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!!

Bed Rest

Mary has been on bed rest now for two days since the surgery. She is doing well, bored, but feeling well. They are going to unwrap her legs tomorrow and look to see how things are healing. They will then just wrap them back up and she'll continue to be on bed rest. On Sunday they are planning to take out the staples. They will not be sedating her for either of these bandage changes. She is a little nervous about that, but hopefully it will go well. She is off the IV meds and is doing well on just the oral medicine. My mom is thinking they'll probably have her try to start moving on Monday. Mary is very glad they only had to take the skin from her thighs....I'm sure it's made a world of difference as she's recovering. Not too much new to report, but just very grateful Mary is feeling good and hoping the leg check tomorrow goes well. Thanks for checking in on Mary. We so appreciate all the good thoughts and prayers!

Surgery Day

Mary went in for her surgery at about noon today. The doctor only ended up needing to regraft about 2/3 of her left lower leg.....guess she found some live skin while in surgery. However, she ended up having to do a little more on the right leg than she thought. She was able to only use skin from Mary's thighs and didn't even have to use the backs of the thighs. That will be a tremendous help in Mary's recovery. The doctor seemed to think it all went well. Yay! Coming out of surgery however was quite rough. They didn't give Mary the same pain meds this time right away, and she was in A LOT of pain. Apparently she was screaming and crying for about 2 hours pretty much nonstop. They were definitely giving her everything they could to help, but it took a while to get it under control. :( Finally at about 6:00 she fell asleep and slept until 8:00. When she woke up she was feeling MUCh better than before.
We were very glad to hear that surgery went well, and really hoping she can get some good sleep tonight. Sending lots of love Mary!

Surgery Tomorrow

Mary had her final check by the doctor today to determine what areas would need to be regrafted tomorrow in her surgery. The doctor told them her left leg from knee to ankle will need to be regrafted. On her right leg there is an area about the size of a dollar bill that will need to be regrafted. The news about the left leg was a little disappointing, but compared to her first surgery I'm sure this will seem like a breeze! :) They don't know why the grafts didn't take to her left leg, the doctor said it was actually quite common to have areas that don't take. The doctor is hopeful that they will only have to use the skin on Mary's thighs for the new grafts. She won't know for sure though until they are in surgery. This would be very nice because the donor sites on her back and hips were much slower to recover. The surgery is scheduled for 11:00 tomorrow and should take about 2 hours. After surgery the doctor doesn't want Mary to move for about 5 days and said to expect to be in the hospital for about 2 more weeks. My mom and Mary are hoping it won't be quite that long, but we'll see.
Mary, we are all thinking of you and praying for a successful surgery tomorrow. We love you!!

The Latest

The doctor has been very pleased with how Mary's legs have been looking the last two days. She said that each day the infection as well as the grafts are looking better and better. YAY! They are going to keep her on the antibiotics through next Monday. At that point the doctor will reevaluate what areas (if any) need to be regrafted. She does think some regrafting will be necessary, but we're hoping and praying it will be minimal. The surgery would then be on Tuesday of next week. Just like last time, Mary won't be able to move for 3-5 days after surgery. My mom is guessing that she will be in the hospital about a week after the surgery takes place.
That's about all we know at this time. I think Mary is feeling a little better today than she has the last two or so. Apparently the pain was pretty bad Wednesday and Thursday, and she was back on the really heavy narcotics. Today when I talked to my mom, she and Mary were in the middle of making lists of things to do for the wedding and receptions, so I'm taking that as a good sign! :)

Back in the Hospital

Mary got back to the burn center of the hospital last night at about midnight. The doctor saw her this morning. They are "very worried, but not ready to book an O.R. yet." She definitely has an infection of some sort. They don't know why or how, but she does. So they wrapped her in special anitbiotic wraps and have "soaker tubes" hooked up to her legs that administer more of the antibiotic every 4 hours. My mom likened this to soaker tubes in a garden. They are going to do this for the next 2 days. At that point, the doctor will examine them again to see what to do next. She (it's a different doctor that's on rotation there for the next couple weeks) said she can't tell until the infecton is taken care of if the grafts just aren't taking or if they are what she called "ghosting." Not totally clear on the difference, but either way, they would have to redo at least some of the grafts. They said her thighs are healing nicely, but her calves and shins are not and especially on the left leg. Now for some good news.....if they have to regraft, they CAN use the same donor sites, so they don't have to take more of her "normal" skin. Also, the doctor mentioned that regrafts heal a lot quicker than first grafts.

That's pretty much all we know at this point. We are just very thankful that the doctor from Salt Lake came to Boise when he did and she didn't go another week or more before this was caught. I'll post again as soon as we know more. Mary is pretty down today at the thoughts of more surgery and just being back in the hospital....as you can imagine. Thank you for your concern and prayers!!

Setback

Today was Mary's appointment with her doctor from Salt Lake. It did not go well. He asked if they wanted the good news or bad news......."The good news is Mary's a very nice girl. The bad news is her grafts look terrible." :( This is definitely not what we were hoping to hear. He said it could be an infection. If it is, they will treat it.....not exactly sure what all that entails. But if it's not an infection, then they'll need to redo the skin grafts from her knees down. Mary, Kyle, and my mom are on their way back to Salt Lake today. They are going to admit Mary back into the Burn Center and do a culture to figure out if she has an infection and go from there. The doctor thought she'd be inpatient for at least a couple days depending on what they find. If they have to redo the skin grafts, obviously longer. I will keep the blog updated as soon as I hear anything. Please continue to keep Mary in your thoughts and prayers.

Home Life

Mary has been home for almost 4 days now. She is really enjoying not being at the hospital! They (Mary, Kyle, and my mom) still have about 5-6 hours a day of wound care and physical therapy. Kyle is very good at pushing Mary and getting her to work hard! Yesterday she saw a doctor here in Boise. The doctor seemed to think everything looked like it was healing really well. She even mentioned that the spot the other doctor thought might need to be regrafted was looking good. She said she thought Mary probably wouldn't need another surgery. Yay! Keep those prayers coming!! They also gave Mary some new wraps and bandages that she is liking a lot better. Mary continues to be able to do more each day......yesterday she walked up the stairs "like a normal person" as she put it. Her feet are looking a lot less swollen each day, and both the donor sites and the skin grafts continue to heal at amazing rates. Skin is so cool......it is really just incredible stuff!! Mary has loved being able to see and visit with people. Thank you to everyone who was able to come to the Open House. And if you missed it, please feel free to call and come over to say hello. I know Mary would love it. She and Kyle went to dinner and a movie last night....I'm sure it felt great to be out doing "normal" things again. Mary's doctor from the U of U is coming to Boise next week (apparently he does this once a month) so she will get to see him next Tuesday. So we may know a little more then....but so far everything at home is going well.

She's Home!

They made it! Mary, my mom, and Kyle made it home last night. Mary had a check-up and her bandage change at the hospital in SLC yesterday morning. The doctor thought things were looking good; however, mentioned that there was an area that may need another skin graft. We are all really hoping and praying that it won't come to that.
We were all so excited to see them last night! Mary looks GREAT....moving a little slow, but that could be due to the extra weight on her left ring finger.....she has a sparkly new accessory! :) But she is actually getting around quite well. I know she was excited to be home, maybe not under the best of circumstances, but home nonetheless. She's excited to see everyone at the Open House today. We hope to see you at the Thompson house anytime between 2-4. Welcome home Mary!!

Open House, Sunday from 2-4

It looks like it's really going to happen!! Mary is scheduled to come home late Saturday evening. So unless the doctors veto the road trip, she, Kyle, and my mom will be heading to Eagle after getting a final check up at the burn center. We know that many of you out there are anxious to see Mary, and would love the chance to give her a big hug and let her know you've been thinking of her. And I know she wants to see you all too! So we thought it would be a good idea to host a little Open House for Mary on Sunday afternoon to welcome her home. We're hoping this will give Mary an opportunity to see and thank as many people at one time as possible, so that she will still be able to focus on her recovery. Her wound care and physical therapy continue to take around four hours a day, and her body is still needing a lot of rest as it heals. This will also give Mary something fun to look forward to as she arrives home. If you're not able to make it during this time, but would still like to see Mary, it's probably best to call ahead of time - pop ins would be a little tricky at this point! :) We'll be sure to let everybody know if plans change. Otherwise...hope to see many of you at the Thompson house on Sunday afternoon!!

Thursday, August 4

I think Mary's first day out of the hospital was a success! She slept okay at the hotel. The power went off in the room and so they woke up quite hot at about 5:00 a.m., however, they were able to go back to sleep. The wound care and physical therapy took over 5 hours today.....yikes. The report we heard was that it went "okay." They go to the hospital tomorrow for outpatient physical therapy and back on Saturday for wound care and check up. Then the plan is to head to Boise after that if all goes well. Not too much new to report today, but as we've said sometimes no news is good news!!

Mary has flown the coop!!

Mary was released from the hospital today!!! She was so happy and excited about this news, and also just a touch nervous. She will be staying with my mom in her hotel room, just a few blocks away from the hospital. She will need to remain in the local area for the first coulple of days, to continue to receive outpatient care at the burn center, but she is planning to return home with my mom this weekend - hopefully Saturday. When I texted down there this evening, wondering where they were, the three of them (my mom, Mary, and Kyle) were out to dinner at Red Lobster!! This is so hard for me to imagine! But there they were. Now, my mom did say that it took her at least 10 minutes to get in and out of the car, and since she is still not able to straighten her back when she walks, she was definitely getting a lot of looks (wondering what the story was, I'm sure). But dinner out!! I'm sure it felt great. I mentioned to my mom that I bet she was so excited to sleep in a real, actual bed - not the hospital variety. But actually, she is missing that old hospital bed! It was so much easier for her to get in and out of, evidently. But still...don't you think it's going to be the best she's slept in over two weeks?? I guess we'll see tomorrow. Now, tomorrow morning my mom and Mary will need to do her wound care solo for the first time - in a hotel shower. I know that my mom is quite nervous about this, and I know that they will both need an increased amount of patience while they learn how to do this on their own. Of course they'll both need a lot of patience over the next several weeks and even months, but tomorrow morning...I'm thinking they'll need an extra dose!! Good luck guys!!!!

Tuesday, August 2nd

Mary has reached the point in her recovery that "no news is good news," and there is not always something to update at the end of each day. So we may not post something every single day from this point on, but we will continue to give frequent updates on her status as she progresses and improves. So if you check back and there's nothing new...no news is good news! Here is what Mary has been up to the past couple of days: lots of physical therapy!! She has wound care every morning, which is where her skin grafts are checked and her bandages are changed. She is doing a lot of this on her own now, but she is stil far from being able to take care of it on her own. She has physical therapy every morning and afternoon, and this entails lots of stretching and bending and is quite uncomfortable and even painful at times. But her physical therapists seem to be very positive and supportive, but at the same time they really push her to her limits. In general, Mary is hesitant about trying new things (like walking without her cane, which they made her do today). She is convinced that she can't do it, but once she tries it and succeeds, then she will no longer struggle with that particular thing. She was also able to check another major "to do" item off her list today, but standing up and sitting down on her own. That is one of the things that she needs to master before she can be released from the hospital. So...check! Way to go Mary! Also on the list, walking without a cane or walker. Check! Now, rather than give you the false idea that she is cruising up and down the halls of the hospital, I should mention that she is still not able to stand with her back straight, and when she walks her knees are not bending. So it's more of a hobble than a walk, similar to the walk of a 90 year old woman (no offense if you're a 90 year old woman). But her walk will continue to improve, just as it has so far. I can hardly even imagine her walking, frankly, since when I was with her 5 days ago she wasn't even been able to put weight on her legs. The human body really is amazing. Mary had a low point yesterday, where she was really ready to be out of the hospital. She feels like she is doing her best every day, but sometimes gets the impression from her doctor that she is not improving as quickly as they would like. But her physical therapist reassured her today that they aren't measuring her against "other people," but rather against herself. And as long as she is improving, they are happy. No official word yet on when she will be released, but it sounds like they will want her to stay near the hospital for a few days afterward. So I know that many of you are wondering when she will be coming home (so am I!), but we just don't know yet. As soon as we know...you'll know!!

Another funny drug-induced quote: "If my nephew Tyler was here I would ask him if he wanted to go steal that boat and go hide somewhere to eat it in secret...and he'd say yes!"

Sunday, July 31st

Mary is plugging along! She had an actual shower today, which she really enjoyed. We had wondered if the shower stream would be painful, but she evidently loved it. I can only imagine. She also assisted with her wound care today, unwrapping her own bandages. She said she didn't even cry! Her legs are continuing to heal well, although the doctors have commented that they are healing a little slow. There are a couple of places that the wounds are still a little deeper than they'd like at this point, but no reason for any concern. And she walked a lot today, using only her cane. She'll be zipping around in no time!

Here are another couple of hazy quotes from Mary this past week: "Salt has 89 calories, 99 from fat." ... "Are there bowls in my room? (answered - what do you mean, for your cereal?) No, the bulls. Like torro torro." :)