Jackie and the Dr

Tuesday, July 14th - Jackie had an appt with Dr Lorrinda Torres/IM for a physical. The doctor felt an enlarged thyroid and enlarged lymph glands in her neck. She was sent for a ultrasound of her neck on the same date. In addition to the ultrasound, she had a barrage of labs drawn.

Tuesday, July 28th - Jackie had a follow-up appt with Dr Lorrinda Torres/IM for the results of her tests.

Lab results:
All of the labs were normal except one:
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) Ab; Jackie's value was 39 - The normal lab value is 0-34

Sonogram results:
NECK: There is an enlarged node in the right neck measuring 1.26 cm in max size. Adjacent is a second enlarged node measuring 0.90cm in size and a third submandibular node measuring 1.50 cm in size. These nodes are nonspecific in their morphology. These may be reactive. If these do not reced rapidly I would suggest doing a CT scan of the neck to determin if this patient has other enlarged nodes or thiere is a primary process.
Isthmus: The isthmus is at the upper limit of normal in the thickness of 0.30cm
LEFT LOBE: The left lobe is enlarged at 4.79 x 1.29 x 1.53 cm. There is a cyst in the left lobe. This is most likely a small colloid cyst measuring 0.39 cm in dimension.
RIGHT LOBE: The right lobe is enlarged. It is 4.62 x 1.17 x 1.50 cm. There is no evidence of thyriodal mass.
IMPRESSION:
1) Thyromegaly, consistent with a goiter
2) Left lobe cyst most likely colloid in nature
3) Right neck adenopathy

I will be scheduling Jackie for a visit with an endocrinologist before she goes back to school.
Stay tuned for more updates.

MRI Results of Right Knee

Today, I went to see Dr Jennings at the Texas Knee and Sports Medicine Center.
My MRI results showed the following three injuries to my knee:
1) ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) tear

2) Medial Meniscus tear

3) Lateral Meniscus tear

The ACL connects the front top part of the shin bone (tibia) to the back bottom part of the thigh(femur) bone. This keeps the tibia from sliding forward.

The ACL tear will be fixed by reconstructing/building a new ligament out of tissue harvested from a cadaver. This tissue is passed through the drill hoes in the femur and tibia and then anchored in place with disolvable screws to create a new ACL. Over time this graft matures and becomes a new living ligament.

The medial meniscus is located on the inside of the knee and the lateral meniscus is located on the outside of the knee. Together, they act primarily as shock absorbers and stabilizers in the knee joint. They also help nourish the cartilage through their rich blood supply.

The meniscus tears will be repaired as needed
or torn sections may be removed or shaved off in an arthroscopic partial meniscectomy.

--------------------------------------------

This is outpatient surgery and is scheduled for Thursday, July 30th.
Jackie calls this surgery, a "tune-up".
I am hoping with minor knee surgery now, I will avoid a knee replacement later in life.

I will have to undergo physical therapy for approximately 2 weeks following the surgery.

I hope this will heal fast as I have a vacation planned to Iowa in August, a trip to Las Vegas in September and of course I want to be able to dance at Jill's wedding in December without any problems.

Prayers for healing!

Letter from the past

Thursday, July 16th..we received a letter from Jackie dated May 19, 1999. This was a 4th grade assignment where they were to write themselves a letter and the teacher would mail them 10 years later. Ms Bryant was a woman of her word and the letter brought alot of laughter to the house. I'm sure Jackie's boyfriend, Jonathan, will love the part about her having a crush on 4 different boys in her class.

Mom Got A Little Too Adventurous...

Well, Mom and I went bowling tonight with The Colony Women's League, and we were scoring pretty well. Mom went up to roll the ball, and when she went to step forward her feet didn't slide on the floor, causing her knee to twist and roll. She heard something pop and couldn't walk or stand on her leg anymore.

After sitting for a while waiting to see if it would get better, Mom and I made the decision to go to the hospital. We got there at around 8:30 pm and didn't get home until about 11 pm. She has a fractured patella (the top bone in your kneecap) and maybe some torn ligaments. She has to go see an ortho doctor tomorrow for a follow-up. They gave her a script for some pain-killers and anti-inflammatories, but has chosen to take the Advil route.

She's in a good amount of pain. She can't straighten her leg or stand on it. They put her in a knee immobilizer right now, and that was painful to watch.....trust me! She has to stay off of it for a while and wonders how she is gonna work, sleep, and go potty. I told her she just needs to take a disability vacation....if there is such a thing. I offered no solution for the potty problem, partially because I don't really have one. Hey, when you gotta go, you GOTTA GO!!

I'm suppose to leave tomorrow to dog sit for some family friends in Frisco until Saturday. I don't know how that is gonna work out because I want to be home with Mom. I guessing that Dad will have to work from home to take Mom to her doctor's appointments and take care of her. We will try to keep you posted as much possible. Send your prayers this way for a speedy recovery!!

Here's some more info on patella fractures....

What is a patella fracture?

A fracture of the patella is an injury to the kneecap. The kneecap bone is one of three bones that make up the knee joint. The patella is lined with cartilage on its undersurface, and is important in providing strength of extension of the knee joint.

How does a patella fracture occur?

A patella fracture most often occurs from a fall onto the kneecap. When this occurs, the fracture can be associated with abrasions and lacerations to the skin overlying the injury. Patella fractures can also occur when the quadriceps muscle is contracting but the knee joint is straightening. When the muscle pulls in this manner, the patella can fracture.

What is the treatment of a patella fracture?

When a patella fracture occurs, the patient should be seen in the emergency room. X-rays will be obtained to determine the type of fracture and the amount of displacement of the fracture. One of the critical factors in determining the treatment of a patella fracture is the examination of the patient. Specifically, it should be determined if the patient can perform a straight leg raise. A straight leg raise test is done by having the patient lie flat on a bed. With the leg straight, the patient should then raise their foot off the bed and hold it in the air. This tests the function of the the quadriceps muscle and its attachment to the shin bone. A disruption of the quadriceps tendon, patella, or patellar tendon can lead to inability to perform a straight leg raise. If a straight leg raise can be done, then non-operative treatment may be possible in the setting of a patella fracture.

When is surgery necessary for a patella fracture?

Patients with nondisplaced, or minimally displaced, fractures who can perform a straight leg raise (as described above) can usually be treated without surgery. A long leg cast or a knee immobilizer can be used for treatment of these types of patellar fractures.

When surgery is necessary, an incision is made over the front of the knee joint. The fractured ends are realigned and held in place with some combination of pins, screws, and wires. In some cases, a portion of the patella can simply be removed, but this is usually done for smaller fracture fragments.

What is the rehabilitation following a patella fracture?

Following a patella fracture, patients will need to keep their knee in a straight position to allow for initial healing. Exactly when the knee can begin moving depends on the strength of the repair your surgeon is able to achieve. Gentle motion can usually begin in the first weeks following surgery.

It's HOT - HOT - HOT

The picture says it all!

Outdoor temp = 104.9
Indoor temp = 77.7
Humidity = 50%

I mowed the yard this morning to try and beat the heat, but that didn't work, since this is what my thermometer read before I went outside.
Luckily...our yard is small.

A cold shower afterward....never felt so good!!!

4th of July

Happy Fourth of July to everyone!!

Jill and I woke up at 4:45 am and went to volunteer at the Liberty by the Lake 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run. We were volunteering with The Colony Women's League. We iced down water, FUSE energy drinks and yogurt. Jill and I were stationed at the finish line and distributed water to all 900+ runners at the event. People even traveled as far as Farmington, MN and Kansas City to attend this race. We were finished by 10:30 am and spent most of the rest of the day in the air conditioning or in the pool.

http://www.ci.the-colony.tx.us/lbl/index.html

Josh is shown here flipping Jill.
It looks like she is crawling across the water.

Posing for mom!!

More horseing around...this time it looks like she's trying to walk on water.

Finishing the day with some grillin' and fireworks!

Flowers Planted

Friday, July 3rd

Doug replanted underneath our pear tree with new flowers.

Aren't they pretty?

Bridesmaid dress shopping

Thursday, July 2nd Jill and two of her bridesmaids (Jessie & Jackie) went shopping for bridesmaid dresses at David's Bridal. They were ordered along with a white sash as Jill's colors are black, white and red. The bridesmaids will be carrying a bouquet of red roses.

While shopping for dresses, Jill found a dress she will be wearing at the end of the reception and leaving for her honeymoon.

A/C Repair

July 2nd 2009, the high temperature in The Colony was 101 degrees.

July 2nd 2009, It was 101 degrees and we were without air conditioning.

Doug called Climate Systems Service and the technician (Richard McKay)

came out the same day.
Luckily a capacitor was the only thing needing to be replaced.
The repair man was here, all of about 15 minutes.

Price = $127.13

Air conditioning in the Texas heat = Priceless!!!!