As the intensity of the past month thankfully winds down, I find myself looking around in amazement at all the neglected areas in my own life.  Some of them are just going to be ignored, but I really think it would be fun to get ready for Christmas.  First things first, right?

He was given permission to go out in public so for the first time in three weeks, he was able to be in someplace more open than the hospital or his apartment.  We took him to the mall!  With a harness on him, we let him run from one end to the other!  He loved the freedom and kept laughing and squealing and running, running, running!.  Other shoppers probably wondered why we were so happy, but who cares!  Running never felt so good to a little boy.
This is his special sun-screening hat.

He has now been free of the wound vac for a over a week. He was able to go to church where his parents could personally thank those who had been praying.  They also brought him to the school where his mom teaches English IV. The kids were thrilled to see him doing so well.  On Friday he went in for what ended up being his last bandage visit.  After the bandage was removed, we were told that he didn’t need it anymore.  The graft was healing perfectly and there was no more need of it. There is one more visit next week with the plastic surgeon and some therapy to ensure range of motion and scar therapy to help keep the scar as flexible as possible.  For now, he is free from medical procedures and hospital stays.  This picture is from his visit on Friday, quite a different boy from a few weeks ago.

 

We continue to pray that he will heal both physically and emotionally.  I know this is very hard on him emotionally.  He understands what happened.  When his mom used the same pot again, he was afraid.  He cried in fear when he was told that the beans were too hot to eat.  Hot means something very terrible!  The space heater in the bathroom scared him.  It will take time for him to work through those emotions.  I pray constantly for him and his parents also to have wisdom in how to handle this too. 

Thanks to all of you who have joined us in pray for this little guy. 

We have so much to be thankful for this year.  It is interesting how difficulties cause us to pay closer attention to all the blessings we do have.  We were not able to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving today, but we were quite happy how it all went.  This morning we woke to a leisurely omelet breakfast.  Then the expected phone call came.  We jumped into our daughter’s van and took off to Austin to drive the getaway car for Alexander’s release. 

After having surgery for a skin graft yesterday, Alexander was coming home for Thanksgiving with his mom and dad.  He was so happy to be home again.  He ran around the living room touching all his toys and throw his football.  Then he moved to the TV room to make sure the remote was as fascinating as it always has been.  Satisfied that everything was as it should be.  He settled down in my lap with the remote in hand to watch the end of the National Dog Show. Periodically I had to turn the TV back on, but I didn’t mind at all. 

Next week sometime, they will remove the wound vac, a machine attached to the site of the skin graft that creates negative pressure.  It will help with healing and keep the place sterile.  It does require that someone follow him around everywhere he goes, carrying the vacuum pump.  We keep praying that this will heal well.  If it does, we will be free from the hospital except for occasional checkups. 

Thanks again for all the prayers.  It will be a couple of weeks before they will know if they qualify for financial help.  With no insurance this is really important.  Otherwise they will be paying medical bills for many, many years.  The little guy is worth it all, no matter what happens.  We are incredibly grateful for excellent care and for his quick healing.

 

Today brought some good news.  The tissue culture ended up having a benign type that is naturally on Alexander’s skin. One blood culture was completely clear.  The other one showed some staph after 24 hours, but it was a very small amount.  After the 48 hours, there was enough to tell that it was the same benign staph.  The doctors are not sure what caused his high fever on Tuesday, but they say he is clear of any infection now. They now speculate that he was overacting to a virus. His white blood count is dropping almost to normal. The burns continue to heal remarkably well.  The newest stage is itching. Bummer!  How do you explain to a very little boy that he cannot scratch?

Tomorrow will be another step towards getting Alexander’s burns repaired.  At 10:00 he will have surgery to cut out the remaining dead tissue off of his shoulder.  He will have a vacuum patch placed over it that will ensure a sterile covering and will also speed up healing of the underlying tissue.  On Tuesday a skin graft will be put over the place.  Hopefully this will be the end of hospital stays and doctors, other than a few checkups.

We are all emotionally exhausted, but so very glad that all things are working out well.

Just a quick message before heading off to work. On Tuesday morning Alexander woke up with a 104 degF fever.  After reaching the doctor, our daughter was told to take him to the emergency room so the surgery that had been scheduled for Wednesday would be done a day early.  He was listless, tired and crying all day. The fever remained, but he was not allowed to eat or drink in anticipation of the surgery.  Finally at 3:00 he was taken in.  The good news is that the wound itself is not infected.  They took cultures from the removed tissue and also from two blood draws.  He was put on antibiotics and kept overnight. 

We went up to the hospital to take them home last night when the doctor came in and said that one of the blood cultures showed signs of having staph.  The other was clear.  The wound tissue showed some staph, but it is obvious that the burn itself is not infected.  It is healing very well.  The cultures are 48 hour cultures, and it had been 24 hours.. They said they would know more in the morning, but they were concerned.  So sadly we left them there. 

Alexander was really discouraged yesterday.  He was sad and insecure, not his usual buoyant self.  It was so sad to see him that way.  We can’t wait to get him home, healthy and whole!  Thanks again for your prayers.  They are a lifeline!

Good news comes with bad today.  Alexander’s face is really healing wonderfully.  The therapist said he has skin growing back with pigment so there should be no scarring if he stays out of the sun.  Most of the rest of the burns are also healing without a problem. 

Except the top of his shoulder.  They are saying that this part of the burn is a 3rd degree burn that will require more cleaning and possibly a skin graft.  On Wednesday he will go into surgery for them to remove the dead tissue and determine the extent of damage.  We are praying for protection and restoration for that spot.  I’ve seen miraculous healing before.  Perhaps this will be one too. 

His spirits are up and his smile has returned.  I honestly thought it would be weeks before we saw that mischievous grin again. 

How could I ever thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!   I have forwarded every comment to my daughter who doesn’t blog.  She is amazed at how wonderful you have all been.  I will let you know how it goes on Wednesday. 

 

It was so good when it was over.  Soon he will only need to go a couple of times a week. During the first 72 hours, the burn worsens before true healing begins.  We are on the other side of that and now he should begin to feel better day by day.  It was so good when the new bandages were on.

Wednesday morning the doctors debrided the burns.  This means they sedated him completely and scrubbed away any debris so the burns could heal more easily.  It is an exceedingly painful process and we were glad he was knocked out.  His mom was able to stay with him.  When they got to the deepest burns that had been covered with an artificial skin on the night he came in, they decided to leave it alone.  It was healing so well it didn’t need to be disturbed.  We were so glad.  The scrubbing made his face swell a lot during the day.  He looked pretty bad by evening, but they said he could go home. 

 

He needs to return every day to get the bandages changed and to be looked at. 

I went by this evening expecting only a little improvement.  The swelling had really lessened. He was beginning to look like and act like himself already.  What a powerful thing love is!