Hospital Update

Mark did not go into surgery until 2:30 on Monday. He was admitted into room 506 Jones pavilion Memorial Herman Hospital. 713-704-8506. We thought that it was going to be just the one night. The orthopedic surgeon said it would be one night. The plastic surgeon had his own agenda. Today (Wednesday) they went in and re cleaned the wound and the skin around it. This took about 4 hours total and must be pretty painful. Mark is back on Morphine........you know how I feel about that. Hopefully,he won't get too messed up on it and won't remember stuff and make phone calls at all hours of the night!!!!! Friday, they will either go back in and clean it out again or start the repair job. Depending on what it looks like. So, I guess he will not get out of the Hospital until Monday or Tuesday of next week. Mark is in good spirts but is totally board. Me, I feel as though I am reliving August....going back and forth to the Hospital and trying to work and be a mom to Matt. Thank goodness we still have friends that are praying for us and help us get thru this. Pray that Mark can leave the hospital with NO wound Vac and NO I.V antibiotics..... They are really concerned about infection. Hopefully,this hospital stay will be the last. Love to all. Betty

Nov 26 is FINELY here...

This is early in the morning and we are fixing to go to the hospital. Today, we will be in for my surgery this morning. I will not have access to a computer today, so Betty or Megan will update with some text and let you know how it went. Say a prayer for me so everything goes well. God and I talked about this yesterday and will talk again this morning.
Love you all so much.
Mark 11/26/07 4:20AM

Saturday, Nov 24 and all moving right

Well, we had a good Thanksgiving around here. The girls all came home for the holiday plus my parents were here, too. We had a great time!! It is good to see all of these people together. It makes the holiday well worth all the effort put together by all.
We had to get all the Christmas decorations down yesterday so Betty could start putting things around the house. We knew this needed to be done before my surgery on Monday. Shane was here and provided a great big help. He handed everything down from the attic in the garage and Betty put it were it could sit until ready to bring inside. I tried to help some, but I am not much help right now. This is one of those things that drives me crazy, watching people do the stuff I USUALLY do. I moved some of this stuff and can tell it today. Shane had a million things to do around his house but this is typical of him. That is the kind of friend that I need! It was funny to hear him say the things I usually say about the amount of Christmas stuff we have. My wife does not decorate our house like most people do. She has stuff all over the house. I am used to it by now, but have really come to love the way she does it. I think we have as many trees in our house as all of the neighbors together. That is just the way it is around here!!!
Betty told me that my brother-in-law, Herb, is home from the hospital and is on quite a bit on medicines right now. He is one of those people in this world that has a hard time dealing with times like this, which puts more pressure on his family. I know what he is going through right now. I put my wife and kids through this, too. It is a hard thing to deal with, especially at this time of your illness. You want things to be right, but no matter how hard you try, they are not like you want them. It is hard to adjust to this change. Herb, my prayers are with you right now and I hope you get better. You are one of those people that deserves this!!!
Well, I will close for now and hope you talk to God today. He will help you out where needed. Don't be afraid to ask Him for help!!! I love you all so much!!!
Mark 11/24/07

Happy Thanksgiving, 11/22

Sometimes, I feel like I am wasting time putting stuff in here about how I am doing and then I look back as see some comments added that make me feel so good. Yes, another day goes by without a headache and I have pains throughout my body that come and go, but this is part of life. I am so lucky to just be here! Rehab is going well, but is off the schedule for next week. Once I get back up, I be there bothering them again!!!
Looking at the responses from yesterday really makes me think about my life. I know I am SO FORTUNATE to just be alive AND walking with a slight limp. One of these comments is from Sallie. Her and her family are one of my inspirations. Their prayers are always there and always good for me. I know her and her family support what my family and I went through. I know this time was hard on me, but I think my family and friends suffered just as much, if not more. I slept through most of the bad parts where they had to worry about whether I'd be here tomorrow. This was tough on everyone! It just means so much to hear it every time and from everyone. Thanks from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to me. As far as I have heard, they moved Herb into rehab, but I haven't heard anything lately. I will check on him and let you know something soon.
The second note was a real uplift for me too. It was from Becky. They live right behind us and are special people. She is one of those people that lifts you up with her thoughts and prayers. Just knowing that she follows my progress like this really makes my day better. Thanks for your thoughts and concerns for me. It means so much to me.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving holiday. Take the time to hug all those people that are in your life. It is an important step in life to show those you love that you do love them. Please take the time today to talk to God. He is in your life and will help you when he is needed. He is the reason I am still here! The inspirations all of my friends and family give me are so uplifting.
I will be taking a slight road backwards next week with my surgery (Monday), but as Paul told me earlier this week, I am too hard headed to let this take me back without responding positively. This may sound bad in a way but it was not meant that way. I knew what he meant and took it as a compliment! Friends do this for you. Say something in one of those ways that uplifts you in a good way.
Thanks to all of you and sorry this got so long. I can only blame all of you for keeping me alive to write like this. Again, THANK YOU for everything you have help me realize was important. It means a lot to ME! I Love You ALL So Much!
Mark 11/22/07

Tuesday, Nov 20 and moving along

Well, we went to the doctor this morning. He is still concerned with the infection in my sore. He said he will not know more until the metal is out and he can see it better on the inside. He told me last visit that he could fix my tailbone issues, but this time he says there is nothing he can do to it. Sometimes I wish they would listen to themselves talk. I guess I will have this sore, broken tailbone with me a while. He also said the anti-biotic may be around for a while, depending on the infection status. This doctor was so busy today. His office was nearly empty last time we were there, but today was much different. We had a 9:45AM appointment, arrived at 9:30AM and saw the doctor close to 10:30AM. All the chairs in his waiting room were full and more people outside in the hallway. He is one of the good ones, but this is a little too much to deal with every time. I guess we will see how it looks next time we go see him after the surgery.
May God be there for you today if you need him. He is very helpful for those that ask him for assistance.
Love you all,
Mark 11/20/07

Monday, Nov 19 and all is good!!!

It is Monday night, Nov. 19. All is good around here. Another night without a headache or Imitrex. This was a good sign again. There was no doctor's appointment today. I found out on Sunday that it is for Tuesday. We are going there tomorrow for that. Hopefully we can get some information that is helpful.
Rehab went well today. They worked me pretty hard and I left tired, but that is great. While I was at Matt's soccer practice, I walked a lap around the park with Tiffaney. It was another good turn for the day! I can get tired and feel good about it. This tells me a am moving in the right direction!!!
May God be with you anywhere you need his help. He saved me and will do the same for you. Don't be afraid to ask for His help if needed!
Love you all.
Mark 11/19/07

Saturday. Nov 17 and all going well

Another night without a headache. This is 15 days now and about 7 days since I took any Imitrex. Life is great! This is good news for me!
I woke up in a little bit of pain again today, but that is normal for me. I only have 9 days left until my surgery is scheduled. I get to see the skin specialist on Monday to evaluate my infection. Hopefully, it is getting better and he can close easily. I am hoping to get back to work sometime soon! That is a great thing!
My rehab is going OK. Friday they worked me out pretty good. We did some leg and arm workouts. Hurts doing some of them, but progress is coming my way. LOOK OUT!
I plan on doing something productive around here today. Betty was working in the garage for the wedding. I tried to help, but am more in the way I think. I am going to ride my bike around the neighborhood and maybe some exercising of some sort. Only time will tell what happens next!!!
I love all of you that take time to read this. It means the world to me to know who you friends really are. My God be in your corner today if you need him. He is a great thing to have on your side!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. If you have to go anywhere, please BE CAREFUL.
Mark 11/17/07

Wednesday, Nov 14 and all is great

It is Wednesday and all is good. I had another two nights go by with out any Imitrex or headache. This is a good thing for me! My back is a little sore this morning, but I am doing OK getting out of bed. I am staying up later and getting up earlier which will help with my overnight soreness. We worked out good yesterday at rehab. I always feel good when I leave there so we must be moving right. I get a good work out without going too far. That is always good! I have another rehab work out today. I had to move Monday's work out to Tuesday because of my doctor's appointment on Monday.
I had lunch yesterday with a group of people from work. Many of these people have not seen me in a while and it was good to see them again. It is always good to know that they miss me and want me back out there. I can't wait for that to happen. We'll just have to see how my surgery goes in 11 days.
Everyone have a good Thanksgiving week. Be sure to tell all of your family how important they are to you. That is important information to know. It meant a lot for me to hear this so many times.
All have a great day and allow God to help you anywhere you need assistance. His support and assistance is great to have.
Love, Mark 11/14/07

Monday, Nov 12 and all is great

It is Monday and all is well. Another night goes by with out a headache or Imitrex. That is a great thing! I rode my bicycle yesterday around a little bit of the neighborhood and have no problems! Yes, I rode it with out training wheels. That is good, too.
My doctor's appointment went OK this morning. This was with the internal medicine doctor. My appointment with the skin surgeon is next Monday. This doctor seems content with the progress I am making. He re-newed my antibiotics for another month. He is curious how much metal will be removed during my surgery, as it was not in his notes. I think it is just the piece in my back and the pieces on my front will be left since there is no infection around them. I also had to go down and have a blood test done so he could monitor how my infection is doing. Hopefully, all is going right with it.
Enough news for today! I am still feeling pain in my back, but this will be OK for now. I love you all. May God be with you as needed. Take care.
Mark 11/12/07

Sunday, Nov 11. An update of progress

Well, Sunday is here and all is well. I went to bed last night WITHOUT taking my Imitrex for a headache to see how things would do. I did not sleep real good, but made it through the night without getting a headache. This is great news for me. I woke up still and sore, but I am starting to get used to this feeling. I am not sure if rehab exercises started any of this or it's just my body adjusting to this new life style. I am not sure which way to go with myself. Friday, they did not do much in rehab except heat and stretching muscles, so I can't see how this did that much towards the pain.
I get all kinds of notes from people. This is always good. I heard from many people that tell me I am doing good, but my body tells me different. I ran into a guy from work on Friday night and it was good to see him. Then, I get all kinds of notes sent to me. I am still here and still trying to make progress toward where I need to be. It seems like the progress is slower than what I want, but I knew that would happen. My family and friends seem to be supportive on where I am and the direction I am going, so this is a good feeling to have. I need to be thankful for the things that are most important. I am alive and well, moving in the direction of where I need my body to be in. I will just have to learn to be patient will the slow progress I am making and take advantage of the little steps that I am taking. Hopefully, the plastic surgeon will give some news tomorrow that will be good to hear. My surgery to remove this metal plate in my back will be two weeks away come tomorrow. I am really looking forward to this move and hope to be ready when it finally gets here.
I appreciate everyone that takes time to read my notes about my progress and to those that say a prayer for me because those make a big difference in my life! I love you all so very much.
Mark 11/11/07

Saturday, Nov 10 and all is good

It is Saturday morning and all is well. Another Imetrex night with no headache. I woke up this morning sore as usual, but I am alive and well. I am down to two weeks and two days before this plate is removed from my back. My pain seems to be worse now than it was a few weeks ago, but this could be the extra exercise I am doing. In rehab yesterday, they took it easy on me. Just some heat on my sore muscles and rubbing and stretching these muscles, too. I felt real good when I left, but the soreness did come back. Things on the ground seem so close, but I can't get to them without pain. I am sure this will fade over time. Getting up and down in a chair or couch is rough too, but time will help here, too. I ran into a guy from work last night at dinner. He said something I have heard many, many times. It makes good sense to hear, but never put much thought into it. He said I am lucky to be alive. I knew this was a great feat, but I never put a whole lot of thought in to it. Yes, he is right. I am very lucky to still be here. I know that! If it wasn't for the support systems that are here for me, I probably wouldn't be here. Many people have brought me in to the lives and have been supportive in so many ways. I have been put in to so many prayer groups around the country. Be it family, friends and other people who have heard on this situation. This is an important step in my recovery process. I have heard from people that I have not heard from in years and this is important,too. I have family and friends sending notes in e-mail, phone calls and cards via regular mail that mean a lot. I can not thank everyone enough. We bought a box of thank you notes to send out to a lot of people, but my writing in terrible at this point. The stroke I had after my first release really effected my writing. Betty said it is OK, so I guess I can start on these soon and hope for the best. The support has come from so many people that this will be a good chore for me. I know I owe a lot of these to many people. I hope you can read it when it arrives.
I love you all and appreciate all the effort that was put in by all! May God be with you everyday you need his help. Just don't be afraid to ask him. He is very helpful and very attentive. And thanks for being there for ME! This means a lot whether you know it or not!
Mark 11/10/07

Thursday, Nov 8th & all is good

Well, another day is upon us. I woke up sore this morning and feel like my rehab is working. I had a note in my BLOG from a previous morning from someone I did not recognize. I found out at my rehab yesterday that this was my rehab specialist. He is a great guy who is helping me make progress. It feels good to know who thinks about me from time to time.
As for my replies from yesterday, Yes Janet I got your note and pictures. I guess I am to involved to reply. It was good to see what I am missing out on even I wish I wasn't. But I am happy to be alive and breathing! There was also a HB note in you reply for Betty. Sallie also set her one, too. The third note was from someone I have heard from in a long time. It was from Dianna, Sunny's mom and Jennifer and Jake's grandmother. It is good to hear from some old friends, too. Yes, I remember you, Dianna, even though it has been a long time since we saw each other. It is good to hear from you. Jenn and Jake both call me pretty regularly to check on me and Sunny came by after the wedding shower last Saturday. It was great to see her again and visit back some old times. I always had high thoughts of her and they are still valid today.
Betty and I had a good day yesterday. We went to eat some lunch and run some errands after that. It was a pretty good day for us both.
I was due a shipment of Imitrex on Monday or Tuesday and it never showed up. I realized this around 9:20PM last night that I did not have this. I tried to call Walgreen's and the message said they needed at least a hour to fill an refills. I know I would have a bad night without it, but did not see any way around it. My hero did!!! Betty got in the car and went to see them. About 10:10PM, she came back with my live-savers. She got 4 pills SOMEHOW with out waiting an hour. Therefore, I slept good last light as my headache less nights go!!! Her birthday and she does this for ME. Does anyone else see why she is so important in my life!!!
Herb is getting better every day. Thanks for all of your prayers for such a nice person.
Love to all how read this and may God be there when you need him.
Mark Thursday morning 11/8

Nov 7 and the good and the bad...

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 7. This is a great day because this is the day my wonderful wife was born. This makes is special to us! I am here today because of HER. That is part of why she is my world!! Wish her a happy birthday!!!
I took my Imitrex last night before laying down and had no headache. It has been a while since I had one because of this new change I have made. I can live with this. I don't sleep as well as I used to but I think the medicine is doing this. I can live that way. My rehab must be working. I am so sore this morning that I can barely move. My back is in pain with every move. I will tell them at rehab today that we may be over doing this a little bit. It is becoming a struggle to get out of bed in the mornings. Once I get moving around, the pain will get better, but will still be there. I am doing better on the stairs right now. I go up much faster than I did when I started out. I used to do these steps one at a time, but now I do a new one which each foot. It takes a lot of upper body help, but it's coming along. Down is a little harder. I lead with my right foot going down and can do a few with my left foot, but right hip does not like it. A little bit of pain with each one, but it will come. A little pain means I am making progress on my muscles.
Thanks for the card in the mail Nora (wonderful cousin). It means a lot to know you are watching out for me. And also, thanks for the key notes in the BLOG from several key people. One was from Sallie Keaton, here in town and one from another special cousin, Karen, that also meant a lot, too. Thanks, for being there, for support. These mean so much, too. There was one in there that I don't remember who it is. My mind does not work as well as it used to. I am sure I know it, but can't figure out who it is and it was not signed. (Someone picking on my weaker mind, huh?)
All is good today. My God be with you when you need Him.
Love to all.
Mark

Nov. 5 and moving in right direction

It is Monday morning and all is well. I took my Imitrex before I laid down last night and got ANOTHER night that was headache free. Rehab still has me sore. I think I am going in the right direction, but moving is more difficult than before. I woke up and my lower back is sore and both shoulders are a little sore, too. I must be making progress for this to happen. Right???
Yesterday was not a good day. Breanna borrowed Tiffaney's truck for the night and woke up and someone had taken a knife to two tires. There is no call for someone to act this way, but some people don't know right from wrong or what I would do to then if I caught them doing something like this. Just what we needed was another $225 thrown away one something like this!!! Tiff had to drive back to San Marcos without a spare and will go and get this fixed today. There were no problems on this trip home, so everything will go just fine.
We got a call last night from Betty's Mom. She wished me well and also told me Herb is getting better every day. They are supposed to move him to another facility today to start his rehab sessions. This was great news for me to hear. I am sure Margie and the kids are all feeling better over this, too. Great people like Herb deserve to recover fully. Herb and I may be brother in laws through marriage, but we have always been closer than this. I could not love him any more than I do! He is one of those kind of people and a strong family around him for support! Go Herb!!!
That kind of raps up my feelings for today. May God be with you today and tomorrow for any occasion that He is needed. Don't be afraid to ask Him for help and support. God comes through in many, many ways and will be there for you if needed! These are the things He did for me. So many people helped bring Him into my life by asking and praying and I am alive today because of it!!! Thanks for this from ME!!!
I love you all so much!
Mark 11/5/07

Saturday, Nov. 3 Update

Well it is Saturday night and all is well. I woke up this morning hurting in places that usually don't hurt, but rehab is giving me a work out to remember! I had a good work out on Friday and all the girls were home that night. After playing dominoes until late, we finally went to bed. It was already late, so I took my Imitrex before laying down and went all night without a headache. I may start doing this more often. It sure beats waking up and dealing with the pain. I went to Matt's soccer game today. I had a good drive there and back home as he played across town. Then I went to Megan's wedding shower for a quick visit with some people I had not seen in a while. It felt good to see these people again, though. Later this evening, I took Megan home and help her carry in her new gifts from this shower. By the time I got home, I was sore even more. Long days do this to me now. I guess my body sitting in the hospital bed for 3 months did not do me much good, but I am alive to talk about. This is good news.
I was glad to hear the news about my brother in law, Herb. His recover will take him awhile to come back, but he is one of those that deserves it. A great guy like this needs all we can give him. To see how Betty reacts to this is weird. Her sister is going through a lot of the same feelings the Betty dealt with on me. Knowing Margie like I do, she could use the help God will provide her. She deserves his help as she is one of the good ones that I have always loved since we met so many years back. They have three great kids that were half grown when I met them. I always told Betty that this is how I want my kids to be like. We did our best to make this happen, too. Herb and Margie were a fine example of what good parents are and we tried to follow their strong actions. My kids are as good as they are today because of these examples. I thank Marge and Herb for teaching us how to do this. Great people show you right from wrong!
I love all of you that read this and wish God's will and ways towards each of you.
Mark 11/3/07

News on Herb Bradley

I got good news today about my brother in-law Herb Bradley. He is doing much better. They have his seizures under control and he was moved out of ICU today. He his having some trouble getting his body to do what his mind wants his body to do. And he is having difficulty getting words out. They are hoping to transfer him some time next week to an acute care facility so that he can start rehabilation. I know what my sister and her family are going thru right now. It hits kinda close to home and makes me think about Mark and what I went thru with him. Thank you for keeping me and my family in your prayers. I would really appreciate it if you have a minute for an extra prayer or two, to send some their way down in Tampa. We love you all.

Friday, Nov.2 and my daily update

Well, it's Friday and all is well, I guess. My rehab yesterday went well. I did exercises that moved muscles that needed to be worked. I woke up this morning and was sore all over. I guess this is good to get these muscles working, but I am supposed to hurt like this? Just getting up and moving hurts but that tells me I am OK. I looked back at some BLOGs and I had an out friend that I have not talked to in years send a comment. I am going to send him an e-mail so he knows that I saw it. These comments are always good to hear.
My headache last night was another one of the severe ones that last about 35-40 minutes before the Imitrex knocked it out. Once it disappeared, I went back to sleep for the rest of the night. ONE PER NIGHT IS ALWAYS GOOD!!
I have another rehab session today. I want another day like yesterday! I can stand a little pain the next day to let me know I am making progress. We never heard from the doctor about my suction pump but Betty said the skin color looks better and I am not having to carry this pump everywhere. People at soccer practice made several comments about how my walk was improving now that I am without the walker. So, this is great news to me. I still have my limp on my right leg, but doctor says this is normal with the damage I did to that pelvis. He said it will go away over time. Come on Nov. 26th. I can hardly wait for this next surgery to come and go so life can go back to what I call "normal"
Life is good and life is great. May God be with you today and every other day you need him as he has been there for me. Love to you all. You all me the world to me!!
Mark 11/02/07

Nov. 1 and all is well... Mark

I have not put anything in since Tuesday (10/30), so I will update for both days. Tuesday night went OK. I had one headache around 11PM and it was one of the ones that does not fade easily. It was more severe than normal and lasted about 35 to 40 minutes or so. After the medicine took it out, I slept through the night with out any other problems.
Last night (Wednesday), I was waiting to get me dressing checked and changed out. I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up around 11PM and Betty was still up, too. She took me in and changed my bandage and will I was laying there, a headache felt like it was coming. The moving upstairs and getting ready for bed may have help pass it off, but I took my Imitrex before laying down because I knew it would be right back. It never did come back. This was a headache free night thanks to the medicine. I get a nights sleep and still woke up tired and sore. All the moving around I did yesterday (lunch with some co-workers, driving to Walmart for a few items, etc.) may be part of this. I start my rehabilitation at 10AM today so this will push me toward recovery.
Yesterday, the nurse came by the house to check my wound and bandage. She said it looked good and was signing me off as complete for them to check it. She was instructed to check me out as complete by her company if all was good. Betty had taken my vacuum pump off that morning so she could see everything fine. She asked some questions about general health and this pump. The pump runs all the time, but because the infection is down, it does not get much in it. She is going to ask the doctor if we can get off of it and go to a better bandage. This pump has got my skin red from being on all the time and pulling my blood up to the skin. This was am excellent idea for me if this bandage will work out right. She said it will need to be changed every day instead of two days like it was, but it my wound gets better, I am in favor of this. Not having to carry this pump around with hose every where would be a lot easier if it works. I am down to 3 1/2 weeks until my surgery is scheduled and getting excited about it. This will be another step towards my recovery and if the infection is under control, I should be quick to respond. Doctor said a couple of days and I will be moving forward again! If the infection is bad, the plastic surgeon may take longer to finish, but only time will tell at that point.
I will talk to the doctor the day of surgery to get an estimate on recovery. My goal is to get back up and moving forward as quickly as possible. I want to get back to work and pick up where my life should be. My boss said that we can work around my injuries until I am fully healed up, too. I would like to be back in December if possible. That is my goal to work towards and my rehab will help me make it!
Good wishes to all and let God be there for you as he has with me. The prayer support groups that have been started by so many people in so many different places have help me in a lot of ways and I want to thanks ALL of you for this support!
Love to all, Mark