Friday June 4, 2010 at 1947

The accumulation of all these things happening is extremely taxing on our senses and we aren't the ones going into surgery, or being poked, prodded, cut, stitched, turned, moved, blood in, blood out, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc...............................................

We came over about 8:30 this morning and were able to be with David for about 45 minutes. He was sleeping the entire time so we didn't say a word. Just watching him sleep is the absolute best part of the day. It's great when he smiles and jokes but, unfortunately, it feels that he is doing everything he can, at that time, to take care of us and keep us feeling good.


The military took us to the Walter Reid area today so we could go to the commissary and purchase some fresh fruit and things for our little kitchenette. We got back about noon and that's about when David went to surgery again. We took the opportunity to do laundry.


David came out of surgery almost 5 1/2 hours later. He was very disoriented and in pain. The pain always seem much worse when he is not sure where he is. Having experienced that before, my heart just aches. I, like every parent and every loved one, want the pain to stop, the surgery to stop, the disorientation to stop, and even the reality of this whole thing to stop. David seems to "suck it up" much better than I do. I guess it hit Lynnette a bit harder than me, she almost fainted and they used an alcohol patch under her nose, put a cold pack on her neck, and quickly provided her with some graham crackers and apple juice. She's fine and still beautiful.


Today's surgery was all on the right hand and arm. The repairs done yesterday all looked very good. Today they cut a skin flap between 4 to 6 inches long up the forearm, starting just above the outer wrist bone and ending about 2/3 of the way to the elbow - the description I received was in the shape of a skinny, Thanksgiving Day, turkey leg. That flap was detached, turned, and re-attached. It was then wrapped over the wrist area below the thumb and into the fatty palm area of the thumb. The blood vessels then had to be carefully reattached in the hand. We're told that there is a possibility of the skin flap failing and the skin dies and needs to be removed but they are very confident that will not happen. They have a small "Doplar" thingy that, on an hourly basis, they use, like an ultra sound, to listen for the pulse in the blood veins of the skin flap to make sure it is responding well. We've also been informed that, if necessary, they will have the option to use leech therapy to help maintain the life of the skin flap. I'll let you do the research on the leech therapy.

If you can recall the last Green Bay Packers game that you watched, many of the fans wear some really classy huge cheese wedges on their heads. David's right arm, from the elbow down, is being held in the air by a big cheese wedge. It is very very very uncomfortable. We can now see a little of the external fixator sticking out from his thumb.

Yesterday they took the dialysis blood lines out of the right side of his neck and put them in the left side of his neck. Today we were told that he has a blood clot where the old lines were and he will need to be on blood thinners for about 3 months. The doctor said "this is one of those bumps in the road!" Doctor Leoffler told us that there is a 1% to 2% chance of that blood clot becoming any kind of a problem but they are still making every effort to make sure it does not grow or move. Typically, the blood clots that do the most damage come from the legs.

Sounds bad doesn't it? The hand surgeon said surgery went very well! I know that's suppose to give you all the comfort in the world but it is still a painful process and it's not even my body they are messing with.

David is in room 16. The man in room 17 has lost both legs and much of one arm and today they had to remove part of his other arm.

Just now a gentleman, James E. Daniel, who is the Senior Vice President, General Council for SERCO, just handed me his business card and told me that, when David is looking to determine what he wants to do next, he wants David to give him a call. He also asked me to tell my son Thank You for his incredible service.

I absolutely love this country!

Good Night,

Gordon and Dad