What's Gone On Before...

Rather than send out e-mail updates every time we have news of Amy’s progress, Laura set up this blog so you can just check it whenever you have a moment.  For those who don’t what’s going on, here’s a summary of what’s been consuming our world for almost 18 months.  In June of 2007, Amy had surgery on both feet to correct some development issues that were causing her pain.  She spent 10 weeks in casts and started her junior year in a wheelchair.  It was an exciting day when the casts came off and we thought the worst was behind her.  Unfortunately, several weeks later she still had pain and swelling in both feet.  We were sent to a pain management Dr who began nerve block injections.  While these helped short term, it soon became obvious that she needed something more.  A different drug was injected that the Dr hoped would last much longer.  Her left foot responded well, but her right foot reacted adversely to the medication and she was left with a gaping wound.  We were sent to a new Dr, this time at a wound healing center.  The thick scab that had formed was cut off in hopes healthy new tissue would begin to form.  Just a week later she had a bulging vein that required surgery before it burst and sent her to the ER.  The Dr cut it out and tied off the ends.  Unfortunately, we ended up in the ER anyway when she hemorrhaged while on a quick errand with her Dad.  It wasn’t pretty!  With that taken care of, we soon began twice weekly mist therapy treatments with occasional debridement.  All of this has been extremely painful for Amy.  She certainly never expected to have foot trouble well into her senior year, yet she was again on crutches and occasionally in a wheelchair.  Currently she’s wearing a device called a “wound vac” which creates negative pressure and pulls the unhealthy “junk” out of the wound and into a portable canister which she carries 24/7.  We’re still going to appointments at least three times a week and she’s missed a lot of class time.  Two weeks ago she had her 6th surgery, this time to open up a tunnel which had formed under her skin.  It needed to be cleaned out before infection set in.  The original wound is now much larger...about 5 cm.  But we had to take two steps back in order to move forward.  With the wound vac back on, things are finally looking much better and we’re hopeful she’s well on her way to total recovery in that area.  Unfortunately, we’re still searching for relief from the RSD (reflexive sympathetic dystrophy a.k.a complex regional pain syndrome) which developed after the initial surgery.  In other words, she still has pain and swelling issues and walking with pain has become her new “normal.”  Whew!  Now that you know what’s been going on in her world, you can check back periodically for updates if you’re interested.  Amy’s optimism in dealing with adversity has been truly inspirational.  We lift her up daily to Christ and are so thankful for each and every prayer spoken on her behalf.  Thanks for loving on her; she’s my hero!