10-26-23 SHORT HILLS: Happy Birthday to a new Earthling—Emmett Fagin-Davis who arrived early this AM. This makes Judy and I Great Grandparents. Huge congrats to Anna and Gardner. Congrats also to Alison, Dan and Lily. Congrats also to Gardner Senior and to Gardner's sisters. Now everybody, including Emmett, can get some sleep.
10-18-23 SHORT HILLS: The new incision has healed, sutures are out, but still two weeks to weight bearing. Fingers crossed that the incision stays healed. The last week has been occupied with the flu, partly over now, but still coughing. I did get the flu shot, and maybe it modified the course of illness.
That’s it. Still doing PT for the legs and upper body. Judy’s car is now set up the way she likes it.
10-6-23 SHORT HILLS: Leg news first. Shortly after the last post, my care was transferred to the Dr. Liporace and Dr. Diamond at SBMC. After tests and cultures, the decision to re-operate and resect the infected area was made and executed. The metal plates and screws all looked good and were not replaced, a primary closure was done. Drainage devices were inserted, but collected almost nothing over the next few days.
Since discharge, the VNA has been changing dressings and watching the wound, which has stayed dry and clean. This is the ninth post-op day. I see the surgeon next week. The cultures ID’d a type of Staph so I am on a different antibiotic, Linezolid, for 10 days. Hopefully, the infection was only superficial and is now under control. It’s been 6+ weeks since the original repair, I’m guessing 8-10 weeks for weight-bearing.
Outside the leaves are beginning to turn, the burning bushes are aflame. Birds are eating the berries on all the shrubs are they ripen. I did manage to put Judy’s front license plate on the new car in the wheelchair, and clean out the pool cover pump sitting on the patio.
9-25-23 SHORT HILLS: Convalescence continues with one glitch—a wound infection. It seem to be superficial, and we clean it twice a day and take an antibiotic, and it’s slowly closing. We see Dr. Schob tomorrow. We both had flu shots and Covid boosters, which had us both mostly in bed for the weekend.
Judy has been doing everything around the house as well as my care, dog care and her dog visits. She’s a Wonder Woman.
Ophelia was a nothing burger here, three days of light rain and light wind. That’s how I like my hurricanes. It’s definitely cooler with overnight temps in the 50’s. The Autumnal Equinox has come and gone, and our days are already shorter.
9-14-23 SHORT HILLS: We’re into a routine here, which looks like it will go on for another 4-5-6 weeks depending on what Dr. Schob allows me to do. It’s three weeks since the surgery, the incisions are healed, a lot of the swelling has gone down, the knee is beginning to look like a knee again. But, I’m not allowed to put weight on the leg so I’m using the walker or the wheelchair. Standing or walking on the leg could distort the reconstruction so no weight bearing allowed until the bones are healed and knit together again.
I’m taking vitamin D and calcium supplements to aid the healing. Perhaps they do help. I’m on Eliquis to prevent blood clots in the legs. I do a ton of leg lifts every day, both legs, to maintain and build muscle for that day when I can resume walking. My best guess as to earliest possible date—Oct. 16.
9-7-23 SHORT HILLS: We’re back in NJ. The trip down was thankfully uneventful. Dan and Alison arrived shortly after we did with rations from the Millburn Deli, and then Anna and Gardner appeared. Anna looks quite preggers. The two of them are so into it all. They spent an hour setting up a baby seat in their car in our driveway. After part of a ‘Sloppy Joe’, speciality of the Millburn Deli with lots of coleslaw, I was ready for a nap.
We saw our local orthopedist yesterday, Dr. Cliff Schob, who reviewed all the work done at Dartmouth-Hitchcock from the initial x-rays through the final films after the definitive repair. He thought the repair was ‘outstanding’ and the best possible reconstruction. That was welcome news.
Judy sent out emails to many of those who have been following the saga—
“I would like to thank everyone for their concern and well wishes for Howie’s recovery.
Today he saw our neighbor and orthopedic surgeon, here in New Jersey, for whom we have great affection and respect.
Howie sustained a double fracture of his tibia, which was splintered into innumerable jigsaw pieces and also dislocated his fibula and his patella which was pushed up over his femur.
Cliff said it was one of the worst injuries of this sort that he had ever seen; that neither he nor anyone local here could have performed the reconstructive surgery and that the orthopedic team at Dartmouth was fantastic and brilliant.
He repeated this, with a lot of “wows” thrown in several times.
Howie will be sending a note of appreciation to the Dartmouth team in short order.
Cliff was impressed with Howie’s range of mobility and motion in his knee and ankle: right now physical therapy is baby steps for old bones: leg lifts, knee bends and walker exercises.
This will be a long, tough slog for Howie, but he will walk, which was a question somewhere in the back of my mind.
Jews say “next year in Jerusalem.”
This somewhat lapsed Jew says,” this Christmas in Thetford.”
Thanks again.
Judy”
8-29-23 ALICE PECK DAY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, LEBANON, NH: I transferred from the hospital to this rehab facility last Friday and have been busy with PT and OT. The fever never recurred and all the cultures and imaging were negative. The leg swelling and tenderness are slowly resolving.
APD is clean and modern, the staff are to a person are helpful, responsive, pleasant, smiley and a great to work with. The food is on order and not bad. I’m getting stronger and more versatile with the all the implements. My private room is large with a big window looking west.
Our plan is to check out Saturday morning and drive back to NJ with all the dogs and be met there by Alison and Dan and Anna and Gardner. Lily and Danna will come to VT for the weekend and bring the red Subaru to NJ with all the stuff donated for Covenant House and Beth Israel.
