What a lovely day with Mike! I just wish it could have lasted longer. Sorry your phone call got bumped when I arrived Erin. I know we both had 180 degree grins on our faces when we saw each other. Mike seemed thrilled to finally be able to share some of what I've been going through when he got to rub my fuzzy, not quite bald head. Hmmmm, they say couples start to resemble each other as time goes by - well he's definitely ahead of me in the hair department for awhile! (I'm doing amazingly well so far through the chemo and feeling great. Mike and I will give new meaning to the word "Survivors".)

And we enjoyed the company (and stories) of Jim, Bonnie, Seth and Brittany. It really was a wonderful afternoon. Mike accompanied me to the cafeteria while I grabbed a bite, which we then took to the "lookout room" to enjoy the spectacular view. Before we knew it, it was Mike's dinnertime and Marsha arrived for his dressing change. I really, really didn't want to say goodbye! But I'm counting my blessings just knowing that he WILL be coming home.

Thank you Mike for the wonderful day. Sweet dreams.

Here's a couple photos. The first was taken this past Thursday (4/19) when Sue Madal and I were with Mike during therapy and the second was taken today (4/21)of Bonnie G and Mike during her visit!

Michelle, the nurse that raised the queston of "tunnelling" of Mike's wound, was back on duty tonight, so she was able to show the resident what she was talking about. There does appear to be a couple of areas along the upper edge of the graft, where the graft meets his existing skin, that seem to be deeper than the rest. The team will check it out tomorrow, but as long as everyone is aware of the problem and place the dressing a little deeper, it will eventually close and heal just fine. I'm sure there will be a team conference to strategize the best way to handle it. The resident didn't feel it would impact the discharge date at all. I was glad to see Bonnie G. for a few minutes. She's holding down the fort in Cinci...we're all hoping she feels better soon!

Mike's shower and dressing change went very well and a little quicker than last night..I'm guessing that improvements will come with practice. He completed all of this without morphine, so it looks like that drug won't be needed...he hated the cotton mouth and the "morphine room" anyway so this should make him happy.

The nurses have been great--each night we are gifted with things to take home, just in case we needed them...today, I have a pair of bandage scissors, gauze wraps and some elastic bandages...I'm sure we'll get supplies, but if they're late, we're covered!

Good night all!!

Bonnie H posting! My husband Jim and I visited Mike this afternoon with our oldest son Seth and his fiancee Brittany, since they are in town for a couple days and specifically requested a visit with Mike. It was great to see Bonnie G at Mike's side. I took a cell phone photo of the two of them (of course!) and will see if I can get it posted.

Mike was in real good spirits and had some really nice belly laughs as we entertained Bonnie and Brittany with tales of some of the Howard/Haaser/Kennedy family antics over the years. I think we entertained them, maybe we were just entertaining ourselves!! (Erin and Ruthie....remember the "apple cider vinegar" at Hatteras ????)

Anyways, Bonnie G was very gracious to share some of her precious time with her guy. And she looks good and I hope she knows that we are all pulling for her, as we are for Michael.

I read Steve Zetts' "confession" about the Raquel poster and made Michael guess which nephew sent the poster and he immediately guessed "Steve Zetts!!" What fun.

Looking forward to visits at Valley View, and I'll see ya Thursday, Mike!!

Spoke to Dad for a little bit this morning-- Bonnie G arrived for her long-awaited visit, so he kicked me off the phone.

He did go to PT this morning, and did his exercises with NO MORPHINE. His exercise today: push-ups on one knee. He said it was the first time his head has been below his butt, and that the blood rush was a lot to deal with. From a PT perspective, it looks like they're most concerned about the hip flexors tightening up, which would restrict full range of motion for walking with a prosthetic leg. Aunt Marsha said he was amazingly stable on the walker now, and is tackling a few 6-inch stairs.

He is eager and ready to go home to GiGi's house, especially as the room waiting for him will be tripped out with a hospital-style bed complete with trapeze bar! woo-hoo!

Phyllis and I spent a couple of hours with Mike's nurse to learn more about the shower and dressing application process. It was a little intense, but she let us do about 25% of the job... I think we've got it! We plan to tackle the shower and dressings together for a while, then we will be able to cover for each other.. We're planning to add Connie (Mike's neice) to the list of subs as well. Reinhold (Connie's husband) has also been helping with Mike's foot care as needed. We also have Laura (Mike's niece and Goddaughter) who will respond as needed for assistance with care..her expertise is Neonatal ICU, so she will have to get used to working with an adult.

It looks like Mike is scheduled for discharge on Wednesday at 10:00 am, that will probably translate to 4:00pm hospital time. The Social Workers and the Visiting Nurse coordinator met with all of us to outline the plan for "home care"... It seems that by Tuesday we will have a hospital bed and all the supplies we need to do the dressings. Mike's nurse, Renatta, will see we have any supplies that we need to make the job easier...she has great technique and was very helpful. Mike's wheelchair with the air cushion to prevent pressure problems and his walker will be loaded into my car for the trip home.

Kim (Mike's niece) has a table he can use to do his mobility exercises..that should be here soon as well. She is a Physical Therapist and will be asked for some help along the way.

I'm sure, now that Mike's feeling better, we can open the visiting. It still would be best to call if you're coming a long way because we don't know his OP schedule for office visits and rehab.

Gi Gi (Mike's Mom) will be home most of the time, but she plays bridge on Thursdays..if Bonnie Howard is still willing, her Thursday visits would be helpful.

We've updated his contact information for sending cards, making phone calls, arranging visits, etc.

One other thing I have to mention is that Michael received a "pin up poster" of a very young Raquel Welch in the mail a few days ago. There was nothing in the mailing tube which indicated who sent him the poster, though, and Mike would like to know who did send it. He said it's the same poster that was in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" to cover the hole in the wall where they were digging out, and this image holds a lot of symbolism for him. He would love to know who sent it and if he is interpreting the gesture correctly! I told him I'd blog it and hopefully find out. Receiving the poster really meant a lot to him. WHO SENT MIKE THIS POSTER??

This is Bonnie Howard writing this. I arrived after lunch today to visit and accompany Mike to therapy. He had a REAL good day today.

The area of concern right now is some small amount of "skin tunneling" which has been detected at his graft site. I am not sure, but apparently some of the grafted skin is growing down into muscle grooves instead of on the surface where it belongs. More on this later. (Marsha, Phyllis? maybe you can better explain this!)

I noticed most of the food on his tray had been untouched. He said there are good food days and bad food days in the hospital and lunch was a bad food day. But, he feels as long as he drinks his Ensure and his protein shakes, he's getting the nutrition he needs.

Getting him ready for therapy went much faster than last week, and Mike complimented the nurse (Steve?), but some of it was due to just getting better at it and Mike getting stronger and more mobile day by day. Mike transferred himself into his spiffy new wheelchair and rolled himself down the hall to the gym while I ran to catch up with him.

First item on the OT agenda was for Mike to play backgammon with Karen, one of the other OT patients. He had a two pound weight strapped on each wrist while he played. In the middle of the game, a very good friend from his past arrived (I was excited since I knew she was coming!). Sue (Rhonemus) Madal gave him a good surprise when she walked in the therapy room! Mike's comment was that he and Sue "were kids together". It was great to see them reunited! Even though Mike was distracted by talking to Sue, he won the game of backgammon!

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I returned to Metro with GiGi for a visit and we found him in PT working on his flexibility skills. When we arrived, the therapist let Mike demonstrate his exercises. He has excellent range of motion which makes this whole process a lot easier. The therapist decided that while I was there, she could have me demonstrate for her some skills needed for his care at home..we used to call those "pop" quizes. Anyway, I learned how to collapse the wheelchair for transportation, how to inflate the "tooshie cooshie" and test for the right air pressure, how and where to walk with Mike as he masters the walker and last, but not least--we went to a car simulator and he practiced getting in and out of the passenger side of the car. That is in preparation for his ride home...how exciting!! After that adventure, I had to demonstrate how I can maneuver the W/C (with Mike in it!) up and down a curb. I guess I passed because I only had to do it once.

I did not expect to be part of the workout for the day, but it worked out quite well. GiGi and I left (I was tired), but Mike was just heading into his last hour of therapy for the day--weight lifting. My guess--he will sleep well tonight!!

This morning Becky and I decided to take Makenna and Maecy to see Uncle Mike..after all they have been making him cards and pictures for weeks. After a small delay while Mike was getting his dressings adjusted, we were able to spend a little time with him. Makenna brought a few more of her drawings and proudly explained what they were. She is generally a little shy, but with time, was talking and laughing. Maecy had no problem talking to Uncle Mike. She felt a need to share her snack (chips) with him and needed her water cup placed on his bedside table. The little ones get restless quickly so the visit was not long, but I hope Mike enjoyed them.

Mike showed me a piece of paper that was sitting on the table and it actually had an "estimated" date of discharge...that date was April 28th!@#%$#!@ I do however realize that estimates can be adjusted, but how great would that be.....of course, out-patient therapy is still needed before he can set his sights on Cincinnati. While Mike is in OP therapy, he will be staying at GiGis...we will get him to and from his PT/OT sessions and then be able to accommodate more visitors.

Mike did say that he still has to get the grafting "touch-up" and he thinks that could happen as early as next week. The area that needs attention is small so the procedure and recovery should be quick and the pain more tolerable.