Post Surgery

Wow, being at the hospital for Jake's surgery was a day of flashbacks and memories. We've been to the hospital MANY times since he was initially discharged, but hadn't been back to the surgery center or on the 6th floor where Jake spent his summer three years ago.

Sitting with him in the pre-op area was so different from when we were there to get his bone flap put back in place. In August 2013, the surgery was one of the last steps needed to go home, so while we were nervous, we were also excited as it represented a huge step in his recovery. This time having his foot operated on is the beginning of a long healing process. His feelings about being there were noticeably different too. He was much more nervous, very bummed about having the surgery and what the recovery will entail.

After surgery when he was moved up to a room for the night, we ended up being just two doors down from where he spent over two months in rehab. Just walking down that hall and going into the hospital room brought back a flood of memories. We must have walked up and down that hall hundreds of times coming in and out of the hospital, going to and from the rehab gym...it was just so surreal to be back. That was such a crazy time. We were hoping to see some of our favorite nurses, but none were working the day-and-a-half he was there. We did however get a very nice surprise visit from his impatient OT Ellen who we loved. She stopped by while he was in surgery and again in the afternoon to Jake. It's hard to believe almost three years have passed since he was discharged from the hospital.

The way Jake handles things never ceases to amaze me. He had three procedures resulting in five incisions on his foot/leg. One of them involved cutting bone from his heel and moving it a full centimeter then reattaching it with a metal plate and screws. That should cause a significant amount of pain. We gave him Tylenol and Ibuprofen every six hours for the few days, but didn't wake him up at night to take it. By Thursday, he only had a few doses and this weekend, he only mentioned he was in pain once, and that was because his calf is tight.

While he's been primarily confined to the couch, he has hardly complained at all. And in typical Jake fashion, he is wanting to do things for himself. We have a knee scooter for him to get around on since he can't put any weight on the left foot for three weeks. I generally help him get off the couch and onto the scooter, but looked down in the family room a few days ago and saw him coming back from the bathroom by himself on the scooter. While I appreciate his determination, he really shouldn't be doing that alone. :-) We've been taking walks at night in his wheelchair to get him out of the house, and we're planning to get out and about a little more this week. Luke has been a very supportive brother playing a lot of games and just generally keeping him company. They have also watched a ton of movies, which with as hot as it's been has been a nice diversion for him too.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and check-in's.

Upcoming Surgery

It's crazy how fast this summer is going by. We had so many plans of things to do before Jake has his surgery on July 11th, and now we only have one week left. We did manage to have some fun this weekend with putt-putt and a great bike ride around Aurora Reservoir. We're already making plans for things he can do in his wheelchair after surgery so he can get out of the house.

With surgery just a week away, I think the reality is really setting in with Jake. He was asking a lot of questions at dinner tonight, the big one "Why don't I have a choice?" That's a tough one to answer. As we explained to him, for most everyone surgery is not a choice. Something in their body isn't working the way it's supposed to, and there generally aren't any other options. We don't really want to do this either but if the surgery will help get his foot flatter and make walking easier, it will be good in the long run and a tough decision we have to make. 

He is having three different procedures: A tendon transfer, which will split the tendon that runs along the instep and move part of it to the outside of the foot (this is due the tightness in his foot that causes it to rotate in). His heel cord is too tight so they are going to release it. And finally a heel slide where they cut his heel bone and move it over so his foot gets in better alignment. 

Post surgery, he'll spend six weeks in a cast, with three being non-weight bearing. That's going to be interesting since we live in a multi-level house with a lot of stairs. :-) He's supposed to be able to walk on it after three weeks, so we'll see how it goes. 

Right now our focus is staying positive about how much this should help and trying to keep him from being too nervous. Would greatly appreciate some extra prayers for a successful surgery.