Day 16

Today is day 16.  I have been doing great. Will probably try to go back to work half days next week.  The legs are healing good.  Here is my left leg.  It is really good.  

 

Here is my right one.  The spots with the 3rd degree are still healing, but are much better.

 

  

Day 12 of healing

Today is day 12 of healing. Things are going pretty good with healing on my left leg.  I am not having to bandage it now.  I do have to still wear compression on it so I can try to keep the scars minimal.  But other than that the skin is starting to grow back really good.  I have hair growing on i, which may be gross to some, I am happy about it because this means it shouldn't scar to badly.

 

Right leg is doing better, but not 100% yet.  On my upper calf, the healing is going great. But I have about 3 spots on my lower leg and ankle that are 3rd degree and are not healing as well as I would like.  It is getting better day by day, but not as fast as I would like it to.  I'm impatient like that. Lol.  But on a good note,I am now walking more with the walker and trying to walk without it.  I still sometimes have to use the wheelchair, Mostly at night when I have been asleep and I have to get up.  My legs are stiff then and ache a lot. But it,getting better day by day and I keep remaining myself how very lucky I am to have come out of this with the little pain and burns that I did!

 

Day 10 of healing....

Well here we are 10 days from the accident and 1 leg is doing great, the other ,not so great!!!  Youcan definitely   tell which leg got hit the worst.  My left leg was all 2nd degree burns and is doing really good. All the open wounds are pretty much closed now and it is just old skin coming off and new skin trying to grow.  

Now the right leg is another story. It was the worst of the 2.  This one I have a lot of 2nd degree burns, but there are also a few 3rd degree in there.  Most of the 3rd degree are around my ankle and where my foot bends.  The rest of the leg looks really good and has some re growth of skin,but My ankle is a bloody raw mess.  Jared and I went to change bandages and clean it today and it just bled and bled.  And let me tell you, when you are trying to clean it with anti-bacterial soap and there are open wounds, that shit hurts!!!!  I want to cry! But I suck it up cause I want it to heal without a lot of scars.

 

All in all, I think we have been doing a great job of taking care of the burns and getting them to heal.  Jared is a huge help when it comes to cleaning them everyday and also with making sure I am not in pain and am being taken care of.

I did receive 2 great surprises yesterday.  I received Beautiful flowers from Jared's Aunt Donna and Uncle Dan in Oregon.  They are so beautiful.  I have them sitting on the mantle in my bedroom so I can look at the, all the time.   I Am so thankful he has great Aunts that are so caring and loving.  They check on me all the time and make sure I am ok.  

I also received a pretty cool gift from my Aunt Terry.  she is my moms sister who lives in Virginia.  She sent me a dammit doll!  It is the cutest thing. She advised me to use it when they are changing my bandage and it  hurts, or i am in pain in general or Just not in a good mood.  It comes with a cool poem that says: "Whenever things don't go so well, And you want to hit the wall and yell, Here's a little Dammit doll, That you can't do without. Just grasp it firmly by the legs And find a place to slam it. And as you whack the stuffing out Yell "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!" 

Well I also had my older sister julie and my niece kaitlyn come over to help me yesterday get a bath,change my bandages and also do a couple errands.  Kaitlyn fell in love with my chair and wanted tried on my lap.  It was so cute, she would thrower hands In the air and yell WEEEEEE!  I was so cute. Well I better close for today. Have that lunch and the we have someone coming over to pick up the camper remains for scrap metal.  So glad I will be don looking at it!!!

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back!!!!

OMG, Morphine please take me away!!

I am getting so frustrated today. One minute I am doing great, have very little pain, then time for a dressing change.  Now my leg is literally on fire AGAIN!!!!

I was told Monday that we have to switch ointment meds on the burn, cause lovely Blue Cross Blue Shield decides that they don't want to have to pay for the script.  So for 6 tubes(mind you, 1 entire tube is used for 1 leg, and you have to change it daily, so 6 tubes is for 3 days), with insurance it is $762.00. Yes you read that right SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY TWO DOLLARS?!!

Do they they know that this medicine is needed for the burns to heal and not get it infected?  well i cant get it because it is to expensive.  Feel like I am in a catch 22 right now.  

To top it off, it seems that it is always 2 steps forward and then 1 step back with starting to heal and feel better.   So, am I getting anywhere but shuffling my feet?  Now on to a more positive note.....

I have to say thanks to my good friend Sue, who I received a get well card from yesterday,  even though we may not see each other that much, because she lives out in Lees Summit, not a day goes by that I don't think of her and the fun times we had!

Next, I have to say thanks to my Deputy Director Johnny Jones and his wife for sending me a get well card.  This was much appreciated and noticed, because it came specifically from him.  It kinda cracks me up because, from work, the only people I have talked to and have either came by or stopped at the hospital are Adam and his wife Olga.  They came to KU and brought me flowers and a card from them.

Rhonda  Freeman also Came to the hospital at KU to see me when she had a slight break in between her own medical testing.  Then of course my trusty side kick Kari was at KU on Thursday with me also.  Plus she took off work to bring my youngest son to the hospital because he was worried.  I also talk to her everyday when she  calls to check on me.  I cant forget our oh so fearless Lead, Mr. Chuckie Davis, who makes house calls and brings chocolate cake and ice cream to make me feel better.  Yes I only got 1 piece of cake, because "You Know Who" ate all the rest of it, but i did get 1 piece.  Then I received a card from the LTC at the JRCF, wishing me well and saying she was hoping I was ok.  I have also received messages on Facebook, asking how i was, from my co worker Christi.  

Then last but not least, my husbands Work Wife, Sabrina Conway, she keeps up with me on Facebook and calls me at least once a day to check up on me.  So, for a facility/company/directorate that says they care about the people who work for them, I'm not seeing it!  But it is all good this is the exact reason I did not want everyone to know what happened.  I cold imagine people just coming around or calling to nbe nosey.  Someone always wants to know what's going on and spread gossip!  

I also received a nice card from my friend Shari in California and her daughter Lacey, who went through Basic Training together and graduated from basic at the same time.  She and I became fast friends through the family website for the kids' basic class.  It was great to see they were thinking about me.  Love ya girls!  

Tonight after my bandage change, I got a surprise visit from my good friend Jennifer Gum, who brought me a caramel Sundae, with extra caramel and extra nuts!!!!!!!!  This made me smile, as through the years we have known each other (from junior high school at West Jr High), to now, whenever one of us are sick, down,or injured, we always go buy the hurting one a sundae from McDonalds.  And you can't get yourself one, only the person who is sick and down.  And damn that was a good sundae.  It had SOOOO much Caramel in it that each spoonful i got a big bite of caramel in it!!!

I am so lucky that I have the few good friends that will do anything for me and also take time out of their busy days to either call me to check on me or even stop by!!!  I appreciate it all.  This is what keeps my spirits up and keeps me from thinking about the burns and scars that I will probably have! 

Well I guess I better get some sleep tonight, cause this new damn ointment is causing a lot of burning sensation and I want to scream and rip the bandages off.  

I will update tomorrow with more healing pictures since I will have to change bandages again.  I am trying to take progress pictures every 2 days at least!

P.S....for that one nut I work with, that makes me laugh, I won't mention any names.......BOBBY MCNAIR, this is for you!!!

Click here......

1 week down and healing is progressing

Well here we are 1 week down and the healing has just began.  I had to for other dr today because I was having a rash horribly on my arms and legs from the morphine.  Wile there, I found out I had a slight fever at 99.7.  In the burn world, they do not want someone to get their temp over 100 degrees.  

So I am watching my temp closely.  Don't want an infection and surely don't want to go back in the hospital.

While at the dr, they loosened my bandages so I could attempt to take them off when I got home within incident.  I have a couple really sore parts on the right foot.  It is funny to look at pictures from 1 week ago,to today!!!  WOW is all I can say!

Well morphine is kicking in, starting to see the insides of my eyelids!!  But I will leave you with a few comparison.

Wednesday May 22, 2013 1 week ago today.....

It is hard to believe that one week ago today I was packing for my trip to Mexico and in the blink of an eye all those plans changed.  In the last week I have learned who my true friends are, who are my friends that would do anything for me and last but not least, that my husband loves me and does honor his vows to love me in sickness and health.

           This was us in Mexico last year in May.

I have a dr appt at 2:00 today as I'm having huge welts from the morphine.  I have literally scratched my back raw.  My arms and upper legs are almost there also.  I also did something to the back ofmy heel   on my right foot. Ever since yesterday, I can not put my foot down with any type of pressure to my heel. Not even light pressure.   I hope something isn't broken or my tendons aren't damaged.  ave faith in the Dr is what I keep telling myself!  

Once I get back today I will go through a bandage change and I will take pics of 1 week post accident.    Time to take some meds and go to lala land for a while.  

P.S...I AM ALSO CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN THE LEAVE DONATION PROGRAM, SO IF YOU WORK FOR THR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND HAVE A LITTLE EXTRA LEAVE TO DONATE FOR MY EXTENDED TIME OFF,  I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.  JUST REMEMBER......., "EVERY LITTLE BIT COUNTS." So even if it is 1 day here or 2 there, I appreciate the thought.  Even if you can't, please continue to keep my family and myself in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

It's Morphine time!!!!!  Talk at ya later!!

http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/opm630a.pdf for interagency donation

http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/opm630b.pdf for outside the agency

Day 3, Friday May 17, 2013

Well it looks like today is the day to go home, Friday May 17.  Still have quite a bit of pain,but at least I got some sleep through the night.  I am having some reaction to the morphine I am on as I have hives and itch horribly bad.  But it is a known side effect of opioids and can't do anything for it but take Benadryl.  

The PA came in and decided I could go home but had to be back in the burn center on Monday for dressing change.    Went home and had a decent weekend.  Didn't do much but slept and followed up with phone calls and people who came to visit.  I did have to rent a wheelchair as I am having a really hard time standing on my feet.  My right leg is the worst and I can't put any weight on it.  It is bad enough that when I put my legs done to get in the wheelchair, all the look rushes to m legs and I scream.  

Our wonderful neighbors across the street Mrs. Nancy and her daughter Amanda made us baked Mac and cheese for dinner Friday ought.  It was so good and I appreciate their help.  They have been really concerned about me and I appreciate it.  

Monday morning came and it was time to go to KU burn center for bandage change.  Let me just forewarn you now, it hurt like a Mother Fu$&@r.  They probably heard more dirty words out of my mouth than a sailor. The yellow skin tape layer they put on first had dried up after 3 days and just ripped open my legs and caused them to bleed.  I curled in the corner and cried it hurt so bad!    

  
 

Once all the bandages were off we got a better look at the legs and the right one is much worse then the left,leg.  I have some spots that are 3rd degree but most are 2nd.  Now I just need them to heal.  Jared has to change my dressings everyday instead of me going back to ku everyday,  Lets see how he does and if it will being us closer together!!!

The Dr gave me a note saying I will be off work for the least amount of 4 weeks, may be more depending on how it is healing.  I can't have it getting an infection and lose my leg.  

Today was my first day home by myself all day as Jared went to work and Austin to school.  I did pretty good getting around by myself.  And when he got home it was time for me to have the dressing changed.  They recommended that I get both legs in the bathtub with the bandages on and let them sock through so as not to rip them anymore.  Thank god for the smart nurses, cause that helped 100%. Amanda, my neighbor came over and helped Jared change all my dressings.  They worked pretty well together as a team and got me re bandages without any mishaps!  

Then it was time for dinner courtesy of Mrs. Nancy again.  Homemade shepards pie....mmmmmmmm good!  

Oh and I forgot to mention that the ointment they want me to use on my legs is a collagen ointment to help rebuild all the layers.  Well after my BCBS insurance, my copy for 7 tubes was $....brace for it.....$792.00. Holy hell, I can't afford that.  Who can?  One of the tubes lasts only for 1 leg also so I bit the bullet and got 2 tubes so I can try to get the collagen growing again?  Well I think I am caught up so it will be easier to log Dailey now.  Thanks to all my visitors and well wishes.  I appreciate them all!  And a big thank you to my husband for busting his ads forms and everything you have Done!  Thanks so much.