Doctor Visit

Wednesday we went to see Dr. Molnar so he could evaluate Dallas' last round of steroid injections.  He was very pleased to see that they have helped out his neck and arm, and said that it even appears some redness has subsided.  YAY!  (hard to tell his redness subsiding since we see him everyday).

He is concerned with some areas of thick scarring and is positive that Dallas will be needing contracture release surgery along with more grafting.  This would include his arm, near the armpit, his elbow area, and the thick band of scarring across his chest.  He advised us that the longest he could wait to have this done would be next summer.

Since Dallas is in school, I believe we will just wait until mid-summer to have him go through surgery.  The surgery will render him immobile for weeks, if not months, so during the school year is out of the question.  He is just now meeting friends and getting adjusted to kindergarten life.  It would be wrong to take him out of it already.

And we don't want to do this at the beginning of the summer and have Dallas completely miss out on his summer again!  So I was thinking maybe mid-July.  This is when it would be too hot to go out and play anyways, and would give him a partial summer.  I think it is something we will be discussing with Dr. Molnar on Dallas' next visit.

We have to go back to Winston-Salem on January 14&15 for Dallas' next round of steroid injections.  The 14th will just be for his physical, to make sure he is in good medical condition to go through with the surgery.  The 15th he will have the injections done.  This time, Dr. Molar wants to focus on his armpit area, inner elbow, and the band across his chest.

Hopefully this next round will help out as much as the first round did!  If so, maybe his surgery will be minimal.

Dallas will still have another 2-3 sets of injections prior to surgery (if we set it in July).

On the way home, Dallas was complaining that his throat was hurting him.  When we got home, he had a low grade fever and did the next morning as well.  So he didn't go to therapy Thursday morning, nor did he go to school.  Last night, his fever spiked to 102.5.  So I took him into the doctor today, and it was deemed that he has an upper respiratory infection.  He was given amoxicillin and if he isn't feeling better by Monday, they want to see him for a check up.

Hopefully the meds will clear it up, as we don't want this turning into bronchitis or worse.

For now, plenty of rest, Ginger Ale, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Applesauce.  :)

I will update his condition over the weekend.

Hope everyone enjoys their weekend, and keep Dallas in your thoughts!

Things are Getting Better

It's been a while since I have last posted.  I am sure that many of you still come around to see how Dallas is doing.  Well... things are going good.

He had his steroid injections about 6 weeks ago.  We will need to go this week for a check up.
It seems to have helped his neck and right arm (in the armpit area) enabling him to lift his arm up higher.  However, it has caused more problems in the elbow area.  He is now completely unable to put his arm straight.
Guess you have to take the good with the bad.
We fear that he will definitely have to have a contracture release in that area... but hopefully another round of steroid injections could loosen it?
I will have to find out what the Doctor says Wednesday.

Dallas has started public school.  I have officially shut down the Homeschool because he wanted to be around other kids.
At first, I was quite fearful of this.  I was afraid of how the other kids would react to him, how the teachers would handle it, IF they would be able to handle a child with this type of injury.  But, he's been going about a month now... and he enjoys every day.  Sure, there are days when he is tired and completely worn out, but overall, he really loves it.  He wakes up every day, ready to go!

And it's absolutely amazing how many people have been completely supportive.  He has SO many friends.
I remember when I was in school, people didn't want to be friends with the "different" kid.  And that is what I was afraid of.  But people just warmed right up to him.  They helped him, and on his very first day, he made his best friend... Ethan.
A week ago, he went to another friends birthday party, where he had a great time!
Things just get better and better for him.  I think socially, this is the best thing for him, and each and every day we take him and pick him up from school, I get to meet another one of his friends.
Kids from Pre-K all the way through Fifth Grade are friends with him, help him, guide him, and are there for him.  It's heartwarming to know how blessed he (and we) truly are.

Dallas had a great Thanksgiving.  He was able to see his grandma, grandpa, and Bubba (Tyler).  He was so thrilled.

He is also ready for Christmas.  We are making it a family tradition to go to Gatlinburg every year, from now on.  2 years ago, we went there for Christmas and the kids had such an amazing time.  This year, we're doing the same.  The kids will be able to go to the indoor water park, walk downtown and see the lights, there are so many crafts and activities, and so much more.  We are really looking forward to this Christmas.  :)

I will update again once we find out what the Doctors say.

Hope everyone is doing well.  And thank you for your support, prayers, and thoughts.

Dallas' Birthday Party

We celebrated Dallas' 6th birthday yesterday.  Dallas had a great time and had so much fun!

He wanted a Chuck E. Cheese birthday, so that's what we did.  My parents came in with Tyler, Travis' parents came in, and there were a few people that worked with Travis that showed.  

Dallas decided he wanted it to be a costume party, so he dressed as a Ninja and Mac as a Cowboy.  There were a few others who were dressed up and he loved it.

It was great seeing him smile, laugh, play, and have such a great time!

We want to thank everyone for coming!  You all really made Dallas' day that much more special.  

Here are a few pictures from the event: 

Homemade Spongebob Cake

Ninja

Dinner and a Show

Ready for the cake

Make a wish!

Dallas with Chuck E. Cheese

Gift Time :)

Happy

Awesome!

So Excited!

Expression when he saw his new Golf Club Set from Dick Gordon

"Cool Spongebob Card!"

Tyler gave Dallas all the tickets he won!  

In the ticket blaster

Having so much fun!

Thanks again to everyone who came!  And for all the birthday wishes to Dallas.  He had a great time!  

A fun day

Dallas is doing well.  Good days, bad days... as usual.
But more good than bad, it seems.

At the benefit held at the American Legion, my mother bought the two HUGE pumpkins.  She gave one of them to Dallas, as he had been wanting one ever since seeing them at Walmart a few weeks back.  So we lugged the thing home, put it in the front yard, and there it sat.
Well... a couple of days ago, we decided to gut it.
Dallas had such a great time doing that.  He laughed about the way it felt, the squishy feeling, and the way it smelled.  It was a good time.

We haven't carved it yet, leaving that for a future date, as I don't want it to rot too soon.
And we will be putting up the decorations this weekend.  He's definitely looking forward to that!


Also, this weekend, we will be celebrating Dallas' 6th birthday.  His actual birthday is the 27th, but due to some difficulties with schedules, we felt that this weekend would be much more convenient.
He's really looking forward to having a good time.  :)

Therapy has been going well.  His therapist, Jessica, is doing some different things that are causing him pain, but he knows it's going to help him out in the long run.

Also, he has his first round of steroids on November 8th.  Hopefully all will go well at that appointment.

Well, until next time, have a great day!
And keep thinking about Dallas!


PS:  I have sent out thank you cards to EVERYONE who has sent anything to Dallas.  I have received some back from the postmaster due to wrong addresses.  I have also found out many people have not received anything.  If you have not received a Thank You card and would like one, please do not hesitate to let me know. We truly appreciate everything that has been done for Dallas, and what continues to be done.  I do not want anyone to feel that we are ignoring them.
Please email me:  dyridings@aol.com

Have a wonderful day!!!

Benefit by The American Legion

This past Saturday, the American Legion in Waynesville, NC hosted a benefit for Dallas.  It was absolutely wonderful!  From the moment we arrived, everyone was so welcoming.
Dallas was super excited and had a really great time!

I wanted to post some pictures from the event so that you all could enjoy that day with us, once again... as well as for those of you who were unable to make it, and those who continue to follow Dallas' progress.

This is when we first arrived.  Dallas was overwhelmed.  With excitement, with happiness, perhaps with some fear and reservations.

Most of the time, he's really not a shy child, but since this has happened, he's been more guarded.

Thank you to everyone who talked to him, who played with him, and helped him to come out of his shell.  :)

Dallas was so excited to be able to get his face painted.  This is something he hasn't been able to do in a very long time.

What did he choose to get?  A Dallas Cowboys star, of course!

He really enjoyed doing this.

Dallas got to ride Madelyn's horse!  This is the first time he was able to go horseback riding, and he really, REALLY had a blast!

Just look at that smile!

This was something that surely brightened his day!!

Thank you!  :)

Another one of him riding.
I cannot tell you how much he truly loved doing this!

He wanted to keep riding.

Now we know something else he enjoys, and hopefully he'll get to do it again soon!

Dallas on Stage with the Hoss Howard Band!

As you can tell, he had some reservations holding him back.  But after he got off stage, all he talked about was how he was up there, playing the guitar.  "Did you see me?"  "Did you see me playing the guitar?"  "I did good, huh?"  It was adorable!

And a big thanks to these guys!  They were amazing.

We all really enjoyed the show and are very appreciative for you guys helping support Dallas through this time.

Dallas sitting in one of the race cars that was brought to the event!

He was so excited to sit in it and pretend like he was driving.

Every week Dallas watches the race with his Daddy, so this was a big thing, him getting the chance to sit in a race car.  :)

Dallas participated in a "cake walk", one of his favorite parts of the event, and won!  He was so excited.

And rather than keeping the cake, he gave it to the lady that "almost" won.

Looks like Nanna was a little more excited than Dallas to give the lady the cake.  LOL.  :)

Dallas playing with his "Bubba" (Tyler) before joining another cake walk.
He doesn't get to see him too often, so when he does, he tries to play with him as much as possible.

And here's Dallas participating in one of the cake walks.

He ended up winning this one too.  :)







"May I have your attention please?"  "May I have your attention please?"
These were the words that Dallas first spoke on stage.
Here he is with Daddy, thanking everyone for everything they did.  Telling everyone that he is getting better every day.

No more stage fright!  :)

The lady pictured here on stage with Dallas is Ginger.  There was a raffle for all of the Halloween decorations they had displayed.  Two inflatables and a skeleton for the yard.  Well, she won the raffle.  And rather than keeping the decorations, she decided to give them to Dallas.  She told me, that as soon as she saw him standing there, smiling and looking at the inflatables, she just had to give them to him.  How sweet is that?

Dallas can't wait to put them up!  He is so excited.  I'm thinking this next weekend, we will have them up!  :)


This little guy was given to Dallas at the Benefit.  Something that he didn't expect whatsoever.  When he was given to Dallas, his face lit up like a Christmas tree.  He absolutely adores animals, especially dogs.  Before this happened, we had a dog, Sarge.  He was going to get big, and was very active and playful with Dallas.  Once the accident happened, we had to give him away, in fear that he would hurt Dallas.  So this was a wonderful gift for him.

Dallas decided to name him Legion.
Fitting, don't you think?

Dallas had a really great time at the event, and so did the rest of us!  It was wonderful to see him run, to play, to jump, and to have so much fun!  We have met some wonderful people, who I hope will be lifelong friends.  Dallas was shown so much support, and he enjoyed every minute of it!

This is Dallas with Chuck and Wendy.  We wanted to say thank you for helping to put this event together.  They also provided lunch for everyone, Blue Ridge BBQ (amazing food, by the way!).
They were also kind enough to allow us to stay with them.  Dallas loved it there!  Right on the river.  Beautiful.

Thank you guys again for everything you did for us.  You made us feel welcome and showed Dallas, as well as the rest of us, a really great time!

Hopefully in the near future, we can make it back out to Waynesville.  It was a great little town, with a down home feel.  Everything that we could ever ask for, and more!

Thank you all for your continued support, thoughts, and prayers!  It means a lot to know that so many people care, that so many people are still supporting Dallas.  So many times, once the "worst" is over, people tend to go back to their lives, to "forget" about what happened.  Well, Dallas has a LONG road ahead of him, many more surgeries, both for function and cosmetic reasons.  He has years worth of strange looks and having to explain what happened.  So this will be a hard journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, and he needs all the support he can get.

Words cannot explain how appreciative we are for everything!  Thank you again.  :)

Quick Update

Saturday was unbelievable!  Dallas had such a great time, as did the rest of us.

This was the first time we have seen Dallas run, jump, and smile, like he did, in a very long time.  He didn't want it to end.

We want to sincerely thank everyone for everything that was done for him!

Thank you all for putting this together for Dallas and our family.

I will have a more in-depth update as soon as I get more than 5 minutes to spare, lol.

But until then, thank you again, for everything!

It is much appreciated.  :)

Homeschool: Unit 1- The Letter S

Today is the first day of Unit 1:  The Letter "S".

Dallas had a good day.  We learned about the letter "S".  The sounds "S" makes.  Different words that start with the letter "S".

He got to draw the letter "S" in the salt.

He also drew a smily face, since it starts with the letter "S".

We also did different math activities, as well as some others.


He is really enjoying homeschool so far!  I am so happy with this program!

Therapy is getting better

Dallas has been enjoying therapy more often than not.  There are times, each therapy session, that really puts a strain on all his scars, on his limitations and movements, sometimes tears are shed.  However, therapy is getting better.  He is getting stronger, doing more, and building his endurance.

I thought I'd share a video of a recent session.

This is what he calls "the water".  It's a blue mat, kind of like an oversized bean bag, and he loves to jump on it.

Dallas jumping in "the water"

Benefit for Dallas - Update

The American Legion in Waynesville, NC is hosting a Benefit for Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 29th. They will be selling BBQ, raffling a TV, having a band and other activities. Dallas is working hard towards recuperation, but there are lots of procedures and hurdles he will have to overcome. We hope you can join us for this event. Thank you so much.

Little Update

So, lots of people have been asking about how Dallas is doing.  And I haven't updated in a while.

Here we go.

Dallas is getting better one day at a time.

He is able to raise his right arm above 90 degrees now, albeit just barely, but that's still progress.

His infections are still there, getting bigger and worse.  So we are trying our best to keep them as clean as possible, though nothing is seeming to help.  Hopefully when he starts steroid injections, Dr. Molnar will take him in and "scrub them" like he said he would.  But who knows?

Still no word as to when his first round of steroid injections will be.  Still awaiting the approval from the insurance company.  Hoping and praying they WILL approve it.  Otherwise, he will have to have releases instead.

He's been wearing his mask more often, which is helping with the scarring on his face, though it gets stuck to the infection areas, so it's a catch 22.  Either he wears it, and it helps with the scarring, BUT the infected areas get no air, and therefore, more bacteria breeds.  Or, he doesn't wear it, he doesn't get the compression and good results from it, but, his infected areas have a chance to clear.  It's a no win situation either way.  And it's driving me crazy (and him as well).

Dallas started playing baseball outside.  He's getting really good at it, hitting almost every ball that is thrown to him.  He's enjoying it, and I believe it's helping with his range of motion as well.
On the other hand, there is a scar in his inner elbow that is getting worse, and has been getting worse since he's started playing baseball.  A result of playing, or just a coincidence?  I don't know.

School is going well.  There are days where he really enjoys it, and other days that he struggles to get through.  But overall, he is doing very well.

Also, the American Legion is setting up a banquet/benefit for Dallas.  I believe it's September 29th, but I don't know all the details.  More to follow.

If there is anything else that you all would like me to address, feel free to comment or send an email.  :)

Have a blessed day.

Homeschool (Days 1 & 2)

So far, we are two days into homeschool.  Dallas has had a great time and is learning so much.  Just wanted to share a few photos of how things are going.  :)

Decorating

Decorating

Day One:

Day Two:

Good Morning! It's Been a Good Few Days. :)

So... where to begin.

We have had a busy week so far, and it's only Wednesday!

Dallas started homeschool on Monday.  He LOVES it!  He's having such a great time and learning so much.  It's really a wonderful program, and I think he will do well.  And the fact that he enjoys it makes it that much more rewarding.

So far, he has learned about Creation, the first and second day.
He has also been working on writing upper and lowercase letters.  A, B, C, and D.
He is learning different songs and I even added in a few things, different crafts for him to do.

Today will be another great day.  I just know it.

Therapy is getting more intense.  Tuesday his therapist worked on stretching out his right flank.  It was not a pleasant experience for him.  Usually he does pretty well at therapy, but there were tears that day. It's so hard to watch him in pain and have to tell him it will make him feel better.  I know he doesn't completely understand that.

I am planning on taking the boys to the Clay Center, hopefully Friday.  I think it would be a great experience for them.  They went last year and had a blast.  Think it's time to make another trip.

Today we are going to go to Cabella's.  The boys want to see the different mounted animals and the huge aquarium that's there.  AND, it will get them out of the house.

Also, I want to take them to pick out some different plants or flowers to plant in our flower garden (that's nonexistent at this point).  The mornings are very cool, and the sun doesn't cover the front yard until around 10am, so it would be great to get them out during this time!

The pool will be closing soon, which sucks.  Because Dallas is just now to the point where he's enjoying it.  But, on the positive side, the Therapy Clinic has an indoor pool.  And Jessica wants to get him into it.  So maybe in the near future he will trust her enough for this!

That's all for today.  Try and catch you all again later this week!

A Special "Thank You"

I wanted to give a special "thank you" to a few people who have continued to help support Dallas' recovery.

Of course, there's family and friends that are there for Dallas, that show support, that check on him.
And THANK YOU to all of you who do that.  It is needed, not only for his mental state, but for his physical well being also.

But there are others, people who don't really know Dallas, people who continue to help him through this tough time, donating money or accessories to help with his recovery.

Westview Baptists Church in Shelby has given so much to Dallas.  We continuously receive help for them, at the exact right times.  We find out we have a new expense for Dallas and think "how are we going to afford this?".  The next day, we receive help.  How?  It's amazing what God can do!  Thank you so much!  It is such a blessing.  We are very thankful for everything you all have done!  We would like to make a special visit there soon.  I know so many people would like to meet Dallas, and he would like to as well.

Ashley Wright-Boswell and Moms-on-a-Mission.  THANK YOU!  The clothing that Dallas has received will help out SO MUCH!  Dallas just received another box of clothes yesterday.  I wish I would have taken a picture of him when he saw them!  He was SO excited!
You all have done so much for him (and us) and we cannot tell you how much we TRULY appreciate everything!

New Beginnings Church in Fallston, NC.  Thank you all as well.  The amount of support you have shown is truly amazing!  We really enjoyed visiting and would like to again in the future.  You have shown us that when people are in need, when times are tough, that God is walking right there beside you and will be with you every step of the way!  Thank you all again!


There are many others that I have not recognized in this post, and please do not feel like you are not as important.  Because no matter what, each and every one of you are thanked a million times over!  Thank you for the support.  Thank you for the dedication to reading his blog.  Thank you for the prayers.  Thank you for being there for us.  Thank you for everything you all have done!

Another Update :)

Dallas had a good week overall.  We got some of the scabs off is his head (where the infection is) and it's beginning to clear up some.  YAY!  GOOD NEWS!!!

Therapy has been going well.  Dallas continues to get stronger.  He's getting even more energy.  So they are looking at scheduling him for OT again.  Right now, they cut back to just PT and Massage Therapy.  So increasing therapy would be great for him.

We also received his homeschool curriculum.  He is so excited to start!  We are going to begin this Monday.  It looks like a great program.  He should do well!

Dallas has his next appointment with Dr. Molnar on Monday the 27th.  Hopefully things will go well at that appointment.  I'm getting nervous for him.  He's definitely not going to like getting steroid injections if that's what we decide to go with (hopefully if all goes well with that, he won't have to have releases done on the thicker scar tissues).

It's hard to believe that it's been 4 1/2 months since his accident, so he is only about 3 1/2 months out from surgery.  The doctors told us that during the first four months is when things will get worse, after that, they will improve.  So if this is the worst it's going to be, then it gives me a much more positive outlook on his future.

I think we are going to take the kids to the National Forest this weekend.  Have a cookout and let them play at the playground.  Dallas had fun the last time we went.  So if we head out there around 5pm, the sun will be behind the trees, it'll be cooled down some, and there won't really be anyone there.  So we could have the place to ourselves.  I'll be sure to take pictures and post them!  :)

The only negative things going on with his progress is that Dallas still isn't sleeping through the night.  He usually gets up once a night, which interferes with his rest.
He still has the staple in his right arm.  Which I am working on talking him into letting me take it out.
And he has some restrictions and limitations with his right arm.

Of course, there's the normal things... his scarring is pretty thick, he's still very pinkish-red, etc.  But those things will improve with age.

Overall, Dallas is doing well.
He continues to amaze me with his determination.  With the motivation he has.
Even when he wants to give up, when things hurt him or it gets too hard, he pushes himself farther.  He goes above and beyond.  He continues to inspire us!

Things Are Getting Tougher

Therapy went well the last two sessions.  However, things are getting more and more difficult for Dallas.  His scarring is continuing to tighten.  We hope that this will cease, however, from what we have read and have been told, it takes 18 months for a scar to fully mature; which means it could continue to get worse.  If this is any indicator of what is to come, I cannot imagine his limitations in the next 6 months.

That being said, Dallas has another appointment to see Dr. Molnar on August 27th.  Hopefully he will do something different with these infected areas in his hairline, and will have something positive to say. He is supposed to speak with us about doing steroid injections in the scar sites, as well.

Oh, and I have forgot to mention, Dallas has another staple in his arm.  Recently, it has come to the surface, but he is terrified to let me take it out.  He wants medicine from the doctor so he won't feel anything.  I don't think he realizes that means going into the sedation suite and having IVs put in.  It would be an even more painful process that way.  But what can you do?  We are trying to encourage him to get it out here, so that this doesn't have to happen.

Dallas hasn't been sleeping well the last few weeks.  He's been getting up more and more throughout the night.  Last night, he was up every hour, and then awake from 3am-4am.

Dallas is excited about doing homeschool!  I received the acceptance letter from the State to be able to homeschool him, and have ordered his curriculum.  He cannot wait to begin.  That's wonderful!

Sorry for the short update.  I will do more soon.

Progression

Dallas has done well over the last couple of days.  Therapy has went good.  They have cut it back to Tuesdays and Thursdays only; Mondays and Wednesdays focused on strength and endurance, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are stretching and massage.  Apparently, they feel he is doing well with strength and endurance.  That's good.  This week, he held himself up on the parallel bars, climbed up a wall with his feet, while his arms supported him on the floor, stretched beyond a 90 degree angle with his right arm, can throw a ball really well with his right arm, and has done much more.  It's really wearing him out, and at times, it hurts him and he wants to stop, but he keeps on pushing through.

The good news is that Dallas' spirits are up.  He has a very positive attitude towards everything, which will help him to continue to progress well.

The bad news is that his scarring is getting worse.  He is losing more mobility in his right arm due to the scar tissue tightening even more, especially across the inner joint of his elbow.  It is to the point where he has to force his arm straight, the natural position is now in a bent position.

Also, Dallas is getting worse infections on his hairline.  It started out very small, and apparently, Dr. Molnar said that the cause was hair coming through the skin; according to him, it's very common.  Ok, I can understand that.  But the fact that they have progressed from being smaller than dime-size to now half-dollar size is quite alarming.  They are also getting increasingly more painful for him.  NOT a good thing.  I still don't understand why they won't give him an antibiotic for it, even if it's just topical?  It doesn't make sense to me.  But then again, I'm not a doctor, so, I don't know.

On another positive note, Dallas played out in the sprinkler twice this week, and went to the pool for about 45 minutes.  That was a big step for him.  He did so well with both.  He's still scared to try to swim, fearing he will go face first into the water, which is part to do with his right arm having problems.  But, he walked back and forth in the 3' end, jumped around, turned in circles, and was able to go up the ladder by himself (but still needed help down).  It was great to see him playing like a little kid again.  :)

We also did some crafts yesterday.  I bought wooden letters to spell out Dallas and Mac's name so they could paint them and put them on the wall in their room.  Last time I bought stuff for Dallas to paint, he didn't want to have anything to do with it.  At least this time, he was interested, and participated.  Seems like he's having more fun and doing more things than he used to do.  He also said that he wanted to get more stuff to paint, and other crafts to do.  We think it's a great idea.  If he's this interested in it, I think we will start taking him to Michaels or Hobby Lobby during the "crafts for kids" day.  Let him participate in some things among other children.

Speaking of being among more children, I took the kids to the movie theater Wednesday morning.  During the summer, they do the free kids movies on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.  This was the first time Dallas actually WANTED to go, which is wonderful!  So I took them to see Dr. Suess's The Lorax.  He did really well, especially considering almost every seat was taken by the time the movie started.  Good thing we got their right when they opened and were able to get the seats we wanted.  About an hour into the movie, Dallas was ready to go.  I figured it would have been sooner.  But there was only 30minutes left, so we stayed.  Dallas did great.  I was so happy.  And there were less "looks" than I thought there would be.  Dallas wasn't shy in the least bit either.  YAY!

Dallas is sleeping better at night, for the most part.  There are still some nights when he doesn't sleep well at all, some nights when his itching is uncontrollable, but overall, sleeping is better for him.  Which, in turn, means it's better for us as well.  :)

Overall, I would say things are going pretty well.  There are still good days and bad, and there will be for a long time to come.  But he's doing well, his spirits are high, and he still knows how to bring a smile to us all!

We are so proud of you and love you so much buddy!!!

It's Been a While

So it's been a long time since I last updated about Dallas.  With it being summer, Dallas' schedule being so hectic, and feeling like there just aren't enough hours in the day, I haven't been around to post.

But, I know that everyone is concerned about him, and would like an update... so I'm going to go back to the original plan of blogging Monday's and Friday's.


"So how is Dallas doing?"
He's doing well.  He still has good days and bad days, but it seems like the bad days are fewer and farther between.  On the other hand... when it's a bad day... it's a BAD day.  Perhaps because I'm classifying things differently now, with what's "good" and what's "bad" for him.

Dallas received his face mask a little over a week ago.  He liked it the first day putting it on... but taking it off, yeah, he didn't like that so much.  It pulled underneath his ears and hurt him.  Trial and error.  We've gotten to where we can put it on with ease; and take it off pretty easily as well.
He isn't wearing it 23 hours a day yet.  Working up to that.  But he has been wearing it at least 12.  We have to buy another one this week.  Going to have to get him another set of garments as well, considering his camo one's are getting too loose.
Also, the face mask helps considerably, but it seems it's only momentary.  I say this because he will wear it for 12 hours, take it off, and his face is so smooth.  It is almost like there is little to no hypotrophic scarring on his face (once the mask comes off).  However, about an hour later, there it is.  Thick, rigid, tight scarring.  It's baffling.  Hopefully the more he wears it, the more it will smooth out the scarring completely.

As for Dallas' right arm.  It's doing well.  Physically, his arm looks great.  The skin is smooth.  There is very little hypotrophic scarring where the Integra was laid under the grafted skin.  However, there are areas that are super tight.  Such as in the front of his armpit.  It continues to get tighter.  Dr. Molnar says he will need a release done in the future there.  As well as on the inner area of his elbow (where there is hypotrophic scarring that has started).  We are going to discuss steroid injections into the scar sites.  Apparently this is supposed to prohibit further scar development in these areas and help break it up (this is according to Dr. Molnar).  Going to have to do some research and see what comes up.  The doctor would rather try that first, than do surgery, simply because it's less invasive.  The down side to it, is that we will have to commit to steroid injections every 6 weeks into those sites.  That means Dallas will have to endure multiple shots every month and a half.  But if it works, it'll be worth it.  ***Praying that will be the answer***

Dallas' right flank (the right side of his body) is also developing very tight scars.  It's getting very thick and rigid.  But that's one of the areas they aren't *as* concerned about.  Although, he does have stretching and massage therapy to those areas.

Speaking of therapy, it is getting more intense as the weeks go by.  Monday's and Wednesday's Dallas has physical therapy, focusing on getting stronger, building endurance, and so forth.  Tuesday's and Thursday's Dallas has massage therapy for his body and face.  Massage therapy started out as something he enjoyed.  Until it got more intense and the pressure applied is so much greater, the stretching involved is much more as well.  So it hurts him.  Which, hurts us to see.
Mentally, it is getting rougher watching his therapy go on.  It is getting harder to see him limited in what he can do.  And when he starts crying because it's hurting him, it tears me up inside.  It takes everything I have not to break down as well.

Dallas has SO much he has to wear, his pressure garments, face mask, neck brace, airplane splint, elbow splint.  It's crazy.  There's so much he's supposed to wear, so much he's supposed to do, it's taking away from him being able to be a child.  He's losing his childhood.

This weekend is a prime example of his childhood being lost.  Travis stayed at home with Kiana and Dallas, while I took Tyler and Mac to the water park.  Last year, we took Dallas to the water park.  He LOVED it.  We talked about going this summer (before all this happened) and Dallas was looking so forward to it, but now, he can't go.  It's too hot.  The sun is too much for him.  And he's scared of getting hurt, that the water will hurt him, that the sun will burn him, that he will bump into a wall, etc.  It's not fair.
We were talking about going to the zoo over the summer, taking a family vacation to the beach, playing mini golf, going to the mountains to go camping, going to the lake.  And now, none of it can happen.  Now, Dallas is limited to what he can do.  Sure, he can go outside.  But prior to going out we have to put 50+SPF sunscreen on his entire body, making sure to really layer the grafted areas.  Then, he's only out for 10 or 15 minutes before getting exhausted from the heat and sun.
And there's limited indoor activities he can do.  Trying to find things to do inside, that DOESN'T cost a ridiculous amount is very difficult to do.  Almost every indoor activity to take him to costs money.  It's so much easier and cost effective to take kids outdoors during the summer.  I've never realized how difficult it is when something like this happens.  Maybe soon everything will get back to a more "normal" state and Dallas will be able to go outside.

I'm sure I'm leaving some things out... a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.  So as I remember more, and as things go on, I will continue to update.  For now, expect updates at least on Monday's and Fridays (possibly more often if I get the time).  I will mark it on my calendar so I don't forget to do it.

Until next time, have a good day!  Thank you all for your continued support, for the donations he has received, and for all the prayers!