Grateful Everyday

All,
Here is my Merry Christmas post. Cara may counterpunch with a version of her own.
"Grateful Everyday" is the engraving on the back of the new watch that Cara gave me for Christmas. There simply can't be a better description than that. We had a wonderful time with the entire family over Christmas break. Presents were exchanged, food was shared and phone calls were made to those who were not with us.

What a treat it is to be able to make my own post on my birthday! today. I am happy and look forward to many more.

I hope you all enjoy a safe and Happy New Year!

J

More Tests / More Doctors

All,

Simply put - My visit with Dr. Arnold was disappointing, confusing and frustrating.

That is by no means directed at him and I will explain more for those who continue to read below.

I was no less than giddy yesterday morning. I was excited that December 17th was finally here and I would see Dr. Arnold about my left knee which I believe has kept me from making the final steps to walking without a walker. His office called and postponed the visit from 2:30 to 4:45 because he was needed for emergency surgery. I did not care and happily agreed. I was still going to see him that day and I know how busy and talented he is.

You see, I wanted an answer.
Obviously Dr. Stafford knew there were more complications since he ordered the MRI. The MRI was completed on November 13th over a month ago and I have been waiting for news on what to do. Dr. Stafford mentioned a few possibilities, but happily deferred them to Dr, Arnold.
Dr. Arnold was obviously busy and could not be seen until yesterday.

I am sure I was asking too much to want an answer last night. This is where my lack of patience really shows. But does anyone understand? My knee is swollen, it hurts a lot, my physical therapists have said they have done all they can do for now. It has been over a month since the MRI and I still don't have the answer I think I was wanting - "It will all be better once we do this..."

The honest answer is Trauma injuries are difficult. The trauma to my knee was/is very complicated. This ordeal is far from over.

I had more X-rays taken last night and Dr. Arnold immediately noticed that the patella was dis-located. He showed us that it is off to the side and not even close to the natural groove it is supposed to be in. He mentioned that what is left of the patella may not even have healed. Like Dr. Stafford, Dr. Arnold and his nurse believe that there could still be some foreign bodies floating around causing some of the pain. Finally, he said it was likely that he would need to operate on my knee, but not before getting some more answers.

The future:
1. Get the films from the MRI
2. Schedule me for an appointment with a Neurologist (I still do not know why, but it is
related to the drop foot and the extent of the nerve injuries)
3. Schedule me for a CT scan of the knee

Patience - I simply respect all those people who have it. I try, I ask for it. I am getting tired of this trip and want to move on.

I understand that I will never be the same as I was before the wreck. I still have not given up on walking, but I need to accept that there most likely will be permanent damage to my left leg.

J

"...watch for God's presence..."

All,

I am sure all of you know that I am a Christian. I am rarely evangelical and can hardly say that I am "religious". Trust me, I was, am and will always be a follower of Christ.

As we enter the Christmas season, like most churches, we read messages as we light our Advent candles. Our turn to read and light candles comes this Sunday, but yesterday's reading hit me especially hard.

"The second candle reminds us that Advent is also a time to watch. During Advent we eagerly watch for God's presence and work in our world."

The only phrasing I would modify is that not only during Advent, but at all times we should watch for God's presence.



Believe me, I feel his presence. I watch his presence - I wish all of you could have seen and heard our choir concert. I am sure beyond all doubt that he had a reason to keep me with you. He went inside all of you to reach out for me and to pray for me.

J

On the Home Front

All,

After a very nice but busy Thanksgiving weekend;

Another fun weekend with my family at the 96th APS at Little Rock Air Force Base -yes both my real family and my military family.

Joey, the comments you made Saturday night at the party touched me and as always I teared up. I say this often, but words cannot describe the gratitiude that I have.

I am looking forward to a weekend at home.

Yes, we have plans to get our Christmas shopping done, so I do not know how much I will be "home", but NW Arkansas will be close enough.

Sleeping in a bit on Saturday morning...etc.

As always, I think (know) I am still getting better every day. We are all anxiously awaiting the results from my visit with Dr. Arnold this Wednesday. I would assume this will be my next post.

Hopefully by then, I will have downloaded our most recent photos. Nothing special but decorating the tree and Sam as a mouse at school....

I know this picture is corny, but....

Talk to you soon,

J

Sam's Birthday

All,

I forgot to mention in the previous blog post that during the Thanksgiving weekend, Sam turned 11 on November 30th! His birthday always gets extended due to the date. He will be receiving gifts throughout the week and his official party will likely not be until December 13th.

J

Post Thanksgiving Blues

All,

When you have a Thanksgiving as wonderful as I do, you can't help but get some blues afterwards. It is such a blessing, thrill, honor and a treat to be able to host the entire family for an unbelievable feast that everyone contributed to making. Of course, I mostly sat in my chair or in a bag chair in the back yard. Cara fixed the house and stayed busy from morning to evening, not to mention days before.

I guess it was around 6 when the last guest left the house. It wasn't long after that when Cara and I retired to our bedroom. I am certain that I was asleep by 9:30 for the night. After sleeping in a little on Black Friday, Cara and the boys loaded the truck for a weekend at the lake.

During the ride to the lake, I thought it would make the boys happier if they had a guest from Springfield. With some luck, Lynne and Tim brought their boys Riley, Devon and Logan and they also brought Allen's best friend, Josh for a day trip on Saturday in our cabin. Cara made our traditional gumbo, while we visitied with good friends. The boys had a great time seeing friends they do not regularly see. This is simply another benefit of the cabin.

Yesterday became an exhausting day that required packing up and driving home from the lake in the "snow storm". Since I had done so much "work", I simply went right to the bedroom and took a much needed nap. I did not leave my bedroom again until this morning on the way to work.

If you are concerned about my recovery from the wreck, there will not be much to tell until I visit the doctor on December 17th. I will say that I think I am feeling more pain and stiffness in my left knee than I was, but I may also just be more sensitive. While I always carry a Hydrocodone in my pocket, I rarely take one these days.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend like we did,

J