I’ve tried to write an update at least a dozen times, and deleted every single one of them. Christyna has a draft of an update, so I’m told. We’ll see who makes it over the finish line first.

The latest deleted update was entitled “Discoveries”. It was an unfinished list of things Christyna and I have uncovered during the course of our surgeries and respective recoveries. It could be summed up as “Stay healthy and fit and follow your doctor’s instructions.” Pretty banal.

I don’t know what Christyna’s update is titled. We have such different angles and methods to writing. As of this line, I don’t know what the title of this update is nor do I have a picture for you. I’ll resolve both IF I don’t delete this one. We’ll see.

Here’s what’s going on. Christyna has a wound vac that gets changed every few days. We recharge it every night and showering is a pain in the butt. I had to google how to shower with one. It involves press-n-seal wrap and medical tape and some praying that it doesn’t soak through or come unstuck. It’s a process, to say the least. I am no longer packing the wound.

We saw the surgical team today and they are seeing healing! Between the wound care team and the surgical team, we are pumping at least 120g of protein into Christyna a day. This is more challenging than I thought it would be. Unflavored Vital Proteins are a life saver! Pistachios and trail mix (gorp for you scouts) and eggs and jerky are now staples. Juven is flowing freely in the Christyna household! Juven, if you didn’t know, is a collagen drink. I’m reliable to get one into C a day, but the wound team would love to get a second. The surgical team is very happy regardless.

We see the wound care team on Thursday. We now have a special parking pass! Thursday, we also have the intake for the home health aide. They will come to us, take inventory of supplies, and get setup. They will be on a Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule. We are still unsure about the hyperbaric schedule at this point. The wound care team is working it on our behalf. We may know more in a couple days.

Christyna hit a new milestone today! She wiped her own butt, independent of me! Here’s a helpful hint for those of you who are not yet in committed relationships- find out their stance on wiping your butt should it be necessary. If they won’t, move on and dump them. Christyna and I had some major conversations during our courtship, but this one was not one of them. We spoke of child-rearing (even though we had discussed having kids and decided against it), home making and delegating responsibilities, and even where we would land (it was certain that we would have two households, minimally). Find out if they would wipe your butt early.

Christyna has been marvelous through this. I had a tough weekend with my recovery. My arm progress has regressed and I took some prescribed pain killers to get me through. Stress and weather contributed to the regression and pain. My therapist is great and meets me where I’m at without judgement. She knows how committed I am to myself and Christyna.  After communicating to my therapist today, I took new ground and got another 5 degrees, cumulative flex and extension. Having support on both sides makes the difference! (Both sides could be mouth and butt or home and recovery teams, you choose.) 

The final bit I’m gonna leave you with is- Christyna is rearranging the art gallery at home. She’s making it more conducive to our new physical state. I got a bug a couple weeks ago and wanted more of my art around. Christyna is actively making room for a collaboration! She is so great! I just figured out the post picture! It’s a piece of mine from my time in Nashville. If you like it, you can talk to my art manager and secure a copy, signed and numbered! Christyna is my manager. I’m still puzzling what the post title will be. SupportNow won’t let me post without a title/subject. I’ll let inspiration take over. 

We are doing well. Each of you has been a huge support through this ordeal. We are getting and taking visitors. Christyna is cleared to drive, so she/we can go out, aka you can invite us somewhere if you fancy. I am way more likely to go out if you want to procure a print of mine, just saying, shamelessly, to buy a print or three. I will even bring my portfolio for you to gander! Art feeds a the soul and can feed our date time when you purchase one…

That’s it for now. I got Christyna next to me and I want to pay her attention. Thank you all for your support. It’s wild. 

I send you peace and love.

Ryan