The finish line is ALMOST in view.....

Two weeks ago on December 31 I posted the final photo for 2012 of Mike's leg. I didn't go to the appointment today so the nurse took the photos for me but the healing that has taken place in just two weeks is incredible. What was one long open area that day became two smaller areas last week since the epithelial islands merged together and joined both sides of the wound. Within the next day it looks like it will soon be three small areas. It is as if the wound is racing to close up. 

Christina was his nurse today. Each one of the nurses has her special thing she likes to do. Christina, the quietest and most gentle spirited of the staff, always takes extra care and time to debride as much as she can, and massage Aquaphor into the graft site. Aquaphore is a very thick gel that looks like gelled water. It's a good sealant for the skin and keeps it moist and supple. The widest part of the wound is 1 centimeter. The nurses routinely pop into the room during changes now with eyes wide and excited to see the changes and how it looks. They are always professional and keep thoughts on your illness mostly professional, but now that he's so close to being healed, nearly every one of the nurses has said that Mike's wound was the worst they'd ever had to treat. Each agrees that he's a miracle man, spared from the worst of the damage that nec/fac leaves in its wake. God ALWAYS receives the glory for the healing because there is no other explanation for this case other than His power.

Today he had an appointment at a business that makes hinged knee braces. Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics is the company that fitted Winter the dolphin with a prosthetic tail, as shown in the movie A Dolphin Tale. This is part of SAIF's lifetime care for his right knee as a result of the prison injury when he worked at OSP. The knee brace will be ready on February 12 and will help his gait as he walks more and more, it will serve to stabilize the knee so it doesn't get tired and weak and give out with the extra work of taking the burden off the left foot.

Tomorrow I begin the process of getting him a compression sock that he will have to wear for life. Since the lymphatic system of that part of the leg was removed the night of the initial surgery, August 1, he will have to have the compression sock to force the lymphodemic fluid from his foot and move it on up the leg and into the remaining lymphatic system. Keeping the swelling down with compression of the ace wraps has helped monumentally with the quickness of healing.

Finally, the paperwork SAIF required for resuming physical therapy is in the pipeline and once that's finalized he will be back with the physical therapist that helped him in 2011 so his quads and hamstrings will be strengthened, ankles will have better range of motion, and he will learn to walk so that the right leg can take on more of the work of holding him up, yet not wrecking the knee work that Dr. Sedgewick did for him in 2010.

Looking back over the last four years and noting the amazing doctors and professionals that have been part of keeping Mike on his feet, I can only say without hesitation that God was hand-picking them all along the way. Everyone works in concert with everyone else to try to give him a quality of life that will make him feel like he can get up every day and contribute to our lives. Last week he worked on two different days on the truck. He's able to do so much more than just go sit on the stool in the garage and stare at his car. Rather than dwell on his limitations, he's working on doing what he CAN do. Once again, God has not left or forsaken him, as He promises in the scriptures, rather he just showed Mike that he's capable of many things with the King in charge.

We are SO, SO close to the finish line!