Update #124

Dave's dressing is on Day #3 and holding, the best we've done in a while. Unfortunately, whether it is the pressure from the wound vac or something else, the right side of Dave's stomach has really been bothering him over the past few days. The pain seems to go in waves and hits so badly sometimes that he can't move (he's in that place right now). Dr. Weintz is "almost tempted" to switch his tube feed from continuous to bolus to see if that helps, but not quite yet. Be praying that the pain will subside.

PT/OT continues to go well. When he stood on Tuesday, Fran (PT) and Maura (OT) did almost nothing to help, and for the first time, Dave said that although his arms hurt, his breathing didn't bother him much. Yesterday, he got some cool new toys - okay, that might be a slight overstatement - some gadgets to help him put on his socks and shoes without help and a gripper to grab things that are out of his reach, which he has been using to torment me ever since. :-) Getting in and out of his wheelchair gets easier and easier, and there is some visible definition in to his leg muscles for the first time since June.

Ann from Cardio-Pulmonary discontinued Dave from their services - I guess we were right when we thought it wasn't doing anything for him - but left some information on breathing that is supposed to help during exercise. Dave has tried the techniques a few times and doesn't seem sold, but we haven't given up yet.

One of the trauma surgeons (potentially even Dr. Muskat, Dave's surgeon) is supposed to be by this afternoon to check on Dave's wound, and we are hoping to get some information on how they will know when he is ready for surgery (this whole "sometime between December and April" thing isn't working for either of us). From what we understand, the scar tissue in Dave's abdomen needs to heal and soften quite a bit before they can operate again (hence the six month time frame we heard originally), but we have no idea if there is some indicator for which they will be watching to know when he is ready. In the meantime, the wound vac (when it holds) is doing a great job of helping Dave's body to create new skin and shrink the wound, a visible indication of progress every week.

There are so many moments when this process seems interminably long and almost unbearable. Dave is consistently positive (or as positive as one can be when one can't breathe), but there are definitely times when the frustration is written all over his face. At the same time, as we crossed the two month mark at Drake yesterday and sit at the five month mark since Dave's accident today, it is once again amazing to think back on how far he has come, and it is encouraging to know that one day, this will all be over. In the meantime, we enjoy the soup, endure the dressing changes, and anticipate the celebration on June 6, 2009.