Wrist replacement and elbow correction surgery over!

Dear All,
I had a 5 hour surgery on Wed. and came home Friday. By today, I am so much better and the pain is well-maintained by the pain pills.
I am amazed that on day 2 I could rotate the new wrist and otherwise move it in all directions it hasn't been able to do since Oct. 2008. Of course it's limited motion to start with, but getting better daily.
There's a little fun to this surgery. The wrist replacement implant was just invented less than 2 years ago in Kentucky. When the manufacturers sent the implant to Little Rock Tuesday, they sent a representative with it. The rep. was not only in surgery with Dr. Husan and his team on Wednesday for me, but he was in a lab with Dr. Hasan and a whole bunch of doctors Tuesday guiding Dr. Hasan through implanting it in a cadaver. We prayed for me and prayed for the cadaver, etc. having fun with this. Counting the cadaver I am number 2 with this wristfor Dr. Hasan. My friend said "No 2 always tries harder! I'm remembering that as I do the twists, turns and rotations to get this new wrist moving. It works better every day. Dr. Hasan did a great job, it seems.
I am grateful to John, my family, my church and all the friends who have been praying for me.
Love to all, Linda

Leaving for the surgery now!

Yep, the surgery is today. I'll have much to tell when I'm back awake. Nighty night. Thank you for your prayers. God is with us. John and I are on our way.

NO SURGERY TOMORROW!

The hospital was supposed to call me with my surgery time this afternoon. When they did not, at 7:00 p.m. I called the OR desk. They had just received an email from Dr. Hasan that the surgery was cancelled as an implant could not get here due to bad weather on the east coast. I don't understand because my new wrist implant has been here for months. I'm not sure if he had to order the implant for my elbow. If so, why didn't he do it sooner?
Also, he has not called nor emailed me personally.
I'm really steamed.
Linda

Surgery Tomorrow!

Everything is still on for the surgery tomorrow. I'll probably be in the hospital 2 nights.
John has a tooth ache so please pray for him while the antiobiotic knocks out the infection so they can fix the tooth.
Which is worse, sitting in a waiting room all day or a tooth ache? He will have both, poor sweetie.
I got the grant in on time last week. A masterpiece, I'm sure. ;)
Love to all, Linda

New Surgery Date: March 17

Sorry I didn't get this in sooner. I'm busy writing a grant proposal for the hostel and thought of nothing else for a week or two until I got through procrastinating and actually started on the grant. Now it's moving along and is almost fun.
The grant proposal is due 2 days before my surgery, so the time is flying by.
Thank you. Thank you for caring, keeping up with me and praying for me. ~ Linda

Update for February, 2010

Thank you if you haven't given up on me for not updating better than I have.
The Feb. 3 surgery didn't happen. It was postponed due to a new policy in which all new types of implants have to be approved by a review board. The board meets the third week of the month. So, will we have a new date soon? Who knows.
I have entertained thoughts that I could get by without having this wrist and elbow fixed, with about 50% use of my arm. That changed a few weeks back: I tripped and fell landing on my left hand. Feeling the floating broken bones ram into my wrist , elbow and shoulder quickly convinced me that I need to have it fixed. Everything was very sore after that. Even my reconstructed right wrist which hadn't bothered me before this is still sore.
With a choice, I don't want to be this vulnerable for the rest of my life. I've known all along I shouldn't fall, because neither hand can support my weight. Now I know why.
In the meantime we have started working on the physical construction at the hostel and that's exciting. We spent all morning with several firefighters and John pounding off the interior latt and plaster in the old upstairs dorm so we can re-wire and put in new plumbing, etc. I stayed downstairs working on a grant proposal to the Arkansas Historicl Preservation Program and standing by to be a gofer when needed. Just think, before long there will be neat young and old travelers from around the country and the world sleeping in our beautiful old 1917 fireshouse in
MacArthur Park.
John's son, Jack, (who is JRF IV) and his 12 year old son, J.R. (who is JRF V !!) have moved in with us until Jack can get better from complications from diabetes. We're enjoying them. And yea, J.R. got into Williams Magnet school!!
J.R. has been putting out seed and loves watching all the many many birds visiting us. He and John bought a neat bird book last week. Sat. was our first sunny day, so John and J.R. climbed Mt. Pinnicle and loved being outside.
I have lots of news to add, but will wait until my next entry.
I am so grateful to be alive and for our dear family and friends.
Love and appreciation to all,
Linda

Thanksgiving: One Year Anniversary-home from the hospital

It is one year since Linda was finally able to come home from the hospital. She ate her turkey dinner in bed that first day, but was able to come downstairs a little each day before all of the leftovers were done last November.

This UAMS ad will appear on the back cover of Soiree magazine in December.

Casey kept circling the sofa, so the photographer had to try and catch him each time he came around. Linda had to hold that smile a loooooong time waiting for Casey.

We are so grateful for the blessing of having Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Mom's healed hands while she and John are visiting us in Williamsburg, VA. The only thing she needed help with was some of the chopping, and lifting and carrying the heavy pans between oven and table. ~Mindy

Surgery Postponed

It has been embarrassing telling over and over that my surgery has been postponed! But things keep changing and I think it's for the better.
Dr. Hasan wants to put implants in both my wrist and my elbow. He wants to do both at the same time as multiple surgeries would run the risk of more problems. The radius is dislocated at least 6 cm at my elbow and the ulna (sp?) about that much at my wrist. He calls it a very unusual injury because usually when one of these bones is separated at one end, it's only fractured at the other, not both bone separated at opposite ends. There is a lot of what I call the joint areas being "bricked up", swollen and immobile . The whole forearm is uncomfortably numb with flaccid skin. I will be glad to wait for him to get both implants. He already has the wrist implant and is in frequent contact with Dr. Schecker in Louieville, Kentucky, who recently developed both of them.
Dr. Hasan and I both think this was meant to be. Remember that he cancelled my surgery first in June because he was called to teach the month of July in India. It was while there that he learned of Dr. Schecker's new devices. He believes the use of both joints will be much better than was originally hoped.
I'm just hoping to be able to see our kids in NC, VA and NY by the Christmas holidays.
Thank you for praying for me.
Love to all, Linda