Date: 2/20/2007
Subject: An Awesome God!

Update for today:
Another snow storm, another lovely winter day. We left for the clinic on the evening of the 19th, as K had an early OR call. We stayed at a hotel to make sure we didn't once again get caught driving in a blizzard. Allen's brother came and stayed with David and Andrew so they could go to school, and my SIL was willing to be here when they got off the bus, and then take them to her house. Luckily, our school district's schedule starts and ends an hour earlier than our nieces!

When we talked to Dr. B pre op, he was not in the best of spirits. He said, be prepared for the long haul, the pictures he saw from the procedure last week were not good. The "Flap" from the plastic surgery was dead, and we needed to explore our options. He told us they were going to take off the casts and leave them off, add a "wound vac" to each leg, and replace the dressing. He said we would only be in over night, but that we’d be sent home with training on wound care, the "Vac" system etc. He said there was a 90% chance Kaytlin was going to need some involved tissue grafting in a few weeks, and he didn't know if she would walk. I was sick to my stomach...Our heads were spinning.

I asked to see the photos from the procedure last week...I needed to know, to see, what we were up against. When he showed me, my heart fell. I am not going to describe them, ewwww. Lets just say the majority of the "triangle" between the heel, anklebone and forefoot was open and yucky. I knew what we were fighting and this mom was ready to do whatever we needed to do....I prayed. I called my mom and asked her to call the friends from the church of my childhood to pray for our own little miracle, and for Allen and I to again remember "Thy Will" not "My Will". (Sounds familiar doesn't it?!)

Fastforward about 45 minutes.

Dr B. literally comes bouncing out of the OR area with a SMILE on his face! He said when he opened the cast and "cleaned" off the top layer of the flap site on both feet, he saw...PINK tissue starting to grow and some fat cells!!!! HOORAY! They were Little itty bitty spots of pink and fat...but they were there! So, he changed the dressing, and SENT US HOME! No inpatient stay, no "Wound Vac", no dressing changes for MOM to do!!! We do not even need to go back to the OR for her next cast change; he can do it in the office! He said it would be a bit painful, he said she will scream and cry, but he thinks she has finally started to turn the corner and the tissue has finally woken up. There is still a 50/50 chance that she will need a skin graft, but if she keeps healing like this, she may not. The scars are going to be huge, but IMO that is a small price to pay. God answers prayers.



Please do not think we have a perfect picture painted in our heads...We know that we are looking at a long process ahead of us. However, if she keeps taking these baby steps forward, Dr. B. thinks she’ll be up on her feet by Easter. Yes, he thinks she will be walking by EASTER!

Thank you all for your prayers, I honestly believe that there is no other way that she made this change so quickly. God is good. It has been one amazing day.