Changing of the Guard and Slow Improvements

I am back at work during the day and at home at night with Hannah for the next few days. Heather's sister, Heidi, came down from Jackson, WY again over the weekend (went home this afternoon) and her other sister, Holly, flew out from Washington D.C. last night to spend a few days with Heather while I am down here in Utah County. Heather's parents are also back up at the hospital today. As you can tell, Heather is well loved and taken care of.

Heather had another wound dressing change today. The report is that her wounds continue to heal, but very slowly (slower than the doctors would expect). Though we would all like to see her heal faster, we'll take any progress we can get. They have been somewhat concerned about her left hip over the past several days because it has shown signs of cellulitis.

Wikipedia definition of Cellulitis: an infection of the deep subcutaneous tissue of the skin. Cellulitis can be caused by normal skin flora or by exogenous bacteria, and often occurs where the skin has previously been broken: cracks in the skin, cuts, blisters, burns, insect bites, surgical wounds, or sites of intravenous catheter insertion. Skin on the face or lower legs is most commonly affected by this infection, though cellulitis can occur on any part of the body. The mainstay of therapy remains treatment with appropriate antibiotics.

Yesterday when the doctor looked at it, he thought it was looking better than it had on previous days. They are giving her a strong antibiotic and watching it closely. I would sure like to see her leg situation more resolved. They are currently thinking of taking her to the OR again on Thursday for homografts, but it will depend on how the tissue looks at that point.

Heather has been working hard to build her strength. Today she was able to sit up straight (without leaning back against the bed) for quite a while. She hasn't done that in a couple of weeks. She also has more range of motion in her arms, which is exciting to see. It also affords her ever-increasing independence.