Lieutenant Dan! You got new legs!

One of Joe and I's favorite movies that we watch anytime it comes on TV is Forrest Gump (we are both HUGE Tom Hanks fans, I mean, who isn't). So when Joe came home from meeting with his prosthetist on Friday and walked in the door (yes, walked!) you bet your bottom dollar I yelled, "Lieutenant Dan! You got new legs!" Right before giving him a big ole bear hug. 

It's been a rough few months for us since the surgery in November, and since I took the month off from blogging, I know I haven't shared much on our adventures lately, so I think the blog's about due for an update!

As you know, Joe had his nerve surgery mid-November in Chicago and has been on crutches since; which can make even the simplest of tasks more difficult and frustrating. Luckily, we're now in a house that's only 1 floor, so he borrows my office chair and can just roll around the house. 

For the most part, everything was healing up well (2 of the 3 incisions) except for one incision which just stayed angry. We kept an eye on it and Joe did a round of antibiotics, but right before Christmas he came down with a fever so we went to the ER around 2 AM because a fever could mean an infection. Joe ended up being admitted and was there for almost 20 hours of tests with no real answers. He later met with his original surgeon and had some MRIs done. Their first guess as to what was causing the inflammation was that a capsule of fluid might be under the incision, which would mean that the incision would stay infected unless the capsule was removed...which could only be done by opening the incision. This was obviously the LAST thing we wanted as it would increase the length of Joe's recovery and keep him on crutches for much longer.

Luckily, the MRIs didn't show any capsules, and the surgeon diagnosed Joe with a case of neuritis, which means inflammation of the nerve which can happen after surgery or something traumatic happens. It's both common and uncommon, but the bottom line is it goes away with time and isn't something to be too worried about. 

We were so thankful for this news because I'll tell you...I was so worried they'd have to reopen the incision again and put us even further behind in the healing process which I'm not sure Joe or I could take at this point.

I won't lie. This last surgery has been a real doozy for us. It's been really tough between the holidays, filling the burg boxes, working full-time and part-time, taking care of Joe, Joe being on crutches and still on his medications...it was a true trial of our relationship. We love each other SO MUCH, but sometimes you let other things like stress, anxiety and fear get in the way and it makes it hard to remember what really matters. 

While the prosthetic leg fitting process is far from over (there are many test sockets and adjustments to be made), Joe is WALKING. I kind of forgot how tall he was all this time, it's funny to give him a hug and he's almost a foot taller than me. It's nice to be able to hold his hand again when we walk together and he opens doors for me and helps carry in stuff from the car and can't play with the pup enough...not to mention he's dancing all around the house now (see below). 

We truly couldn't be more excited for this next phase now that he's up and walking again. We are so grateful for everyone's support and prayers these past few months as we wouldn't have been able to do it without you. The amount of texts and offers to help out and take care of Grohl when Joe had to be admitted into the hospital was just incredible. I was so overwhelmed with gratitude. You have made everything much easier just by providing your support and prayers.

 You'll be seeing these legs hanging out on the canal path soon, and I can't wait to be right there beside him. 

XOXO