No More Chest Bandage

July 11, 2022 - GOOD NEWS !!!

I no longer require a bandage on my chest. My wounds are basically closed, but my chest is still swollen, numb, and hard, so I require more months to heal. I have been officially discharged from care by the office of my plastic-reconstructive surgeon, but not yet from my physical-rehabilitation facility or my urologist.

You can see in today's photo below that I have an allergic reaction to the adhesive in the medical tape that held my bandage in place. That should heal fairly quickly.

This morning, I was transported in a wheelchair by van from my physical-rehabilitation facility to a somewhat nearby wound-care facility. Two weeks ago, I had to be transported on a stretcher, so I am slowly regaining my strength.

A nurse at the wound-care facility removed the bandage on my chest and took a photo for her facility's records. She also took today's photo below on my phone. Then, a physician associated with my plastic-reconstructive surgeon evaluated my chest wound. She took a photo of my chest to share with my surgeon and then told me that she determined that I no longer needed to have my wound covered.

I am still required to remain in my physical-rehabilitation facility, apparently until I have enough strength to take care of myself and am able to urinate without a Foley catheter. Regaining my strength requires more physical therapy and more occupational therapy, both of which I do almost every day.

Why I Am In Physical Rehab

Prior to arriving at my rehab facility on June 3, 2022, I was in the hospital since May 13, 2022, enduring and recovering from two (more) surgeries.

I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery on March 9, 2022, and two plastic-reconstructive surgeries in/on my chest in May 2022.

For my surgery on May 19, 2022, my plastic-reconstructive surgeon removed metal sternal plates from within my chest due to an infection. The plates were installed during my initial heart surgery and were not replaced.

For my surgery on May 25, 2022, my surgeon cleaned out the remaining infection from within my chest. He then partially closed my chest by first clipping off the tips of my ribs and then by reattaching my chest muscle flaps to my body.

My surgeon used seven spaced-out sutures to close the eight-inch-long, vertical incision in my chest initiated by my open-heart surgery in March 2022 and made worse by my two subsequent surgeries in May 2022, leaving me with eight deep holes in my chest to heal. He attached an electric wound vacuum to suck discharge and infected blood from within my chest and from the wounds. My sutures (and my wound vacuum) were removed on June 20, 2022.

July 1, 2022, was my last day of receiving intravenous-antibiotic infusions every day for six weeks for a staph infection within my chest, a blood infection, and lingering osteomyelitis (a bone infection) within my left foot. I received three bags of the antibiotic every day in the hospital and one bag every day in the rehab facility. The antibiotic was administered through one of two ports of my PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter), which was about 53 centimeters long (about 21 inches long). It ran from the upper part of my left arm through my veins close to my heart. The other port was supposedly to be used for extracting blood for testing and for flushing the line with saline solution, but it was only used once in the hospital for blood extraction. Blood continues to be extracted here at my rehab facility every few days using a needle stuck either into one of my arms or into the back of one of my hands.

In recent years, I have endured many of these six-week-long regimens for many cases of cellulitis in both of my legs individually and for the lingering osteomyelitis in my left foot. Several years ago, I had surgery to remove part of a decayed bone in my left foot. Last year, I had three surgeries on my left foot: two to remove decayed bone fragments and one to remove a benign tumor that was growing within a diabetic ulcer.

During one of my six-week-long regimens (December 2020 into January 2021), I experienced kidney failure (both kidneys) which required six weeks of dialysis (four straight hours, seven days a week). My kidneys regained full functionality.

Also during 2021, I was hospitalized with low hemoglobin/iron levels, a white-blood-cell count near zero, covid, and pneumonia twice. Also in 2021, I had a thoracentesis procedure performed: 650 milliliters (about 22 ounces) of fluid surrounding my right lung was drained through a catheter that was inserted in my back and into my chest cavity.

Thank you for your prayers, well-wishes, and support. I will continue to pray for everyone who is going through rough times.