Josh's Surgery has been Rescheduled

Josh did not have his surgery Today. The ambulance that was going to transport my Mom and Josh to Bethesda arrived three hours late. So, they decided to reschedule the surgery for sometime after January 28th. We are not sure the exact date of the surgery at this time.

Surgery on Thursday

The physicians plan on removing the pins in Josh’s left hand on Thursday. Josh is planning on having his surgery in Bethesda. He will be in Bethesda for only one day. The doctors also want to schedule on MRI for Friday in Richmond. Josh has been having low blood pressure issues. His blood pressure has been around 61/23. Today, his blood pressure is improving. He is also having pain his neck and in the shoulder.

Update on Joshua

We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. Next week is huge! Josh will undergo an electromyogram (EMG) that will assess his left arm’s status. Peripheral nerves regenerate at the rate of 1 inch per month. So depending on what the tests indicate will determine how long it will take until he gets his nerves back.

The doctors still expect to remove the pins from his left hand later this month. At the moment, Josh has inflammation and fluid in his left shoulder. The doctors aren’t sure what caused the inflammation, but they are treating it with an anti-inflammatory (ibuprofen). The doctors expect the swelling to go down within the next couple of weeks. He is also is experiencing low pressure. His blood pressure has been around 65/35.

Purple Heart Ceremony and Surgery

It’s official; Josh is a Purple Heart recipient. Tuesday around 5:45 pm, The Commandant of the USMC, Gen. Conway presented Josh with the award. The Commandant was genuine and amicable. But things were not so cheery on Wednesday.

Josh had surgery on Wednesday. It was not a complete success. The surgeons removed the feeding tube from Josh’s stomach, but they were unable to take out the IVC filter. My mom said that the filter attached itself to the wall and there could be risk if they tried to remove it. Post surgery, Josh was sent back to Richmond via ambulance.

Josh's Surgery Postponed

Josh was transferred to Bethesda today. Josh did not have surgery today as expected. His surgery to remove the IVC filter and feeding tube has been rescheduled for Wednesday. Josh is in Bethesda until Thursday. But he is still expecting to receive his purple heart tomorrow.

Weekend Update

Josh is doing ok. He is having intestinal issues and really bad sweats. The doctors are investigating. The surgeons are planning on performing surgery to remove the IVC filter and feeding tube from Josh on Monday. In order for him to have surgery, the doctors plan on moving him to Bethesda until Wednesday.

While Josh is in Bethesda, the orthopedic doctor will assess Josh’s left hand. He will also see neurology. Finally, Josh is “planning” on receiving his purple heart. This is the second time that we have “planned” to receive it, but we are confident that it will take place this time. Today, Josh was presented with a Macbook from the VFW! I know he is ecstatic about that.

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving was certainly different, but not bad. The cousins from Georgia and Alabama came up to see us. Josh was able to get in a wheelchair and enjoy a nice meal provided by Wal-Mart that was prepared by the Blue Star Mothers at the Fisher House.

Thanksgiving gave Josh a break from his Physical Therapy which is going well. Josh has experienced muscle atrophy in his legs and his arms. If you know Josh, then you know he likes to work out. Due to his hard work in therapy, his right arm is gaining a lot of muscle and he is frequently looking at his muscles in the mirror (some things never change). His left hand still has the external pins in it. The orthopedic surgeon expects to take the pins out sometime in January. The doctor said that if he didn’t have any cervical spine damage, then his left arm would be fully functional; however the cervical spine damage may affect the functionality in his hand. We are not sure at this point.

We do know that his abdominal muscles are improving. The therapists are impressed with the progress that he has made. Let us pray for continual improvement.