Days 15-18

On Monday, we were able to have a long video chat with our missionary! Sister Palmer has been sick (cold symptoms) for two weeks. Her first time flying on an airplane was a little unpleasant because her ears wouldn’t pop with the changes in altitude. Her first area is in Lincoln, NE. Ah, mission life… mold and mildew in the bathtub, sleeping on a flat pillow, and an empty meal calendar. They had been grocery shopping earlier that day. I just had Amazon deliver some Tilex and new pillows.

Tony finished his Harry Potter movie marathon. There is still a whole lot of puzzling to do.

The Brio Home Health nurse visited on Tuesday. She checked all the surgical wounds, and there were no concerns.

The Brio Home Health speech therapist visited on Wednesday to help Tony prepare for the swallow test. Tony was confident that he would pass, and maybe even successfully swallowed a little salt water while doing his oral care. 😉

The radiator on our van crapped out on Wednesday just as Will was getting off work and picking up the kids. Will uses the van to transport his five kids, so it had to be repaired immediately. Fortunately, I had prepared a tasty casserole, so the kids ate while repairs were being done. Will did all the work, but Tony didn’t want him to be out in the dark alone, so he went out with his headlamp and provided moral support. Tony came in chilled. I helped him shower, and that helped him warm up. The bruising from surgery has reached its peak of gnarly color, and there is a really interesting bruise on the third toe of his right foot.

Today we drove to SLC for Tony’s post-surgery clinic appointment. Tony weighed 154.2 lbs when he stepped onto the scale. He was 155.8 lbs the day he had surgery, so he is maintaining well. He has only dropped about 5 lbs since his jaw broke and he had to start relying on a liquid diet.

Dr. Monroe explored Tony’s mouth and found an area that hasn’t healed yet, so the swallow study has been rescheduled for November 12th. Tony was mildly disappointed. I can’t imagine how it would feel to go so long without being able to have a refreshing drink!

Dr. Monroe said everything is healing nicely. He isn’t surprised that healing is taking a while due to the radiation Tony has endured. He confirmed that there is healthy tissue underneath, so it’s just a matter of giving it time to heal.

We showed Dr. Monroe an area of concern on the left side of Tony’s neck that became extremely sensitive and red four or five days ago. Dr. Monroe told us that since it’s right in the field of radiation, he suspects it’s a memory phenomenon. The skin remembers the trauma from radiation, and now that it has received more trauma, it’s reacting in the same way. 🤯

No debridement was done today on any of the surgical wounds. Dr. Monroe explained that right now is when the wounds are the most delicate. The sutures are breaking down, but the wounds are not completely healed. Dr. Monroe said Tony can shower safely now with soap and water and pat the wounded areas dry.

We will return to the clinic in two weeks for another evaluation. When Tony was discharged after surgery, he was told not to lift more than a gallon of milk. Dr. Monroe increased it to 20 pounds and expects that in two weeks, he will be able to release any restriction on bearing weight.

After the appointment, we went to Trader Joe’s for some treats for the grands. Our usual trip to Zupas just wasn’t the same. I feel bad eating in front of Tony when he can’t eat or drink. On the way home, we stopped for a brief visit with Tony's brother, Scott.