In Nurse Terry's hands at home

I've been home for little more than 24 hours, but Emory Hospital seems like a lifetime ago.  Once we were discharged we got a fast and confusing education in home care services, but have sorted that out and have started a routine to keep my antibiotics, nutrition, and hygiene levels where they need to be for a while.

Here's my current status.  I am taking massive doses of antibiotics to fend off any new infections, getting my food through a tube, dressing the leg wound that was the donor site for the new jaw bone, and watching the progress of my trach stoma healing. Once that heals I'll have more options for daily hygiene.  All of this is under the loving and expert care of Nurse Terry, who keeps  us on schedule while trying to work her own schedule around my significant needs in the next 1-2 weeks.

So, here's what I have pieced together so far.  The structural part of  the resection seems to have gone well--the surgical team is pleased with the early evaluation of their work.  The unanticipated infection has resulted in much of the extra work and concern at this time.  I should be eating liquid food orally by now, but they are trying to keep my mouth as clean as possible, thus the nasal feeding tube.  The first tube was inserted during the operation, but got moved somehow and it took two tries to get it right again--probably due my kicking and pain during the insertions.  Easily the worst part of this that I was awake for.

I have about a 6-inch divot of flesh and bone taken from my left calf to serve as the donor tissue for the new jaw.  That sucker hurts, and it's stiff.  I have a big walking boot that I use to gain some stability when walking.

The crown jewel right now is a big pink and shadow-bearded face with about 200 stitches in it, and is unevenly swollen--think Herman Munster after after a bad fall. I can feel and see the swelling go down ever so slightly each day, but still a very long ways to go until they can start the next step of dental work.

A lot of things can still bring SFL back into play, so keep up the Good Vibes.

I have some pictures and stories from the hospital that I will post soon--right now I need to get a tummy full of some brown liquid I am calling food for now.

Mike