Taking out the Garbage

Tom's leg was not ready for the grafts today so we will spend a quiet weekend (mercifully) in the ICU while the healing goes on. The laps in the pool have paid off. Tom's lungs are clear and he is on "room air"; aka, off the oxygen, for the first time in two weeks. This is a work in progress. Slow, but progress. So I won't report back to you until we have some significant news, i.e. Visitors Welcome! Until then Tom and I send our sincerest appreciation to all who are wishing well so hard: our Fly/Harvard folk, Columbians (small "c" and large), bikers, bridgers, McKool ones, Beaverkillians, Riverdalians, legal cohorts, the Knickerbockers, family and random friends. You are the best.

We have Turnaround

So many good signs! They took the dialysis hook-ups out of Tom's neck because his kidneys are doing so well on their own he won't need it again. The nurse could finally give him a shave because he doesn't need the blood thinner for the embolism threat. Looking more like himself, if a bit less a la mode! His white cell count is down so today he is having another visit to the OR to clean the leg again, but this time the plastic surgeons will be there ready to work their magic with the grafting. This means the doctors are hopeful that they will find the leg muscle healthy enough to support new skin. And the pain had diminished somewhat. Tom is still very logy with morphine but I sense upbeat. So let the healing begin. Enchallah!

Thank Heaven for Doctors

This is what the doctors say: the wound is okay, the kidneys are doing what they ought to do and Tom is a strong guy. Whenever you ask them for time parameters they always say: "don't hold me to it". My take on all this is that Tom is making progress but we have to be prepared for a long recovery. We are blessed with a fantastic team of doctors, great and caring nurses and a most marvelous band of dear friends. Thank you all. Your letters and kindnesses are a tonic to Tom. That's Marion to the right with her mom, our Phoebe.

The week of the wound

Dear all dedicated blogspotters: I apologize for taking so long to update. I made my first mistake by pronouncing that "not much happens on weekends" in hospitals. I jinxed it! Tom was doing well when I left him Saturday night. He was demanding mozarella and had tuned into the Yankees. But then on Sunday his temperature spiked dramatically because the wound had become badly infected. He was taken to the OR. The wound opened again. Dead tissue was cleaned out. The leg was declared a mess. Poor Tom was left sedated for the night because the dotors wanted to have at him again today. The second operation was performed this afternoon and we are all, Tom included, satisfied that as much as can be done has been done. The miracle is that all his other body parts are holding up, most importantly his kidneys. The lungs are good too. The swimming has paid off. So I venture, hesitantly (jinx), to say that progress is occurring. The focus is now on healing the wound. While all this was going down at NY Presbyterian Hospital, Marion Breed Lindsay, Tom's fourth grandchild, was welcomed into the community of Christian souls by way of baptism. One more voice of suppliction for Tom's total recovery. We are grateful for every blessing, little Marion's especially.

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we love flowers too

To all you good souls who have sent such lovely flowers, delicious meals and beautiful thoughts: thank you a thousand times. Tom will probably be, this is a guess, in ICU through next week but I know he can feel the force. I take him printouts of your emails, cards and the blog comments so he knows you care. Today he had another dialysis to relieve the kidneys and they redressed his leg which is looking better every time. The medical staff is awesome and they say he's a charmer. That helps! I probably won't post anything till Monday because not much happens in hospitals on weekends. Besides, I hope you are all too happily busy to check in. A bientot.

room with a view

Tom has excellent real estate at our new outpost at NY Presbyterian. He made progress today with the help of dialysis, which reduced the swelling and eased his breathing. However, test results from his wound show that he has a bacteria that proves resistant to antibiotics. Extra precautions will be taken to prevent the bacteria from spreading. This means he will be in the ICU for the next week. Your comments and wishes are a tonic to him. Thank you all for your concern and prayers.

one week tomorrow

Tom's whole self is working very hard now to process the damage done to his leg. The doctors are giving him lots of necessary fluid, but this has led to a build up in his lungs as well as wear and tear on his kidneys. And this, on top of a pulmonary embollism. Pretty miserable but not unexpected complications. Today he underwent dialysis to clear his system and relieve the kidneys. It really did make a difference. Much more lucid and energetic when I left him. Even hungry and a bit feisty. More of the same tomorrow. He will be in the ICU through the weekend. Oh. I almost forgot, the leg is doing well.

bike accident

Last Thursday, Tom was biking up 6th Avenue when a city bus struck him. He was knocked off his bike, at which point the bus rolled over his left leg. He has been in the ICU at NY Presbyterian since, and is being cared for by the best doctors with the best medical technologies. The good news is they have been able to save his leg and he is very fit. The foot, femur, knee and ankle were miraculously not broken. A few complications have arisen, not unpredictably, with such trauma, so it may be days and more operations before he will be transferred to a regular ward. Because he can't take calls or visitors, I will post updates on this site to keep you all in the loop.

Meanwhile, Tom and I want to express our gratitude to all who have sent their sincere sympathies and well-wishes. This is a trying time for Tom and his friends and family mean everything to him.

we love legs!