A QUICK UPDATE

Sorry that I've been so lax in blogging. Not sure why but I wanted to check in and let you know a couple things.

The first thing is to let you know that I'm still alive. I'm just finishing the second week of South Beach I and everything tastes like lettuce because it is. Not much effect on the weight yet though. Maybe if I shaved it would cause me to lose weight.

Secondly, for those of you who don't know, I had a double knee replacement back on June 18th. Since then the knees were pretty good. I certainly couldn't complain. But yesterday morning I played tennis again. Now that may not seem like much to you but it does to me. That was the first time I sweated in a year and a half. It actually felt good and I had no swelling and may even try it again next week.

I know this isn't much of a thought on Haiti but it was a thought on at least one that lives here.
Thanks for your prayers.

And so it goes!

John

Good Morning

As you can tell by the vast amount of blogging that I haven't been doing recently that I'm either sick, tired, or simply dead. It's certainly not that there weren't times when I didn't feel dead or dying but rather most of the time there was enough pain to distract me from any desire to try to bring others into my world. I am truly sorry about that and hope you didn't feel ignored but, as you can see from the last couple blogs which Jessica wrote for me, there were other things going on that simply distracted me from communication. So, just to bring you up to date: It's 6am and I'm the only person awake in the little house where we have spent most of the summer. We are located just off the Anderson University campus right across from construction of new housing for seminar families. The workers start very early so, even though we do some sleeping in we do it to the tune of brick layers and heavy equipment trying to get these places finished for the fall semester. Actually I'm awake due to Ibuprofin. I never realized that it could keep you from sleeping but since coming off the Vicodan I've had a daily appointment with daybreak around this hour. That is your "medical moment" for today. The house is a mess since we are in our final packing sequence for our return to Haiti this coming Wednesday August 8th. We're trying to get all those things that we have purchased over the summer that will never be able to fit in our luggage into boxes for shipping. In between these packing and sleeping hours we are visiting all those friends and supporters who were ignored during the time of new knees and pain. You see, the blog was not the only thing that was ignored. On a serious note I am so very grateful to those that supported me and my family during this long difficult summer. Your prayers, emails, notes, and kind thoughts kept us going. My sincere thanks to all of you. One last note. No, this is not over. I still have daily pain and continuous minor pain that is associated with the process of healing. I will be returning to Haiti still wondering how I'm going to make it up those steps to the house and still more up to the bedroom. Then there's the clinics that will be starting on August 16th with hills to walk on and sore legs to stand on for long periods of time. I ask for your continued thoughts and prayers as I take on these challanges.

And So It Goes John

Again, it is Jessica.
No, not the pictures, the person writing. I'm sure dad would have loved to write this post himself, but isn't quite ready for that yet.
But the pictures are of my dad and his lovely hospital lunch of chicken fingers, bananas, and green peas; my dad and me; and one of his right knee.
Dad got moved into rehab yesterday. He's doing rehab at the St. Vincent's since he likes that place so much. I've got to give them some credit...they're a pretty good place.
But he is doing much better than when I last saw him. He can walk, with a walker of course, down to the elevator and back. (He decided to see us off when we came to visit today.) He's still having some pain and swelling, but it's not as bad as it was before. At least to my knowledge.
My mom commutes from Anderson to Indianapolis pretty frequently to see him, but I've only been a few times.
He's doing better, but keep him in your prayers.
Jessica.

This is Jessica (John's daughter) and right now I'm at the St. Vincent Orthopedic Hospital Center Thing. (Which isn't acctually the real name, but it's close.)
My daddy, who is lying in a bed in this very room, requests that I update for him. Well, not really a request, but more of a demand. So here goes.
On May 30, John had an arthroscopy, in other words, he had both his knees cleaned out. They were planning to do this thing where they drill holes in the knee, and the cartilage is supposed to grow back. It had a pretty high success rate. But when they saw his knees, they said the cartilage was pretty much gone.
So today, June 18, my dad had a double knee replacement. At 9:20 in the morning. (I hung out at the hospital all day, checking out the cafes and cafeteria, and reading. And let me tell you, this building is COLD!) But dad got out of surgery fine, except for some pain in his right leg, but that is from the positioning of a pillow. He had a lovely meal of applesauce with cinnamon and green jello, which I got the honor of feeding to him. They gave him hot chicken noodle soup, and hot mashed potatoes, but he didn't want to eat those. Weird what those surgeries can do to you.
He also took a few steps forward and a few steps back, just a couple of hours ago. With a walker of course.
He'll be in the hospital a few more days, and then be going to rehab probably.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, the picture is of my dad and his rhino stuffed animal I got him. It's really soft.
But all is well.
Keep him in your prayers.
Jessica.