On again, off again, recovery is a continuous swing between good days, experiencing tremendous highs and bad days, dragging through the trough. You expect it, you try to plan for it, but sometimes you aren't prepared, it's just life.
Roughly one more week to go. The wound "side walls" are healing quickly, however the depth is not receding at the same pace and there is some concern. It could be nothing, it could be something, we just don't know. So, I'm effectively on bed rest for 3 days with minimal activity reserved for required movement, for example traveling to the bathroom. The hope is to isolate anything that could be impacting the healing process. The wound is directly over the top of the femur bone so there is friction caused by just about anything...other than sitting still. The trouble is that movement is good for blood flow, which is also good for healing, so I have to balance and moderate.
If by next Wednesday there isn't tremendous improvement, the nurse will do a culture and run some tests. Yeah, that sucks. It's a waiting game. One more week. Who knows. Let's just focus on the fact that Wednesday could be a very good day.
Again, I'm reminded of how small and insignificant my predicament is, today Chile was hit with an earthquake 800 times as powerful as the one that hit Haiti. Okay, enough said.
Maybe there is something more to the slogan, "Find Yourself Here" than meets the eye.
Monday the woundVAC came off, we did it for two reasons: 1) the tissue around the wound was inflamed and irritated 2) the wound looked far enough along that it could make it the rest of the way without external assistance. Fast forward, it's yesterday, the tissue around the wound has healed, #1 - check but on #2 - double fault. We reinstalled the infamous woundVAC. After four days of glorious freedom, it was determined that the wound wasn't healing fast enough without the woundVAC's miracle works of accelerating the healing process.
For whatever reason, I've had more pain this past week and felt worse without it. I am happy for the return of my machine, although it makes me more tired. The pain is reduced for some reason, for now.
So I'm finding myself. There are ups and downs; you have to manage your own expectations and do what you can with what you've got. Two more weeks of antibiotics and hopefully that will be the end of the woundVAC as well.
I'm searching for depth in the slogan of the state we currently reside, that's what I am focused on.
First there was a glorious Sunday. Annie and I headed out for a road trip (for me that consists of anything further than the doctor's office or grocery store) to spend the beautiful afternoon roaming south down the coast from Solana Beach. It was great to spend time with Annie, it's funny how you forget how good it feels to do things like sitting on a park bench watching surfers and the waves in the warm sun.
Yesterday (Monday) was another visit to the doctor. In the last week we've not had as much progress in the healing department as before, which is to be expected. Needless to say it's been a little rough with the lull. HOWEVER...Sandy removed the woundVAC and dressing and felt like it might be time to REMOVE the damn thing. The doctor concurred and I could hardly contain my excitement. In addition, the doctor told me to get off the crutches completely unless fatigued or pained. I left the appointment on "cloud nine".
To top it off Pat Herbst, a good friend and fellow runner from Portland, Oregon was in town for a business meeting. I can't say enough good things about Pat and his family. Jean, his wife, hosts us with Pat, once a year for Hood to Coast both in Portland for the start and Seaside for the finish. This isn't a few runners sleeping in their house, it's 12 guys and in some cases more. In short, she ROCKS! She's the sister we all wished for and it's great to have her as part of a very special weekend. Not to mention their children are exceptional. Mallory, Patrick and Ronan have benefited from good parental genes, but Pat and Jean are phenomenal parents and create an incredible environment for the children to flourish. Each of the kids made homemade "get well" cards for me, two times over. One set mailed to the house in Boulder and when they found out Pat was going to see me, they made another set. Hallmark could take some lessons from these three.
Thank you Mallory, Patrick and Ronan ! You guys are amazing!
Pat is one of those friends that is always there, just when you need him. He's the guy in the van before an important leg of the race getting you psyched up or after a tough leg offering congratulations or solace. But Pat goes way beyond the short weekend we spend together, running. He flew into San Diego and made his way up the coast to Encinitas. Even though he's a keynote speaker on multiple days of the meeting this week, he still made time to come see me. He's just that kind of guy. Thanks Pat!
With that I need to give a quick shout out to the entire Hood to Coast crowd, who have, as they always do rallied behind a fallen runner. Tim Hammill hooked me up with a consult to make sure I was on the right track with the locals; multiple phone calls, posts and emails of support from all the guys have helped sustain my positivity, just when I needed it the most.
To cap the evening off, Emily, a good friend from Boulder who now lives in Santa Monica, was in the area and stopped by for a visit. It's full circle. Emily was actually with Annie and me, six years ago when I broke my leg. Her dad saved the day. We're lucky, she'll be back with Scott for the weekend.
Thanks to my family and friends for all the support through this, we are past the halfway point and I feel great! While it might be a while before I'm running again, I am comforted at the thought of just being able to live a "tube, pump, catheter free" lifestyle.
I see the doctor again on March 8, two days before the antibiotic cycle finishes and the PICC line is pulled. We most likely will stay in the San Diego area through mid-March to make sure everything wraps up, but who knows maybe it'll be longer.
I've never liked the SAW series of movies, just a bit too gory and too much insight into a sick and twisted mind. However, I do have some photos that probably qualify for some future installment of their movies.
Sandy, my wound nurse, changes the woundVAC dressing three days a week. She's AWESOME! Sandy is fun loving, easy going and makes this awful process totally bearable. Greg and Annie have documented the healing process since she began changing the dressings on Wednesday, the day after I was released from the hospital. By all accounts the healing process is ahead of schedule. My live-in nutritionist and lovely wife, Annie, has ensured I am eating foods that promote healing along with a lot of rest, other than some PT exercises and the occasional outing. 
This past Monday, I had my first follow-up with the orthopedic doctor who performed the surgery to eradicate the infection in the wound. He gave me the thumbs up on the healing process and instructions to continue to bear weight as pain allowed on my leg. I don't see him again for another two weeks. I think the highlight for everyone, including me, was the response I had to the increased pain medications I took prior to the woundVAC change in the doctor's office. I've never been so loopy my whole life. Sandy would ask,"Does that hurt?" and I would just laugh. Needless to say, we've cut back on pain medications....but, that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun with this whole mess. Sandy and Annie thought it appropriate to "dress" my wound up a bit this past Friday for some fun.
Even though we are only ending our second week, the end is in sight and I am getting accustom to the tubes that hang off me and the portable pumps I have to carry around with me, wherever I go. I do get some strange stares occasionally while out and about, I simply say I am an experiment, I normally live underwater and the pumps keep me alive on land. Hell we're in California, anything is possible, right? Although, I did scare a small child.
I keep an upbeat attitude most days, but I'd be false if I said there aren't tough days too, I've had a couple this past week. Trapped, irritated, angry...I can be my own worst enemy. Annie keeps me focused and loves me through even the toughest of moments, I don't know what I would do without her compassion.
For those with a strong stomach and who would like to see more interesting and revealing pictures, check out this link: Staph Recovery
I started back to work on Monday. I've got a reclining camping chair (nothing like the Big Bubba chair I had when I first broke my leg, but it will do just fine) and a lap desk for the computer. I'm obviously limited to computer work and phone calls, client and office visits are still not feasible. I'm happy to be back, it is certainly a nice distraction, along with the view. I'd be going nuts if we were still in Boulder for the winter.
"I know but one freedom and that is the freedom of the mind." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
