Wednesday 12/16/09
Mike sounds good on the phone. They are slowly trying to unpack boxes and get things settled in Bette's side. His doctor's appointment last week went well. His wounds are almost healed on his face and head, with the exception of one small area on the back. He got his face mask re-adjusted. There are annoying areas on his arms that break open, heal, then another area breaks open...the healing continues, thankfully. His next doctor's appointment is not until the middle of January. He still doesn't have much furniture. I guess he'd like a sofa that is firm or high or big enough that he can get up without difficulty. They have been looking but there isn't much to choose from in Pocatello. He visited the people at work and he said it was wonderful to see them. They are good people.
As you prepare for this winter season and the holidays, we'd just like to extend our gratitude and love to all. Your prayers and good wishes are greatly appreciated. I expect this blog to wind down a wee bit but will keep you posted on any new developments. Love and Joy to all of you during this beautiful season of Light.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday 11/26/09
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
There is so much to be thankful for on this beautiful day and I hope all of you have peace and love today and every day.
Mike and Bette went to Spencer, Idaho to spend Thanksgiving day with Uncle Ted and Mary. They had a lovely time and Mike was in good spirits. He has been able to find some things as the unpacking continues. When everything has been gone through, I think they will be able to go to the insurance agency for the house and request some replacement items for Mike's house. He did find some knives, forks and spoons but there is no cookware, dishes or glasses. His kitchen is beautiful. It has new cabinetry and extra counter space. I didn't see the new stove, refrigerator or microwave but Chris said they were better than before. I am, again and always, thankful that Mike and Bette survived and all was not a total loss. Mike's favourite quote is that there are only two rules in life: #1 Don't sweat the small stuff. #2 It's all small stuff. That's a great attitude to have and I have used it frequently in life and work.
Thanks to all who are continuing to view this blog and I will continue to post updates as I learn of them. Our cousin, Klaren Koompin, started radiation therapy this week. Bette will talk to him or his wife tomorrow to see how it's going. Please keep him in your prayers also. Love to all.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
There is so much to be thankful for on this beautiful day and I hope all of you have peace and love today and every day.
Mike and Bette went to Spencer, Idaho to spend Thanksgiving day with Uncle Ted and Mary. They had a lovely time and Mike was in good spirits. He has been able to find some things as the unpacking continues. When everything has been gone through, I think they will be able to go to the insurance agency for the house and request some replacement items for Mike's house. He did find some knives, forks and spoons but there is no cookware, dishes or glasses. His kitchen is beautiful. It has new cabinetry and extra counter space. I didn't see the new stove, refrigerator or microwave but Chris said they were better than before. I am, again and always, thankful that Mike and Bette survived and all was not a total loss. Mike's favourite quote is that there are only two rules in life: #1 Don't sweat the small stuff. #2 It's all small stuff. That's a great attitude to have and I have used it frequently in life and work.
Thanks to all who are continuing to view this blog and I will continue to post updates as I learn of them. Our cousin, Klaren Koompin, started radiation therapy this week. Bette will talk to him or his wife tomorrow to see how it's going. Please keep him in your prayers also. Love to all.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Tuesday 10/24/09
Talked to Mike yesterday. They were on their way back from a doctor's appointment in SLC. He said he got his mask adjusted so it doesn't pinch anymore. He has to wear it more often now to reduce scarring. They also told him he could use a little lidocaine jelly (my idea!) on some of the really tender areas on his face for wound care. They stopped by Paul's house on the way home and saw Edna and said it was nice.
He spent his first night in his house on Sunday and said it was a bit difficult but not impossible to get out of his bed. There are some things in the bedroom that he is going through and it is possible that some things were put in Bette's house. They won't know what was salvaged until all of the boxes are unpacked. He says there was nothing left from the kitchen. I told him that he could get his dream kitchen utensils and how much fun he's going to have shopping!! (I would have fun anyway)
I don't know what their plans for Thanksgiving since they are home. The may go to Ted's or Judy's place. I will find out.
One thing I know was that when I was visiting, Mike talked a lot about his work at the school district. He really enjoyed the work there and talked at length about the people. It was nice to hear some of his stories and I am glad he made some good people connections. I am thankful that they were so generous and loving towards him. Thanks to all who are checking in on this blog. Our family is very grateful for all of your prayers and help that you have extended to us. Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and be well.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Mike yesterday. They were on their way back from a doctor's appointment in SLC. He said he got his mask adjusted so it doesn't pinch anymore. He has to wear it more often now to reduce scarring. They also told him he could use a little lidocaine jelly (my idea!) on some of the really tender areas on his face for wound care. They stopped by Paul's house on the way home and saw Edna and said it was nice.
He spent his first night in his house on Sunday and said it was a bit difficult but not impossible to get out of his bed. There are some things in the bedroom that he is going through and it is possible that some things were put in Bette's house. They won't know what was salvaged until all of the boxes are unpacked. He says there was nothing left from the kitchen. I told him that he could get his dream kitchen utensils and how much fun he's going to have shopping!! (I would have fun anyway)
I don't know what their plans for Thanksgiving since they are home. The may go to Ted's or Judy's place. I will find out.
One thing I know was that when I was visiting, Mike talked a lot about his work at the school district. He really enjoyed the work there and talked at length about the people. It was nice to hear some of his stories and I am glad he made some good people connections. I am thankful that they were so generous and loving towards him. Thanks to all who are checking in on this blog. Our family is very grateful for all of your prayers and help that you have extended to us. Have a beautiful Thanksgiving and be well.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday 10/19/09
Talked to Bette last night and the insurance guy for the house called her and told her that their stay at the University of Utah Guest House was up on Friday (that's tomorrow!) He told her that Mike's house would be ready and they weren't going to pay for housing any longer. I hope that means that there are appliances and his bed is set up. When I was in Pocatello, I walked through Mike's house and noticed new carpet, a beautiful kitchen with new lighting and beautiful cabinets and more counter space. The walls were nice and there were lever handles on all the doors (except the front door, which they are changing to levers). Handles on all of the cabinets need to be put on. It sounded like the things in Mike's bedroom had only smoke damage and they were able to clean most of it. His computer will have to be replaced. He will have to go through the other things and take stock of what he has/has not. I told him that this was his chance to get all new "Rachael Ray" kitchen items!
So they are packing up and will leave tomorrow morning after Mike's wound care. Bette got a primary doctor for Mike and the next appointment in SLC is on Monday the 23rd.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Bette last night and the insurance guy for the house called her and told her that their stay at the University of Utah Guest House was up on Friday (that's tomorrow!) He told her that Mike's house would be ready and they weren't going to pay for housing any longer. I hope that means that there are appliances and his bed is set up. When I was in Pocatello, I walked through Mike's house and noticed new carpet, a beautiful kitchen with new lighting and beautiful cabinets and more counter space. The walls were nice and there were lever handles on all the doors (except the front door, which they are changing to levers). Handles on all of the cabinets need to be put on. It sounded like the things in Mike's bedroom had only smoke damage and they were able to clean most of it. His computer will have to be replaced. He will have to go through the other things and take stock of what he has/has not. I told him that this was his chance to get all new "Rachael Ray" kitchen items!
So they are packing up and will leave tomorrow morning after Mike's wound care. Bette got a primary doctor for Mike and the next appointment in SLC is on Monday the 23rd.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Wednesday 10/18/09
I returned to Wichita last night from a long weekend in SLC/Pocatello. I arrived late on Friday the 13th and Bette picked me up from the airport. I saw Michael when we got to the Guest House. He has the same sparkling smile and voice. There were the same hazel eyes looking back at me. It was a happy reunion.
His eyes are more open, the kind that ladies pay big bucks for with the upper eyelids lifted. There were new grafts on the lower lids that are a little lighter that the rest of his face, which was red like he'd been sunburned. He had a lot of little scabs all over his cheeks, eyebrows and around the hairline including the top of his head. These were open sores that will take time to granulate in. His hands were covered by tight, isotoner like gloves and he had dressings on his forearms. There were some open wounds on his arms that will take time to heal, as well. There was also a spot on his back that looked very good by the end of my time there. The area between his elbows and where the deltoid muscle is (shoulder muscle that lifts your arm) was burn free and there were red grafted areas on those shoulders, extending to the back but sparing the area of the spine. The graft areas looked good but had the appearance of some bubbly areas. I can compare it to putting down contact paper on a shelf but not getting it perfectly flat with some bubbles under it, if you can picture that. It also had that appearance on his nose. These areas will heal better when he is able to wear his body vest, which is made up of the same elastic, isotoner type fabric. It is designed to compress the grafted areas and help to minimize the scarring. The vest cannot be worn until the areas on his forearms heal. The areas on his forearms split open every time he stretches and so there is going to be a long and annoying process of heal, stretch, split open, dress, heal, stretch, split open, dress...etc.
His hands were very interesting. He has nails that are rugged and split, trying to grow back. The range of motion on the left hand was considerably less that the right. His left pinky finger is twisted laterally and it is one that they have to really concentrate on stretching. The wrist doesn't extend back very far, only about one centimeter and he has to work on stretching that. Every area that was grafted needs to be stretched so it doesn't permanently reduce the range of motion. Again, I use the contact paper analogy, just think if you put some on from your wrist to your palm and then try to lift your hand while laying it flat on a table. Difficult? Very.
There were open wounds on the bridge of his nose that were painful to clean. Actually, his whole face and head were very painful to clean and debride. About a two hour process that had to be done daily. I took over that task for about three days and gave Bette and Mike a break from each other. I used tweezers and sissors to excise the unwanted tissue and make a raw, bleeding area that was later covered in antibiotic ointment from 1-3 times a day. While I worked on him, he asked me if I was getting back at him for all of the mean things he did to me when we were children. ha ha
Mike got a clear silicone mask to wear over his face to apply pressure and compress the grafted areas. It was a new acquisition and he tried it once while we were in Pocatello. He calls it his Phantom of the Opera mask. There was an area on one eye opening that poked his upper eyelid and created pain so they will have to make some adjustments.
His trunk and lower extremities have 2-3 inch strips of red healing areas where the donor sites were. They were itchy. One area on his leg was still healing from the last graft surgery.
We went to Pocatello on Saturday afternoon and stopped to have some lunch. Mike noticed the waiter looking at him and said "This is what happens when you cook with grease and have a house fire and try to put it out". Mike can wear a glove on his right hand and do a lot of things now. Bette told me not to help him do anything because it was therapy. He reminded me of it too and said he would ask for help if he needed it. It was snowing on the way up to Pocatello so the going was slow.
Even though I spent over twelve years in SLC going to college and working, it has transformed into a completely different city. I walked around the Guest House area and realized that I was in Fort Douglas, that used to be the small active military base when I was in college there. I recognized the commissary where I used to shop when I still had a student military ID. It was pretty trippy.
I will write more about our visit in Pocatello but wanted to let you know what's up so far.
One thing we did hear was about a very dear relative of ours who was diagnosed with cancer this week. If you could put Klaren Koompin on your prayer list we would appreciate it.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
I returned to Wichita last night from a long weekend in SLC/Pocatello. I arrived late on Friday the 13th and Bette picked me up from the airport. I saw Michael when we got to the Guest House. He has the same sparkling smile and voice. There were the same hazel eyes looking back at me. It was a happy reunion.
His eyes are more open, the kind that ladies pay big bucks for with the upper eyelids lifted. There were new grafts on the lower lids that are a little lighter that the rest of his face, which was red like he'd been sunburned. He had a lot of little scabs all over his cheeks, eyebrows and around the hairline including the top of his head. These were open sores that will take time to granulate in. His hands were covered by tight, isotoner like gloves and he had dressings on his forearms. There were some open wounds on his arms that will take time to heal, as well. There was also a spot on his back that looked very good by the end of my time there. The area between his elbows and where the deltoid muscle is (shoulder muscle that lifts your arm) was burn free and there were red grafted areas on those shoulders, extending to the back but sparing the area of the spine. The graft areas looked good but had the appearance of some bubbly areas. I can compare it to putting down contact paper on a shelf but not getting it perfectly flat with some bubbles under it, if you can picture that. It also had that appearance on his nose. These areas will heal better when he is able to wear his body vest, which is made up of the same elastic, isotoner type fabric. It is designed to compress the grafted areas and help to minimize the scarring. The vest cannot be worn until the areas on his forearms heal. The areas on his forearms split open every time he stretches and so there is going to be a long and annoying process of heal, stretch, split open, dress, heal, stretch, split open, dress...etc.
His hands were very interesting. He has nails that are rugged and split, trying to grow back. The range of motion on the left hand was considerably less that the right. His left pinky finger is twisted laterally and it is one that they have to really concentrate on stretching. The wrist doesn't extend back very far, only about one centimeter and he has to work on stretching that. Every area that was grafted needs to be stretched so it doesn't permanently reduce the range of motion. Again, I use the contact paper analogy, just think if you put some on from your wrist to your palm and then try to lift your hand while laying it flat on a table. Difficult? Very.
There were open wounds on the bridge of his nose that were painful to clean. Actually, his whole face and head were very painful to clean and debride. About a two hour process that had to be done daily. I took over that task for about three days and gave Bette and Mike a break from each other. I used tweezers and sissors to excise the unwanted tissue and make a raw, bleeding area that was later covered in antibiotic ointment from 1-3 times a day. While I worked on him, he asked me if I was getting back at him for all of the mean things he did to me when we were children. ha ha
Mike got a clear silicone mask to wear over his face to apply pressure and compress the grafted areas. It was a new acquisition and he tried it once while we were in Pocatello. He calls it his Phantom of the Opera mask. There was an area on one eye opening that poked his upper eyelid and created pain so they will have to make some adjustments.
His trunk and lower extremities have 2-3 inch strips of red healing areas where the donor sites were. They were itchy. One area on his leg was still healing from the last graft surgery.
We went to Pocatello on Saturday afternoon and stopped to have some lunch. Mike noticed the waiter looking at him and said "This is what happens when you cook with grease and have a house fire and try to put it out". Mike can wear a glove on his right hand and do a lot of things now. Bette told me not to help him do anything because it was therapy. He reminded me of it too and said he would ask for help if he needed it. It was snowing on the way up to Pocatello so the going was slow.
Even though I spent over twelve years in SLC going to college and working, it has transformed into a completely different city. I walked around the Guest House area and realized that I was in Fort Douglas, that used to be the small active military base when I was in college there. I recognized the commissary where I used to shop when I still had a student military ID. It was pretty trippy.
I will write more about our visit in Pocatello but wanted to let you know what's up so far.
One thing we did hear was about a very dear relative of ours who was diagnosed with cancer this week. If you could put Klaren Koompin on your prayer list we would appreciate it.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, November 13, 2009
Friday 10/13/09
Okay. Today is the day I get to see Mike! Won't get to SLC until late tonight but I can't wait. We will go to Pocatello tomorrow and do whatever Bette and Mike want to do. Maybe there will be time to go to the Koompins and get some lava rocks for Randy's sweat lodge. (and no, no one has ever physically died in his sweat!) Meanwhile, Mike will be continuing his physical therapy and wound care in SLC today.
I will have a lot to report soon so be patient!!!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Okay. Today is the day I get to see Mike! Won't get to SLC until late tonight but I can't wait. We will go to Pocatello tomorrow and do whatever Bette and Mike want to do. Maybe there will be time to go to the Koompins and get some lava rocks for Randy's sweat lodge. (and no, no one has ever physically died in his sweat!) Meanwhile, Mike will be continuing his physical therapy and wound care in SLC today.
I will have a lot to report soon so be patient!!!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday 10/08/09
Talked to Bette on my way home from work last night (Sunday). She said Mike spent the day with Martin. She worked on her house with unpacking some of the hundreds of boxes. It sounds like she made some progress in the bedroom. At least she can go to bed if she wants to. The painting left a little to be desired. Door frames and window frames were supposed to be finished in high gloss enamel and were done in flat paint. I thought that most professional painters should know to do that. Anyway, when you walk through and do a look to see if everything is done...it looks good, then you discover that it wasn't exactly done the way you requested....so that leaves a disparaging note.... Will they come back and fix it??? We will have to see.
Bette had just finished wound care on Mike last night and I guess that leaves her sweating and ready to shower. I will see what it entails this coming weekend. I finally got some time off work and a plane ticket to go see Mike this coming Friday. I am very excited to see him. Maybe I can help with things and give Bette a little break. They are headed back to Salt Lake today (Monday) so they can do out patient physical therapy. They will still stay in the guest house (no homeless shelter, yay) because Mike's house isn't finished yet and the house insurance will, hopefully, pay for housing until it is done.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Bette on my way home from work last night (Sunday). She said Mike spent the day with Martin. She worked on her house with unpacking some of the hundreds of boxes. It sounds like she made some progress in the bedroom. At least she can go to bed if she wants to. The painting left a little to be desired. Door frames and window frames were supposed to be finished in high gloss enamel and were done in flat paint. I thought that most professional painters should know to do that. Anyway, when you walk through and do a look to see if everything is done...it looks good, then you discover that it wasn't exactly done the way you requested....so that leaves a disparaging note.... Will they come back and fix it??? We will have to see.
Bette had just finished wound care on Mike last night and I guess that leaves her sweating and ready to shower. I will see what it entails this coming weekend. I finally got some time off work and a plane ticket to go see Mike this coming Friday. I am very excited to see him. Maybe I can help with things and give Bette a little break. They are headed back to Salt Lake today (Monday) so they can do out patient physical therapy. They will still stay in the guest house (no homeless shelter, yay) because Mike's house isn't finished yet and the house insurance will, hopefully, pay for housing until it is done.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday 11/05/09:
Mike and Bette are in SLC at the guest housing. He is doing out patient physical therapy. The good thing about being at the hospital is that they have fantastic care and Mike and Bette really like the food there. Bette said he didn't sleep well last night but he didn't snore too bad. She said he has been known to chase fellow campers into the woods with his snoring.
Staying in Salt Lake will be determined by physical therapy and other appointments. They will probably go back and forth for awhile.
The cleaners moved stuff into Bette's house. Boxes everywhere. She says it will be years before she figures out where everything is. Mike is sad and glad that he gets to start over.
The weather was nice in Utah and the last I heard, Bette was trying to get Mike to go to the Zoo with her.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike and Bette are in SLC at the guest housing. He is doing out patient physical therapy. The good thing about being at the hospital is that they have fantastic care and Mike and Bette really like the food there. Bette said he didn't sleep well last night but he didn't snore too bad. She said he has been known to chase fellow campers into the woods with his snoring.
Staying in Salt Lake will be determined by physical therapy and other appointments. They will probably go back and forth for awhile.
The cleaners moved stuff into Bette's house. Boxes everywhere. She says it will be years before she figures out where everything is. Mike is sad and glad that he gets to start over.
The weather was nice in Utah and the last I heard, Bette was trying to get Mike to go to the Zoo with her.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Tuesday evening:
Mike was busy having wound care but was able to talk for awhile. He's a little bummed about what to do. His insurance has run out. It would have been nice to know that he was reaching his lifetime limit for insurance money more than a day before it happened. That stinks. No job. No income. No insurance. Ugh! I think they are trying to fill out paperwork for SSI right now. I think he's on a leave of absence from the school district so no job may only be temporary for at least a year while he recovers. But, if you have used up the lifetime insurance limit for insurance, is it a good idea to go back to the same job? Will he be able to perform the duties that he did before? He may have to have retraining in something that doesn't have the physical demands that the school requires. They have been good people. We are forever grateful for their open hearts and generosity. Will there be a place for Mike?? Maybe you can comment and let us know.
I notice there are very few comments since I started this blog. I did get some emails from people and am grateful for your response. I certainly will continue this as long as is necessary and maybe beyond that.
I believe Mike and Bette will go back to SLC tomorrow for another appointment. Maybe the staples will come out of his head. I hope the graft sites are good and the eyes are healing.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike was busy having wound care but was able to talk for awhile. He's a little bummed about what to do. His insurance has run out. It would have been nice to know that he was reaching his lifetime limit for insurance money more than a day before it happened. That stinks. No job. No income. No insurance. Ugh! I think they are trying to fill out paperwork for SSI right now. I think he's on a leave of absence from the school district so no job may only be temporary for at least a year while he recovers. But, if you have used up the lifetime insurance limit for insurance, is it a good idea to go back to the same job? Will he be able to perform the duties that he did before? He may have to have retraining in something that doesn't have the physical demands that the school requires. They have been good people. We are forever grateful for their open hearts and generosity. Will there be a place for Mike?? Maybe you can comment and let us know.
I notice there are very few comments since I started this blog. I did get some emails from people and am grateful for your response. I certainly will continue this as long as is necessary and maybe beyond that.
I believe Mike and Bette will go back to SLC tomorrow for another appointment. Maybe the staples will come out of his head. I hope the graft sites are good and the eyes are healing.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday 11/02/09
Talked to Bette as I got off my crazy shift at the ER...yup, it's a full moon, (no matter what evidence based medicine says that the moon phase makes no difference in patient volume or acuity) Anyway, they are both in Pocatello. Bette is going to do wound care and stretches for Mike. I don't know where he is going to do physical therapy. Bette is going to see how her house is and go from there. Mike's next appointment is on Wednesday so they will drive down to SLC. I talked to a care coordinator that I work with and she said the main thing is to get Mike back into his own state once he's medically stable to leave. The next step is to hit up the SRS office and department of health and welfare. Bette has the paperwork already. I don't know why the case workers didn't tell her to finish the papers months ago.
Okay. That's the update for today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Bette as I got off my crazy shift at the ER...yup, it's a full moon, (no matter what evidence based medicine says that the moon phase makes no difference in patient volume or acuity) Anyway, they are both in Pocatello. Bette is going to do wound care and stretches for Mike. I don't know where he is going to do physical therapy. Bette is going to see how her house is and go from there. Mike's next appointment is on Wednesday so they will drive down to SLC. I talked to a care coordinator that I work with and she said the main thing is to get Mike back into his own state once he's medically stable to leave. The next step is to hit up the SRS office and department of health and welfare. Bette has the paperwork already. I don't know why the case workers didn't tell her to finish the papers months ago.
Okay. That's the update for today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday 10/31/09
Bette report:
Bette came in early in case Dr. Morris came in to see Mike. Michael did some PT and then bath and wound care. Dr. Morris came in and removed the cotton roll from under his eyes. They talked and discussed what the situation was. Dr. Morris was completely surprised to learn that Bette and Mike did not have a home to go to yet. The case manager gave him the impression that Mike could just go home with Bette. When she explained the situation and the homeless shelter to him, he seemed very understanding. He said he would evaluate his grafts, etc. Sunday or Monday and we could make some arrangements then. Probably, Mike will go to the guest house with Bette. There is an exercise room there that he can do his own physical therapy and Bette can do his stretching (if he doesn't bitch too much). It will be close for follow up appointments. It sounded like Dr. Morris wanted to keep a rather short umbilical cord on him and keep a close watch. Anyway, things don't seem quite so grim at the moment.
(I am still upset about the insurance thing and lack of medical card...I want to get the email for the insurance guy in charge and will pass it on to all of you so we can email them and express our feelings about " you met your insurance limit...you're on your own now, bye")
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette report:
Bette came in early in case Dr. Morris came in to see Mike. Michael did some PT and then bath and wound care. Dr. Morris came in and removed the cotton roll from under his eyes. They talked and discussed what the situation was. Dr. Morris was completely surprised to learn that Bette and Mike did not have a home to go to yet. The case manager gave him the impression that Mike could just go home with Bette. When she explained the situation and the homeless shelter to him, he seemed very understanding. He said he would evaluate his grafts, etc. Sunday or Monday and we could make some arrangements then. Probably, Mike will go to the guest house with Bette. There is an exercise room there that he can do his own physical therapy and Bette can do his stretching (if he doesn't bitch too much). It will be close for follow up appointments. It sounded like Dr. Morris wanted to keep a rather short umbilical cord on him and keep a close watch. Anyway, things don't seem quite so grim at the moment.
(I am still upset about the insurance thing and lack of medical card...I want to get the email for the insurance guy in charge and will pass it on to all of you so we can email them and express our feelings about " you met your insurance limit...you're on your own now, bye")
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday 10/30/09
the "mom" report:
The good news is that Mike is doing well. The bad news is that he is nearing his 1,000,000 insurance payout. So he will stay in the hospital one more day then he's kicked out. He is too well to go to Promise. Bette says he will probably go to the guest house with her and she gets to do his wound care. It's a good thing that she has learned and done so much wound care on him already. Their houses are not done yet in Pocatello. The other option is to send Mike to the homeless shelter in a medical bed.
Okay, the only way I can comment is this: (please cover your sensitive eyes or skip to the end of this whole paragraph....I will lessen the impact by using "texting" abbreviations...now this is an editorial comment) OMG WTF!!! So basically Mike is out of money so they are kicking him to the curb. This is not right. Every day I see people in the Emergency Room who are on "disability" for who knows what and they seem perfectly physically capable except for the laziness factor and, possibly for a lack of the proper number of brain cells, and my dear brother can't stay in a facility to learn how to wipe his own backside and they are saying he's not "qualified" for disability???? Either the case worker is lame or they haven't been a good advocate for pushing the paperwork through for a Medical Card for Mike. I guess I didn't have an issue when I was hospitalized for a month with pneumonia. Since I wasn't working and didn't have any money, the hospital forgave the whole lot. (mind you, the doctors all wanted to be paid so I told them I could pay $10-25 per month for the rest of my life....) I am very put out about the whole deal about Mike. End of editorial comment. Feel free to embellish a bit more for how I really feel about it!
Anyway, if any of you have a great suggestion or brainstorm about what Bette and Mike can do please comment on the post or email me: jclochridge@cox.net
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
the "mom" report:
The good news is that Mike is doing well. The bad news is that he is nearing his 1,000,000 insurance payout. So he will stay in the hospital one more day then he's kicked out. He is too well to go to Promise. Bette says he will probably go to the guest house with her and she gets to do his wound care. It's a good thing that she has learned and done so much wound care on him already. Their houses are not done yet in Pocatello. The other option is to send Mike to the homeless shelter in a medical bed.
Okay, the only way I can comment is this: (please cover your sensitive eyes or skip to the end of this whole paragraph....I will lessen the impact by using "texting" abbreviations...now this is an editorial comment) OMG WTF!!! So basically Mike is out of money so they are kicking him to the curb. This is not right. Every day I see people in the Emergency Room who are on "disability" for who knows what and they seem perfectly physically capable except for the laziness factor and, possibly for a lack of the proper number of brain cells, and my dear brother can't stay in a facility to learn how to wipe his own backside and they are saying he's not "qualified" for disability???? Either the case worker is lame or they haven't been a good advocate for pushing the paperwork through for a Medical Card for Mike. I guess I didn't have an issue when I was hospitalized for a month with pneumonia. Since I wasn't working and didn't have any money, the hospital forgave the whole lot. (mind you, the doctors all wanted to be paid so I told them I could pay $10-25 per month for the rest of my life....) I am very put out about the whole deal about Mike. End of editorial comment. Feel free to embellish a bit more for how I really feel about it!
Anyway, if any of you have a great suggestion or brainstorm about what Bette and Mike can do please comment on the post or email me: jclochridge@cox.net
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday 10/30/09
Thursday surgery went well. Dr. Saffle didn't think Mike's scapula needed to be grafted so he concentrated on his head and eyes. He is back in the Burn Trauma ICU, in the room he started in back in August. The surgery went well. He has staples in his head with a piece of adaptic so Bette couldn't see what it looks like. She said they took The donor skin from his right lower leg. His eyes have cotton rolls under his eyes that looked like a mini tampax. Mike says "gee thanks". They will keep him in bed for a few days to let the areas heal. He will be there at least until Sunday. Then it depends on how the grafts look where he will be. Maybe back at Promise.
Bette talked to the guy cleaning her house. It sounds like insurance is pressuring them to get the job done so they are moving stuff back into her house. She will have to go to Pocatello to see what's up before they call it good. Bette plans to talk to the case manager to see what the plan is for Mike.
Mike was sitting up eating jello but wants a chili cheese dog! He's grumpy. So Bette's outta there.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday surgery went well. Dr. Saffle didn't think Mike's scapula needed to be grafted so he concentrated on his head and eyes. He is back in the Burn Trauma ICU, in the room he started in back in August. The surgery went well. He has staples in his head with a piece of adaptic so Bette couldn't see what it looks like. She said they took The donor skin from his right lower leg. His eyes have cotton rolls under his eyes that looked like a mini tampax. Mike says "gee thanks". They will keep him in bed for a few days to let the areas heal. He will be there at least until Sunday. Then it depends on how the grafts look where he will be. Maybe back at Promise.
Bette talked to the guy cleaning her house. It sounds like insurance is pressuring them to get the job done so they are moving stuff back into her house. She will have to go to Pocatello to see what's up before they call it good. Bette plans to talk to the case manager to see what the plan is for Mike.
Mike was sitting up eating jello but wants a chili cheese dog! He's grumpy. So Bette's outta there.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday afternoon
I didn't hear anything so I called Bette this afternoon. There was no surgery for Mike today. What happened? Well, there was a life-threatening emergency that the surgeons had to take first so they rescheduled Mike for Thursday. (he already had his turn as a life-threatening emergency, thank you very much...we are happy to wait) Mike is back at Promise and will stay until he has surgery. Bette thinks it's better because, if his surgery is Thursday and he has to be there for 3-5 days, he will have excellent wound care and physical therapy over the weekend.
So that is the update....awaiting Thursday.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
I didn't hear anything so I called Bette this afternoon. There was no surgery for Mike today. What happened? Well, there was a life-threatening emergency that the surgeons had to take first so they rescheduled Mike for Thursday. (he already had his turn as a life-threatening emergency, thank you very much...we are happy to wait) Mike is back at Promise and will stay until he has surgery. Bette thinks it's better because, if his surgery is Thursday and he has to be there for 3-5 days, he will have excellent wound care and physical therapy over the weekend.
So that is the update....awaiting Thursday.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday 10/27/09
Mike is waiting to go to surgery. It's 8:25am there and he has been waiting since before 7am. He is at the U of U Med Center again and will be there for the next 3-5 days. They are going to do a graft on the top of his head, revise his eyelids and look at a spot on his shoulder. He will most likely be back in the Burn Trauma Unit for recovery. Bette called and said he was getting anxious because he was waiting so long. He was supposed to be the 7am case.
I heard right when I said that insurance wants to send him to a Nursing Home. Bette is going to talk to the care coordinator today to see about alternate care. We think he needs more intensive care than what is offered in a nursing home facility.
When I talked with Mike on Sunday he was in good spirits. He couldn't wait to be able to use both of his hands and get gloves on to wipe his own backside. (those are not the words he used) I said we'd all be waiting for the happy news.
So, if you get this soon, pray for Mike during surgery. Bette will call me and let me know how everything went. I will also be calling the Burn Unit again daily while he is in there. So that means more reports...yay!
More later,
and so we go
Ja Cee
Mike is waiting to go to surgery. It's 8:25am there and he has been waiting since before 7am. He is at the U of U Med Center again and will be there for the next 3-5 days. They are going to do a graft on the top of his head, revise his eyelids and look at a spot on his shoulder. He will most likely be back in the Burn Trauma Unit for recovery. Bette called and said he was getting anxious because he was waiting so long. He was supposed to be the 7am case.
I heard right when I said that insurance wants to send him to a Nursing Home. Bette is going to talk to the care coordinator today to see about alternate care. We think he needs more intensive care than what is offered in a nursing home facility.
When I talked with Mike on Sunday he was in good spirits. He couldn't wait to be able to use both of his hands and get gloves on to wipe his own backside. (those are not the words he used) I said we'd all be waiting for the happy news.
So, if you get this soon, pray for Mike during surgery. Bette will call me and let me know how everything went. I will also be calling the Burn Unit again daily while he is in there. So that means more reports...yay!
More later,
and so we go
Ja Cee
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday 10/25/09
Finally got some information to pass on. Mike has been busy stretching and doing PT. He will go to U of U burn unit again tomorrow to see the doctor and decide about re-doing his eyes and evaluation of the sites on his shoulder and head. Bette went to Pocatello to see about the carpet. Brought back samples for Mike to choose. Then the cabinets will go in his side. Bette got new carpet in her bedroom and they shampooed the carpet in the living room.
It sounds like the insurance company is starting to give them the run around again. Just when they get nurses trained as far as acceptable wound care, the insurance company is saying that Mike needs to go to a nursing home now. What???? okay, maybe I have wax in my ears.....what????
I will try to get more info from Bette on this. It sounds like she has to do some calling around this week.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Finally got some information to pass on. Mike has been busy stretching and doing PT. He will go to U of U burn unit again tomorrow to see the doctor and decide about re-doing his eyes and evaluation of the sites on his shoulder and head. Bette went to Pocatello to see about the carpet. Brought back samples for Mike to choose. Then the cabinets will go in his side. Bette got new carpet in her bedroom and they shampooed the carpet in the living room.
It sounds like the insurance company is starting to give them the run around again. Just when they get nurses trained as far as acceptable wound care, the insurance company is saying that Mike needs to go to a nursing home now. What???? okay, maybe I have wax in my ears.....what????
I will try to get more info from Bette on this. It sounds like she has to do some calling around this week.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Wednesday 10/21/09
Bette's note from yesterday said that they went to the U of U burn trauma center and there is a large area on the back of Mike's shoulder that is not healing. It may need another graft. He needs surgery to revise his eyes again. There is also an area on his head that they are watching. He will be re-evaluated next Monday. No word on surgery schedule yet. Mike is supposed to work on stretching all the time while awake. He will have wrist splints at night.
His niece, Willow, turned 5 today...he and grandma Bette got her Princess dress up shoes!(just in case she thanks you on the phone, that's what you "got" her) Thanks Mike and Bette! :)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette's note from yesterday said that they went to the U of U burn trauma center and there is a large area on the back of Mike's shoulder that is not healing. It may need another graft. He needs surgery to revise his eyes again. There is also an area on his head that they are watching. He will be re-evaluated next Monday. No word on surgery schedule yet. Mike is supposed to work on stretching all the time while awake. He will have wrist splints at night.
His niece, Willow, turned 5 today...he and grandma Bette got her Princess dress up shoes!(just in case she thanks you on the phone, that's what you "got" her) Thanks Mike and Bette! :)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Tuesday 10/20/09
I spoke with Mike yesterday afternoon. His voice sounds rough and hoarse. He says he is a little bored. He stretches, eats, and watches TV. Of course he didn't mention wound care, physical therapy or anything of that sort. He hasn't gone outside yet. He really enjoys visitors. He is probably going to have some splints on his wrists/hands which will make it impossible to go to the restroom by himself. "great" he says. So there you have it. Mike eats, watches TV and stretches.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
I spoke with Mike yesterday afternoon. His voice sounds rough and hoarse. He says he is a little bored. He stretches, eats, and watches TV. Of course he didn't mention wound care, physical therapy or anything of that sort. He hasn't gone outside yet. He really enjoys visitors. He is probably going to have some splints on his wrists/hands which will make it impossible to go to the restroom by himself. "great" he says. So there you have it. Mike eats, watches TV and stretches.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunday 10/18/09
Mike is taking over quite well with being in charge of his wound care. Bette says she was going to back off and let him take over. His wrist was evaluated by the ortho guys and he doesn't have any new injury. He said he may have an old injury that was causing the clicking feeling in his wrist. The exposed tendons are pretty well healed except for his index finger. He will be checked on Tuesday. He is pretty bummed that there is no physical therapy on the weekends because he is very motivated to work hard.
Bette went up to Pocatello, got some business taken care of this week. They are working on Mike's house...putting up sheetrock. Chris is working on the kitchen flooring. Bette got all of the garden stuff taken care of. Bette doesn't like the paint job in her kitchen and asked them to re-do it. She talked to Jason at Birkenstock and they (Birkenstock) are donating a pair to Mike.
Got the paperwork and found out what they need to do for insurance ... there are a lot of people who have donated work time and sick time and money so Mike can get another paycheck. It is so wonderful to see that there are caring people in the world. Thank you to all who have been caring, praying, and keeping in touch with Michael. We are so grateful for all of you. Bette thinks the money will go toward Mike's insurance. . Since he is not working, he will have to pay over $400 per month just for insurance through the school district. That is great that he has that going for him. Bette is looking for other options as well, if you have any suggestions we are open to receive them.
Martin and Brenda came over on Saturday and spent a few hours with Mike. Our cousin, Susan and her husband Kent came by as well to see him today. Mike was happy to see them. Susan told Bette that she was worried because she hadn't seen a blog for a couple of days....SORRY! I was out of electronic range for a day or so...sorry for the inconvenience.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike is taking over quite well with being in charge of his wound care. Bette says she was going to back off and let him take over. His wrist was evaluated by the ortho guys and he doesn't have any new injury. He said he may have an old injury that was causing the clicking feeling in his wrist. The exposed tendons are pretty well healed except for his index finger. He will be checked on Tuesday. He is pretty bummed that there is no physical therapy on the weekends because he is very motivated to work hard.
Bette went up to Pocatello, got some business taken care of this week. They are working on Mike's house...putting up sheetrock. Chris is working on the kitchen flooring. Bette got all of the garden stuff taken care of. Bette doesn't like the paint job in her kitchen and asked them to re-do it. She talked to Jason at Birkenstock and they (Birkenstock) are donating a pair to Mike.
Got the paperwork and found out what they need to do for insurance ... there are a lot of people who have donated work time and sick time and money so Mike can get another paycheck. It is so wonderful to see that there are caring people in the world. Thank you to all who have been caring, praying, and keeping in touch with Michael. We are so grateful for all of you. Bette thinks the money will go toward Mike's insurance. . Since he is not working, he will have to pay over $400 per month just for insurance through the school district. That is great that he has that going for him. Bette is looking for other options as well, if you have any suggestions we are open to receive them.
Martin and Brenda came over on Saturday and spent a few hours with Mike. Our cousin, Susan and her husband Kent came by as well to see him today. Mike was happy to see them. Susan told Bette that she was worried because she hadn't seen a blog for a couple of days....SORRY! I was out of electronic range for a day or so...sorry for the inconvenience.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday
Mike got worn out by the time they finished wound care. Then PT came for him. Bette found some flip flops for him. She needs to find some triple x sized scrub tops. I haven't found any yet , either. Mike was asleep when Bette got back. She also found a long shoe horn that might work. I guess the girl that helped him with his wound care over the weekend was available to help with it today but Bette declined.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike got worn out by the time they finished wound care. Then PT came for him. Bette found some flip flops for him. She needs to find some triple x sized scrub tops. I haven't found any yet , either. Mike was asleep when Bette got back. She also found a long shoe horn that might work. I guess the girl that helped him with his wound care over the weekend was available to help with it today but Bette declined.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday, October 12, 2009
Monday 10/12/09
Talked to Bette tonight when I got off work. She got some good results with the 5 conversations with various managers today. Needless to say, she got some results. You go girl! Better wound care. No PICC line (yes there are two C's in PICC, sorry for my typo from the previous entry). He was seen by the burn unit today and new orders were written and copied by Bette, so she knows what's supposed to be going on. Mike still needs a bedside table and a stool to elevate his feet. I guess there was nothing but four walls in his room when he got there. it was new. Bette will see what she can do...(see? she could be a professional patient advocate!!!)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Bette tonight when I got off work. She got some good results with the 5 conversations with various managers today. Needless to say, she got some results. You go girl! Better wound care. No PICC line (yes there are two C's in PICC, sorry for my typo from the previous entry). He was seen by the burn unit today and new orders were written and copied by Bette, so she knows what's supposed to be going on. Mike still needs a bedside table and a stool to elevate his feet. I guess there was nothing but four walls in his room when he got there. it was new. Bette will see what she can do...(see? she could be a professional patient advocate!!!)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday 10/11/09
These are the two reports I got from Bette. I think I mentioned how important it is to have an advocate on your side while in the hospital. Well if you are going to have one, Bette is the one for you. Maybe she can be an "Advocate for Hire" when all is said and done? She would make millions!!
Sunday am:
The wound care leaves much to be desired. Saturday the wound care nurse did not remove all of the ointment from Mike's facial wounds because she didn't want to "hurt" him. (That, my dear, is the painful reality of burn wound care.) She then dipped her fingers into the ointment, put it on his face and dipped again with the same, contaminated now, fingers. aaagghh! Mike finally told her that the burn nurses took a glob of ointment, placed it on the back of one hand, and placed it on the wounds. When done with that batch, they would then CHANGE GLOVES...what a concept! Double dipping??? Bad bad bad! (that's JC's opinion, not necessarily reflected in the opinion of the whole world but definitely considered sub-optimal care where she practices medicine)
Anyway, moving on....
Mike didn't get a shower or spit bath on Saturday. At the burn unit, he got washed from head to toe with baby shampoo every day. The old stuff washed off and new stuff applied every day.
Mike didn't have a good night. The guy across the hall was HOH (hard of hearing) and had his TV on full blast at 4am. They are talking about putting a PIC line in again. They seem obsessed with blood work. Bette thinks that she will need a little more explanation on why they want so many tests.
Bete added more ointment to Mike's head this morning. The wounds on his head were really dried out (bad!). They put non-stick stuff on his wounds, but it does stick if it dries out...then whey you go to take it off, it opens up raw spots. (did I mention this was bad?)
Sunday pm:
It's 5:40pm and we are still waiting for wound care. Bette gave Mike a shower about 2 pm in hopes the wound care specialist would be there to put ointment on Mike's face. His wounds were drying out so Bette put the ointment on and put his tube sox on his arms. (maybe she should draw a salary for doing someone else's job) They are supposed to give him pain meds before he gets wound care. Bette says what are the odds that he doesn't have his pain meds when they come to do his care? He delayed his supper until after wound care. It is cold now...
Okay, these guys are not starting on a good foot. Let's hope they can pick up the ball because you don't want to get Bette riled up. Maybe they can be sent over the video that was made on face wound care starring Michael???? Hopefully, there will be an attending doctor that can put a fire under the nurses/wound care specialists...my fear is that if you piss off the nursing staff, Mike won't get any type of quality care and they are stuck in a bad situation. If you are there to do a certain job, you do it. If you want to do sub-standard of care work you should go to another job. (I almost said "like McDonalds" but that would be minimizing the excellent service they give...plus I don't want them to spit in my food!)
Let's hope that they perk up a bit and put out some excellent care. Randy (my husband) always says "Just pray for them". Well, then, I'm praying hard!!!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
These are the two reports I got from Bette. I think I mentioned how important it is to have an advocate on your side while in the hospital. Well if you are going to have one, Bette is the one for you. Maybe she can be an "Advocate for Hire" when all is said and done? She would make millions!!
Sunday am:
The wound care leaves much to be desired. Saturday the wound care nurse did not remove all of the ointment from Mike's facial wounds because she didn't want to "hurt" him. (That, my dear, is the painful reality of burn wound care.) She then dipped her fingers into the ointment, put it on his face and dipped again with the same, contaminated now, fingers. aaagghh! Mike finally told her that the burn nurses took a glob of ointment, placed it on the back of one hand, and placed it on the wounds. When done with that batch, they would then CHANGE GLOVES...what a concept! Double dipping??? Bad bad bad! (that's JC's opinion, not necessarily reflected in the opinion of the whole world but definitely considered sub-optimal care where she practices medicine)
Anyway, moving on....
Mike didn't get a shower or spit bath on Saturday. At the burn unit, he got washed from head to toe with baby shampoo every day. The old stuff washed off and new stuff applied every day.
Mike didn't have a good night. The guy across the hall was HOH (hard of hearing) and had his TV on full blast at 4am. They are talking about putting a PIC line in again. They seem obsessed with blood work. Bette thinks that she will need a little more explanation on why they want so many tests.
Bete added more ointment to Mike's head this morning. The wounds on his head were really dried out (bad!). They put non-stick stuff on his wounds, but it does stick if it dries out...then whey you go to take it off, it opens up raw spots. (did I mention this was bad?)
Sunday pm:
It's 5:40pm and we are still waiting for wound care. Bette gave Mike a shower about 2 pm in hopes the wound care specialist would be there to put ointment on Mike's face. His wounds were drying out so Bette put the ointment on and put his tube sox on his arms. (maybe she should draw a salary for doing someone else's job) They are supposed to give him pain meds before he gets wound care. Bette says what are the odds that he doesn't have his pain meds when they come to do his care? He delayed his supper until after wound care. It is cold now...
Okay, these guys are not starting on a good foot. Let's hope they can pick up the ball because you don't want to get Bette riled up. Maybe they can be sent over the video that was made on face wound care starring Michael???? Hopefully, there will be an attending doctor that can put a fire under the nurses/wound care specialists...my fear is that if you piss off the nursing staff, Mike won't get any type of quality care and they are stuck in a bad situation. If you are there to do a certain job, you do it. If you want to do sub-standard of care work you should go to another job. (I almost said "like McDonalds" but that would be minimizing the excellent service they give...plus I don't want them to spit in my food!)
Let's hope that they perk up a bit and put out some excellent care. Randy (my husband) always says "Just pray for them". Well, then, I'm praying hard!!!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Saturday 10/10/09
Mike got settled into his new accomodations yesterday. Amy was the charge nurse last night and said that all of the nurses said that the "new guy" was so nice!
The place where he is at is actually on two floors of the Salt Lake Regional Hospital. They have 28 beds (if full) and an ICU floor. They have their own pharmacy and access to the hospital's radiology department and other services. Amy said that Mike was cruising up and down the halls and that if he keeps active like that he will do well. I got the impression that they were on the ball. Mike is in a private room. (yay)
okay, we will wait to see how the first day goes. I will call this afternoon.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike got settled into his new accomodations yesterday. Amy was the charge nurse last night and said that all of the nurses said that the "new guy" was so nice!
The place where he is at is actually on two floors of the Salt Lake Regional Hospital. They have 28 beds (if full) and an ICU floor. They have their own pharmacy and access to the hospital's radiology department and other services. Amy said that Mike was cruising up and down the halls and that if he keeps active like that he will do well. I got the impression that they were on the ball. Mike is in a private room. (yay)
okay, we will wait to see how the first day goes. I will call this afternoon.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday 10/09/09
Bette got to the hospital early to watch wound care of Mike's face. He still has a few spots on his left arm that are not healed yet so he won't wear his "garments" (not the LDS kind...the kind of lycra protective ones that you see burn patients wear) for a few days. He ordered purple with blue stitching...(my kind of guy!!! go Mike!). It sounds like they were going to the new place at about 10am today. Bette talked to the insurance guy and he said he will send her some money for reimbursement of housing and food. It sounds like both Bette and Mike are nervous about the move. She will look for a computer center there so she can update me via emails. Let's hope the transition is a good one.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette got to the hospital early to watch wound care of Mike's face. He still has a few spots on his left arm that are not healed yet so he won't wear his "garments" (not the LDS kind...the kind of lycra protective ones that you see burn patients wear) for a few days. He ordered purple with blue stitching...(my kind of guy!!! go Mike!). It sounds like they were going to the new place at about 10am today. Bette talked to the insurance guy and he said he will send her some money for reimbursement of housing and food. It sounds like both Bette and Mike are nervous about the move. She will look for a computer center there so she can update me via emails. Let's hope the transition is a good one.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Thursday 10/08/09
Lisa took care of Mike last night. Bette found out that Mike was going to be moved to the 6th floor (that later turned into the 4th). The burn unit needed the bed. I was just talking to Lisa this morning about what was going on and she said they would never "kick" out Mike. The wouldn't let him leave the unit unless they thought he was ready for it. Mike is supposed to move to Promise Specialty Care. It is affiliated with a hospital that I am not familiar. Bette hopes to make the move on Monday since there is limited care on Saturdays and none on Sunday. She hates to see him lose even a day of therapy. He moved to room 4107. It is in the new area of the hospital. It is a big room with a sofa bed chair, huge bathroom and a beautiful view of the city. Too bad he is leaving it tomorrow (I guess that means he doesn't get to stay for the weekend) I am also guessing he can see now?
Bette is looking for scrubs for Mike. What size??? It sounds like they are comfortable for him.
Mike's boss, Betty came by to see him. What a lovely surprise! Thanks Betty! (does he still have a job?? I don't know...)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Lisa took care of Mike last night. Bette found out that Mike was going to be moved to the 6th floor (that later turned into the 4th). The burn unit needed the bed. I was just talking to Lisa this morning about what was going on and she said they would never "kick" out Mike. The wouldn't let him leave the unit unless they thought he was ready for it. Mike is supposed to move to Promise Specialty Care. It is affiliated with a hospital that I am not familiar. Bette hopes to make the move on Monday since there is limited care on Saturdays and none on Sunday. She hates to see him lose even a day of therapy. He moved to room 4107. It is in the new area of the hospital. It is a big room with a sofa bed chair, huge bathroom and a beautiful view of the city. Too bad he is leaving it tomorrow (I guess that means he doesn't get to stay for the weekend) I am also guessing he can see now?
Bette is looking for scrubs for Mike. What size??? It sounds like they are comfortable for him.
Mike's boss, Betty came by to see him. What a lovely surprise! Thanks Betty! (does he still have a job?? I don't know...)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday 10/07/09
This morning I talked to Lori from the night shift. She checked on Mike but he had been sleeping since about 10:30pm so she had not heard a peep. They sure are going to miss him. I guess there are two skilled nursing facilities. One that the physical therapists want Mike to go to and one that the social workers want him to go to. I vote for what the physical therapists say. Lori asked me if Mike was going to the support group on Wednesdays for burn patients and families. I didn't know if he had so I asked her to put a "bug" in the day nurse's ear and maybe he could go today. I hope so.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
This morning I talked to Lori from the night shift. She checked on Mike but he had been sleeping since about 10:30pm so she had not heard a peep. They sure are going to miss him. I guess there are two skilled nursing facilities. One that the physical therapists want Mike to go to and one that the social workers want him to go to. I vote for what the physical therapists say. Lori asked me if Mike was going to the support group on Wednesdays for burn patients and families. I didn't know if he had so I asked her to put a "bug" in the day nurse's ear and maybe he could go today. I hope so.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Tuesday pm
Bette found the skilled nursing facility after getting the correct address. She said there was a wound care nurse and PT. The down side to it is that there is limited PT on Saturdays and none on Sundays. Bette said that Mike is doing remarkably well for a "blind man" today. He gets along better with the nurses feeding him. He talked to his friend Martin today. Martin's daughter, Mandy, came by today and saw Mike. Tom Ryan called Bette and talked to her yesterday and was excited to hear that Mike was talking. I don't know if he was able to talk to him.
Okay, have a good night
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette found the skilled nursing facility after getting the correct address. She said there was a wound care nurse and PT. The down side to it is that there is limited PT on Saturdays and none on Sundays. Bette said that Mike is doing remarkably well for a "blind man" today. He gets along better with the nurses feeding him. He talked to his friend Martin today. Martin's daughter, Mandy, came by today and saw Mike. Tom Ryan called Bette and talked to her yesterday and was excited to hear that Mike was talking. I don't know if he was able to talk to him.
Okay, have a good night
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday 10/06/09
Karen said that Mike was resting. He has been trying to keep his eyes closed and there is a note on his door to announce yourself so he doesn't have to try to figure it out. He will be able to walk today, with assistance. She said there is quite a bit of swelling to his eyes and that they should look better in a few days. She said that it usually takes 7- 10 days for the eyes to heal from a surgery like this. When I find out the information for the skilled nursing facitily, again (because I forgot), I will ask around to see the nurses opinions. Bette always said that if you want to know something, ask the nurses. I have always found that to be true. okay, that's the morning report...we'll see what happens today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Karen said that Mike was resting. He has been trying to keep his eyes closed and there is a note on his door to announce yourself so he doesn't have to try to figure it out. He will be able to walk today, with assistance. She said there is quite a bit of swelling to his eyes and that they should look better in a few days. She said that it usually takes 7- 10 days for the eyes to heal from a surgery like this. When I find out the information for the skilled nursing facitily, again (because I forgot), I will ask around to see the nurses opinions. Bette always said that if you want to know something, ask the nurses. I have always found that to be true. okay, that's the morning report...we'll see what happens today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday 10/05/09
Jay made it there before Mike went to surgery. He came about the time Mike went to wound care so he and Bette went for a stroll. Mike got to visit with Jay for a little bit before he went to surgery. It was good that Jay was here early. Surgery will take a couple of hours.
Bette said that the surgery went pretty good. She likes the left eye but says the right one is still droopy. Mike has to keep his eyes shut so he drank and ate with eyes closed. (thank God he has eyes)
The insurance run around has been a challenge. I guess insurance will pay for Mike to stay in the hospital while his eyes heal. Then he can go to a skilled nursing facility that has wound care and physical therapy for an undisclosed amount of time. Insurance is giving Bette a hard time about lodging and food now, after saying " oh yeah, we will reimburse you for food and lodging while we are cleaning your house." No one should have to worry about that while they are working on healing or taking care of someone. They are also giving the run around with Mike's kitchen appliances, saying that they will pay for a middle of the line cost for stove and fridge (they think $500 is median cost....Where do they shop? I want those kind of prices too!!!)
I spoke with Mike today. I wore him out talking. He really likes all of the nursing staff there at the Burn Unit. Chris brought spanikopita and baklava to all of the nursing staff (that he made himself! Cheers for the Greek part of our heinz-57 heritage!) He made sure that the night and day shifts all got some. Mike laughed at how the people hovered and snatched up the food! When I asked him how he was feeling he replied "stupid". I asked why and he said that when he was going for the fire extinguisher, he should have just gone out then. I told him we were all thankful that he was alive. I have a friend that wanted to send him a dvd or something to help replace what he lost but he will have to go through things and see what is needed. It sounded like he was ready to let some things go. I told him they are only things and what's important is that he is here. Bette said she isn't sure what he has or doesn't have.... Chris and Karen said the living room stuff was melted to the carpet.... I guess we will have to wait for the final return of objects before gifting him with things. Bette says he can move his right arm pretty well. He will have a limited exercise (walking, I imagine) while his eyelids heal. Will keep you informed.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Jay made it there before Mike went to surgery. He came about the time Mike went to wound care so he and Bette went for a stroll. Mike got to visit with Jay for a little bit before he went to surgery. It was good that Jay was here early. Surgery will take a couple of hours.
Bette said that the surgery went pretty good. She likes the left eye but says the right one is still droopy. Mike has to keep his eyes shut so he drank and ate with eyes closed. (thank God he has eyes)
The insurance run around has been a challenge. I guess insurance will pay for Mike to stay in the hospital while his eyes heal. Then he can go to a skilled nursing facility that has wound care and physical therapy for an undisclosed amount of time. Insurance is giving Bette a hard time about lodging and food now, after saying " oh yeah, we will reimburse you for food and lodging while we are cleaning your house." No one should have to worry about that while they are working on healing or taking care of someone. They are also giving the run around with Mike's kitchen appliances, saying that they will pay for a middle of the line cost for stove and fridge (they think $500 is median cost....Where do they shop? I want those kind of prices too!!!)
I spoke with Mike today. I wore him out talking. He really likes all of the nursing staff there at the Burn Unit. Chris brought spanikopita and baklava to all of the nursing staff (that he made himself! Cheers for the Greek part of our heinz-57 heritage!) He made sure that the night and day shifts all got some. Mike laughed at how the people hovered and snatched up the food! When I asked him how he was feeling he replied "stupid". I asked why and he said that when he was going for the fire extinguisher, he should have just gone out then. I told him we were all thankful that he was alive. I have a friend that wanted to send him a dvd or something to help replace what he lost but he will have to go through things and see what is needed. It sounded like he was ready to let some things go. I told him they are only things and what's important is that he is here. Bette said she isn't sure what he has or doesn't have.... Chris and Karen said the living room stuff was melted to the carpet.... I guess we will have to wait for the final return of objects before gifting him with things. Bette says he can move his right arm pretty well. He will have a limited exercise (walking, I imagine) while his eyelids heal. Will keep you informed.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sunday PM
"mom report":
Chris stayed until about 12:30 but had to go so he could get some more done with the wiring before the sheet rock goes up. Nancy has the dogs so he will have to go pick them up.
Sherry O. (my dear friend) came up to SLC and met Bette at the hospital. They had a cup of coffee/cocoa and chatted. It had been about 14 years since they have seen each other. Bette says she didn't have any trouble spotting her and Sherry said that Bette looks so young! (and she had a hard time keeping up with her!) Mike was resting at that time.
Mike got to see himself in a mirror for the first time today. Bette says he didn't like the looks of his eyes one little bit. He can't get them fixed soon enough. He is ready for surgery tomorrow. He is the third case so, hopefully, Jay (long-time friend) will have a chance to see him before he goes to the OR. Dr. Cochran explained what they were going to do to him. Mike said "okay, do it"!
Bette thinks he's exhausted today. He is going up and down two flights of stairs now. (I would be tired too!) He should sleep well. Please keep him in your thoughts as he goes back to surgery tomorrow.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
"mom report":
Chris stayed until about 12:30 but had to go so he could get some more done with the wiring before the sheet rock goes up. Nancy has the dogs so he will have to go pick them up.
Sherry O. (my dear friend) came up to SLC and met Bette at the hospital. They had a cup of coffee/cocoa and chatted. It had been about 14 years since they have seen each other. Bette says she didn't have any trouble spotting her and Sherry said that Bette looks so young! (and she had a hard time keeping up with her!) Mike was resting at that time.
Mike got to see himself in a mirror for the first time today. Bette says he didn't like the looks of his eyes one little bit. He can't get them fixed soon enough. He is ready for surgery tomorrow. He is the third case so, hopefully, Jay (long-time friend) will have a chance to see him before he goes to the OR. Dr. Cochran explained what they were going to do to him. Mike said "okay, do it"!
Bette thinks he's exhausted today. He is going up and down two flights of stairs now. (I would be tired too!) He should sleep well. Please keep him in your thoughts as he goes back to surgery tomorrow.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Saturday 09/03/09
Bette looked for shoes for Mike. She went to the store and back to the hospital quite a few times to get the right ones. Thank you to Aunt Judy for giving Bette money for something that Mike needs. Now he has shoes! I guess they are going to do a revision on Monday for Mike's eyes. Dr. Cochran will use some skin from the inside of Mike's arms (the parts that weren't burned) and take a full thickness piece and revise the lower lids. It sounds like he will have his eyelids sewed shut for about three days while healing takes place. Insurance said something like his stay would be up on Monday unless he had something happen like surgery. Bette has not talked to a real person or case manager or care coordinator yet. I think it's poor care to kick someone out of the hospital because they think, well you've been here long enough, we're tired of paying so go home.
That reminds me of a joke where a doctor, nurse and HMO worker all died and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter asked the doctor "why should I let you into Heaven?" the doctor replied "well, I have dedicated my life to helping people and have saved many lives" so St. Peter tells him to go in. He then turns to the nurse and asks the same thing. The nurse replies "well, I too have dedicated my life to helping people AND I had to put up with all the doctors" so St. Peter lets the nurse into Heaven. He then turns to the HMO worker and asks him why he should let him into Heaven. The worker replies" well, I made sure that people had insurance so the doctors and nurses could take care of them". St. Peter looks at the worker, thinks for awhile and then replies "Ok, you can go into Heaven, but you have only been approved for a three day stay".
Chris came down today to see Mike and will go home tomorrow. The physical therapists are working with Mike all the time. They had him working for about two hours on upper mobility and lower mobility, walking, fine motor skills and whatever else they do. Mike gets pretty tired by the end of the day.
The last I heard, Mike had just finished his supper and they were going down to the cafeteria to look for a smoothie or slushy or something like that.
Thank you all for your continued prayers for Mike and for following this blog.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette looked for shoes for Mike. She went to the store and back to the hospital quite a few times to get the right ones. Thank you to Aunt Judy for giving Bette money for something that Mike needs. Now he has shoes! I guess they are going to do a revision on Monday for Mike's eyes. Dr. Cochran will use some skin from the inside of Mike's arms (the parts that weren't burned) and take a full thickness piece and revise the lower lids. It sounds like he will have his eyelids sewed shut for about three days while healing takes place. Insurance said something like his stay would be up on Monday unless he had something happen like surgery. Bette has not talked to a real person or case manager or care coordinator yet. I think it's poor care to kick someone out of the hospital because they think, well you've been here long enough, we're tired of paying so go home.
That reminds me of a joke where a doctor, nurse and HMO worker all died and met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter asked the doctor "why should I let you into Heaven?" the doctor replied "well, I have dedicated my life to helping people and have saved many lives" so St. Peter tells him to go in. He then turns to the nurse and asks the same thing. The nurse replies "well, I too have dedicated my life to helping people AND I had to put up with all the doctors" so St. Peter lets the nurse into Heaven. He then turns to the HMO worker and asks him why he should let him into Heaven. The worker replies" well, I made sure that people had insurance so the doctors and nurses could take care of them". St. Peter looks at the worker, thinks for awhile and then replies "Ok, you can go into Heaven, but you have only been approved for a three day stay".
Chris came down today to see Mike and will go home tomorrow. The physical therapists are working with Mike all the time. They had him working for about two hours on upper mobility and lower mobility, walking, fine motor skills and whatever else they do. Mike gets pretty tired by the end of the day.
The last I heard, Mike had just finished his supper and they were going down to the cafeteria to look for a smoothie or slushy or something like that.
Thank you all for your continued prayers for Mike and for following this blog.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, October 2, 2009
Friday 10/02/09
Luke says Mike is in rehab mode now. He slept most of the night. He's doing good.
Bette says there may have been a mix up with the insurance thing...she will check it out today. He is still going to have the eye revision in a couple of days and that may take care of his vision problems. That's all that I got.... he's doing good.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Luke says Mike is in rehab mode now. He slept most of the night. He's doing good.
Bette says there may have been a mix up with the insurance thing...she will check it out today. He is still going to have the eye revision in a couple of days and that may take care of his vision problems. That's all that I got.... he's doing good.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Thursday 10/01/09
Mike is on a full regular diet now. He passed his swallow study. He's off all medicine except coly-senna (stool softner), a multivitamin, and pain meds when he has wound care only. He doesn't want pain meds except for that. He is on the surgery schedule for Monday. They will revise his eyes. The word from Karen is that he's bored. He has gone through almost all of the selections of DVDs and Videos. He also makes frequent trips around the nurses station and cracks jokes. They think he's funny.
They aren't waking him up between midnight and 6 am to do vital signs anymore, so he can sleep. More therapy today is scheduled.
Press on Tiger!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike is on a full regular diet now. He passed his swallow study. He's off all medicine except coly-senna (stool softner), a multivitamin, and pain meds when he has wound care only. He doesn't want pain meds except for that. He is on the surgery schedule for Monday. They will revise his eyes. The word from Karen is that he's bored. He has gone through almost all of the selections of DVDs and Videos. He also makes frequent trips around the nurses station and cracks jokes. They think he's funny.
They aren't waking him up between midnight and 6 am to do vital signs anymore, so he can sleep. More therapy today is scheduled.
Press on Tiger!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday 09/30/09:
No rehab floor for Mike. What? That's right. After much discussion about Mike's care and how it would be a good thing for him to go to rehab, the end decision lies with insurance. Are you kidding? Yes, insurance will not pay for rehab. So Mike will stay in the BTICU (I had to sound it out too...burn trauma intensive care unit) until he gets released. They are happy to have him. They have a bed for him and people that he knows and trusts. The plan is to do an eye revision in about 10 days. They are giving him supplemental oxygen at night ( his sats drop down....maybe there's a wee bit of sleep apnea?) They aren't doing labs on a routine basis, only vital signs every four hours. Still have to check on his swallow study. There has been no change in diet yet.
Bette went to Idaho to check on the progress of the house. There today, back to the hospital tomorrow.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
No rehab floor for Mike. What? That's right. After much discussion about Mike's care and how it would be a good thing for him to go to rehab, the end decision lies with insurance. Are you kidding? Yes, insurance will not pay for rehab. So Mike will stay in the BTICU (I had to sound it out too...burn trauma intensive care unit) until he gets released. They are happy to have him. They have a bed for him and people that he knows and trusts. The plan is to do an eye revision in about 10 days. They are giving him supplemental oxygen at night ( his sats drop down....maybe there's a wee bit of sleep apnea?) They aren't doing labs on a routine basis, only vital signs every four hours. Still have to check on his swallow study. There has been no change in diet yet.
Bette went to Idaho to check on the progress of the house. There today, back to the hospital tomorrow.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday 09/29/09
Karen said the plan is to have Mike transferred to the rehab unit today or tomorrow. Wow. He's not ICU qualified anymore! yippee! He may return to the burn unit for "touch ups" if they have to do more wound/grafts but he's good to go to rehab and get stronger. Yesterday he walked around the nursing desk. He toured the cafeteria and spent a lot of time outside with Bette. He has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last 3 to 4 days, amazing everybody. Bette thought she would have to feed him but they placed foam over the handle part of utensils and now Mike is feeding himself.
way cool!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Karen said the plan is to have Mike transferred to the rehab unit today or tomorrow. Wow. He's not ICU qualified anymore! yippee! He may return to the burn unit for "touch ups" if they have to do more wound/grafts but he's good to go to rehab and get stronger. Yesterday he walked around the nursing desk. He toured the cafeteria and spent a lot of time outside with Bette. He has progressed by leaps and bounds in the last 3 to 4 days, amazing everybody. Bette thought she would have to feed him but they placed foam over the handle part of utensils and now Mike is feeding himself.
way cool!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday 09/28/09
Mike was taken care of by Jill last night and she said he was doing great. This is the first time she's taken care of him since his trach came out. She said he has all sorts of ideas to make things easier for patients and they rigged up a call light system so he just has to tap it instead of finding the right button. He is on supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula (the one you see on TV with the tube under the nose) at night. He hasn't had to take any extra insulin to control his blood sugars. He walked past 3 patient rooms yesterday. oh, and he is talking up a storm!
Now is the time when the physical therapists get to soar. They will work on strengthening his body, being able to walk, do stairs, (run marathons?) and his fine motor skills of grasping and doing some of the things we take for granted, like holding utensils and feeding himself. Jill says it's very exciting and now Mike is going to get really busy with all of the people wanting to see him.(PT, wound care, speech therapists...not to mention visitors) He will have swallow studies every day to help strengthen his swallowing and coughing skills.
His face still has a couple of wounds that they are putting medicated cream on and watching. He has splints on his hands at night but they took off one so he could reach things. His graft sites are looking good and healing. Jill said the stoma (the place where the trach was) is covered with vaseline guaze and it is healing well. The rumour has it that once the trach comes out things progress pretty well. It means that he can maintain his airway and breathe on his own. If they do any more surgeries, they can either use conscious sedation or place a temporary tube during surgery that can be removed.
Thank God that I don't have to say "he's holding his own...status quo (for the extent of his injuries)"! Let the adventure continue forward and have continuing healing! Thank you all again for your ongoing prayers for Michael.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike was taken care of by Jill last night and she said he was doing great. This is the first time she's taken care of him since his trach came out. She said he has all sorts of ideas to make things easier for patients and they rigged up a call light system so he just has to tap it instead of finding the right button. He is on supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula (the one you see on TV with the tube under the nose) at night. He hasn't had to take any extra insulin to control his blood sugars. He walked past 3 patient rooms yesterday. oh, and he is talking up a storm!
Now is the time when the physical therapists get to soar. They will work on strengthening his body, being able to walk, do stairs, (run marathons?) and his fine motor skills of grasping and doing some of the things we take for granted, like holding utensils and feeding himself. Jill says it's very exciting and now Mike is going to get really busy with all of the people wanting to see him.(PT, wound care, speech therapists...not to mention visitors) He will have swallow studies every day to help strengthen his swallowing and coughing skills.
His face still has a couple of wounds that they are putting medicated cream on and watching. He has splints on his hands at night but they took off one so he could reach things. His graft sites are looking good and healing. Jill said the stoma (the place where the trach was) is covered with vaseline guaze and it is healing well. The rumour has it that once the trach comes out things progress pretty well. It means that he can maintain his airway and breathe on his own. If they do any more surgeries, they can either use conscious sedation or place a temporary tube during surgery that can be removed.
Thank God that I don't have to say "he's holding his own...status quo (for the extent of his injuries)"! Let the adventure continue forward and have continuing healing! Thank you all again for your ongoing prayers for Michael.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Sunday afternoon:
I got to talk to Mike today on the phone! It was so good to hear his voice! He sounded weak but good. It took a couple of times for him to cough and clear his throat. He said that they are doing a good job with him in the burn unit. He also walked for the first time today! Bette said he walked about 20 feet. He has been touring the hospital grounds and looking at the food in the cafeteria. He can't quite hold the utensils yet so Bette has helped to feed him. Physical Therapy has worked with him a couple of times today, practicing dexterity of his grasping.
Mike was really talkative and said that he hasn't talked for a long time and now they will be sorry that they got him talking because he's not going to shut up! He says he's trying to keep the spirits high around there.
Cousin Kyle was there today and they had a nice visit.
Get strong, Mike! We are all praying and rooting for you!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
I got to talk to Mike today on the phone! It was so good to hear his voice! He sounded weak but good. It took a couple of times for him to cough and clear his throat. He said that they are doing a good job with him in the burn unit. He also walked for the first time today! Bette said he walked about 20 feet. He has been touring the hospital grounds and looking at the food in the cafeteria. He can't quite hold the utensils yet so Bette has helped to feed him. Physical Therapy has worked with him a couple of times today, practicing dexterity of his grasping.
Mike was really talkative and said that he hasn't talked for a long time and now they will be sorry that they got him talking because he's not going to shut up! He says he's trying to keep the spirits high around there.
Cousin Kyle was there today and they had a nice visit.
Get strong, Mike! We are all praying and rooting for you!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday 09/27/09
Talked to Holly tonight and she said Mike is doing great. They took out all tubes except his IV line. That includes his foley catheter so now he can urinate on his own! He has slept most of the night. Looks like the schedule for the day did it's job and tuckered him out. The nurses are loving his personality. They say he's joking around and laughing.
Bette says she thinks he's ready for visitors now.
What a gift. Thanks to all who have been following this and have offered your prayers. We aren't done yet, by any means, but we can breathe a little easier don't you think?
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Holly tonight and she said Mike is doing great. They took out all tubes except his IV line. That includes his foley catheter so now he can urinate on his own! He has slept most of the night. Looks like the schedule for the day did it's job and tuckered him out. The nurses are loving his personality. They say he's joking around and laughing.
Bette says she thinks he's ready for visitors now.
What a gift. Thanks to all who have been following this and have offered your prayers. We aren't done yet, by any means, but we can breathe a little easier don't you think?
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Saturday afternoon/evening: (mom report)
WOW!!!! (friday afternoon)
Mike is TALKING and talking and talking. He wasn't talking when we (Aunt Judy, Tamme and Bette) went to the circus and then when be came back, Mike was talking. It was almost like Christmas! He talked to Judy and Tamme and seemed to really enjoy it. Bette went out to dinner with Judy and Tamme. Bette tried to call someone to tell them the good news but wasn't able to get anyone.
(saturday)
Bette came up this morning before he went to dressing change and he was doing great. Bette went to see Karla's (her friend) girl in a competition (she did great) and when she got back to the hospital he was allowed ice. We fed him one glass of ice but that wasn't enough so we had to rig up something so he could hold the spoon to feed himself. We put tape inside out around his finger and thumb so the spoon wouldn't slip out of his fingers. They were taking the "nose hose" out. Karla stayed this afternoon.
Judy and Tamme came back to see Mike before they went home to Blackfoot, ID. He was in physical therapy when they came, putting little round pegs in holes. (what does this mean? I don't have a clue...I am the scribe... oh yeah, this is literally putting pegs in holes for dexterity) They started him eating. First ice chips,water, juice, then applesauce. Bette has a smoothie that he almost drank half of. Then his supper: lasagne, green beans, chocolate pudding and a roll. Bette thought that was pushing that a bit but he handled it okay. She fed him until he was tired out. He didn't do too bad. They took the trach out earlier. He has the suction tube "jury -rigged" to his hand in case he coughs and needs his mouth suctioned. He went outside for a while and took a trip to the cafeteria to see what they had.
Bette's friends, Jason and Karla have the Birkenstock store in Pocatello., They are going to get Mike a pair of the soft birks since his were pretty much fried.
Bette sounds tired too. Sounds like they had a great and full day. Congratulations Mike on talking, drinking and eating today!!!! Well done!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
WOW!!!! (friday afternoon)
Mike is TALKING and talking and talking. He wasn't talking when we (Aunt Judy, Tamme and Bette) went to the circus and then when be came back, Mike was talking. It was almost like Christmas! He talked to Judy and Tamme and seemed to really enjoy it. Bette went out to dinner with Judy and Tamme. Bette tried to call someone to tell them the good news but wasn't able to get anyone.
(saturday)
Bette came up this morning before he went to dressing change and he was doing great. Bette went to see Karla's (her friend) girl in a competition (she did great) and when she got back to the hospital he was allowed ice. We fed him one glass of ice but that wasn't enough so we had to rig up something so he could hold the spoon to feed himself. We put tape inside out around his finger and thumb so the spoon wouldn't slip out of his fingers. They were taking the "nose hose" out. Karla stayed this afternoon.
Judy and Tamme came back to see Mike before they went home to Blackfoot, ID. He was in physical therapy when they came, putting little round pegs in holes. (what does this mean? I don't have a clue...I am the scribe... oh yeah, this is literally putting pegs in holes for dexterity) They started him eating. First ice chips,water, juice, then applesauce. Bette has a smoothie that he almost drank half of. Then his supper: lasagne, green beans, chocolate pudding and a roll. Bette thought that was pushing that a bit but he handled it okay. She fed him until he was tired out. He didn't do too bad. They took the trach out earlier. He has the suction tube "jury -rigged" to his hand in case he coughs and needs his mouth suctioned. He went outside for a while and took a trip to the cafeteria to see what they had.
Bette's friends, Jason and Karla have the Birkenstock store in Pocatello., They are going to get Mike a pair of the soft birks since his were pretty much fried.
Bette sounds tired too. Sounds like they had a great and full day. Congratulations Mike on talking, drinking and eating today!!!! Well done!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday 09/26/09
Yesterday, Bette said she got a dry erase board and the first thing he wrote was "I hate that bitch"(referring to a night nurse). Way to express your feelings, Mike! Anyway, Bette relayed the message so I figured it was safe to blog it! (it wasn't a surprise, either).
They plan to get Michael on a schedule so he is awake during the day and sleep at night. the plan: 8am wake up, breakfast (eventually), burn therapy, outside lunch, dressing change, therapy, rest, outside... It sounds like they plan to keep him occupied most of the day. It will be good to have a schedule and know what to expect. Bette says he can speak when you hold the trach tube.
Last night Jesse took care of Mike and said he slept some. He was very cooperative and they got along well. It was a calm night.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Yesterday, Bette said she got a dry erase board and the first thing he wrote was "I hate that bitch"(referring to a night nurse). Way to express your feelings, Mike! Anyway, Bette relayed the message so I figured it was safe to blog it! (it wasn't a surprise, either).
They plan to get Michael on a schedule so he is awake during the day and sleep at night. the plan: 8am wake up, breakfast (eventually), burn therapy, outside lunch, dressing change, therapy, rest, outside... It sounds like they plan to keep him occupied most of the day. It will be good to have a schedule and know what to expect. Bette says he can speak when you hold the trach tube.
Last night Jesse took care of Mike and said he slept some. He was very cooperative and they got along well. It was a calm night.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday 09/25/09
Gome, the night nurse, said that Mike wouldn't sleep last night. He really worried her because he was sitting up all night, trying to air out his back. She was afraid that he might decide he could get up and walk if she wasn't watching him all the time. They had to have a "little chat" about not taking such long naps during the day so he would sleep at night. Today, they may take him outside once or twice to get some fresh air! That would be a first time outside day! yay! More physical therapy and swallow studies and LITTLE naps are on the schedule today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Gome, the night nurse, said that Mike wouldn't sleep last night. He really worried her because he was sitting up all night, trying to air out his back. She was afraid that he might decide he could get up and walk if she wasn't watching him all the time. They had to have a "little chat" about not taking such long naps during the day so he would sleep at night. Today, they may take him outside once or twice to get some fresh air! That would be a first time outside day! yay! More physical therapy and swallow studies and LITTLE naps are on the schedule today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Thursday pm: "mom report"
Bette went with them when they did wound care this morning. The grafts on his arms look okay. The shoulders look good. His poor back on the donor sites are still weepy and giving him fits. He doesn't want anything touching them. He has been sitting straight up in bed all day since he got back from wound care. A dermatology resident came to evaluate his rash right after he came back from getting all new dressings and ripped them all off so she could look at his rash. She did a punch biopsy from his belly and put a stitch in it. Now that the anesthesia has worn off the site is bugging him. He is making more sound around the trach tube today. It still seems to be a lot of effort to talk. PT had him up on his feet a couple of times today. The last time they were in, he felt nauseated and then he had a coughing fit that lasted about 10 minutes. He was exhausted after that. Needless to say, it did a lot for clearing the lungs.
Aunt Judy called and she is coming to SLC tomorrow with our cousin Tamme. They may take Bette to the circus. It will be a good distraction, I think.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette went with them when they did wound care this morning. The grafts on his arms look okay. The shoulders look good. His poor back on the donor sites are still weepy and giving him fits. He doesn't want anything touching them. He has been sitting straight up in bed all day since he got back from wound care. A dermatology resident came to evaluate his rash right after he came back from getting all new dressings and ripped them all off so she could look at his rash. She did a punch biopsy from his belly and put a stitch in it. Now that the anesthesia has worn off the site is bugging him. He is making more sound around the trach tube today. It still seems to be a lot of effort to talk. PT had him up on his feet a couple of times today. The last time they were in, he felt nauseated and then he had a coughing fit that lasted about 10 minutes. He was exhausted after that. Needless to say, it did a lot for clearing the lungs.
Aunt Judy called and she is coming to SLC tomorrow with our cousin Tamme. They may take Bette to the circus. It will be a good distraction, I think.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday 09/24/09
Last night was uneventful, according to Gome. (short for Gomez). Mike slept in blocks and had a good night. There weren't any labs available yet but she said he didn't have a fever or anything concerning.
Sometimes it's good to get a short and sweet report!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Last night was uneventful, according to Gome. (short for Gomez). Mike slept in blocks and had a good night. There weren't any labs available yet but she said he didn't have a fever or anything concerning.
Sometimes it's good to get a short and sweet report!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday 09/23/09
Last night Mike did well. He was awake most of the night and finally went to sleep at around 4am. His labs were stable and he is not on any antibiotics. I was trying to wrap my head around the eyelid drooping thing. Karen explained that there is so much swelling around the eyes that sometimes it looks like they are drooping. There are eyelids there. Mike can open and, if he works at it, close them but there is so much swelling that the lower lids are sort of droopy. Sometimes they put lubricant in his eyes but one is an ointment and he can't see because it puts a greasy haze over his eyes.
George was the day nurse and said that Mike was up in a cardiac chair most of the day. He also stood up for about a minute and was able to shift his weight back and forth. He did that a couple of times. They had changed the trach from an 8 to a 6 and found that there was a lot of laryngioedema (swelling of the voice box) and he couldn't speak so well. They put in a trach that allows the air to move back and forth. George said he had a pretty good day.
Bette went with Paul (cousin) to have supper and will call me later.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Last night Mike did well. He was awake most of the night and finally went to sleep at around 4am. His labs were stable and he is not on any antibiotics. I was trying to wrap my head around the eyelid drooping thing. Karen explained that there is so much swelling around the eyes that sometimes it looks like they are drooping. There are eyelids there. Mike can open and, if he works at it, close them but there is so much swelling that the lower lids are sort of droopy. Sometimes they put lubricant in his eyes but one is an ointment and he can't see because it puts a greasy haze over his eyes.
George was the day nurse and said that Mike was up in a cardiac chair most of the day. He also stood up for about a minute and was able to shift his weight back and forth. He did that a couple of times. They had changed the trach from an 8 to a 6 and found that there was a lot of laryngioedema (swelling of the voice box) and he couldn't speak so well. They put in a trach that allows the air to move back and forth. George said he had a pretty good day.
Bette went with Paul (cousin) to have supper and will call me later.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Tuesday PM "mom" report:
Mike has done well today. His shoulder grafts look good. He has several patches of a special dressing on his face and the top of his head. The nurses clean and re-ointment his face several times a day. That helps the healing process. He is going to have hair on the back of his head and all around the edges. Today is the first time I've seen the back of his head. I thought it was burned, but it is just the top back, not the area where he rests his head. That's good.
They down sized his trach tube today and closed it with a finger and he said an audible "HELLO"!!! He had me tape a marker on his finger so he could write a note but it proved to be too much effort. He gave up on that. He sat up in a sitting position for about 2 hours. They are talking about standing tomorrow. Next step is walking!
I (Bette) went to Pocatello Monday to meet with the contractor to nail down the choice of cabinets for Mike's house, and the lay-out of appliances, tec. I don't think we're allowed much for replacements. The contractor was supposed to call me and let me know how much we are allowed. Chris still has some wiring to do in Mike's place and then some on my side to meet code. Much still to do.
That's it for the Mom report:
more later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike has done well today. His shoulder grafts look good. He has several patches of a special dressing on his face and the top of his head. The nurses clean and re-ointment his face several times a day. That helps the healing process. He is going to have hair on the back of his head and all around the edges. Today is the first time I've seen the back of his head. I thought it was burned, but it is just the top back, not the area where he rests his head. That's good.
They down sized his trach tube today and closed it with a finger and he said an audible "HELLO"!!! He had me tape a marker on his finger so he could write a note but it proved to be too much effort. He gave up on that. He sat up in a sitting position for about 2 hours. They are talking about standing tomorrow. Next step is walking!
I (Bette) went to Pocatello Monday to meet with the contractor to nail down the choice of cabinets for Mike's house, and the lay-out of appliances, tec. I don't think we're allowed much for replacements. The contractor was supposed to call me and let me know how much we are allowed. Chris still has some wiring to do in Mike's place and then some on my side to meet code. Much still to do.
That's it for the Mom report:
more later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday 09/22/09
Happy Fall!
After experiencing "blog withdrawal" here's the update on Mike:(these are from e-mails that Bette sent me)
Friday and Saturday "mom report":
Mike was pretty "with it" this AM. Tom had gotten TED hose for Mike's legs. The swelling looks much better. PT (physical therapy) has been here to work Mike's hands and fingers.. His left hand was pretty tender so he got a little more pain meds so they could be a little more aggressive. Tom also thought maybe the inner cannula on the trach tube may be a little long and, consequently, irritating the trachea and causing the terrible coughing spells. Dr. Cochran said she wold put a shorter one in. Also, they are going to use Presdex(sp?) to keep him relaxed after surgery.
The surgery to replace the grafts on his shoulders with auto-graft skin wnt well. There is only minimal dressings on them so it is imperative that he stay very still for 2-4 days. I hope we can keep himquiet for that long.
Saturday: Mike seems pretty calm. They have vaseline soaked gauze on his face to help debride some of the scabs and stuff from his face. Luke said he planned to keep it up most of the day to see if he can get his face cleaned up. They are using antibiotic ointment also.
more later, mom
PM report: Mike spent a pretty uneventful day. Has been on T-piece all day with O2 sats in the high 90's. He sometimes forgets to keep his hands still so Luke put loose restraints on them so he can't raise them too high. He's doing well today.
Sunday /9/20/09: (mom report)
Report is that Mike spent a very restless night. Maybe it's because he had such a long nap in the afternoon. He wasn't too bad when I got here a little after 9am. Kristy is his nurse. He trusts her and likes her, but she has a nurse intern with her and she agitates Mike. She couldn't make the feeding tube work when she went to give him some meds and she pulled on he tube. I don't think she was aware that she did it.. Anyway, that elicited a strong SOB!!! No mistaking that. After that, he got a wild look in his eyes every time she came near him. He wanted someone else to help him. I got Jesse to help a few times when Kristy was busy. One time he got so agitated he coughed the trach tube loose. His O2 sats went way down and he panicked even though he had 3 nurses right there.
He still gets frustrated when I can't read his lips. Sometimes he forgets where he is and what's going on. I plan to go to Idaho tonight to see if I can get a few things organized. I hope he gets someone he trusts to take care of him tomorrow.
He has been on the T-peice all day, and they were talking of getting him up in a chair this afternoon. I'm not happy about his eyes. At first, only the right eye (lower lid) was pulling down. Now, both lower eyelids have pulled down. Kristy said that usually the "pulldown" is one of the last things they worry about. They are still working to get his face cleared up. I guess it's the up and down thing. I wish there were some more ups. And that is non the UPS shipping I'm talking about.
It will be good to get a good medical report when JaCee gets back. I miss that!
take care,
Bette, AKA MOM
Tuesday:
And so, with "no pressure" to give a "good medical report", we go...
I talked with Karen early this morning for the night report on how Michael is doing. She said he's been on the T-piece for more than two days. The plan is to downsize the trach from an 8 to a 6 (the size of the radius of the tube) and then place a Passymuir valve there. That is a valve that can be covered up to allow Mike to breathe normally but still allow suction access and be there in case he gets in trouble and needs to have extra help breathing. The back up safety valve, as it were. The arterial line was discontinued last week sometime and they also discontinued the Central line to a Picc line. The translation for that is that a Picc line is more for long term venous access and is less likely to cause infection. It usually is inserted in one of the arms and there is a long tube that travels up and into the superior vena cava that goes into the heart and circulation system.
Karen said Mike was awake and interactive last night and she can generally get the "gist" of what he's saying. They are weaning his fentanyl (IV pain med) and using oxycodone every 3 to 3 1/2 hours with good results. He has been getting pretty good at repositioning himself. His labs look good. The white blood count is great at 7.4 and his sodium is finally not bad at 140. I was happy to hear his kidney function tests; BUN 13, creatinine 1.23. Much better than before.
The plan today is to get speech therapy to come in to do a swallow evaluation. Good swallowing equals weaning of the feeding tube and moving towards Mike's first drink of water and then food. It has been a very long time since he had a drink, and I am not talking Beer here! We can barely go a few hours without anything to drink, taking it for granted. Just think of how good it will feel for Mike to take his first sip of water. I am very excited to hear how it goes.
You may be wondering where I was that I couldn't blog on Mike. Randy and I took Willow (Mike's niece) to Mexico up in the mountains to be with the Indians there to pray and celebrate her graduation from a ceremony for children and the harvest/fall time. We went without food or water for what seemed eternity and it really reminded me of what Mike must be going through. At least we knew that, at the end of the ceremony, we could drink water and eat, but it was small compared to what Mike has endured. We prayed for Mike and the family there. We realize that we take so many things for granted here and it was a very humbling and life changing experience. Thank you all for your patience while we were away. It was one of the ways I know to help Mike, through prayer. It is good to be back where there is running water, showers, a bed to sleep in, showers, and a house that has a door on it and real windows...did I mention showers? We are thankful every day for our lives and that Mike is alive. (sorry for getting a bit sappy there)
We are now up to speed. Let the blogging continue!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Happy Fall!
After experiencing "blog withdrawal" here's the update on Mike:(these are from e-mails that Bette sent me)
Friday and Saturday "mom report":
Mike was pretty "with it" this AM. Tom had gotten TED hose for Mike's legs. The swelling looks much better. PT (physical therapy) has been here to work Mike's hands and fingers.. His left hand was pretty tender so he got a little more pain meds so they could be a little more aggressive. Tom also thought maybe the inner cannula on the trach tube may be a little long and, consequently, irritating the trachea and causing the terrible coughing spells. Dr. Cochran said she wold put a shorter one in. Also, they are going to use Presdex(sp?) to keep him relaxed after surgery.
The surgery to replace the grafts on his shoulders with auto-graft skin wnt well. There is only minimal dressings on them so it is imperative that he stay very still for 2-4 days. I hope we can keep himquiet for that long.
Saturday: Mike seems pretty calm. They have vaseline soaked gauze on his face to help debride some of the scabs and stuff from his face. Luke said he planned to keep it up most of the day to see if he can get his face cleaned up. They are using antibiotic ointment also.
more later, mom
PM report: Mike spent a pretty uneventful day. Has been on T-piece all day with O2 sats in the high 90's. He sometimes forgets to keep his hands still so Luke put loose restraints on them so he can't raise them too high. He's doing well today.
Sunday /9/20/09: (mom report)
Report is that Mike spent a very restless night. Maybe it's because he had such a long nap in the afternoon. He wasn't too bad when I got here a little after 9am. Kristy is his nurse. He trusts her and likes her, but she has a nurse intern with her and she agitates Mike. She couldn't make the feeding tube work when she went to give him some meds and she pulled on he tube. I don't think she was aware that she did it.. Anyway, that elicited a strong SOB!!! No mistaking that. After that, he got a wild look in his eyes every time she came near him. He wanted someone else to help him. I got Jesse to help a few times when Kristy was busy. One time he got so agitated he coughed the trach tube loose. His O2 sats went way down and he panicked even though he had 3 nurses right there.
He still gets frustrated when I can't read his lips. Sometimes he forgets where he is and what's going on. I plan to go to Idaho tonight to see if I can get a few things organized. I hope he gets someone he trusts to take care of him tomorrow.
He has been on the T-peice all day, and they were talking of getting him up in a chair this afternoon. I'm not happy about his eyes. At first, only the right eye (lower lid) was pulling down. Now, both lower eyelids have pulled down. Kristy said that usually the "pulldown" is one of the last things they worry about. They are still working to get his face cleared up. I guess it's the up and down thing. I wish there were some more ups. And that is non the UPS shipping I'm talking about.
It will be good to get a good medical report when JaCee gets back. I miss that!
take care,
Bette, AKA MOM
Tuesday:
And so, with "no pressure" to give a "good medical report", we go...
I talked with Karen early this morning for the night report on how Michael is doing. She said he's been on the T-piece for more than two days. The plan is to downsize the trach from an 8 to a 6 (the size of the radius of the tube) and then place a Passymuir valve there. That is a valve that can be covered up to allow Mike to breathe normally but still allow suction access and be there in case he gets in trouble and needs to have extra help breathing. The back up safety valve, as it were. The arterial line was discontinued last week sometime and they also discontinued the Central line to a Picc line. The translation for that is that a Picc line is more for long term venous access and is less likely to cause infection. It usually is inserted in one of the arms and there is a long tube that travels up and into the superior vena cava that goes into the heart and circulation system.
Karen said Mike was awake and interactive last night and she can generally get the "gist" of what he's saying. They are weaning his fentanyl (IV pain med) and using oxycodone every 3 to 3 1/2 hours with good results. He has been getting pretty good at repositioning himself. His labs look good. The white blood count is great at 7.4 and his sodium is finally not bad at 140. I was happy to hear his kidney function tests; BUN 13, creatinine 1.23. Much better than before.
The plan today is to get speech therapy to come in to do a swallow evaluation. Good swallowing equals weaning of the feeding tube and moving towards Mike's first drink of water and then food. It has been a very long time since he had a drink, and I am not talking Beer here! We can barely go a few hours without anything to drink, taking it for granted. Just think of how good it will feel for Mike to take his first sip of water. I am very excited to hear how it goes.
You may be wondering where I was that I couldn't blog on Mike. Randy and I took Willow (Mike's niece) to Mexico up in the mountains to be with the Indians there to pray and celebrate her graduation from a ceremony for children and the harvest/fall time. We went without food or water for what seemed eternity and it really reminded me of what Mike must be going through. At least we knew that, at the end of the ceremony, we could drink water and eat, but it was small compared to what Mike has endured. We prayed for Mike and the family there. We realize that we take so many things for granted here and it was a very humbling and life changing experience. Thank you all for your patience while we were away. It was one of the ways I know to help Mike, through prayer. It is good to be back where there is running water, showers, a bed to sleep in, showers, and a house that has a door on it and real windows...did I mention showers? We are thankful every day for our lives and that Mike is alive. (sorry for getting a bit sappy there)
We are now up to speed. Let the blogging continue!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Thursday evening:
Tom says that Mike was off the fentanyl and propofol today and has done really well. His homografts have been doing well and he is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. He will be down for a few days when that happens. There may have to be a "release" on his right eye because the graft on the right goes on his cheek and up over his nose and his eyelid is drooping. They put ointment in his eyes to keep them moist. He was in the T-peice for about 7 hours. He then gave him some support on the vent. He was watching TV today. They took off his immobile splint on his right hand and he can wiggle his fingers. His left hand/fingers still have pins in them. He has swelling to his feet today. There is talk of ted hose but no action yet.
Mike is scheduled for surgery at noon (Bette says more like two).
well, we are off for a couple of days...back to blogging late on monday...I will get emails from Bette and post the daily update so we can all see what happened.... I will experience "longing" too.....
Oh, there was a request for the info for Potelco Credit Union for any donations for the family for travel and accomodations:
Potelco Credit Union
Account for Mike Lochridge
PO BOX 4909
Pocatello, ID 83205
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tom says that Mike was off the fentanyl and propofol today and has done really well. His homografts have been doing well and he is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. He will be down for a few days when that happens. There may have to be a "release" on his right eye because the graft on the right goes on his cheek and up over his nose and his eyelid is drooping. They put ointment in his eyes to keep them moist. He was in the T-peice for about 7 hours. He then gave him some support on the vent. He was watching TV today. They took off his immobile splint on his right hand and he can wiggle his fingers. His left hand/fingers still have pins in them. He has swelling to his feet today. There is talk of ted hose but no action yet.
Mike is scheduled for surgery at noon (Bette says more like two).
well, we are off for a couple of days...back to blogging late on monday...I will get emails from Bette and post the daily update so we can all see what happened.... I will experience "longing" too.....
Oh, there was a request for the info for Potelco Credit Union for any donations for the family for travel and accomodations:
Potelco Credit Union
Account for Mike Lochridge
PO BOX 4909
Pocatello, ID 83205
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday Mom report:
"Mike is doing sooo much better!"
For those of you with faint of heart, skip this part: He used the bedpan today! It is a huge step in the right direction.
Mike is starring in an educational video that Jesse and Jason were putting together to educate outlying hospitals on face burn wound care. Tom said Dr Morris is very pleased with the shoulder grafts. He thinks they might put autografts on in a few days.
Just wanted to share that little bit of info.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
"Mike is doing sooo much better!"
For those of you with faint of heart, skip this part: He used the bedpan today! It is a huge step in the right direction.
Mike is starring in an educational video that Jesse and Jason were putting together to educate outlying hospitals on face burn wound care. Tom said Dr Morris is very pleased with the shoulder grafts. He thinks they might put autografts on in a few days.
Just wanted to share that little bit of info.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday 09/17/09
Candy was the nurse again for Mike. She had just given him a sedation vacation when I talked with her (around 5:45am Utah time) She said we was very alert and wanted his wallet and a beer. She told him she was only able to give him nutrition through a tube right now. He was on the vent last night to give his lungs a break because he was on the T-piece for quite awhile yesterday. She said he slept well for about 5 hours and then woke up and that's when he got his "vacation". I really like hearing that nothing eventful happened and everything is status quo.
Candy said that the night crew got a lovely surprise of Chocolate! Thanks Diana!!! They were very happy about that.
Thank you to everyone who is following this blog. There will be a report this evening and then a small break while we go out of town for a "thing" and we will be back to blogging on Monday around midnight upon our return. I tried to get Bette to take over while I am away, but she said she's doing good to send an email. I won't be within phone or email contact so please bear with us...or feel free to post comments....maybe that will work? Let me know what you all think....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Candy was the nurse again for Mike. She had just given him a sedation vacation when I talked with her (around 5:45am Utah time) She said we was very alert and wanted his wallet and a beer. She told him she was only able to give him nutrition through a tube right now. He was on the vent last night to give his lungs a break because he was on the T-piece for quite awhile yesterday. She said he slept well for about 5 hours and then woke up and that's when he got his "vacation". I really like hearing that nothing eventful happened and everything is status quo.
Candy said that the night crew got a lovely surprise of Chocolate! Thanks Diana!!! They were very happy about that.
Thank you to everyone who is following this blog. There will be a report this evening and then a small break while we go out of town for a "thing" and we will be back to blogging on Monday around midnight upon our return. I tried to get Bette to take over while I am away, but she said she's doing good to send an email. I won't be within phone or email contact so please bear with us...or feel free to post comments....maybe that will work? Let me know what you all think....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Wednesday evening:
Sarah said that Mike had a good day. He was on the T-piece without any ventilator support since 3pm. I spoke with her at about 6:45pm (right before shift change). She said he is more awake and alert and easily opens his eyes when addressed. She said that the mouthing words game is going pretty well. She started to see a little bit of his personality peeking through. She had to remind him to hold his arms still for a couple of more days. She said they did a video on face wound care today as an education piece. I'm not exactly sure what that means... it sounded like it was for family who would be involved in his care (an instructional video, I think) Anyway, it would be good to see, eh? I will try to find out more about it.
Sarah said Michael has definitely moved out of the "critically stable" condition. She sounded hopeful that, if he can keep breathing on his own, they can wean him from the vent and oxygen support, move to a nasal cannula (that tube that you see on TV that goes under the nose) and get him up and moving. Then the physical therapists get to really get going on him. Okay, that's all for now. Thank you for tuning in and praying for Mike. I know the prayers are making a difference.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sarah said that Mike had a good day. He was on the T-piece without any ventilator support since 3pm. I spoke with her at about 6:45pm (right before shift change). She said he is more awake and alert and easily opens his eyes when addressed. She said that the mouthing words game is going pretty well. She started to see a little bit of his personality peeking through. She had to remind him to hold his arms still for a couple of more days. She said they did a video on face wound care today as an education piece. I'm not exactly sure what that means... it sounded like it was for family who would be involved in his care (an instructional video, I think) Anyway, it would be good to see, eh? I will try to find out more about it.
Sarah said Michael has definitely moved out of the "critically stable" condition. She sounded hopeful that, if he can keep breathing on his own, they can wean him from the vent and oxygen support, move to a nasal cannula (that tube that you see on TV that goes under the nose) and get him up and moving. Then the physical therapists get to really get going on him. Okay, that's all for now. Thank you for tuning in and praying for Mike. I know the prayers are making a difference.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday 09/16/09
Candy was the nurse tonight and said that Mike was sleepy but alert. The plan is to decrease sedation and increase alertness. Mike's vitals are stable,Yay!, and his sodium is within normal limits...double yay! Candy changed all of the vent tubing and IV lines, as well as aggressive cleaning. Mike is on a T-piece with pressure support ventilations. He has biograin (a white clear,porous, plastic "lycra" type material) which is able to be washed and cleaned and dried without difficulty, stapled over his graft sites. His blood pressures are in the 130's (good) and there is not too much skin breakdown on the backside, due to the repositioning schedule that they have.
He's moving into the "strong" category (for the extent of his injuries). He will probably have some more minor surgeries, but they can't wait for the physical therapy to get in there and really get moving!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Candy was the nurse tonight and said that Mike was sleepy but alert. The plan is to decrease sedation and increase alertness. Mike's vitals are stable,Yay!, and his sodium is within normal limits...double yay! Candy changed all of the vent tubing and IV lines, as well as aggressive cleaning. Mike is on a T-piece with pressure support ventilations. He has biograin (a white clear,porous, plastic "lycra" type material) which is able to be washed and cleaned and dried without difficulty, stapled over his graft sites. His blood pressures are in the 130's (good) and there is not too much skin breakdown on the backside, due to the repositioning schedule that they have.
He's moving into the "strong" category (for the extent of his injuries). He will probably have some more minor surgeries, but they can't wait for the physical therapy to get in there and really get moving!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday afternoon/eve:
Bette said that the surgery went well. Mike was awake for awhile afterwards. It was touching to talk to her this morning because she said she went there to see Mike before surgery and he mouthed the words "I love you" to her and gave kisses (I'm crying now). She said that his homografts were stapled on and there were snug bandages over. She said he was sleepy and slept quite a bit. He seemed itchy and tried really hard to reach a leg, lifting it up while reaching down. The nurse gave him some benadryl (ah, better living through chemistry!) and that seemed to help. Mike fell asleep again and Bette stayed for an extra hour and a half this evening before finally retiring. One more surgery down... how many more to go????
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette said that the surgery went well. Mike was awake for awhile afterwards. It was touching to talk to her this morning because she said she went there to see Mike before surgery and he mouthed the words "I love you" to her and gave kisses (I'm crying now). She said that his homografts were stapled on and there were snug bandages over. She said he was sleepy and slept quite a bit. He seemed itchy and tried really hard to reach a leg, lifting it up while reaching down. The nurse gave him some benadryl (ah, better living through chemistry!) and that seemed to help. Mike fell asleep again and Bette stayed for an extra hour and a half this evening before finally retiring. One more surgery down... how many more to go????
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday 09/15/09
Talked to Karen, who took care of Mike all night. She said that he's had an uneventful night. His white count is better, now 9, down from 13-ish. He is on Levaquin (antibiotic) and he has not been febrile (feverish) all night.
Yesterday, before shift change, Mike has a hypotensive event. Evidently, they were changing linens and they might have knocked something loose (some of those nasty bacterial critters having a party under one of his shoulders or head, no doubt) They think he had a bacterial storm and his blood pressure plummeted to a mean of 30-40's. Okay, that's the number that is supposed to be the top blood pressure, usually around 100-ish. Suffice it to say.. not good. Karen said is lasted for about 30 minutes. She also said that Dr. Morris said as long as he didn't have any more events, it was okay. (the sure sign of someone with experience...not getting excited about blood pressure events) Karen stopped Mike's propofol all night, which can contribute to lower blood pressures, and kept him comfortable with fentanyl and benadryl. His blood pressures are keeping stable at around 110 (that's more like it!). Oh yeah, keep Mike in your prayers this morning because he's going back to surgery and it sounds like it's not uncommon for patients to have bacterial storm events when they are messing around with bacteria laden areas. They are going to clean the areas and put homografts on to promote healing. Usually, you can get five to seven days of healing out of a homograft. So that means that he will have to go back to surgery in another 5-7 days.... and so we go again..... up, down, up, down, up.....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked to Karen, who took care of Mike all night. She said that he's had an uneventful night. His white count is better, now 9, down from 13-ish. He is on Levaquin (antibiotic) and he has not been febrile (feverish) all night.
Yesterday, before shift change, Mike has a hypotensive event. Evidently, they were changing linens and they might have knocked something loose (some of those nasty bacterial critters having a party under one of his shoulders or head, no doubt) They think he had a bacterial storm and his blood pressure plummeted to a mean of 30-40's. Okay, that's the number that is supposed to be the top blood pressure, usually around 100-ish. Suffice it to say.. not good. Karen said is lasted for about 30 minutes. She also said that Dr. Morris said as long as he didn't have any more events, it was okay. (the sure sign of someone with experience...not getting excited about blood pressure events) Karen stopped Mike's propofol all night, which can contribute to lower blood pressures, and kept him comfortable with fentanyl and benadryl. His blood pressures are keeping stable at around 110 (that's more like it!). Oh yeah, keep Mike in your prayers this morning because he's going back to surgery and it sounds like it's not uncommon for patients to have bacterial storm events when they are messing around with bacteria laden areas. They are going to clean the areas and put homografts on to promote healing. Usually, you can get five to seven days of healing out of a homograft. So that means that he will have to go back to surgery in another 5-7 days.... and so we go again..... up, down, up, down, up.....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday, September 14, 2009
Monday afternoon:
The Mom report:
Bette was with Mike all day (as almost every day) and she said he was really awake this morning. He kept forgetting to keep still and tried to move his arms around so the nurses finally sandwiched his arms between pillows and strapped them together so he couldn't damage his face. It's back to the OR tomorrow. Bette seems frustrated, and rightfully so, that he just starts to wake up and then it's back to surgery and sedation for another week. Roller coaster, remember? It's too bad Martin and Brenda (Mike's friends) weren't there today when he was awake. So if anyone visits Mike and plan to stay a day or two, check with Bette to see his status and to see if you should come back, kay?
One of the pins in the fingers is too deep so they will pull it out a bit tomorrow. They will probably do homografts on his shoulders. Temporary grafts to promote healing. They found a source for infection! yay! It's a urinary tract infection, so now they can treat it.
Bette says Mike says he's not in pain. He slept for about 3 hours in the afternoon. It's tough between wanting him to be sedated or awake and communicating. So let's just wish him pain free and infection free healing.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
The Mom report:
Bette was with Mike all day (as almost every day) and she said he was really awake this morning. He kept forgetting to keep still and tried to move his arms around so the nurses finally sandwiched his arms between pillows and strapped them together so he couldn't damage his face. It's back to the OR tomorrow. Bette seems frustrated, and rightfully so, that he just starts to wake up and then it's back to surgery and sedation for another week. Roller coaster, remember? It's too bad Martin and Brenda (Mike's friends) weren't there today when he was awake. So if anyone visits Mike and plan to stay a day or two, check with Bette to see his status and to see if you should come back, kay?
One of the pins in the fingers is too deep so they will pull it out a bit tomorrow. They will probably do homografts on his shoulders. Temporary grafts to promote healing. They found a source for infection! yay! It's a urinary tract infection, so now they can treat it.
Bette says Mike says he's not in pain. He slept for about 3 hours in the afternoon. It's tough between wanting him to be sedated or awake and communicating. So let's just wish him pain free and infection free healing.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday 09/14/09:
Karen was the nurse tonight and brought me up to speed over the past 24 hours. Mike has been running a fever and they are trying to find a source. They will look at the arterial line and maybe change it. There were some issues with blood pressure and so they decreased the propofol, which can lower blood pressure. The result is that the blood pressure stabilized (80's/40's) and Mike is a little more awake. The good thing about him being more alert is that he is able to cough. Coughing means he can clear all of the junk that's been deep in the lungs while he's been sedated. There is still elevation of the sodium level. He has had a slow litre of fluid(D-50) to try to decrease it. The level is still 151 (down only 2 from yesterday). He has a scattered rash that appears like yeast on his neck, back flanks and head. They are treating it with keeping the areas clean and dry and topical nystatin right now. His blood gases are good. His white count is 13.2 and his hematocrit is low-is at 23.
One of the nurses said this was going to be a roller coaster ride. Ups and downs with burn patients. They might not do surgery on Tuesday until they find the source of the fever. (then they can "fix" it)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Karen was the nurse tonight and brought me up to speed over the past 24 hours. Mike has been running a fever and they are trying to find a source. They will look at the arterial line and maybe change it. There were some issues with blood pressure and so they decreased the propofol, which can lower blood pressure. The result is that the blood pressure stabilized (80's/40's) and Mike is a little more awake. The good thing about him being more alert is that he is able to cough. Coughing means he can clear all of the junk that's been deep in the lungs while he's been sedated. There is still elevation of the sodium level. He has had a slow litre of fluid(D-50) to try to decrease it. The level is still 151 (down only 2 from yesterday). He has a scattered rash that appears like yeast on his neck, back flanks and head. They are treating it with keeping the areas clean and dry and topical nystatin right now. His blood gases are good. His white count is 13.2 and his hematocrit is low-is at 23.
One of the nurses said this was going to be a roller coaster ride. Ups and downs with burn patients. They might not do surgery on Tuesday until they find the source of the fever. (then they can "fix" it)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday afternoon:
Mike had visitors today. Martin and Brenda came down form Pocatello to see Mike. Bette thinks that Mike recognized their voices because he opened his eyes really wide. He has a fever. Around 102 or so. Haven't been able to figure out a source. They did blood cultures this afternoon around 5pm. His back has some little blisters that looked yeast-y. His feet are not nearly as swollen as before. they put isotoner gloves on his hands. He has a lot of secretions from his vent.
He is still sedated, but opened his eyes a couple if times today. He was a little restless and was swinging his arms around. The left arm doesn't track too well to his face. They had a time dodging his arms and finally put a bungee (bungie, bungy ???) cord on his arm so it wouldn't be able to get close to his face. His fingernails are black. Bette says the nurse said he would probably lose them but they will grow back. Bette sounded tired tonight.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike had visitors today. Martin and Brenda came down form Pocatello to see Mike. Bette thinks that Mike recognized their voices because he opened his eyes really wide. He has a fever. Around 102 or so. Haven't been able to figure out a source. They did blood cultures this afternoon around 5pm. His back has some little blisters that looked yeast-y. His feet are not nearly as swollen as before. they put isotoner gloves on his hands. He has a lot of secretions from his vent.
He is still sedated, but opened his eyes a couple if times today. He was a little restless and was swinging his arms around. The left arm doesn't track too well to his face. They had a time dodging his arms and finally put a bungee (bungie, bungy ???) cord on his arm so it wouldn't be able to get close to his face. His fingernails are black. Bette says the nurse said he would probably lose them but they will grow back. Bette sounded tired tonight.
Thank you for your continued prayers.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday 09/13/09
Karen was the night nurse. She has kept Mike sedated again without a sedation holiday. They changed Mike's central line yesterday afternoon to see if that will make an improvement in his fever. His urine and sputum cultures didn't show a definite infection so it looks like they will wait to treat for awhile. There was a slight improvement in his white count. Down to 12.41 from 13.71 yesterday. Bette says that the back of Mike's head looks like bad MRSA and the doctor will probably do a homograft on the back of his head to see if that will promote healing. That means surgery on Tuesday or Thursday of this week. That is all the information I have today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Karen was the night nurse. She has kept Mike sedated again without a sedation holiday. They changed Mike's central line yesterday afternoon to see if that will make an improvement in his fever. His urine and sputum cultures didn't show a definite infection so it looks like they will wait to treat for awhile. There was a slight improvement in his white count. Down to 12.41 from 13.71 yesterday. Bette says that the back of Mike's head looks like bad MRSA and the doctor will probably do a homograft on the back of his head to see if that will promote healing. That means surgery on Tuesday or Thursday of this week. That is all the information I have today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Saturdy 09/12/09
Jason was the night nurse and said Mike was doing pretty good. It's funny that all of the ICU nurses say that. It is also good that they are still able to shed a positive light on things. Michael has a fever and his white count is elevated. (13.7, up from 10.3 yesterday) The grafts on the cheeks are still under scrutiny and they have kept Mike heavily sedated and did not do the sedation holiday due to the face grafts. There has been a lot of suctioning for the voluminous amount of secretions from Mike's lungs. The rest of his lab work is about the same, with slight improvement in electrolytes but his kidney function and glucose levels are pretty good.
So in short, he's pretty good...holding his own, status quo (for the extent of his injuries)
Jason can't wait for Mike to get better and see some of his personality peek through! ( I told him that Mike was a "talker")
Mom and Chris were with the inspectors yesterday. I guess there are beautiful hardwood floors in Mike's side. I put in my two cents worth and said they should use throw rugs and keep the hardwood. Didn't talk to Bette yesterday (oh yes I did, but she was in the middle of something) but I believe she's going back to Salt Lake today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Jason was the night nurse and said Mike was doing pretty good. It's funny that all of the ICU nurses say that. It is also good that they are still able to shed a positive light on things. Michael has a fever and his white count is elevated. (13.7, up from 10.3 yesterday) The grafts on the cheeks are still under scrutiny and they have kept Mike heavily sedated and did not do the sedation holiday due to the face grafts. There has been a lot of suctioning for the voluminous amount of secretions from Mike's lungs. The rest of his lab work is about the same, with slight improvement in electrolytes but his kidney function and glucose levels are pretty good.
So in short, he's pretty good...holding his own, status quo (for the extent of his injuries)
Jason can't wait for Mike to get better and see some of his personality peek through! ( I told him that Mike was a "talker")
Mom and Chris were with the inspectors yesterday. I guess there are beautiful hardwood floors in Mike's side. I put in my two cents worth and said they should use throw rugs and keep the hardwood. Didn't talk to Bette yesterday (oh yes I did, but she was in the middle of something) but I believe she's going back to Salt Lake today.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday afternoon: 5pm Utah time:
Tom took care of Mike today and they have turned off the paralytic medicine but kept him heavily sedated today. When the paralytic wore off, he started coughing a lot and brought up some phlegm. They have sent it for culture. They also tested his urine, which was negative (yay). He is doing pretty good, according to Tom. The graft on his forehead looks good. The ones on his cheeks look questionable and so they are very fragile and only time will tell. That's one reason Mike is sedated so heavily. They don't want him moving too much and damaging the grafts. He is on pressure support ventilation. "He's holding his own" status quo....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tom took care of Mike today and they have turned off the paralytic medicine but kept him heavily sedated today. When the paralytic wore off, he started coughing a lot and brought up some phlegm. They have sent it for culture. They also tested his urine, which was negative (yay). He is doing pretty good, according to Tom. The graft on his forehead looks good. The ones on his cheeks look questionable and so they are very fragile and only time will tell. That's one reason Mike is sedated so heavily. They don't want him moving too much and damaging the grafts. He is on pressure support ventilation. "He's holding his own" status quo....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Thursday afternoon:
The "mom" report:
Aunt Edna went home yesterday.
Bette stayed until the dressing change at 2:30pm today..They got a bit of excitement when they were turning Mike to clean his back and change linens. His oxygen saturation went down to 69%. Bette says there was some quick scrambling by several people and they got it back fairly quickly. There was quite a bit of adrenalin for a couple of minutes. The grafts on his arms are coming along nicely. The back of his head and some on his shoulders still look pretty rough. His face grafts look good. The donor sites on his legs and thighs are healing well. His back is pretty well peeled. He has to stay on his back awhile longer until the face heals a bit more. He has thrush. (oral yeast infection).
While they are planning to have Mike in a continued sedated state tomorrow, Bette is heading to Idaho to check on things with the cleaning company and other stuff, like checking on cabinets for Mike's side of the house, etc. Chris is meeting with inspectors tomorrow and hopes to get started on the wiring. He is going to put the family to work: Karen, Steven (and his girlfriend) Thanks guys!
Just wanted to comment on Mike's condition. The day nurse, Sarah, said they had just loosened up a big mucus plug and he desaturated so they sucked him out. She said they had a little excitement but got him stabilized. His blood pressure was a little high. There are nor real other issues. They are paying attention to vitals. Urine output is great. They did a takedown on his arms. The left shoulder will most likely need regrafting. The biggest part is that his arms are healing As well. The face graft is too new to see what will happen. There are pins in the fingers, yes, right into the fingers...IN the bones.....Reminds me of a Bruce Lee film when the bad guys were torturing a person by putting bamboo skewers into the ends of someone's fingers....ouch (remember that Movie? was it the big boss? aagh...help!)
Okay, I guess the point that I try to remember is: You should never take anything for granted. Michael is alive. We are so thankful for that. Please keep praying for him. Thank you.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
The "mom" report:
Aunt Edna went home yesterday.
Bette stayed until the dressing change at 2:30pm today..They got a bit of excitement when they were turning Mike to clean his back and change linens. His oxygen saturation went down to 69%. Bette says there was some quick scrambling by several people and they got it back fairly quickly. There was quite a bit of adrenalin for a couple of minutes. The grafts on his arms are coming along nicely. The back of his head and some on his shoulders still look pretty rough. His face grafts look good. The donor sites on his legs and thighs are healing well. His back is pretty well peeled. He has to stay on his back awhile longer until the face heals a bit more. He has thrush. (oral yeast infection).
While they are planning to have Mike in a continued sedated state tomorrow, Bette is heading to Idaho to check on things with the cleaning company and other stuff, like checking on cabinets for Mike's side of the house, etc. Chris is meeting with inspectors tomorrow and hopes to get started on the wiring. He is going to put the family to work: Karen, Steven (and his girlfriend) Thanks guys!
Just wanted to comment on Mike's condition. The day nurse, Sarah, said they had just loosened up a big mucus plug and he desaturated so they sucked him out. She said they had a little excitement but got him stabilized. His blood pressure was a little high. There are nor real other issues. They are paying attention to vitals. Urine output is great. They did a takedown on his arms. The left shoulder will most likely need regrafting. The biggest part is that his arms are healing As well. The face graft is too new to see what will happen. There are pins in the fingers, yes, right into the fingers...IN the bones.....Reminds me of a Bruce Lee film when the bad guys were torturing a person by putting bamboo skewers into the ends of someone's fingers....ouch (remember that Movie? was it the big boss? aagh...help!)
Okay, I guess the point that I try to remember is: You should never take anything for granted. Michael is alive. We are so thankful for that. Please keep praying for him. Thank you.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday 09/10/09
Liz was the night nurse and said that Mike did pretty well. He is chemically paralyzed to protect the grafts. His white blood count is a little elevated 10.4 (up to 10 is normal) He has been gently repositioned every two hours to prevent bed sores. There is a new order in place to gently use a Q-tip to get the extra moisure and fluids from around the new graft sites. Some sites lood good and some are in a holding pattern. His lungs sound a little wet but suctioning has not helped that. okay....EMS is rolling in the door at work so I must go....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Liz was the night nurse and said that Mike did pretty well. He is chemically paralyzed to protect the grafts. His white blood count is a little elevated 10.4 (up to 10 is normal) He has been gently repositioned every two hours to prevent bed sores. There is a new order in place to gently use a Q-tip to get the extra moisure and fluids from around the new graft sites. Some sites lood good and some are in a holding pattern. His lungs sound a little wet but suctioning has not helped that. okay....EMS is rolling in the door at work so I must go....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Wednesday afternoon:
Okay, so the next couple of posts will, hopefully, be really boring.
Mike is on a paralytic right now so the grafts can have a chance. He's been trying to run a fever but hasn't succeeded yet. The graft on his forehead has pinked up but they are waiting on his cheeks. His vitals and labs have been stable. That's about all.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Okay, so the next couple of posts will, hopefully, be really boring.
Mike is on a paralytic right now so the grafts can have a chance. He's been trying to run a fever but hasn't succeeded yet. The graft on his forehead has pinked up but they are waiting on his cheeks. His vitals and labs have been stable. That's about all.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday 09/09/09
Mike has been paralyzed all night. Cheryl was the nurse tonight and said that his vitals are stable. He got two units of blood at surgery. He has been moved to a room that is closer to the nurses station so they can keep an eye on him. They plan to keep him still for a couple of days.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike has been paralyzed all night. Cheryl was the nurse tonight and said that his vitals are stable. He got two units of blood at surgery. He has been moved to a room that is closer to the nurses station so they can keep an eye on him. They plan to keep him still for a couple of days.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Tuesday evening:
Mike did well in surgery. His face looks good. They did some grafts on it from cheeks, nose forehead and up over the top of his head. He got pins in his left index, ring and pinkie fingers. They left his shoulders alone to see if they would shape up.
He will be sedated for a few days...maybe until Saturday.
Aunt Edna goes home tomorrow.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Mike did well in surgery. His face looks good. They did some grafts on it from cheeks, nose forehead and up over the top of his head. He got pins in his left index, ring and pinkie fingers. They left his shoulders alone to see if they would shape up.
He will be sedated for a few days...maybe until Saturday.
Aunt Edna goes home tomorrow.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday afternoon
Bette says that Mike is in surgery now. (2:30pm Utah time). She said he can move his right arm really well but is frustrated with the splints on his hands. He wasn't going to let the nurse do oral care but finally gave in and the nurse painted some nystatin in his mouth. He then thought it wasn't so bad and let her finish.
Mike wants a beer. Doesn't understand why he can't have one.
Apparantly, there are a couple more fingers that need to be pinned. Bette will give me an update this evening.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette says that Mike is in surgery now. (2:30pm Utah time). She said he can move his right arm really well but is frustrated with the splints on his hands. He wasn't going to let the nurse do oral care but finally gave in and the nurse painted some nystatin in his mouth. He then thought it wasn't so bad and let her finish.
Mike wants a beer. Doesn't understand why he can't have one.
Apparantly, there are a couple more fingers that need to be pinned. Bette will give me an update this evening.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday 09/08/09
Tom said Mike had a pretty good night. He is awake now. (5:30am SLC time) He was put back on the vent last night at about 11pm so he could get some more rest. The T-piece was on for about 7-8 hours yesterday. He coughs up quite a bit of phlegm with the T-peice and it usually ends up in his mouth, passing by the vent because he has a forceful cough. Tom said that Michael has been off the propofol since yesterday afternoon. (He's going to get back on it after surgery) He was doing pretty well with holding still but thinks he should be able to get up and move around normally. After Tom explained to him why he couldn't and reminded him where he was he calmed down and tried to relax. He still wanted to move, though. Every couple of hours he would forget, get restless, and Tom would explain things again and he would calm down.
His sodium has remained elevated, even with the water flushes. His urine output remains steady, but the kidney function values are creeping up. (they have been worse)
Michael is scheduled for surgery today. He is the third case so he won't go in until later this morning or early afternoon. They have a couple of units of blood ordered for him for the surgery.
So there have been at least three nurses that have commented on how nice of a family Mike has and how refreshing it is to see a caring family and a "functional" family. It is so important to have an advocate when one family member is ill or non-verbal. The nurses cannot be there all the time so it is wonderful that Bette is there throughout the day. When Michael is unable to clear the phlegm and needs to be suctioned, Bette is very good about asking for him. She is a positive and comforting person to have and I am so thankful that she is able to be there. Thanks to Aunt Edna, who has been tremendous support for Bette and Mike. She will be missed when she goes home this week. Thanks for the rest of our family that go down to see Mike.. Chris and Karen, Ted and Mary... we love you!
So much for my soap box ramblings...
Please think of Michael today for his surgery.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tom said Mike had a pretty good night. He is awake now. (5:30am SLC time) He was put back on the vent last night at about 11pm so he could get some more rest. The T-piece was on for about 7-8 hours yesterday. He coughs up quite a bit of phlegm with the T-peice and it usually ends up in his mouth, passing by the vent because he has a forceful cough. Tom said that Michael has been off the propofol since yesterday afternoon. (He's going to get back on it after surgery) He was doing pretty well with holding still but thinks he should be able to get up and move around normally. After Tom explained to him why he couldn't and reminded him where he was he calmed down and tried to relax. He still wanted to move, though. Every couple of hours he would forget, get restless, and Tom would explain things again and he would calm down.
His sodium has remained elevated, even with the water flushes. His urine output remains steady, but the kidney function values are creeping up. (they have been worse)
Michael is scheduled for surgery today. He is the third case so he won't go in until later this morning or early afternoon. They have a couple of units of blood ordered for him for the surgery.
So there have been at least three nurses that have commented on how nice of a family Mike has and how refreshing it is to see a caring family and a "functional" family. It is so important to have an advocate when one family member is ill or non-verbal. The nurses cannot be there all the time so it is wonderful that Bette is there throughout the day. When Michael is unable to clear the phlegm and needs to be suctioned, Bette is very good about asking for him. She is a positive and comforting person to have and I am so thankful that she is able to be there. Thanks to Aunt Edna, who has been tremendous support for Bette and Mike. She will be missed when she goes home this week. Thanks for the rest of our family that go down to see Mike.. Chris and Karen, Ted and Mary... we love you!
So much for my soap box ramblings...
Please think of Michael today for his surgery.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Monday, September 7, 2009
Monday(LaborDay) 9/07/09
So I totally missed waking up to get report from the night crew. It was report time and then when I did call, the nurse was in with wound care ..."could you call back in 20 minutes?"... Then we did stuff that needed to be done and I went to work in the pediatric ED. When I did finally talk to Mary, she said that Michael had a restful day and he was pretty calm. Chris and Karen, Bette and Aunt Edna surrounded him most of the day. He was more alert with periods of being fidgety...waving his arms and legs about. His night last night was good and stable. They were mostly getting ready for tomorrow's surgery.
He spiked a fever today but they think it might be due to his homo graft. The doctor wants to wait until surgery tomorrow before getting fancy with cultures. The white blood count is not elevated so they are giving him Tylenol for his fever. There are a couple of areas on his shoulders that look MRSA-ish so the doctor (Dr. Morris) changed the way they did dressings to see if that will improve it. There is a problem with Michael's left index finger and something about the tendon being exposed. There will be an external pin placed to keep the finger extended. One thing you have to be really careful about on the hand is contractures. If a digit is allowed to stay bent, it could potentially scar that way and never be able to function or extend and flex normally. So it sounds like Mike has had a busy and good day. What with dressing changes, repositioning, physical therapy, doctor visits, family visits, repositioning, oral care...and whatever more we forget, he had a full day.
Remember Mike tomorrow as he goes back to surgery to remove the homo grafts, replacing them with auto grafts... and finger thing, and whatever more grafting needs to happen (shoulders?) Thank you for your prayers.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
So I totally missed waking up to get report from the night crew. It was report time and then when I did call, the nurse was in with wound care ..."could you call back in 20 minutes?"... Then we did stuff that needed to be done and I went to work in the pediatric ED. When I did finally talk to Mary, she said that Michael had a restful day and he was pretty calm. Chris and Karen, Bette and Aunt Edna surrounded him most of the day. He was more alert with periods of being fidgety...waving his arms and legs about. His night last night was good and stable. They were mostly getting ready for tomorrow's surgery.
He spiked a fever today but they think it might be due to his homo graft. The doctor wants to wait until surgery tomorrow before getting fancy with cultures. The white blood count is not elevated so they are giving him Tylenol for his fever. There are a couple of areas on his shoulders that look MRSA-ish so the doctor (Dr. Morris) changed the way they did dressings to see if that will improve it. There is a problem with Michael's left index finger and something about the tendon being exposed. There will be an external pin placed to keep the finger extended. One thing you have to be really careful about on the hand is contractures. If a digit is allowed to stay bent, it could potentially scar that way and never be able to function or extend and flex normally. So it sounds like Mike has had a busy and good day. What with dressing changes, repositioning, physical therapy, doctor visits, family visits, repositioning, oral care...and whatever more we forget, he had a full day.
Remember Mike tomorrow as he goes back to surgery to remove the homo grafts, replacing them with auto grafts... and finger thing, and whatever more grafting needs to happen (shoulders?) Thank you for your prayers.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Sunday afternoon:
Jesse says that Mike has had one of the best days since he's been here. He has been on less propofol and fentanyl and has been more awake. There are a couple of spots on his shoulders that have potential for infection and they are trying to keep on top of that. His arms look really good. The back of his head will take awhile because of the pressure of his head.
Mike has had some water and IV fluids to help bring down the sodium and potassium levels down. Bette and Aunt Edna were there all day again. (Jesse said it was nice to see "normal family members" with a patient....oh, how I could comment based on ER experience, but he is right. It is so refreshing to see "normal" people and realize that there are good people out there!)
I hope you all have a good and SAFE holiday.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Jesse says that Mike has had one of the best days since he's been here. He has been on less propofol and fentanyl and has been more awake. There are a couple of spots on his shoulders that have potential for infection and they are trying to keep on top of that. His arms look really good. The back of his head will take awhile because of the pressure of his head.
Mike has had some water and IV fluids to help bring down the sodium and potassium levels down. Bette and Aunt Edna were there all day again. (Jesse said it was nice to see "normal family members" with a patient....oh, how I could comment based on ER experience, but he is right. It is so refreshing to see "normal" people and realize that there are good people out there!)
I hope you all have a good and SAFE holiday.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Sunday 09/06/09
I was surprised to talk to Tom, who works days, this morning. He will be working for the next 3 night. He said that Mike was moving around a lot. Bette said that he had quite a time with moving about yesterday. She said he would wave his arms around and his legs would come off the bed and he just wouldn't settle down. Tom finally figured out that Mike was itchy, not in pain. So after a little benadryl, he calmed down. The last four hours have been better and a lot of it was due to the patience of the nursing staff in trying to effectively communicate with Mike. One thing that he is not happy about is that they won't give him a drink of water. Bette says that with all the junk he's coughing up, it is hard to get it out. When they use the pink sponges for oral care, Mike grabs onto it with his teeth and sucks out the moisture.
Bette went to lunch with Aunt Edna at the hospital cafeteria and got a phone call. It was Uncle Ted and Mary on the other side of the cafeteria calling her. They went up to see Mike for a little while and Ted said he looked really good. Ted was there the day after Mike first got to the hospital. Thank God for family and friends.
His blood work is shaping up, except for the sodium, chloride, and potassium levels. The kidney function labs are much better and his urine output is great. His oxygenation is pretty good. It sounds like they are working on a lot of areas. One spot that they have figured out that bothers Mike is his back. The donor spots on the back can be painful and don't heal as well because the donor sites are difficult to dry out and they get macerated (mushy) even with frequent dressing changes.
When they get him comfortable, and pressure supported vent settings, blood work shaping up, ....... then they will send him back to surgery on Tuesday. The process sounds like a dog chasing his tail to me. Once they get things shaping up, back to surgery, back to paralytics, back to vent settings being raised, back to no water, (did I mention he hates that part?) oh yeah, he hasn't had a drink of water for three weeks. They are giving him water through his tube now to help with the electrolyte imbalance. (NOT the same thing!) So the next time you get a drink of water, be sure to think of Mike at least once, waiting for his first drink.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
I was surprised to talk to Tom, who works days, this morning. He will be working for the next 3 night. He said that Mike was moving around a lot. Bette said that he had quite a time with moving about yesterday. She said he would wave his arms around and his legs would come off the bed and he just wouldn't settle down. Tom finally figured out that Mike was itchy, not in pain. So after a little benadryl, he calmed down. The last four hours have been better and a lot of it was due to the patience of the nursing staff in trying to effectively communicate with Mike. One thing that he is not happy about is that they won't give him a drink of water. Bette says that with all the junk he's coughing up, it is hard to get it out. When they use the pink sponges for oral care, Mike grabs onto it with his teeth and sucks out the moisture.
Bette went to lunch with Aunt Edna at the hospital cafeteria and got a phone call. It was Uncle Ted and Mary on the other side of the cafeteria calling her. They went up to see Mike for a little while and Ted said he looked really good. Ted was there the day after Mike first got to the hospital. Thank God for family and friends.
His blood work is shaping up, except for the sodium, chloride, and potassium levels. The kidney function labs are much better and his urine output is great. His oxygenation is pretty good. It sounds like they are working on a lot of areas. One spot that they have figured out that bothers Mike is his back. The donor spots on the back can be painful and don't heal as well because the donor sites are difficult to dry out and they get macerated (mushy) even with frequent dressing changes.
When they get him comfortable, and pressure supported vent settings, blood work shaping up, ....... then they will send him back to surgery on Tuesday. The process sounds like a dog chasing his tail to me. Once they get things shaping up, back to surgery, back to paralytics, back to vent settings being raised, back to no water, (did I mention he hates that part?) oh yeah, he hasn't had a drink of water for three weeks. They are giving him water through his tube now to help with the electrolyte imbalance. (NOT the same thing!) So the next time you get a drink of water, be sure to think of Mike at least once, waiting for his first drink.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Saturday 09/05/09
Ericka said that Mike was very "wiggly" all night and she had quite a time getting him to stay on the bed. His vitals are stable and it appears that we are in a holding, hurry up and heal, waiting....waiting... pattern.
There was no other report other than the night crew saw no signs of chocolate! (note to self: when sending food to a 24 hour nursing staff, make sure to label Day and Night staff, otherwise, the crew who gets the food delivered will scarf it up. They enter a me me me phase and the thought of saving it for anyone else totally exits their minds....we see it all the time in the emergency department. It is not their fault! They truly get amnesia and forget about everything for the brief moments when the chocolate is passing over their lips and they are in utter heaven. However, there is Total Respect and a Hands Off acceptance for a box of chocolates that is labeled for another shift. It's totally amazing. Don't ask why....I have stopped trying to figure it out after years of observing this odd behaviour!)
Okay...Holding pattern. Stable. Holding his own...status quo!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Ericka said that Mike was very "wiggly" all night and she had quite a time getting him to stay on the bed. His vitals are stable and it appears that we are in a holding, hurry up and heal, waiting....waiting... pattern.
There was no other report other than the night crew saw no signs of chocolate! (note to self: when sending food to a 24 hour nursing staff, make sure to label Day and Night staff, otherwise, the crew who gets the food delivered will scarf it up. They enter a me me me phase and the thought of saving it for anyone else totally exits their minds....we see it all the time in the emergency department. It is not their fault! They truly get amnesia and forget about everything for the brief moments when the chocolate is passing over their lips and they are in utter heaven. However, there is Total Respect and a Hands Off acceptance for a box of chocolates that is labeled for another shift. It's totally amazing. Don't ask why....I have stopped trying to figure it out after years of observing this odd behaviour!)
Okay...Holding pattern. Stable. Holding his own...status quo!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday, September 4, 2009
Friday afternoon/evening:
The paralytic didn't get turned off until this afternoon at about 4:10pm. Bette was told that it would wear off in about an hour and, sure enough, one hour later Mike started to wake up! He was answering yes/no questions and wanted a drink of water (he didn't get it due to the trach) He got a dose of vitamin K because he was oozing all over. Bette says that Mike has one little patch of red hair between the graft they did yesterday and the one from the week before. He might have some eyebrows and possibly some eyelashes. He has a bulky dressing on the back of his head so it protects the graft there. They had him sitting up a little today and he was able to cough up a lot of secretions.
The nurses got a lovely surprise from Diana in Texas! Godiva Chocolates!!! yummy! The nursing staff was totally happy! Thank you! Thank you thank you!!!!
The water to the house in Pocatello was turned off today because there was a leak. Chris has been so wonderful to watch over the demo and repairs. He thinks that some plumbing needs to be done and he will rewire and update the electrical system. It sounds like the insulation in the attic needs to be removed and replaced. He's also taking care of the garden and Gypsy, Bette's dog.
Bette was going to try to stay for shift change and meet the pm staff. She usually gets run off due to visiting hours. Hopefully she can put a face to the names. Here's wishing Michael a healing and peaceful evening.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
The paralytic didn't get turned off until this afternoon at about 4:10pm. Bette was told that it would wear off in about an hour and, sure enough, one hour later Mike started to wake up! He was answering yes/no questions and wanted a drink of water (he didn't get it due to the trach) He got a dose of vitamin K because he was oozing all over. Bette says that Mike has one little patch of red hair between the graft they did yesterday and the one from the week before. He might have some eyebrows and possibly some eyelashes. He has a bulky dressing on the back of his head so it protects the graft there. They had him sitting up a little today and he was able to cough up a lot of secretions.
The nurses got a lovely surprise from Diana in Texas! Godiva Chocolates!!! yummy! The nursing staff was totally happy! Thank you! Thank you thank you!!!!
The water to the house in Pocatello was turned off today because there was a leak. Chris has been so wonderful to watch over the demo and repairs. He thinks that some plumbing needs to be done and he will rewire and update the electrical system. It sounds like the insulation in the attic needs to be removed and replaced. He's also taking care of the garden and Gypsy, Bette's dog.
Bette was going to try to stay for shift change and meet the pm staff. She usually gets run off due to visiting hours. Hopefully she can put a face to the names. Here's wishing Michael a healing and peaceful evening.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Friday 09/04/09
6am (5am SLC time)
Okay, it's my day off so I can "sleep in" but I find myself up and calling the Burn Unit.... what's up with that? Anyway, Ericka said that Mike has been paralyzed all night since his surgery because they didn't want him to move around after having grafts on the face. The payalyzing agent was turned off at 4:30am so he should start to wake up pretty soon.
The grafts they used were processed somewhere back East so they don't know who donated the graft. Thanks to the person who decided to be a donor. By the way, for those of you who are freaking out about having cadaver skin as a donor graft, don't freak. It is not going to be permanent. They use donor grafts as a temporary patch to help the blood vessels to be stimulated and to help lay a granulation foundation and to speed up the healing process. The patient will eventually reject the graft and usually the doctors will have used autografts (by the patient, for the patient) to replace the donor graft site by then. This takes usually days to about a week. Sometimes it takes a couple of rounds of donor grafts to prepare the tissue underneath to be ready to accept a permanent graft. (We are all learning about this. Pretty cool eh?)
Mike has been on the ventilator all night. Back up to 50% on the oxygen setting. They have been working with his oxygenation and blood pressure all night. Ericka says that overall "he's doing pretty good". In other words: He's holding his own...status quo (for the extent of his injuries)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
6am (5am SLC time)
Okay, it's my day off so I can "sleep in" but I find myself up and calling the Burn Unit.... what's up with that? Anyway, Ericka said that Mike has been paralyzed all night since his surgery because they didn't want him to move around after having grafts on the face. The payalyzing agent was turned off at 4:30am so he should start to wake up pretty soon.
The grafts they used were processed somewhere back East so they don't know who donated the graft. Thanks to the person who decided to be a donor. By the way, for those of you who are freaking out about having cadaver skin as a donor graft, don't freak. It is not going to be permanent. They use donor grafts as a temporary patch to help the blood vessels to be stimulated and to help lay a granulation foundation and to speed up the healing process. The patient will eventually reject the graft and usually the doctors will have used autografts (by the patient, for the patient) to replace the donor graft site by then. This takes usually days to about a week. Sometimes it takes a couple of rounds of donor grafts to prepare the tissue underneath to be ready to accept a permanent graft. (We are all learning about this. Pretty cool eh?)
Mike has been on the ventilator all night. Back up to 50% on the oxygen setting. They have been working with his oxygenation and blood pressure all night. Ericka says that overall "he's doing pretty good". In other words: He's holding his own...status quo (for the extent of his injuries)
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Thursday afternoon:
the "mom" report:
They had to use homograph (cadaver) skin for his graft today. The face does look a lot better with the graft skin on. They did his cheeks and about 1/3 of his scalp. Bette doesn't think they are going to do much more on his head.
The paralytic had been changed so it is better for his kidneys. He looks fairly comfortable. He is getting fentanyl for pain. Bette says he is sensitive to it and it drops his blood pressure, so they are working towards a happy medium.
Michael has been moved from his original room with curtains to a room with walls and two windows. (the Luxury Accomodations) Bette is happy with the windows and walls because it will give Mike a great view when he wakes up. I do recall that the mountainside was very beautiful behind the hospital. I wonder if people still walk and jog there?
Aunt Edna is still there with Bette. I think it is good that she is not alone. Thank you!!!
Diana (our step-mom) has all of the Eastern Star ladies in Texas praying for Michael! Yay ESL! She sent us all a handout on critical incidents and how to cope with crisis and loss and it has been wonderful! Lots of prayers, worry and crying has all occurred...probably on a daily basis. I figured out what Mike must be saying when he is mouthing words....other than colorful exclamations...I would imagine that it has something to do with a tube in a place where no tubes should be (those of you who know Mike should be laughing now)...actually, I have no idea what he is thinking but it makes me feel better to think that he would think this at some point. ya think?
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
the "mom" report:
They had to use homograph (cadaver) skin for his graft today. The face does look a lot better with the graft skin on. They did his cheeks and about 1/3 of his scalp. Bette doesn't think they are going to do much more on his head.
The paralytic had been changed so it is better for his kidneys. He looks fairly comfortable. He is getting fentanyl for pain. Bette says he is sensitive to it and it drops his blood pressure, so they are working towards a happy medium.
Michael has been moved from his original room with curtains to a room with walls and two windows. (the Luxury Accomodations) Bette is happy with the windows and walls because it will give Mike a great view when he wakes up. I do recall that the mountainside was very beautiful behind the hospital. I wonder if people still walk and jog there?
Aunt Edna is still there with Bette. I think it is good that she is not alone. Thank you!!!
Diana (our step-mom) has all of the Eastern Star ladies in Texas praying for Michael! Yay ESL! She sent us all a handout on critical incidents and how to cope with crisis and loss and it has been wonderful! Lots of prayers, worry and crying has all occurred...probably on a daily basis. I figured out what Mike must be saying when he is mouthing words....other than colorful exclamations...I would imagine that it has something to do with a tube in a place where no tubes should be (those of you who know Mike should be laughing now)...actually, I have no idea what he is thinking but it makes me feel better to think that he would think this at some point. ya think?
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thursday 09/03/09
Spoke with Luke at about 6:30am (5:30am SLC time). He said that Mike has been on the vent all night to give him a rest. He is scheduled to go to surgery for his face today. They have finished his antibiotics and his white count is good. Labs are good. "He's good" Status quo, he's holding his own.....
Good prayers for surgery today please....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Spoke with Luke at about 6:30am (5:30am SLC time). He said that Mike has been on the vent all night to give him a rest. He is scheduled to go to surgery for his face today. They have finished his antibiotics and his white count is good. Labs are good. "He's good" Status quo, he's holding his own.....
Good prayers for surgery today please....
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wednesday afternoon:
Bette says that they had Mike on a T-piece earlier today but switched him to the vent after they did a lot of dressing changes. She isn't so good at figuring out what words Michael wants to say yet. She said the nurses wore him out with all of the stuff they did. If all continues well, Michael will go to surgery again on Friday to work on his face.
That's about all. Will be posting more as I get it.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Bette says that they had Mike on a T-piece earlier today but switched him to the vent after they did a lot of dressing changes. She isn't so good at figuring out what words Michael wants to say yet. She said the nurses wore him out with all of the stuff they did. If all continues well, Michael will go to surgery again on Friday to work on his face.
That's about all. Will be posting more as I get it.
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Wednesday 09/02/09
Thane was the nurse tonight and said Mike is doing pretty good. They let him stay on the T-piece until about 10pm and switched him to the vent so he could rest during the night. His lung secretions have increased with the T-piece so they spent most of the shift suctioning. His labs have been about the same. His blood gases have been good and there is not much to report other than his communication is increasing. Go Mike!
There are no big plans for today. Trying the T-piece again, suctioning, wound care, antibiotics, wound care, suctioning....you get the picture.
Thank you to all who are praying for Michael. We appreciate it.....keep the prayers coming!!!!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Thane was the nurse tonight and said Mike is doing pretty good. They let him stay on the T-piece until about 10pm and switched him to the vent so he could rest during the night. His lung secretions have increased with the T-piece so they spent most of the shift suctioning. His labs have been about the same. His blood gases have been good and there is not much to report other than his communication is increasing. Go Mike!
There are no big plans for today. Trying the T-piece again, suctioning, wound care, antibiotics, wound care, suctioning....you get the picture.
Thank you to all who are praying for Michael. We appreciate it.....keep the prayers coming!!!!
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Tuesday afternoon:
Talked with Hailey and she said they took off some of the bio grain dressing covering Mike's upper extremities. The right and left arm and right shoulder look good. The bio grain (don't know if it's hyphenated, all one word or what) is a type of mesh that covered the graft sites and keeps it moist, but must be removed after a few days. The left shoulder looked a bit mushy (macerated for the medical term).
Michael was taken off the vent today and placed on a T-piece about 4 or 5pm today. He is tolerating it well. That means that he has supplemental oxygen but all of the breathing is on his own now. YaY!!!!
He has had less sedation and increased interactive actions. They are still weaning sedation meds while adding oxycodone and seroquel. His last day of zosyn (antibiotic) is tomorrow, but they will continue vancomycin (antibiotic) for awhile. He's geting extra calcium and potassium due to some of the physiological things that happen with burned patients. They have been doing a lot of face care.
I did not talk to Bette today yet because her phone minutes are precious! I trust she is settling into her hospital housing room with the very uncomfortable beds now and turning off her brain enough to get some much needed rest.
Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I guess Michael is on many many prayer lists... Everyone I know has him on their list here in Wichita and East coast and West coast and some Germans too! thanks ever so
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
Talked with Hailey and she said they took off some of the bio grain dressing covering Mike's upper extremities. The right and left arm and right shoulder look good. The bio grain (don't know if it's hyphenated, all one word or what) is a type of mesh that covered the graft sites and keeps it moist, but must be removed after a few days. The left shoulder looked a bit mushy (macerated for the medical term).
Michael was taken off the vent today and placed on a T-piece about 4 or 5pm today. He is tolerating it well. That means that he has supplemental oxygen but all of the breathing is on his own now. YaY!!!!
He has had less sedation and increased interactive actions. They are still weaning sedation meds while adding oxycodone and seroquel. His last day of zosyn (antibiotic) is tomorrow, but they will continue vancomycin (antibiotic) for awhile. He's geting extra calcium and potassium due to some of the physiological things that happen with burned patients. They have been doing a lot of face care.
I did not talk to Bette today yet because her phone minutes are precious! I trust she is settling into her hospital housing room with the very uncomfortable beds now and turning off her brain enough to get some much needed rest.
Thank you all for your kind words and prayers. I guess Michael is on many many prayer lists... Everyone I know has him on their list here in Wichita and East coast and West coast and some Germans too! thanks ever so
More later,
and so we go
JaCee
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