OK...new week, new news.
She had a mild infection, but nothing serious. She was in the hospital on IV antibiotics for a few days and released on oral antibiotics, with instructions from the vascular doctor to "go to your daughter's graduation".
So Saturday, she was able to attend Ivy's graduation, where she earned her BS in Special Education. Then we all went out to have a celebratory dinner at a BBQ restaurant Ivy had picked out. And she ate well.
The footrest in the car worked well, but I need to pick up a short, broad step stool to make getting into my car (Acura MDX) easier. I completely forgot to get a picture of her with her feet propped up on it, because we were so focused on in/out of the car, getting to where we needed to be, etc. I do have pics of the kids sitting in the back seat with their feet propped up on it, though. I'll post some later.
I changed her dressings several times. The nurses at rehab were surprised at this, like they were either uncertain that I knew how or that I was willing to do it. I told them dressings are simple and I'd have no problem changing them.
I took some pictures, which I'll save you the pains of viewing by not posting them here. Things are NOT going well, and it's not due to infection. The problems are all circulation related. None of the wounds are healing at all. More blisters have appeared and the existing ones are getting worse. The toes on her left foot are black and in very poor condition. The incision above her left ankle where they started, and aborted, the vascular surgery at is...I want to say "abscessed", but there's no pus involved. It's now essentially an open wound.
I'm trying not to be too graphic while also trying to explain how badly things are going.
She's going to loose her feet. I'm not saying this because this has been stated medically, I'm saying this because the writing is on the wall here. The questions now are when and how much of her legs are going to have to be amputated. Prior discussions with the vascular doctor went over possible amputation locations (above or below the knees), concerns with amputation locations, etc. The doctor has told us that amputation would be driven by two factors: infection or pain beyond her ability to tolerate.
She has a couple appointments this week (nephrology and the vascular doctor) and we'll know more after this.
I'm more concerned with what's going on in her head, and I've talked to her about this. She's come to a realistic grip on all of this, but this isn't to say that she's not going to have some serious issues. Losing both her feet and a major portion of her legs WILL have a psychological impact on her.
A possible positive to this might be that after a bilateral amputation, this may act to further stabilize all the other health problems.
And yes...I AM surprised at many things. She was at death's door April, when I first got her to the ER and hospital. Now her color is much better, she's eating much better (though it doesn't take long to run through), her blood sugar is under control, her kidneys have improved to the point where dialysis isn't on the horizon, and her strong will is holding out.
Perhaps even better is the red headed wife monster attitude she's famous for is finally being tempered. A side benefit of a serious reality check.
