Wednesday, May 27, 2009

I was thinking about that typical scene on soap operas, where a character's (let's call him Sloan) face and body is wrapped in 18,000 miles of gauze due to some terrible accident.  Following upteen surgeries to reconstruct Sloan's body, the family is called to the hospital to witness the removal of the bandages.  The nurse slowly unwinds each layer of gauze as the family members grimace with eager anticipation and dread.  As the last bandage is removed from Sloan's face, the music swells, the family gasps, a scream is heard, and . . . fade to black for a commercial break.

I kind of had that same drama playing out in my head when I went to the Wound Care Center on Tuesday.  My foot had been wrapped up since my surgery on Thursday and I was dying to see what my newly closed wound would look like.  Would it be cinched up like a bellybutton or smooth with lots of stitches?  Bloody or clean?  Macerated or dried up?

Well, as my nurse slowly unwound the 18,000 miles of gauze that encircled my ankle, the final removal of the bandage revealed . . . a nice, OPEN wound.  Grrrrrrr!

Although the wound had been closed in surgery, the staples tore through my flesh and the wound popped back open.  Stubborn little bugger. (I included a censored picture here out of respect for my squeamish readers.  To see the real pictures, click on "Anne's Great Fall Wound Pics" in the upper right column). 

After a little disappointment and some time to think, Dr. Carbonell decided that he would try to close it back up again.  We first tried to staple it shut again but it just didn't want to stay shut.  So, he used steri-strips instead.  I will see him tomorrow for him to take a second look.  

I have no idea if this thing will actually close up this way.  Time will tell.

On a happy note, we surprised our girls tonight with news that we are going to take a 4-day cruise next week.  A cruise seemed like a good travel option for us right now (with me on the scooter again).  The girls were really excited--very cute.  I just hope the security guys don't get concerned when they see my bone growth stimulator in my suitcase.