Before Lindsay had her lower right leg amputated (due to a four year long foot infection) we did a lot of research about amputation procedures and aftermath expectations. One of the things that we found was that there is usually a period of time where the amputee grieves for the loss of the limb. But this grieving was more prevalent in those amputees who lost a limb unexpectedly. Lindsay had an advantage as she had time to process the idea of an amputation.
It's been 23 days since her amputation (as of 6-2-19) and her recovery is going smoothly. She is extremely mobile using her wheelchair and her walker. And she is doing things that we never thought she'd do in such a short time frame.
She's amazing...with three kids under the age of twelve dwelling in our house and the end of the school year upon us the house was quite chaotic and messy with school supplies and school work from the year strewn all over the place. Our kitchen table was full of "stuff" and I was overwhelmed as to where to put it all. I started with a few things and found a place for them but there was still a pile looming there and elsewhere on the first floor. When I woke up this morning and went downstairs, the kitchen table was completely cleaned off and there were fresh flowers as the centerpiece. Lindsay had also decluttered the entire first floor on her own the night before.
She's amazing...during the last few weeks Lindsay has been sleeping on the living room couch so she could be present in the morning to send the kids off to school without having to go down the stairs. Once summer started she moved back upstairs to our bedroom. That last day of school she took the bedding from the couch and washed it all...by herself!
She's amazing...she has employed a contractor to install extra stair railings so she can go up and down the stairs in the house (both the upstairs stairs and the basement stairs). She can now be free of a crutch when she travels the different levels of the house...and it's safer for her as well.
She's amazing...in order for her to care for Ella when the time comes she knew that there needed to be some modifications completed in our first floor bathroom. She quickly planned these modifications, contacted a contractor, and put into motion the necessary timeline for the modifications to occur. We will be expanding the bathroom into the adjacent closet in order to put a changing table in there for Ella. Lindsay has a degenerating disc in her back and bending down on the stair landing to get Ella ready for the toilet would wreak havoc on her back (not to mention mine).
She's amazing...from her computer that now resides in the dining room and a floor workspace she made in the same room, she is getting ready for VBS (Vacation Bible School). She is making props, coordinating staff members, and compiling registrees. She is running her job at church from home, making sure everything is working and running in the way she wants them to.
She's amazing...not only is our house filled with three kids and their friends, we also have two young dogs and a bunny. The cage for the bunny is in the corner of the living room. I walked in from school one afternoon and there was Lindsay, on the floor, cleaning out the bunny cage and getting everything nice and neat.
She's amazing...taking a shower with half of your leg missing can definitely present a challenge and also be quite dangerous. Lindsay set up our master bathroom with organization shelving and a bath chair that allows her to be independent in taking a shower and getting herself ready for the day. She has everything at her fingertips and works the wheelchair in the bathroom like a pro.
She's amazing...amputation of a limb can be a horrific endeavor. Lindsay decided to take the light route instead and created t-shirts (using iron ons) with sayings that poke some fun at amputees ("I always leave my leg in my other pants", "3 out of 4 isn't bad", "I'm stumped", etc.) She has the attitude that if you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at?
She's amazing...I have a rock in my classroom that says, "Attitude is Everything" that was given to me by a former student. I use that saying often with my class. Lindsay embraces that saying as she virtually skipped the grieving stage of the amputation...oh sure, there were and are times when the concept of not having a foot weighs heavily on her mind, but she talks it out with herself and sometimes with me in order to get herself back on track.
She's amazing...I watched my wife battle a nasty foot infection for four years. The pain, discomfort, emotional and physical toll were often too much to handle on our own. We turned to others for help and the relationships that Lindsay and I forged over the years became evident as people stepped forward during that time to offer help. And more so, when the amputation took place, other people came forward...giving us the help we needed to traverse this part of our life.
She's amazing...for the past four years the infection of her right foot was all-consuming in our life. It dragged her down, took its anger out on her physically, and made life a terrible mess. Instead of looking at the amputation as a loss of a limb she looked at it as a loss of the infection. She thrived physically and emotionally after the amputation, grabbing hold of her life again.
You're amazing...all of our readers, those subscribed to our blog, those who keep in touch through Facebook, those who happen to come across our blog in a search, those who are part of my teaching community (Elmhurst), and those in our Prairie community...all of you are amazing in that you have committed to thinking about us, praying for us, and supporting us in so many ways. She's amazing because you're amazing.
This time in our lives is definitely a challenge...emotionally, physically and financially. So many people have come forward to help with our CareCalender and our GoFundMe Campaign. So many have come forward to support our kids with care packages full of toys, books, and snacks. So many have provided meals. So many have come forth to offer their thoughts and prayers. So many have come forward to help us financially as medical and equipment bills pile up.
It's honestly a testament to how amazing Lindsay really is...
It's been 23 days since her amputation (as of 6-2-19) and her recovery is going smoothly. She is extremely mobile using her wheelchair and her walker. And she is doing things that we never thought she'd do in such a short time frame.
She's amazing...with three kids under the age of twelve dwelling in our house and the end of the school year upon us the house was quite chaotic and messy with school supplies and school work from the year strewn all over the place. Our kitchen table was full of "stuff" and I was overwhelmed as to where to put it all. I started with a few things and found a place for them but there was still a pile looming there and elsewhere on the first floor. When I woke up this morning and went downstairs, the kitchen table was completely cleaned off and there were fresh flowers as the centerpiece. Lindsay had also decluttered the entire first floor on her own the night before.
She's amazing...during the last few weeks Lindsay has been sleeping on the living room couch so she could be present in the morning to send the kids off to school without having to go down the stairs. Once summer started she moved back upstairs to our bedroom. That last day of school she took the bedding from the couch and washed it all...by herself!
She's amazing...she has employed a contractor to install extra stair railings so she can go up and down the stairs in the house (both the upstairs stairs and the basement stairs). She can now be free of a crutch when she travels the different levels of the house...and it's safer for her as well.
She's amazing...in order for her to care for Ella when the time comes she knew that there needed to be some modifications completed in our first floor bathroom. She quickly planned these modifications, contacted a contractor, and put into motion the necessary timeline for the modifications to occur. We will be expanding the bathroom into the adjacent closet in order to put a changing table in there for Ella. Lindsay has a degenerating disc in her back and bending down on the stair landing to get Ella ready for the toilet would wreak havoc on her back (not to mention mine).
She's amazing...from her computer that now resides in the dining room and a floor workspace she made in the same room, she is getting ready for VBS (Vacation Bible School). She is making props, coordinating staff members, and compiling registrees. She is running her job at church from home, making sure everything is working and running in the way she wants them to.
She's amazing...not only is our house filled with three kids and their friends, we also have two young dogs and a bunny. The cage for the bunny is in the corner of the living room. I walked in from school one afternoon and there was Lindsay, on the floor, cleaning out the bunny cage and getting everything nice and neat.
She's amazing...taking a shower with half of your leg missing can definitely present a challenge and also be quite dangerous. Lindsay set up our master bathroom with organization shelving and a bath chair that allows her to be independent in taking a shower and getting herself ready for the day. She has everything at her fingertips and works the wheelchair in the bathroom like a pro.
She's amazing...amputation of a limb can be a horrific endeavor. Lindsay decided to take the light route instead and created t-shirts (using iron ons) with sayings that poke some fun at amputees ("I always leave my leg in my other pants", "3 out of 4 isn't bad", "I'm stumped", etc.) She has the attitude that if you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at?
She's amazing...I have a rock in my classroom that says, "Attitude is Everything" that was given to me by a former student. I use that saying often with my class. Lindsay embraces that saying as she virtually skipped the grieving stage of the amputation...oh sure, there were and are times when the concept of not having a foot weighs heavily on her mind, but she talks it out with herself and sometimes with me in order to get herself back on track.
She's amazing...I watched my wife battle a nasty foot infection for four years. The pain, discomfort, emotional and physical toll were often too much to handle on our own. We turned to others for help and the relationships that Lindsay and I forged over the years became evident as people stepped forward during that time to offer help. And more so, when the amputation took place, other people came forward...giving us the help we needed to traverse this part of our life.
She's amazing...for the past four years the infection of her right foot was all-consuming in our life. It dragged her down, took its anger out on her physically, and made life a terrible mess. Instead of looking at the amputation as a loss of a limb she looked at it as a loss of the infection. She thrived physically and emotionally after the amputation, grabbing hold of her life again.
You're amazing...all of our readers, those subscribed to our blog, those who keep in touch through Facebook, those who happen to come across our blog in a search, those who are part of my teaching community (Elmhurst), and those in our Prairie community...all of you are amazing in that you have committed to thinking about us, praying for us, and supporting us in so many ways. She's amazing because you're amazing.
This time in our lives is definitely a challenge...emotionally, physically and financially. So many people have come forward to help with our CareCalender and our GoFundMe Campaign. So many have come forward to support our kids with care packages full of toys, books, and snacks. So many have provided meals. So many have come forth to offer their thoughts and prayers. So many have come forward to help us financially as medical and equipment bills pile up.
It's honestly a testament to how amazing Lindsay really is...
