A Leg Up!! - Luke Surprises Mom and Dad!!

Luke likes to pull little surprises on Mom and Dad. For instance, we had made plans for Luke to come home in August to accompany us on a family vacation to Canada and stay a bit longer so he could attend the country music concerts at the Crawford County Fair. But what a surprise when he emailed is travel itinerary! He is flying in on August 5th and staying until the 30th of September!

But that doesn't compare to the one he got us on today! Paula returned home from a week long missions trip to Utah and so this evening Luke suggested we get on Skype to chat. After chatting for a while, Luke said he had to excuse himself for a bit and we saw him wheel away from the camera. The next thing we see is Luke walking out of the room and down the hall and then turn around and walk back. Yes, I said "WALKING!!!!" We expected to see him hopping like he did to get around when we were at the Mayo clinic in March, but we were totally blown away to see him walking.

Here he got his leg on Wednesday, and Becki was the only one that knew. He really wanted to wait to let us find out when he flew in on August 5th and see him walking at the airport. But he and Becki figured that we'd somehow get wind of it before then and he did want to be the one to tell (well, actually 'show') us.

He told us that he was scheduled to get his leg a while ago, but it was right after he went into the hospital with the infection in his leg, so that delayed it. He saw his orthopaedic surgeon on Monday and she gave the OK and he got it Wednesday. He is supposed to have five weeks of physical therapy, but he's doing so well on it already, they'll probably release him after a week or two.

It was so great to see him up and walking around. And here he is!!

Back At His Home

Luke was released from the hospital on Wednesday after the last flush-out surgery on Monday. He will be administering the intravenous antibiotics himself with visiting nurses stopping in occasionally to check on him.

---Bill

More Cleanup

Luke was back in surgery on Thursday for additional flushing and cleaning of the infected area in his left leg. He is scheduled for one more on Monday when they can hopefully close up the incision. If all goes as planned he should be released on Wednesday.

Infection Setback

Luke developed an infection in his left leg that proved to be very extensive. After running a fever late last week and then draining quite a bit of fluid from an abscess that developed, he went to UCSD emergency room on Sunday and was admitted. He went into surgery Monday to flush the area and perform debridement. Today he had a pick line put in because he will be on intravenous antibiotics for a month. He is scheduled for more surgery tomorrow to again flush out the area. They are hoping that this will be the last flushing he will need and they will be able to close the incision. If not, he will need another cleaning in a couple of days.

His grandmother went to be with the Lord Tuesday evening. His hospital stay will prevent him from being able to travel for the funeral. In addition, this will once more delay his getting a prosthetic leg as his leg will need to go through the healing process.

Despite the setback, Luke remains upbeat and very positive and is taking things as they come, as he has all along.

---Bill

No Hi-Tech Leg For Now

Luke was notified by Blue Cross that the requests submitted by his doctor and his physical therapist for him to get the C-Leg, the microprocessor controlled prosthetic has been denied. They feel that he is still in the healing process and that he should get a standard prosthetic leg. They said that he can apply again in 6 months for the C-Leg.

This is a big disappointment, but at least the door is still cracked for the future. At this point he is eager to get the standard leg so that he can get up and about. Otherwise he is doing well. We are hoping that things will move along in this new direction and he will have the prosthetic in order to come to Meadville in August.

---Bill

Out of the Sling

Luke had a couple of follow up appointments with doctors this week. Monday he saw his orthopaedic surgeon to check the surgery to remove the random bone growth on his left leg. She gave him a picture of all the material she removed and it is hard to imagine how much had developed in his leg! He has another appointment next Monday to see if he is ready to have the staples removed.

Today he saw his neurosurgeon to check the nerve repair surgery he had done at the Mayo Clinic. Everything is looking good and he was finally able to take off the immobilizing sling he has worn since the surgery four weeks ago. He was very happy to finally be able to take a shower! The doctor wants Luke to work on range of motion exercises now but he is doing so well that he wouldn't need to see him again for several months.

The insurance company has requested a consultation by a specialty reviewer before making a determination on the microprocessor knee prosthesis that the orthopaedic and rehabilitation people are recommending for Luke. We should hear in a couple of weeks.

Luke is heading with some of his friends to spend the weekend camping at a country music jamboree.

---Bill

Going Under the Knife Again

Luke had surgery today to remove the random bone tissue that developed in his left leg. Since it looks like it will still be a while before he gets a prosthetic leg, he decided to have it removed now. The two and a half hour surgery went very well although he did lose a little over a half a liter of blood due to blood thinners he is on. He is spending the night in the hospital as they put a drain in and plan to remove it tomorrow. He will also undergo radiation treatment on the leg to attempt to prevent further random bone growth.

The doctors are also attending to the dressings from the surgery he had done at the Mayo Clinic. He will have a follow up visit on his arm with the orthopaedic surgeon in three weeks. Until then he will continue to wear the sling to keep his arm immobilized.

--- Bill