He is on his way to the airport!!!

Hi everyone...sorry its been so long but I have been so very busy these last couple of days and weeks getting the house ready for John to come home. I just spoke to him as he is on his way to the airport in Delhi...He is very excited and nervous..please pray for this flight as his inciscion is still not totally healed up and he has to fly in coach and is a bit worried about the seat with his hips. I am sure it will be okay...I just want him to get home. His flight will be all night long and then he will land in Newark tomorrow and leave around 6:30am for Phoenix YAAAAAAHOOOOO!!!!
Jason Amber and I will be going to meet him there at the airport...I just have a few things to do today and then I am going to just rest for the rest of the day before he gets home.
I am sure he will have lots to blog about once he gets home so I will go for now and want to thank all that has been inquiring on this blog about John...God Bless you for your concern and prayers.
It has meant more than you will ever know.
The next post will be from John :0)

Finally

Hello to all,
I have been extremely "beyond busy" these last couple of weeks...too long to go into but feel as though I have made an incredible dent!!!!
John will be coming home this coming weekend. He will be leaving Delhi on Sat night and will be back in Phoenix on Sund morning....Please pray for him as he is very nervous about the seating...being in coach class with those hips....pray that he has a comfortable flight and that he could get an isle seat in bulkhead...due to the change in plans because of what happened early on after the operation the seats he had originally are no longer available....so my pray is that he would get the isle seat in the bulk head seating that way he could stretch out a bit...but this is also all in the hands of the Lord.(but it would'nt hurt to pray anyway :0)
He seems to be doing alot better just is very homesick and I really miss him and cannot wait for him to be home either!
There is still alot of therapy left but we will cross that bridge once we get there. I know this is short but I still have a great deal of stuff to accomplish before he gets home...I will post more this week.
Thanks again for all the prayers and concern it means more than you will ever know. I am sure that once John gets home he will have alot to blog about.

Better and Better

Well I spoke to John this morning and he sounds sooooo much more encouraged and I believe this has been such a needed journey for both of us!! He has been getting up and walking much more every day and feeling so much more stronger with every time he attemps the walk...He related a funny story to me and I have to pass it on....He has a young man that is like a assistant that stays with him during the day in case he needs anything...so the doctor came in to check on John and his inciscion and while the doctor was actually cleaning the wound site as that young man happened to be in there at that time when he saw the doctor express the wound....the next thing John and the doctor realized the young assistant had fainted when he saw what the doctor was doing.....LOL Even the doctor found it amusing to say the least! Yesterday John was able to visit with a bunch of americans that had also gone there for surgeries and he said it had done him a world of good to be able to talk to other MedJourney people and just to be able to visit with other americans was a real upper for him....He has stated that the Hindu people of India are very gentle and sweet....And he is even going to do a Family Portrait for the family of the guest house he is staying in....I know that we will probably have some new friends from India which is fine by me...We are ALL GODS CHILDREN....and we need to treat each other with that in mind no matter where we are!
Well I am sure that when John gets back he will have much to blog about his journey there as for me at this time I have soooo very much to accomplish yet BEFORE he gets back so I will close for now and ask God to Bless each one of you that have held him up in prayer for such a time as this....I especially want to thank my children....Erik and Candace for your willingness to pray for him at this time in our lives it means more than you will ever know...
All things are working together for good for those that love God and are called according to HIS purposes.....

will blog more later

John in finally out of hospital

Hi everyone I have been so darn busy and tired!!!! I just wanted to let everyone know that John is doing soooooo much better and he is now in the rehab center he went there on Sunday..He was really scared to travel and get in and out of the car...but he did it and has been walking around alot. Please pray for him though his inciscion from the second surgery is having a time trying to heal up. He is probably going to be there another week or so but he is okay with that... I told him I would much rather he mend some more before the long airflight home. The hard part is there is 12 hours between us and he is usually getting up for the day while I am getting ready to fall a sleep!!! We don't have a lot of time to talk and when we do it is usually personal...He has had a couple of wonderful caretakers there and has made some nice friends and some aquaintanences from America... I am sure once he gets home he will probably fill pages after pages of this experience...I on the other hand have been furiously trying to take care of things and reorganize the house before he gets back...Thanks again for all of everyone thoughts prayers and concerns while he has been away on this trip.
Will post again soon

John is doing much better

Hi everyone,
I am sorry for not posting lately but I have been out of town and not near a computer...I talked to John for about 45 minute this morning and he sounded better than he has in a long time...Thank God!! The doctor has him up and sitting on the edge of his bed...It is slow going but he is so much more encouraged than he was last week! They do want him to stay there for another week maybe two but its because of the break in his femer that they are being very cautious about and I would rather he mend more there than to chance it early and come home and possibly do more damage. He has done a lot of journaling and reading and at times is very bored...the television over there leaves a bit to be desired and its mostly in Hindi....I told him He should be able to speak this language somewhat by the time he comes home!!! he was not amused LOL....
As Always I would continue to ask for prayer for his quick and thorough healing esp the bone that was broken and that he would focus on all that he needs to remember as part of the recovery and rehabilitation..
This truly has been an experience for both of us and I know that the Lord has his hand on John and I and the situation.. we just trust in the Lords word in Isaiah 40:31
Will post more tomorrow after I talk to John. Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers

Another Surgery

Well even though I was away for a couple of days I was always in contact with John and everything was okay until that last episode with the knee...come to find out it was not the knee but the hip!!! When John thought he had hurt his knee it was really the stem of the prosthesis that had come out of the socket so he actually by turning over, had pulled the hip out of socket!!! That's why they did not see anthing wrong with the knee but the pain had traveled down to the knee....OMGosh....
So last night they did another hip replacement on that right side...this time they had to get a longer stem and cement it into the femer but the femer also had a crack in it. So on top of the hip replacement he also has broken (hairline crack) in the femer...I did talk to my sister in law Judy who was a surgical nurse many years and has had this kind of surgery herself she assured me that was actually normal with hip replacements....
John is having a very bad time there and is very anxious and just wants to come home....please pray for his peace and speedy recovery..
It looks like he will have to stay there until the 15th of November maybe even longer.
I will continue to update this site as I get the info and am near a computer..

possible knee injury

Hello,
just wanted to update everyone about John. A couple of days ago John was turning over in bed and twisted his knee and heard something "snap" :0( the doctors are thinking of doing and MRI today because whatever happened in there has caused his right leg and thigh to stiffen all the way up to the hip....which is a catch 22 because he cannot put any weight on that leg because the knee hurts yet he needs to keep moving now more than ever and can't because of this knee...they did Xrays and did not see anything but because of the pain and the stiffness they are wanting to rule out a possible knee injury...I really hope not because this is and will prolong his recovery..I can only look to the Lord for the situation...Please pray that the MRI will show the problem and that it is fixable.....I will be going out of town for 3 days. I will have to catch everyone up when I get home...please feel free to comment..I know John would love to hear from anyone right about now.
Just keep him in your prayers please he really needs them right now.

What a night!!

Hello everyone,
John had an awful scare yesterday...he went to turn over in bed and was using his right leg and heard something snap and then his knee was swelling and throbbing in pain!!! He called the doctors and they came and gave him ice temporarily then as soon as possible took him to X-ray and took a few pics....then the thereapist came in and moved his leg and knee around to see if there was problems but by the grace of God they could not see anything on Xray and told him finally that they think he probably pulled a muscle....he was really scared because he thought how is he going to try to rehab if he can't put pressure on that knee...Anway it was a long night for me with him on the phone and so upset....
I spoke to him this morning and he is doing much better since they found nothing in the knee that would indicate any serious injury....What a time he has been having...

Also my classmate Mike Lechwar has some friends from his work that are over there that finally was able to connect with John.....Darren and Debbie called and John was thrilled that he was able to talk to another American and actually have a good conversation... Thank you so much Darren, Debbie, and Mike for your kind consideration for John...

He is so very lonely that this was so welcome in his day...He cannot do to much to respond as well as he wants to but wants to let everyone know he is so appreciative of all the prayers and thoughts...

He might have to be there longer but only time will tell...I would ask for prayers for his anxiousness, his diet, sleep patterns, and pray for courage.

I thank God everyday for all of you that are concerned and involved through prayer
GOD Bless all of you

Johns' heart

Please pray for John and his heart....he has atrial fibrillation and it has been acting up since the operation...the doctors seem to think its not a big problem and it can be controlled however his blood sugars have somewhat contributed to this also.
By an large he is doing okay today he also did some more walking. He told me that normally they open the blinds in the morning to let the sun in but he has been requesting that they are kept shut because it is very depressing looking out over the city and seeing such poverty.

He has made some very nice aquaintances with the staff and said he has become more patient with the staff.. He has had some up and down moments but that is to be expected all things considered..He has had a hard time reading so I asked him to ask the staff for some reading glasses? I don't know if they would have them there but it does not hurt to ask.

Thats about it for now I have been doing alot of errand and running and trying to get some things for him when he gets home... I just found an electric lift chair so he can sit comfortably when he gets home...He is very homesick.

Please pray for no infections and the heart to regulate asap.
Thank all of you for you concern

I will post again tomorrow..John sends his regards to all and wants everyone to know how much he appreciates your thoughts and prayers

Latest News

Good Morning...
I heard from John this morning and he seems to be feeling a whole lot better about everything....He realizes that he needs to speak up and let his needs be known....Please pray for him though the doctor seems a bit concerned about the incisions and possible infections at the site...As one of his doctor stated in a broken East Indian accent, " this kind of stuff scares sheeet out of me!" I had to laugh as John was telling me this.


He has been walking much more regularly and when I spoke to him this am he was really wiped out! The Doctors are going to keep him in the hospital possibly till Wed of this next week to keep monitoring all his vitals until they are comfortable with his mobility progress..

I am missing him a great deal but it has been good for both of us....a new appreciation if you will...

He is very social though and talking to whomever will speak his language...at one point yesterday when there were about three doctors in conversing with him he started photographing them and then had one of the doctors take picture of John with the other 2 doctors all the while teaching the doctore how to shoot the camera.....go figure!! :0)

So His spirits are up and he seems different..... he has no pain except from the incisions...so that is a good thing

He wanted to tell everyone that sees the blog how very appreciative he is for all of you and thinks about everyone and send his loves and thought and gratitude..
Will post more later today when I talk to him after he gets up...

XOXO

He's walking!!!!!

Praise God he has walked with the walker all the way down to the nurses station!!! He was quite proud of himself yet he was very exhausted!!! Things are up and down with him...I just believe its all part of the hip replacement and where he had to go to get it and all the cultural differences.

But I know "all things work together for good" and this is for the good of his health and quality of life. He has had to stay on the staff because they are just not as attentive as they should be. '

The doctors are going to keep him at the hospital for a day longer before he goes to the guest house...I think we are going to hire someone to stay there with him atleast during the day...he has got to make that call...

One of my classmates Mike Lechwar has had a friend of his that is over in India, call John (but each time this person tried to call for some reason the hospital phone would just go dead on him)
He was pleasantly suprised and wished he could have spoken to them...maybe they will call back again... Thanks again Mike for your concern God Bless you!!

He says he has been getting up and moving around atleast twice sometimes three times...so I think that has been very encouraging for John..

He really misses being "home" but it is good for him to see and experience someplace other than America.
Will post more again soon

Having a rough time

Hi all, its me again the wife left behind!!!
I am a little concerned today John called me and had a very bad time in the last 12 hrs trying to get water!!! He ended up dehydrated to the point of being nauscious...:0( I talked to him a little while ago and he finally got proactive and started complaining that he was not being looked after as well as he should have...I finally called MedJourneys and complained myself...this is rediculious for someone who has just gotten out of surgery to get this dehydrated...
the Laison from MedJourney immediately called the hospital there in India and he indicated that they have taken care of things and changed the staff that was assigned to John....Maybe someone that speaks English would be a good idea ya think!!!!
Apparently after John complained they brought a small refrigerator in stocked with water and also put him back in IV's for fluid intake...I just need everyone to pray for a speedy recovery so that he can come home soon....he is not scheduled to come home until Nov 11th !!!
I also would ask that whoever is assigned to him that they care for him... really care for him.
I knew that it was not going to be a trouble free journey None of them are!!! however, I just don't want anything as basic as water to cause such problems...
I will know more as the day goes on so I will keep everyone posted...please pray for me to calm down and not want to go postal on them :0)

Much better today

Hi everyone, I just talked to John and he is doing really much better today. he has been in ICU all day and they were finally able to get him to sit up. He has not walked yet but that is coming.

He really sounded alot better and is not in any pain at the moment..they have him hooked up to an epidural drip at this time so keep him in your prayers once that goes away I know he will be in some pain again! But the good news is that he has two new hips!!!!

He seeems to be very impressed with the care that this hospital gives and was more impressed with the effeciency of the everyone there (even though he can't communicate with all of them and I know that drives him crazy LOL)

His surgery lasted 6hrs that is why that night (his day) seemed so long to me! I am really encouraged about this and my continued prayer is that he is compelled and dedicated to his therapy even if it is going to be painful it is extremely necessary for complete rehabilitation.

Once again, John and I want to thank all of you that were thinking and praying for him at this time....He has felt the effects of your prayers and so have I....Thanks and God Bless

GREAT NEWS

Hi all,
Just wanted to let you all know that John has had both hips replaced...it was a very long night for me and I just found out about 4am...He came through well however the doctor said he will require alot of physical therapy because the mucsles were very weak in that area..
John seemed to be in really good spirits just before he went into surgery when I spoke to him.
I know he was apprehensive but that is normal for anyone..I will not be able to speak to him until tomorrow because he is in ICU at the moment but so far everything looks good.
I Praise God for this but would ask everyone to continue to pray for a solid recovery.
John said he felt like he was in a car accident! I would image so!!
I won't know much else till I speak to his assistant Prabah again later today.
Well I am going to go and take a much needed nap! I will keep posting as I get info
Thanks to all of you for you thoughts and prayers for the big guy at this time it means so much.

Doing much better

Well John called me this morning and he is feeling much better and has had a battery of tests which have all come back with good results so that the surgery is scheduled for Monday morning which will be Sunday night our time...he is exactly 12 hrs and 25minutes ahead of mountain time. He seems to be up beat about it especially after talking to the numerous doctors that have been seeing him... He has been making friends with everyone there...Gee there's a concept!!
I should be hearing more from him within the next hour or so and I will add more to this blog.

I know he wants to let everyone know how he appreciates all the support and prayers.. the only thing he has complained about is since he has gotten there the pain in his hips seems to be gatting worse but he is pretty sure its because he is not as distracted there with all of the things he does in one day ( does workaholic ring a bell) I think he is trying to make up for some lost time.

As far as the surgery on Monday the doctor wants to see how John does under the anesthetic with the first hip and if he looks like he can bear it they will probably do the other one at the same time if not it will be a couple of days later....our prayer is that the doctor can do both at the same time.

Will blog more as soon as I get more info. I am doing okay holding down the fort...looking to the Lord for every minute and finding Him there every second...:0)

The Eagle has landed!!!

John sends Greetings from India!!!
He finally called this morning around 10:30am my time it was 10:30pm approx India time. He said his flight was good but very long. He watched 3 movies and read two magazines! John made a friend who is from India yet works in NY and is a part-time photographer also....Due to restricted airspace John said they flew over Russia and Moscow and also Afganistan. John said that when they landed in the airport, 2 local skycaps tried to get him to give them $50 a piece American money and he just refused, they kept lowering the amount until finally one of the Med Journeys' assistants came and found John in the mean time before they got to him the skycaps asked John not to say anything to the MedJourney people (HMMMM) As the assistant from MedJourneys tried to give these to skycaps local cash they skycaps refused! Good thing John is a BIG guy!
He will be seeing the Doctor in the morning and then it begins. John seemed to be in good spirits and sounded okay. I wish I was there with him...
John seems to think it must be some kind of holiday there because there are alot of fireworks and such going off..
John said that the hospital is guarded with Security guards everywhere. I would ask that you please pray for his safety as this time.
He said to tell everyone that he appreciates all the prayers and thoughts that are with him now.
He will be going to bed as we just got off the phone with each other and he was tired..
Well that's about it for now...I am doing okay and just keeping myself busy and talking to the Lord for His Peace and Protection for John
I will write more as it comes in...so far so good. God Bless all of you for your support at this time
Monica

My Journey Begins!

Well I am almost on my way. I fly out of Phoenix at 10:45 in the morning for New York with a two hour stop and then fly on to New Delhi on a 14 hour ride. My operation is scheduled for Monday morning in India or Sunday night Phoenix time.

Monica and I had a busy evening getting everything in order from business and personal affairs to packing and making sure I have all the right documentation in order.

I am now off to go swim a bunch of laps at the pool in the subdivision we live in. No one else is around at this time of night and it will give me some time to get my thoughts together after a very busy couple of day's.

I would be lying if were to say that I was not concerned about this trip. I am about the operation but I also worry about the state of the world wide economy while I am gone. So much has happened in the last week. I do not want to get stuck in India if things really go bad. What a strange time we live in!

Monica will take over from here with semi-daily posts. What an amazing person she is! I really do not deserve her. I really have been hard to live with being in all this pain.

God bless her and to you all!

My Angel In Distress!!

Thank you Sheila!!

This very special lady came into my life about 1 week ago. Sheila Dunn is her name and she had double hip replacement about one month ago. She is in the process of writing a book on her 2 year ordeal of getting this surgery.

Sheila has compiled a great deal of information on joint replacements and has imparted much of this info on to me in a very short period of time. She has given me questions to ask the doctor and anesthesiologist as well as what to expect on the surgery itself and rehabilitation afterword.

She came to my aid again very early this morning when a crises arose with my doctor and hospital and I needed her incite and advice in a big hurry. I will blog on this crises tomorrow before I leave.

She also sent me to a very cool web site about hip replacement's that helped me to really understand what I am about to do. To check it out go here: Hip Replacement Web Site

Thank you Sheila from Monica and me for being there. I owe you big time. Get well FAST!!!
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Zion Benton- Class of "68" Zee-Bee's

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Zion Benton-Class of "68" That is my wife Monica's graduating class of 40 years ago. Can you believe it. 40 years!

I am not far behind. My graduating class was Waukegan High School class of "71"

Zion and Waukegan are neighboring cities north of Chicago about 50-60 miles on Lake Michigan.
The reason I bring this up is because my wife just returned back a couple weeks ago from her 40th class reunion. I would have gone with her if it were not for my bad hips. I have missed so much in the last couple of years because my legs have made me increasingly less mobile and painful.

I have been a photographer all my life so it has been a real strain not to be able to take off at a moments notice to shoot wildlife or beautiful Arizona vista's. Now I just dream about getting lost in what I love to do. Yes, I have a great body of work but I so miss being secluded all by myself in some far away location and capturing and bringing back great images of that adventure.

I will do it again and soon!

Back to Zion...... My wife came back with so many stories and photographs from this reunion that I feel like I was there and I personally know everyone. When she told them that I was having this surgery I was amazed at all the outpouring of sympathy and prayers that flooded in from all her old/new friends and classmates. Getting older certanly does put a true pespective on life does it not.

Thank you guy's for rooting for me. You have no idea what it means to me.

Thanks again Zion Benton - Class of "68"and God Bless to you all.

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To view more photo's from this class reunion, click here: Zion Benton Class Reunion

Med Journeys

I originally I found about Med Journeys indirectly from a program that was on Night Line back in January this year. The program had to do with the great number of Americana's that travel over sea's for all types of medical treatments. Because of the out of control cost of health care in the USA, many people simply can not afford treatment here. I am one of them.

I actually found Med Journeys from an article that was in a news letter in AARP. There are a number of companies that are medical travel agency's that set up everything for you from the doctor, the hospital, flight schedule to rehabilitation in a guest house once your operation is over. Traveling over sea's is scary enough with out having to figure out all the logistics but these companies take all the leg work out.

When I first contacted Med Journeys a fellow by the name of Tim Wallace, who is the case worker for them, asked me my condition then gave me a step by step plan of how things might go. They sent me allot of information and choices of different countries that specialize in my type of surgery. I settled on Costa Rica and India.

At first I wanted to go to Costa Rica because they are allot closer plus I could (maybe) hang out at the beach but Tim highly recommended India because of Dr. Marya would perform my operation and is when of the best when it comes to joint replacements.

Jeff Pierce at Med Journeys has also been very helpful getting me through all the the steps I needed to do such as getting a passport/visa to talking with my doctor in India.

To get more info go here: AARP article and Med Journeys You can also call Med Journeys in New York at 212-931-0544 or email jeffp@medjourneys.com

My Passport Came In!

Wow!!

My Passport and Visa came back after only one week. Amazing!! Everyone told me it would take a month or so. Med Journeys sent me to a place called Visa Express for a rush service. Check them out if you need a Visa or Passport in a hurry.

I also received my flight confirmation. I leave Phoenix, Thursday at 10:45am, fly to New York, have a 2 hour lay over and then fly to New Delhi, India on a 14 hour 15 minute flight.

Yipes!!

That's more than a half a day in the air. I can not believe people do this on a regular bases for business.

Talked to the Doctor today!

Monica and I had a chance to talk to the Doctor Marya in India today for the second time this week. On Wednesday he asked that I have a new set of X-Rays taken because the first set I sent were not clear enough.

Boy, did that have me scurrying around the rest of Wednesday. Because of my girlish figure, not all X-Ray companies will do them for someone over 300 pounds. Then I found out that many of those that do, they only do film and not a CD which is what I needed to send to India. By the end of the day I was able to mail them out over-night with 5 minutes to spare.

Doctor Marya told us I was a candidate for replacement on both my hips. I found that word "candidate" was funny since we are in this national election for president season. I never thought I was a candidate for anything but I guess I am. Maybe I should run for president! ;-)

He told us that he my or may not do both hips at the same time depending on my physical condition and what they find when they do my really bad hip. I may have to wait 3-5 days for the second one. I hope not! I want to get this done fast so I can come home sooner but he really sounds like he knows what he is talking about so I will trust his judgement.

Doctor Marya is Director, Orthopaedics & Institute of Joint Replacement Surgery at Max Hospital in New Delhi, India where he will perform my surgery. To get more info on Doctor Marya and his web site, go here: Doctor Marya's Web Site

Jeff and Tim at Med Journey's have been very helpful in planning everything. I will do a post on them soon.

My First Post!

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It's now one week before I leave to go on my "most excellent" healing journey. Since my hips have abandoned me I have begun to view this trip as an adventure of sorts. God is my co-pilot! .

Today I confirmed my medical trip with Med Journey's out of New York. I will be leaving on Thursday, October 16th and will be flying to New Delhi, India for a double hip replacement. Yes, you read right. Double hip replacement. My right hip has had no cartilage for over a year and has given me considerable pain. My left side is now rebelling and X-Rays show not much cartilage left there either. I have become less and less mobile with more and more pain and I fear if I do not do it now I will be in a wheel chair in a couple months. I will be gone for a total of 25 day's.

Since I started my research I have found that there are number of medical travel agency's that will plan everything for you depending what type of medical condition you may have. I found that many places like India, Costa Rica, France and Thailand have state of the art hospitals and US and English trained doctors and give some best medical care found anywhere in the world at a fraction of the cost of what it is here in this country.

I also have learned that over two million Americans travel outside of the United States every year for all sorts of medical surgery's for ailments that they can not afford here in the great US of A. I am one of them since I do not have insurance. I have very strong views on the broken health care system in America but I do not want to use this blog to express them or any other political view but rather to use it to keep people informed on my progress every couple of day's.

At one point I was considering taking along a laptop computer so I could post daily blogs but cooler heads have prevailed and convinced me that I will have to much to worry about. I will be bringing my camera (my third arm) so I will have many images to show when I return. Monica (my wonderful wife) will blog for me with updates when I am able to call her. I am told I will be provided with a international cell phone so I will be able to make regular phone calls.

I will be making a number of posts before I leave about information I have accumulated and about some of the really wonderful and interesting people that I have met and that are helping me.

I realize that I am not alone on this journey.