This morning Dr. Tarkin told me that during the irrigation and debridement procedure, done early this morning, he found very little muscle and tissue damage. He was very pleased with what he saw. He said that our main goal now is to combat any infection that could potentially occur. Monday he will have the procedure repeated. After that, and if all is still well, they can proceed to the next phase which is closing the wounds. Josh actually has two major open wounds on his left lower leg. The higher one is the lesser of the two. This is where the bone came through. The lower gash is where he lost most of the tissue and that will need grafting. They will still have to work on the higher wound, but it is not as complex. The shin bone doesn’t have much tissue in front of it is naturally so this is where the grafting will be necessary.
This afternoon the Plastic Surgeon and all the interns came in to talk about Joshua’s next step in treatment. The plastic surgeons said that they may do a dye test to map his vascular system and show which areas on the left leg can be used for grafting.
Josh is now taking his pain medicine in pill form, not through the I.V. He is needing it less and less. He is still in good spirits and very appreciative of the outpouring of love and care from his family and friends. He definitely feels the love!