Friday, October 30, 2009

Happy Halloween

Just want to wish you all a Happy and Safe Halloween tomorrow.





Thursday, October 29, 2009

2 Gifts and Red Tree Color

These boxes are gifts I just finished putting the stitching onto. I am working to get my last few Christmas gifts finished and the people getting these do not follow my blog so I can post them.

These are trees in the parking lot at our Rec. Center. After class the other morning they were so pretty I had to take the pictures.



Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Fall Color, Deers and Fabric

This is a tree near our house and I looked so pretty in the morning sun.

These are deer on a deer farm in Holmes County Ohio. Are they not beautiful. They were in the pasture near the road and I had to take a picture.

This is fabric I got for a Christmas gift. I was matching the cream background fabric and trying to find a pink print to go with it. The brown on the far left is not really that color. It matches the dark brown in the brown print. Now I just have to get busy and get it made.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Another Sad Time

We heard tonight that my hubby's uncle passed away. He was 85 and has been in bad health for awhile. I have lost count of all the family and friends that we have lost this year. All I can say is they are not suffering and they are at peace in heaven.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Craft Show Pictures

This is my table from the front. It is hard to see all the details of what is on it.

This is from the end of the table.

This is a closer shot of the same end.

This is the end with all the tatting on it. The jars in the middle are filled with peanut brittle.

I did okay at the show but it was a slow day. Never a big crowd. It is only the second year for it and a lot of the crafters from last year did not come back because they did not sell much last year. They also need to promote it better. But times are somewhat tight so people are not really spending a lot.

Craft Show Today

My craft show is today at our Rec. Center. I am up early to get things loaded in the van and get ready to go. I should have some pictures later. At least one of my table. I have lots of things to sell. I hope it is a good day for me. Be back later.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Fall Colors

I took these Monday. Some from inside the van going down the road and some pulled over to the side of the road. The colors are not as pretty this year around here. I do not know if it was the cool summer we had or what caused it. But they are pretty anyway.


This one has the glare of the windshield so the sky looks funny. Sorry!

John's First Day Home

This is what Terry posted on her blog today. I want to pass on what she is posting to all of you.


What a day!
So, how silly am I that I thought today would be restful. It started out OK. It was nice to not have to jump right in the car after Emily got on the bus to drive to the hospital. I got John's hair cut and he had a quick shower and shampoo (the first in three weeks). Then the phone calls and visits started. I won't list all the phone calls but there were at least a dozen. The visiting nurse was here and will be back on Sunday morning. Then the physical therapist was here to do an evaluation. They won't be back until Monday but that will be three days a week. An occupational therapist will be coming too next week. And my MIL was here all afternoon. John went to stretch out on the bed a little while ago because he was tired of sitting and now he's sound asleep. Supper is cooking and the laundry is half done. Hopefully after supper we can relax just a bit. Maybe tomorrow will be a little bit calmer. :0)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

From Terry's Blog

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

We're home!! :0)
John has finally relaxed enough since we got home earlier to doze off on the couch. His snoring is the sweetest sound I've heard in weeks, but don't you dare tell him I said that! LOL

I just have to say this one more time and then I'll let it go...thank you all so much for all the comments and emails and cards you sent to us during this challenging time. Your thoughts and prayers have helped us more than you will ever know. Hugs to you all! :0)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Happy News

From Terry's Blog!!!


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Doin' my happy dance...
...because John is coming home tomorrow! :0)

Monday, October 19, 2009

Good Monday

Another good day
John had another good day today. He learned some kitchen safety and they did have him on crutches for a bit. That was good because he realized how much more stable the walker is. He still may be able to use crutches at some point once his balance is better. But for now he's comfortable with the walker. The PT woman came in to re-wrap his stump and asked him to try to do it himself. He managed but it was pretty loose. It really is hard to hold the end of the ace bandage and wrap it around at the same time with just two hands. After he was done she asked me if I wanted to try so I did. And when I was done she said it looked good and she left it on. And it was still on when I left today. Guess I did something right. :0)


Tomorrow is the big evaluation day. I imagine by the time I get up there he'll know how much longer he'll have to stay. I hope it's not long because he REALLY needs to get out of there and back home soon.

Great Giveaway

Here is a great give away. Go to Brenda's blog
to get in it. The more who join in the more gifts she will give away.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Report From Terry

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Sunday - Day 20
I always like going to the hospital on Sunday. Well, I don't like going at all but if I have to go, Sunday would be the day I'd choose. There aren't many people there and the highways are practically empty. Well, not really, but compared to the rest of the week they seem empty. So we spent another day at the hospital with John. The kids are getting really good at maneuvering the wheelchair. I think I'm going to have a hard time keeping them out of it once we get one at home. We took John back to ICU to see some of the nurses that took care of him the past couple of weeks. They were happy to see him doing so well. He told them the next time they see him he'll be walking in to visit them...not riding in a wheelchair. Nothing much more to tell about today except to say that John was better today than yesterday. Each day is an improvement and that's all we can ask for.

Candy Plant & Emmy

This is the candy plant that I made for John. He thought it was a neat idea and his daughter Emily wants a start off of it for her Birthday in April.

This is Emmy, our friend's new puppy. She is a Yorkie and weights 3 1/2 pounds and is going on 4 months old.

Here she is begging for a piece of cookie.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

We Saw John Today

We saw John today for the first time since the accident. He looks good for what he has been through, he was tired but we had a nice visit. I took him a candy plant and will get the picture on tomorrow. Emily wants a start off of it for her birthday in April.

Here is Terry's post.
Saturday, October 17, 2009

More improvement! :0)
Today was the first time the kids have seen John two days in a row. I always notice improvement from day to day. Today the kids had a chance to see it first hand too. John was much more alert today, he ate well, he talked without having to stop and think so much and he was moving around better too. He even took us down to rehab so we could practice wrapping the "residual limb" (or as we call it the stump) of a dummy they use to teach patients how to care for their own legs. I watched the one PT person wrap it yesterday and this one showed me a couple of other tricks too. I was also impressed by how much John had paid attention when she had shown him earlier how to do it. So another day of improvement for John gets us one day closer to him coming home. The rehab staff meets every Tuesday morning to discuss the patients and who should go home when. We're hoping that on Tuesday they say John can go home on Wednesday. We don't know that's what's going to happen, but we're keeping our fingers and toes crossed that it does! :0)

Friday Update

Friday, October 16, 2009

Another day
Just a quick post tonight because...guess what...I'm tired! LOL


John is doing OK. Today was his second day in rehab. He’s learning to use the walker and wheelchair safely. He’ll be using those for a couple of months until his leg is well enough to get his first temporary prosthesis. He learned how to go up and down stairs and how to get in and out of the tub and up and down off the couch or a chair. All simple things for the rest of us but all new challenges for John. His memory is still a problem, which could be due to the meds or it could be due to a head injury he got in the accident. He’s himself, but slow mentally. We hope that will all come back as he get the meds out of his system and heals and gets stronger. We'll just have to wait and see.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Thursday post

Thursday, October 15, 2009

A long day in rehab
John was moved to rehab late yesterday. He didn't get much sleep though because his "sitter" had the TV on in his room all night. Oh...did I tell you all why he needs a "sitter"? Because he's a fall risk. Did I tell you why he's a fall risk? Because a couple of days ago when he was still in ICU he tried to get out of bed...by himself...and he fell flat onto the floor. And he landed on the corner of his stump. He's such a bad boy! LOL The nurse today told me he's done with having a "sitter" but I'm going to call up there later to make sure they do everything they can to let him get some sleep tonight.


Today he was learning to use a walker and walk with his one leg. He was also zooming up and down the hallway in his wheelchair. And trying to figure out how to attach a Honda motor to it! He also got to wear real clothes for the first time in two and a half weeks. Tomorrow ought to be a whole new adventure!

And once again I'm more tired right now than I thought I could be. At least I know I'll be getting some sleep tonight. The kids are off school tomorrow so all three of us will be going up to see John. I know it will do John good and the kids will be glad to see him too.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Wed. Update


Wednesday update

from Terry's Treasures by Terry
Every day I say this, but what a difference a day makes! I got a call this morning from the rehab people that they were planning to move John to rehab today. They needed my OK to get the paperwork going. At 4 he was still in his regular room. I'm waiting on a call from the nurse to let me know he's been moved. They say he'll be in there anywhere from a few days to a week, depending on how long it takes for him to get his strength back. Then he'll have more outpatient rehab after he gets home of course. But at least he'll be home where he can rest and recuperate and sleep in his own bed.


John was even more aware of things today. He was very tired though because he got no sleep last night. He said where he's at now it is very noisy...lots of people coming and going all night. So hopefully he'll get some sleep tonight in his new room. I've got to pack him a suitcase tonight as he needs clothes for rehab. They basically just teach him how to manage on one leg (with crutches, a walker, etc) and how to manage safely, how to dress, shower, etc. After that they send him home for me to deal with.

All in all his leg (stub) looks pretty good. The skin the doctor was concerned about seems to be doing OK. It's been six days since his last surgery so we would have known by now if there was a problem. It will take a couple of months of working with the stub to shape it before he can be fit with a temporary prosthesis. Until then his crutches will probably be his best friend! :0)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Good News

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Some good news
Or more good news, depending on how you want to look at it! Things were a lot different at the hospital today from how they were yesterday. John was not as agitated as he was the day before. He’s more aware of things and realizes he won’t be going home today or tomorrow. They took the catheter out so now he’s basically only got his IV in yet. They got him out of bed and sitting in a chair for half an hour today. And hopefully yet this afternoon they should be getting him moved to a regular room. From what I understand he’ll be there for a day or two then they’ll move him to the rehab floor (wherever that is! LOL). So we’re moving right along now! :0)


Thanks again to you all for the supportive comments and emails and cards! You're all so wonderful and it's all of you who are getting us through all of this!

Fall Flower and Halloween Stuff

This is my nicest mum I have this year. It is a new one we bought a few weeks ago. My other ones are almost finished. This one is a later bloomer.

This is a halloween decoration I painted many, many years ago. See the spider hanging from the sign?
This is a wind sock my hubby found years ago in a field where he was working. We never did find out where it came from but we have used it for many years now.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Todays Update

Monday, October 12, 2009

Day by day
Remember Saturday when I started off by saying I was too tired to type. Well, it turns out I wasn't really that tired after all. TONIGHT I'm tired! I made not one, but two trips to the hospital today. In the morning when I got there John was pretty much wide awake and of course insisting that he was going home today. He's still not completely coherent yet but he's working on it. We were talking about the kids and he asked when they would be up to see him again so silly me told him I could bring them up after school. The nurse let me stay almost an hour past visiting time, then I had to go and get new tires on the Jeep and call both schools to make arrangements to pick up the kids early so we could get back to the hospital for the 4:30 visiting hours. Unfortunately by that time John had pretty much wore himself out being awake all day, so he was drowsy and kept nodding off. The kids did get to talk to him a little and Brian got to see his leg (so did I earlier in the day). It's not wrapped or anything so I guess that means it's healing well.


John passed his swallow test today so he can have soft foods now. But they won't let him have plain water yet and that's what he keeps asking for. They also had the neck brace off when we were there this afternoon so he can move around a bit more. And as long as he behaves they're leaving the restraints off him now too.

I can't imagine what tomorrow will bring! LOL

Giveaway

I found a new blog today and she is having a give away. Go here to read about it.
http://countrywhispers.blogspot.com/

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sunday update
The kids and I went to the hospital this morning. John could talk a little better which helped. He told the nurse who we were and asked Brian about his cross country meet he had on Saturday. He's still disoriented and confused which I know is normal for this kind of situation. He told us he wasn't spending the night in the hospital and we all told him yes he was. When we were there he still had on the neck brace and still couldn't have anything to drink. They will have a speech therapist check his swallow reflexes and then if that's all OK they'll start him on liquids and soft foods. He's also restrained in the bed because he keeps trying to get up.


On the way home we stopped at our friends' house. They have a new Rottweiler puppy named Yogi (after Yogi bear). The little guy doesn't sit still much so I couldn't get a good picture of his face. But here he is. He's just so cute! Look at those feet...he's gonna be big when he grows up!


Give Away


Give away and a nice one too at http://bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/

Finishes and Bread

Here are the last 4 dish cloths I finished for the craft show. A quilt star, stocking, paw print and a Christmas tree. I am so glad I did so much to get ready for the show before John's accident. I have had trouble getting back in the groove. The show is the 24th so I have less than 2 weeks but I am pretty well set to go.

This is the end of my Christmas bread baking for this year. I have 68 small loaves and 10 regular size loaves made. I still have to wrap these when they get cool. Then they go in the freezer. I do different flavors. This year I did banana, apple, pumpkin, orange, chocolate and pineapple. I give 3 different flavors to friends in a gift bag with a handmade ornament and handmade card as their Christmas gift. Everyone loves it and I enjoy doing it too.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Another Update On John

Saturday, October 10, 2009

What a day
Let me start by saying I'm just about too tired to type tonight. We had lots of things going on today in our "normal" life besides going to the hospital this afternoon. I was glad I could take my MIL up to see John, but naturally it was very hard on her. It might have been easier if he had still been sleeping though because he was very agitated. Yes, they took the tube out but because it was in for so long his throat is raw and he can barely whisper. And they're still bringing him off the heavy pain meds so he is still partly out of it even though he's more awake than he has been in the past 12 days. He does remember the accident but of course he has no clue where he's at or how long he's been there. I told him what I could and the nurse said she'd told him several times already. But because he's still dopey, he doesn't really comprehend much right now.


So I'm hoping that things will be a bit more settled tomorrow when I take the kids up to see him. He doesn't believe me when I tell him he's going to be OK, but maybe he will tomorrow or maybe he'll believe the kids if they tell him that. I'm just hoping that tomorrow will be a better day for him than today was .

GREAT NEWS

John is officially off the vent! The nurse called me about 11:15 and the tube had been out for an hour and he was doing fine. She asked him his last name and my name and he told her both. He's not actually sedated but the pain meds have him pretty much out of it still. I'm taking my MIL up there this afternoon to see him. She's been on vacation for the past four weeks and just got home today. It's so nice to finally have something positive to post here! :0)

Friday, October 9, 2009

Today's Update

Friday, October 9, 2009

Friday's update
Well, there's not much to tell today. John was asleep when I got to the hospital. I was standing there looking at his numbers when the nurse came in and asked if I was "the wife". I told her yes I was and started to ask her something and John opened his eyes for a minute and looked at me. So I don't know if it was my voice he was responding to or not, but I'm taking it as a good sign. He's still on the ventilator but they're going to shut it off this afternoon for a while and see how he does. If all goes well he may be off of it completely tomorrow. We just have to wait and see. I can't wait for that tube to be out of him!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

From Terry

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Nothing is ever simple
I've heard from the surgeon. John is doing fine, the surgery went as planned and they took the leg off now above the knee. BUT...there's always a BUT lately and frankly I've had enough of it. The problem is that when they got above the knee, they found an issue with the back of John's thigh. Apparently the back of the thigh is made up of the skin, a fatty layer, a thing called a fasciae, and then the muscle. During the accident there must have been some trauma to the back of the thigh because the fatty layer and the fasciae are separated. The surgeon said the skin looks good, so it might be fine. But the separation concerns him because it can cause fluid to build up which can cause infection and because the blood vessels are separated which can cause the skin to die. He said we should know if everything is OK or not in the next week.


I'll be calling the nurse later to find out if they'll be taking him off the ventilator now or not. I believe they will once he's off sedation so that will be a big step forward. They actually shut it off for three hours today and he did fine so there shouldn't be any problem with that.

Latest this morning from Terry

UPDATED: I talked to the surgeon tonight and he said there's still a chance once he gets a look at John's leg that he might disagree with the plastics guys (plastic surgeons) and that he still might just clean it up and pack it and check it in a couple of days. But if he does agree that it can't be saved, then he'll do the amputation and sew him up and that will be his last leg surgery.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Latest news

Above the knee

from Terry's Treasures by Terry
John's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:30 and will be an above the knee amputation. I still haven't been able to talk to the surgeon so I don't know if they'll be able to go ahead and stitch him up then too or if they'll have to leave it open like last time. The surgeon is to call me in the morning.

Yet Another Update On John

Another update
Well, there's good news and bad news concerning John. He's still doing great as far as his vitals are concerned. His temp has come down and his lungs are clear. The bad news is that when they went in to remove the dead skin yesterday, they found out that the muscle underneath the skin had not survived either. This was the muscle the surgeon had pulled down and attached under the bone that was left. So now they're going to have to take more off of his leg. I don't know how much...I won't know that until the orthopedic guys see him today and decide what to do.


They had hoped to keep the amputation below the knee, but depending on the extent of the dead tissue, that may not be possible. The other good news is if they have to take it off higher up, the tissue is healthy and should do well. Before they were working with what was left from the trauma to the leg. Now they'll start fresh and if things go the way they hope they will, this might be the last surgery he has to have on his leg. The nurse said today that while he has to have the breathing tube left in until after his surgery, she was going to actually shut the machine off today and see how he did without it. If that goes well, then once the surgery is over, they'll finally be able to take the breathing tube out and he'll be able to talk again once they wake him up.

So once again we deal with this new information as best we can. I'll have to tell the kids once they get home. At this point I'm not really too worried about it. But still...it's just one more thing for them to process. I'm just hoping for this surgery to go well so that he can be awake this weekend so the kids can see him again and he can see them for the first time since the accident. I have received lovely cards from many of you...thank you so much! Each one brings tears to my eyes when I read them and realize just how many of you are thinking of us and praying for us and supporting us even though you're on the other side of the country or the other side of the world. You are all angels disguised as quilters!! :0)

Hugs to you all!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Another Tuesday
All I can say is that this Tuesday is way better than last Tuesday was. It seems like it was just yesterday that John's accident happened and at the same time it seems like it was weeks ago. So much has changed in our lives in that week. But we're getting through it all and will continue to do so. We really don't have much choice!John was pretty much out today when I went to see him. They have put him back on two of his pain meds because the morphine dosage wasn't really keeping him comfortable. He's on the lowest dosages of all the meds...apparently using a variety of meds at the lowest dosage is better than one at a higher dosage. John's next surgery is scheduled for 5 p.m. today. Hopefully they can get rid of all the bad stuff on the end of his leg and still have plenty of good stuff left to work with.


His vitals are all still good. They do have a concern with his left arm. His hand is puffy and he's not moving that arm, so they think there might be a break in there somewhere. He grimaces when the nurse pinches him so that's good. She thinks they'll x-ray it and see if they can find out what the problem is.So we just continue to try to get on with our lives at the moment. There are so many things that still have to be done whether John's here or not. The good thing is that those things keep us busy. And busy minds and bodies are a good thing right now!

Thanks to you all for stopping by and leaving comments. I do appreciate them all! One of these days I'll have time to reply and to leave comments on your blogs again. I am skimming through blogs daily...that's my little bit or normality that's keeping me sane! LOLHugs to you all!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Next surgery

John's next surgery is 5 PM on Tues.(tomorrow).

Todays update from Terry.

John is doing about the same. While I was there today he opened his eyes and I talked to him and he looked straight at me. I have no idea if he knows who I am or what I said, because he still has the breathing tube in so he can't talk. Still no idea when his next surgery will be but I imagine it will be in the next day or two.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Latest on John

Sunday, October 4, 2009

The latest news...
Well, here I am again with more news. It seems that things change quickly at the moment. First of all I took the kids up to the hospital today so they could see John. He was asleep when we got there. The nurse says he can be awake for about 15 minutes and then he gets too worked up and tries to get out of bed so she has to knock him back out again. But when he is awake he follows commands so that's good. The kids did fine seeing him. They were shocked but still happy to see him in person instead of just hearing about him. When I called the nurse after we got home to check on John, she said "Your kids were amazing...so poised and calm and polite!" When I told Emily that later she said, "Gee Brian, we're pretty good actors aren't we?" LOL


As it stands right now John will have two more surgeries...one to clean up the end of the leg and get rid of any dead tissue, and then a few days later they'll do the skin graft. Unless something else happens that should be the end of that. So he'll be in ICU for another week, and mostly asleep like he is now. They won't be able to remove the breathing tube until after the last surgery this week.

More News

More news...
I just talked to the surgeon and he thinks they may have to do a skin graft after all. He was concerned after the surgery about how detached the skin was from the muscle and that there was a possibility that it wouldn't thrive. So now he's going to call in the plastic surgery guys and go from there. Even if he does have the graft, this is so minor compared to what he's already been through. Thanks again to you all for your thoughts and prayers!

Quick Update From Terry

Quick update
I just got off the phone with John's nurse. He's definitely waking up now, moving both arms and following voice commands so that's a huge improvement. They're adjusting his pain meds to keep him comfortable. So while he's awake and responsive he still can't talk because he still has the breathing tube in. The surgeon was in this morning and looked at his leg and I'm waiting for his call now to see what he says. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will be good news.

Latest on John

Sunday, October 4, 2009

No news is good news
First of all, John is doing fine. He's off the sedation but he's taking his good old time waking up. He was able to follow a command for the night nurse so that's a step in the right direction. His vitals are all still good, and the orthopedists were in last night to change the dressing on his leg. Apparently all was well because they didn't say anything to the nurse that would indicate otherwise. That means the skin is doing what it's supposed to and apparently there's no sign of infection in it.Today he has the same nurse as he had on Friday and Saturday. I talked to her this morning and since he's still basically out of it, I'm not going to the hospital today. I need a break and she agreed I should stay home. I'm still going to call in and check with her every few hours and she'll call me if he wakes up enough to talk.The kids are doing fine with all this. The only thing they don't like is that they can't see dad yet. I told them they're not missing much at the moment and they'll enjoy seeing him more when he can talk to them. I'm trying my best to just keep everything around here as routine as possible for them. That's why I'm here when the kids get on the bus and I'm here when they get home. They don't need their schedule disrupted and John wouldn't want it to be. He'd want me to be here taking care of the kids and the house and everything else. Even when he's awake he won't want me sitting at the hospital with him all day. That's just how he is.So today will be a day of rest, so to speak, for us. It will be a pleasant change from all the chaos we've been in the midst of all week. If I had gotten to the store to get batting this week, I might even have done some quilting today! Oh well...maybe next week! :0)

Friday, October 2, 2009

Up date on John

Today's update
I do believe the universe is testing me to see how strong I can be. On top of everything else going on, this morning the power went off at 2:30 and thankfully came back on just after 7. But still it was another morning of getting Brian up and off to school in the dark. Then when I left the hospital to come home I sat in stop and go traffic on the highway (three lanes wide...I was in the middle lane) for half an hour. And on top of all that, it was pouring down rain the whole drive up to the hospital and back. The good news is I can now find my way from the parking deck to ICU and back without even looking at the signs on the walls! LOLJohn is about the same. He has a bit of a fever but they're not really worried about it. He's a bit puffy but that's from having two surgeries in three days and from all the fluids they've pumped into him...they're not worried about that either. I just talked to the nurse and she's in the process of taking him off sedation. She's fiddling with the pain med ratio to make it so he can wake up some without being in extreme pain. I have to call back later and see how it's going. But his vitals are all still good and that's what matters right now.I'll post again when I have more news.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Terry's Post

This was just posted by Terry so I just copied it and posted it here for all to read too. It is good news.


I'm just back from the hospital and John's second surgery today went very well. The surgeon was pleased with how the tissue looked and how the skin looked. There was enough skin left to cover the wound so no skin graft was necessary. He's still sedated and will be for the rest of today. They'll probably bring him out of it tomorrow and that's when the hard part starts for him. I've had three days now to adjust to his amputation...he isn't even aware of it yet. We've got a lot more to get through but every day we're one day closer to getting him back home where he belongs.