August is Now Collar-less!!!

August had a follow-up x-ray last week so that Dr. Young could assess the healing at the surgery site. Tonight at dinner, Dr. Young (who may just be my second favorite doctor ever) called to say the healing looks great and August is released from any further collar wearing!!! Since neither August nor I are in any position to do happy dances, we instead let out plenty of loud whoops and hollers - all of course from a very, very still position. Although it seems like a small thing, being free of his collar is great encouragement to this sweet man with so many other burdens weighing on him right now. It sort of feels like one tiny step towards normalcy in the midst of all the madness.......and hugs just aren't the same with the collar in the way. He's also now free to gently hit some tennis balls with the girls although he'll have to wait another 6 weeks to do any heavy hitting. Thanks so very much for all the prayers you've said for him. It's so good to have him healthy again.

A Big Day for August

Today is August's first day back to work since his neck surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago. He'll be working mornings and then home with me (assuming I go home) in the afternoons this week. Pray for him. He'll need fortitude and stamina as he gets back to the grind of the office - on top of everything else he's juggling at home.

Happy Progress Report

Today, August, the girls and I took a family roadtrip to Richmond for an action-packed day. Although the primary reason for our trip was August's follow-up visit with Dr. Young, we also took the opportunity to visit some Civil War landmarks since we're studying that period of history (a post for another day), our favorite Asain Supermarket, (I think they're starting to recognize us in there!), and one of the best (in our opinion) Vietnamese Restaurants around.

The point of this post, however, is to share that August had a glowing progress report from Dr. Young. He had an x-ray taken which looked great. His neck is healing well. AND.....{insert drumroll and a happy dance here}.....his numbness is starting to subside!!!! WOO HOO!!!! He suspected that maybe that was happening earlier in the week but I was hesitant to post until he was sure. It definitely comes and goes but we're headed in the right direction! I'm just so excited for this piece of encouragement for him. This means so much to his livelihood - his ability to examine his patients, his handwriting, and - above all - his tennis game!

Another exciting bit of news is that he has permission to be out of his hard collar and in a softer one during the day. (Ironically, he says the soft one is no more comfortable than the hard one but it sure looks a lot more comfortable if you ask me!) You can see him modeling it here. He is also free to drive some but still no tennis yet - believe me, he asked!!

The girls got to meet Dr. Young face to face and I think that was a treat for all involved. He entered the room carrying a brown paper bag which he proceeded to hand to me. He said it was a treat for the girls - a snack for later. I thought, "Uh oh, I won't mention the fact that we're all avoiding sweets for Lent." You'll never guess what we found in the bag when we opened it later in the day - fruit! Although I might never have the courage to say it to his face, he is such a sweetie! Doesn't he look like it!?


We will head back to Richmond in two weeks for another follow-up appointment.

No News is Good News

Things are moving along nicely around here. August is sleeping well and his incision looks great. The numbness in his hand still hasn't resolved but we're told that could take a few months. I try to remind him that this will be a marathon and not a sprint to recovery. He has a love/hate relationship with his collar. He appreciates the support and protection it provides but his skin underneath is reacting to it so he's scratching a lot.

We return to Richmond on Thursday to follow-up with Dr. Young. I know August is hoping that he'll be told he doesn't have to wear the collar anymore. I'm skeptical but don't want to dash his hopes. I'll let you know how the visit goes.

Out on the Town

This morning was our first real outing as a family since August came home from the hospital. He had been out to run a few errands with me earlier in the week but not for a very long time. Today, thanks to the generosity of my friend Cindy, we took the girls to see a condensed version of the Moscow Ballet's Cinderella. I was hesitant at first to accept the tickets but August assured me he felt up for it. So we left the house around 9:30, to drive downtown. (I don't think I've mentioned how nerve wracking it can be to drive someone with a neck injury around! With every turn and jolt, I would notice him holding his collar securely in place with his hand - all the time assuring me he was "fine".) The ballet was such a fun treat although I caught someone with his eyelids looking very heavy about midway through. Afterwards, we capped off our "family date" with lunch out together. It was such an enjoyable morning. I warned him beforehand, though, that it might wear him out to be out on the town already. I don't think he believed me. Well, we had been home maybe 30 minutes when he was already changed into his comfy clothes and heading for bed. (I keep telling him that now he can understand the fatigue a woman feels after giving birth. I'm hoping his experience buys me even more sympathy come May!)

I am happy to report though that last night was the first night he was able to sleep without taking any sleep medication. I know that may sound like a baby step but it feels like a real victory around here!

Convalescing

This is August.

It's now six days after surgery and I feel almost back to normal. I no longer have any pain on swallowing or fevers. I am finally sleeping through most of the night. Thank you everyone for your thoughts, prayers, cards, meals and fruit baskets. I feel God's love through all of you. I also feel His love through my beloved wife, who now has to do so much for our family. What a blessing it is to see her homeschool our children and care for me each day. God has given me this sweet time to show me the blessings he has given me. Thank you!

The symptoms for which I initially sought medical care, numbness and tingling in my right hand, however hasn't resolved. This could be because of persistent swelling or it could mean another disc compressing the nerve roots further down the spinal cord;my MRI did show multilevel disc disease in my cervical spine. Please pray that these symptoms will eventually resolve.

Post-Op Day 3

I don't really know who's still stopping by here to check on August but if you are, he's doing really well. He had a slight fever yesterday but it wasn't anything a little Tylenol couldn't take care of. He tires quickly which is to be expected. So he spends a lot of time on the couch or in bed. Today, after church, we all got cozy by the fire and played card games for the rest of the afternoon - with an occasional catnap thrown in here and there. We're all enjoying being together and having him home. It's a good thing because he'll be home every day for the next 2 weeks.

It will be interesting navigating homeschooling and caring for him at the same time. I read a good quote about raising and teaching children recently:

"Formation is more important than information." --Laura Berquist

That probably encapsulates what the next couple of weeks will be like for us. I imagine there are some really good life lessons that no textbook could provide in this experience for all of us.

Thanks for checking in. August tells me he may post something one day soon..........stay tuned.

We're Home!!

After having a great day today, August was discharged this evening. We surprised the kids by showing up at home unannounced tonight. It's so good to be together again........and to have our own bed awaiting us tonight!!

Recovery Update #2

Oh, it's so good to be in a new day! In Lamentations, we're told that God's mercies are new every morning and today that feels more real than ever.

We both slept.....restless and spotty.....but we slept. Poor August had the nurses checking on him every two hours through the night. I'm thankful for the checks but glad they can back off on that today. Our baby decided to do his celebratory somersaults in my belly around 4 a.m. this morning so that left me awake for a while.

We've been in touch with the girls by Skype and that has been so good for us to see them and they us through our computer screens.

Today will be all about working up to a regular diet (being able to swallow without difficulty - including pain pills) and walking to get his lungs back to full capacity again. (The lungs sometimes decide to take a mini-vacation whenever you have surgery. No big deal, he just needs to MOVE). It will be slow, but we'll just try a little at a time.

There's still a chance we'll go home later today (August is REALLY hoping to be in his own bed tonight), but we won't know until this afternoon.

The first picture is him right when they rolled him into the room yesterday. He probably doesn't even remember me taking it. In fact, I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember much of anything from yesterday evening. Our "conversations" were pretty one-sided!

Here he is this morning sitting up in a chair. He's already concerned about how behind he is on his newspaper reading - yes, I'd say he's getting back to normal. Maybe I'll get him to post something later. (By the way, still not able to send emails. So if you've sent one, know that I've received it!)

Surgery Update #1

"Don't worry, August. I'll take care of you just like you were my son."

August was rolled into the Operating Room around 12:45 p.m. today. The words above were what Dr. Young said to him shortly before that. And I really believe him.

I got a call around 1:45 p.m. from one of the OR nurses letting me know that they had started and that his vitals were normal. Dr. Young told me this morning that it may be 2 1/2 or 3 hours from the time they start until they are finished. At this hospital, they don't let family members see the patient in the Recovery Room so I won't see him until they bring him up to his room - where I'm waiting now. I'd love to think that will be around 5:00 but it may realistically be more like
6:00.

The top picture is August waiting in the pre-op area. Notice there's not a twinge of anxiety on his face?! He's so great in that way.


These other two pictures show the wires they attached to him to monitor his nerve impulses throughout the surgery. He has them on both wrists and his ankles. These wires will provide information about how well his nerves are conducting sensory and motor impulses throughout the operation. They will give a warning if the surgeons get too close to the spinal cord. Isn't that amazing? August wanted to be sure I got pictures of these since he knew we had a special somebody at home who would want to know as many of the medical details as possible...right Marina?!


I don't expect to get another call from the OR until they are done but if I do, I'll post another update. Until then, I'll be waiting and praying in his room.

Thanks for all of the comments, emails, and phone calls I've gotten over the past few days. The encouragement has been much needed and much appreciated.