Down to Two, Maybe

I have been making my regular summer visits to my doctors since mid June. A few weeks ago, I saw my dermatologist to check on my pressure wounds. They have been doing well, so I was looking forward to hearing his comments.

One of the areas has been giving me trouble for 13 years. Thankfully, as we had hoped, the doctor said it looked like there were no longer any open areas, just new tender skin. Therefore, he decreased treatment from two times a day to only once a day a few times a week. I still have two other open areas, but I was very thankful to hear the good report.

Every day, I also check my skin with mirrors to monitor problems and see if anything needs attention. Looking at an area that has had tape and gauze for over a decade to just observe skin again was exciting to finally see. Yes, I get enthused over odd things, but it's part of the quad life.

Thursday morning, I had an early doctor's appointment in Des Moines that didn't take long. Instead of coming straight home and in bed, I decided to enjoy the nice weather and free time. After a picnic by the river, Sara and I took about a casual stroll around the bike paths below the nearby dam. It felt great to be out enjoying God's creation and giving thanks for His care.

Friday afternoon, my supervisor from the nursing agency came for her regular 60-day paperwork. As part of it, she measures and documents my skin problems. The two areas were 0.1 cm smaller than the previous visit. It isn't much progress, but better than nothing. However, carefully examining the third area, she found a tiny opening in a fold of skin. I'm not sure if it was there when I saw the doctor and he missed it, but it wasn't what I wanted to hear.

With or without the new finding, I will still be continuing my schedule of sitting for 45 minutes and down for several hours. It is what I have become used to the past few years anywhere and I have almost forgotten what is was like to have more time. No matter what, I'll continue to rely on God's healing and direction, whether I have two extra holes or not.