PROM PICS!

here is a pic of kara and her date jeremy i will get some more pics up later i just ran out of time

Kara is graduating!

Kara is graduating today and we just wanted to wish her the best of luck she is going to BYU Idaho we are very excited for her and so proud of her!

Guess What??????

I'ts a GIRL!!!!

Information on my Feet

Ok, so I've decided to take the time out to let everyone get in on the "know" with my feet. Ever since I was little I've had problems with my feet. (Some of you know and remember me in casts.) I remember when I graduated from 8th grade and we had a day at the park. I just walked most of the day and I distinctly remember when we were heading back to the school that my feet were hurting extremely bad. The next morning, I couldn't walk, and had to crawl to get anywhere and I used crutches for two days to get around. Things haven't gotten much better since then. I saw some doctors when I was in high school and they told me I could get an operation (I don't remember what they were going to do) but they said I would have to be in a cast and have physical therapy for 6 months. I opted not to do it. Even when I was on my mission, I had extreme problems with pain in my feet for those two years. Weight doesn't seem to be an issue, just how much I’m walking or standing on them.

Now, we had the chance to see some new doctors and get some opinions on what can be done. The first doctor told me I had some major arthritis in my joints and wanted to refer me to another doctor. So then he told me the same but elaborated a little bit. Said the subtalar joint needed to be fused, as that is where most of the pain was coming from. He said my feet were fusing themselves together and the pressure and limited motion in the joints cause the pain. He told I would have to be off my feet (no weight at all) for 10-12 weeks, then a walking cast for another 2-3 months. Then they would give it a year to heal, and then operate on the other one.

We set a date for the surgery and after doing that decided to visit a orthopedic surgeon to hear yet another opinion. I had my visit with him last Tuesday (the 9th of April). After looking at the X-rays he gave me a grimmer picture of what my bones looked like and what the options were.


Here is the x-ray of my left and right feet.


Take a good look at it. Here is the same picture with some lines I've placed on it. I've drawn attention to the joint in the red circles. The green line is where "normal" peoples bone is. It is round as that is the joint that enables the motion. The blue line represents what mine is. The surgeon told me that years ago the bone had collapsed making it an extremely dense bone.


Here in the third picture I've placed emphasis on the joints that would need to eventually be fused together. If you notice in my left foot the joint on the left (the one between the heel and the ankle also known as the subtalar joint) is virtually already gone. That is why I have more pain in my right foot then in the left.


So, there were four options the surgeon gave me.

The first suggestion was to have injections into the joints. This would help to determine where the worst joints were and how bad off they were. It would alleviate pain, but only temporarily.

Second was to fuse all the joints (the three main ones) and eliminate all movement in the foot almost guarantying the elimination of pain. Bad thing is that it then makes my foot a virtual "club" with 0% movement in my feet at all. He did not recommend this option and said it should only be done as a last resort.

Third was to fuse the subtalar joint (the one that is almost gone in my left foot). This would eliminate the majority of the pain while still allowing a certain percentage of movement in my feet. The downfall was that bone that was collapsed. He told me it needed to be packed with a bone graft from my hip. But since it was in the shape it was in they would have to use artificial bone and that the likely hood of the bone not taking, and not fusing the "dense" bone was high, causing more problems or even a loose fusion. I would have to have no weight on that foot for a minimum of 6 months or more giving time enough for the graft to take and the wound to heal.

Fourth was to try a brace around my foot. It wraps around my foot then draws together making it very snug. These would be worn basically for the remainder of my life, or until I had to have surgery and likely would need to wear them even if I had surgery. He suggested he would do everything he could to do anything but surgery for my feet.

The outlook did not look very good. I decided to try the "foot gauntlet". I've had it for about a week and before I say if it has helped or not, I am waiting until the time is up that he wanted me to wear it for. (8 weeks).

Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to let everyone know. I think that covers most of the questions anyone might have, but if you do have any more just let me know.

If you want to read more about either club feet or feet in general here are a few links:

http://www.footmaxx.com/clinicians/joints.html

http://www.podiatrychannel.com/anatomy/

http://www.clubfootclub.org/

http://www.blackburnfeet.org.uk/index.htm

(Sorry for the errors in spelling. It's late.)

laurie i finally did thanks to the nothums!!!!!

Happy Birthday Sharyl

Sharyl had fun with her dad at the Daddy-Daughter camp out.

Another Beautiful couple.

What a cute family!

What a handsome couple !

Jamison Sharyl and Jeff

Jamison and Emmie

Sharyl and Sam

Savanna's Dance Recital

As most of you know Savanna has been enrolled in creative dance for the past year. She has really enjoyed it when she has wanted to go. Last Tuesday they had their end of the year dance recital. She did very good and then at the end they awarded all the girls with a medal or trophy depending on how long they have been in dance. Savanna got a medal for being there one year and she's excited to enroll in the fall.

I need a job!

hey everyone... i'm pretty much jobless, so i was wondering if anyone have any ideas for a good job this summer?

Alright, this is my first post on the blog so I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to do but I guess I'll give it a shot. Todd went turkey hunting with my dad on Wednesday and managed to shoot one right in the bum.

Prom Night Shenanigans

While working last night at the prom. We found a couple of girls that wouldn't leave Linell and I alone. I'm glad I had a camera there to prove to everyone who they were. They even look happy. Wonder why?

Useless Fact

Useless fact of the day playdoh was originally made as wallpaper cleaner back in the 50s

Field Trip

Hunter went on his 2nd grade field trip yesterday (April 27) to the Wonders of Wildlife Museum in Springfield, MO.

Here he is crossing the rope bridge and with the kids that were in his group.

Last Day of School

Well today is Shanell's last day of school. I took a picture of the High Schoolers just before they walked out the door. Shanell is SUPER excited.

only 3 days left!!!

i only have 3 days left of high school and i can't wait... i'm so excited. yea!!!

Sara i think you are going to have a girl 50% chance that's a pretty big chance.

ok im here now

ok im here now

LISA IS 16!!!

Lisa turned 16 today! Everyone should call her and wish her a happy birthday.
417-742-4249 :) (in case you didn't want to look up her phone #)
Happy Birthday Lisa we love you!!!

Hey Family,
Things are warming up here in Idaho. We got about 6 inches of snow on Monday, but it's all gone now. Who knows if we will get more later.
Well, Jake and I are doing great, just finishing up with the semester. I graduate next week! I haven't really thought about it much, I have been a little preocupied with throwing up :) I'm feeling much better now though. We had another Dr. appointment yesterday and we heard the heart beat again. The Dr said, "Well you know what that heart rate means?, it means there is a about a 50% chance that your having a girl". Jake thought that was pretty funny, ha ha. We find out if it's a girl or a boy May 16. So what does everyone think, lets take a vote....... Whoever gets it right gets to change the first dirty diaper.

joe wants an invite

Linell Joe wants another invite the first one didnt work.
Thanks
Joewilko@aol.com


Ryan is gay so is Ben and Justin

Some more Easter Campout Pictures :)

Travis relaxing in a tree

Spencer and Jaycob

Jaycob and Makenna

Weston after his brother smashed an egg on top of his head, after the egg toss turned into an egg fight.
Brent and Linell, not sure what Brent is doing :)

Hunter and Weston on the Swing

Easter Weekend

For some strange bizzare reason, I failed to take any camera with me to the campout. After we got there Linell and I were both like, "Why didn't we bring a camera." Oh well, at least Cindy got some great pictures. The kids went on 4 easter egg hunts this year and each one was just as fun as the first. The first one was at the Willard Park. The second was at Lois' house. The third was at the family campout. The fourth was at my sisters house. Here are a couple picture of Savanna and Porter and from Savanna's first long bike ride.

Porter stopping his egg hunting so dad can take a picture. Do you think he's conditioned to smile on cue?

Savanna glancing over to give me a smile amidst counting her "haul".

Porter is using his bubble stick that he won at the campout. He loves blowing bubbles

Here is Savanna on her first "long" bike ride. We went from our house to the park. She did great, but we need to teach her how to stop and turn corners better. She loves her bike though and wants to ride it everyday.

While at the park it didn't take Savanna long to make a new friend and invite her into a picture. When they were leaving Savanna told her, "Come back next time. I will come back too." She's such a sweetie.

Every chance she gets to dance she does. They love this new playground equipment the Willard Park has. She even wants to go on American Idol so the judges can say "yes" and she can get the paper that says she can go on to the next round. How adorable is that.

More Easter Pictures

Shanell - catching an egg





Suni and Porter





Rachelle being surprised by a snake



Beautiful Shanell :)