visit to the surgeon....

On Thursday Jan. 12th Kurt had an appointment with Dr. Coufal, a spinal surgeon in La Jolla, to review his progress....it was apparent when he walked into the room that something was wrong. After reviewing the x-rays of kurts neck he noticed that the surgeon in El Salvador used too small of a cage and disk C7 is "floating". No one knows why and it really doesn't matter now why all four disks weren't fused, but this presents a little bit of a setback for Kurt. he will continue to wear his neck brace and we will have more x-rays done on Feb 10th to see if he is having any bone grown around that disk. Of course we have to keep an open mind that Dr. Coufal may have to "fix/repair" the fusion with another surgery...On the positive side Kurt is making great progress at physical therapy. He goes for two hours Mon, Wed & Fri. It's exhausting but he sees so much improvement so he doesn't complain... He can almost close his right hand to the point of holding a glass, ball etc. He's dealing with extreme edema which is hindering a lot of his mobility..He's going into the office a few hours a day building up his stamina. Everyday is a little better...thank you to everyone for their continued love and support..and for all the fabulous meals from friends and neighbors on those long Monday Wednesday and Fridays!

Home Sweet Home

Kurt met his deadline!!!! He was discharged today, and after some equipment adjustments we're settling into a nice routine at home. First order of business was New York Pizza...Nick and Margi are spending the night to help us adjust to our first night out of the hospital. Kurt will be going back to Scripps outpatient rehab 3 days a week to continue regaining his fine motor skills. We are so grateful for all the prayers that have brought us this far in this ordeal...Have a Merry Christmas and never take life for granted.

Out for a Sunday drive....

Today was a big day for Kurt..part of his therapy is to go on an "outing". Nancy, the recreational therapist, drove us to Swami's where Kurt got out of the van in his wheelchair then he transitioned to his walker and stood and watched the ocean for about a half hour..we then drove to Cardiff and went to Starbucks..Kurt had his favorite non-fat cap while watching people bustling around. After a month of being confined to four walls of hospitals this was a great day for Kurt..when we got back to Scripps he was exhausted! Tomorrow the drs will make the decision on his release date! I'm confident that we're on track for the 23rd, I'll keep you posted....Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and never underestimated the power of God...

Our Christmas Wish!!

Drs told me there is a chance Kurt will be coming home Dec 23! At this point we're taking it one day at a time..some are better than others..every movement is extremely exhausting..Kurt has never missed a deadline and he's working very hard to meet this one! Thank you for all the love and healing wishes..Teddie

Healing Power

As Kurt continues to progress, it's clear that he has some real angels on his side. The power of prayer has really proven to have an impact on Kurt's recovery. And, now that he's back in the states, he has another really powerful tool on his side...Connor!

Connor loves going to the hospital to visit Papou (Grandpa in Greek)! Connor has learned really helpful things, like pushing the wheel chair, adjusting Kurts bed, and, most importantly, giving lots of healing hugs and kisses.

Connor can't wait till Papou is all better. But in the meantime, he's having a blast visiting him at Scripps and, as standard with our little charmer, he's making lots of other friends along the way!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

This article gets it all right...

http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/arnold/arnold-caring-friends-kick-into-action/article_101a548c-14d5-51e9-8700-82dea56aa524.html

Thursday, December 1, 2011

welcome home Kurt! with the help of friends in Carlsbad and San Salvador, we successfully transported Kurt via air and ambulance from Hospital de Diagnostico, San Salvador to Scripps Hospital, Encinitas.

it's true what they say... when it rains, it pours. Kurt's doctors cleared him for the 5-hour flight from San Salvador to LAX. It was a comfortable flight -- smooth takeoff, little-to-no turbulence. but the descent went awry. Santa Ana winds forced us to abort the landing just feet from the runway. we were routed to Ontario, where we refueled and waited for a shift in weather. the delay added an additional three hours to Kurt's transport. fortunately, he has some great friends in Carlsbad who ensured that the ambulance was waiting when and where Kurt touched down. call it Murphy's Law, or rotten luck. rarely have things gone as planned over the past few weeks. fortunately, the same is true for friendship... when it rains, it pours.

Kurt is recovering at Scripps Encinitas, where we checked in at 1:00 this morning. the travel was exhausting, I'm sure. but Kurt was relieved to be safely home. we saw the doctor immediately, and he reiterated that Kurt's recovery is on-track. today we resume physical therapy, and continue down the road to recovery.

remember, we ask for privacy during Kurt's initial stay at Scripps. when he feels up to it, we'll let you know, as he very much looks forward to reuniting with friends.

thank you for the continued prayers and support.