Brother Goes Home After Hip Replacement

Don had his surgery last Monday, 12 October, 2009. The doctors got him opened up and they had to remove a lot of hardware that was put in place earlier-screws, plates, a rod, etc. Then completely replace the left hip. The bone had grew back after the accident, curling at the ends where the new growth was. This had to be trimmed. Extension plates had to be put in.

On Tuesday he was up walking some in the morning and he walked " a lot" Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday he was in extreme pain. He could not do any physical therapy. Of course the hospital staff just thought that maybe he was not wanting to do the therapy and took him down anyway. Once the tears started, they took him back to his room, but the nurses just treated him as though he was not really in that much pain. The pain was coming from his back in the area of his kidneys.

Eventually one of his home health physical therapists came by to see him and saw the pain and went and talked to someone. His pain medications were adjusted and his doctor called.

The doctor called in a Urologist and many blood tests were run. His creatinine levels were elevated. Don was told to make sure the test results were given to his primary care physician and urologist.

The Orthopedist asked for Don to be transferred to a Rehabilitation Hospital/Physical Rehab Center but the one in Greenwood, SC does not have a standing contract to accept Medicaid (Don is receiving SSI) and Medicare denied to pay for it.

He will however, continue to receive Home Health Services. They are even coming out today, Sunday, to check on him and get him set-up.

He can put as much weight on his leg as he can stand, he can walk with the aid of a walker.

This hospital stay has lead Don and the medical staff to realize he is allergic to regular tape and must use paper tape.

I could hear the pain in his voice over the phone yesterday. He told me his goal is to do everything the therapists tell him do and a little bit more.

The Pastor at our church (Hodges Church of God will always be my home church no matter where I am at) is stepping down after many, many years of Pastoring. His last Sunday is the 25th of October 2009--Don wants to be there for that.

He has set himself a lofty goal all things considered.

With many prayers and a lot of dedication and determination he will make it.

Again, many thanks to all my loyal readers for their thoughts and prayers.

Brother Has Hip Replacement

As many of you will remember, my brother, Don, was in a bad car wreck April of 2008 and pretty much crushed from the waist down.

He has spent many long hours of rehabilitation/physical therapy and had several surgeries.

Grady Hospital doctors in Atlanta, Georgia had him on the table for hours a week before sending him home to our elderly Mother in South Carolina.

He fought and finally got SSI and since then has been able to get the medical attention he has needed.

The doctor's went in Monday, 12 October 2009 to replace his left hip. It ended up being a good bit more extensive.

They had to remove all the hardware previously placed in there. Pins, rods, screws, etc. Bone that had not grown back properly.

Then they had to put more hardware in--the new hip joint that ended up being that plus bone extentions.

Don is in a lot of pain. He lost a lot of blood. His blood pressure keeps dropping.

It has not been a full 48 hours yet, but he's doing well.

Now we pray for a fast recovery, pain relief, and approval for his rehab/therapy.

Last 2008 Update on my Brother

Well, unless something drastic or miraculous occurs!

When I went to Pau Wau I stopped at Mama & Don's both ways. Don is getting around for short distances fairly well. You can see the pain on his face at times though.

I was very surprised to see his right leg bowed out so badly. It is apparently because the hospital in Atlanta had him placing weight on it much, much too soon after the surgery.

He is still going to therapy several times a week. Sometimes we will be talking and he tells me the therapist was either hard or easy on him. LOL

The doctor recently verified that he will bee 100% disabled for the rest of his life.

Don was pretty good artist at one time and he is thinking about making greetings cards.

A lady at church that is also disabled but able to drive is taking Don to his appointments so Mama does not have to take days off work anymore. Many thanks to Laurie for doing this.

Brother's Shoulder Surgery

The doctor's operated on Don's shoulder this past Tuesday, the 16th of September 2008.

There was a bad rotator cuff tear. The surgery was successful and out-patient.

They also cut a small slit in his leg and removed the screw put in at the hospital in Atlanta. It was close to breaking through the skin. The Atlanta hospital had him standing up and doing too much physical therapy much too soon. This caused the already poorly repaired leg to start deteriorating before it could even start healing.

The shoulder is immovable for five to six weeks. In two to three months physical therapy can be started on the shoulder-all according to the healing process. It will be approximately six months before the shoulder will be healed.

According to how fast the shoulder heals and the therapy goes, it will be three to four months before the doctors can go in a repair the leg.

Again, we all thank you for the prayers and good thoughts.

Don's Shoulder Surgery

The physicl therapist has said that he is ready for the shoulder surgery.

The doctor has scheduled it for Sseptember 16th.

He is walking with a "mini-walker" now.

Mama has been able to go back to work, working her work schedule around Don's therapy and doctor appointments.

The doctor has indicated that he may still end up 100% disabled. Don is not very comfortable with that idea--he prefers working.

Again, we thank all of you for your continued prayers and thoughts.

Don Is Walking!!!

Don has been walking with a walker for a couple weeks now. He says it hurts but it feels good to walk.

He can walk from the living room to the bedroom which is about 45 feet. Says it leaves him in pain for a while but he knows it has to be done.

Once he can bear weight and walk well enough, the doctor will schedule his shoulder replacement.

Once the shoulder heals well enough Don can use his arms and shoulders to move his body weight around, the doctor will schedule the surgery to re-set his right leg and replace the knees.

So, he is progressing but there is still much healing and repair work that needs to be done.

Again, thank you for the prayers and well wishes.

My Brother Is Out of the Wheelchair!!!!!

Well, at least part time.

The therapist has started him using a walker with wheels on it!

This is such good news.

Don still has a long way to go. He needs several more surgeries and a lot more therapy.

Thank all of you for your prayers and good thoughts. They are working.

Don's Shoulder's

While Don was in Grady Hospital, on April 16, he told the doctor, in front of me, that his shoulders hurt.

He reply was that he had probably stiffened up just before the impact and thereby the muscles in his shoulders and upper body were sore.

Well, all the joints across his shoulders are pulled apart and he has to have surgery on both shoulders and have the right one completely replaced.

He goes for an MRI tomorrow.

Brother Applies for Social Security

Don applied with the Social Security administration last week.

During the first part of the interview he was told he did not qualify for Disability but did for SSI.

Towards the end of the interview the lady stated that he might qualify for Disability.

We now play the waiting game. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Good News, Not So Good News

While my brother, Don, was in the rehabilitation hospital for two weeks, Mother had her bathroom remodeled for him to access it.

It had this huge "Garden" tub in it. She now has a shower stall in it. The man that did the work for her only charged for the materials--Blessings to him!

Don went to the orthopedist and was told he would not be able to return to work for at least a year, he is not to bear weight on either leg for six weeks and not on his hips for twelve weeks.

The right leg was not set properly in the break just below the knee. It has to be rebroken and set again. He will need knee replacement within the next year or so and decided to wait till then to have this done.

The bone is off to one side and poking his skin. The knee appears to be half missing from the outside.

He was allowed to see the x-rays--is comment was that he never knew a person could hve that much metal in them.

He can get in the hospital bed from the wheelchair and from the wheelchair to the couch and shower.

The pain is subsiding somewhat.

He is reading a lot and went to church with Mother for preaching last Sunday.

Mother was going to have her home alarm system cut off due to she is not working to take care of Don. The operator questioned her about why she was cutting it off and when she explained they gave her one month free and reduced the monthly monitoring by $11.00 for life! More Blessings!!!

Again, Don has asked me to convey thanks to all that have been sending prayers and good thoughts.

Finally In Rehabilitation Hospital

Don was moved to the Rehabilitation Hospital this morning.

They are teaching him how to do things for himself. He says they are actually trying to help him unlike at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

The patients go to a dining room for meals. His pain is being managed with a time released medication along with another medication being given every four hours.

Tomorrow they will teach him how to shower himself and use a toilet. He must keep his legs straight out in front of him when sitting to facilitate the proper healing of the hip.

He again thanks everyone for the prayers and good thoughts being sent his way.

My Brother Enters Rehab

Don enters a rehabilitation hospital next week.

Mother called them about getting physical and occupational therapy. After she told them about his accident and his subsequent discharge from Grady Memorial Hospital.

The staff at Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital were very surprised, to say the least, that my brother had been discharged from Grady without these services in place.

He was discharged home (he lives alone so Mother had him transported by a private ambulance service to her home) without the ability to move about and no skilled care of any sort arranged. He was given strict instructions to not "drop" his leg when moving from the bed to the wheelchair or back as if he did so he would never walk again.

He had been hospitalized for nineteen days without having had a bowel movement, encountering two bouts in the operating room, the last was for twelve hours. He was only properly bathed once while there by the staff.

Note--this is a Workman's Comp claim and the Medical Social Worker kept telling Mother and I that we had to file for Medicaid for him.

At least now i can rest easier knowing that our seventy-one year old Mother will not be moving him around and risk hurting herself or him. He will get the skilled nursing care he needs and intensive therapy.

Many thanks to all those that check these updates and continue to pray for him and our family.

Update on My Brother

Don, as the family calls him, is doing better. Right now, it appears that he will be discharged on Wednesday, 30 April, 2008.




He was on the operating table for almost twelve hours on the 23rd. The doctor's had to rebuild his left hip joint, put a pin in the ball of the joint, placed numerous screws in both legs and they discovered a hernia right above the left hip and fixed that also.




The physical therapist explained that in the wreck his left hip joint came out of place and then the ball jammed into the socket so hard it crushed the joint.


Here is a picture of a healthy left hip joint:

Again, his knees are in pretty bad shape and it appears that in the wreck, the extra keys hanging down on his key ring, entered his left knee--doing damage.

He already had much pain in both knees.

Here is a picture of the left knee:

He will not be able to place any weight at all on his hip for at minimum of two months. When discharged he will probably be transported by ambulance from Atlanta, Georgia to Ware Shoals, South Carolina (that is not the exact town as I do not wish to put my family's address on the Internet.)

This will be a long, hard recovery process for him.

Mother is looking into him being able to go to a Rehabilitation Center until he can at least get around on crutches a little bit.

I'll keep you all posted as he progresses.

If anyone wants to send him prayers, good thoughts, etc. please do so through here and I will print and send to him.

Snail mail can be sent to:

Cha'kwaina

Attn: Don

P.O. Box 22

Bon Aqua, TN 37025

My Brother's Disapperance

My brother, Don, was in a bad car wreck on Friday, 11 April, 2008.

He had been working in Nashville, Tennessee and was headed home to North Augusta, Georgia. They were sending him to work in Columbia, South Carolina. He was so excited that he would be able to see Mama on her birthday, 12 April and had planned to take her out to eat on that Sunday.

Mama called me at work on Saturday, 12 April, 2008 very upset. Don had not called her yet. She had last spoke to him at 7:56 p.m. the night before. He had told her he was having problems with his cell phone and that he would be home in a little bit, he’d call her when he got home.

That call never came.

When she got off work on Saturday, he had still not called so she drove down to his apartment from her home in Honea Path, South Carolina. Not only was his car not there, there was no evidence he had been in the apartment.

She contacted the local law enforcement and filed an “Overdue Motorist Report”. The Missing Persons-NCIC had to be filed in Tennessee.

When I left work I filed the Missing Persons-NCIC here in Tennessee.

On Sunday, my estranged husband, his girlfriend, and his parents all rallied at Mama’s house. We all know that Don would never miss a day calling his Mama nor would he, under any circumstances, not call her on her birthday. She had turned seventy-one by searching for her only son.

At some point that day they loaded up David and Diane in one car and Mama and Bob (David, my estranged husband’s Father) in another and headed back to North Augusta.

David and Diane drove down I-20 to Atlanta checking for possible wreck sites along both sides of the interstate.

Since Don had left Tennessee I had the number twenty-three stuck in my head. David made a special effort at every incidence of that number. It would be later before the significance came out. (Don was born on the 23rd of December.)

On Sunday night at eleven, the CBS affiliate, WRDW, in Augusta, Georgia carried a news report on Don’s disappearance. We wish to thank them for doing so.

By this time we had contacted the FBI, Tennessee Law Enforcement, Georgia State Patrol, Aiken County South Carolina Law Enforcement and anyone else we thought might could help.

Until you have been in this situation you can nver understand the thoughts that enter your mind. All the most terrible scenarios are the only ones that enter and linger.

On Monday, 14 April, 2008 we finally located him. A lady from the financial office of the hospital, Grady Memorial, called Don’s work and asked if he was there! His supervisor questioned the lady and discovered that he had been admitted on Friday, 11 April, 2008 after a car wreck and she wanted to know if he had medical insurance.

Don had been in a head on collision.

He is doing better. He had his second surgery on 23 April 2008 and has a long road to full recovery.

The doctors had to put a plate in his hip. The injuries are: right leg broken in four places, left leg broken in three places, left knee busted up badly (it appears, the keys on his key ring went into his knee), pelvic bone broken, one kidney bruised, laceration to the top of his head requiring seven staples.

I had to cancel the NCIC Missing Persons Report as for some reason, he was never matched to it.

We thank all those that have gone so far above and beyond to help us-Grady Memorial Hospital Staff, The Members of the Hodges Church of God, The Bob Harvley Family, the Staff of Quality Hotel on Luckie Road in Atlanta, Georgia, the Staff of Quality Inn of Dickson, Tennessee, Staff of The Hot Spot Honea Path, South Carolina and all the members of the immediate family and friends.

I will blog about Don as he progresses through his recovery.


You can click in the "TAG" list (left lower sidebar) to see all posts regarding him.

Here are a few pictures of this very special man Grandfather chose to be my brother:

My Nephew, Fred (Don's Dad), Don

Don with his daughter

Mama and Don

Prayer Cloth for my Brother

I was checking out some blogs of others on CrochetList at Yahoo! Groups and found this pattern-Filet Prayer Cloth Pattern.



With a few changes as to hook size and yarn, the below picture is what my finished project looks like:



Yarn used: "Silkine" Pearl Cotton, Mercerized, #5 by The American Thread Company in a yellow.
Hook Used: Steel #3