Tom began yesterday by discovering his old dog, Tanya, had
died in her sleep. He ended his day burying her.
Tom & Deb got married in June of
1993, and shortly afterwards, they got Tanya at the pound. She was a
little red heeler, I think with something else mixed in. The first time I
met her was over Labor Day weekend, when they brought her on our annual family
wood gathering expedition up near Fox Park outside of Laramie. She was an
absolute sweetheart, & full of energy. But in her later years,
she had really slowed down, & developed a slight gimp. She had also
lost her eyesight & hearing. She was well
loved & content. She died in her sleep in the
doghouse. I don't think Tom told Mom about Tanya, so please refrain from
mentioning it, until he is ready to tell her.
After surgery on the 7th, Dr Ozer reported the following to us:
The surgery should have been done
within 72 hours (medically preferably much sooner) of breaking open, which was,
if I remember correctly, about January 24th. Insurance fought us on her
transfer.
All of Mom's muscle tissue has begun
to shrink, due to the lack of exercise. Mom did take slight offense at
this, as she had been on a walking machine at least a half hour each day before
the accident. More than two months having passed since that time is hard
for her to conceive. But from the look on her face, it is plain to see
that she will be exercising as much as her body will allow her to in the coming
days. She needs to let her right leg lay still for about 3 days
though.
Dr Ozer took a free flap from the rear
of her right calf, up high, & placed it into her wound. He then took a
skin graft from her right thigh & covered the location where the free flap
came from. A free flap is a bit complicated for me to explain, but I found
a link that might be helpful. Free
Flaps
It will be 72 hours before we will know if the free
flap will take. Dr Ozer said it looks good for now. However,
if the free flap rejects and doesn't survive, there becomes a chance of losing
her leg.
They did change the dressing today, & said it
is still looking good.
We have once more left Mom's Visitors Journal with her at the
hospital, so please feel free to leave a note for her when you visit. Now
that she is actively awake, reading & writing in the Journal is not as
convenient, but it will be nice to have when she is alone. It also helps
to remember who has visited, even though not everybody has been able to write in
it.
Mom doesn't remember any of our visits before the
last visit from Aunt Barbara & Jody in January. And even that is
sketchy. I saved all of her Patient Greetings from St Francis, & am
putting them in a book for her. We have all of the cards that have been
sent to her. And I am saving the email correspondence. I am hoping
she will be able to follow what has happened through the last couple
months.
There are more surgeries in Mom's future, but she will more than likely be
moving to a skilled nursing facility (a/k/a Nursing Home) in the near
future. For now, I believe you can send cards to her at the hospital
address. I have not found anything like St Francis' Patient Greetings at
Denver Health.
Theresa Morgan, Room B444
c/o Denver Health Medical Center
777 Bannock Street
Denver, CO 80204
Visitor information and hours
Denver Health welcomes visitors,
but asks all visitors to remember that our patients need rest to get well.
General visiting hours are from 10 a.m.–8 p.m., however, some times vary from
unit to unit.
Please keep the following in mind when you visit a patient:
Keep visits short
Limit the number of people at the bedside to two persons
Speak quietly
Sit on a chair instead of the bed
Check with a nurse before bringing food, drinks, vitamins, food supplements
or other medicines to a patient
Please do not visit the patient if you have a cold, sore throat or fever
MOM SPECIFIC - due to the wound on her leg, she is more
susceptible to infection. Please take necessary
precautions.
Mom did say she'd had her best meal today, Ceaser Salad. It's good to
hear she has a discriminating appetite. It's a sign of healing.
I do believe this brings us pretty much to date. We thank you for
your continued concern & prayrers for Mom. ~ Val &
Tom