Heather is no longer attached to any machines or tubes! They took her wound vac off today! She now just has a dressing that covers her abdominal wound. It is a big step, indicating that she is healing really well.
The only thing still attached to her is a pic line (peripherally inserted central catheter, which is a form of IV line. They rarely use it, but it allows her to receive medications directly into her vein. They just screw syringes onto these short [about two inches long] tubes that go into her vein.).
She ran a bit of a fever last night, but seems to be doing better today. All in all she is still doing quite well.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The 17th is the Date!
It's official! Barring some major, surprise downturn or mishap (which, based on our experiences thus far, we are not ruling out completely or taking lightly), Heather will be home on December 17th. She continues to do really well. They continue to work with her extensively in physical and occupational therapy (Today she will be baking something in their kitchen.). It is clear that she has a long way to go to build her strength back up, but we are very excited about her going home.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Lots of Walking
Heather has been working hard in physical and occupational therapy. They had her down in their therapy area doing laps around the room. She was quite stiff last night after her workout, but in a good way. The occupational therapist worked with her on learning how to bathe and do other household tasks, in preparation for going home. She will definitely have to take it easy for quite a while, but she is getting stronger daily.
They decided not to take the wound vac off just yet. She will have it on at least for a few more days. I'm still not sure whether they will suture/staple the wound or just let it heal on its own. We'll see.
They decided not to take the wound vac off just yet. She will have it on at least for a few more days. I'm still not sure whether they will suture/staple the wound or just let it heal on its own. We'll see.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Good News Continues
Heather continues to do really well. I'm amazed at how well she has done these past couple of days. She is so much stronger than she was even last week. She gets up and walks a couple of times per day. As mentioned in the last post, she has to get up to go to the bathroom now too. She still gets tired really easily, but has much more mobility and independence.
When they changed the dressing on her abominal wound yesterday, they said it looks so good that they will probably take the wound vac off tomorrow (Yay! The last tube will be gone!). They said that they will probably need to take her to a doctor that can either staple or stitch up the remaining wound. It is really healing quickly. Her other wounds are doing well too. Her back continues to be sensitive and painful, but it is healing. Her legs and the grafts are doing great! The cellulitis on her hips seems to be going away too. Heather's friend, Michelle, has come in several days in a row to put essential oils on her hips. This seems to have been quite effective.
When they changed the dressing on her abominal wound yesterday, they said it looks so good that they will probably take the wound vac off tomorrow (Yay! The last tube will be gone!). They said that they will probably need to take her to a doctor that can either staple or stitch up the remaining wound. It is really healing quickly. Her other wounds are doing well too. Her back continues to be sensitive and painful, but it is healing. Her legs and the grafts are doing great! The cellulitis on her hips seems to be going away too. Heather's friend, Michelle, has come in several days in a row to put essential oils on her hips. This seems to have been quite effective.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Better Every Day
Though she had a some trouble with nausea last night and ended up throwing up in her bed, Heather is doing quite well today. She has taken a shower two days in a row, which is really nice for her. She looks great and seems healthier and stronger every day. Though her back is still painful, it seems to be calming down. She has been walking more each day (with the help of a walker). She seems more like herself to me. They have begun talking about her discharge. They are tentatively aiming for December 17th, but she may be able to leave sooner. Heather is excited about this, but also quite nervous. She still feels weak and vulnerable, and it is scary to think about not having all the support she currently enjoys.
One more thing. Heather got her catheter out today. It is wonderful to see one more tube go. I think they take it out so that Heather has to get out of bed a couple of times per day.
One more thing. Heather got her catheter out today. It is wonderful to see one more tube go. I think they take it out so that Heather has to get out of bed a couple of times per day.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Exercise
Yesterday the physical therapists took Heather down to their rather extensive gym and gave Heather a work out and a half. They had her walk using parallel bars as supports. They had her walk 15-20 feet using a walker. She did all kinds of leg and arm exercises and spent time on a bicycle-like machine that required her to "pedal" with her arms. She says that she is quite stiff this morning, but she is ready for more today. They were able to transport her to and from the "gym" seated in a wheelchair, which they have not done up to this point. When they brought her back to her room they let her stay in her wheelchair for a while. She enjoyed being able to wheel around the room and explore the relative independence the wheelchair provided.
Her back continues to bother her because it tends to stick to whatever it contacts. It is hard to get it to heal when there is constantly pressure on it. Her other wounds continue to do well. She says that the leg pain she has comes from using the muscles she hasn't used in so long. The leg pain is, not surprisingly, worst where they had to remove tissue down to the muscle.
Her back continues to bother her because it tends to stick to whatever it contacts. It is hard to get it to heal when there is constantly pressure on it. Her other wounds continue to do well. She says that the leg pain she has comes from using the muscles she hasn't used in so long. The leg pain is, not surprisingly, worst where they had to remove tissue down to the muscle.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Appointment Results
Sorry I didn't post yesterday. It was a busy day, and I didn't have my laptop with me. Heather had her first appointment back up at the UofU Burn Unit since she was discharged from the Burn Unit ICU. They loaded her on a stretcher and put her in a van designed for transporting medical patients to get her up to the UofU. I rode in the back with her. We left the Utah Valley Specialty Hospital at about 11:30am and didn't get back until after 4:30pm, so it was a long day of traveling for Heather.
The Burn Unit at the UofU Hospital has an outpatient clinic in which we were seen. They took down all of Heather's wound dressings. They were very pleased with how everything is healing. They said the grafts look great, and that they no longer require the extensive dressings she has had thus far. They gave her a fancy pair of spandex-like pants that she will wear for the next several months (She will have multiple pairs so that she can change them daily.). These pants put pressure on the grafts to keep the scars soft, smooth, and flat. She may still require some wound dressings on a few isolated spots on her legs, but other than that they just recommended the pants and lotion. They said she is ready for full range of motion in her legs. They spent considerable time rubbing off scabs (mostly where two pieces of grafted skin come together). They got a lot off and said the skin under the scabs looks great and healthy. They also found 4 or 5 staples that were left from when the grafts were initially put on. Heather was thrilled to have those pulled out.
They said her back looks really good and shouldn't require much dressing other than lotion and a soft t-shirt. This turned out to be a bit premature. Heather wore just a t-shirt last night, and her back oozed and stuck to it. This meant that when we pulled it off this morning it ripped the skin off a bit and reopened sores. She is very frustrated with her back and the pain it causes her. They were redressing the sore spots on her back when I left her this morning. It is close to being healed, but not close enough for either of us.
They said that her abdominal wound seems to be healing very well. She will continue to wear the wound vac for a week or two yet. The wound should close up on its own. It is truly amazing to see a wound that was over a foot long, over four inches wide, and over three inches deep just close up. It is now about a foot long, one to two inches wide at its widest, and about 1/4 of an inch deep.
Heather was exhausted after all her adventures yesterday. Through all that process she stood up four times (She also stood up with physical therapy right before she left.), took several steps (with significant help), and had all of her wounds worked over. She was emotionally spent too, as you can imagine. I think she is most frustrated that her back continues to hurt her so much.
I am finding that having Heather here in Utah County is more of a difficult balancing act than when she was in Salt Lake. It is harder to keep perspective and sane when I am working, seeing Heather multiple times per day, trying to maintain a relationship with Hannah, etc. It was easier when I could focus on work and Hannah for half of the week and on the hospital and Heather for the other half of the week. I look forward to the day when Heather can go home with great anticipation. My family has been a fantastic support to me. My sister, Tiauna, continues to be the primary care-taker for Hannah. Hannah and I have spent many nights at my parents home in Orem. This works out well because I can visit Heather right after work, take Hannah to my parents' home at around 6:00, put her to bed at 7:30, and then return to the hospital to be with Heather until it is time to go to bed. Hannah and I randomly head home and spend nights there too, but it is nice to have the option of using my parents' home and to have the support of family to help take care of Hannah.
The Burn Unit at the UofU Hospital has an outpatient clinic in which we were seen. They took down all of Heather's wound dressings. They were very pleased with how everything is healing. They said the grafts look great, and that they no longer require the extensive dressings she has had thus far. They gave her a fancy pair of spandex-like pants that she will wear for the next several months (She will have multiple pairs so that she can change them daily.). These pants put pressure on the grafts to keep the scars soft, smooth, and flat. She may still require some wound dressings on a few isolated spots on her legs, but other than that they just recommended the pants and lotion. They said she is ready for full range of motion in her legs. They spent considerable time rubbing off scabs (mostly where two pieces of grafted skin come together). They got a lot off and said the skin under the scabs looks great and healthy. They also found 4 or 5 staples that were left from when the grafts were initially put on. Heather was thrilled to have those pulled out.
They said her back looks really good and shouldn't require much dressing other than lotion and a soft t-shirt. This turned out to be a bit premature. Heather wore just a t-shirt last night, and her back oozed and stuck to it. This meant that when we pulled it off this morning it ripped the skin off a bit and reopened sores. She is very frustrated with her back and the pain it causes her. They were redressing the sore spots on her back when I left her this morning. It is close to being healed, but not close enough for either of us.
They said that her abdominal wound seems to be healing very well. She will continue to wear the wound vac for a week or two yet. The wound should close up on its own. It is truly amazing to see a wound that was over a foot long, over four inches wide, and over three inches deep just close up. It is now about a foot long, one to two inches wide at its widest, and about 1/4 of an inch deep.
Heather was exhausted after all her adventures yesterday. Through all that process she stood up four times (She also stood up with physical therapy right before she left.), took several steps (with significant help), and had all of her wounds worked over. She was emotionally spent too, as you can imagine. I think she is most frustrated that her back continues to hurt her so much.
I am finding that having Heather here in Utah County is more of a difficult balancing act than when she was in Salt Lake. It is harder to keep perspective and sane when I am working, seeing Heather multiple times per day, trying to maintain a relationship with Hannah, etc. It was easier when I could focus on work and Hannah for half of the week and on the hospital and Heather for the other half of the week. I look forward to the day when Heather can go home with great anticipation. My family has been a fantastic support to me. My sister, Tiauna, continues to be the primary care-taker for Hannah. Hannah and I have spent many nights at my parents home in Orem. This works out well because I can visit Heather right after work, take Hannah to my parents' home at around 6:00, put her to bed at 7:30, and then return to the hospital to be with Heather until it is time to go to bed. Hannah and I randomly head home and spend nights there too, but it is nice to have the option of using my parents' home and to have the support of family to help take care of Hannah.
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