Update on the Left Hand

The medical team is authorized to perform therapy on Josh’s left hand. His hand doesn’t have much movement at this time. The neurological team is considering possible surgical intervention for his hand. The improvement of Josh’s left hand is pivotal, because depending on how Josh’s left hand improves will determine how long Josh stays in Richmond for therapy as well as a whole host of functionality benefits.

Update on Joshua

Josh had the following issues on Monday: headache, chest pains, and high blood pressure. The medical team performed various tests to verify the cause of these issues. They conducted an EEG/EKG, bladder scan, blood work, and X-rays. All the tests came back normal. The doctors were unsure what caused the symptoms. They gave Josh some pain medication. The doctors know for sure that it wasn't a UTI (Urinary Track Infection). Since then, Josh is starting to feel much better and his blood pressure is starting to decrease.

The Pins Removed!

This afternoon, Josh had surgery on his left hand to remove the pins. My mom said that the doctors had some issues removing the second pin, but they were able to remove it. We are not sure what the restrictions are at this time. They plan are planning on an MRI sometime this week.

Josh is still having pain in his left shoulder. He has been taking pain medication for this. They still believe it to be a "frozen" shoulder. He received a shot earlier this week to help with the pain.

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.