Well, everyone keeps on asking about my dad, but I we are still waiting from doctors, so I don't have a full update to give.
I can say that we are very grateful his infection went quickly away after my parents arrived in the United States. Also, we are grateful that, according to an expert, his ankle surgery was perfect and that they don't have to redo it.
Originally my father's back doctor said that his back would be just fine with a brace, but he is still in a significant amount of pain, so they are addressing the problem again and we are waiting to hear back if he will need surgery or not.
Right now the ankle healing estimate is three more weeks (at least when he can walk on it). If everything goes fine with his back, then my parents may be ready to leave the U.S.A. in three week s to a month. We will see!
Thank you for all the prayers and support :)
7.09.2012
My Parents are Coming Home
My parents just received notice that they will be returning to Utah this Wednesday.
The doctors said that my dad’s back can probably be fixed with
a brace (turns out its actually some type of fracture and not a break), but that they need to get IVs on him immediately for his ankle
infection and that they will probably have to redo his ankle surgery.
They have been asked to bring everything home just in case
they don’t go back out on their mission.
I'll keep you updated, but I'm confident that the doctors will do a great job!
7.08.2012
Strength of Angels
I just got off the phone with my parents. They told me a little bit more than I knew before. When the gate fell on my dad he was able to easily get it off himself. The next day it took four men to pick the gate up. He said that he was not the only one lifting the gate. I know that God sends us divine help when we need it. He said that it fell on him just perfectly - barely missing his eye and only getting injured as much as he did. Again, I feel so blessed that he was protected. Through trials we can notice our dependence on God and be reminded of how much He truly loves us and is watching over us.
Ankle Update and Broken Back Vertebrae
Sorry for taking so long to give you the update on my dad's ankle and thank you for everyone's prayers! Well, it has been over a week since the gate incidence with my dad, and what a week it has been! I am grateful for the example of my parents with wanting to stay on their mission and help the people of Jordan no-matter-what and endure through their trials. They are truly amazing and I hope to someday be just like them.
I will write a short summary here, but will include excerpts from my mom's journal entries at the end of this post.
So I guess the fear of infection was warranted, because my dad ended up getting cellulitis in his ankle. Many shots later the infection has gone down and his ankle appears to be doing much better. The stitches on one side of his ankle broke open and the doctors have decided not to close it. Strange...Anyways, my parents recently found out that my dad had also broken a vertebrae in his back. They sent the CT scans to doctors in the US to get a recommendation before my dad gets back surgery. Overall, my parents seem to be optimistic.
Here are some recent pictures (My mom posted some graphic pictures of the ankle, but I haven't decided yet if the blogging world would appreciate those or not):
Here are some excerpts from my mom's journal:
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Yesterday was very busy. There are still things I have to do with Humanitarian, but not much. The one couple has taken over the one project temporarily. Another one is not an emergency so it can wait a week until things calm down—I hope. Saturday, Amer brought some young women over to measure Dennis for a wheelchair and then they went to the church and got a wheelchair out of the shed. Only the outdoor chair fit him so they put it together and brought it over. He said it has improved his quality of life so much. Walkers really aren’t made to hop with on one foot and he fell twice Friday night trying to use the walker. Our two flights of stairs are still a problem. The walker down is ok if I hold on to it while standing in front of him. But going up the stairs he resorted to his knees. He was sure glad to see his wheelchair when he got to the top of the stairs. Yesterday we watched a slide show together of Lehi’s Trail. He sat up for about 5 hours to eat and work on humanitarian finances. I found out that taking over all of Dennis’s work except computer work is going to thin me down some. I have become the maid, cook, driver and bottle washer. The worst part of all this is carrying groceries up two flights of stairs. It takes several trips up the stairs to bring things in plus one trip just for Dennis if he is with me, like today when I had to take him to the hospital because his leg was red and warm and swollen. A resident at the hospital was going to send him home, but the nurse supervisor felt his leg and called the doctor. An hour later he came and took off the partial cast and all the wrapping and said he had cellulitis which I am familiar with. It is an infection in the cells. He said we caught it in the first stage so a nurse gave him a shot (almost all the nurses are men) and then they gave me needles and antibiotic to give Dennis two shots a day and then he goes back in 2 days to see the doctor. That sounds real simple, huh, except I have never given anyone a shot before. I think Dennis was pretty brave or stupid to let me do it. I think I am crazy to try, but tonight is my first try.
Monday, July 02, 2012
We had a missionary district meeting at our house this morning. 2 couples came and brought goodies and we met for 1 ½ hours. One is a nurse so she gave Dennis a shot so I wouldn’t have to. They brought us Gerrard’s ice cream: sorbet and sf ff. That was a nice treat. I have just been trying to keep up with Dennis today: getting things he needs, running to the pharmacies twice and to the bank once. The ATM ate my card yesterday because the keys are such a pain on the ATM. You have to hit a key about 5 times for it to work. There was a guy there fixing it when I went to pick up my card. I made bread for Dennis this evening and we watched a movie. Dennis leg is still red and further up, but I believe it has paled some today.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
The only humanitarian we did today was listen to the results of a visit to an eye clinic in Salt and the latest in what was being said in SLC about eye clinics. I took Dennis to the hospital to see the doctor this morning. His leg had bled through his bandage, but the doctor wouldn’t open it to look at it because he said he wouldn’t open it until Saturday because of the risk of infection. Hah, he already has infection. When we got home, I opened it and the stitches had broken and the one wound was open about 3 inches long, ¼ to ½ inch wide and to the fat which I could see. I just put more antibiotic salve on it and a new bandage. Dennis keeps ice on both incisions most of the day and the swelling has gone down some. His leg is one big bruise all the way from his foot to his knee and starting up his thigh in the back. I had to go to the bank twice and get Dennis up and down the stairs, make meals, mop the floor because Dennis got up and made his own breakfast (bad boy) and do laundry. I started reading a book for fun and had English classes canceled for this week. I think I will do fine next week if Dennis has his infection under control. He has figured out how to use his knees and one foot to move from his chair to the bed and back.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
I have to keep sending Dennis to his room. He had his computer and ice bottles, etc. in the bedroom and he asked me to bring them out, which I did and said I would be back to get the rest. When I turn around, here he was. He had hopped on one foot and pushed his wheelchair over 30 feet from the bedroom to the office really fast on marble floors. Not smart. He was going to work in the office, but he can’t get his foot above his heart sitting in a chair so I sent him back. I emailed his reports. Our wireless only works in the office. Yes, we are in Jordan. His leg and ankle still look nasty. The missionary who is a nurse dropped in and was happy to see it looked better than yesterday. Evidently they were thinking of sending us home. I took him to the hospital once today to get the stitches out of his head, (about 25 in the upper layer) and the doctor put steri tape on the wound for 3 more days. We had to buy salves to put on the incision for the next few weeks. It took a second trip to the hospital to get the meds. I give him his shots twice a day. I went to the bank and wrestled with the ATM and it was a tie: I got some money but the ATM finally closed down. We will start using another ATM in town, wherever that is. I just realized there is a bank 2 blocks away that should have an ATM.
Fact of the day: There was a nurse or resident smoking in the emergency room and the first time I asked him to stop (there are signs all over the place) he just set it down so I said it again and told him that Dennis has asthma. I had to hold Dennis down because he was ready to go swat him and tell him off. Therefore, I told him off again, so he got rid of it and opened the window behind him and I opened some doors. Men around here think that rules do not apply to them.
Friday, July 06, 2012
The redness has gone down so it is no longer up his leg but only around the wounds. I change his bandage every day even though the doctor said not to take it off because it will introduce infection. Maybe he meant it would introduce a different infection since it is already infected.
Friday, July 06, 2012
I went to the church this morning and opened everything up, cleaned up some and emptied trashes, paid the driver and left. I changed Dennis’ bandages and got all the things he needed today. His back has been hurting since his accident, so I am going to push on the bone tonight and see if any bones hurt. I have looked at the muscles and one might be tight on one side of his lower back. We wrote up our weekly report and emailed it and then we had our weekly conference call with SL and the other missionaries in Jordan. It was nice to have the sacrament today.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
I took Dennis to the hospital to get the stitches out of his surgery, but when the doctor saw that the incisions were still infected and that the one had broken open, he decided to leave the stitches in for a few more days and keep him on the antibiotic shots. When we got home we prepared food for our meeting with the other missionaries. After that meeting Dennis was lying down when I left to go with Amer to visit a society. After that we went to a store that sells DVDs for 1JD each. Dennis was a bad/good boy and washed the Dishes while I was gone and worked on the computer. He leg started to swell, so he decided to be a good boy and lie down while we watched a movie. I then tried to fix his computer with the internet but was unable to get it to work. After scriptures and prayers he is in bed and I am going to read for a while and then go to bed.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
The latest: We spent all day in the King Abdullah Hospital, the biggest in Jordan. An x-ray and CT Scan showed that Dennis’ 3rd vertebrae is broken. They wanted to do an MRI, but we found out that the metal in his foot is stainless steel, so no MRI. They wanted to do surgery if they could get the MRI. We spent over 12 hours in the hospital and were thrilled to leave, but we have to go back tomorrow to get a refund. I had to go to the CEO to get that. After SL found out, they asked us to send the CT CD and the x-rays to them so they can have their medical staff take a look at them and give us a recommendation. I am exhausted from carting a heavy wheelchair up and down stairs and in and out of the car and not eating and trying to get the information I needed. Just an example:
Fact of the day: I came home from one hospital, picked up the landlady’s son who is visiting from FL and went to the hospital where Dennis had his surgery because they wouldn’t talk to me on the phone. The two of us ended up in surgery trying to find out the type of metal used in Dennis’ foot. It took 30 minutes for a doctor to check the operating room, then go to accounting downstairs and then call the company that made the hardware, but we did find out it was stainless steel. A doctor sitting in a TV room with a door open to recovery was smoking like crazy: two cigarettes while we were there. There was a man who just came out of surgery in recovery.
I will write a short summary here, but will include excerpts from my mom's journal entries at the end of this post.
So I guess the fear of infection was warranted, because my dad ended up getting cellulitis in his ankle. Many shots later the infection has gone down and his ankle appears to be doing much better. The stitches on one side of his ankle broke open and the doctors have decided not to close it. Strange...Anyways, my parents recently found out that my dad had also broken a vertebrae in his back. They sent the CT scans to doctors in the US to get a recommendation before my dad gets back surgery. Overall, my parents seem to be optimistic.
Here are some recent pictures (My mom posted some graphic pictures of the ankle, but I haven't decided yet if the blogging world would appreciate those or not):
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| Here is the iron gate that fell on my dad's whole body. I think they said it was an estimated 1000 lbs. |
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| My cute dad working on the computer. You can see his head stitches, knee stitches, and ankle wrap. |
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| The non-broken stitches side of his ankle. |
Here are some excerpts from my mom's journal:
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Yesterday was very busy. There are still things I have to do with Humanitarian, but not much. The one couple has taken over the one project temporarily. Another one is not an emergency so it can wait a week until things calm down—I hope. Saturday, Amer brought some young women over to measure Dennis for a wheelchair and then they went to the church and got a wheelchair out of the shed. Only the outdoor chair fit him so they put it together and brought it over. He said it has improved his quality of life so much. Walkers really aren’t made to hop with on one foot and he fell twice Friday night trying to use the walker. Our two flights of stairs are still a problem. The walker down is ok if I hold on to it while standing in front of him. But going up the stairs he resorted to his knees. He was sure glad to see his wheelchair when he got to the top of the stairs. Yesterday we watched a slide show together of Lehi’s Trail. He sat up for about 5 hours to eat and work on humanitarian finances. I found out that taking over all of Dennis’s work except computer work is going to thin me down some. I have become the maid, cook, driver and bottle washer. The worst part of all this is carrying groceries up two flights of stairs. It takes several trips up the stairs to bring things in plus one trip just for Dennis if he is with me, like today when I had to take him to the hospital because his leg was red and warm and swollen. A resident at the hospital was going to send him home, but the nurse supervisor felt his leg and called the doctor. An hour later he came and took off the partial cast and all the wrapping and said he had cellulitis which I am familiar with. It is an infection in the cells. He said we caught it in the first stage so a nurse gave him a shot (almost all the nurses are men) and then they gave me needles and antibiotic to give Dennis two shots a day and then he goes back in 2 days to see the doctor. That sounds real simple, huh, except I have never given anyone a shot before. I think Dennis was pretty brave or stupid to let me do it. I think I am crazy to try, but tonight is my first try.
Monday, July 02, 2012
We had a missionary district meeting at our house this morning. 2 couples came and brought goodies and we met for 1 ½ hours. One is a nurse so she gave Dennis a shot so I wouldn’t have to. They brought us Gerrard’s ice cream: sorbet and sf ff. That was a nice treat. I have just been trying to keep up with Dennis today: getting things he needs, running to the pharmacies twice and to the bank once. The ATM ate my card yesterday because the keys are such a pain on the ATM. You have to hit a key about 5 times for it to work. There was a guy there fixing it when I went to pick up my card. I made bread for Dennis this evening and we watched a movie. Dennis leg is still red and further up, but I believe it has paled some today.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
The only humanitarian we did today was listen to the results of a visit to an eye clinic in Salt and the latest in what was being said in SLC about eye clinics. I took Dennis to the hospital to see the doctor this morning. His leg had bled through his bandage, but the doctor wouldn’t open it to look at it because he said he wouldn’t open it until Saturday because of the risk of infection. Hah, he already has infection. When we got home, I opened it and the stitches had broken and the one wound was open about 3 inches long, ¼ to ½ inch wide and to the fat which I could see. I just put more antibiotic salve on it and a new bandage. Dennis keeps ice on both incisions most of the day and the swelling has gone down some. His leg is one big bruise all the way from his foot to his knee and starting up his thigh in the back. I had to go to the bank twice and get Dennis up and down the stairs, make meals, mop the floor because Dennis got up and made his own breakfast (bad boy) and do laundry. I started reading a book for fun and had English classes canceled for this week. I think I will do fine next week if Dennis has his infection under control. He has figured out how to use his knees and one foot to move from his chair to the bed and back.
Wednesday, July 04, 2012
I have to keep sending Dennis to his room. He had his computer and ice bottles, etc. in the bedroom and he asked me to bring them out, which I did and said I would be back to get the rest. When I turn around, here he was. He had hopped on one foot and pushed his wheelchair over 30 feet from the bedroom to the office really fast on marble floors. Not smart. He was going to work in the office, but he can’t get his foot above his heart sitting in a chair so I sent him back. I emailed his reports. Our wireless only works in the office. Yes, we are in Jordan. His leg and ankle still look nasty. The missionary who is a nurse dropped in and was happy to see it looked better than yesterday. Evidently they were thinking of sending us home. I took him to the hospital once today to get the stitches out of his head, (about 25 in the upper layer) and the doctor put steri tape on the wound for 3 more days. We had to buy salves to put on the incision for the next few weeks. It took a second trip to the hospital to get the meds. I give him his shots twice a day. I went to the bank and wrestled with the ATM and it was a tie: I got some money but the ATM finally closed down. We will start using another ATM in town, wherever that is. I just realized there is a bank 2 blocks away that should have an ATM.
Fact of the day: There was a nurse or resident smoking in the emergency room and the first time I asked him to stop (there are signs all over the place) he just set it down so I said it again and told him that Dennis has asthma. I had to hold Dennis down because he was ready to go swat him and tell him off. Therefore, I told him off again, so he got rid of it and opened the window behind him and I opened some doors. Men around here think that rules do not apply to them.
Friday, July 06, 2012
The redness has gone down so it is no longer up his leg but only around the wounds. I change his bandage every day even though the doctor said not to take it off because it will introduce infection. Maybe he meant it would introduce a different infection since it is already infected.
Friday, July 06, 2012
I went to the church this morning and opened everything up, cleaned up some and emptied trashes, paid the driver and left. I changed Dennis’ bandages and got all the things he needed today. His back has been hurting since his accident, so I am going to push on the bone tonight and see if any bones hurt. I have looked at the muscles and one might be tight on one side of his lower back. We wrote up our weekly report and emailed it and then we had our weekly conference call with SL and the other missionaries in Jordan. It was nice to have the sacrament today.
Saturday, July 07, 2012
I took Dennis to the hospital to get the stitches out of his surgery, but when the doctor saw that the incisions were still infected and that the one had broken open, he decided to leave the stitches in for a few more days and keep him on the antibiotic shots. When we got home we prepared food for our meeting with the other missionaries. After that meeting Dennis was lying down when I left to go with Amer to visit a society. After that we went to a store that sells DVDs for 1JD each. Dennis was a bad/good boy and washed the Dishes while I was gone and worked on the computer. He leg started to swell, so he decided to be a good boy and lie down while we watched a movie. I then tried to fix his computer with the internet but was unable to get it to work. After scriptures and prayers he is in bed and I am going to read for a while and then go to bed.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
The latest: We spent all day in the King Abdullah Hospital, the biggest in Jordan. An x-ray and CT Scan showed that Dennis’ 3rd vertebrae is broken. They wanted to do an MRI, but we found out that the metal in his foot is stainless steel, so no MRI. They wanted to do surgery if they could get the MRI. We spent over 12 hours in the hospital and were thrilled to leave, but we have to go back tomorrow to get a refund. I had to go to the CEO to get that. After SL found out, they asked us to send the CT CD and the x-rays to them so they can have their medical staff take a look at them and give us a recommendation. I am exhausted from carting a heavy wheelchair up and down stairs and in and out of the car and not eating and trying to get the information I needed. Just an example:
Fact of the day: I came home from one hospital, picked up the landlady’s son who is visiting from FL and went to the hospital where Dennis had his surgery because they wouldn’t talk to me on the phone. The two of us ended up in surgery trying to find out the type of metal used in Dennis’ foot. It took 30 minutes for a doctor to check the operating room, then go to accounting downstairs and then call the company that made the hardware, but we did find out it was stainless steel. A doctor sitting in a TV room with a door open to recovery was smoking like crazy: two cigarettes while we were there. There was a man who just came out of surgery in recovery.
7.02.2012
What a week!
I am always grateful (well, usually grateful) for being busy, especially if it is the fun-kind! The last week has been full of all types of glorious funness.
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| Thursday. Superhero murder mystery dinner. I was "Shiver." |
Friday, rock climbing. Yay for Quarry pass!
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| Saturday, zoo. Meerkats snuggling. |
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| Llama!! I love llamas. |
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| Getting attacked by a spider. |
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| Conquering the spider. If only I could do that in my spider nightmares. |
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| Rob getting eaten by a crocodile. |
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| And hatching from an egg. I imagine he is a turtle at heart ;) |
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| Drinking from the coolest fountain in Utah! |
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| Had to get this classic picture. |
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| Saturday, also Albany branch reunion. You guys are great! |
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| Sunday, made successful cheesecake. |
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| Monday, ate the cheesecake at a ward bbq. |
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| Monday, pudding fight for FHE. Awesome. |
Yay for summertime and the ability to do fun stuff in order to appreciate how awesome life truly is. Thank you to all my friends for everything :) You all are truly amazing.
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