The End.....sort of

Kacee and I have been meaning to get on here again and do an "official" LAST post.....as you can see it's taken a while!  Many of you may have given up checking in on Mary's progress (since the last post was months ago).  But we wanted to do one last post anyway, just for some closure!
Mary is doing really well.  She and Kyle were married in November! :)  She is back in school at BYU, and living in Provo with Kyle.  Our intention was to post some wedding pictures and give a nice update......but then Mary decided to start her own blog (not necessarily about her "recovery" but just about her life).  So, sweet.....now I can just give her blog address and I'm off the hook for my last post!  So, if you feel like checking in on Mary and seeing what she's up to (in her own actual words instead of her sisters talking for her).......go to

www.maryperrys.blogspot.com

Thanks again for all of your support of Mary and our family during those trying months.....seems like so long ago now!  We still love you Mary and wish you (and Kyle) the best of luck in your new lives together! :)) 

Mary's Legs

After being in Idaho this summer, right after the accident, it's been hard for me to be back home in Texas - so far away from everything, unable to help, and left wondering "what does it mean that Mary's legs are looking good???" I've been wondering, what does "good" mean? There was obviously before-the-accident good, and then there's the picture in my head of what her legs might eventually look like (typical burn scars that I've seen). So where do Mary's legs fit into that spectrum, because it's quite a difference! Anyway, I imagine that many of you out there who keep up with this blog are wondering the same thing. Well, a few days ago Mary posted this picture on her Facebook page. It was taken from a Telemed camera from the appointment that she just had in Boise with the SLC docs. I asked her if it was OK if I posted it on the blog and she said "of course!" All I can say is, you go girl!! Way to have confidence and way to let it out there! I was pretty surprised at how RED her legs were!! And then I was wondering what the "white" patches were on her legs. Evidently the patches that look white in the picture are the parts of her legs that were second degree burns, but were not used as donor sites. So the white is actually just flesh colored. And all the red parts are either the donor sites (on the front of her thighs) or are the actual skin grafts themselves. I asked how long they would be so red and sore looking, and they will likely be quite red for a long time (a year?). The donor sites on her back are losing some of their red color already, so hopefully her legs will follow suit. But honestly...who cares about her having red legs??? She'll be in compression pants for the next year, almost 24 hours a day, and those legs are going to see the light of day for a long time! Leggings are going to be her new best friends! I'd also like to comment on the fact that the day after she sent me this picture, I also saw her proofs for her engagement pictures. WOW!! She looks gorgeous! Not a soul on earth would ever see those pictures and think that this was a girl who lost over 50% of her skin to burns and grafts within the past two months. No way. So some red legs??? It could be much worse! I can't wait to see her walking like a champ, looking amazing, on her wedding day!! So keep working hard, Mary!!! Push yourself and that stubborn skin to it's limit. I know it's hard and painful, but I know you can do it. As stubborn as you are, I know you won't let that stiff skin beat you! (OK...sisterly pep talk is over.) Mary was fitted for her compression pants on Monday, and she was told that her wounds should be all healed up within the next two weeks. Two weeks!! That's pretty amazing. Looking good Mary!!

No News is (Usually) Good News

We realized the blog hasn't been updated in a while, and in this case no news is definitely good news. Mary has been seen by the doctor here and had her Telemed appointment with the doctor in Salt Lake, and both said her legs are looking good! They are healing really nicely. I actually saw them the other day unwrapped for the first time since before her second surgery and they are looking great! Very different. The physical therapy is going slowly but surely. I think some days it's been hard for Mary to "make" herself do it.....I'm sure she's so tired of it. However, I know she knows how important it is for her recovery so I have faith that she'll keep working hard. She and Kyle are headed to SLC on Monday for her to finally get fitted for her compression pants. If things are still looking good she probably won't see a doctor, but could if she needed to.
She is pretty much in full-up wedding planning mode! Still planning for mid-November.....lots to do to get ready. I'm sure that's way more fun than wound care and physical therapy! :)

Check-up

Mary and Kyle left Boise yesterday headed to SLC. Mary had wound care, physical therapy, and a check-up at the hospital there today. The doctor in Boise had mentioned the other day that there were a few spots of concern on her legs that he wanted the doctor in Salt Lake to look at. So she had her check-up today, and for the most part it was good news. The doctor there said he wasn't overly concerned yet. He definitely said she isn't "out of the woods" yet, but didn't see anything that made him think she needed another surgery right away. So that was definitely good news. He wants to see her again in a week, but said that the Telemed (fancy webcam) appointment they have set up would be fine (no 10 hour round trip to UT). They didn't, however, want to measure her for her compression pants today. They said she had too many open wounds. Mary was going to try and talk them into it tomorrow, but we'll see. So they may have to make another trip before too long. Anyway, overall it was a good check-up. My mom is meeting up with them tomorrow in SLC so they can all head to St. George for the weekend for some fun and our cousin's wedding!

Back home...again!

Mary is back home...again! This all feels like dejavu, don't you think? It seems like I just wrote this same post - only it was three weeks ago! Let's just hope this is the last "coming home from the hospital" post there is! Anyway, Mary, Kyle, and my mom all drove home from the hospital in Salt Lake on Wednesday afternoon. The drive home was pretty uneventful, and Mary tolerated it quite well. Thursday morning the three of them headed in to The Elks Wound Center in Boise for Mary to receive her wound care and physical therapy. Hurray...they don't have to do it at home by themselves anymore (well, except for the weekends). That is the good news. The bad news is that it took 6 hours at the Wound Center for them to do it all! It's a full day. So even though they're home, they're not really "home." But that will come with time, I'm sure. Today it was closer to four hours, so it's improving already. When they saw the doctor on Thursday (after Mary asked him if he knew anything about burns!), the doctor said that he thought her legs were looking really good. Both the Boise doctor and the doctor in Salt Lake see a pinkish color in her legs, which is a really good sign, but they both also acknowledge a couple of small areas that aren't looking great and will need to be watched closely. Hopefully those will clear up soon!! The wound care and physical therapy will be taken care of at home until Tuesday, and Mary will actually be traveling back to Utah next week to be fitted for her compression pants. She is walking unassisted, although it is pretty slow. But considering that she just had surgery last week?? She's doing great! Thanks for checking in!

Insurance Sucks!

I'm sorry, but there is just no other way to say it! So, the insurance company has decided that they will not pay for Mary to stay at the hospital and do wound care and physical therapy there anymore. They will only pay for it in Boise. So, my mom, Mary, and Kyle are heading to Boise tomorrow! I'm sure it's a little bittersweet....nervous about leaving the hospital only one week after surgery, but also kind of excited to be coming home. They will probably discharge Mary sometime tomorrow afternoon. Before she goes they are going to measure her for the compression pants, which is the next step after bandages. I guess the wound care and physical therapy will now be in the hands of the doctors and nurses here in Boise. Also, the doctor from Salt Lake will be coming for his trip to Boise in the next two weeks or so. I'm sure it will be fine, just not what we were planning on. We will definitely be praying for a safe trip home tomorrow and praying that the staff at the wound center in Boise will take good care of our Mary!

Looking Good

The title says it....things are looking good! They've unwrapped Mary's legs twice now and taken out all the staples. The doctor is very pleased with how her grafts look. Mary was able to tolerate both checks very well. They've even had her up and moving a little. She's doing great! Okay she did pass out once after standing up, but wasn't hurt and was laughing about it after. They're going to take it pretty easy with her physical therapy for a little while so as not to disturb the grafts. They haven't said yet how long they want her to stay in the hospital, but I'm sure Mary is hoping she'll get out sooner rather than later. As far as what's going to happen when she gets out, they're not sure yet either. Mary is thinking she'll stay local, probably at Kyle's parents house for a week or so. The doctor mentioned having a nurse or healthcare worker go to Mary and do wound care after she's out. No one is wanting to risk infection! We'll see how it all works out, but so far she's doing really well after her second surgery!!