This past Thursday, John was transported to Portland for an appointment with his wound doctor.  The transportation company said that they specialize in transportation not lifting, so we had to call the local fire department to help move John from the bed to the van, while keeping John flat.  The drive was uneventful other than some hail and a great deal of rain. The doctor said that all of the wounds look clean but there was little change in the past few months. He put in an order for another new wound treatment, but feels that the main reason that John’s wounds are not healing is due to the spinal injury making it impossible for his brain to send the correct signals to the body to repair the wounds. We are increasing his protein intake and going to try mild electric stimulation therapy  near the wound sites. John remains confined to lying flat. The doctor did put in a new stomach tube button and said that it looked like John had gained some weight.