exposed to air. We really want that new tissue to regenerate and cover those nerve endings!

Tomorrow, the dressing will be changed by the nurse around 9:00 am and 9:00 pm. The doctor will see him again tomorrow afternoon. The same will take place on Sunday. Realistically, he will be in the hospital through the weekend and hopefully go home on Monday.

Right now, the instructions for movement are that he can go from the bed to the bathroom, but no further. No walking or weight bearing on the leg yet. Can you imagine how stir crazy that would make anyone? Please pray for patience and perseverance for Pete. The road ahead is long.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Pete's surgical procedure to change the dressing on the wound went well today! The doctor did remove the lower portion of tendon on the right side of his ankle, but he had mentioned on Tuesday that he would probably need to do that today. That required the incision to be made a little longer. It also made for a bit more pain in recovery than the previous procedures. However, he is now out of recovery and back in his room.

Tomorrow, the doctor will change the dressing at the bedside with Pete on the pain pump. Then, Saturday, nurses will change it twice with Pete working himself off of the pain pump to see how he can tolerate it.

As soon as he can tolerate the dressing changes without the pain pump and is able to walk on the walker, he will be able to go home.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Pete is resting today and managing the pain level pretty well, as well as absorbing the news of yesterday and its impact on his recovery. All in all, he is doing OK.

The procedure to change the dressing will happen Thursday at around 12:30. The doctor says it should take maybe 10 minutes or so. The hope is that nothing has changed since yesterday except for maybe some new tissue regeneration and healing.

Once Pete is able to work off the pain pump and endure a couple of dressing changes, he will be able to go home. That could be as early as Friday.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Some may have heard that Pete underwent surgery on Thursday, December 27, to have both knees replaced. Several knee surgeries over the years have been attempts to put off this eventual knee replacement.

The following day (Fri., Dec. 28), he experienced very intense swelling and pain in his lower right leg, between the knee and ankle. It was eventually diagnosed as "compartment syndrome".

Two days following the knee replacements (Sat., Dec. 28), he was brought back into surgery and an incision was made on the right side on his right calf to allow for relief of the swelling.

Five days later (Thurs., Jan. 3), the attempt was made to close that incision, but the surgeon was unable to close it completely. He came home on Friday, January 4, with an open wound under a dressing that was changed regularly in the hopes that it would heal on its own.

Two weeks ago, the wound became infected, resulting in a week long hospital stay (from Tues., Jan. 28 to Sat., Feb. 2) and two additional surgeries (#4 and #5) to clean the wound, removing all infection. However, the second surgery that week revealed some muscle (in the shin area) that had died.

The next step was to let the wound heal more on its own until it would be deemed ready for removal of the dead muscle area and a skin graft placed to close the wound. That surgery (#6 since Dec. 27!) was scheduled for this morning.

However, the skin graft was NOT able to be performed today, as the complications that have to do with dead muscle and tissue in the open wound were worse than what the doctors anticipated.

When the surgeon removed the dead muscle area, he discovered that almost all of the muscle, tendons and tissue underneath that area and beyond had also died off and had to be removed.

As a result, the wound had to actually be made larger than before and there was much more muscle and other tissue that had to be removed from his shin area. This included the entire shin muscle that operates the bending of the foot upward at the ankle joint.

For now, Pete is resting comfortably at Simi Valley Hospital. He will undergo another surgical procedure (#7) on Thursday morning to clean the wound, change the dressing and assess next steps. The hope is to have him go home sometime this weekend.

From there, the dressing on the wound will be changed twice a day by home health nurses. Introduction of a machine called a "Wound VAC" is anticipated at some point. That machine is often used on open wounds to promote healing and more rapid cell regeneration.

The plastic surgeon is wanting to see the area of missing muscle and tissue filled with healthy "tissue filler" that the body produces on its own as much as possible to provide a healthy "wound bed" for the skin graft.

In the future, the orthopaedic surgeon hopes to be able to perform some tendon transfers around the ankle that would give Pete the ability to lift his foot again at the ankle joint. Apparently, future mobility is not as much of a concern as healing of this wound and the time and patience it takes for this to happen.

As you can imagine, this setback hits the heart and the spirit immensely. Pete left his house this morning in anticipation of having this wound closed and woke up from surgery to the news that the leg was in worse shape than what they thought.

At this point, the family requests holding off on both visits and phone calls at least until after Pete returns home. The doctors want maximum rest, and as you can imagine, explaining the details of where things are at and what the latest updates are can become laborious for both Pete and his wife, Kathy.