The Infection's Back

Frank's infection has returned and it's "Bigger than Ever!"

This morning the site swelled back up. I took him to the local clinic. I cleaned the wound and opened it back up. The Lab Tech delicately took a small sample while saying "we don't do this, the doctor does"; then refused to give me any more cotton swabs for me to finish cleaning the site, saying and "we don't have any Q-Tips!" Let's just hope this sample gets properly cultured so we know what we're dealing with!

Frank is going back on the same oral antibiotic that we used three weeks ago. I insisted on only a six day course though because in five we should have results from the culture, at which point he'll likely change medicines.

I told the doctor my expectation was "that Frank would have a PICC Line in next week and ... surgery before Christmas." The Doctor said this was a realistic expectation and time-line.

Here's my question for you... do I go back to the original surgeons, and "my home" in Phoenix for this surgery or do I find and use a new doctor closer to home (in Salt Lake City)?

Either way the doctor in SLC would have to do the follow-up, post-operative care.

I have support (family & friends) in both cities.

I trust the Phoenix doctor's implicitly.

Frank's Dad is closer to SLC.

Frank could return to his own home and bed and toys sooner here in SLC.

In Phoenix, Jack would be closer to me.

In SLC, Jack would be in Wyoming. I have only been away from Jack twice at night (he's almost four). Jack has never been in day-care or pre-school.

Jack doesn't "need" me much, but I have a HARD time being seperated from him (or Frank).

The surgeon doing follow-up care understands the case better if he also performed the surgery.

I'm having a very hard time separating emotion from this. What would you do?

Bent Wires

Last week we discovered that the sample collected from Frank's wound had been lost. Since then, we cleaned out the wound through Saturday, but then it was looking better and better... just a wound with a scab healing. Today, it's a little red and swollen... I'll keep a close eye on it. If it is reinfected, I'll trot Frank over for a collection at our local Medical Center (where an order is waiting on file.)

After looking at the CaT Scan again last week (with a second doctor) we noted that one of the stainless steel wires (on the left) looks to be encased in bone... which was the original plan. The other wire, looks like it has untwisted and is still above the bone. It actually looks (to me) like a staple that has been pulled out of a piece of paper... you know, how one side of the staple is raised up a little. That's kind of what it looks like is going on with Frank's "hardware". Knowing this, that a piece of metal rubbing on tissue is (of course) going to irritate the area, I understand that the only solution will be to remove that piece of the wire.

It was also interesting to learn that "hardware" can infect DECADES after a surgery, and that after removing it, the area usually heals quickly and without incident.

All-in-all, healed or more procedures being needed, I am SO MUCH calmer about it all. I know there's little I could have done to prevent this and that whatever is going on is treatable.

Sending Out an Invitation

Jack has been practicing every week for two months to be in a Nutcracker Performance. Now, he's practicing a few times a week. The ballet will have five performances, plus the two dress rehearsals. I thought I'd mention them now, in case you might like to come and see him.

Performances:

Wednesday 3 December 2008
Friday 5 December 2008
Saturday 6 December 2008
Friday 12 December 2008
Saturday 13 December 2008

Dress Rehearsals:

Monday 1 December 2008
Tuesday 2 December 2008

So. If you'd like to watch Jack as a Soldier in the Nutcracker, in his On-Stage Debut, please mark your calendars now!

Also, let me know so I can find out about getting you tickets. :D

Emotional Words

So. An interesting thing about the written word is that you have to express emotion through it, without the use of volume and animation and tone. You could just say "I feel ____." but I think writing is so much more powerful if you can help the reader to FEEL what you FEEL. I don't know if I can do this today, but I'll give it a shot.

Monday I was suppose to hear back from the Doctor in Salt Lake City about Frank's cultures. I didn't. I called them. There were no results in the computer. Tuesday I never heard from them and forgot to call myself. Yesterday, there were still no results in the computer, so I had to ask if we could contact the lab to check on the status. I was given a phone number. I spoke to a very helpful Microbiology Lab Tech, Andrew. He could see Frank's name in the computer, and NO RECORD of an Lab Work. Andrew offered to call the ENT Clinic and called me back.

"I don't have very good news" Andrew said. The doctor remembers collecting the sample. The nurses remember taking it down. And then nothing. Nada. So, it's been lost (physically or by misspelling in the computer) or damaged. No matter what, we probably won't recover that information.

Frank's wound looked and felt better on Sunday and Monday, but Tuesday, it started looking and feeling worse again. Presently, there is no infection coming out... which is a good thing for healing, but a bad one for answering questions.

The nurse and doctor never thought to follow up or bothered to call me without my first contacting them and pushing the issue. The doctors (WY ENT and SLC ENT) were both very kind to speak with me on the phone (or in person) yesterday, but I had to make the calls and leave messages including the phrase "please have the doctor call without me having to BADGER them!"

Both doctors thought we could "empirically" put Frank back on antibiotics. Then they switched and said I had a good idea to wait for any more infection to turn up. So. That's what we'll do. Keep cleaning the wound regularly and IF more infection starts to come out, I'll take him right over to our local clinic's lab, where an order is waiting to collect a sample and test it.

We're six weeks into this and still don't have any conclusive answers on what's going on. We'll probably never know what exactly caused all this.

How would you react?

I spent seven hours yesterday with a passionately raised voice and or crying.

I feel so frustrated, worn out, worried, and just spent.

Today we're "logging out and powering off" (computer and phone). I'm going to spend the day with the boys, cuddling, reading, watching movies, and playing. No school or errands or "have-to's". We're going to play "hookie" and Ditch Life today.

Sleepy Bonehead

I ask Jack if Daddy was up yet and he said "No."

I ask "Is he a Sleepy Head; a Lazy Bones?" to which Jack said "He's a Sleepy Bonehead!"


I thought it was a funny mix-up. :D

Waste Not, Want Not

Tom has a snaggle tooth.

Ever since I met him, he takes scraps of paper and folds them to a point, or grabs a business card and swipes it between his snaggle tooth and other teeth. He does this after he eats - every time.

In his whole life (46 years), Tom has had four TOTAL cavities and fillings, all of them minor. While we were in California we went to the dentist for our teeth cleanings. Tom had something like EIGHT new cavities... including one in his snaggle tooth. Since the Tortuous-Two-Dentist-Four-Hour-Filling on his precious (he got it when his lower jaw was broken at a bar on his 21st birthday - ah... the memories!) snaggle tooth, no paper will fit in between the teeth. He now needs to use dental floss.

After dinner tonight. Tom ask Jack to go get him some floss... Jack looked like a deer in the headlights, because he didn't know what or where the floss was. Fast as a Flash, Frank ran upstairs and returned with a little piece of floss for Tom... a VERY little piece.


From across the room, I guessed it was 7 or 6 inches, Tom said 5. I measured. I was right. It was 6 5/8".

I LOVE it when I can quantify how right I am!!!

As Tom said "Waste not, want not."

And if you're wondering, 6 5/8" of dental floss was JUST enough for Tom to wrap around his fingers and swipe through the snaggle tooth. :D

Cleaning Improvements

I've been cleaning Frank's wound twice a day (three times just hasn't been happening).

Yesterday morning, we had a hard little piece of infection come out, then last night it started to "look different". This morning it looks very different... and MUCH BETTER! The red-pink area is smaller. There is no swelling. And when I soaked the scab off, there was just a small dark red indention, not an open "hole" with pus coming out. It looked like when a scab gets pulled off, just a dot of skin healing. Also, the past several days, when the scab came off, and I'd put a dot of peroxide on, Frank would scream because it hurt. Today, he didn't move. I ask if he could feel it and he said "No!"

I'm remembering that my Grandad use to tell me about a wound he had that a nurse would soak off his scab daily, to avoid scarring. The specialist in Salt Lake City mentioned that Frank would have a scar from this wound. I wonder... if I keep soaking it with peroxide, then putting the prescription antibiotic ointment on it... what are the chances of reducing the potential scar on his face? What about a homeopathic approach and Lavender Essential Oil? Would putting that on instead of the prescription ointment prevent scaring?

I'm so glad that I feel like all I have to worry about is the scar and not surgery or other problems. It just looks THAT MUCH better!!!

Yeah!