Battle Ready Sword Cane

I haven't updated on Todd lately and I need to. So here's the latest.

Todd got his PICC line removed on Thursday, September 9th. It was a scary and exciting moment for both of us. Scary because those anitibiotics were what was keeping the infection under control.....what was saving him. Scary because what if the infection wasn't completely gone? His numbers were good, but the doctor said there was a 5% chance that the infection could still be in a pocket somewhere and that eventually it could grow and we'd be exactly where we started in the first place. SCARY!

But of course, it was exciting because NO MORE PICC LINE! It was a pain to work around and to shower around (we had to cover it completely with saran wrap and tape before he showered). It started to bleed the week before he had it removed and I pretty much freaked out. We found out eventually that one of the stitches had come lose and had caused a sore, which is where the bleeding was coming from. But it was really scary at the time. So it was such a nice feeling to be rid of that thing.....that life-saving thing! Sort of contradictory, isn't it?

But it's been 2 weeks now and so far things are okay. He has improved quite a bit. He began this journey with 2 crutches......eventually went to just one.....and now he uses a cane. He can limp around without it, but not for very long. He is very stiff in the mornings, very similar to arthritis pain. Once he gets going, he does okay, for the most part. But by the evening, he is tired and sore. I'm still hoping for even more improvements.....

He returned to work last Monday, the 13th, so tomorrow will mark his second full week. We are so grateful for the progress he has made and life is good!

In honor of his "cane-filled" future, he recently made a cool purchase online.

Introducing the Battle Ready Sword Cane! It arrived today and Todd wouldn't let any of us open it until he got home. He wanted to open it himself.....I guess I can't blame him, but the kids were dying.

Out of the cane-sheath....

Biggest grin ever......fight me. I dare you!

Admiring its craftmanship......just like a true swordsman.

See the point on that thing? I wouldn't try and fight him if I were you. He is armed....and....dangerous!

It's actually a really cool "toy." Although it's more than a toy. It's actually a real orthopedic cane and the sword is made of pure, bonafied, 1055 carbon steel. The only down side? It's a little tall.....it's more like a sword cane for a giant. But Todd still loves it and is ready for battle! So watch out!

I wouldn't challenge him to a duel if I were you......just saying.

Dallin turns 11!

Dallin had a birthday last week....exactly 1 week ago today, in fact. And here I am finally blogging about it.

The day started out with a few presents. He got a DVD called Planet Earth because he loves science stuff. And a science kit with all kinds of cool tools. He also got a gift certificate to the Army Navy Store.....that way he can pick out something he wants for camping. He was pretty excited and thankful.

Around 5:30 we headed to Leatherby's for an ice cream/french fries dinner. That does count for dinner, doesn't it? On this day it did, and it was a lot of fun!

Even Dad got to come! That was exciting too.

In true Jones fashion (for our family anyway), you don't get away without the Leatherby's crew singing to you on your birthday. And today was no exception. So we told them, and they brought Dallin an ice cream scoop with a candle in it, and then they sang to him. He was so cute. I wonder what he wished for.....

Kyle, Eric, and Grandpa Johnson.....

The family.....

Brandon and Grandma Johnson......

Mom and Dallin.....

I can't believe Dallin is 11 years old. He is a very sweet, tender-hearted kid. He is quiet and a serious thinker. He is smart and talented. He is my biggest helper! He doesn't complain (mostly) and does what I ask the first time. I am so grateful he is a part of our family. He is a good example to his brothers and every Fast Sunday, he fasts longer than any of his brothers! He is such a cutie!

Happy Birthday Dallin! We hope you had a super terrific day! We love you!

School has begun

Yes, school started last week and we are now in full swing. My little Jacob started FIRST grade! I can't believe it. He was excited and confident when the big day finally arrived. And he had a good day, except for the time when he fell apart during lunch. The principal told me he cried when amidst all the people in the cafeteria. She also told me it was enough to make any kid cry.....it was pretty chaotic and overwhelming. But after that incident, he was fine and made it through the day just great. There hasn't been another "glitch" since and I'm so proud of him.

The other day Jacob said, "I LOVE first grade......except when it's long." So cute! I laughed out loud.


And Kyle.....he has been so excited to start 3rd grade. He has a teacher this year who I'm so happy about. He (Mr. Campbell) is going to be so good for him. Kyle happily exclaimed every day of the first week, "I don't have any homework tonight." To which I would reply, "I'd better call Mr. Campbell and fix that." And Kyle would just smile. Well, he's got homework this week! Poor Kyle....But he's a little smarty and he'll do just fine!

Sweet Dallin.....my big 5th grader. He also has an excellent teacher this year whom I was hoping he would get. She's a tough teacher and will make him work hard, and I'm so glad about that. Dallin loves to be challenged and is a definite "teacher/people pleaser." He excells in all areas and challenges himself to do better. I'm excited to see the growth from him this year. He's already tried to do every "extra credit" assignment possible. He's also going to try the clarinet this year. He can't wait to get started.

Brandon, my big 8th grader this year......just got braces on August 17th. I think he was a little nervous and a little excited all at the same time. He is taking concert band this year and wants to get into Jazz Band also. He plays the flute and just recently (this summer) we got him an alto saxophone. He's practiced quite a bit and is ready for the challenge. I swear I can't get a sound out of either instrument. What the heck?! I don't get it, but Brandon seems to do great. Way to go buddy!

And here's mr. goofball himself (I only say that because of his hilarious expressions in seemingly every picture).....my beloved-16-year-old-teenager-who-has-not-yet-been-on-a-date, but we're not complaining....Eric. He's a junior this year! My brain still does not comprehend it. What happened to the little tyke who had to have a "special" person in nursery just to watch him so he wouldn't escape as soon as the door opened a crack? I can still remember those days vividly and boy was it embarrassing! :) But look at him now. He's all grown up....well he's growing up! He's got AP physics this year and pre-calculus and I can't comprehend that either. He's considered dropping the physics class and taking astronomy instead, but hasn't seemed to be able to make up his mind yet. Good luck with that one, Eric. I'm really no help in that department.

On the first day of school, Eric was asked by his choir teacher if he wanted to be in Madrigals this year. What? We were a little surprised....not because I don't think he can't sing, but because typically I think you're actually supposed to "try out" for such a group. I've heard they're always looking for boys though, who can actually carry a tune. Eric couldn't decide what to do. We talked about the time commitment and wondered if it was something he could handle this year in combination with his other classes.....and then I told him to pray about it. I told him it was a big decision to make and that we'd support whatever he decided. I didn't push the issue for him to be in the group because I worried abou the pressure he'd feel and I figured only he would be able to make that decision on his own. In the end, after talking to his choir teacher again, he decided to wait until next year. I was really proud of him. Of course, we don't know if the opportunity will still be there as a Senior, but I guess we'll just have to see what happens. I do think it would have been a lot for him to handle as a Junior.

So there they are. Growing up more everyday! I have all my kids in all-day school this year for the first time and I've been freaking out a little. But I think I'll surive.....now if I could just get my husband out of the house and back to work.....hee, hee

Speaking of Todd: He is continuing to improve. We had an appt with the surgeon yesterday and they took another x-ray. It's crazy the contrast between the two hips, the healthy one and the damaged one. You can totally see a difference. But the doctor said that in Todd's case, it's very possible that his hip will fuse on its own over time. That sounded a little scary at first, but the way he explained it, it appeared to be a positive thing. For one, that will eliminate surgery again in the near future. It could buy Todd some time until something more permanent needs to be done, like a hip replacement. Also, the risk of having another infection is always higher in a person who has already had one, and if you get an infection in "hardware," that can be really bad, so the longer he can wait to have something artificial put in, the better. We do have an appointment in October with another surgeon, so we'll get a second opinion and see what he says.

Yesterday was another day of humility. We are so thankful for the improvements Todd is making. While the previous doctor visit (a few weeks ago) was very hard, yesterday's was filled with hope and a new found gratitude for the blessings we've received (and are receiving). It's hard to put into words exactly how we feel, but we know the Lord has had a hand in this experience. We know He has extended His mercy to us. We know our prayers (and the prayers of many, many others) have been heard. We know we are stronger and better people than before. We are humbled by the outpouring of love from our Savior. And we are so grateful to live in a time where medical technology is growing in leaps and bounds and that there are options for Todd's future. There are so many things to be thankful for.....

Who needs the mountains to make s'mores?

So because Dallin is going to turn 11 in a couple of weeks.....and because he needed to pass off "having a campfire and making something" (or something like that).....and because Todd has been out of commission for pretty much the whole summer.....we decided to build our own fire in our own backyard and pass off one of Dallin's requirements......so he can get his Arrow of Light.

Todd is still recovering, but he said to me, "Of course, the boys can help build a fire." When we asked the older kids if they could help build a fire, none of them seemed to know what to do. That was interesting. We have 5 boys and several of them have been on many, many campouts in which they have made many, many fires.....in theory anyway.

In the end, we (and by "we" I mean "they") built a decent fire in our store-bought firepit. It was actually really fun. And we made smores.

Gathering sticks....

Marshmallow on fire.....Yum!

Dallin thoroughly enjoying himself.......as you can see.

Jacob thoroughly enjoying himself.....for real!

Even Todd got to roast a marshmallow. We brought out a kitchen chair with a pillow and he survivied just fine.

Yes, I was there as well. Since I take all of the pictures in the family, no one ever gets a shot of me in action......but for the record, I DID have a s'more and it was delicious. But here I am all cleaned up....

And here are the kids tormenting the dog with their roaster sticks. It just wouldn't be the same without that.

Even Eric seemed to enjoy himself.

And here's Brandon and Kyle. A fun time by all.....

The evening was a success and a fun family night. It was REALLY hot, but we still had a good time.

And a quick update on Todd:

He is improving more each day. The nurse came today and showed us the infection numbers. One of the numbers is in the normal range (barely), but still normal. The other number is still high, but about 1/3 of what it was before the surgery. So the antibiotic is working. Yeah!

We got an appointment with a really good orthopedic surgeon in October, so we'll see what he says then. They can't do anything permanent for at least 6 months until after the infection is completely gone, so Todd will have to live with the pain of "bone-on-bone" at least until then. We're still hoping it will be livable for awhile, but we'll just have to see.

Todd still can't drive or put much weight on his right leg. His muscles are weak and he doesn't have the strength to lift that leg much yet. We're hoping as time goes by, that will improve as well.

He went to church all three hours on Sunday and it was so great. He came home to do his antibiotic, then even went back for a couple of hours. He was tired, but did well and it was a good day. We are continually thankful for his recovery and hope that things will continue that way. We have an appointment next Tuesday with the surgeon and we're hoping Todd will get the "okay" to return to work. He's planning on starting back after Labor Day.

Well, that's the report for now. Thanks again for all your prayers and concern for our family. They have meant more than you'll ever know.

Todd's First Post

Here is an email written by Todd to his family a couple of days ago. I thought I'd post it here.....

Thought I would take a minute and send an update on my condition. I'm feeling better each day and needing less medication to manage my pain. Transitional moves (i.e. getting in and out of bed/car/shower etc.) are still tough but getting a little easier with time. I've essentially been living in the recliner in our living room. I sleep in it at night and spend most of the day in it as well. Don't know what we would have done without it, but I'm hoping to get back to a real bed pretty soon.

I get around the house pretty well on crutches and I'm even doing better with "occupational" tasks like getting dressed, picking things up, etc. The secret to my success? I'm a certified owner of the Deluxe Gopher Pick Up and Reaching Tool (As Seen on TV). That's what I'm talking about!

I can pick up things without bending and it's also great for tormenting kids and dogs.

The home health care nurse comes about twice a week to check blood levels and change the PICC line dressing. The trends in my lab results generally indicate that the level of infection is dropping. So we're happy about that. We had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday. He removed my stitches and took a couple of x-rays. He showed us the healthy hip first. You can see a clearly defined spaced filled with cartilage and lubricating fluid in the joint where the ball and socket come together. Then we looked at the other hip. There is no space whatsoever. All of the cartilage in the joint is gone and you just see bone on bone.

We weren't really prepared for that piece of news. I expected to have a simple follow-up visit and get my stitches out. I assumed that we would have to complete the 6-8 weeks of IV antibiotics before we'd really know the ultimate condition of my hip. So it was a tough day, but now that we've had some time to process the information we're feeling OK about things. There are options, such as fusion or total hip replacement and we'll cross those bridges when we come to them. Right now, we're focused on finishing the IV treatment and clearing out the infection. I don't know that we will really know how much pain or discomfort I'll be left with until the infection is completely gone.

This morning I was reading the Book of Mormon and I was struck by the number of times that the word "patience" is used in connection with the word "affliction." For some reason, the Lord has seen fit to try our patience and our faith. We're doing our best to "cheerfully" submit to His will and learn the things that we can from this experience. It has been hard--harder than I would ever have imagined, but I take great comfort in the doctrines of the gospel. I feel so blessed to have Melissa by my side. She does so much for me that I can't imagine going through this without her--she is so incredible!

Okay, this is Melissa now. I just had to post all that great stuff about me that he wrote.....If I were him, I personally would have said more about my "charitable actions and services," but I'll take whatever I can get. Hee, hee....just kidding, honey.

So this is where we are now. We plan to see another doctor in the next couple of months and see what our options are for Todd's future. We do feel so blessed to live in a time where there ARE options. But life is so unpredictable, isn't it? You never know when trials will come, and it's so hard not knowing the outcome of those trials.....but we just have to learn to trust in our Heavenly Father and know that He has a plan for each of us. It's so hard to have faith sometimes. And that's the honest-to-goodness truth!

On a lighter note, here is a picture of a gift basket that Todd's work brought to him. It was filled with all the yummy treats that they share at work.....it was so sweet of them and it made his day. The card says, "To Todd Jones Our Beloved Boss." And the inside was filled with words of kindness and encouragement. Thanks to them!

We'll try and update as time goes on. It's been two weeks since the surgery. He's definitely improving little by little. We're just trying to take it one day at a time.....that's really all we can do.