What We've Scheduled

We’ve had a very long day of travels and lots of talking with medical personnel.

Frank will be having surgery on Friday, at 1:15pm. He was scheduled for 10:15, but we would have had to leave in the middle of the night or spent Christmas Night in a hotel, so, the Surgery Scheduler Rescheduled two other children to go in earlier. This is good for us, since we’ll be able to leave at 7am on Friday to go over.

During the removal of the wire and infected tissues (soft and or bone) a PICC line will also be put in. Because of the PICC line, Frank will need to spend (most likely just) one night in the hospital.

We already have a reservation for a nearby hotel, which Tom and Jack will stay at.

I’d thought we could care for Jack while Frank had his surgery, today I wondered more about that, but, since we don’t have many other options, I guess we’ll have to make it work. I will appreciate having Jack nearby, he’s just so crazy and wild and I get so stressed out with all the things I’m thinking of and trying to remember to ask. I know it’s not in Jack’s nature to just sit and be still, but at times like this, it would be nice if he could.

We’re driving home on roads covered in blowing snow with occasional ice. Tom was able to barter with his boss (he traded a vacation day to spend today doing “phone fixes” and physically take care of his calls tomorrow). I’ve been very glad to have Tom driving today!

The Infectious Disease doctor and his Physician’s Assistant and Nurse… I liked all of them. A lot. Even though we were there two hours, they were helpful and appreciative of my research (especially a set of 12 photos I’d made (and given to three other doctors) showing how Frank’s infection progresses).

What else… oh yeah, the PICC line. It will probably be in for six weeks… likely followed by another month of oral antibiotics. Frank will have to stop Hockey during this time, as well as no baths or swimming. Just quick, protected showers, and he CAN ice skate, but no contact. The line will be in his arm, and he’ll just have to be careful. If we REALLY want to, and things are going well, we could travel, but I’d have to keep Frank’s antibiotics refrigerated.

Frank is missing his Arizona family and wondering why they won’t be here while he’s having surgery. We’ll have to look forward and plan a trip (I was thinking February, but now, maybe March). We should be able to wait for the PICC to come out, and still catch part of Ren Faire and Spring Time in the Desert – which we love!)

I know I’m rambling, but I am very tired. the ID Dr confirmed that of the three Infection Samples, we haven’t had a good one yet. I have some names of the likely infection and new medicine. We’ll be stopping his antibiotic and actually HOPING for the infection to swell back up… to help the doctor identify all the area that need to be removed and also to help with testing for just WHAT this is… which will guide future antibiotic courses.

So, I’ll get you the technical names a bit later. For now, you know what’s going on and that surgery is planned for Friday.