July Updates on Jake from his Knee and Femur Surgery

It has been a long month since Jake's knee and femur surgery from mid June. He spent two weeks in the powered knee machine to maintain the 90 degree bend he obtained from the surgery. It was a very painful two weeks for Jake. By week three he got all 80 staples removed from both sides of his left leg and knee region- it truly looked like a zipper. 

Jake is now enduring physical therapy three times a week and it is still very painful and he is loosing some flexibility in his knee bend, due to the knee itself of not cooperating very well. The set back is caused due to the bone infection he still has that they are treating through IV. His 6 weeks of IV medication will end on Tuesday of this week, and then he will be switched over to an oral antibiotic. This bone infection is very serious and has caused Jacob some PT setbacks and loss of mobility. Jake had another ortho appointment with the surgeon this past week and we were given a few scenarios. Jake can continue on with his PT regiment, which he will to try to maintain the mobility with his left leg and knee and work through the pain as tolerated. He will also be fitted with a walking brace to aid in uniformity with walking and improve his gate. But a setback that we are quite worried about is the bone infection, because if it does not clear up with the medication as Jake is still enduring quite a bit of pain, they may need to go back in and do surgery. A surgery that could lead to the amputation of his left leg from his knee on down, as the stability rod will need to be removed and there is no other support structure that will hold his upper and lower leg together as his knee is almost non existent. That is the worse case scenario, but the bone infection is not going away anytime soon, and Jake is enduring quite a bit of pain with moving, bending and transferring. 

Jake is aware that amputation is a possibility now, and he is trying to stay positive. The doctor noted he could be fitted with a full prothestic leg from the knee on down that could actually allow hm to run again, like he did in the Army. He so misses running, being active, and walking normal, and so wants to get up and out of the wheel chair. We are prepared for anything and hoping the upcoming months will guide us as parents and support Jake with the best decision making possiblities to aid in his recover, mental frame of mind and focus on a positive and productive future for him. 

Please feel free to send Jacob a message on Facebook, or through this PostHope page, or send a positive notecard in the mail to lift his spirits. He is spending most of his summer days indoors, with exception of his outings to PT three times a week, and our late afternoon patio breaks to view the river scenes, but Jeff is making a point to take him out each day, whether it is to the grocery store, the gas station, or a out for lunch to provide Jake a different scenary and experience a social life to provide him the normalcy he so longs for. This is so important for Jeff and Jake, as Jeff has not had too much of a break since I am running the business and super busy with summer teacher trainings all over the nation. When I do get home on weekends, I make sure Jeff gets a well deserved break, so he too can enjoy the outdoors and mow his beautiful lawn and just take a mental break to find balance for himself too. 

Happy July Everyone!