Happy Birthday Cara!!!

Yes, today is Cara's birthday!
I wish I had a picture from last Friday night to post. Katie arranged a mini party for her at Grubbs while our favorite local band, Molten Lava aka Boom Kinetic, performed after dinner. Stephen and Amber came down from Springfield and stayed with us. Steve and Julie came as well as, Angie, Lisa and John, Julie F and of course Katie. It was a nice group and the girls enjoyed dancing. I am afraid I cut the party a little short and forced us to come home too early. The band was supposed to give Cara a shout out, but they started late and we left during their second break.

I really could not be happier now and the boys are doing great.
Spring Break came and went without us even noticing.
The boys stayed home and Cara and I continued our routines.

We will be going to the lake this weekend so Cara can do some more yardwork before the season kicks off. I would normally be going to LRAFB and will look forward to phone calls and text messages from them as I watch Cara work at the cabin. The weather should be nice.

Speaking of weather, Allen drove me around with the top down enjoying his new kicked up sound system yesterday. We have really enjoyed the time spent together working on his car.

With all the time that I have been giving to Allen lately, I promised Sam that I would treat him to whatever he wants to do next weekend. It looks like donuts and go carts - I can't wait.

Family and friends mean the world to me and I am constantly overwhelmed recently with humility and gratitude for such a blessed life.
Like I said before, I am happier now than I have ever been.

I hope to share this happiness with anyone who reads the post.

J

Too Much to list in one heading!

All,

This could be the last picture of me in a military uniform. I intend to fight this as hard as I can, but last Friday I got the call and I have been placed on a "Level 4 Profile". This means no points and no participation in the squadron without medical clearance from Keesler AFB. My healing process is increasing exponentially recently, but there are things that I have not done that are probably required for me to be cleared for duty. Right now, I need to continue to heal, get doctor appointments and try to get the necessary paperwork required to allow me to continue my service. I am extremely worried that March 8, was the last time for me to be in uniform. I knew this was coming and was just hoping it would take a little longer to give me time to be stronger. I have to thank Michael Young for sharing this most recent photo. Michael himself will be leaving service in June.

PaPa:

My grandfather, Jerry Hartfield Sr., was found down and disoriented in his house in Gulfport, Mississippi last Wednesday. My parents rushed down to see him last weekend. The good news is that he is alert and it was not a stroke. He was dehydrated and they put him in a rehabilitation hospital. The bad news is that his days of independent living could be ending. Please be thinking of him as we all try to help find the best place for him. I think my parents are going to be looking at homes in Fort Smith. I think that would be wonderful in the fact that we would be able to visit more frequently. My trips to Fort Smith are already limited, but the trips to Gulfport are way less frequent.

Allen:

Enough about his leg. He is still wearing the Velcro ski boot as required, but that will come off for good soon his leg is healed. The big news is that he has been invited to go to Prom this year. Another sign of aging, am I old enough to take my son to be fitted for a tuxedo? Wow time flies right in front of us.

Cara:

Yes, I place her in a heading by herself. We both went to the lake cabin this weekend, but the trip really was all about her. We had a pallet and a half of landscaping blocks delivered on Friday. She single handedly dug and stacked and created a really cool planting bead all around the front and side of the cabin. We did not take pictures, and we do not have dirt or plants in it yet. However, I sat in a lawn chair in 40 degree temperatures with a light rain watching her work continuously. She still never ceases to amaze me with her will and strength.

The excitement of the coming summer and boating season is boiling up now. We heard several bass boats running around during their tournament while she stacked away. A brief visit to the marina just enhanced the excitement.

My Rehab:

I continue to go to physical therapy 2 days a week. My knee is healing quickly and my leg is getting stronger every day. I still continue to struggle with my left hip and have a ct scan scheduled soon to see what we will do. I do not even want to thhink about the suggested options until we get the pictures and the review.

J

Drill Weekend and Rehab

All,

I think it is about time to update the blog.

Drill Weekend:

It was an honor for me to take Michael and Allen to Little Rock Air Force Base this past weekend to learn more about what we do on our reserve unit training assemblies. We woke up at 6:00 Saturday morning and were at the squadron right around 7. They were able to watch formation and were introduced as special guests. Later in the day, they went on the flight line to see some of our operations and we ate lunch in the "chow hall". The day concluded with an informal gathering at the base lake where other members took the time to visit with them. I let them sleep in on Sunday morning, but they joined me for lunch and the rest of Sunday afternoon. I really hope that Michael was able to talk to several members and get a better idea of what the reserves do.

Rehab:

I think I am really pleased with the knee surgery. The pain in my knee has decreased dramatically and I started physical therapy last Thursday. I will be going to therapy two days a week for the foreseeable future. I am know wearing a lock out hinged knee brace. It is set at 45 degrees right now, but we intend to increase the bending in 20 degree intervals per week. There is still a great deal of pain in my left hip and I still do not walk completely upright. I am using a single crutch to help me walk.

That is about it from Fayetteville right now,

J

When does a pet become part of the family?

Is it one year? five years? ten years?

Bubba passed away last night sometime between 11:00 and 12:30. He was definitely a part of our family and was with us for well over 17 years. We all knew it was coming, but he was just so full of love and affection that we hoped he would be with us forever. We knew he was suffering from renal failure, but he seemed to be happy and was still quick to jump in our laps. It just hapened all of a sudden. Cara noticed that he seemed to have lost his balance while walking yesterday morning. His conditioned worsened throughout the day. I was able to hold him last night after I got home after 9:30. Cara and I tried to comfort him in bed before we knew we had to turn out the lights and try to go to sleep.

Bubba will be deeply missed even by those who really do not care for cats. He was not a normal cat. He loved to be around people. Any time we had guests over to the house, he would visit with them and stay in the room where the people were. Cara and I often joked about cloning him because we know there will never be another cat in our family that could compare to him.

Our family is hurting right now. We know he is at peace now and we surely hope he was not suffering during those last 12 hours.

Say goodbye to our very special member of the family.

J

Quick Note on Allen's Recovery

All, Cara took Allen to see Dr. Coker yesterday and as expected he has been cleared to put full weight on his leg. He still has to wear the protective boot for about 6 more weeks. When he got home, we worked on using one crutch and then using one of my canes. When he came downstairs this morning, he was walking without the cane! He thinks he can make it the entire day at school without crutches or a cane. I hope he does not overdo it. We will certainly hear about it tonight. He told me he was very happy to walk again as I can only imagine. The thought of us both going to rehab together will be a distant memory as he recovers way faster than me.

I am doing well and back at work. The staples will be removed from my knee tomorrow or Thursday and rehab starts next week. I have been trying to obey the doctor's orders of flexing my quad muscle regularly and trying to lift my leg. I think I am very close without the immobilizer and shoe on.

Talk to you soon,

J

Back from the doctor

All,
I just got home from my follow up with Dr. Arnold. As you may know the knee surgery was way more difficult then it was intended. No I am not going to work today as I had hoped or tomorrow either. You should find me signed on in Facebook as I rest in bed. I will try to do some work from home.
Physical Therapy is to resume in 2 weeks. I am not supposed to bend my knee at all from now until then. We are going to baby step into getting the motion back in my knee as I continue to try to strengthen my thigh muscles. Even during surgery, what was left of the patella continued to dislocate as they bent my knee. He opened my knee using the same scar from the trauma surgery and removed the rest of the bone fragments. This is still going to be a long process. I have to go back next week to get the staples removed, and I will see Dr. Arnold again in three weeks (after I have been to therapy for a week)
The bad news is that my left hip is in very bad shape and will likely require some attention or some form of procedure. The good news is that Dr. Arnold has agreed to help me with it, but he wants some good progress on the knee first.
This all goes back to my need for patience. We are so ready for this to be a thing in the past and it seems like things keep popping up. I know we are still going in the right direction, I just wish I was in the fast lane...
Allen goes to see Dr. Coker on Monday. I will be sure to post an update on his status. I have high expectations that he will be completely healed and cleared to put full weight on his leg.
Check back Monday night or Tuesday,
J

Total Patellectomy

All,
With all things considered, I think the surgery went well yesterday. Dr. Arnold said there was nothing he could do to salvage my knee cap as he removed 20 individual pieces of bone. He did re-structure the tendons in an effort to help stabilize the joint. For those who know me well, know that I have had bad knees basically since birth. After Dr. Arnold saw it yesterday, he said the groove that the knee cap rides on is not as deep as a normal knee joint. We are optimistic for better joint very soon. I have to say that I felt great after coming home. I called Joe at work to tell him that things went well and I expected to return by Thursday. Dad and I watched a movie together and I retired to my room for a nap at about 2:30. The truth is I was still high with Diloted and when I woke up the reality set in. Yes, this stuff hurts.
I go back to see Dr. Arnold Thursday morning for a follow up and I am afraid we will be discussing a possible left hip procedure.
I will follow up soon after Thursday's visit.

J