Third Post-Op Visit

What The Doctor Said

Yesterday Dr. Yuen was more optimistic that the skin is growing on my bony elbow. The bare area is very small and he thinks it will continue to close in from the outer edge. I am thinking since faith can move a mountain, I know God can get this skin to grow on my elbow! I just keep thanking Him that He loves me and He can.

When People Ask How I Am

I usually say I'm better or something I might write in this blog. I worry I say too much, but some people really want to know more. If you don't, stop reading here! This is from answers to a dear cousin I wrote today.

I don't have to wear a brace or cast on my right arm anymore for the last few weeks. I have`a removable splint type brace I can wear when it's tired, sore or when i need to use it more than usual for protection. I still can't make a good fist with that right hand, but try to do my exercises daily. Can still only lift and use a very light-weight plastic glass. i can type with my first 3 fingers. Dr. Yuen thinks i'll get the motion and use back out of it. i hope so. John has to help me pull skirts and pants up and down and i can't do zippers or buttons yet. i feel very proud that i can bathe everywhere now except my right arm and right side, my back, and my left hip. i feel very advanced now!!
sad to say, my left fingers are pretty useless and starting to bend in different directions. i try to wiggle and strengthen them all i can. they aren't as terribly sore to touch as before, but the swelling still hurts a lot around my left wrist and the back of my hand. it hurts there more than the elbow, but we hope the eventual surgery will stop that. i'm not allowed to bend that arm to encourage the skin to grow on my elbow, so it has a very thick, well-padded cast on it. john now starts to open the cast to change the dressing inside every other day, now that the doctor will only need to see me once a week.
I feel hopeful and positive. there is so much to be grateful for! all the prayers mean so much to us, our friends from church and other precious friends are staying with us through this amazingly. and you know john has been a prince, as always. so has deno . the girls and grandkids call almost daily. More than burdened, i just feel happy to be alive and so blessed. sure, i don,t like shots and all that goes with the treatments, and i have very low energy, but I'M ALIVE!
no sign of infection for some time in my left elbow. I'm so grateful for that! I'm still on the iv vancomycin to make sure.
My love and thanks to God and all of you,
Linda

Nine Days Post-Op and Hopeful

Linda's left arm
Dr. Yuen changed my bandage yesterday. We are happy the elbow is a pretty color of pink and seems to be holding the grafted skin and showing no infection. I pray it will start growing new skin from here. We all know the floppy-flabby skin on our elbows. But my left elbow doesn't have any skin except the new grafts. Also Dr Y. had to cut off some elbow bone to remove the infected parts.
Please pray for this restoration so we can move forward to the orthopaedic surgery to fix my lower left arm.
John still giving me 2 blood thinner shots per day and he or Dean give my iv antibiotic every 18 hours. Dean comes to relieve John almost every day. Ha! I have 2 first class male nurses!

Friends Mean So Much
Sunday John had a great much-needed day off hiking with John Gill. They went to one of the beautiful falls in Tim Ernst's waterfall book. It was in western Arkansas. My "sitter" was my lifetime friend, Anne Corson Hagen, from Hot Springs Village. We talked all day until she noticed me looking tired, so we were silent about 15 minutes then happily started up the chatter again. Lifetime is true. Our mothers strolled us together in our baby carriages! I can't remember a time when I didn't love her and consider her a dear friend.
Thanks to the friends who have sat and visited with me.
Your visits brighten my day.

Friends Who Brought Food
Kaye and Bill Burton corn bread fruit cobbler potato soup
Wilsie Tiner chili cole slaw coconut ice box pie
Pat Lile banana nut bread
Alter Guild Members flowers from Sunday services
Diane Holt mixed salad casserole
Anne Hagen cinnamon roles
Kay Luplow chicken salad mini cinnamon roles
Bob Ritchie his homemade spiced peaches....yummmmmm
Jean Wallace pimento cheese