Another try with the new leg...

This video is of dad walking and then right after, he takes the leg off and learns that he formed another blood blister. It means that his incision still has a weak spot. But it is a great video of him walking!!!! We are sooo close!

Dad went in today with mom, jeff, dave, kelly, and I to try out his new leg. He did great and the doctor cut it down to fit better but after 5 minutes of walking, he had a blister again. The doctor said this means that his incision still has a weak spot and we need to wait another 3 months till we try again. Dad was of course discouraged but the doctor said he has hope that it will eventually work but we just have to wait longer. We will keep praying and hoping he can take his new leg, "Fred", home soon. Dad gave his leg a name :) We hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Back at home

Dad is back home! He has a broken rib and they think that is what caused the pain in his chest. He is feeling much better! Mom just texted me and said Grandma is in the ER, they thought she broke her hip. I don't know details but as soon as I know, I will update! ALSO, Uncle Don (mom's brother) had surgery yesterday for a detached retina. The surgery went ok but his vision is still blurry. I will update the blog tonight when I get off work and figure out what is going on with everyone. Needless to say, our family is ready for a NEW, HEALTHY New Year! God bless!

Last night

Mom, Dad and I went to an awesome performance of The Drummer Boy at Grace Church last night. Dad had a great time! When he got home he was getting ready for bed and felt the pains in his chest again. He said this time it was a lot stronger than when he had them a few months ago. Mom called the ambulance and they took him to the hospital 5 min. from their house. His regular hospital, St. John's, was too far for them in case he was having a heart attack. All the test came back negative so no clots, pneumonia, or anything showed up. They think he might have fractured a rib coughing but are not sure yet. We hope he goes home today. Since it is not his normal hospital and if the pain keeps getting worse, we plan to take him to St. John's tonight. Just hope he is home for the holidays! I will keep you posted!

Pictures of Dad in his new leg

Here are some pictures the doctor sent us. I have video but for some reason I can't upload it to the website. If you would like to see it, email me at algreeninger@gmail.com and I will forward it to you!  These pictures were taken before they realized he has a blood blister. Dad says if it doesn't work, than they would want to do an above the knee amputation and he says he rather not walk than do that. But I think he looks like a pro walking so hopefully he continues to stay strong and he will be walking before he knows it!!!!

The new leg.....

So dad went to the doctor today and was suppose to get his new leg. He got it and they had to cut it down a bit because it was too long. They had him practice walking with it and all was going great until they took the leg off. They noticed his leg already created a blood blister. Since he is on Coumadin (spell?) the blood thinner, he has to wait 3 more weeks till he can put the leg on. They don't want him forming any more blood blisters. He said it was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be. We shall see how the blister does. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

What's been going on

Dad driving his new lawnmower from the neighbors!

Jack (Dave's son) and dad on Thanksgiving

Dad and I

Happy Holidays!

Kelly, my sister in law, made an Elf Yourself video and it is hillarious. I showed my students and one of them said, "Oh look! Your dad has his leg back!" I laughed so hard.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/G6ozridjTid9kowe

AND, our amazing neighbors bought dad a riding lawnmower that has pedals on the left side so dad can drive it! Yay!!!!! I will upload pics of it soon! Thank you so much! We are SO lucky to have amazing neighbors like ours! Wow!

Gobble, Gobble! Enjoy your Thanksgivig!!!

New Leg on the Way!

Dad went to the doctor today and it took him two hours because they fitted him for his prosthesis! He will get his new leg Nov. 29th!!!! He will have to go to out patient rehab but we are still working out the details with that. Hopefully he will get to go to a rehab closer to home. Yay!!! Mom is going to Nashville for the weekend so I am hanging out with dad. I have to come up with something to do tomorrow for some father/daughter time! Happy weekend!!!

Back home

Dad is finally back home. They got the blood thinner meds to level out and he went home this evening. He is happy to be home and hopefully feeling better soon. The pneumonia is still there but he is on antibiotics to help with that. The blood clots will slowly dissolve in the body and the blood thinner will prevent him from getting more blood clots. Thank you to all the neighbors who generously gave mom and dad a gift certificate for a large family dinner in time for the Thanksgiving holiday! We are excited to have the family in and spend time together!

Still at the hospital

Dad is still in the hospital. He had a doctor's appointment today and they said it was okay for him to be on coumadin (spelling?) the blood thinner. Hopefully once they get the blood thinner regulated, dad will come home. Go Cards!

Back to the hospital we go

So dad's discomfort and pain in his chest turned out to be blood clots and they also found pneumonia.  They are running test to see where the blood clots are located. He is in the heart hospital of St. John's to get these tests done to find out what side of the heart the clots might be in. Dad is in good spirits, just annoyed that he is back here. I will keep you posted! Go Cards!

Things lately

Dad is doing good. He is complaining that his chest hurts really bad and feels like he broke a rib coughing and he is coughing stuff up. He goes to the doctor next week and mom is going to try to get him another appointment with the trauma doctor to see what is going on. His leg is shrinking which is good. Most of his scabs are healing and that means it is almost time for a prosthetic! Jeff and Cindy were in town last weekend and helped around the house with stuff that needed to be done. Here are a few pictures of the events. He replaced the noisy fan, fixed the toilets, added blinds, and much much more!

Here is Jeff and Cindy adding a new fan and the blinds

This is Cindy, Jeff's girlfriend, being ducked taped because she suggested some of these projects and Jeff joked that he was going to duck tape her mouth so he didn't have anymore projects to do.

Here is dad saying he is going to take Jeff's tools. Dad was upstairs a lot this past weekend because we figured out an easier way to get him in the house through the front door. He was so funny wheeling around and saying how much easier it is than he thought it would be to get around upstairs.

It's Fall and things are changing!

Dad is doing well. He got his PIC out and now he is on pill antibiotic. Dad enjoys bbq'ing and hanging outside in this weather. He went with mom the other day to the grocery store and there was a little girl in line and she asked dad what happened to his leg. He told her he was in an accident and lost his leg. The girl then asked, "Will it grow back?" Dad thought this was so funny and cute to hear. It is good to hear dad laugh and tell his stories with excitement. Today I went over to have dinner and it was the first time I came downstairs and he greeted me with his usual happy, excited voice. Grandma was in the hospital last week because they thought she had a stroke, but it wasn't one. She came over for dinner tonight as well and she looked good. Enjoy the wonderful weather!

4 Months

Can't believe it has been four months this week! Dad is getting around great and even made his famous chili for mom and me on Wednesday. He had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and Cannada said everything looks great. He might even get fitted for his pro thesis in the next 6 weeks! Dad is finally getting his hair cut today because he is very paranoid since every time he goes for a hair cut, he ends up in the hospital. He got his hair cut the day of the accident and a few days before he was re-emitted due to infection. So let's cross our fingers he doesn't go back in or I don't think we will ever get him to cut his hair again! The three of us are going to dinner tonight. It is great to get him out of the house every once in a while! Have a great weekend!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Today was a great day! I came home from the lake and dad wanted to go to the casino. Mom, Dad, and I piled in my car and went to the casino. Dad sat down at a Black Jack table and the dealer was amazing. He was so funny. I haven't seen dad laugh that hard in over 4 months. The people at the table were all having a great time and it was wonderful to see dad enjoying life...normal life! And to make things better, dad and mom walked away $100 up! Dad seems to be a lot happier these days! Uncle Don and Aunt Cindy were in town this weekend as well to help out with grandma at Aunt Nancy's house. We hope you all enjoyed a blessed long weekend!

Doing well

Dad is a much happier camper at home now. He cooked his first meal in over 3 months and it was delicious! Things are going smoothly and the leg is healing like it is suppose to! We got his first bill from the first stay at the hospital and it was a large amount. But we are just glad he is home and on the road to recovery! Yay!!!! This weekend is his 65th birthday! We are very blessed that he is celebrating his birthday at home and out of the hospital!!!

Finally home and let's hope for good!

Dad gave me the A-OK to put up all the pics of his leg amputated because I finally got one of it all closed up.
Here is a pic of his leg still open a few weeks ago. The gray looking thing is a sponge that connected to the wound vac. The yellow color thing was a plastic wrap around the leg.

 Here was the leg yesterday, all closed up.

Then today, dad finally got to come home. He seems a bit down but Conley's made him dinner and it was delicious! I am hoping he gets more motivated soon. He is moving around on his own and starting to get his strength back! There was a nurse there tonight that taught mom how to do all of his IV antibiotics and he has an appointment tomorrow with Dr. Cannada at 8:30 am.

Going home soon!

Dad was told that he should be able to go home on Wednesday of next week! I feel bad because I haven't been up to see him much this week since school started but it sounds like rehab is going great and he is happy that he is rebuilding his strength. I will post if his release date changes!

Getting stronger

Dad went to rehab yesterday. Today was his first day of PT and OT. He told us he "worked really hard". This made me laugh because it sounded like a kid on his first day of school telling his parents he did a good job. He finally has normal clothes on because we made his shorts fit on over his knee brace. Right now he has a "sock" over the stump, a tie die brace on (which is really funny looking) and then a knee brace to keep his knee straight so that way his leg doesn't get stuck in a bent position. Doctor said he should be there for about 10 days and then home! Once the stitches come out and his leg starts to form a more solid stump, he will be fitted for his prosthesis. This is all great news! We just keep crossing fingers and praying that the infection stays away and that his tissue stays healthy to insure that he can keep the leg below the knee. Dad seems much happier to be at St. John's rehab because they have a lot more equipment to help him gain his strength back. He has lost about 40lbs over the last 3 months and knows he has a lot of work to do in terms of muscle strength.

Back to rehab

Just talked to dad and they said he is going to rehab today! Dr. Cannada came back in town and said the leg looks good! So we feel like we are on the right path!

He is one tough man

Dad seems like a whole new person now that his leg is closed. His spirits are much higher and he seems happier. He said he slept a lot today and didn't go to physical therapy so he plans on going tomorrow. He still has a temp but his pain in his chest is a little less than yesterday. Baby steps! Thank you so much for the prayers and always being there for him! You guys have helped us all through this and we hope he comes home soon!!!! The weekend is almost here! Enjoy it!

Stretch Armstrong.....

Dad is out of surgery and they were able to close his wound. They had to stretch the skin as much as they could and try not to have the previous skin graph on the stump. The skin graph is actually on the side of the stump but they are hoping that will form and heal. So for now, we are in a wait and see mode to see if it starts to heal and if the tissue stays healthy. If that works, then dad will go home or to rehab. Problems we could face: His infection could come back and cause him to get amputated above the knee. Or, the stump wouldn't hold the pressure and then break open and cause dad to have to get amputated above the knee. But that one sounds like that wouldn't happen for another few months once dad has his prosthesis. We are just happy that the wound is closed and hopefully dad's pain in his chest and anxiety will subside.

Let's try this again...?

Dad is suppose to go in for a clean out and possible closing tomorrow at 4:20pm. He currently has a temperature so that is not good. The infection doctor came in today and said his cultures are still negative so we are hoping that holds true tomorrow. His cough is back and it hurts really bad around his sternum again. The tests they did yesterday decided that the chest pains were not a heart attack so we are hoping he is strong enough tomorrow for another surgery. As always, I will let you know how tomorrow goes.

Couldn't close up shop....

Dad was unable to have surgery today because he had severe chest pains starting at 3am. So they took tests on him and xrays to see what was going on. We are still waiting to hear anything back from doctors. We are not sure when surgery will be rescheduled. I will keep you posted!

Crossing our fingers!

Dad's cultures are still NEGATIVE! So as of this morning, they are planning on taking him in for a clean out and possibly closing the leg tomorrow at 11:00. We are praying this is the end of the surgeries for dad and it is all about recovery and learning to walk again. Dad has been in the hospital for a month this coming Tuesday. Although it is much longer than his first stay there after the accident, it seems to be going by a lot faster which is good for him. He is VERY ready to get home and back to his chair and to see how his plants and grass are surviving in this Midwest heat. He was in pain today because he was coughing a lot and his lungs hurt he said. We are hoping that once he gets out of bed more, this will start to go away. So say more prayers that they get to close his leg tomorrow and then he will be sent to rehab later in the week to learn how to "walk" or really hop with a walker or crutches. I will let you all know how tomorrow goes.
Grandma was at mom's house today with Dave, Kelly, and the boys so we are hoping that added more memories for her and lifted her spirits a little!

Could it be......good news? For once?

Infection doctor just came in and said that he talked with the Ortho doctor that cleaned dads leg the other day and it wasn't bad news. We were upset he took out the plate holding the bone together, but he did it because the plate was infected and the part of the bone touching the plate look sort of bad. But now, the plate is out and the part of the bone that looked bad was shaved down and the cultures are no longer "moderate infection" but now they are considered small growth infection. So this is GREAT news! The infection doctor is hoping when they take him in to clean it and change the wound vac tomorrow or Friday the next cultures will come back negative. So as of now, today at least, the above the knee amputation is off the table!!!!!! Thank you for all the prayers! Keep them going because we know they are working!!!! Hopefully if everything progresses how it is now, they will try to close it up in the next few weeks!!!!! For once we feel relieved from the news they told us! So exciting!

Dad is also excited because the Kenefick's, my roommate and long time friend, are bringing dinner tonight. Kelly Greeninger is coming in town tonight for work this week and then Dave and the boys will be in on Friday. I think all of this is lifting dad's spirits!

More Waiting

Dad went in for a clean out yesterday. A new doctor, Dr. Jackmann, had to perform the clean out because Dr. Cannada is out of town for the next few weeks. He took out the plate that was holding the bone together because that was infected. They said the infection keeps eating away at the leg so they are concerned they have to amputate above the knee now. This means the prosthesis with be a lot more complicated and might have a computer in it to help the "knee" part move. We are praying they can keep the leg where it is at. It is very frustrating to keep hearing different news. Dr. Cannada is going to be in a town for a day tomorrow so hopefully she will come in and talk with us. We have a TON of questions.

More surgery tomorrow...

Dad has another surgery tomorrow for cleaning out the leg and looking at it to see if it is ready to close. Last surgery they weren't able to close yet because of infection. He is apparently down to one infection now. But that changes daily.
Dad had to get a blood transfusion the other day after the amputation because his counts were low. It was his first transfusion throughout this whole process. Dad joked to me the other day and said, "Mandy, make sure to put on the blog that I know who's blood I got. I definitely got blood from a Greeninger relative because now I have really bad gas." He started laughing and wanted to make sure I put it on the blog so his brothers and sisters could read it :)
Grandma came by today to visit dad. He said she didn't talk much and had really big eyes when she saw his new leg. She is still slowly putting things together. This has truly set her back many steps mentally and physically.
After tomorrows surgery, they are hoping the cultures look good over the next few days and try to close it Wednesday. So we are really praying and hoping infections are gone! I will update later this week.

First Physical Therapy with leg

Dad had his first PT with his leg and it went well. Tomorrow they are going to look at leg and see if it is ok to close up. They doubt the infection is all the way gone so they might not but they want to get a better look at how it looks.

Recovery

Dad is in his room and still in a lot of pain. He said he feels like a train hit him. He sleeps a lot and we think it is because of his pain meds. The infection doctor came in and said there is still a little bacteria from the infection from before growing on the cultures. But he sounded positive because it is very little. He is going to keep dad on antibiotics for 6 weeks to make sure everything is cleared out. He also said he would be fine if they closed the wound Thursday or if they waited till next week. He said it is up to ortho to decide depending on how they think the wound looks. So I have a feeling that they will still try to close it on Thursday. Dad received a pretty plant from Montgomery Gentry and the whole music family that Jeff works with. We were able to hang out with some of Jeff's work people this weekend at the lake in Nashville and they were so kind and worried about dad. Troy and Angie heard about the amputation and felt awful for dad and sent their prayers to our parents. Jeff is very lucky to work with such amazing people and friends. Dad is in good spirits just very tired and in more pain than he has been through this whole process.

Grandma went home Thursday last week and has a nurse with her from 7:30am-7:30 pm I believe. She is slow mentally and physically so they are trying to get her back to where she can try to function better. Thank you for all the support!!!

Out of surgery and he has a Stump :)

Dr. Cannada just came out to talk with us. She said he did well. She was able to save it 12 cm below the knee...great news. Everything looks great but since he had a ton of scare tissue and such, she said it wasn't going to ever be pretty plastics wise. He lost less than a soda can of blood and should be up on crutches in the next few days. The wound is still open and has a wound vac on it but if the cultures they took today come back negative with no infection, then Dr. Cannada will close it on Thursday. She is hoping for this because she is out of town the next few weeks. If she can't close it in the next few days, she has his leg completely prepped for closing by Dr. Jackmann, his first doctor. Thanks for the prayers! Keep them coming that the cultures come back negative.

Amputation

Sorry I haven't blogged about dad, we were out of town this weekend in Nashville and I didn't have my computer. After looking at dad's leg on Thursday, Dr. Cannada discovered there is too much damage to the bone and it would be best to amputate. She said she could save the leg but that would bring with it 5 or 6 more surgeries and dad's body wouldn't be able to handle that. Along with the multiple, high risk surgeries, there is a high chance of him becoming addicted to pain meds. She said to save the bone would be too risky for him and it is best to amputate. She said she would help us find a second opinion if we wanted but all of his doctors that have worked with him all suggest the amputation. Dad is going in for a below the knee amputation tomorrow at 7:30 AM. They are taking him in for prep at 6:00. Jeff, Dave, and I were all in Nashville this weekend and we all came back home and are here tomorrow with mom for the surgery. His MRSA infection is gone but he still has a staff infection so they are going to amputate and then leave the skin flap open with a wound vac in it until the infection is gone. Once all infection is clear, they will close up the leg and he should be coming home in a few weeks. Since he won't get a prosthetic for a few months, he doesn't need rehab until he can learn how to use a new leg. I will update you guys tomorrow! All our love, The Greeninger's

Dad's leg...

Dr. Cannada came in and answered our list of questions about big surgery vs. amputation. She told dad that there is a 40% chance the big surgery will work. So hearing that, dad wasn't excited. He hasn't been excited about the stomach surgery at all because there is a long recovery time, not great odds it would work, and he keeps saying, "Nothing is wrong with my stomach, I don't want something to be wrong with my stomach!" Cannada is going to do surgery on Thursday to get a better idea of where, if he decides to go this way, they would amputate. She thinks the bone is infected and wants to take a closer look at that. I am sure the bone is infected because you can literally see it when his leg is unwrapped. After the surgery on Thursday, and if he decides to go with the amputation, she would amputate on Monday and he could be home by Friday. She told dad if he wants to get a second opinion she would help him do that. But this whole time, we have been told over and over that she is amazing and dad feels 100% confident with her. The infection disease doctor came in today as well and told dad the best solution would be to amputate. The next few days are huge for dad and deciding what he wants to do. Please say prayers!

It's MRSA

Dad has a bad infection called MRSA. It stands for something official, but that is what the easier term is. This means we have to wear gowns and gloves while we are in his room. This infection is difficult to control but he is on new antibiotic to hopefully clear the infection in a few weeks. They went in and cleaned out the wound and it is basically back to where it was 2 months ago. So this has set him back pretty far. They are still weighing the options of either the large surgery or amputation once the infection is cleared. We will have more answers to our questions next week and start making a decision. In the meantime, dad is disappointed to be back in the hospital but we are trying to keep his spirits up. I will let you know what the doctors say Monday.

Well.....

Doctor just came out and told us that the infection didn't spread as much as he thought it was but it still isn't good. Dad's leg is basically back to where it was 2 months ago. Smock had to take some of the hardware out, the cement piece that was holding the space where the missing bone was, and it has left dad with a leg that has a large hole in it again. He has to talk with ortho and now the infection specialist to see what the next steps are. Dad will be in the hospital until we either have the big surgery or amputation. Then he will go to rehab so the doctor thinks about 3 months till he is home and done. The worry with the big surgery where they take muscle from the stomach is that his lungs still aren't great and this would create room for  complications and not sure if he could even walk on the leg. But with amputation, there is no guarantee of walking either. If it is below the knee, dad has a better chance of walking again. Right now there really are a thousand questions and few answers. We just pray that dad will walk again and get on with his life.

Surgery today

Dad has surgery today at 11:00 to clean out his leg. We still have yet to talk to the main doctor who has once again not come in/canceled on dad. We hear he is the best but yet we do not like his communication with other doctors and patients. Very frustrating. We are not sure yet what type of infection he has but we should know today because his cultures should be up today. I will let you know how surgery goes today.

Back to St. John's

Dad is back in the hospital. His leg has an infection and the doctor admitted him this afternoon. The infection has cause a hole under the skin. Mom noticed two days ago while she was changing the dressing on his leg that you could see the actual hardware, or rod, coming out. So that was not a good sign. And then the leg started to have a bad odor to it. We took him to his normal doctors appointment with the plastic surgeon today and he looked at it and said it is infected. He advised us to admit him into the hospital today. We sat for 5 hours with no doctors orders and finally they came in with what they were going to do. So far, he is not on antibiotics because they are taking blood work to figure out what type of infection it is. The plastic surgeon said that once we get rid of infection there are two options. Option 1: to complete a more intense surgery that takes about 8 hours and will create a new skin flap over the wound. They would have to take muscle from dad's stomach and then in a few months ortho can go in and start to rebuild bone. But plastics will only do that if ortho truly thinks they can rebuild the bone successfully. He didn't sound confident because the surgery comes with a long recovery time and possible complications. Option 2: get rid of infection and amputate. Dad was finally open to realizing this process is taking a long time and it might be safer and better to amputate. He said if they can save his knee and then amputate, he would rather do that. Dad said if they have to amputate above the knee, he wants to keep trying surgeries. He says this because when it all first happened, they said the best amputation would be below the knee. Dad is in good spirits and is amazing as he gets told negative thing after negative thing. I am very proud of him and how positive he is staying.  We are starting to think that amputation would be the best and safest thing for dad to do so he will have less recovery and less chance of complications. Thank you for your support and as always, prayers are welcomed and appreciated! I will post tomorrow once we know what type of infection he has.

Happy Sunday!

Sorry there hasn't been that many updates but there really isn't much news. Dad is starting to cough more so we are going to make sure he doesn't have pneumonia again. He goes to the plastics Tuesday so I will hopefully know a lot more after that. We are thinking they will scrape off more of the dead skin and hopefully this time they will give him a numbing shot because last time they didn't and it was PAINFUL!!! He seems a bit frustrated with everything right now because we are at a stand still. We are praying for good news on Tuesday's meeting so say some more prayers! Grandma is expected to go home in a few weeks. She is having trouble mentally and understanding what is going on around her. She still is not able to walk or get up out of a chair or bed on her own. Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend!

Warning: These pics are intense....

Dad is finally ready to show the pictures of his leg. His leg is really starting to take on new skin. He is able to touch part of it now and it moves like normal skin. The skin still is a lot thinner and lower than his regular skin so it looks like part of his leg is still dug out but it is healing like it should. The following pictures are not very pretty! I will not post the original picture after the first surgery the night of the accident. That is a really gross one and you can basically see into his leg. Thinking back to that picture, his leg has come VERY far!

This is a picture of his leg after a few weeks and having his first skin graph.

These following pictures are once he got stitches out and about 3 weeks after the previous pictures. The doctors took off the black part of the skin and still have more to take off that died.

This is dad saying it looks a lot better but still looks gross. Sorry he doesn't have a shirt on....the AC decided to not work this week so they are waiting on a part to fix it. The basement luckily is a lot cooler than the rest of the house. He is glad he picked the basement to be in.

Small update

Sorry there hasn't been much to blog about. Dad has another doctors appointment on Thursday with ortho. Plastics will have a follow up meeting next week. So until then, we are just trying to keep dad occupied. We started putting together puzzles and I got him a hand held poker game. Sitting with him I have found a new love for Jeopardy. It is actually really fun to try to figure out the answers. So today, I went home and cut the grass just in time to watch it with him. Dad gets a kick out of me driving Jeff's riding lawn mower and cutting the grass. He laughs when I make the lines in a zigzag and try to go back and find missing spots. I have not perfected the straight lines yet. At least it entertains him for an hour! Dad did say that he has a goal set. He wants to be walking by the first of the year. It amazes me how positive and patient he has been through all of this! Grandma is still in rehab and working on getting some strength back. Other than that, nothing new!

Plastics....

Dad went to plastic surgeons today. Most of the skin graph looks good. They cleaned off the black part and took out staples and stitches. Dad said it hurt really bad while they cleaned it all up. They need a few more weeks to determine if he will need another skin graph. It is looking like they probably will have to do another one in a few weeks. So that means Ortho and rebuilding the bone has to hold off longer. If the timing is as they say, two weeks another skin graph, two weeks from that possibly rebuild bone. So we are thinking at least another month before ortho can get in there....long process but hopefully dad will stay positive like he is and not get so bored in the basement. We are going to try to do puzzles and see if that can occupy his time a bit better. We use to do puzzles when we were younger. Dad said it was worth a shot. He is extremely bored and just wants to be able to walk again. But he realizes it is going to be at least a few more months as of now. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

It's the small things in life that are truly big

Today was a great day. Dad went to the orthopedic doctor and she said she wants to start the bone graphs in a few weeks. He goes to talk to plastics tomorrow to get more information about his skin graph and how that is holding up. When I got to my parents today, dad opened a card we got in the mail from from Uncle Marvin. It was great to see the picture of his family and how they are doing. Dad reads every card and you can tell he gets choked up, especially when it comes from his family. It is hard knowing that we all live so far apart but in times like these, he especially loves seeing and hearing from his brothers and sisters. It makes him feel like he hasn't been away from them as long as it has been.

After we sat and talked about the cards he got in the mail, I cooked dad and mom dinner and mom called to say she was going to see grandma. Right away, dad decided he was in good enough shape to make his first trip to see grandma since their accident. It was crazy in the beginning, right after the accident, because dad truly thought we were all lying and he thought grandma didn't make it. We had to have them talk on the phone to help him believe us. So for him, today was a wonderful feeling to see her alive and healing.

We pulled up to her rehab and  dad spotted her being pushed back from dinner. I pushed him up to her and she could hear our voices. At first she saw me and the nurse said do you know these people and she looked at dad and didn't remember his name. We think it was because she wasn't expecting to see dad there in front of her; we surprised her. Then it registered and dad started getting teary eyed and said, "Well, we survived! We are here! Can you believe it?!?" Grandma was in shock and aww to see dad. It was something so small to have the two of them in their wheelchairs looking at one another but such a big victory for the both of them.

Grandma seems to be forgetting things more and we feel it is because of her being in the hospital and rehab for so long now. Hopefully in a few weeks she will be able to go back home.

Our family can't say thank you enough for all the things people have done that to them, seems so small, but to us they are HUGE! Through all of this you truly begin to realize that it is the "small" things in life that people do for you that you remember the most!

It was a great Fathers Day!

Dad is truly enjoying his basement. He gets to watch his big screen tv, sleep in a comfy bed, and even get out on his patio thanks to our neighbors for making a great ramp! We went out and BBQ for the first time in over a month. For those of you who know dad, this use to be routine at least twice a week. I had to help him BBQ but it was nice because I am learning so many new things. I now know how to mow the lawn, trim the bushes, water and take care of his garden, and put the handle back on his Lazy Boy chair that broke before the accident. Give me the tools and I can fix it now :) I hope dad realizes this will only last as long as he isn't walking....just kidding ;) Our neighbors have also been making dinner for mom and dad! They are truly amazing through all of this, along with everyone else! Dad has doc apt. Thursday and Friday so we will know more later in the week. Grandma is still in her new home at Bethesda Southgate Rehab. No new changes on her condition. We hope you all enjoyed your fathers day!

Roosevelt Woods has never looked so good!!!

He is home!!!!! Our neighbors, Jim and Kathy helped us get him in the home. The neighbors built an awesome ramp that allowed dad to get into the house with ease! Dad was ready to go when I got to rehab. The nurses were literally chasing us down the hall trying to get us to sign papers before he escaped :) Dad is home and comfortable in the basement and reunited with his favorite chair.

Grandma was transferred to a step down unit at Bethesda Southgate off of telegraph. It is the same place that her mom was in for independent living in 83. She is in a brand new tower of the rehab center.

We are moving in the right direction! Dad has appt. next Thursday to find out about his skin graph. The doctor didn't come in again, his official doctor who did the skin graph. Other doctors have looked at it but we are hoping Dr. Smoch looks at it next week. But for now, we are just happy he is home for at least a week!

Ready and waiting!

Dad practiced transferring into and out of a car today. We got plywood that we will line up to make rolling him into the basement door a lot easier. A few of the neighbors are helping out and building dad a ramp. We are so Thankful to you guys!!!! They probably figured out that my mom and I would have a difficult time doing this! Dad is excited and ready to come home. He has doctors appt tomorrow and we are hoping that plastics will give us more information like when his next surgeries will be. They haven't been very helpful in letting us know more details about the skin graph and when it will be ready to move on to the next steps. But, we are trying to be as patient as can be and just working on him getting home for at least a few days. I will update tomorrow if there is any new information about surgeries or the progress of his leg. If not, I will let you know how Friday and coming home went!

Almost time for ACTUAL home!

Aunt Joan's 80th birthday party was wonderful! It was great to see all the family and be a little distracted from everything going on. As soon as we went to dad's the next day, the first thing he asked about was the party and how everyone was doing.

Dad was told today he will go home this Friday!! He still has to meet with the plastic surgeon to double check this, but rehab has done all the rehab they can do for now so he gets to go home. They aren't able to start the surgeries needed to reconstruct the bone yet because the skin graph is not done healing. One doctor told him it looks like 50% has survived and 50% has died. So on Thursday, they will give him a better idea of what the next step is for the skin graph. It sounds like it will be another few weeks before they can do the major surgeries to see if they can actually save the leg. Dave came home this weekend and we got everything in order in the basement to be wheelchair friendly. A new shower head, furniture moved, patio furniture moved, and recliner fixed (The handle broke right before dad got in the accident so we ordered a new one today) We still have to build a small ramp on the back patio for dad to get in. That will happen this week hopefully. Going to try to come up with something :) Then Dave and Mom's company sells this material they lay down on yards when they bring heavy equipment in on grass so we are going to order some of that and lay it down so it is easier for him to get into the back yard, rather than trying to push him over the grass. On Wednesday, I am taking my car up to rehab to help dad learn how to transfer into a car. Too bad mom and I both have small cars for him to get in and out of but he said it will be fine and they will figure out the best way to do it.

Grandma is moving to a new rehab tomorrow. We went to visit her and took her outside in the garden. She was in great spirits getting to see Chase and Jack, her great grand children. She also was exciting to see Sandy and her family this weekend.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers! Our family is very lucky to have friends and family that are so supportive!!!

Doctor visits

Dad had a busy day. He had therapy all morning and then was carted to St. John's to meet with orthopedics and plastics. Ortho is ready to start rebuilding the bone but the skin graph isn't ready to reopen so they have to wait till the skin graph heals more. The plastic surgeons, the one's who did the skin graph, had an emergency surgery this morning so they weren't there to give us an update on his skin graph and if it is surviving. They rescheduled for tomorrow morning. I will keep you posted!

Rehab update

Sorry I haven't updated. Apparently my computer decided not to work any more. I will hopefully be getting it fixed soon but until then, posts might be every few days. It actually works out great because dad is making slow and steady progress.  In rehab, he is able to move from his bed to the wheel chair and then to the toilet. He has learned how to shower and keep his leg lifted on the chair. He felt amazing after being able to have a some what normal shower. Dad also enjoyed when I brought up my dog, Jada to visit. It's the little things in life you realize you miss! Rehab is telling him he can go home next Friday. On this Thursday, Dr. Cannada (ortho) and plastic surgeons are having a meeting to let him know the next steps for surgeries and rebuilding the leg bone. I will update you on how that meeting goes Thursday. As of now, dad is in much better in spirits. He still refuses to take pain meds because of what they did to him, but we keep telling him a little now will probably be okay compared to before because at least now he is up and moving around. He is sticking to smaller pain meds to help his sternum and ribs recover. His pneumonia did get worse but he has been coughing up a lot these last few days because he is moving around so much so hopefully that is better today. His skin graph looks great and so does the donor section of his upper thigh. There are two spots that are very tender on the skin graph and look pretty black and gross! We are hoping the skin survives and there will be no more reason for skin graphs. Thank you for everything you guys have helped us with! A ton of family will be in town this weekend because we have Aunt Joan's big birthday bash! Dave and Kelly are coming in for the party and Jeff will be in next week. They will begin the rebuilding process of dad's "man cave" in preparation for his arrival back home!!!!! I will keep you posted if his day to come home changes. We are almost over another hurdle. Hopefully the rebuilding of the bone goes smoothly so he can start back to normal life in the next few months! All our love- The Greeninger's

A New Home

We are in a new home at St. John's Rehab at 40 and Timberlake. Dad is doing well, he has PT and OT at least 3 times a day. He is mainly learning life skills like getting out of bed, getting to the bathroom, dressing and moving around independently. Dad sounds like he is comfortable here and said the people are really nice. We don't know how long he will be here but when he is done, he will come home for a bit and then in about 4 weeks from now, he will have his next surgery. The next step is to start rebuilding the bone. After that surgery, he will probably be back at rehab. We haven't talked much about what happens after his next surgeries. The skin graph still looks good and is holding better. We have follow up appointments next week back at St. John's hospital with the orthopedics and plastic surgeons. Have a safe weekend! It's warm outside!!!!

He's Back!!!

After a few crazy days of comments and jibber jabber.....he is beginning to act more like himself! His CAT scan on his brain came back normal and so did other test to see what was causing his sudden change mentally. The doctors figured it was just the meds and being in here for so long but they wanted to make us feel comfortable and make sure they covered everything. They completely took him off the big pain meds and he is being a trooper. No pain meds in two days and he is still caring on with the pain from his ribs and sternum. Today, he was out of his bed and got to sit in a chair. His leg was down for a while, with permission of the doctor, and it started to bleed a bit more. They told us this is expected because there is more blood going to the area. The hope is to get him in rehab tomorrow or Saturday. They made phone calls to insurance and rehab today to get it all organized! Dad is very excited to get out of here. We took down all the cards, pictures, and sent the flowers and plants home. He is packed and ready to move. So hopefully they will follow the plan and transport him, via ambulance, to St. John's rehab off of 40 and Timberlake.

Dad doing his rehab today in his chair

Last 48 hours

So dad's leg and lungs are doing better but now we have a new challenge. His medicine and lack of sleep is causing him to see/hear things. He says things a lot about his family and people being here who aren't here. My uncle said that this is normal because he hasn't been outside and has had so much medicine in him for the last three weeks. They are lowering his medicine to help with the random thoughts. The doctors were hoping to get him into rehab this weekend so hopefully it will allow him to get out of the mental state he is in and start thinking clearly again. It's sad to see your dad not being himself but we all have hope that this is just a phase and once he gets out of the hospital, he will be back to himself.

Happy Memorial Day!

We had a lot of visitors in this weekend! It was a great time with everyone in town. Dad is doing better. His chest tube came out and they are waiting for his leg to be a little more stable. There is one part of his leg they are worried the skin might die so they will have to do another skin graph. As of now, that is really the only update. They are thinking dad will be in the hospital about another week and then either go home and rest or go to rehab. Rehab might not be needed right now because he can't put weight on his leg and that is the part that would need rehab. So if that is the case, dad will go home to rest his leg and then in about 4-5 weeks, he will have more surgeries on his leg. Jeff and Dave are going to get the basement set up for him so there is room for a wheelchair and a ramp to get it in the house. We need to make his "man cave" wheelchair ready :) Dave and Jeff left a riding lawn mower for me to use at mom and dads and they taught me how to drive it. Ha, this should be funny! We all went to visit Grandma today in rehab. Her mind is a little slower than before the accident but she is make slow progress. They are thinking her discharge date is June 6-9th???? Hope everyone had a safe and fun Memorial Weekend!

                                                         Chase and Jack visiting Grandpa

Some Pics of the weekend so far

Dave and Jack visiting

Jessii and Steve Grana sent this with all the books to keep dad busy!

Dad's leg today. They have it unwrapped to let it get air. You can see the stitches in his knee. The skin graph is obviously under the bandages.

Lindsey, Chase, Cindy, and Jeff hanging out at the hospital. That couch opens up to a bed. It is nice.

Happy Friday!

Aunt Marlys sent an old picture of dad and part of the family. In her card she said, god bless the "little guy" in the center of the picture." So cute! He was probably 5 or 6. The left side are his parents and Aunt Marlys is above him. Aunt Dee is on the right side and he thinks that is Aunt Dee's friend with them.

Today is a better day. They took the wrap off of dad's leg to get a good look at it. The skin graph looks ok but there are a few spots that a slightly purple so they are watching those. His breathing is better today. He got the nose tube out last night and he was happy about that because he can eat normal food. The chest tube isn't taking out as much today so they were planning to move it to another spot so it can drain from there. He seems more with it today which is great. Every once in a while he says funny stuff like a few days ago, he made a comment about Cinderella. I am assuming it was about the Cinderella pageants I use to do. When he talks, he will say something and then catch himself and say, "Hold on, let me think before I say that again. It didn't make sense." Family gets in town tomorrow. Enjoy your weekend and stay safe!

Almost two weeks....

Can't believe the accident was two weeks ago tomorrow. Crazy how fast and slow it has seemed. It feels like it just happened yesterday but then I sit and think about the hours my family has put in at the hospital and it feels like forever. Everyday I put the weather and date on the board and dad just can't believe how long it has been since he has been outside. He feels like he has been in the hospital forever.

Dad received a chest tube in today. They didn't have to take him in for surgery, they just gave him lots of drugs and put it in bedside. The chest tube is taking fluid, which looks like blood, out of his lung area and releasing some of the pressure that is building up around his left lung. They will see if this helps his breathing and then go from there. They decided against the clips/locks to put on his ribs to stabilize them because they don't want to have to put him under and cut him open again. They still have the nose tube that goes into his stomach to help him feel less sick. The tube is still helping take out liquid that has built up from medicine and helping his stomach because part of his stomach decided to stop working a few days ago. When they put the chest tube in, they clamped off the nose tube to see if he felt nauseous at all. They told us if he didn't feel sick within 6 hours, they would take it out. Here we are, way past 6 hours, and the tube is still in. He doesn't feel sick so we are hoping it will come out tonight. His leg still looks good! The skin graph is holding and keeping its color. They hear a strong pulse in the skin so that is great news! The doctor plans to take the wrap off tomorrow now to get a better look at it.

This weekend, the whole family will be in town! Dave, Kelly, Chase, and Jack will be coming in from Kansas City and bringing his boat. Jeff is still in town and his girlfriend Cindy will be bringing in Lindsey (basically like a child of his) on Saturday. It will be a packed home with lots of people and dogs :) Nothing new for my parents house!

Dad loves reading all of the posts that you comment on my Facebook and he loves the cards. Everyday he says, "Mandy, read me some posts" or "Who is that card from?" He can't believe the amount of people that are praying and thinking about him! I know it makes him feel so much better!

Grandma is slow and steady. I believe mom said her release date from rehab is suppose to be June 6th. We are trying to figure out the nurse situation when she goes home.

We hope you enjoy your long weekend and stay safe! Love you guys!!!

Midwest weather getting in the way

So another stormy day and this time, Jeff and Dad had to be moved to the hallway. After seeing the tornado in Joplin and the hospital there, they weren't taking any risks. Dad was in the hallway for a few hours and Jeff said he mostly slept. They put a tube down dad's nose and it goes into his stomach. It takes out the junk that has been making him feel sick. He is complaining that the tube is starting to irritate and hurt him so hopefully it will come out tomorrow. The doctors decided NOT to do a chest tube or stabilize his lungs by surgery today. They want the least amount of holes in him as possible. So they are hoping it starts to heal better with the tube getting stuff out of his stomach and therefore helping him cough more to help clear his lungs. His skin graph still looks good today. He still can't move the leg but the doctor might take the wrap off of it tomorrow and have a better look at it. Hope everyone is safe and sound after today's storms!

A small update...

So today was another rough day. Dad has a lot of fluid in his left lung and they still have not told us if they plan to do surgery tomorrow or not. One nurse told us his lung is collapsed but we have not heard word from the doctor. His lungs are currently working in the opposite direction when he breaths because of the broken ribs. He felt really sick tonight and is having trouble breathing. They are trying to get him to relax and settle down but he is very anxious about everything right now. On a good note, his skin graphs look promising as of now. His orthopedic doctors came in a few times tonight and reassured us that if he has surgery tomorrow, one of them will be in there to watch his leg and the position of it. They know his lungs are far more important and rather that be healthy but they are trying to do their best to keep his skin graphs closed and allow them to heal. I will know more tomorrow. Keep praying!

Slow and steady....

Got a call from mom today saying dad was going in for surgery again. They took him down for a scan to figure out what is wrong with his lungs. The left lung is really full of fluid and they wanted to see if it was just fluid or blood. If it is blood, they will do surgery tonight. If not, they are going in tomorrow to clean out his lungs. He will most likely get a lung tube, coming out from his side, tonight to try to get the fluid out of his lungs. He feels sick today and hasn't been sleeping because he has been trying to do breathing treatments to get his lungs healthy. Jeff is on his way in now. I will update tonight once we get results from scan about the actual condition of his lungs. Trying to stay positive! Thank you to my teammates Anna and Kim, Claire, and Jaime for your help in taking my kids today! I am very lucky to work at a place that helps one another out!

Surgery on a stormy day

Dad was just in surgery and the lights were flickering as the storm went through. Dad finished surgery and the doctor came to talk with us. He said it went okay. The doctor didn't sound really excited but he sounded ok with the work. He was hoping to use the muscle dad still had to wrap it around the leg area and then close it up. Once he got in there, he realized there was a huge hole in the back of the muscle and he is thinking the bone that dad is missing probably went through the muscle and created the hole. So he had to do two skin graphs to cover up the leg. Some skin came from the back of the leg and the rest came from the upper thigh of his bad leg. Dad will be happy to hear they kept all of the skin graphs on one leg so he at least has one good leg still.  The doctor is concerned about two spots that might be too tight from the skin graph. He kept skipping around the topic so I finally said, ok so what are you worried about. He said he is worried the two spots might become dead skin and break apart so then we would have to do another skin graph and surgery. So there is to be NO moving of the leg. If the skin on the leg heals, he will probably be out of here in another week and go to rehab. If the skin breaks open, then we start all over. So in all, surgery went ok. Not great, but a little step closer to getting him out of here. Keep the prayers coming!

Sunday fun

Dad is doing well today. He is in his chair, out of his bed. Surgery is tomorrow but not sure about time. Dave, Kelly, and the boys came to visit to help lift dad's spirits. It worked :) Dave shaved dad, first time ever. Dave also cut the grass last night in the dark. Dad's feeling in his fingers is getting better. It was spurs that dad has in his neck now and when they put the tube in his mouth for surgery it stressed them and hit a nerve so he lost feeling in his right hand. It is slowly coming back now. We went to visit grandma and she looks great. Her legs are a bit swollen, but we took her outside to get some fresh air. She is still in rehab at St. Anthony's.

Big Day Surgery

Dad's surgery went well today. They went in and put in rods and nails to fill in the missing bone. They cleaned out the leg and everything looks good. The only problem is that he now has pain in his leg, which believe it or not, until today he had no pain in the leg. His fingers on his right hand are slightly numb and he can't use them so we are hoping they didn't hit something during surgery. Surgery is still on for Monday when they will put muscle around the "bone" and close up the leg, finally! After that, he will be in rehab for 4-6 weeks and have a few more surgeries in there. Right now we are planning to put dad in St. John's rehab. Grandma is out of ICU and in rehab at St. Anthony's. Not sure if she will stay there or not because she has to share a room and gma does not like that. We might move her to a place she can have her own room. So today went well. Just hard seeing dad sit there trying to cough because of his pneumonia and it kills his sternum. I think that is all as of now. Mom is staying at the hospital today and Dave, Kelly, and the boys will be here tomorrow. Jeff is coming in soon. He told dad he was going to try to build him a ramp into the house. We are trying to figure out how to be able to get dad into his man cave when he gets home. We all know mom and dad DO NOT watch the same shows so there might have to be a lot of compromise over the next few months if they have to share a TV :) Thanks for the extra prayers today! 

Surgery tomorrow

Dr. just came in and he is in line for surgery tomorrow morning. Either at 7:30 or 9:30. They will go in and put in a rod through the bone and then do a clean out. Dad is anxious about this surgery. He actually asked me to stay tonight because he said he wants to sleep good. He said he slept so well with mom here last night. At least he is being honest about what he needs and would like. Grandma is suppose to go to a step down unit today or tomorrow. Then she will go to rehab. Today was much better than yesterday. So impressed with the staff here at St. John's. 

Today is a new day

So yesterday was difficult for dad. He coughed hard and hurt his ribs pretty bad. Mom stayed with him last night to try to give him some comfort. I think the new room, aka Hotel, has a different feel than the ICU and he is just trying to get use to it. Went in this morning and SLU doctors said still no bacteria in the cultures so we are still on for surgery Friday and Monday. Dave, Kelly, and the boys will be in on Saturday and Jeff is coming home next week. Mom is taking off work tomorrow and I am taking of work Monday. We are good and covered! Thank you for the prayers and thank you to whoever cut mom and dad's grass the other day! To all my neighbors, I am going to have to have one of you teach me to start the lawn mower :) Last time I cut grass, dad made fun of my lines because they weren't straight....we all know how particular dad is about his grass and garden....but something tells me he won't mind if it's not perfect haha :) I brought him in the newspaper this morning so he just sits in his room all day and sleeps, reads, and watches TV. If anyone has ideas of fun stuff to do, let me know. I don't want him to get bored! If you think of anything, call or text me 314-520-9899. Gma might get out tomorrow from the hospital and start rehab. We will have more details on her later. Have a wonderful Thursday everyone!

Gma- May 17, 2011

Not a lot of change with grandma. Her recovery is just a lot of waiting and trying to keep her spirits up. She has 8 broken ribs, a broken sternum, and still watching her spleen. Her predicted  release date is 5-20-11. They are telling us to look into rehabs and where to go next. So really, it will be a very slow recovery seeing how weak she already was before the accident. Just have to keep her in a good mood!

New Room- TICU- AKA- "Hotel"

Wow...what a difference a day makes! Got to the hospital today at 4:00pm and dad was not in his bed! He was sitting in a chair NEXT to his bed. They were very careful to move him but the doctors are amazed at his progress! Cultures came back negative again so we are ok for now in terms of infections. Dr. Cannada is dad's orthopedic surgeon and she is very positive. He will have a surgery on Friday and on Monday. They will put pins in his knee and spacers in his leg where the bone is missing. Then six weeks from then he will start the rebuilding of the leg and putting the plastics in. Good news is, he will be able to go home in between. All the staff her calls the TICU the hotel because you have a couch that folds out to a bed, chair, bathroom, desk, and dvd player. Best of all, it has room service with REGULAR food! It is very nice! St. John's has been amazing through all of this. Keep praying that infections stay out. I will update when mom gets here about gma. Mom is at St. Anthony's right now so we will know more soon.

May 16, 2011

Just left the hospital visiting dad this morning. Dr. came in this morning and said that the test they did on his leg in surgery came back negative. The little bacteria they did find before in the cultures might have just been a little dirt from accident. Nothing major, as of now, in terms of infection. They are planning on having surgery Thursday or Friday to try to go in and put some rods in his knee. They did a scan of his knee yesterday to double check it and I didn't hear anything negative, which is good. They seem positive of trying to reconstruct his leg. The main Dr. is excited because she is doing a grant for this type of surgery right now so she was excited to see what they can do to keep the leg. Swelling went down in neck and face a ton and he has been doing his breathing exercises to keep him off of the ventilator. We use to have to make him pick up the device to open up his lungs but now he requests it. We are thinking because of the 15 or so different doctors and therapist to come in, EVERY single one of them have preached using the device to stay off the ventilator. I haven't talked with my aunt this morning yet to check on Grandma. I will call her later and update the page tonight. Keep praying!!!!

Here we go

I am going to try to post things about my dad and grandma on this blog. I am not the best blogger, but I am sure I will learn as I go seeing that we all have a long road ahead of us. Felt this way would be easier to let people know what was going on instead of all the annoying updates on Facebook. Feel free to pass this along to our friends and family. Dad wanted to keep updates slightly private with only family and friends. This is just a test post so I will update tomorrow.