On Being Laid Up...

Chris's View-

Man, I hate having to lay around and do nothing!

I feel so worthless right now.  I can't really do a ton as it takes me 20 minutes to get from the couch to the bathroom, 15 feet away.  I am still having a hard time putting pressure on my foot, though I have noticed that by the time I walk, or hobble, to the bathroom, and start to walk back, I am able to put a little more weight on the foot.  It's tough to not be able to help Maria around the house with the kids and chores.  I know she has had it rough, and we are so thankful that her mom was able to come out and help.  I'm not sure we could have gotten everything accomplished without her.

They have me on Norco (pain meds) every 4 hours.  I am not sure it's really doing much, but I am taking them for fear that if they wear off, I may be back at a 10 pain level.  My arm is probably a 4 on the pain scale now, and my ankle is a high 7 low 8, depending on what position I am in really.  I am crazy itchy right now though, probably the pain meds, as percocet did the same thing to me.  Also, it makes me sweat like a beast!  I am literally dripping as I type this... yuck!

I found out yesterday one of my mentors made Chief Master Sergeant... the highest enlisted rank in the Air Force.  I am proud to have worked for him... such a genuine man & leader.  I also found out that the husband of one of my prior bosses got selected to be the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force... the top enlisted person in the Air Force.  He's a controller, and it's the first time an Air Traffic guy has held the position.  Pretty cool day.

I guess that's about all for now.  See ya'll later!

Maria's View-

To Chris-

I love you and I just want you to rest and get well!  Nothing else matters.

LOVE YOU!

He's Home Again!

Another short post today because I just got home from an emergency root canal.  Yeah, of course I would need a root canal now... right?

Chris is doing well... His ankle is the worst right now and I had a feeling that would be the case since it's a new flare.  I imagine that will get worse before it gets better.  His arm is hanging out around a 5 level in pain which is the best it's been.  It's also a different kind of pain now, more of a surgical pain... so I think the pressure has been relieved.  He's hanging out here at home with his ankle wrapped, using a German crutch, a splint on his arm with a drain still in place.

Please keep us in your prayers... If it's not one thing, it's another.  I truly feel like our family is under attack.  The best part of my day was when all 3 kids piled on top of me when I got home from my root canal.  The best feeling in the world.

Love and Hugs!

Surgery for Chris

Last night, Chris' left ankle flared up in addition to the ongoing infection in his right elbow.  He made it to the ER around 0300 and they took him to surgery around 0900.  They opened up his arm, irrigated it, did cultures, and put in a drainage tube.  The doctor said that they removed fat that was badly infected in his arm and that previous cultures from a few days ago actually showed a gram negative strain of bacteria.  Then they scoped his ankle, cultured, and irrigated that as well.  Said that it was red, inflamed, and infected.  So tomorrow we should know the results of the cultures so that they can put him on the exact antibiotic for that particular bacteria.

His pain was off the chart while he was in the recovery room.  They came out and told me that he was having a hard time and that they couldn't put him in a room until the pain was under control.  Then his oxygen started dropping way too low, so it was a bit crazy for awhile.  However, they were able to get his pain down to a 5.

As I was leaving, his pain was back up to a 7 so I am praying that they can keep it from getting any higher than that.

My mom had a great day with the kids!  They are loving their mawmaw so much and I'm just so glad she's here!  I came home to help her feed dinner to them, Little G was standing in a tall box, my mom was swaying the box from side to side, and Griffin was doubled over in laughter, and Big G was writing Christmas cards to all of us!  LOL.  So cute!

Well, I better head on to bed.  Lucky me, I have developed a toothache!  So I will have to work a dentist appt somewhere in the day tomorrow... maybe.

Please keep praying for Chris!  He really needs all the help he can get!

Love and Hugs!

The Sound that Haunts Me

We were in our son's country for 32 days, the first trip.  We left the day after court.  We missed our girls like crazy.  Little G was in MS with my mother, Big G was in Germany with our friends.  I had a child in 3 different countries during that time.  My love was wrapped around the world.

My girls were in such great hands that I wish I would have allowed myself to relax and fully enjoy the one on one time with my husband.  It was tough but they did so well!  I'm proud of their sacrifice to their brother's cause.  I'm sure they are proud of themselves, too.

It's so crazy how God will pull you so far out of your comfort zone.  Leaving the children behind is Chris' job.  Not mine.  He's the one who deploys with the military... I'm not suppose to leave but I simply had no choice.  I pleaded with God to bring me peace and confidence to make this journey and He spoke to me once and said, "He's your child, too.  Go."  There was just no other way.

As we were about to land in his country, I remember thinking to myself, "Wow.  He's so close!  He has no idea how his life is about to change."

I remember so clearly the first time we pulled into the drive at the orphanage.  Such a dreary day.  It had the appearance and gloominess of a prison.

I remember the moment they brought him into our sight for the first time.  His curiosity making him look around wildly...laughing hysterically.  We prayed that he would know us and I believe that he truly did!

I remember the constant smell of soup.

But the sound that I will never forget is this...the empty sound of his hard soled shoes on the pavement as we held him up to walk.  The clomp, clomp, clomp on the hard ground is burned into my memory forever.  I will never, ever forget that sound.  I should never take such notice over a sound such as this in an orphanage with hundreds of children.  The quietness was almost deafening.  Another child is surely wearing those shoes now...they were never Griffin's shoes to begin with.  Just a pair out of a bucket.

These children have nothing... nothing but the love of Christ.

Can you help?  Today is Orphan Sunday.  Please act!  Please give!  Please pray!  Please follow your heart and do what you feel that God is leading you to do... I'm so glad that we did.  We have been blessed beyond measure with the most precious little boy in the world!

This little boy needs you.  I personally know the family that met him and he is not being treated well at all.  He's not an orphanage favorite.  There is currently $97 in his grant fund.  Can you help him?  Larger grants attract families and he desperately needs one.  If you feel led to give, please do.

Thank you!

Trick or Treating

Trick or Treating with the world's cutest bat...

sweetest Care Bear...

and the most beautiful Princess Peach.

They had so much fun going door to door trick or treating.  First time for all 3 of them!  Every year without fail, Big G would always get sick and not be able to go.  We finally had success! 

We went with our good friends Elena, Derek, and CJ (the most awesome angry bird ever!).

We are so glad that my mother could come along!

Then last night, we had a last minute belated birthday gathering for Little G, thanks to our good friends, Evan, Ashley, and baby W.!  

She was so excited but didn't even take a single bite!  

Love and Hugs!

(ps.  please keep Chris in your prayers.  He will possibly be having surgery on his arm on Monday morning!)

My Update... Yeah, Chris is Alive!

Okay, first off thanks for all the prayers, and all the folks who helped Maria out while I was laid up in the hospital!

They let me out of the hospital on Tuesday of this week... yeah, hate me later for not updating sooner!  I have been non-stop with doctor's appointments since.  Many of ya'll saw on Facebook that my nursing staff came in and asked if I was satisfied with my diagnosis.  To me, they were implying that there was something deeper, and in fact, a couple even asked if I had heard any auto-immune rumors.  To be honest, with all my issues, auto-immune fits what is going on.  The doctors are still saying this is an extreme case of cellulitis, contracted through dry elbow skin.  Uh, cellulitis that persists through, now, 7 different antibiotics?  I find it hard to believe, but hey, I didn't go to school for 8 years to practice medicine either.  I also find it hard to believe that I got this skin infection through dry elbow skin, being as I have had dry elbows, oh, my entire life!

So, today I went back to get an aspiration under ultrasound.  Basically, they scanned my right forearm with the ultrasound machine, while they stuck an 18ga. needle into the identified pocket of fluid, and tried to draw out any fluid so they could test it for infection, so they can treat the exact infection.  All the doctor was able to draw out was some very dark blood, which my other doctor said is not supposed to be there.  He was expecting one of a couple different types of fluids, not blood.

I was supposed to go to San Antonio for my formal medical board next week, but the doctor doesn't think that is the best idea.  With this infection not healing like it should, he's afraid of a relapse as soon as the antibiotics are complete.  He is also worried about continuity of care, being as they actually know my recent history here... not something you usually get in the military, and it almost took me by surprise when he said "continuity of care"!  I am definitely not used to hearing that phrase.

I go back on Monday to see my doctor, and if my arm is not better, he is going to try his best to persuade the surgeons to open it up and irrigate the infected area.  I don't want surgery, but if it will cure this mess, I am all about it!

I will post more when I get more info.

See ya'll later!

Another Update

Just a quick update on Chris...we are still battling whatever is causing issues in his elbow.  We saw 3 doctors today.  The Rheumatologist is still baffled and is bringing in another Rheumatologist on Monday to view his case with fresh eyes.  He is also doing a lot of lab work.  The Infectious Diseases doctor is giving Chris a 50% chance of recovering from this without it flaring back up to the way it was.  He is nervous about Chris flying to San Antonio next week and will be sending him with extra antibiotics.  He did say that it appears to be improving visually, at least.  The orthopedic surgeon said that it looks worse and said that Chris should be getting IV antibiotics.  SO... as his wife, I believe that it visually looks better.  He is still in a great amount of pain, though.  So internally, it's not improving.  In the morning, a radiologist is going to draw more fluid from his elbow and hopefully they will be able to get something, anything to give insight to what this is.    A huge plus with having to go to San Antonio next week is that he will be stateside and will be able to get help in the states if it flares back up.  

Griffin had an ENT appt today to evaluate his ears.  We are going to do one more hearing test on the 7th to see if the Zyrtec is helping the fluid in his ears.  His ear canals are so tiny that the doctor couldn't see deep into his ears at all.  So they said that he will more than likely need ear tubes and that this will be more in depth than a typical 3 year child because they will have to dilate his ears and probably do it under general anesthesia due to him having Ds.  

We had a GREAT time trick or treating last night!  Once we are able to get the pictures off of the camera I will post them for y'all to see!  

It's been a super long day so we are going to hit the hay!  Chris has to be at the hospital bright and early.

More tomorrow!!  (Hang in there with me, I'll get better at posting once I am somewhat back on a schedule again!)