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

Another Start

Now my wrist and elbow surgery is set for September 30th.
Dr. Hasan is fairly sure he'll have all the pieces and parts in by then. The new implant was developed in Kentucky. Normally I would insist the surgeon have lots of experience in a procedure. But with little hope of surgery restoring or improving wrist use and motion before this, I have little to lose. He has splendid experience with wrists.
I will be one of two of his patients getting the new wrist implant that day, so the date sounds reasonably firm.
Stand by!

Another Delay

Dr. Hasan just called and said my surgery is delayed while waiting for parts for the implant they will put in my wrist. It's a new implant and getting all the hardware assembled seems to be the problem. Here`we`go again!

No Surgery Today. It Was Rescheduled for Aug. 5

This is Linda. Dr. Hasan will be teaching his elbow and shoulder expertise in India all of July. He said my injury is too complicated for him to be comfortable operating and then being out of the country for a month. I appreciate that, but was looking forward to getting it over. It will be August 5. I'm sorry I didn't post this sooner.

This works out well because now I'll be feeling good when all the kids and grandkids are here. I have been enjoying water aerobics at UAMS twice a week after hand therapy. I have a copy of the aerobics routine I've learned and plan to have the kids and grands do it with me at the Leawood pool.

Mindy, Thom, Brooke and Garrett will arrive from Saipan on Wed. June 24.
My former sister-in-law, Dana Garrett Robbins with her daughter-in-law, Jennifer, and 22 mo. old granddaughter, Payton, will arrive Sun., June 28, from Dallas. Diane, Shannon and Matt, from Eureka Springs, will arrive Mon., June 29. Everyone will sleep here and I know it will be such fun. Dean and, hopefully Laine, will be here much of the time, too. Dana's bunch and Diane's bunch will leave Wed., but but the Newcombs will be back before long. Leslie will be here from NY, NY the first week of July.

Deno has rented a house he is really enjoying. He has a room just for Laine when she visits him.

My dear Uncle Jim and his friend, Mabel, have made the difficult decision to leave their homes in Hot Springs Village to enter nice retirement communities here (Uncle Jim) and in Ft. Smith (Mabel, near her brother). We will love having him neaby at Presbyterian Village, but we'll all miss Mabel. They don't have to be in a hurry and that's a good thing because no telling how long it takes now to sell a home in HSV with this low economy.

Mindy & family will be here until they find their next home in the States. In a couple of weeks they'll leave Brooke and Garrett here while Mindy and Thom go to Virginia to look for towns and school systems, etc. they like. They've done an impressively intelligent search of statistics, etc. to pick Virginia for excellence in culture, education, health and health care, job opportunities , recreation (both land and sea), and likelihood of Mindy and Thom finding jobs in a special collections library for her , and Thom as a safety administrator in a large university or entity as well as opportunities for him to pursue his love as a coach-trainer for running/fitness. As always, I'm impressed by the way they approach things.

Looks like it'll be an interesting summer.

Love to all, Linda

Orthopaedic Surgery on Left Arm Is Set For June 17

Hello Everyone,

I'm sorry I've neglected my blog for so long. I have been using my energy for doctor appointments, water aerobics and helping with the upcoming fundraising event for the Hostel on May 14. After we got the invitations out (a huge job} I have been helping to record the reservations`as they come in and to try to find correct addresses for our returned mail. Then we hurry to resend them before it's too late to invite anyone. Not having paid employees keeps a few of us hopping at crunch time before an event like this. We would love to have full time assistants who follow us around and help us with whatever comes up! Wouldn't we all?

Our dear Dr. Yuen came through again. He understood my concerns, and suggested an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes`in elbows , hands and shoulders would be best for this. His name is Dr. Hasan. He's the same doctor who did such a good job doing Deno's shoulder replacement. Dr. Yuen even called and talked with him about my case and set my appointment with Dr. Hasan asap. I felt good about him at our appointment and`we have set the surgery date for June 17.

Since the radius bone is disconnected at each end, he has to make two different incisions. He will cut off the knobby ends and attach some artificial ends to connect them. I'll give other details after the surgery.

I have also seen an x-ray of my separated shoulder. It isn't the socket area, but further up toward my collar bone. It shows the bone separated about an inch apart. That's why I have the big knot up there that keeps me from sleeping normally in the bed. I still have to be about 1/3 on my side and back on the bedroom sofa. They think this may not require surgery if it will continue to heal like it is. I don't mind the knot if I can get comfortable in our own bed again!!!

I have been to many doctor appointments, physical therapy twice weekly, had x-rays, ct scans, blood work to monitor my blood thinner level. All my blood work is good, even my cholestoral is way down since before the accident. Happily I have been maintaining the 40 pound weight loss by much smaller servings than before.

I am so grateful to God for my life and recovery, to John for being my wings and my heart, and to all my family anf friends who have lovingly prayed for me and have helped in so many wonderful ways. I want to write about the last several sweethearts who brought food in my blog, too, but am slow getting that done, although I think of it daily.

Mindy, Thom, Garrett and Brooke are flying back to the states for good June 24. Can't wait to see them. They aren't sure where they'll settle. They may wait the one year left for Mindy to finish her online graduate course in Library and Information Science.

Dean is`happy about a neat house he has rented with plenty of room for Laine to visit there. She's there today helping him get settled.

My love to all,
Linda

Photos of Pagan

Thom's account of the Pagan adventure

We got only six days!

On the day of our departure, after we had already loaded our gear on the boat, Garrett told me that his toe was sore. I looked at it and noticed that it was in-grown. We decided to leave for Pagan anyway and that we would do our best to keep it clean.

As we were approaching Pagan we could see steam being emitted from the volcano. It had just rained so we thought it was just the pooled rain steaming in the cauldron. What we didn't know was that an hour before an earthquake happened. 15 minutes after we stepped ashore the volcano had a small eruption. It silently blasted an ash cloud 6,000 feet into the air. STRIKE ONE!

The next day the volcanic activity had settled back down to just steam and we tried to set up Willie Castro's ham radio but the connection between the radio and the 50' antenna was broken. I used a wire brush to scrape the wires clean, stripped back the lead wire and looped it over the antenna. We were able to contact Saipan - but even though we heard them loud and clear they could barely hear anything we said. To even get this much communication it took two adults 2 hours and we lost 6 inches of the 8 foot lead wire for an iffy at best chance to reach Saipan. STRIKE TWO!

Twice each day we would change the dressing on Garrett's toe. It was impossible to keep it clean. Pagan's soil, even the grassy areas, are as if someone just emptied their charcoal grill ashes on the ground. Every step you take brings up a small cloud of ash dust. By the end of the week it looked like someone had stuck a marble under Garrett's skin. The skin covered half his toenail and it was oozing yellow pus. STRIKE THREE!

The fishing boat was still in the area but anchoring off Pagan every night. On their last morning I took the dinghy out to them and asked if they would wait long enough for me to break camp so we could come back with them.

We're back now, of course.

But the volcano has remained silent. Garrett's toe is mending. Willie's antenna is fixed. If we get another opportunity to go before June we probably will try for it again.

Thom

Mom's Response To Mindy's "They're Coming Home"

Dearest Mindy,
Thank you for letting us know. Sad news, but that decision took courage on Thom's part, and his selfless love for Garrett.. Many signs: broken radio, volcano threat, and the possibility of a severely infected toe. You showed strength and courage by seeking all the facts you could.and by trusting God and Thom. I'm proud of both of you.
My love to all of you,
Mom

Garrett & Thom depart Pagan today.

Mindy writes:
Well, I prepared well, consulted scientists, government officials, former residents of Pagan, and others who had been there, and I was ready this morning before our 9am radio call, to give Thom the decision of whether to return based on the information I gathered. Also, I prayed, letting go and letting God. When Thom spoke to me on the radio this morning, he reported that they are coming back, so that decision was made easy for me. I wanted them to return for my peace of mind, but I also wanted their dreams to be realized in the adventure they planned, and I had resolved to just deal with it if they stayed on Pagan.

I spoke to a volcano scientist in Alaska this morning. It was confirmed that no seismic monitoring equipment is installed on Pagan. They are only able to monitor Mt. Pagan's volcanic activity through visual reporting by ships or aircraft who radio their observations or through satellite imagery (which is not visible at night or when clouds obfuscate the view). The scientist did not urge me to have them evacuate, but I was told that Pagan's volcano is considered to be "unstable" yet it is large enough that if their camp is kept some distance from the active area, they are "fairly safe" and this was confirmed by people who have been there. I was ready to feel better about them staying, but would want them to evacuate if the Alert level were to be elevated from Yellow/Advisory to Orange/Watch.

The reason they will return is not as much about the volcano. Garrett's ingrown toenail, which was fine before they left, decided to start festering and worsening during the voyage up to Pagan. They do have antibiotics and painkillers, but more importantly, the radio that they are using is unreliable. Not only is the antenna broken & temporarily fixed, the battery is failing to hold a charge for very long (charged by solar panels). In fact, our radio conversation faded out quickly; we had to standby while they recharged, then resume the call. This means that if Thom, Willie, and Garrett must call for help, they are at the mercy of an unreliable radio, thus they will reload the MV San Antonio at 1pm today (Sat.), and expect to return on Monday to Saipan, fishing Sat/Sun/Mon along the way. I'm making an appointment for Garrett at the clinic on Tuesday for his toenail. They will definitely develop their "sea legs."

By the way, very good news: the MV San Antonio's radio now works. I copied them loud & clear this morning, and they were able to read my transmission as well. They are in touch with EMO's base on Saipan. I feel much better about them being on the boat with a functioning radio.

The ocean looks just as calm today as when they left on Tuesday, and everyone tells me that April is the smoothest time of the year, the best for fishing and being out to sea because of the calm seas.

The adventure continues. I know Thom & Garrett have had an amazing experience and I can't wait to see their photographs and listen to their firsthand accounts, which we will share later.

Thanks for your prayers.~Mindy

GARRETT'S VOLUNTEER RESEARCH JOB WHEN HE'S ON PAGAN and more about the island

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE 2 OR THREE ENTREES ARE BEING SENT AFTER THOM AND GARRETT ARRIVED ON PAGAN. Please read down to before Tuesday April 7 so you won't miss all the news about their volcano... CNMI stands for The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands....Linda

Garrett's Voluntary Research Job Self-Description:

My Dad and I are going to Pagan on Sunday (U.S.). A few days ago, we went to the CNMI Division of Fish and Wildlife and learned how to remove a fish’s ears and to document them for the scientists in the future. First you make a cut directly behind the skull with a knife. Then you rip the body and head away from each other and dig around in the head with tweezers looking for two pumpkin-seed sized bones. You also record the length from the lower jaw to the center of the tail. An optional procedure is to discover the gender. You cut from the butt in a half circle to the fin, then you find the privates and if it is white, it is a girl. If it is dark, it is a boy. We received a lot of Little Zip-Lock bags and matching note cards. We also record the area of the island we caught it on.

Here's Nana/Linda again:
Garrett will keep a research journal. The ear bones are saved because they tell how old the fish are. He will sketch each fish. He and Thom practiced fishing from the beaches a lot in the last months. This will help Fish and Wildlife track which fish are spawning and thriving in these waters.
Before the volcano started up, their main concerns were the centipedes, which have a bad sting, the wild hogs and the territorial bulls with their cows that free range there. They were told to avoid the pigs by staying off their game trails and that certain areas are safer than others from the bulls. Man!
They have hand-made their own cross bows, which would only kill something like the free range skinny chickens. Thom thinks he'll try boiling them for soup. Year round there, as in Saipan, they can pick luscious fruit like mangoes, bananas, coconuts, limes, lemons, papaya, guava, etc.
It's illegal to carry firearms or other weapons over a modest strength, so I
imagine they'll be carrying big sticks for staffs. Can't you just picture this?
The island has clear streams and even a sizable very hot spring. It's so hot, they would have to find a way to cool it down to bathe in it. Sounds like Paradise up to this disturbing volcano business. Like Mindy asked, please pray for God's help, and definitely more angels.
Now read down to hear all about this unexpected occurrence.
Love to all, Linda

The Day They Left For Pagan - April 14, 2009

Tuesday, April 14, 2009 3:46 PM
From: "Mindy Gipson"
To: "Linda Fordyce" , "Diane Newcomb" , "Leslie Schoultz" , "Dean Garrett"

I'm praying that they arrive and return safely. They need Guardian Angels! Pray for them!

I'm sending the photos in batches in the next several emails, containing photos we took this weekend before Garrett & Thom departed for Pagan. Our camera had malfunctioned, so we bought a new one on Saturday. Thom took some photos with him (that are still in the new camera) that I also wanted to share, of the boat and crew just prior to departure, but when I turned on my laptop at the dock to download the photos, the laptop had some repairs to run because of an improper shutdown and would not allow me to override it. They had to go! They departed at 4:15pm on Tuesday, April 14. The seas are still calm, and the weather is nice. I'm praying that they arrive and return safely. They need Guardian Angels! Pray for them!

I absolutely broke down in tears as soon as their faces became unclear as they motored away. Brooke kept me calm. I didn't sleep too well last night.
Love,
Mindy

NASA has captured an image of the plume!

From Mindy: April 16, 2009
They have already witnessed and experienced the adventure of a lifetime! Why do they have to stay there two months!
Mindy

I opened the link below and the one at the bottom, but couldn't copy and paste. You can probably open it,too.
THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE MOST ACTIVITY THEY'VE HAD IN 10 YEARS! AND THEY WILL BE CAMPING THERE! WILLIE, WHO SPENDS TIME THERE ONCE A YEAR IS WITH THEM AND HE KNOWS THE AREA THEY SAY IS SAFEST FROM THE VOLCANO. GARRETT AND THOM HAVE RESPIRATORS THAT ARE CERTIFIED FOR ASH AND DUST.
I'm asking for lots more angels for them....Linda

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=38222&src=eorss-nh

Plume from Mount Pagan
download large image (283 KB, JPEG) acquired April 15, 2009
Mount Pagan—the northeastern member of a pair of volcanoes comprising a diminutive Pacific island—released a plume of ash and steam on April 15, 2009. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, the volcano releases a faint plume that blows toward the northwest over the Pacific Ocean. The plume appears darkest at its northwestern extremity. Closer to the summit, white puffs appear. They could be part of the plume or they could be clouds, which are prone to gather over summits.
Pagan Island is a pair of stratovolcanoes—conical volcanoes composed of alternating layers of lava, ash, and rocks—connected by a narrow strip of land. Most of the historic eruptions on this island have occurred on the northeastern volcano. Pagan is part of the Mariana Islands and like its neighbors, results from rising magma as one tectonic plate moves over another. An astronaut photo from 2007 shows the island in more detail.
NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/volcanoes/nmi/pagan.phpp://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/volcanoes/nmi/pagan.phphttp://volcanoes.usgs.gov/about/volcanoes/nmi/pagan.php

GARRETT AND THOM ARE ON PAGAN ISLAND

Mindy and I are a little nervous. We were glad when they finally got calm seas and after 24 hours in the Pacific, they arrived in Pagan last evening.
I am so behind in blogging and have much to add about their plans and prayers for this trip. I'll also catch you up on my progress, later.
But for now, we need your prayers for Garrett and Thom. I am copying the Volcano Report from today on Pagan.
Mindy believes the ship that sent the report may have been theirs. Yes, it was the MV San Antonio. I confirmed that by speaking to the CNMI Emergency Management Office.~Mindy The good news is that even when they had the big eruption in 1981, no one was killed, even though they evacuated the whole island then. The report below explains this. Please pray for them and Mindy and Brooke back on Saipan.
Much Love,
Linda
THE WEBSITE FOR THIS VOLCANO INFORMATION IS:
http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/nmi/activity/
In the future I will only give the address and you can click on it yourselves.
LINDA
USGS Home Contact USGS Search USGS
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Northern Mariana Islands Recent Status Report, Updates, and Information Releases
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS CURRENT STATUS REPORT
Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:53 AM (Thursday, April 16, 2009 01:53 UTC)PAGAN VOLCANO (CAVW #0804-17=)18°7'48" N 145°48' E, Summit Elevation 1870 ft (570 m)Current Aviation Color Code: YELLOWCurrent Volcano Alert Level: ADVISORYLow-level steaming at Pagan continues. The Washington Volcanic Ash Advisory Center reported a narrow plume of unknown compositon extending 45 nautical miles (85 km) west from the volcano at 2130 Z April 15 (0730 ChST April 16). They reported the height of the plume to be 6,000 ft above sea level.Yesterday, CNMI Emergency Management Office (EMO) officials relayed a report from a ship that a white plume "with some black" was being emitted from the volcano to an estimated altitude of 1.8 km (5,700 ft)The USGS does not currently have monitoring instruments installed on Pagan. Monitoring is by satellite and ground observers.Access to the island may be restricted by the CNMI government. Contact the Emergency Management Office to get the latest information.CONTACT INFORMATION:http://volcano.wr.usgs.gov/cnmistatus.phpUSGS Northern Marianas Duty Scientist (808) 967-8815CNMI Emergency Management Office (670) 322-8001