Tomorrow morning I'm going in to Edward Hospital at 5:30 am to have surgery on my right foot.
None of us are looking forward to it, but we ARE looking forward to being done with foot surgeries! Fingers crossed that the 3rd time's the charm!
We've been doing a lot to set up life at home for the next 5 weeks, as I'll be unable to walk without crutches, drive, or carry Ella.
Our night nurse has changed her shift from 10 pm - 6 am to 11 pm - 7 am so that she can get Ella up and dressed in the mornings.
Our incredible school (and school district) is allowing Ella, Ava and Henry to ride the bus to and from school every day until I'm able to walk them! This was pretty amazing, since we're "walkers" so they would not normally allow Ava and Henry to join Ella (Ella DOES qualify for the bus because of her SMA, but since we live so close and are walking anyway, we've always had her walk with us). But this will relieve A LOT of stress about having the kids walk home alone or in bad weather! Thank you, Prairie Elementary and Naperville District 203!!!
We then found out that Ella has over 200 hours of emergency/respite nursing care that expire at the end of October (and then we'll get another 350 hours for the next year), so we'll definitely be using them! As of now, we have a new nurse who will be coming to our house on Monday and Wednesdays after school for four hours (until I'm given clearance to carry Ella), so that Michael can continue to tutor those days after school. Our nursing agency is also looking for a possible part-time nurse to help on weekends, so that Michael is able to get things done around the house, yard, etc.
My parents will be able to help out on some Thursdays and Fridays (Ella has therapy those days after school), taking her to PT/OT and aqua therapy. Michael will be able to meet them there, stay with Ella, and then bring her home (so that my parents can leave after they drop her off).
Many people have asked how they can help (thank you!), and I think the only thing left would be to assist with a few dinners, so that Michael doesn't have to cook every night.
Like we have in the past with some of Ella's surgeries, we've set up a Care Calendar with days over the next month that we would love a meal (or restaurant gift card for somewhere that has delivery or carry-out). Here is the link and sign-in information for the calendar:
http://www.carecalendar.org/logon/243115
Calendar ID: 243115
Security Code: 1914
Of course there is NO pressure to bring a meal...we've just had several people ask if we are going to set up the Care Calendar for meals again :)
We're hoping and praying for a smooth surgery and quick recovery! Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers up to this point! We are so blessed to be a part of such an incredibly kind and supportive community!!!
Monday, September 26, 2016
Saturday, September 17, 2016
My Foot (by Lindsay)
In the past year I have had two surgeries to correct pain I was having as a result of an old gymnastics injury.
The injury was at the ball of my right foot, so I was referred to a podiatrist. During the exam, he said he could easily fix that joint by shaving down that part of bone that had grown over when my injury healed years ago.
But I was also told that the main bone in my foot, leading to that joint, was too high and needed to be lowered.
It involved cutting the bone, lowering it, inserting synthetic bone as a bone graft, and finally placing a small plate with screws to hold it all together.
I was told I would be "good as new" in three to four months.
The recovery was a bit tough...I had to miss two weeks of work and I was in a boot cast for quite a while. We had to pay our babysitter to stay with our kids until Michael got home from school, since I was unable to lift Ella for those first couple weeks after the surgery.
After I was done wearing the boot, I was still in quite a bit of pain.
In mid-winter the podiatrist decided I needed custom orthotics to wear with gym shoes to give my arches added support.
That helped a little.
But I was starting to have pain on the top of my foot where the plate and screws were placed and in my ankle, and a hard bump was forming around where the plate was. Large enough that I had to buy several new pairs of shoes, as my foot would not fit into the ones I currently had.
So in the spring, the podiatrist said that the plate and screws were causing irritation to the main tendon that runs along the top of my foot, and since the bones had all healed from the surgery, I could have another "minor" surgery to have the plate and screws removed.
I decided to wait until school was out, so that I would not have to miss any more work.
When that surgery was performed in June, the podiatrist found that there was a lot of bone growth around the plate and screws (hence the hard bump that had formed), which all had to be scraped away. So the recovery was a bit longer and more intense than we had planned.
In July I went in for my final follow-up appointment with the podiatrist and he said that everything looks great and I can now resume full activity, wear any kind of shoes I'd like (with or without the orthotics), etc.
But I was still in pain.
He told me it would continue to get better in time.
But it didn't.
It was bothering me enough that I was walking with my weight on the outside of my foot since it hurt to put pressure in the middle of my foot. Walking like this was starting to cause knee and back pain, and it was becoming painful to lift and carry Ella.
This was unacceptable.
After talking with several people (including medical professionals), Michael and I decided that I should go see an orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion.
I was able to get in to see one who specializes in feet and ankles, as well as sports medicine.
After I explained to the orthopedic surgeon ALL that had happened in the past year and once he had looked at my (many) X-rays, he told me that this was a very interesting case.
He told me that my foot is now worse off than it was before the initial surgery last fall.
Super.
The part of the surgery that was done on the long bone of my foot (involving the cutting, bone graft and plates/screws) has lengthened that bone and caused a joint to be eliminated, which is causing tremendous (and painful) stress on the joint next to it. The joints in my other four bones are trying to bend in one place, while the joint in my first bone is trying to bend in another.
Below are three "After" x-rays, taken in July 2016, following the plate and screws removal.
Ouch.
So I'm now back in the boot.
And I have to have surgery #3 (which has been confirmed by several other medical professionals).
The orthopedic surgeon will be cutting out a piece of the bone where the joint was eliminated, shortening that bone to its original length (my right foot grew a size and a half since the first surgery...now I know why!), moving the remaining bone closer in to close the gap, fusing it to the bone it meets, and finally inserting a permanent plate with screws (on the side of the bone so that it does not irritate the tendon). There may also be additional screws needed to assist with the bone fusion.
It will be the most complex of the three surgeries. It will be outpatient at Edward Hospital (rather than a surgical center like the other two) and I will be having general anesthesia (I only had twilight for the others).
The recovery will also be longer and more difficult.
I will be in a half-cast splint lying down with my foot elevated for the first week after the surgery. He told me I will be in quite a bit of pain and will require some high-powered pain meds.
Then I will have the cast taken off and I will be back in the boot cast for 4 weeks using crutches. I can put some weight on the heel of my foot during this time.
After that, I will be able to walk with the boot cast, but will need to wear it for an additional 6 weeks.
So...
I will not be able to carry Ella (or walk the kids to and from school, walk the dog, etc.) for at least FIVE WEEKS after the surgery. This is where it get's tough.
Michael will have to leave later for work in the morning, so that he can get Ella up, dressed, take her to the bathroom and bring her downstairs (he's usually long gone before the kids wake up).
After school is a different story as our kids are done at 2:30 pm and Michael's students aren't dismissed until 3:00 pm (in Elmhurst). Plus Michael tutors a couple days per week and doesn't get home until much later those days.
Ella also has therapies on Thursdays and Fridays after school that are 30-45 minutes away. Since it is my right foot, I will be unable to drive.
My parents are amazing and will be helping out when they can. But they also have things going on in their own lives that will prevent them from helping at certain times.
We are looking into using some emergency nursing hours through our nursing agency to help fill in some gaps, but the nurses need to be on duty for a minimum of 4 hours per shift (realistically we would only need a couple hours at a time), so those extra nursing hours will be used up very quickly.
While this surgery is not an emergency, the orthopedic surgeon said that it should be done sooner rather than later.
I have a busy month at work (church) in October, starting a new curriculum for a program beginning October 20th, that I am now overseeing. I don't think we've mentioned on the blog that we made the difficult decision this past summer for me to resign from assistant teaching at the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, so that I'm only working part-time at our church. Shortly after the school year started, I was asked to increase my responsibilities at our church from only leading Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, to overseeing all youth programs from preschool through 5th grade (which I accepted and am LOVING!).
So we decided that the surgery needs to happen soon, so that I am at least able to be up and on crutches leading up to the new program I am overseeing at church in October.
The surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27th. Ten days from now.
Yikes.
Michael and I have our work cut out for us coming up with a schedule and routine to help the kids (mainly Ella) in the weeks following the surgery.
But I feel bad for Michael having to go through this process for the THIRD time in less than a year...working full time while taking care of the kids, house, dog, etc. while I'm basically sitting around doing nothing (for those of you who know me well, you know that I THRIVE on being busy and do not sit still very well).
So it will be a challenge. We're upset and frustrated that this has worked out the way it has with my foot.
But we'll get through it (we always do), and hopefully when all is said and done, my foot will be (just about) as good as new!!
The injury was at the ball of my right foot, so I was referred to a podiatrist. During the exam, he said he could easily fix that joint by shaving down that part of bone that had grown over when my injury healed years ago.
But I was also told that the main bone in my foot, leading to that joint, was too high and needed to be lowered.
It involved cutting the bone, lowering it, inserting synthetic bone as a bone graft, and finally placing a small plate with screws to hold it all together.
 |
| My initial X-ray taken "BEFORE" the first surgery last fall. |
I was told I would be "good as new" in three to four months.
The recovery was a bit tough...I had to miss two weeks of work and I was in a boot cast for quite a while. We had to pay our babysitter to stay with our kids until Michael got home from school, since I was unable to lift Ella for those first couple weeks after the surgery.
After I was done wearing the boot, I was still in quite a bit of pain.
In mid-winter the podiatrist decided I needed custom orthotics to wear with gym shoes to give my arches added support.
That helped a little.
But I was starting to have pain on the top of my foot where the plate and screws were placed and in my ankle, and a hard bump was forming around where the plate was. Large enough that I had to buy several new pairs of shoes, as my foot would not fit into the ones I currently had.
So in the spring, the podiatrist said that the plate and screws were causing irritation to the main tendon that runs along the top of my foot, and since the bones had all healed from the surgery, I could have another "minor" surgery to have the plate and screws removed.
I decided to wait until school was out, so that I would not have to miss any more work.
When that surgery was performed in June, the podiatrist found that there was a lot of bone growth around the plate and screws (hence the hard bump that had formed), which all had to be scraped away. So the recovery was a bit longer and more intense than we had planned.
In July I went in for my final follow-up appointment with the podiatrist and he said that everything looks great and I can now resume full activity, wear any kind of shoes I'd like (with or without the orthotics), etc.
But I was still in pain.
He told me it would continue to get better in time.
But it didn't.
It was bothering me enough that I was walking with my weight on the outside of my foot since it hurt to put pressure in the middle of my foot. Walking like this was starting to cause knee and back pain, and it was becoming painful to lift and carry Ella.
This was unacceptable.
After talking with several people (including medical professionals), Michael and I decided that I should go see an orthopedic surgeon for a second opinion.
I was able to get in to see one who specializes in feet and ankles, as well as sports medicine.
After I explained to the orthopedic surgeon ALL that had happened in the past year and once he had looked at my (many) X-rays, he told me that this was a very interesting case.
He told me that my foot is now worse off than it was before the initial surgery last fall.
Super.
The part of the surgery that was done on the long bone of my foot (involving the cutting, bone graft and plates/screws) has lengthened that bone and caused a joint to be eliminated, which is causing tremendous (and painful) stress on the joint next to it. The joints in my other four bones are trying to bend in one place, while the joint in my first bone is trying to bend in another.
Below are three "After" x-rays, taken in July 2016, following the plate and screws removal.
 |
| The first "AFTER" x-ray taken in July 2016 |
 |
| The second "AFTER" x-ray taken in July 2016 |
 |
| The third "AFTER" x-ray taken in July 2016 |
Ouch.
So I'm now back in the boot.
And I have to have surgery #3 (which has been confirmed by several other medical professionals).
The orthopedic surgeon will be cutting out a piece of the bone where the joint was eliminated, shortening that bone to its original length (my right foot grew a size and a half since the first surgery...now I know why!), moving the remaining bone closer in to close the gap, fusing it to the bone it meets, and finally inserting a permanent plate with screws (on the side of the bone so that it does not irritate the tendon). There may also be additional screws needed to assist with the bone fusion.
It will be the most complex of the three surgeries. It will be outpatient at Edward Hospital (rather than a surgical center like the other two) and I will be having general anesthesia (I only had twilight for the others).
The recovery will also be longer and more difficult.
I will be in a half-cast splint lying down with my foot elevated for the first week after the surgery. He told me I will be in quite a bit of pain and will require some high-powered pain meds.
Then I will have the cast taken off and I will be back in the boot cast for 4 weeks using crutches. I can put some weight on the heel of my foot during this time.
After that, I will be able to walk with the boot cast, but will need to wear it for an additional 6 weeks.
So...
I will not be able to carry Ella (or walk the kids to and from school, walk the dog, etc.) for at least FIVE WEEKS after the surgery. This is where it get's tough.
Michael will have to leave later for work in the morning, so that he can get Ella up, dressed, take her to the bathroom and bring her downstairs (he's usually long gone before the kids wake up).
After school is a different story as our kids are done at 2:30 pm and Michael's students aren't dismissed until 3:00 pm (in Elmhurst). Plus Michael tutors a couple days per week and doesn't get home until much later those days.
Ella also has therapies on Thursdays and Fridays after school that are 30-45 minutes away. Since it is my right foot, I will be unable to drive.
My parents are amazing and will be helping out when they can. But they also have things going on in their own lives that will prevent them from helping at certain times.
We are looking into using some emergency nursing hours through our nursing agency to help fill in some gaps, but the nurses need to be on duty for a minimum of 4 hours per shift (realistically we would only need a couple hours at a time), so those extra nursing hours will be used up very quickly.
While this surgery is not an emergency, the orthopedic surgeon said that it should be done sooner rather than later.
I have a busy month at work (church) in October, starting a new curriculum for a program beginning October 20th, that I am now overseeing. I don't think we've mentioned on the blog that we made the difficult decision this past summer for me to resign from assistant teaching at the Ann Reid Early Childhood Center, so that I'm only working part-time at our church. Shortly after the school year started, I was asked to increase my responsibilities at our church from only leading Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, to overseeing all youth programs from preschool through 5th grade (which I accepted and am LOVING!).
So we decided that the surgery needs to happen soon, so that I am at least able to be up and on crutches leading up to the new program I am overseeing at church in October.
The surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, September 27th. Ten days from now.
Yikes.
Michael and I have our work cut out for us coming up with a schedule and routine to help the kids (mainly Ella) in the weeks following the surgery.
But I feel bad for Michael having to go through this process for the THIRD time in less than a year...working full time while taking care of the kids, house, dog, etc. while I'm basically sitting around doing nothing (for those of you who know me well, you know that I THRIVE on being busy and do not sit still very well).
So it will be a challenge. We're upset and frustrated that this has worked out the way it has with my foot.
But we'll get through it (we always do), and hopefully when all is said and done, my foot will be (just about) as good as new!!
Our Sasa (by Lindsay)
Many of you know this already from Facebook or word of mouth, but for those of you who haven't heard, we had to say goodbye to our beloved Sasa on August 24th.
We knew she had a heart condition.
We knew the end would be coming within 6 to 12 months (or possibly sooner).
It was sooner.
But luckily it was fast and she didn't suffer for very long.
She was fine until she stopped eating. A couple days later she couldn't keep water down and became extremely lethargic. The vet had told us back in June that these were the signs that would indicate that it might be "time."
We told the kids that afternoon that if she wasn't better in the morning, I would take her to the vet and we had to prepare ourselves that this might be the end for her.
Sasa didn't end up making it through that night. A little after midnight, she lost control of her bowels and had a hard time getting in a comfortable position due to her weakness.
And then she started crying.
Not a typical whimper like we've heard from her before, but a horrible gut-wrenching sound that told us she was extremely uncomfortable.
I called the emergency vet and we decided it was time to bring her in. We had hoped to wait until morning so that the kids could say goodbye, but knew that it wouldn't be fair to Sasa to make her wait several more hours until they awoke.
Luckily we had our night nurse on duty that night to stay with the sleeping kids so that both Michael and I could go to the vet (at 3:00 am). We decided to bring Potter with us so that our nurse wouldn't have to take care of him (he was wide awake with all of the action going on while we were trying to help Sasa).
As soon as we arrived, the vet immediately gave her a sedative to make her comfortable, but still be awake and alert. Then Michael, Potter and I had time alone with her to hug her, kiss her, tell her how much we loved her, and that she has been the most amazing dog we've ever known. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Then the vet came in to give her two injections...the first was a powerful general anesthetic to put her in a very deep sleep so that she would not feel a thing. The second was a very high overdose of a sedative to stop her heart. It happened within a minute. Her loving heart stopped and we watched as she took her last breath.
We then had some more time alone with her before it was time to go.
The vet made an imprint of her paw for us to take with us as a keepsake. We are so grateful for that.
When we were leaving, we had to carry Potter out the doors, as he refused to leave. He didn't want to go home without his companion.
Later that week I made a shadow box containing everything "Sasa" that now hangs in our kitchen. It's a wonderful reminder of our first baby who we loved so dearly.
Then today (Sept. 17th) I had to bring Potter to the vet for an outbreak of hives (he's fine...just an allergic reaction that we can treat with Benadryl), but it was a very interesting appointment. Potter has been to the vet one other time after Sasa died to get his final round of puppy shots, and he was his normal, playful self.
But this time, we ended up in the same exam room where Sasa was put to sleep. While in the waiting room, Potter was his usual active and social self, trying to interact and play with all of the other dogs. But once we entered the "Sasa" exam room, his demeanor immediately changed. He lay down on the floor, softly whimpering. In the past, we have NEVER been able to get him to even sit still while waiting for the vet to come in.
After the exam, when we went back out to the waiting room with all of the other animals, Potter ignored them and lay down outside the "Sasa" exam room door. Dogs are incredibly smart. He remembered and misses his Sasa today.
Just like we all do.
We knew she had a heart condition.
We knew the end would be coming within 6 to 12 months (or possibly sooner).
It was sooner.
But luckily it was fast and she didn't suffer for very long.
She was fine until she stopped eating. A couple days later she couldn't keep water down and became extremely lethargic. The vet had told us back in June that these were the signs that would indicate that it might be "time."
We told the kids that afternoon that if she wasn't better in the morning, I would take her to the vet and we had to prepare ourselves that this might be the end for her.
Sasa didn't end up making it through that night. A little after midnight, she lost control of her bowels and had a hard time getting in a comfortable position due to her weakness.
And then she started crying.
Not a typical whimper like we've heard from her before, but a horrible gut-wrenching sound that told us she was extremely uncomfortable.
I called the emergency vet and we decided it was time to bring her in. We had hoped to wait until morning so that the kids could say goodbye, but knew that it wouldn't be fair to Sasa to make her wait several more hours until they awoke.
Luckily we had our night nurse on duty that night to stay with the sleeping kids so that both Michael and I could go to the vet (at 3:00 am). We decided to bring Potter with us so that our nurse wouldn't have to take care of him (he was wide awake with all of the action going on while we were trying to help Sasa).
As soon as we arrived, the vet immediately gave her a sedative to make her comfortable, but still be awake and alert. Then Michael, Potter and I had time alone with her to hug her, kiss her, tell her how much we loved her, and that she has been the most amazing dog we've ever known. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
Then the vet came in to give her two injections...the first was a powerful general anesthetic to put her in a very deep sleep so that she would not feel a thing. The second was a very high overdose of a sedative to stop her heart. It happened within a minute. Her loving heart stopped and we watched as she took her last breath.
We then had some more time alone with her before it was time to go.
The vet made an imprint of her paw for us to take with us as a keepsake. We are so grateful for that.
When we were leaving, we had to carry Potter out the doors, as he refused to leave. He didn't want to go home without his companion.
 |
| Potter went straight to Sasa's bed when we got home. |
Then today (Sept. 17th) I had to bring Potter to the vet for an outbreak of hives (he's fine...just an allergic reaction that we can treat with Benadryl), but it was a very interesting appointment. Potter has been to the vet one other time after Sasa died to get his final round of puppy shots, and he was his normal, playful self.
But this time, we ended up in the same exam room where Sasa was put to sleep. While in the waiting room, Potter was his usual active and social self, trying to interact and play with all of the other dogs. But once we entered the "Sasa" exam room, his demeanor immediately changed. He lay down on the floor, softly whimpering. In the past, we have NEVER been able to get him to even sit still while waiting for the vet to come in.
After the exam, when we went back out to the waiting room with all of the other animals, Potter ignored them and lay down outside the "Sasa" exam room door. Dogs are incredibly smart. He remembered and misses his Sasa today.
Just like we all do.
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