05/31/04 - Terry Brown

David Has Graduated To Acute Care!

Hi Everyone!

I'm back from convention in San Diego with my batteries re-charged and ready to keep going like the Energizer bunny :o) There has been lots of exciting things to happen during my time away in San Diego!

First of all, David received his first skin graft on Friday. The surgery went well and will be the first of many to get his abdomen closed completely. My flight was delayed getting into Baltimore last night...it was after midnight before getting to bed and then I had to be at work today to work a 10 hour shift in the Pharmacy! Upon returning home, I called David at the hospital to see how things were going, only to find that he has "graduated" upstairs to the Acute Care floor!

I went to the see him tonight...he was so happy to see me and told me that he only missed me a little LOL...anyway, Dr. Nussbaum and Dr. Peterson let me stay to assist with the vacuum dressing change tonight. I told them I wasn't a bit squeamish and would love to see how the graft looked. It wasn't a work of art as Dr. Nussbaum said...but the graft is looking good! They took most of the thigh from David's left leg to graft him. Now, his leg is very sore and he is having some pain there.

As far as a prognosis goes...he will be in Acute Care for awhile before he is transferred to a Rehab facility that specializes in wound care. Dr. Nussbaum said he will have many surgeries this year before both sides of his abdomen are pulled together. In a about a year, a plastic surgeon will make it look "pretty" and all David will eventually be left with is a very small mid-line scar! He asked his doctors about food and drink tonight. He is still NPO (nothing by mouth) and doesn't know that he is unable to eat or drink...both doctors managed to skirt the "issue" very well :o) Wednesday, I have to re-decorate his new room once again...David told me tonight that he wanted his cards back up! We talked about convention and he wanted all the details...so like him! I told him that I won 1,000 37 cent stamps at the Banquet on Saturday night and he gave me the thumbs up sign! I'm running on adrenaline now, with only five hours of sleep last night after returning home from convention. I'll say "good night" for now and will post more later about the convention! I definitely had a great time and a much needed break...I definitely made the right decision to attend as I had so much LOVE and SUPPORT from all of my SweepSheet family...till later...Terry in MD

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift - that's why they call it the present!"

Terry