Archives at Zinester: Update on Hart, from Rocky and Helen. Storytime

I want to thank all of you who have written to Helen, wishing my Hart all the best during his illness. Helen tells me that she has had more than 80 emails sent to her box, in response to the reports I have been sending out. Helen says that many of you have said that you would like to know more about my Hart's condition and ailment.... I am passing that job on to Helen, as she knows more than I do about things like that. My job is to look after Hart. I spent a long time today at the hospital..... Helen takes me for a nice long walk down by the river, before she takes me in to Hart's room to guard him. Now here is Helen:.........

Thanks Rocky. I know that Hart doesn't like to mention his ailments, but I know too that many of you have asked specifically. So I am going to try to answer some of the questions that have been asked in the many emails that I got--and by the way, thanks for sending your emails to me at my address: hmdowd@telus.net, rather than to Hart's....... Now, on with the report: Hart would rather I not tell you his problems, but you have asked, and several of you have said that it is only fair of me to share with you, so that you can better pray. I told Hart today that many of you had been asking for a detailed report on his illness. He finally reluctantly said to go ahead, so here are the answers to some of your queries.

Hart's condition (or ailments): he has ongoing colitis (for the past 20 or more years). His asthma acts up when he has a low blood count (and he has had several times lately.) He has to use an inhaler to help him get his breath when this happens. He has a bladder infection, a bowel infection, and a prostrate infection. All of these he is taking antibiotic medication for. He has 3 crushed discs in his back, and this causes poor circulation, as well as pain when he stands (not to mention walking, as he can't do that right now)--not taking medication for this.

As some of you know, he has been suffering from a knee infection which actually started back in 1992 after he had his first knee surgery. He got stapf infection in his right knee. Every so often the infection would cause the leg to break out into a rash and become very sore. Several doctors passed it off as exzema; however, as the years have gone by, it has been getting more frequent and more serious.

Three years ago, as some of you will remember, the leg swelled, and then burst. He became very ill to the point of his becoming delerious. That is when he first went into the Hope hospital (2004). He was in for 3 months. Then in 2005 his leg flared up again. Again he was admitted to the hospital. Ultimately, he was sent to a specialist who operated on his leg, removing the original prosthesis, and putting in a block of anti-biotics. This was supposed to get rid of the infection. He was sent back to the Hope hospital, where he had to stay for 6 weeks, receiving antibiotics by I.V. every 4 hours. He was not allowed to put any weight on that leg, so as to let the anti-biotics do their work. He got out of the hospital just before Christmas in 2005, and his surgery for the replacement of the prosthesis was scheduled for February 2006. He came home after about a week in the Vancouver General. For awhile he felt better, but it didn't last long....

In about August of 2006, because of a colitis flare-up, his colitis doctor put him on a high dosage of prednisone. This gave him boundless energy. He was unstoppable. I was exhausted trying to keep up with him..... Then in October he crashed. His leg began swelling again. It became more painful than ever before. It developed a kind of ulcer, and one morning he woke up in a pool of liquid. The sore had burst. (What a mess!) With difficulty, I got him to the Hope hospital E.R., and he was there for the day while his leg drained "buckets." They tested the discharge and announced that he had the "super bug" MRSA. So more antibiotics, and this time they were very expensive. After 2 months on these pills, with the home nurse coming in to the home every day and dressing the sore, it healed over. But it didn't heal inside. It just kept getting bigger and bigger. I was very worried about it.....

His leg and mobility became progressively worse. He had gone from walking without aid to walking with a cane to having to use a walker, and finally having to be dependent on a wheelchair to get around. His leg looked like it had a basket ball under the skin, and the skin was very hot and red. ..... That went on for quite some time, with several visits to our family doctor. On a couple of subsequent visits to the surgeon in Vancouver, who had done the operation, he was told that there seemed only one solution if the leg didn't heal------AMPUTATION. So that is what Hart is facing right now.

Hart is scheduled to be taken by ambulance to the Vancouver General Hospital on Wednesday (the 18th). We will know more about what is to happen on Monday. At the last visit with that (arrogant) doctor in Vancouver, in December, Hart was told that his was the first case that the doctor had ever done that had not been successful. But he also said that since he operated on Hart last February, he had heard of a new proceedure. We have been told that this surgeon will consult another surgeon to see if there is some way they can save the leg. But unless some miracle happens, that seems to be what they will do.

That is the reason we have been hesitant to tell anyone. It seems so drastic. However, people DO survive and HAVE survived and done very well at adjusting to something as drastic as losing a limb -- especially a leg. But age and other health problems are a serious factor in this. Of course, we know that the Great Physician has the power to override any arrogant doctor and can perform a miracle.