Back from appointment with Dr. Whitaker

We had a full and good day at Sheree's appointment with Dr. Whitaker in Wichita today. Sheree asked me to post the two x-rays from today, but I am having trouble with the scanned documents. We will keep trying to upload the x-rays in future posts.

Here is the good news:

1. All the bandages from the surgery are now removed and do not need to be replaced. The stitches are on the inside and will not need to be removed either. The incision is healing nicely and does not need any dressing changes.

2. Sheree has been cleared to take a shower. From Sheree's reaction to this, it is a big deal to be able to shower.

3. They were very positive about all the walking that Sheree has done and indicated that this will shorten the recovery time.

4. By the numbers:

Sheree is 2 inches taller than before the surgery. We suspected this when she looked me in the eye when we stood next to each other.

The curviture is stabilized with the lumbar decreased from 55 degrees to 23 degrees and the thoracic decreased from 65 degrees to 50 degrees.

The final titanium count is 31 pins and 2 rods. (How does the name "Titanium Sheree" sound? Kind of catchy, don't you think?)

The length of the incision is 16.5 inches.


The not so good news, but understandable:

1. The treadmill will need to wait. But because of the good weather today, Sheree walked over 3/4 of a mile outside all at one time. Way to go Sheree. Don't know if I will be able to keep up.

2. Driving is not clear yet. Hopefully this will become more clear when we return for her next followup appointment about 3 weeks from now on February 15.

3. The incision is itchy.

So all in all, we are very pleased with the direction things are heading.

As I reflect on Sheree's decision to undergo this surgery, it was certainly a courageous step for her to take since she was not in pain before. But the goal was to partially correct and mainly stabilize her spine so that 20 years from now, she won't say, I wish I had done the surgery sooner. Although there is much work to do for complete recovery, this will seem even better 20 years from now when she will be able to say: I'm glad I did that 20 years ago.

6:00 pm 01-23-2012
Elgin

In for the long haul

This morning I was reminded of a story from my high school years. A friend of mine who was out for track was describing how when you run a medium length race in track like the half mile, that for the first few yards, you sprint to start, but then you settle into the pace at less than a sprint because of how long the race is.

That's where we are at now. We have sprinted for 10 days counting from Sheree's surgery on January 10. Now we need to set the pace for the next 12 weeks for Sheree's recovery. Somewhat philosophical, but it seemed relevant.

We go to see Sheree's surgeon in Wichita on Monday, so we will likely not have any more blog posts till we return from that.

Thanks for all your prayers and support.

11:20 am 01-20-2012
Elgin

It's My Turn!

Today has been a very good day -- walked 1 mile on my "track" inside our home (boring, but I did it), took a 1.5 hr snooze this afternoon, a friend stopped by just to visit, another friend delivered delightfully good stew and muffins, my mom ironed all of Elgin's shirts this morning, etc. The list could go on and on. I'm so grateful for all the prayers, encouraging blog comments, and just general caring that I've been receiving. I'm not sure what I expected to feel after the surgery, but I'm pretty sure I wasn't expecting to feel this good!!!! Thanks for your prayers!

Sheree

Accuracy check

A number of people have been inquiring about how Sheree is "really" doing. Thinking that maybe we are only telling the good parts or maybe sugar coating Sheree's status.

So here are the bad parts:

1. Sheree wears a brace from her waist to her shoulder blades that is not the most comfortable. It is made of a hard plastic like material and she wears it to bed at night. She can take it off to clean up.

2. Full recovery is expected to take from 8 to 12 weeks.

3. She takes pain medication that helps her to be able to remain active and walk. The medication causes her to sleep during the day in addition to night.

4. For now, she is somewhat confined to the house. She hasn't left home since coming home on Sunday.

5. She is not to take a shower or bath until the bandage is removed which hopefully will be Monday when she has an appointment with Dr. Whitaker.

6. There will be a scar the full length of her back.


So from what we were expecting or not knowing what to expect, we are very pleased that Sheree is:

1. Able to walk over a half mile a day.

2. Able to sleep well at night. The last two nights she got up once each night. (That's as good or better than me, if you know what I mean.)

3. Able to have pain under control with medication. Not pain free, but under control. I always knew that she is one tough lady.

4. Able to visit and communicate. Sometimes she has dreams that seem real to her that are not true from the medication. Of course, I have that sometimes too.

We know that the road ahead may seem long in a few weeks from now and that there will be some days when it is less pleasant than hoped for. But for now, Sheree's condition is better than anticipated for a 7.5 hour surgery with approximately 30 screws in her back.

Here is a picture of Sheree walking earlier today.


8:15 pm 01-17-2012
Elgin

Did I mention that we have been blessed with Sheree's health status with being one week ago that she had surgery?

Wow, doing great

As I look at Sheree, I'm amazed at how well she is doing. The highlights include:

1. She has walked 13 laps today so far wih 10 of them all at one time, and it is early afternoon. (29 laps = one mile) I may have to start walking or risk not being able to keep up with her.

2. She is able to get into and out of bed by herself.

3. While the brace is not comfortable, she is adjusting to it very well.

4. She is up and around attending to things as she is able.

5. Overall, she is doing great.

It's hard to believe that a week ago today at this same time, she was in the middle of a 7.5 hour surgery on her back. Of course, we don't know how long full recovery will take for her to be able to be back at work and about daily activities, but this is certainly more than we expected for one week from surgery.

Sheree's parents are here today and tomorrow to help out. It's great to have their help.

1:20 pm 01-17-2012
Elgin

P.S. Did I mention that Sheree is doing great and beyond our expectations?

First morning at home

We went to bed last night at about 10:30 and woke up about 7:45 with only getting up one time during the night. So we both slept well.

Heidi was here till about 12:30 this afternoon helping us get the morning routine down. Still have some bugs to work out, but kind of have an idea of how it will work. (Sheree just came from the bathroom and announced that she went to the bathroom all by herself. So that's a good thing. She felt confident enough to try by herself. Almost sounds like something our kids may have said many years ago.)

Sheree asked me to measure the lap in the house that she will be walking. She is walking now as I am typing. She touches the wall, kind of like basketball players do when they run the lines. For now, 29 laps = one mile. The treadmill is upstaris in the living room and ready to go. She needs to get clearance from Dr. Whitaker before she can use it. Her appointment with Dr. Whitaker is a week from today, January 23. That appointment will be an opportunity to get clearance for a number of things as she recovers.

1:30 pm 01-16-2012
Elgin

P.S. Have I mentioned that we are home? Just wanted to make sure I had not forgotten to say that.

We are home Sunday.

We made it home a little before 6:00 p.m. Heidi is with us tonight and part of tomorrow yet, thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. day. I'm home for most of the next two weeks.

So now it's figuring out how and where to go from here. As we were walking into the house, Sheree apologized for not being able to help carry things in. Somewhat laughable, but that's how Sheree is, always there to help.

We celebrated by getting ice cream at Wendy's on the way home. We stopped in Hillsboro to stretch to make the 1.5 hour trip more bearable.

By the numbers:
Sheree walked 2.25 miles while in the hospital including the first day after surgery.
97 mile trip from Wesley Medical Center to home in Abilene.

Sheree is resting now once she determined which chair is the most comfortable.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers. While being discharged from the hospital is a great first step to recovery, I get the feeling that the real work starts now. I am certain that Sheree is up to it. She was a great worker in the hospital.

8:30 pm 01-15-2012
Elgin