Wow! He can jump...a little

Last ten days have been so busy. First and most important, Andrew is done with the wound vac. It was an amazing moment. The nurse with wonund team was also the nurse who was with him in surgery the first day. We reflected on his journey. It is amazing. Andrew feel so free not to have the machine to pack around. The skin graft in the front is good enough that I stopped putting a dressing on it. The back wound is coming along. Andrew's continues to gain strength. Andrew went with his friends to the arcade. He even bowled. It is a concern whenever he goes out. People don't realize that he is still recovering even though he looks so good. One of the neighborhood boys slapped him on the back. I cringed when he told me. We can't keep him in a bubble, can we? Andrew goes to his weekly church activities. He played racket ball. It is the one night of the week that he can do things that the doctor probably woundn't approved of. The most difficult thing for Andrew right now is the nerve pain. He has had it from the start. Nights are the worst. We are not sleeping much. We have an apt. with the pain clinic in March. Hopefully, they will have some ideas about his pain. The pain is coming from the spine where he lost several transverse processes. It radiates up and down his leg and is excruciating. Not fun! Andrew is back to his starting weight. He has also gained a lot of muscle in his upper body. Two more steps forward. Yesterday, Andrew ran four steps. Then he showed me how high he can jump. Not very high but, impressive nonetheless! At PT he is lifting 60 pds with his legs instead of 20. Then they put him on the treadmill and turned it on to a pretty fast pace. I had to turn my head because it made me nervous to watch. But he continues to move forward. We stopped at the school to look into putting him into a couple of classes the last term. We are so grateful that we are to this point. Sometimes Andrew wonders about the future. I remind him that nothing is guaranteed in this life. If you work hard and have faith, the sky is the limit. He really enjoyed seeing Svindall from the Olympics. It you don't know, Svindall came back from a serious trauma (ski crash) and took the gold medal in the downhill. People with this kind of courage are very special and inspirational! Keeping up hope is so important in a recovery. When we feel discouraged we think about how far we have come. We also know that we can and will conquer this!

Skin Graft is 50% Success

Andrew had a rough week. The skin graft didn't work as well as we would have liked. The graft slid out of place so they think that the surgery may be 50% successful. The doctor slid it back in place but only time will tell. It is a difficult road to be home all the time. You miss your friends and activities that you used to do. Andrew commented that he cannot wait to be able to run once again. The impact of the situation hits at different times for Andrew. It is not easy. Sometimes we all wonder if we are truly up to the challenges that have been placed before us. It is reassuring, however, to observe God's hand helping Andrew one step at a time. I am amazed at Andrew's strength to endure the multiple procedures that he must go through. Before his last surgery, he was calm and confident. I wasn't feeling that confident. I had to give him a big hug before they took him back. We have invested so much into this kid! We have all worked so hard to help him move forward. God's plan for Andrew unfolds a little each day. Andrew receives extra comfort and strength as needed. The other night as I was flushing his pic line, Andrew asked how come my hand was shaking so much. I had to remind him that I am not "nurse material". Last night when his line had an obstruction, I ended up calling the nurse. She had me flush a little saline and then pull back to see if blood would come in the syringe. This way we would know that it wasn't the pic line. It really grossed me out but I did it! The medical stuff is the hardest for me. Each week we really enjoy the home seminary teacher who comes to teach Andrew. Each week as they discuss the scriptures, there is a sweet spirit that attends them. This has been a humbling experience for the whole family. We try to work together. We try to be grateful. We try not to complain. We try to see our goal of a healthy, active Andrew.

Making Progress

Today was a long day. Andrew had surgery. They took skin from his thigh to graft on front and back of his abdomen. We arrived at 2:00 and didn't leave until after 8:00. The surgeon said things looked great. This is one more step in moving foward toward recovery. Andrew will have to take it easy this week. On friday, he may lose his wound vac. That will be great for him. The harvest sight looked really sore. He took a long time to wake up. But he is doing great. Andrew started computer school last week. He says that it is harder than real school. My new role is teacher added to that of nurse. I try to be mom with the time that I have left. Oh well, you have to work with what you've got! We work hard to help Andrew stay positive about life. We took him for a ride to Antelope Island on saturday. We saw a coyote, porcupine, great horned owls and a herd of antelope. You have to be creative to keep a super-active person happy when they are sitting on the bench in the game of life. Andrew has never been one to sit and play computer games. He is all about movement!! The other day before he would touch his school work, I had to take him for a ride. Cabin fever is a constant threat. Andrew had to write an essay for school. He chose to write about the accident. It was interesting to read his perspective. He never feared for his life but was worried that he wouldn't walk. We have a lot to ponder. Why was Andrew spared? I have always noticed that Andrew has a kind soul. We were at physical therapy the other day. When it was over, Andrew held the door for an elderly patient who was on oxygen and just arriving. I had walked past him with my mind on other things. Andrew was undoubtedly exhausted from the workout. But he stopped for a moment to help another human being. It made me remember one day when he was around two years old. I had finished a snack and held the plate in my hand. Before I had a chance to take it to the sink, Andrew took it from me and set it in the kitchen. I called him my "little gentleman".