a trauma patient no more

Awhile back, when we visited our orthopedic surgeon, he told Carl that he must see himself as a trauma patient for 6 months. Well, we visited Dr. Essis again yesterday and because next week it will be 6 months since the accident happened, Carl asked him how he should see himself now. The doctor's response was, "Just see yourself as a guy who injured his legs." In other words, the bones are completely healed (yeah!!) and even though Carl's legs get incredibly tired from walking, there is nothing he could do in his daily routine that would damage the bone structure.

At this point Carl goes to the New Holland Rec Center three mornings a week before he heads in to work. He does some of the same type exercises that he did in rehab and then swims in the pool to strengthen his legs. Time will be his best friend, as he slowly gains strength and muscle tone.

As for the right knee, there has actually been a bit more bend in these past 6 weeks since he has been allowed to bear weight on his legs. The doctor does not want to do a manipulation surgery as long as there is even a slight improvement in that area. So we will give it three more months before we go back to the surgeon to see what he thinks.

Our prayer is that with hard work and perseverance, Carl will be able to get 90 degrees of bend in that knee. Would you ask the Lord specifically for that every time you pray for him? 90 degrees (that's when you're sitting on a chair and your knee bends so that your foot rests directly on the floor) is considered functional and would allow him to go up and down stairs more easily, what a blessing that would be!

We have witnessed God's gracious answers to prayer in Jonas Beiler's life this past week, and we know that He is continuing the healing in Carl's life as well. God is good!

my escort

Yesterday Carl was back at his "post" at church as one of the ushers for our Sunday morning service. I was honored to have him escort me to my seat! He continues to push forward, working toward as much normalcy as possible.


Nights have been a bit challenging lately. Although he rarely talks about the nerve pain in his foot during the day, Carl sometimes cries out in his sleep. I guess it is a subconscious reaction to the discomfort or maybe it is a side effect of the medication. He tells me in the morning that he doesn't remember it and says he sleeps fairly well, but it is often very unsettling to me: I have trouble going back to sleep, especially if it happens numerous times.


Lyrica doesn't appear to be as effective yet as we had hoped, but we will try a higher dosage this next week.

Jonas Beiler

My brother-in-law Jonas (Carl's sister Anne's husband) went for an outpatient colonoscopy yesterday. During the routine procedure, the doctor's scope became caught, ripping a 3-inch tear in the wall of his bowel. It was a serious emergency and Jonas was transported to Lancaster General Hospital for immediate surgery.

If you are interested, you can find out more information on their web log at www.jonasbeiler.blogspot.com. I know how much it means to have people praying at this time. There is a lot going on: the shock and overwhelming emotion they are experiencing is very real.

Carl and I, along with other family members and friends went in to the hospital to be with Anne and their girls during Jonas' surgery. Walking down the corrider, there was a distinct sense of "de ja vu," with the familiar smells and sounds of the hospital, only this time we were thankful to be on the giving end instead of the receiving end.

My heart goes out to the family tonight, I can't stop thinking about them-- but I also have a deep confidence that God will prove Himself faithful, as He always does.

Lyrica

After several appeals to our insurance company, we finally were approved to try a new drug called Lyrica, which was originally designed to treat the burning, stabbing, shooting symptoms of nerve pain caused by diabetes or shingles. Of course, Carl's nerve pain is a result of loss of blood after the accident and damaged/severed nerves in his foot, but based on the research I have done on the Internet, it sure sounds like this drug might help his symptoms as well.

Apparently Lyrica reduces the number of "extra" electrical signals that are sent out from damaged nerves in the body. By calming the extra electrical signals in the nerves, it helps the patient become more comfortable. We are hoping that negative side effects (drowziness, blurry vision, weight gain, trouble concentrating) will be minimal or maybe nonexistant!

It will take some weeks to see if this new drug is effective.

successful surgery

Surgery was successful. Thankfully, today's procedure at the hospital felt like just that--a procedure, not the type of surgery that Carl has had to endure in the past. He was given a local anesthetic in the neck area and some meds to relax him, but he was awake throughout the short surgery. When I came back to the recovery room, he was alert, eating a sandwich and ready to come home! He will be sore for a bit--he said his chest feels tight and he has a harder time to swallow, but that's because something foreign was in his stomach and his insides are complaining about it!

Carl asked his nurse if he could keep the filter (I guess as a souvenier!) but hospital policy doesn't allow it.

Outpatient Surgery scheduled

During Carl's initial surgery, the doctors inserted an IVC filter, which is a specially shaped mesh made of very thin wires. It helps prevent any blood clots in the legs from going up into the lungs or heart. Since Carl is no longer at risk for a blood clot, the doctors plan to remove the filter tomorrow in an outpatient surgery at Lancaster General Hospital. It should be a relatively minor procedure.

Interestingly, the filter was inserted through the groin area and will be removed through the blood vessels in the neck. So they are sort of pulling this mechanism from bottom to top, through a vein! Amazing what they can do in the medical world.

2009

In January of 2008 I wrote this quote by Joni Eareckson Tada in my journal: "Faith isn't the ability to believe long and far into the misty future. It's simply taking God at His word and taking the next step."

This January I feel more fragile, more broken, more prone to anxious thoughts than when I wrote those words one year ago. If I was comparing to what I was like in the past, I would quickly admit that I have gone backward in my confidence level. I think Carl would say he feels the same way.

One thing we do know: It is in our greatest weakness that we reach deep for an inner strength, something that is much bigger than ourselves. Our faith reassures us that when we call on God, He bends down His ear to listen as a Father bends down to listen to His little child. And just because I can not always FEEL Him, does not for one second mean He is not there.

Yesterday we went to a great little store on Fruitville Pike called Foot Solutions. They specialize in custom-fitting people with shoes that will meet their individual needs. Carl's right foot is swollen and very sensitive so he has to wear a different shoe size---we were not looking forward to buying two pairs of shoes for every pair he needed! The folks there were so helpful and spent nearly two hours with us to figure out what will work for Carl.

When we left the store, Carl said, "Someday I WILL walk out on to the street and no one will be able to tell that I was hurt."

Here we come, 2009!