As of today, my Dad is an outpatient. He gets to go home everyday and spend the night. He'll have to return to rehab daily, five days a week, but now he can live at home again!
Woooooooo Hoooooooo!!!
A place where we can all come together to show our love and support and get semi-regular updates about Dave.
Words of a Fighter
Friday, October 15, 2010
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Dinner with my Dad...At Home
So, my Dad scored a weekend pass home. He's been working his way up to it over the past couple of weekends. He has been able to take a couple of day trips home over the past several weeks and has done very well, so this weekend, he got to go home for the night.
The girls and I went down to Riverside and were able to spend several hours with my Dad and Linda in a normal setting. Linda got the toys out that she keeps for when the Grandchildren visit, and the girls played while we all visited.
Initially, my Dad put his sunglasses and hat on because he was afraid that his scars will scare the girls, but after awhile, he took them off. I assured him that I had a chat with Cadence and Cody about it. I asked them awhile back if it was scary to see where Grandpa was hurt, and they both told me no. They love their Grandpa no matter what, and they knew that was where he got hurt in his accident. So, the hat and sunglasses were abandoned before too long.
We ordered pizza and had ice cream cones for dessert. It was wonderful to be able to sit in my parents home and have my Dad there like a normal visit. We were able to sit on sofas in the family room rather than chairs that we had gathered from various areas. I didn't have to worry about my children wandering off into another patients room.
Last week, my Dad's therapist did a home evaluation with him so that she could determine what modifications needed to be done to the house before he could come home. The modifications are very minor and can probably be done in hardly any time at all. We are hopeful that my Dad can come home for good in a few more weeks.
The girls and I went down to Riverside and were able to spend several hours with my Dad and Linda in a normal setting. Linda got the toys out that she keeps for when the Grandchildren visit, and the girls played while we all visited.
Initially, my Dad put his sunglasses and hat on because he was afraid that his scars will scare the girls, but after awhile, he took them off. I assured him that I had a chat with Cadence and Cody about it. I asked them awhile back if it was scary to see where Grandpa was hurt, and they both told me no. They love their Grandpa no matter what, and they knew that was where he got hurt in his accident. So, the hat and sunglasses were abandoned before too long.
We ordered pizza and had ice cream cones for dessert. It was wonderful to be able to sit in my parents home and have my Dad there like a normal visit. We were able to sit on sofas in the family room rather than chairs that we had gathered from various areas. I didn't have to worry about my children wandering off into another patients room.
Last week, my Dad's therapist did a home evaluation with him so that she could determine what modifications needed to be done to the house before he could come home. The modifications are very minor and can probably be done in hardly any time at all. We are hopeful that my Dad can come home for good in a few more weeks.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Another family meeting
We had another family meeting today. Things are progressing well. I was reminded today that, even though it seems like it's been a year since the accident, it's really only been three months. The amount of progress my dad has made in three short months is incredible.
He has seen a neuro-opthamologist and should be getting a new pair of glasses soon. Hopefully that will clear up a lot of his vision issues. They did determine that he is partially blind in his right eye due to cranial nerve damage. Interestingly enough, that's not the eye that had to be re-supported by the titanium plate. That's his left eye, or as he calls it, his good eye.
He has been doing really well in therapy. He should be getting a walker soon and he'll be able to use that to get around rather than a wheelchair. He told me earlier this week that he can feel where the pins and rods are when he is walking and exercising. He said it's really weird.
After the family meeting, we were met by Rydel, his boss at RCH, Mary Lou and Donna, both friends and coworkers. They brought dinner. Panset and lumpia, per my dad's request. For those who don't know, that is the Phillipino version of lo mein and egg rolls. All I have to say is DELICIOUS! Rydel also brought amazing banana bread.
We all ate family style around the kitten table in his unit. It was a wonderful meal with friends and family. We had great conversation and lots of laughs. Thank you, ladies, for that.
He has seen a neuro-opthamologist and should be getting a new pair of glasses soon. Hopefully that will clear up a lot of his vision issues. They did determine that he is partially blind in his right eye due to cranial nerve damage. Interestingly enough, that's not the eye that had to be re-supported by the titanium plate. That's his left eye, or as he calls it, his good eye.
He has been doing really well in therapy. He should be getting a walker soon and he'll be able to use that to get around rather than a wheelchair. He told me earlier this week that he can feel where the pins and rods are when he is walking and exercising. He said it's really weird.
After the family meeting, we were met by Rydel, his boss at RCH, Mary Lou and Donna, both friends and coworkers. They brought dinner. Panset and lumpia, per my dad's request. For those who don't know, that is the Phillipino version of lo mein and egg rolls. All I have to say is DELICIOUS! Rydel also brought amazing banana bread.
We all ate family style around the kitten table in his unit. It was a wonderful meal with friends and family. We had great conversation and lots of laughs. Thank you, ladies, for that.
Monday, September 6, 2010
He has his wits about him...
I stopped in yesterday to see my Dad for a little bit with all three of my girls. The Transitional Living Center allows children inside to visit. We spent the first twenty minutes or so outside in a shady area with grass and benches. The girls did cartwheels, summersaults, backbends and front handsprings for my Dad to show off their gymnastics skills. He was pretty impressed.
In turn, he showed us how he pushes his own wheelchair around now and doesn't need any help. He has been able to walk about fifty feet with a walker, which is remarkable progress considering that he has only been re-learning to walk for less than a week. Now, he can get himself out of bed and into his chair without assistance. They merely supervise to make sure he doesn't need help, but so far, he hasn't.
I believe that all of this new found freedom has done wonders for his mental capacity as well. He is completely with it and has his 'wits about him', or as he put it, 'he has all of his faculties'. We were able to discuss topics that we would normally discuss prior to his accident and he is still passionate about the things that he has always loved. He has never lost his sense of humor throughout this entire ordeal. He has remained very entertaining with his jokes and jovial personality.
You can tell that his caregivers honestly enjoy having him as a patient. Everybody that we met had already heard so much about me and the girls. They all seemed so excited to get to meet us in person and told us what a wonderful and hard working person my Dad is. He was able to introduce us to a couple of his fellow 'inmates', as he called them. You can tell that they all have a real sense of camaraderie and they help to encourage each other to work harder and get better.
We were able to go inside after a bit and see what his living quarters is like now. We didn't see his room because his roommate was in there. Apparently, his roommate is kind of like that guy on that movie, 50 first dates. His short term memory doesn't last very long, so he has to be re-introduced to my Dad (and everybody else) on a regular basis because he doesn't remember much past his accident. When my Dad told me that, I immediately made the comparison to the movie, and my Dad started laughing because his roommate watches that movie over and over and over on his laptop, so my Dad has heard it multiple times, but never actually seen it.
We were able to see the rest of the facility though. It is very similar to a large house. It has a main living type room with a hand full of recreation rooms that have TV's for them to watch, tables to hang out at and play cards or other games, etc. There is a kitchen area where it appears that they can get coffee or water to drink. A dining room table to gather at and then the semi-private bedrooms.
Overall, he seems to be in pretty good spirits and very willing to work hard so that he can come home soon.
In turn, he showed us how he pushes his own wheelchair around now and doesn't need any help. He has been able to walk about fifty feet with a walker, which is remarkable progress considering that he has only been re-learning to walk for less than a week. Now, he can get himself out of bed and into his chair without assistance. They merely supervise to make sure he doesn't need help, but so far, he hasn't.
I believe that all of this new found freedom has done wonders for his mental capacity as well. He is completely with it and has his 'wits about him', or as he put it, 'he has all of his faculties'. We were able to discuss topics that we would normally discuss prior to his accident and he is still passionate about the things that he has always loved. He has never lost his sense of humor throughout this entire ordeal. He has remained very entertaining with his jokes and jovial personality.
You can tell that his caregivers honestly enjoy having him as a patient. Everybody that we met had already heard so much about me and the girls. They all seemed so excited to get to meet us in person and told us what a wonderful and hard working person my Dad is. He was able to introduce us to a couple of his fellow 'inmates', as he called them. You can tell that they all have a real sense of camaraderie and they help to encourage each other to work harder and get better.
We were able to go inside after a bit and see what his living quarters is like now. We didn't see his room because his roommate was in there. Apparently, his roommate is kind of like that guy on that movie, 50 first dates. His short term memory doesn't last very long, so he has to be re-introduced to my Dad (and everybody else) on a regular basis because he doesn't remember much past his accident. When my Dad told me that, I immediately made the comparison to the movie, and my Dad started laughing because his roommate watches that movie over and over and over on his laptop, so my Dad has heard it multiple times, but never actually seen it.
We were able to see the rest of the facility though. It is very similar to a large house. It has a main living type room with a hand full of recreation rooms that have TV's for them to watch, tables to hang out at and play cards or other games, etc. There is a kitchen area where it appears that they can get coffee or water to drink. A dining room table to gather at and then the semi-private bedrooms.
Overall, he seems to be in pretty good spirits and very willing to work hard so that he can come home soon.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Time Marches On...
Days and weeks have a way of sneaking past you without any warning. I'm long overdue for posting...again.
No news, in this case, has been good news.
My Dad was transferred last week to a step down unit called TLC. TLC stands for Transitional Living Center. In TLC, he has a roommate, goes to have meals in a cafeteria and gets to participate in more group activities.
He has been on field trips to Starbucks, a record store, the mall and he even got to go bowling. He now has his cell phone and can take calls when he isn't in therapy. He does participate in different types of therapy for about six hours a day. He has been tolerating sitting in his chair for 4-6 hours, which is leaps and bounds from where he was a few short weeks ago.
Today, he had an appointment with his Orthopedic Doctor, and he was released to start bearing weight on all four limbs now. Before today, he could only bear weight on his right leg and right elbow. As you can imagine, that made supporting himself and daily activities very difficult.
Car trouble has prevented me from making it to see him for the past week. I did take my girls down to visit him the weekend before last. That was a wonderful visit. My oldest daughter, Cadence, completely lit up when she saw him get wheeled through the door. She was so happy to see him. Cody was a little bit more shy. I think it was hard for her to see her Grandpa hurt and it scared her a little bit. Camdyn was oblivious, she was more interested in trying to crawl into the fountain or getting down the stairs. He was just delighted to see them and hug them and get their little kisses again.
He calls me almost daily now, which is really a treat. He always sounds very upbeat and positive. He is very happy with the level of care he is receiving in TLC and seems to be enjoying the challenges that he is presented with. He said today that he is ready to learn to walk again because he really likes to hike, and in order to hike, you have to be able to walk.
Continue to keep him in your prayers, he still has many challenges ahead, but he is facing them with a positive mental outlook.
No news, in this case, has been good news.
My Dad was transferred last week to a step down unit called TLC. TLC stands for Transitional Living Center. In TLC, he has a roommate, goes to have meals in a cafeteria and gets to participate in more group activities.
He has been on field trips to Starbucks, a record store, the mall and he even got to go bowling. He now has his cell phone and can take calls when he isn't in therapy. He does participate in different types of therapy for about six hours a day. He has been tolerating sitting in his chair for 4-6 hours, which is leaps and bounds from where he was a few short weeks ago.
Today, he had an appointment with his Orthopedic Doctor, and he was released to start bearing weight on all four limbs now. Before today, he could only bear weight on his right leg and right elbow. As you can imagine, that made supporting himself and daily activities very difficult.
Car trouble has prevented me from making it to see him for the past week. I did take my girls down to visit him the weekend before last. That was a wonderful visit. My oldest daughter, Cadence, completely lit up when she saw him get wheeled through the door. She was so happy to see him. Cody was a little bit more shy. I think it was hard for her to see her Grandpa hurt and it scared her a little bit. Camdyn was oblivious, she was more interested in trying to crawl into the fountain or getting down the stairs. He was just delighted to see them and hug them and get their little kisses again.
He calls me almost daily now, which is really a treat. He always sounds very upbeat and positive. He is very happy with the level of care he is receiving in TLC and seems to be enjoying the challenges that he is presented with. He said today that he is ready to learn to walk again because he really likes to hike, and in order to hike, you have to be able to walk.
Continue to keep him in your prayers, he still has many challenges ahead, but he is facing them with a positive mental outlook.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Family meeting w doctors and therapists
Last week, Linda, Grandma and Grandpa, Lindsay, myself and...MY DAD were all able to Romero the table and meet to discuss my Dad's progress up to this point and his near future. It was very cool that he was able to sit in and give his thoughts.
Over and over, we heard the word "Remarkable" in reference to his progress over the previous week. He is so much more oriented and with it these days. Speech therapy has been administering a test called the GOAT. GOAT is an acronym for Galvaston Orientation and Amnesia Test. Here is a link to it: http://www.utmb.edu/psychology/Adultrehab/GOAT.htm
He had to be able to pass this test with 100% in orderto graduate to a neuropsychologist. He started out scoring pretty low, bun in a matter of a couple of weeks was able to score 100%. This was the test that he was giving BS answers to on purpose (so he said). Also, it's the same test that was being given when he believed that he was being interrogated by the government.
He starts his sessions with the neuropsychologist today. Her job is to really dig down to the nitty gritty and challeng his cognitive abilities. Things like putting the correct time frame on his memories and his ability to learn and retain new data. He is looking forward to the challenge and seems excited about moving up in levels of therapy.
His physical therapist said that he has been working very hard in the gym. He's gone from only tolerating about 10-15 minutes out of bed and sittin in a wheelchair, to an hour and sometimes a little more. He often has to be reminded motto support his weight on his left arm due to his broken humorous. His right wrist is splinted and his left leg has obvious scarring, so it's easy to remember (for him and his various caregivers) that they are injured, but because he has no immobilization on his left arm, sometimes they forget that it's broken as well. Really, he can bear weight only on his right leg and right elbow. So adjusting his position and getting in and out of bed are still quite a challenge.
He has gone from what they called "total assist" to "min to mod assist" when it comes to his occupational therapy. Occupational therapy, for those who don't know, is teaching him how to do the tasks of daily living. Things like walking, eating, bathing, grooming, etc. Their job is to prepare him to go back out into the real world and care for himself again. At this point, he can comb his own hair, brush his teeth, feed himself and many other daily tasks that he couldn't do when he was first transferred from RCH. He still needs assistance to shower though, due to his physical limitations and the danger thy a wet slippery floor presents.
They have also worked out a really good system and dosage schedule to manage his pain. He has actually been able to drop one of his pain meds successfully and doesn't need to be given medication as often as he was before.
He is on a full solid diet so his PEG tube (or as he has dubbed it, the tube of discontent) should beremoved today. The Gastrondoc was supposed to remove it on Friday, but unfortunately, he forgot to come by to remove it so my Dad had to keep it in over the weekend.
They expect to transfer him to a TLC sometime next week. TLC stands for Transitional Living Center. In TLC, he will still be inpatient, but it is less like a hospital and more like a dormitory setting. The levels oftherapy are more intense and he will be in some sort of therapy from 9am to 3pm. So, he will be working very hard in TLC and will have a lot less down time. The cool thing about TLC is that he will get to take field trips off hospital grounds which I am sure is exciting because he can have a change of scenery. Another great thing is that the neuropathologist at the TLC location specializes in pain management, so he can help my Dad manage his pain levels in alternative ways and not have to take so many medications. He seems up to the challenge, although he does believe he needs at least one more week.
Over and over, we heard the word "Remarkable" in reference to his progress over the previous week. He is so much more oriented and with it these days. Speech therapy has been administering a test called the GOAT. GOAT is an acronym for Galvaston Orientation and Amnesia Test. Here is a link to it: http://www.utmb.edu/psychology/Adultrehab/GOAT.htm
He had to be able to pass this test with 100% in orderto graduate to a neuropsychologist. He started out scoring pretty low, bun in a matter of a couple of weeks was able to score 100%. This was the test that he was giving BS answers to on purpose (so he said). Also, it's the same test that was being given when he believed that he was being interrogated by the government.
He starts his sessions with the neuropsychologist today. Her job is to really dig down to the nitty gritty and challeng his cognitive abilities. Things like putting the correct time frame on his memories and his ability to learn and retain new data. He is looking forward to the challenge and seems excited about moving up in levels of therapy.
His physical therapist said that he has been working very hard in the gym. He's gone from only tolerating about 10-15 minutes out of bed and sittin in a wheelchair, to an hour and sometimes a little more. He often has to be reminded motto support his weight on his left arm due to his broken humorous. His right wrist is splinted and his left leg has obvious scarring, so it's easy to remember (for him and his various caregivers) that they are injured, but because he has no immobilization on his left arm, sometimes they forget that it's broken as well. Really, he can bear weight only on his right leg and right elbow. So adjusting his position and getting in and out of bed are still quite a challenge.
He has gone from what they called "total assist" to "min to mod assist" when it comes to his occupational therapy. Occupational therapy, for those who don't know, is teaching him how to do the tasks of daily living. Things like walking, eating, bathing, grooming, etc. Their job is to prepare him to go back out into the real world and care for himself again. At this point, he can comb his own hair, brush his teeth, feed himself and many other daily tasks that he couldn't do when he was first transferred from RCH. He still needs assistance to shower though, due to his physical limitations and the danger thy a wet slippery floor presents.
They have also worked out a really good system and dosage schedule to manage his pain. He has actually been able to drop one of his pain meds successfully and doesn't need to be given medication as often as he was before.
He is on a full solid diet so his PEG tube (or as he has dubbed it, the tube of discontent) should beremoved today. The Gastrondoc was supposed to remove it on Friday, but unfortunately, he forgot to come by to remove it so my Dad had to keep it in over the weekend.
They expect to transfer him to a TLC sometime next week. TLC stands for Transitional Living Center. In TLC, he will still be inpatient, but it is less like a hospital and more like a dormitory setting. The levels oftherapy are more intense and he will be in some sort of therapy from 9am to 3pm. So, he will be working very hard in TLC and will have a lot less down time. The cool thing about TLC is that he will get to take field trips off hospital grounds which I am sure is exciting because he can have a change of scenery. Another great thing is that the neuropathologist at the TLC location specializes in pain management, so he can help my Dad manage his pain levels in alternative ways and not have to take so many medications. He seems up to the challenge, although he does believe he needs at least one more week.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Talked on the phone today
On a whim, I decided to call my Dad in his room today. In the past, I've waited for my Grandmother or Linda to call me from his room to speak to him because I never know how he is going to be from day to day. He still has bad days here and there and gets pretty angry.
So, today, I called him up and my Grandfather answered and handed him the phone. We had a very good chat. He was very lucid and made sense the entire time. He was upset about his care through the night and the fact that his nurse kept calling him 'Honey'. He felt that it was degrading and inappropriate, especially since he wasn't a happy patient last night.
He said he knows that he has a lot of work ahead of him in order to recover, but that he's up to it. He can't wait to get better and get the heck out of there. He is able to sit up in his wheelchair now for two hours at a time which is wonderful. When Josh and I were there about a week and a half ago, he was very uncomfortable after about twenty minutes and wanted to go back to bed.
He heard my middle daughter, Cody, in the background and asked to speak to her. She is three, so it was a pretty brief conversation, but there were plenty of "I love you's" and "I miss you's". Then he spoke to my oldest daughter, Cadence. When I mentioned that her first day of school is tomorrow, he knew that she was starting first grade. That was very cool, because as I've said before, often his short term memory isn't too great. He then told her he couldn't believe how big she was and that he remembered when she was just a little baby and they would hang out.
He was aware of this blog. Apparently, word has gotten back to him that I've been keeping it and you are all very impressed with it. That means a lot to me because I have put a lot of time and energy into it. It's as much for him as it is for all of you and I look forward to the day when he can check it out himself.
I will be seeing him on Friday because we have an appointment with his doctors to go over his progress and prognosis along with their treatment plan. At that point, I believe we all intend to address our concerns with his level of care and the attention that he receives (or doesn't receive, actually). Plus, hopefully, we'll have an idea of how much longer he will have to be an inpatient. I am thinking that with the way he has been progressing, hopefully only a few more weeks.
So, today, I called him up and my Grandfather answered and handed him the phone. We had a very good chat. He was very lucid and made sense the entire time. He was upset about his care through the night and the fact that his nurse kept calling him 'Honey'. He felt that it was degrading and inappropriate, especially since he wasn't a happy patient last night.
He said he knows that he has a lot of work ahead of him in order to recover, but that he's up to it. He can't wait to get better and get the heck out of there. He is able to sit up in his wheelchair now for two hours at a time which is wonderful. When Josh and I were there about a week and a half ago, he was very uncomfortable after about twenty minutes and wanted to go back to bed.
He heard my middle daughter, Cody, in the background and asked to speak to her. She is three, so it was a pretty brief conversation, but there were plenty of "I love you's" and "I miss you's". Then he spoke to my oldest daughter, Cadence. When I mentioned that her first day of school is tomorrow, he knew that she was starting first grade. That was very cool, because as I've said before, often his short term memory isn't too great. He then told her he couldn't believe how big she was and that he remembered when she was just a little baby and they would hang out.
He was aware of this blog. Apparently, word has gotten back to him that I've been keeping it and you are all very impressed with it. That means a lot to me because I have put a lot of time and energy into it. It's as much for him as it is for all of you and I look forward to the day when he can check it out himself.
I will be seeing him on Friday because we have an appointment with his doctors to go over his progress and prognosis along with their treatment plan. At that point, I believe we all intend to address our concerns with his level of care and the attention that he receives (or doesn't receive, actually). Plus, hopefully, we'll have an idea of how much longer he will have to be an inpatient. I am thinking that with the way he has been progressing, hopefully only a few more weeks.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A huge THANK YOU to the donors and attempted donors of blood in my Dad's name
I wanted to take a few minutes to thank those of you who made a donation in my Dad's name. I think I may try to call the blood bank just to see what the final number ended up at, but I believe that the number of donations received outnumbered the units he was given. My office was able to host a blood drive and 25 of our agents were able to donate, with many others who tried but for various reasons couldn't donate. That means that not only did you help to save his life, but you also helped save the lives of others.
I am beyond grateful and touched by your generosity and support. I know I can speak for my whole family when I say THANK YOU!!!
P.S. I also want to thank those of you who donated your pto to him in whichever way it was done, be it a cash donation or sick time. You are all so amazing and my Dad is so lucky to have such a great family at RCH!
I am beyond grateful and touched by your generosity and support. I know I can speak for my whole family when I say THANK YOU!!!
P.S. I also want to thank those of you who donated your pto to him in whichever way it was done, be it a cash donation or sick time. You are all so amazing and my Dad is so lucky to have such a great family at RCH!
Every Week There is a Big Difference
Things have been crazy in my little world the past couple of weeks, and I haven't had as much time to be at the computer to update the blog. Our Summer has come to a close. Cadence starts her first day of first grade on Thursday, so we have been cramming our last hoorah and fun into the past couple of weeks. Josh was here for a short, but wonderful, visit. We had an overnight trip to Palm Desert to stay at a beautiful resort for next to nothing thanks to a good friend of mine. We had a day at the water park, another day at Disneyland. Lots of playdates and some back to school shopping. To top it all off, I've been fitting a little bit of work in as well and I'm helping some people in their search for homes.
So, with all of that out of the way, you can imagine how much quiet time I have these days. Gone are the days where I spend hours at my Dad's bedside while he slumbers, connected to RCH's WiFi and updating away. Figures, that as soon as there is a lot more to update on daily, I have less time to fill everybody in. So, email me...stay on me about getting updates to you. If I know you are all counting on me to get something posted, I will be more likely to stay up (it's currently 12:40 am) and post.
We had an awesome visit with Josh. My Dad was in the middle of speech therapy when we arrived. Boy oh boy, he wasn't a happy camper. He was convinced that he was being interrogated by some drone who was sent by the Bush Administration. He was being asked simple questions, for example: "Do you know what your address is?", and in his mind, he believed that he was being held in some sort of government facility after returning from Afghanistan.
As soon as Josh and I arrived, he was so relieved because he thought we were there to rescue him. He called us in and we promised to take care of things and make sure that he was treated respectfully. Actually, I think he thought we were there to spring him. He even told us that he knew that they were @#$%ing with him so he was giving them BS answers on purpose. We reminded him that if he didn't give them the correct answers, that he wouldn't get to go home until he got them right.
Anyhow, once the speech therapist finished his session, we were granted access into his room and he was much calmer. Of course, we had to make some noise to get him some pain medication. They have been somewhat slow to get his dosing correct and manage his pain levels. Originally, they told us that he couldn't possibly be in as much pain as he thought he was with the doses of medications he was receiving. They went on to explain to us that the pain was in his head.
Here's my issue with that. Whether it's in his head or real, either way, he is experiencing it. Why not do what you can to make him comfortable. I believe that they should have proven their theory by giving him a placebo and testing his pain level at that point. What would it have hurt?
Josh and I were invited to accompany my Dad to his physical therapy session. I am going to put a couple of pictures of him and a video of him playing catch with Josh up so you can see. It was actually cool to be able to toss a ball around with him. It reminded me of when Josh was little. He and Josh were passing it back and forth, back and forth. Then, out of nowhere, my Dad heaved it at me! I wasn't expecting it, but I managed to catch it and join in the game for a few rounds before hitting my Dad square in the nose with it. (he got distracted and looked away when I tossed it, and for those of you who know me, you know I am the least athletic and coordinated person on the planet) After that, he didn't want to play ball anymore.
His therapist then had him stand up, sit down, stand up, lay down, and then get back into his chair. Once he was back in his chair, we took him for a little walk and went outside for some fresh air. Too bad the noise pollution was unbearable, they were doing construction of some sort and there was a screaching saw or something.
We took him to the day room and managed to stop there for about 30 seconds, but by then, he was in a lot of pain and wanted to get back into bed. He was shouting and yelling at us to take him back and stop torturing him. So we did.
Josh stayed with us that night and I took him back to the hospital the next morning before he had to catch his train. Grandma and Grandpa and Linda were all there as well. We all had a really nice visit and he seemed a little more comfortable.
Then, I went to see him this past Sunday morning. I took my Mom because he had expressed an interest in her visiting. He hears us out in the hall before we go in because we have to put gowns and gloves on. He always says... "HELLO?" Well, when he heard my voice, he seemed very happy that I was there. I had spoken to him the day before on the phone and told him I would come, and he remembered.
He also remembered our visit the prior week with Josh and he even remembered when his buddy Mike had come to see him. He seems to be holding onto his short term memories a little better these days. He still forgets some peoples names, or exactly how many grandchildren he has, but he was so much better than he had been even the week before.
He and my Mom chatted about random things. The old days and people they knew and still know mutually. He remembers things from the distant past with quite a bit of clarity, it's just his short term memory that seems to have taken the biggest toll.
He was able to sit up in bed with very little assistance and eat his lunch on his own. The only help I provided was holding his bread while he fished the butter out of the little container (with a fork) and spread it around and cutting his chicken up for him. He is no longer being fed a diet of chopped everything. He got a whole chicken breast, carrots and rice with some sort of soup on them side. He is also now able to drink water, when before, he was only allowed this thick syrup type juice called nectar.
A picture of him enjoying his lunch:
We were able to have serious conversations about certain topics and important issues and he was able to clearly tell me what he wanted. He was very lucid and with it the day we saw him. It was so encouraging to see him that way. He even encouraged his CNA to continue on to get her RN and offered to mentor her if she ever needed it.
He even assured me that he won't be driving for awhile, but that maybe around Christmas he might be ready to do a little bit of driving. He feels that he will be able to be home and getting around on his own by then. He also says he wants to go home, but he knows that he isn't ready yet, so he'll do whatever he has to do in order to get well enough to go home.
I think that may be all I have the capacity to remember for tonight. It's after 1am and my brain is toast. I'm showing property tomorrow to two different clients, so I need to go to bed. If I think of anything pressing, then I will post again tomorrow hopefully. I'll leave you with a little video message he made for my daughters to see.
So, with all of that out of the way, you can imagine how much quiet time I have these days. Gone are the days where I spend hours at my Dad's bedside while he slumbers, connected to RCH's WiFi and updating away. Figures, that as soon as there is a lot more to update on daily, I have less time to fill everybody in. So, email me...stay on me about getting updates to you. If I know you are all counting on me to get something posted, I will be more likely to stay up (it's currently 12:40 am) and post.
We had an awesome visit with Josh. My Dad was in the middle of speech therapy when we arrived. Boy oh boy, he wasn't a happy camper. He was convinced that he was being interrogated by some drone who was sent by the Bush Administration. He was being asked simple questions, for example: "Do you know what your address is?", and in his mind, he believed that he was being held in some sort of government facility after returning from Afghanistan.
As soon as Josh and I arrived, he was so relieved because he thought we were there to rescue him. He called us in and we promised to take care of things and make sure that he was treated respectfully. Actually, I think he thought we were there to spring him. He even told us that he knew that they were @#$%ing with him so he was giving them BS answers on purpose. We reminded him that if he didn't give them the correct answers, that he wouldn't get to go home until he got them right.
Anyhow, once the speech therapist finished his session, we were granted access into his room and he was much calmer. Of course, we had to make some noise to get him some pain medication. They have been somewhat slow to get his dosing correct and manage his pain levels. Originally, they told us that he couldn't possibly be in as much pain as he thought he was with the doses of medications he was receiving. They went on to explain to us that the pain was in his head.
Here's my issue with that. Whether it's in his head or real, either way, he is experiencing it. Why not do what you can to make him comfortable. I believe that they should have proven their theory by giving him a placebo and testing his pain level at that point. What would it have hurt?
Josh and I were invited to accompany my Dad to his physical therapy session. I am going to put a couple of pictures of him and a video of him playing catch with Josh up so you can see. It was actually cool to be able to toss a ball around with him. It reminded me of when Josh was little. He and Josh were passing it back and forth, back and forth. Then, out of nowhere, my Dad heaved it at me! I wasn't expecting it, but I managed to catch it and join in the game for a few rounds before hitting my Dad square in the nose with it. (he got distracted and looked away when I tossed it, and for those of you who know me, you know I am the least athletic and coordinated person on the planet) After that, he didn't want to play ball anymore.
His therapist then had him stand up, sit down, stand up, lay down, and then get back into his chair. Once he was back in his chair, we took him for a little walk and went outside for some fresh air. Too bad the noise pollution was unbearable, they were doing construction of some sort and there was a screaching saw or something.
We took him to the day room and managed to stop there for about 30 seconds, but by then, he was in a lot of pain and wanted to get back into bed. He was shouting and yelling at us to take him back and stop torturing him. So we did.
Josh stayed with us that night and I took him back to the hospital the next morning before he had to catch his train. Grandma and Grandpa and Linda were all there as well. We all had a really nice visit and he seemed a little more comfortable.
Then, I went to see him this past Sunday morning. I took my Mom because he had expressed an interest in her visiting. He hears us out in the hall before we go in because we have to put gowns and gloves on. He always says... "HELLO?" Well, when he heard my voice, he seemed very happy that I was there. I had spoken to him the day before on the phone and told him I would come, and he remembered.
He also remembered our visit the prior week with Josh and he even remembered when his buddy Mike had come to see him. He seems to be holding onto his short term memories a little better these days. He still forgets some peoples names, or exactly how many grandchildren he has, but he was so much better than he had been even the week before.
He and my Mom chatted about random things. The old days and people they knew and still know mutually. He remembers things from the distant past with quite a bit of clarity, it's just his short term memory that seems to have taken the biggest toll.
He was able to sit up in bed with very little assistance and eat his lunch on his own. The only help I provided was holding his bread while he fished the butter out of the little container (with a fork) and spread it around and cutting his chicken up for him. He is no longer being fed a diet of chopped everything. He got a whole chicken breast, carrots and rice with some sort of soup on them side. He is also now able to drink water, when before, he was only allowed this thick syrup type juice called nectar.
A picture of him enjoying his lunch:
We were able to have serious conversations about certain topics and important issues and he was able to clearly tell me what he wanted. He was very lucid and with it the day we saw him. It was so encouraging to see him that way. He even encouraged his CNA to continue on to get her RN and offered to mentor her if she ever needed it.
He even assured me that he won't be driving for awhile, but that maybe around Christmas he might be ready to do a little bit of driving. He feels that he will be able to be home and getting around on his own by then. He also says he wants to go home, but he knows that he isn't ready yet, so he'll do whatever he has to do in order to get well enough to go home.
I think that may be all I have the capacity to remember for tonight. It's after 1am and my brain is toast. I'm showing property tomorrow to two different clients, so I need to go to bed. If I think of anything pressing, then I will post again tomorrow hopefully. I'll leave you with a little video message he made for my daughters to see.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Josh is here for a visit and he's doing a little better day by day
Josh has arrived by train this evening and I will pick him up in the morning and we'll go visit my Dad. I spoke to him yesterday on the phone, and he had a really lucid day. He was able to carry on the most sensible conversation to date with me. He knew that he was in a health care setting and that he was in an accident. He said he was feeling much better, although that his back still hurt and his leg was still in quite a bit of pain.
He had a visit with his orthopedic surgeon earlier last week for a follow up. All seems to be healing well and he has another follow up appointment in four weeks. He is now almost able to sit all the way up on his own without assistance. That's great because before he couldn't support his own weight in order to sit up before.
I will update more tomorrow after our visit.
He had a visit with his orthopedic surgeon earlier last week for a follow up. All seems to be healing well and he has another follow up appointment in four weeks. He is now almost able to sit all the way up on his own without assistance. That's great because before he couldn't support his own weight in order to sit up before.
I will update more tomorrow after our visit.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Some more slow progress
My Dad removed his own tracheostomy the other night (ouch!) and the doctors decided to leave it out at this point. He is breathing, eating and speaking pretty well now on his own so there isn't any real reason to leave it in. Thank goodness because that's one less thing for him to tug and yank at.
He seems to be doing well when he receives his pain meds at regular intervals. When they're late however, things get rough. He becomes increasingly agitated and angry, sometimes even violent. He isn't comfortable or happy with his current living quarters and wants to go home. He still doesn't really grasp what's going on around him and why he can't go home. Unfortunately, it isn't likely that he'll be able to go home until he has a better cognative ability to grasp his situation. At this time, he's still very baffled and speaks nonsense most of the time.
On that note, I know many of you would like to call him and wish him a speedy recovery. Since he doesn't have the mental awareness to carry on any sort of conversation in person, much less over the phone, they don't have a telephone connected in his room. If they did, it would only sit there and ring, he would realize that it his phone ringing. In addition, unfortunately it is unlikely that he'd even know who he's speaking to. He really only seems to recognize his family at this point and sometimes still confuses Linda and my mom even though my mom hasn't visited him yet. He will even refer to me as though I'm not there when he is speaking directly to him.
I will make sure that I post as soon as he is mentally able to have visitors outside of his family. It may not be until he is at home.
Our pending family/physician meeting has been delayed for another couple of weeks because they feel that it is still too early to give us any real answers. So, for the time being, we continue to carry on business as usual and take turns sitting at his bedside and helping him sift through the madness.
He seems to be doing well when he receives his pain meds at regular intervals. When they're late however, things get rough. He becomes increasingly agitated and angry, sometimes even violent. He isn't comfortable or happy with his current living quarters and wants to go home. He still doesn't really grasp what's going on around him and why he can't go home. Unfortunately, it isn't likely that he'll be able to go home until he has a better cognative ability to grasp his situation. At this time, he's still very baffled and speaks nonsense most of the time.
On that note, I know many of you would like to call him and wish him a speedy recovery. Since he doesn't have the mental awareness to carry on any sort of conversation in person, much less over the phone, they don't have a telephone connected in his room. If they did, it would only sit there and ring, he would realize that it his phone ringing. In addition, unfortunately it is unlikely that he'd even know who he's speaking to. He really only seems to recognize his family at this point and sometimes still confuses Linda and my mom even though my mom hasn't visited him yet. He will even refer to me as though I'm not there when he is speaking directly to him.
I will make sure that I post as soon as he is mentally able to have visitors outside of his family. It may not be until he is at home.
Our pending family/physician meeting has been delayed for another couple of weeks because they feel that it is still too early to give us any real answers. So, for the time being, we continue to carry on business as usual and take turns sitting at his bedside and helping him sift through the madness.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A Long Over Due Update
I haven't seen my Dad for the past week, so I haven't had a lot to post about. I probably should have told you all that he was finally transferred to an acute rehab facility on Tuesday evening. They have spent the last several days evaluating his mental capacity and condition and will be determining a plan of treatment early next week.
Linda is working on scheduling a family meeting with his physicians there for mid next week. At this meeting, they should be able to prepare us for what to expect over the next several weeks as well as answer any questions that we all may have for them. We have been told that we can expect as long as two years before his brain heals from the trauma.
He has been having many types of therapy. Speach, physical and occupational from my understanding. Initially, his pain medication wasn't actually helping to relieve much of his pain, however they have now doubled his dose. The medication that they are giving him for pain is Oxycodone.
He is able to eat solid food that has been chopped finely, similar to my one year old daughter. His dinner tonight consisted of mashed potatos, chopped up green beans and a pile of ground beef. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Then some applesauce for desert and 'nector' to drink. The nector is a juice, but it's thickened with electrolytes. He ate about 1/2-2/3 of his dinner, although he gave my Grandmother and myself quite a lot of crap about it. He kept wanting to leave, and we kept telling him we couldn't leave until after he finished his food. We knew he had had enough when he started spitting his applesauce back at us.
He has this tent like apparatus over his bed that they keep closed when he doesn't have visitors or caregivers in his room. This prevents him from getting out of bed on his own, or trying to get out of bed and actually falling out. He tell him that they knows he likes to camp, so he got a special tent bed. It may seem silly, but I think it helps him justify why he is in there and why he can't get out so easily.
Here is a picture:
The thing his leg is resting in is a CPM machine. CPM stands for Continuous Passive Motion, and it bends his knee in order to keep his joints from stiffening up, without him having to use his muscles to do so. It has a faux sheep skin lining and he was sure that he had a cat laying on his leg. He wanted to kick it off and go lock it in the car.
He is still very confused. He was talking a lot about going up to the "Res" which we believe meant the Reservation. He was talking about the Lakota Souix and peyote ceremonies. He said he'd been a member of the church since 1972 and that my Grandfather and I were also practicing. I have no idea what he is talking about, maybe some of you do. He also thought that my Mom, Theresa, and Linda were there and would talk to them from time to time, although neither of them were there at the time.
He did laugh when I told him about the dude with the super mullet outside the window of his room. He couldn't see him, but he laughed when I told him about the guy.
The Rehabilitation Therapy Doctor has told us to expect him to be an inpatient there for 3-4 weeks at this point and then he can be changed to an outpatient. I guess it all depends on the workers comp insurance and his condition.
Your continued prayers are much appreciated. Those of you who have sent cards, thank you. My Grandmother takes them in and reads them to him and he has expressed a desire to respond to all of them. So, on his behalf, he is thanking everybody for their prayers and loving support and the kind words that you have all spoken and writted to him and also to us.
Tomorrow we celebrate my youngest daughters first birthday. It will be another bittersweet day for us. I know that when my Dad is coherent enough to understand that he wasn't able to be there for that, it will break his heart. He loves his Grandchildren so much and I know that he'll be sad to know that he wasn't able to be there on her first birthday like he was for the others. We are just grateful that he will be able to be here to celebrate future birthdays.
Linda is working on scheduling a family meeting with his physicians there for mid next week. At this meeting, they should be able to prepare us for what to expect over the next several weeks as well as answer any questions that we all may have for them. We have been told that we can expect as long as two years before his brain heals from the trauma.
He has been having many types of therapy. Speach, physical and occupational from my understanding. Initially, his pain medication wasn't actually helping to relieve much of his pain, however they have now doubled his dose. The medication that they are giving him for pain is Oxycodone.
He is able to eat solid food that has been chopped finely, similar to my one year old daughter. His dinner tonight consisted of mashed potatos, chopped up green beans and a pile of ground beef. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Then some applesauce for desert and 'nector' to drink. The nector is a juice, but it's thickened with electrolytes. He ate about 1/2-2/3 of his dinner, although he gave my Grandmother and myself quite a lot of crap about it. He kept wanting to leave, and we kept telling him we couldn't leave until after he finished his food. We knew he had had enough when he started spitting his applesauce back at us.
He has this tent like apparatus over his bed that they keep closed when he doesn't have visitors or caregivers in his room. This prevents him from getting out of bed on his own, or trying to get out of bed and actually falling out. He tell him that they knows he likes to camp, so he got a special tent bed. It may seem silly, but I think it helps him justify why he is in there and why he can't get out so easily.
Here is a picture:
The thing his leg is resting in is a CPM machine. CPM stands for Continuous Passive Motion, and it bends his knee in order to keep his joints from stiffening up, without him having to use his muscles to do so. It has a faux sheep skin lining and he was sure that he had a cat laying on his leg. He wanted to kick it off and go lock it in the car.
He is still very confused. He was talking a lot about going up to the "Res" which we believe meant the Reservation. He was talking about the Lakota Souix and peyote ceremonies. He said he'd been a member of the church since 1972 and that my Grandfather and I were also practicing. I have no idea what he is talking about, maybe some of you do. He also thought that my Mom, Theresa, and Linda were there and would talk to them from time to time, although neither of them were there at the time.
He did laugh when I told him about the dude with the super mullet outside the window of his room. He couldn't see him, but he laughed when I told him about the guy.
The Rehabilitation Therapy Doctor has told us to expect him to be an inpatient there for 3-4 weeks at this point and then he can be changed to an outpatient. I guess it all depends on the workers comp insurance and his condition.
Your continued prayers are much appreciated. Those of you who have sent cards, thank you. My Grandmother takes them in and reads them to him and he has expressed a desire to respond to all of them. So, on his behalf, he is thanking everybody for their prayers and loving support and the kind words that you have all spoken and writted to him and also to us.
Tomorrow we celebrate my youngest daughters first birthday. It will be another bittersweet day for us. I know that when my Dad is coherent enough to understand that he wasn't able to be there for that, it will break his heart. He loves his Grandchildren so much and I know that he'll be sad to know that he wasn't able to be there on her first birthday like he was for the others. We are just grateful that he will be able to be here to celebrate future birthdays.
Monday, July 19, 2010
July 18th
I made it in for a short visit yesterday and found out that my Dad had moved rooms because of staffing reasons and his need for a 1:1 ratio. When they finally buzzed Ted and I through and we went looking for him in his room, all of the nurses called to us at the nurses station because, there he was! Sitting up in a modified bed/chair thing right there at the nurses station with his foot up on the desk!
We were so excited to see him up and about. He was there keeping them all company and entertaining the crowd. He seemed very happy to see us. After some small talk, his back started to really bother him so he decided it was time to get back in bed.
Once they helped him back into bed, we were allowed in to see him for a short time before he fell asleep. He was exhausted from being up and interacting so much, but hopefully the change of scenery helped him out a little bit. He keeps trying to get out of bed and saying "Let's go, let's get out of here", so hopefully it felt like he had a chance to go and get out a little bit.
At this point, his confusion is primarily due to his brain damage. He is hardly on any medications anymore. He has been on a diet consisting of pureed food the consistancy of honey. He seems to be doing well with that and even was encouraged to feed himself with a spoon that had a special attachment to help him grip it better. He was able to successfully feed himself for a short time before he got tired and had to be fed the remainder of his meal.
He still has the PEG tube in that is feeding him through his stomach as well. I am not sure when they intend to remove that, but it is likely not going to be until he is able to eat more solid foods on his own.
I am going to post a picture of him with Ted and I from yesterday that his nurse took for us. I have not posted pictures before this due to my concern for his privacy and the possibility that he may not want people to see him in his condition.
The reason I have decided to post this picture is because he is looking so much better. He was up and alert and smiling and this is the first time that I've seen him so with us. I also want everybody who has been following so closely to be able to see for themselves some of his facial damage. It looks 150% better than it has looked over the past few weeks even though there is quite a bit of drooping on his left side. He will have to undergo more surgeries to position his eye back up where it belongs and hopefully diminish some of the scarring as well.
We were so excited to see him up and about. He was there keeping them all company and entertaining the crowd. He seemed very happy to see us. After some small talk, his back started to really bother him so he decided it was time to get back in bed.
Once they helped him back into bed, we were allowed in to see him for a short time before he fell asleep. He was exhausted from being up and interacting so much, but hopefully the change of scenery helped him out a little bit. He keeps trying to get out of bed and saying "Let's go, let's get out of here", so hopefully it felt like he had a chance to go and get out a little bit.
At this point, his confusion is primarily due to his brain damage. He is hardly on any medications anymore. He has been on a diet consisting of pureed food the consistancy of honey. He seems to be doing well with that and even was encouraged to feed himself with a spoon that had a special attachment to help him grip it better. He was able to successfully feed himself for a short time before he got tired and had to be fed the remainder of his meal.
He still has the PEG tube in that is feeding him through his stomach as well. I am not sure when they intend to remove that, but it is likely not going to be until he is able to eat more solid foods on his own.
I am going to post a picture of him with Ted and I from yesterday that his nurse took for us. I have not posted pictures before this due to my concern for his privacy and the possibility that he may not want people to see him in his condition.
The reason I have decided to post this picture is because he is looking so much better. He was up and alert and smiling and this is the first time that I've seen him so with us. I also want everybody who has been following so closely to be able to see for themselves some of his facial damage. It looks 150% better than it has looked over the past few weeks even though there is quite a bit of drooping on his left side. He will have to undergo more surgeries to position his eye back up where it belongs and hopefully diminish some of the scarring as well.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16th
My Dad's recovery is like that old song... "Slow and steady, steady and slow, that's the way we always go". It's maddening. But, as I've said before, at least he is progressing.
He is still at RCH awaiting transfer to acute rehab due to some lag in final paperwork/insurance red tape, etc. I think we are somewhat anxious for his transfer because as of right now, there isn't much more they can do for him in the hospital. He needs acute rehab in order to really start gaining back so much of what he's lost.
I did get to speak to him over the phone today. That was nice. He was carrying on good conversation and following the topics pretty well. Then I put him on the phone with my two oldest daughters so that they could say hi and he could hear their voices. They miss their Grandpa so much and they are anxious for the day to come when he can sit and read books with them, or take them out in the back crime and go rock hunting again. They decided to sing him a song, so they sang 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and my Dad chimed in to sing along. Just recalling it puts a smile on my face.
He also got to speak with Josh for a bit as well. Josh was so pleased to find Dad so coherent. He was not expecting him to be able to carry on a sensible conversation at this point so I think that helped make his day.
He is still at RCH awaiting transfer to acute rehab due to some lag in final paperwork/insurance red tape, etc. I think we are somewhat anxious for his transfer because as of right now, there isn't much more they can do for him in the hospital. He needs acute rehab in order to really start gaining back so much of what he's lost.
I did get to speak to him over the phone today. That was nice. He was carrying on good conversation and following the topics pretty well. Then I put him on the phone with my two oldest daughters so that they could say hi and he could hear their voices. They miss their Grandpa so much and they are anxious for the day to come when he can sit and read books with them, or take them out in the back crime and go rock hunting again. They decided to sing him a song, so they sang 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' and my Dad chimed in to sing along. Just recalling it puts a smile on my face.
He also got to speak with Josh for a bit as well. Josh was so pleased to find Dad so coherent. He was not expecting him to be able to carry on a sensible conversation at this point so I think that helped make his day.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tuesday, July 13th... Hard evening for us
Tonight was a little bit bittersweet. We celebrated Cody's (my daughter, Dave's Grandaughter) 3rd birthday this evening with my Grandparents and Linda. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who missed my Dad's presence there. Ted and my Grandpa watched the all star game, and I k ow my dad would have been right there with them.
Cody got a big bouncy ball and her first big girl bicycle tonight. She rode her first bike along the same stretch that I learned to ride my first bicycle on. No doubt, the same stretch of sidewalk that my Dad learned to ride his bicycle on as well.
I haven't been able to go and see my Dad since my last posts over the weekend and I miss him. My Grandparents and Linda say that not much has changed since then. He is still making progress, it's just very slow.
He was evaluated by two different intensive rehab centers today and yesterday. Tomorrow, Linda and my Grandparents will visit both of them in person to tour the facilities. He may be transferred to the facility that they choose as early as Friday.
It is likely that once he's transferred, visiting hours will be very limited because he will be in some extensive rehab and therapy sessions for the better part of the day.
From my understanding, he's still very confused. He doesn't remember from day to day what has happened to him or where he is. Sometimes he is in Germany or the coast of Scotland, other days he is at the alpha beta on California. That alpha beta closed down about 20 years ago. He also sees his old best friend who died 20 years ago from liver disease.
He knows who people are and what they're relationship to him is, but he doesn't seem to really know where everything belongs in relation to time and everyday occurrences.
I really miss him and I still have very high hopes for his recovery. I'm terrified that this mental confusion could be permanent but I continue to pray that he will return to us whole and the same as he was before.
Cody got a big bouncy ball and her first big girl bicycle tonight. She rode her first bike along the same stretch that I learned to ride my first bicycle on. No doubt, the same stretch of sidewalk that my Dad learned to ride his bicycle on as well.
I haven't been able to go and see my Dad since my last posts over the weekend and I miss him. My Grandparents and Linda say that not much has changed since then. He is still making progress, it's just very slow.
He was evaluated by two different intensive rehab centers today and yesterday. Tomorrow, Linda and my Grandparents will visit both of them in person to tour the facilities. He may be transferred to the facility that they choose as early as Friday.
It is likely that once he's transferred, visiting hours will be very limited because he will be in some extensive rehab and therapy sessions for the better part of the day.
From my understanding, he's still very confused. He doesn't remember from day to day what has happened to him or where he is. Sometimes he is in Germany or the coast of Scotland, other days he is at the alpha beta on California. That alpha beta closed down about 20 years ago. He also sees his old best friend who died 20 years ago from liver disease.
He knows who people are and what they're relationship to him is, but he doesn't seem to really know where everything belongs in relation to time and everyday occurrences.
I really miss him and I still have very high hopes for his recovery. I'm terrified that this mental confusion could be permanent but I continue to pray that he will return to us whole and the same as he was before.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Speech Therapy Update
I didn't get a chance to update last night after my Dad had his speech therapy session. Actually, the therapist wasn't planning on returning because she had gotten so busy, but the nurse paged her because we wanted to have her at least put in the passy muir valve, which amplifies his voice and allows us to hear him speak.
She came in, and as soon as she put the valve in and asked him a question, he was very responsive. He answered really well and enthusiastically. He is still on some pretty dopey medications and the part of his brain that's damaged is the part that controls his inhibitions, so it was a little like talking to somebody who had been drinking...a lot. But, it was soooooo good to hear his voice.
The therapist was so impressed with his willingness to interact with us that she decided to give him some ice to see how he'd do with swallowing. He did so well chewing and swallowing the ice, that she decided to try actual food. He had a choice between..jello, applesauce, or (drumroll please) chocolate pudding. Naturally, the choice was chocolate pudding. I helped him make the decision, mostly because I know he's not a big fan of jello since he sees so much of it at work. :)
He did remarkably well with the pudding also. He was able to have about four bites of pudding. Considering that he hasn't eaten in three weeks, that was really impressive. He thought it was the most amazing thing he'd ever eaten, next to the ice that he had eaten a few minutes before.
Keep up the prayers, they are working. The doctors and nurses have high hopes for his progress because he's been so agitated and aggressive. They say when a patient is a fighter, they heal faster than the patients that just sit there quietly and obediently. Anybody who knows my Dad, knows that obedient and quiet are not words that describe him.
She came in, and as soon as she put the valve in and asked him a question, he was very responsive. He answered really well and enthusiastically. He is still on some pretty dopey medications and the part of his brain that's damaged is the part that controls his inhibitions, so it was a little like talking to somebody who had been drinking...a lot. But, it was soooooo good to hear his voice.
The therapist was so impressed with his willingness to interact with us that she decided to give him some ice to see how he'd do with swallowing. He did so well chewing and swallowing the ice, that she decided to try actual food. He had a choice between..jello, applesauce, or (drumroll please) chocolate pudding. Naturally, the choice was chocolate pudding. I helped him make the decision, mostly because I know he's not a big fan of jello since he sees so much of it at work. :)
He did remarkably well with the pudding also. He was able to have about four bites of pudding. Considering that he hasn't eaten in three weeks, that was really impressive. He thought it was the most amazing thing he'd ever eaten, next to the ice that he had eaten a few minutes before.
Keep up the prayers, they are working. The doctors and nurses have high hopes for his progress because he's been so agitated and aggressive. They say when a patient is a fighter, they heal faster than the patients that just sit there quietly and obediently. Anybody who knows my Dad, knows that obedient and quiet are not words that describe him.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Day 21...He's much more awake today
I am here with my Dad and he's very awake today. He has been answering questions by nodding his head or shaking it and he is also mouthing words and occasionally can make some sounds through his trach. I believe later that his speech therapist will be showing Linda how to deflate the trach and add a valve that will allow him to speak as he needs to.
He didn't remember Josh being here, but I was able to call him and put him on speaker phone so that he could speak to him and my Dad could hear him. I could tell that he was very happy to hear Josh's voice. He tried to speak to him, but mostly I had to translate to Josh what he was mouthing. He did make a cheer in the air with his right arm when Josh said he would be coming back soon to see him.
His face is healing more and more each day. He kept trying to feel his scars and wounds on his face, he seemed curious about the damage. I asked him if he'd like to see a mirror and he nodded. So, I told him that I would bring one in next time I came. He nodded again in agreement.
He laughed at a few jokes too. He laughed when I said that my husband calls me bossy and he laughed at a couple of lame jokes or comments that I made.
It feels soooo good to have him coming back to us. Today I really feel like he's coming around. His body has been healing well, but we have still been left with the question of his mind and where his brain damage would leave him.
While he still forgets where he is and why he's here, he recognizes all of us and knows who we are to him. I know that his memory will be patchy for awhile, as that is common with head injuries. My Mother had an accident nearly fifteen years ago and head some brain damage. It took her about three years to get back a lot of the things that she lost, but she did eventually get everything back. She still forgets things from time to time, or thinks that things happened differently than they did in the past, but that could be an age thing too.. (no offense, Mom). It's nice to know that my Dad still possesses his sense of humor and his love for his family. The rest is gravy.
Speaking of gravy, he did ask me for something to eat. He brought his hand to his mouth and made eating gestures. I asked him if he was hungry and he nodded yes. I explained to him that he was being fed through the PEG tube but told him that I was sure he'd much rather have a cheeseburger or a burrito, and he gave me a big nod to that one.
The best part of my visit,has without a doubt, been when he pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses it. The first time he did it, I thought he might try to bite me. But, then I saw him pucker his lips to give me a kiss and I willingly gave him my hand. He also reached up to me and my Grandmother and held his hand against our faces and patted gently. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that it was very rewarding to finally have him acknowledge us and show a gesture of love.
Linda and I are now waiting for his speech and occupational therapy sessions. I really look forward to that because I am the only one who hasn't had the chance to actually hear him speak through the valve when he has therapy. I will update again after he has his therapy.
He didn't remember Josh being here, but I was able to call him and put him on speaker phone so that he could speak to him and my Dad could hear him. I could tell that he was very happy to hear Josh's voice. He tried to speak to him, but mostly I had to translate to Josh what he was mouthing. He did make a cheer in the air with his right arm when Josh said he would be coming back soon to see him.
His face is healing more and more each day. He kept trying to feel his scars and wounds on his face, he seemed curious about the damage. I asked him if he'd like to see a mirror and he nodded. So, I told him that I would bring one in next time I came. He nodded again in agreement.
He laughed at a few jokes too. He laughed when I said that my husband calls me bossy and he laughed at a couple of lame jokes or comments that I made.
It feels soooo good to have him coming back to us. Today I really feel like he's coming around. His body has been healing well, but we have still been left with the question of his mind and where his brain damage would leave him.
While he still forgets where he is and why he's here, he recognizes all of us and knows who we are to him. I know that his memory will be patchy for awhile, as that is common with head injuries. My Mother had an accident nearly fifteen years ago and head some brain damage. It took her about three years to get back a lot of the things that she lost, but she did eventually get everything back. She still forgets things from time to time, or thinks that things happened differently than they did in the past, but that could be an age thing too.. (no offense, Mom). It's nice to know that my Dad still possesses his sense of humor and his love for his family. The rest is gravy.
Speaking of gravy, he did ask me for something to eat. He brought his hand to his mouth and made eating gestures. I asked him if he was hungry and he nodded yes. I explained to him that he was being fed through the PEG tube but told him that I was sure he'd much rather have a cheeseburger or a burrito, and he gave me a big nod to that one.
The best part of my visit,has without a doubt, been when he pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses it. The first time he did it, I thought he might try to bite me. But, then I saw him pucker his lips to give me a kiss and I willingly gave him my hand. He also reached up to me and my Grandmother and held his hand against our faces and patted gently. I think I can speak for both of us when I say that it was very rewarding to finally have him acknowledge us and show a gesture of love.
Linda and I are now waiting for his speech and occupational therapy sessions. I really look forward to that because I am the only one who hasn't had the chance to actually hear him speak through the valve when he has therapy. I will update again after he has his therapy.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
July 8th
I received an email today from one of my Dad's Union colleagues with a link to the Healing Drum Ceremony on YouTube. I've embedded it here on the blog so that you can see it if you'd like. You may notice that my brother and I were absent at the ceremony. We had decided to go up to my Dad's room and spend some time with him while it was going on.
Things are still progressing slowly, but at least they are progressing. His Orthopedic Surgeon has ordered physical therapy for him, so that will more than likely begin tomorrow. My Grandmother was told that they planned to get him up and sitting in a chair tomorrow. We're not too sure how they plan to go about it, but that's their goal. I also spoke with Linda, and they told her that they'd like to get him to 'toe stand' tomorrow. I believe that may mean standing with his weight on his right leg and just using his left toes to balance.
His speech therapy session went well today from what I was told. He did well with the newer voice valve, it was much easier to understand him. He was asked several questions and was able to give the correct responses and answer if he was in pain or not.
He has been assigned a 'babysitter' in the form of a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant). Her job is to basically sit in his room with him and make sure that he doesn't try to get out of bed or get too agitated since his nurse is assigned another patient besides him, plus at some point, they have to use the restroom and go to lunch. Interestingly enough, his CNA happens to be an extended family member of sorts.
We have been pretty lucky with regards to his caregivers. Most of them know him in some capacity outside of being a patient at the hospital. He has worked with many of them, from his nurses, to respiratory therapists, all the way to some of his doctors and speech therapists.
Early next week, he will be evaluated by three different Therapy facilities for transfer. His doctors would like to be able to transfer him into a rehab facility as soon as late next week. In order to do so, he will have to withstand three hours of therapy first. We aren't sure if that means three hours at a time or just three hours intermittently throughout the day.
His medications are being limited in order to get him fully awake, but his disorientation and agitation gets pretty bad, so ultimately, they end up medicating him again to keep him calm. I guess they are trying to find a happy medium so that we can get him up and going, but keep him comfortable also.
Things are still progressing slowly, but at least they are progressing. His Orthopedic Surgeon has ordered physical therapy for him, so that will more than likely begin tomorrow. My Grandmother was told that they planned to get him up and sitting in a chair tomorrow. We're not too sure how they plan to go about it, but that's their goal. I also spoke with Linda, and they told her that they'd like to get him to 'toe stand' tomorrow. I believe that may mean standing with his weight on his right leg and just using his left toes to balance.
His speech therapy session went well today from what I was told. He did well with the newer voice valve, it was much easier to understand him. He was asked several questions and was able to give the correct responses and answer if he was in pain or not.
He has been assigned a 'babysitter' in the form of a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant). Her job is to basically sit in his room with him and make sure that he doesn't try to get out of bed or get too agitated since his nurse is assigned another patient besides him, plus at some point, they have to use the restroom and go to lunch. Interestingly enough, his CNA happens to be an extended family member of sorts.
We have been pretty lucky with regards to his caregivers. Most of them know him in some capacity outside of being a patient at the hospital. He has worked with many of them, from his nurses, to respiratory therapists, all the way to some of his doctors and speech therapists.
Early next week, he will be evaluated by three different Therapy facilities for transfer. His doctors would like to be able to transfer him into a rehab facility as soon as late next week. In order to do so, he will have to withstand three hours of therapy first. We aren't sure if that means three hours at a time or just three hours intermittently throughout the day.
His medications are being limited in order to get him fully awake, but his disorientation and agitation gets pretty bad, so ultimately, they end up medicating him again to keep him calm. I guess they are trying to find a happy medium so that we can get him up and going, but keep him comfortable also.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Day 18, July 7th
My Dad is pretty sedated today. They removed his NG tube that went from his nose, down his esophagus and into his stomach for feeding purposes and placed a PEG tube in through his stomach. Here is some information on what a PEG tube is:
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes (PEG tube)
A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG tube) goes into your stomach through an opening made on the outside of your abdomen. This procudure is done under sedation. To put a PEG tube in you have an endoscopy. This means the doctor puts a tube with a camera on the end through your mouth, down your food pipe and into your stomach. They can then see where to place the PEG tube, which is put in through the skin of your abdomen. This type of tube is used for people who have long term problems with eating and swallowing. The feeds usually run for most of the day through a pump, with a break of a few hours to give the stomach a rest. But sometimes feeds can go in over 24 hours at a low rate. If you are having feeds at home, your dietician will guide you about how much feed you need and the timings.
He had to be sedated for the PEG tube so he's been really groggy all day. The advantage to the PEG tube is that it is much more comfortable than the NG tube. They had sutured his NG tube into his nose and he kept trying to pull it out, so you can imagine that it was pretty uncomfortable for him.
I'm not sure how his speech therapy session went, but I will try to get details and post about it.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes (PEG tube)
A percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube (PEG tube) goes into your stomach through an opening made on the outside of your abdomen. This procudure is done under sedation. To put a PEG tube in you have an endoscopy. This means the doctor puts a tube with a camera on the end through your mouth, down your food pipe and into your stomach. They can then see where to place the PEG tube, which is put in through the skin of your abdomen. This type of tube is used for people who have long term problems with eating and swallowing. The feeds usually run for most of the day through a pump, with a break of a few hours to give the stomach a rest. But sometimes feeds can go in over 24 hours at a low rate. If you are having feeds at home, your dietician will guide you about how much feed you need and the timings.
He had to be sedated for the PEG tube so he's been really groggy all day. The advantage to the PEG tube is that it is much more comfortable than the NG tube. They had sutured his NG tube into his nose and he kept trying to pull it out, so you can imagine that it was pretty uncomfortable for him.
I'm not sure how his speech therapy session went, but I will try to get details and post about it.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Day 17...update...Today Was a Good Day
So, surgery went well. They didn't end up taking skin grafts to close the wounds on his leg. The plastic surgeon was able to repair them with "extensive suturing". I'm not even sure that he had to go under anesthesia for it.
When I got back after his surgery, he was no longer on the CPAP or Ventilator. He was breathing on his own with only oxygen streaming to him. His breathing was much calmer than it had been the last time. Before, he seemed to be struggling to breathe on his own. Today, he had a more normal respiratory rate.
He was able to wake up somewhat while I was there. I had really been hoping that I could see him awake and I wasn't dissapointed. He repeatedly attempted to 'get out of bed'. At least that's what it seemed like he was trying to do. He did open his good eye and look directly at me. He seemed somewhat scared and confused, like he didn't understand quite what was going on.
My Grandmother and I explained to him again that he had an accident and had several broken bones, but that he was going to be o.k. He tried to talk, but we still can't hear him because of his tracheostomy. We are hoping that he will be able to stay off of the ventilator so that they can add the part to his trach that will allow him to speak through it. At this point, it is very hard to determine how much he knows or remembers about what is going on because he can't speak to us.
For the most part, today was a pretty good day for him. He had the c-spine collar removed, avoided a skin graft with extensive suturing, and got off the ventilator. All positive steps in the right direction, steps toward recovery.
When I got back after his surgery, he was no longer on the CPAP or Ventilator. He was breathing on his own with only oxygen streaming to him. His breathing was much calmer than it had been the last time. Before, he seemed to be struggling to breathe on his own. Today, he had a more normal respiratory rate.
He was able to wake up somewhat while I was there. I had really been hoping that I could see him awake and I wasn't dissapointed. He repeatedly attempted to 'get out of bed'. At least that's what it seemed like he was trying to do. He did open his good eye and look directly at me. He seemed somewhat scared and confused, like he didn't understand quite what was going on.
My Grandmother and I explained to him again that he had an accident and had several broken bones, but that he was going to be o.k. He tried to talk, but we still can't hear him because of his tracheostomy. We are hoping that he will be able to stay off of the ventilator so that they can add the part to his trach that will allow him to speak through it. At this point, it is very hard to determine how much he knows or remembers about what is going on because he can't speak to us.
For the most part, today was a pretty good day for him. He had the c-spine collar removed, avoided a skin graft with extensive suturing, and got off the ventilator. All positive steps in the right direction, steps toward recovery.
Day 17, another surgery
Updates have been less frequent because his progress has slowed somewhat. Day by day, he looks a little better, gets a few sutures and staples removed and is able to wake up from time to time. He is reminded daily of where he is and why he is there.
Today, he is on CPAP, which is a slightly less intrusive version of the ventilator. It allows him to initiate breaths on his own, but assists him and provides a higher level of O2. According to the Pulmonologists orders, they plan to see how he does on that for a couple of hours and then draw blood gasses to see how his body is responding. He will remain on the ventilator through surgery, however, if his gases come back well, then they will eventually disconnect it.
He is scheduled to have his skin graft surgery today at noon. They plan to 'steal some skin' from somewhere on his left leg to use in closing the remaining open wounds left from his femur fracture. It is a fairly simple procedure and shouldn't take too long.
His blood pressure is pretty low today without any BP meds. His nurse said that some of the other medications that he is on could be causing it to be so low and because of the reading, he won't be getting any BP meds at this time.
He looks more like himself today than he has throughout this entire ordeal. They took his C-Spine collar off today and he's had a recent shave. His left ear has healed pretty nicely. You can hardly notice the part that's missing at first glance. The plastic surgeon did a remarkable job on his face, and his scars aren't nearly as bad as we had expected them to be.
He still has a huge goose egg on his forehead, but it's a little less prominent now. Most of the swelling has gone down. The only realy swelling that I can notice is in his left leg. It is still about twice it's normal size. He briefly peeped his right eye open when the respiratory therapist was giving him a breathing treatment. I also got to see him smile a little in his sleep.
Overall, he is making progress, even if it seems to be slow. He sustained so many horrible injuries, it's unrealistic for me to expect that he could be awake and aware and able to fully communicate by now. I know it's wishful thinking on my part and he needs to heal at his own pace. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this way and I know that we'll all sleep a little better once he is out of the ICU.
Today, he is on CPAP, which is a slightly less intrusive version of the ventilator. It allows him to initiate breaths on his own, but assists him and provides a higher level of O2. According to the Pulmonologists orders, they plan to see how he does on that for a couple of hours and then draw blood gasses to see how his body is responding. He will remain on the ventilator through surgery, however, if his gases come back well, then they will eventually disconnect it.
He is scheduled to have his skin graft surgery today at noon. They plan to 'steal some skin' from somewhere on his left leg to use in closing the remaining open wounds left from his femur fracture. It is a fairly simple procedure and shouldn't take too long.
His blood pressure is pretty low today without any BP meds. His nurse said that some of the other medications that he is on could be causing it to be so low and because of the reading, he won't be getting any BP meds at this time.
He looks more like himself today than he has throughout this entire ordeal. They took his C-Spine collar off today and he's had a recent shave. His left ear has healed pretty nicely. You can hardly notice the part that's missing at first glance. The plastic surgeon did a remarkable job on his face, and his scars aren't nearly as bad as we had expected them to be.
He still has a huge goose egg on his forehead, but it's a little less prominent now. Most of the swelling has gone down. The only realy swelling that I can notice is in his left leg. It is still about twice it's normal size. He briefly peeped his right eye open when the respiratory therapist was giving him a breathing treatment. I also got to see him smile a little in his sleep.
Overall, he is making progress, even if it seems to be slow. He sustained so many horrible injuries, it's unrealistic for me to expect that he could be awake and aware and able to fully communicate by now. I know it's wishful thinking on my part and he needs to heal at his own pace. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this way and I know that we'll all sleep a little better once he is out of the ICU.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Blood Drive Still Going..code to give lifestream
Lifestream is still accepting donations in my Dad's name and will continue as long as he is hospitalized. I copied addresses and phone numbers to the Southern California Donation Centers in an ealier post.
When you go to donate, give them the code: REPLVAD3
This will ensure that he gets credits for the units that are donated in his name.
Thank you all for your donations.
When you go to donate, give them the code: REPLVAD3
This will ensure that he gets credits for the units that are donated in his name.
Thank you all for your donations.
July 4th
He has been switched from Ativan to Xanax for anxiety. He's still on the Ventilatory, but his peep is at 4.7 which is good. We don't know exactly what that means, but we've been told that anything above 5 isn't good. His chest tube was removed yesterday, so that means that they don't believe his lung is in danger of collapsing again at this point.
He is still heavily sedated, so he hasn't been able to fully wake up yet. His Neurologist would like the sedation stopped so that he can fully assess the damage to his brain, but his Trauma Surgeon has ordered it to continue. Once again, as much as we'd all like him to be awake and responsive, if he would be in pain, we all agree that it's better that he sleep and get as much rest as possible while his body heals.
I am sad that my Dad will miss July 4th this year. I have fond memories of our Independance Day celebrations in the past. My Dad has always been a fan of M80's. We have never blown up a toilet together, (I wouldn't doubt he has on his own at some point in his youth), but we've blown many tuna cans sky high with them.
I'll leave you all with that, hopefully it puts a smile on your face. It does mine.
He is still heavily sedated, so he hasn't been able to fully wake up yet. His Neurologist would like the sedation stopped so that he can fully assess the damage to his brain, but his Trauma Surgeon has ordered it to continue. Once again, as much as we'd all like him to be awake and responsive, if he would be in pain, we all agree that it's better that he sleep and get as much rest as possible while his body heals.
I am sad that my Dad will miss July 4th this year. I have fond memories of our Independance Day celebrations in the past. My Dad has always been a fan of M80's. We have never blown up a toilet together, (I wouldn't doubt he has on his own at some point in his youth), but we've blown many tuna cans sky high with them.
I'll leave you all with that, hopefully it puts a smile on your face. It does mine.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Not too many changes
For those who are keeping track on a daily basis, There hasn't been much change in his condition over the past couple of days. They have had him on Ativan which is a tranquilizer, so he really hasn't had too many conscious moments.
He's still on the ventilator and it seems like he probably will be until the other pulmonologist takes over next week, maybe tomorrow. His peep level was a 5 yesterday, which is really good. They told me that he would more than likely be on the ventilator until he was at a 5 or lower for awhile.
It seems like things have stalled a little as far as progress, but I suppose that's somewhat normal. I've been warned that it could be that way by a friend who's Father had similar injuries.
At least all of the rest will help him heal faster. It's astonishing to me that it has already been 2 weeks since his accident. The days are all blurring together.
He's still on the ventilator and it seems like he probably will be until the other pulmonologist takes over next week, maybe tomorrow. His peep level was a 5 yesterday, which is really good. They told me that he would more than likely be on the ventilator until he was at a 5 or lower for awhile.
It seems like things have stalled a little as far as progress, but I suppose that's somewhat normal. I've been warned that it could be that way by a friend who's Father had similar injuries.
At least all of the rest will help him heal faster. It's astonishing to me that it has already been 2 weeks since his accident. The days are all blurring together.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Some more good news
My Dad had a CAT Scan tonight to see how the bleeding on his brain was. The results were good, so he got to have the Intracranial Pressure Monitor removed tonight. For those that don't know what that is, it was this strange probe thing that was inserted into the top of his skull. It stuck straight up and had a wire attached to it that led to the machine that would show the pressure. It was bizzare.
The Speech Therapist said that once he had that removed, she would be able to use a different type of voice box on his tracheostomy so that we could hear him more clearly when he tries to talk.
Next big step I think, is to get him off the ventilator asap, so long as he can breathe on his own. He did several days ago, but the Pulmonologist on his case this week is pretty conservative and wanted to put him back on it. I am hopeful that he will be able to be off of it within the next day or two.
Another big step would be for him to be able to open his eyes. He is able to follow simple commands and speak from time to time, but try as he might, he can't get that darn eye open.
The Speech Therapist said that once he had that removed, she would be able to use a different type of voice box on his tracheostomy so that we could hear him more clearly when he tries to talk.
Next big step I think, is to get him off the ventilator asap, so long as he can breathe on his own. He did several days ago, but the Pulmonologist on his case this week is pretty conservative and wanted to put him back on it. I am hopeful that he will be able to be off of it within the next day or two.
Another big step would be for him to be able to open his eyes. He is able to follow simple commands and speak from time to time, but try as he might, he can't get that darn eye open.
Information about the infection that Dave has...
I asked if they knew what type of infection my Dad has the other day, and I was told it was acinetobacter. I, being the curious person that I am, had to come home and google it of course, and here is the article I found by the CDC.
(you may have to copy and paste it into your url bar)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_acinetobacter.html
I suppose it's fairly common, however, I don't like the part where it says "Acinetobacter causes a variety of diseases, ranging from pneumonia to serious blood or wound infections and the symptoms vary depending on the disease."
He has been doing so well and I think it would be a real bummer if this infection turns into more than a mild fever and cough. I guess that the good news was that his fever was down a little bit yesterday.
Let's all just keep praying that he continues to recover without his infection getting worse.
(you may have to copy and paste it into your url bar)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_acinetobacter.html
I suppose it's fairly common, however, I don't like the part where it says "Acinetobacter causes a variety of diseases, ranging from pneumonia to serious blood or wound infections and the symptoms vary depending on the disease."
He has been doing so well and I think it would be a real bummer if this infection turns into more than a mild fever and cough. I guess that the good news was that his fever was down a little bit yesterday.
Let's all just keep praying that he continues to recover without his infection getting worse.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Update from Tuesday Night and Wednesday...Another Surgery Today
Let me start by saying Thank you to everybody who made it to the drumming/glowstick vigil last night. It was really amazing when I pulled into the parking lot and heard the thunder of the drums. I had no idea it was going to be so touching. Thank you to those who wanted to come, but couldn't for whatever reason. We know you're still praying for my Dad and the rest of us.
Yesterday ended up being a really good day for my Dad and the rest of the family. He was able to speak very briefly to Linda and Josh while the speech therapist was working with him. Mostly, it was responding to the therapist asking if he can feel this or that, or other yes/no questions.
Then later in the evening when I got to see him he adamantly shook his head when I stated that his mind wasn't listening to his body, was it. It was completely unexpected on my part because up until that point, I had only heard that he was answering by nodding or shaking his head. Josh told me that it was the biggest shake of his head that he had seen all day, which made me feel good.
Probably the most touching moment that I saw yesterday was when my Grandmother, Joyce, came in to say goodnight to him. As soon as he heard her voice near him, he reached up to her with his hand. She took his hand and he squeezed hers back and relaxed. I know that moment was such a sigh of relief for her, and me as well. He still knows who we are.
Today, he wasn't quite as awake as he was last night, but I think we were all ok with that because we knew he had his surgery ahead of him and he needed his rest for that.
They took him into the OR around 1:45 to repair his left humerous (upper arm) and right wrist. It took about five hours, but he tolerated it really well and stayed stable the whole time. Unfortunately, they were unable to take the skin grafts to close the wounds in his leg because the plastic surgeon had other commitments this afternoon, so he will have to go under again for that. We were all hoping that they could get that done as well and it would mean one less trip to the OR.
The good news is that his Orthopedic Surgeon was very confident in his ability to use his arm to support himself on something to try to start walking soon. He said that if he were awake, he would have him up tomorrow trying to start therapy. That was very encouraging.
Another ray of sunshine was that his Trauma Surgeon told Linda to start looking for a really good intensive inpatient rehab/therapy facility because he expects that he should be able to transfer him. He suggested starting with Loma Linda. If anybody has any experience in this area and would like to make a suggestion, we are very open to hearing them.
I apologize for not updating last night, I was having trouble getting a wifi signal.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support...They are working.
Yesterday ended up being a really good day for my Dad and the rest of the family. He was able to speak very briefly to Linda and Josh while the speech therapist was working with him. Mostly, it was responding to the therapist asking if he can feel this or that, or other yes/no questions.
Then later in the evening when I got to see him he adamantly shook his head when I stated that his mind wasn't listening to his body, was it. It was completely unexpected on my part because up until that point, I had only heard that he was answering by nodding or shaking his head. Josh told me that it was the biggest shake of his head that he had seen all day, which made me feel good.
Probably the most touching moment that I saw yesterday was when my Grandmother, Joyce, came in to say goodnight to him. As soon as he heard her voice near him, he reached up to her with his hand. She took his hand and he squeezed hers back and relaxed. I know that moment was such a sigh of relief for her, and me as well. He still knows who we are.
Today, he wasn't quite as awake as he was last night, but I think we were all ok with that because we knew he had his surgery ahead of him and he needed his rest for that.
They took him into the OR around 1:45 to repair his left humerous (upper arm) and right wrist. It took about five hours, but he tolerated it really well and stayed stable the whole time. Unfortunately, they were unable to take the skin grafts to close the wounds in his leg because the plastic surgeon had other commitments this afternoon, so he will have to go under again for that. We were all hoping that they could get that done as well and it would mean one less trip to the OR.
The good news is that his Orthopedic Surgeon was very confident in his ability to use his arm to support himself on something to try to start walking soon. He said that if he were awake, he would have him up tomorrow trying to start therapy. That was very encouraging.
Another ray of sunshine was that his Trauma Surgeon told Linda to start looking for a really good intensive inpatient rehab/therapy facility because he expects that he should be able to transfer him. He suggested starting with Loma Linda. If anybody has any experience in this area and would like to make a suggestion, we are very open to hearing them.
I apologize for not updating last night, I was having trouble getting a wifi signal.
Thank you for all of your prayers and support...They are working.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Healing Drum Circle/Candlelight Vigil Update...TONIGHT
My previous post said that the vigil was tonight at 8 pm, however, I was informed that it was changed to 7:30 pm. It will be held in front of the hospital and as long as it doesn't resemble a picket of any kind, then we will be allowed to continue.
Thank you all for your support and prayers.
Thank you all for your support and prayers.
A Better Day
He was able to respond by trying to talk today. I didn't get a lot of details, but my brother, Josh, called me from the hospital and said that our Dad was trying to talk earlier. They had to deflate something in his tracheostomy in order to hear him better. It sounded as if he was saying "mmmmm hmmmm" and "Ya". I don't know what questions he was answering because I'm not at the hospital yet.
I am hoping to get to hear him talk later when I can get there. Right now, I have my girls, so I will go down there once my husband gets off of work.
I am hoping to get to hear him talk later when I can get there. Right now, I have my girls, so I will go down there once my husband gets off of work.
2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back...
After breathing on his own for 5 hours yesterday, my Dad got tired and the pulmonologist decided that he should be back on ventilation in order to rest. His nurse mentioned that often times it's only overnight and then they let the patients breathe again on their own during the day. However, this particular pulmonologist happens to be somewhat conservative and chose to keep him on it for the daytime as well.
He is still looking better each day. His face us healing slowly but surely. The staples came out of his shoulder today, and they were planning to see if they could get the ones in the back of his head out as well, but his nurse needed a second set of hands to do that.
His chest tube is still in. His blood pressure is a little higher than it was a few days ago, but I believe that's normal since they have reduced his pain medication so he is feeling more pain than he was before. As far as I know, that can cause an elevation in blood pressure.
He has been off sedation completely for 3 days, and yesterday they started lowering the dose of his pain medications. Today, he was no longer on the pain drip, but he did have a patch that administered the medication to him in a lower dose, and they were giving him morphine in between if he seemed to need it.
A Speech Therapist came in today to start working with him in order to wake him up. The do a type of therapy called "Coma Stim". It's a technique that they use for patients in a coma or similar state (like my Dad) that helps to stimulate them and bring them up to consciousness. During the therapy, he was able to move some toes on his right foot when she asked him to.
The Speech Therapist will continue to work with him, not only on the Coma Stim, but once he's awake, he will have to re-learn how to swallow again since he now has a hole in his throat and his face has been rearranged. He will also need to learn to speak through the trach when the time comes. We've been told that it could be 3-4 more weeks before he will be stable enough to add the part of the trach that allows him to speak through it.
My little Brother, Josh, came into town today on the train. It's so good to see him, although we all wish it were under different circumstances. He and I got to visit our Dad for about an hour before they needed us to step out to change his bandages.
On our way out, we were informed that when we came back in, we would need to wear hospital gowns, gloves and possibly masks as well, because my Dad now has an infection. She told me the name, it started with a B from what I recall, but I can't remember it for the life of me. Anyhow, they didn't seem too concerned with how it may effect his recovery, but they did tell us that it was contagious and that we would have to gown up to protect ourselves from being exposed.
Josh and I went to grab a bite to eat and it took about an hour. That seemed like plenty of time to get the bandages changed, especially since it only took 40 minutes yesterday. But when we got back, they asked us to give them another 40 minutes, but didn't really tell us why. When I told Linda, she decided to call and see if everything was ok. We were hopeful that it meant that maybe he was coming around, but that wasn't why. Apparently, while she was changing his dressings, he got "Riled up". We don't know for sure what that means, but it more than likely means that he was in pain and got aggitated. I think Linda said that they gave him more pain meds and were working on finishing his bandaging still.
As of right now, I believe he is scheduled for surgery on his left arm later this week.
Thank you for your prayers.
He is still looking better each day. His face us healing slowly but surely. The staples came out of his shoulder today, and they were planning to see if they could get the ones in the back of his head out as well, but his nurse needed a second set of hands to do that.
His chest tube is still in. His blood pressure is a little higher than it was a few days ago, but I believe that's normal since they have reduced his pain medication so he is feeling more pain than he was before. As far as I know, that can cause an elevation in blood pressure.
He has been off sedation completely for 3 days, and yesterday they started lowering the dose of his pain medications. Today, he was no longer on the pain drip, but he did have a patch that administered the medication to him in a lower dose, and they were giving him morphine in between if he seemed to need it.
A Speech Therapist came in today to start working with him in order to wake him up. The do a type of therapy called "Coma Stim". It's a technique that they use for patients in a coma or similar state (like my Dad) that helps to stimulate them and bring them up to consciousness. During the therapy, he was able to move some toes on his right foot when she asked him to.
The Speech Therapist will continue to work with him, not only on the Coma Stim, but once he's awake, he will have to re-learn how to swallow again since he now has a hole in his throat and his face has been rearranged. He will also need to learn to speak through the trach when the time comes. We've been told that it could be 3-4 more weeks before he will be stable enough to add the part of the trach that allows him to speak through it.
My little Brother, Josh, came into town today on the train. It's so good to see him, although we all wish it were under different circumstances. He and I got to visit our Dad for about an hour before they needed us to step out to change his bandages.
On our way out, we were informed that when we came back in, we would need to wear hospital gowns, gloves and possibly masks as well, because my Dad now has an infection. She told me the name, it started with a B from what I recall, but I can't remember it for the life of me. Anyhow, they didn't seem too concerned with how it may effect his recovery, but they did tell us that it was contagious and that we would have to gown up to protect ourselves from being exposed.
Josh and I went to grab a bite to eat and it took about an hour. That seemed like plenty of time to get the bandages changed, especially since it only took 40 minutes yesterday. But when we got back, they asked us to give them another 40 minutes, but didn't really tell us why. When I told Linda, she decided to call and see if everything was ok. We were hopeful that it meant that maybe he was coming around, but that wasn't why. Apparently, while she was changing his dressings, he got "Riled up". We don't know for sure what that means, but it more than likely means that he was in pain and got aggitated. I think Linda said that they gave him more pain meds and were working on finishing his bandaging still.
As of right now, I believe he is scheduled for surgery on his left arm later this week.
Thank you for your prayers.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
He's breathing on his own!
My Dad is off the ventilator now. He has been breathing on his own since about noon today. He is still hooked up to it and it's streaming continuous O2, but the breaths he is taking are all on his own. He huffs and puffs a little from time to time, but after some soothing, he calms down again.
He is moving his head quite a bit more today also. I believe he is slightly more aware of us than he was yesterday. So far, he hasn't come all the way out of his unconscious state yet.
He is moving his head quite a bit more today also. I believe he is slightly more aware of us than he was yesterday. So far, he hasn't come all the way out of his unconscious state yet.
Nothing New to Report
I just wanted to check in and let everybody know that there really hasn't been any change since yesterday. He isn't awake yet. They plan to start backing his pain medication down slowly today to see if that helps him wake up. If he isn't awake by tomorrow, the doctor said that he would have a speech therapist come in and do something called 'coma stim'. Even though he isn't technically in a coma, his state of unconsciousness is very similar to a coma and what ever exercises the therapist will do helps to bring them to consciousness.
Most of us are ok with him still being out because we figure he needs the rest and time to heal. But the doctors want him to wake up, even if it's just for a short time because they want to evaluate his mental state and see if they can get a better idea of the extent to the damage to his brain.
Keep praying for him, pray for him to not have to experience much pain, pray for strength during his recovery and therapy, pray for his mind and that it is still in tact.
Thank you all for your prayers.
Most of us are ok with him still being out because we figure he needs the rest and time to heal. But the doctors want him to wake up, even if it's just for a short time because they want to evaluate his mental state and see if they can get a better idea of the extent to the damage to his brain.
Keep praying for him, pray for him to not have to experience much pain, pray for strength during his recovery and therapy, pray for his mind and that it is still in tact.
Thank you all for your prayers.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
He is off sedation now
They stopped the sedation this morning so that he can slowly come to consciousness. He is still not fully awake, however, he is able to move his head toward the sound of our voices. So far, he hasn't gotten aggitated or too upset.
We continue to remind him when he stirs that he's been in a terrible accident and that he's at RCH and will be ok. We tell him not to try to talk because his jaw is wired closed and not to try to move because of his broken bones. He is trying to breathe on his own but he is still on the respirator.
His most recent CT Scan showed some minor brain damage, mostly to the part of his brain that controls his inhibitions. They have prepared us for the possibility that he will wake up very aggitated or angry and that it is likely that he will just say what he is thinking and will not be able to help himself.
They say that it may take a couple of days for the sedation to completely wear off depending on how quickly his body metabolizes the medication. We all agree that the longer he can sleep, the better, since he still has the trach in and is on the respirator. Not to mention that the longer he sleeps, the less he's aware of his circumstances.
He looks much better today. Most of his swelling has gone down and he has a lot more natral color in his face and body. He isn't so red and puffy.
The lacerations on his face look like they are healing really well and he's had some of his sutures removed.
Now that the swelling has gone down, I can see a horrible goose egg on his forehead. Seriously, it's like what you see in the Tom & Jerry cartoons.
Thank you again for all of your love and support and prayers. Ultimately, they are working. While he is still considered critical, he is stable and responding to treatment.
We continue to remind him when he stirs that he's been in a terrible accident and that he's at RCH and will be ok. We tell him not to try to talk because his jaw is wired closed and not to try to move because of his broken bones. He is trying to breathe on his own but he is still on the respirator.
His most recent CT Scan showed some minor brain damage, mostly to the part of his brain that controls his inhibitions. They have prepared us for the possibility that he will wake up very aggitated or angry and that it is likely that he will just say what he is thinking and will not be able to help himself.
They say that it may take a couple of days for the sedation to completely wear off depending on how quickly his body metabolizes the medication. We all agree that the longer he can sleep, the better, since he still has the trach in and is on the respirator. Not to mention that the longer he sleeps, the less he's aware of his circumstances.
He looks much better today. Most of his swelling has gone down and he has a lot more natral color in his face and body. He isn't so red and puffy.
The lacerations on his face look like they are healing really well and he's had some of his sutures removed.
Now that the swelling has gone down, I can see a horrible goose egg on his forehead. Seriously, it's like what you see in the Tom & Jerry cartoons.
Thank you again for all of your love and support and prayers. Ultimately, they are working. While he is still considered critical, he is stable and responding to treatment.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Pictures and Video of Truck and Accident Site
For those who would like to see, I have added a slideshow of the damage to the truck and a video that I show re-tracing the path of the accident to the bottom of the blog. I put it down there just in case there are some who do not wish to see. I kept a couple of pictures of the truck private because they were hard to look at, even for me and I don't get squeemish. It was a little emotionally overwhelming, so I hope you understand.
To see them you can scroll all the way down to the bottom of the blog.
He spent most of the day today resting and recovering from surgery on his leg. It is likely that they will begin cutting back on the sedative tomorrow and allow him to come to consciousness slowly. I will continue to update as he progresses.
To see them you can scroll all the way down to the bottom of the blog.
He spent most of the day today resting and recovering from surgery on his leg. It is likely that they will begin cutting back on the sedative tomorrow and allow him to come to consciousness slowly. I will continue to update as he progresses.
Update on his condition
He is still stable and did well through the night. He was supposed to have another CAT Scan last night, but they didn't end up doing it because his oxygen levels dropped when they were moving him so they took him back to his room. His oxygen levels have stabilized and they are giving him a medication now to help increase his O2 sats.
He's on so many medications, it's hard to keep them all straight. He is on a sedative, pain medicaions, blood pressure medication, insulin for his diabetes, a medication that helps to reduce the swelling in his body, another medication to pump up his red blood cells, antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection, and on and on. He has so many IV drips that as soon as the nurses replenish one of them, another runs out. They spend most of their time refilling and managing his IV and then charting what they just gave him.
It is comforting that most of his caregivers, be they Nurses, RT's, Doctors, etc. all know him or know of him. Something about them knowing him outside of being a patient makes me feel better.
He's on so many medications, it's hard to keep them all straight. He is on a sedative, pain medicaions, blood pressure medication, insulin for his diabetes, a medication that helps to reduce the swelling in his body, another medication to pump up his red blood cells, antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection, and on and on. He has so many IV drips that as soon as the nurses replenish one of them, another runs out. They spend most of their time refilling and managing his IV and then charting what they just gave him.
It is comforting that most of his caregivers, be they Nurses, RT's, Doctors, etc. all know him or know of him. Something about them knowing him outside of being a patient makes me feel better.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Dave is out of surgery
It went well and he is stable. It took about 5 1/2 hours, and he has a large nail supporting his femur (upper leg) and a plate and screws in his tibia (lower leg). He remained stable through surgery, although he had to have a few units of blood to keep his hemaglobin levels from dropping too low. Some of the swelling returned so he's a little puffy, but they say that is normal with surgery and blood transfusion. It seems like everytime he gets blood, his face swells up again.
He is resting now and they plan to give him through the weekend to recover from this surgery before they go in and fix his left arm and right wrist. So long as he stays stable, they will fix those sometime next week.
We still don't know when they will allow him to wake up, however, at this time we are ok with them letting him sleep for now because we know he is pretty drugged up. The way I see it, he can sleep for weeks if it means that he won't be in as much pain when he wakes up. The only downfall to him being so heavily sedated is that we don't know what his mental impairments might be until he is awake and they can evaluate him.
His Neurologist is pretty optimistic regarding any damage to his brain, however, they do warn us that there is a chance that he may suffer from some impairment, but nobody can estimate how much yet. His Ortho Surgeon, has prepared us for approximately 6 months to a year before he is able to get around without some sort of help, be it from a wheelchair, walker, cane, etc. It is likely that he may have a limp for quite sometime.
He still has a chest tube and intracranial pressure monitor. His pressure levels in his brain are still in the safe zone, though, which is good.
More to come....
He is resting now and they plan to give him through the weekend to recover from this surgery before they go in and fix his left arm and right wrist. So long as he stays stable, they will fix those sometime next week.
We still don't know when they will allow him to wake up, however, at this time we are ok with them letting him sleep for now because we know he is pretty drugged up. The way I see it, he can sleep for weeks if it means that he won't be in as much pain when he wakes up. The only downfall to him being so heavily sedated is that we don't know what his mental impairments might be until he is awake and they can evaluate him.
His Neurologist is pretty optimistic regarding any damage to his brain, however, they do warn us that there is a chance that he may suffer from some impairment, but nobody can estimate how much yet. His Ortho Surgeon, has prepared us for approximately 6 months to a year before he is able to get around without some sort of help, be it from a wheelchair, walker, cane, etc. It is likely that he may have a limp for quite sometime.
He still has a chest tube and intracranial pressure monitor. His pressure levels in his brain are still in the safe zone, though, which is good.
More to come....
He is in surgery now...
I was able to accompany him down to the OR a little bit ago. His doctors decided that they will only be working on his leg today due to the risks and probably blood loss that will occur during surgery. They will have to fix his arm and wrist at another time. The estimated time in the OR for this procedure is about 5 hours. He went in around 3pm, so he should be finished around 8pm and I will update again once he is out.
Candlelight Vigil
There will be a candlelight vigil in front of Riverside Community Hospital on Tuesday, June 29th at 8:00 pm. If you can come and show your support, we would love to see you there.
Surgery Today
My Dad has been stable enough for them to go in today and repair his leg. If they have enough time, they will also work on fixing his left arm and possibly his right wrist. He is still on the ventilator, however he is doing really well at this point. He will remain under sedation for another day or two at the least before they allow him to regain conciousness.
Some more good news is that he is now able to tolerate being fed through a tube. They had attempted feeding him on Monday night, however, he didn't tolerate it well. They tried again on Tuesday night and he did better, so he is now able to 'eat' gruel through a tube. I know that doesn't sound appetizing, but at least he doesn't have to taste it and he can get more nourishment to help him get stronger and recover.
I will post another update after his surgery today to let everybody know how it goes.
Some more good news is that he is now able to tolerate being fed through a tube. They had attempted feeding him on Monday night, however, he didn't tolerate it well. They tried again on Tuesday night and he did better, so he is now able to 'eat' gruel through a tube. I know that doesn't sound appetizing, but at least he doesn't have to taste it and he can get more nourishment to help him get stronger and recover.
I will post another update after his surgery today to let everybody know how it goes.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Blood Drive in Dave's Name
For those who are asking if there is anything that they can do, we have started a blood drive in his name. If you want to donate, you can go to your local Life Stream Donation Center and make a donation in his name. All you have to do is tell them that you want to donate 'replenish blood for David Van Voorhis and that he is at Riverside Community Hospital'.
I should have a code in the next couple of days that you can give them, but for now if you tell them that, they will make a note in the system to give him credit for your donation.
He had to have at least 10 units of blood during his first couple of days in the ICU and he will likely need more blood as he continues to have surgeries down the road. He may not get your blood specifically, however, he will be given credit for every unit donated in his name. Every donation means the world to me. Thank you for helping.
The Life Stream Center in Riverside is located at the corner of Garfield and Van Buren and the one in Victorville is located on Bussiness Center Drive near Charter Communications.
Below is a list of local locations addresses and phone numbers.
San Bernardino Donor Center
384 West Orange Show Road
909.885.6503
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
Riverside Donor Center
4006 Van Buren Boulevard
Van Buren and Garfield
951.687.2530
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
Ontario Donor Center
1959 East Fourth Street
Fourth and Vineyard
909.987.3158
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
High Desert Donor Center
12520 Business Center Drive, Building G, Victorville
760.843.9700
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
I should have a code in the next couple of days that you can give them, but for now if you tell them that, they will make a note in the system to give him credit for your donation.
He had to have at least 10 units of blood during his first couple of days in the ICU and he will likely need more blood as he continues to have surgeries down the road. He may not get your blood specifically, however, he will be given credit for every unit donated in his name. Every donation means the world to me. Thank you for helping.
The Life Stream Center in Riverside is located at the corner of Garfield and Van Buren and the one in Victorville is located on Bussiness Center Drive near Charter Communications.
Below is a list of local locations addresses and phone numbers.
San Bernardino Donor Center
384 West Orange Show Road
909.885.6503
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
Riverside Donor Center
4006 Van Buren Boulevard
Van Buren and Garfield
951.687.2530
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
Ontario Donor Center
1959 East Fourth Street
Fourth and Vineyard
909.987.3158
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
High Desert Donor Center
12520 Business Center Drive, Building G, Victorville
760.843.9700
Sun - Thu 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m to 5 p.m.
What Happened?
As most everybody knows, my Dad, David Van Voorhis was in a serious car accident very early Sunday (Father's Day) morning on his way to a call at the hospital. It was a single car accident in which it is suspected that he swerved to miss something in the road and lost control of his truck just around the corner from his destination on Palm north of Bandini.
His vehicle went up the embankment on the right hand side, smashing the drivers side into a palm tree before flipping and rolling back across Palm into oncoming traffic lanes. There were no witnesses, however, my Grandfather, Dirk, and I were able to locate the scene of the accident and retrace the path of the accident. Somebody came upon the accident shortly after it occured and called 911.
He was brought to the Emergency Room at Riverside Community Hospital and from what we are told, he was conscious when he arrived and was pretty mad that he had been in an accident.
We had plans for later that morning, my three daughters and I were going to take he and my Grandfather out to breakfast for Fathers Day. One of his friends and coworkers said he had been very excited about our breakfast date earlier that night when they worked together on another call.
He suffered multiple trauma including a punctured and collapsed lung, a horrible skull fracture that extended to most of the bones on the left side of his face. His four left lower teeth were knocked out and at least one or two molars were cracked. His left scapula (shoulder) and left humerous (upper arm) were broken, his left hip is cracked, his left femur (upper leg) had an open fracture, his left tibia and fibia (lower leg bones) were broken in two places. His right wrist and ankle were broken and his sternum was fractured as well. He has so many lacerations that we couldn't begin to count them, and most of them seem to be on the left side of his face.
Fortunately, his internal organs didn't suffer any damage. He was wearing his seatbelt, which most definately saved his life. His brain has suffered some trauma, but it's limited to a couple of bleeds that are not life threatening at this time, a lot of bruising and some swelling which is normal for the type of trauma he has had.
He is currently in a medically induced coma under very heavy sedation. He is on a ventilator and had to have a trach inserted through his throat because they can't have a tube through his mouth now that his jaw is wired closed. They do not plan to allow him to wake up until Friday or Saturday at this point.
He was taken into surgery Sunday morning around 10 am where they were able to reconstruct his facial bones to the best of their ability at the time. They had to wire his jaw closed so that they could use his mandible (lower jaw bone) as a foundation to support and build the rest of his face upon. His maxilla (upper jaw) was broken in several places as was his left cheek bone. They were able to reconstruct the pieces of his cheek bone, but his occipital (eye socket) bone was beyond repair. His surgeon compared that bone to 'potato chips' and said once it was smashed, there was no putting it back together. So, a titanium plate was put in to replace his occipital bone.
His plastic surgeon prepared us for the probability that he will have a couple of more facial surgeries, but that he had to wait for the swelling to go down before he would be able to see where things were sitting and if he was going to have vision problems with his left eye. Fortunately, even with all of the trauma surrounding his eye, his actual eye ball remained in tact and undamages so far as they can tell right now.
They also put an external immobilizer on his left leg to keep the pressure off of the break and stabilize his leg. His arm and wrist were also splinted and immobilized during his surgery. The surgery lasted about four hours and once he was finished, he was taken to the ICU where he will stay for at least two weeks. They inserted an internal monitor in his brain so that they could monitor the pressure on his brain constantly without having to bring him out of sedation to asses him and take him down for CAT Scans every couple of hours so he is able to remain heavily sedated around the clock.
From what we were told, none of his injuries alone were life threatening, however, the amount of trauma he has suffered combined was life threatening. The good news is that he has made it through the first 72 hours without infection or blood clots and everyday he seems to look better. A lot of the swelling has subsided, and for the most part, his vital signs are staying stable.
One of us, either Linda, myself, Joyce (my Grandmother and his Mother), Dirk, or Lindsay (my Aunt and his Sister) are by his bedside during every waking hour. All of us appreciate all of your love, support, prayers, and positive healing energy. It means so much to us that everybody is so concerned and being so wonderful.
We will continue to post daily updates and news so that we can all follow his progress.
His vehicle went up the embankment on the right hand side, smashing the drivers side into a palm tree before flipping and rolling back across Palm into oncoming traffic lanes. There were no witnesses, however, my Grandfather, Dirk, and I were able to locate the scene of the accident and retrace the path of the accident. Somebody came upon the accident shortly after it occured and called 911.
He was brought to the Emergency Room at Riverside Community Hospital and from what we are told, he was conscious when he arrived and was pretty mad that he had been in an accident.
We had plans for later that morning, my three daughters and I were going to take he and my Grandfather out to breakfast for Fathers Day. One of his friends and coworkers said he had been very excited about our breakfast date earlier that night when they worked together on another call.
He suffered multiple trauma including a punctured and collapsed lung, a horrible skull fracture that extended to most of the bones on the left side of his face. His four left lower teeth were knocked out and at least one or two molars were cracked. His left scapula (shoulder) and left humerous (upper arm) were broken, his left hip is cracked, his left femur (upper leg) had an open fracture, his left tibia and fibia (lower leg bones) were broken in two places. His right wrist and ankle were broken and his sternum was fractured as well. He has so many lacerations that we couldn't begin to count them, and most of them seem to be on the left side of his face.
Fortunately, his internal organs didn't suffer any damage. He was wearing his seatbelt, which most definately saved his life. His brain has suffered some trauma, but it's limited to a couple of bleeds that are not life threatening at this time, a lot of bruising and some swelling which is normal for the type of trauma he has had.
He is currently in a medically induced coma under very heavy sedation. He is on a ventilator and had to have a trach inserted through his throat because they can't have a tube through his mouth now that his jaw is wired closed. They do not plan to allow him to wake up until Friday or Saturday at this point.
He was taken into surgery Sunday morning around 10 am where they were able to reconstruct his facial bones to the best of their ability at the time. They had to wire his jaw closed so that they could use his mandible (lower jaw bone) as a foundation to support and build the rest of his face upon. His maxilla (upper jaw) was broken in several places as was his left cheek bone. They were able to reconstruct the pieces of his cheek bone, but his occipital (eye socket) bone was beyond repair. His surgeon compared that bone to 'potato chips' and said once it was smashed, there was no putting it back together. So, a titanium plate was put in to replace his occipital bone.
His plastic surgeon prepared us for the probability that he will have a couple of more facial surgeries, but that he had to wait for the swelling to go down before he would be able to see where things were sitting and if he was going to have vision problems with his left eye. Fortunately, even with all of the trauma surrounding his eye, his actual eye ball remained in tact and undamages so far as they can tell right now.
They also put an external immobilizer on his left leg to keep the pressure off of the break and stabilize his leg. His arm and wrist were also splinted and immobilized during his surgery. The surgery lasted about four hours and once he was finished, he was taken to the ICU where he will stay for at least two weeks. They inserted an internal monitor in his brain so that they could monitor the pressure on his brain constantly without having to bring him out of sedation to asses him and take him down for CAT Scans every couple of hours so he is able to remain heavily sedated around the clock.
From what we were told, none of his injuries alone were life threatening, however, the amount of trauma he has suffered combined was life threatening. The good news is that he has made it through the first 72 hours without infection or blood clots and everyday he seems to look better. A lot of the swelling has subsided, and for the most part, his vital signs are staying stable.
One of us, either Linda, myself, Joyce (my Grandmother and his Mother), Dirk, or Lindsay (my Aunt and his Sister) are by his bedside during every waking hour. All of us appreciate all of your love, support, prayers, and positive healing energy. It means so much to us that everybody is so concerned and being so wonderful.
We will continue to post daily updates and news so that we can all follow his progress.
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