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