These messages were on my board when I came back to school after being in the hospital with Dad. I thought they were so sweet and funny, so I took a picture. It's hard to read some of them, but I love their efforts. :-)
Sunday, November 29, 2009
a look back
This is a picture of Dad/Steve/Granddaddy in the hospital bed. Thankfully, he is doing much better now. He still gets tired pretty easily, but he is doing his exercises and enoying his new leather recliner.
We are so grateful that he is able to walk and that his injuries were not more extensive. Now a retired motorcyclist, he is planning to become an active fisherman and travel around the country in a convertible when he feels the need to roam.
The recovery will be continuous for the next couple of months. He has at least three more weeks in the sling with little or no movement allowed in the right shoulder. His broken ribs are still painful, especially when coughing or sneezing. Laughing can be particularly bad, but the pain tends to quickly diffuse the desire to laugh.
Christmas decorations at their house may be a little more subdued because it is physically a laborious undertaking to deck the halls for the season. Obviously, this is a concern to no one as his presence is our biggest and best present.
Thanks everyone for all your prayers and well wishes. We feel blessed to have so many caring people in our lives!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Goodbye Room 735, hello couch!
Dad was released today just before lunch and has been home for a little while. He is doing okay and is now beginning the insurance filing/communication/ process which is already proving to be dysfunctional.
He also has called his normal orthopedic surgeon to request a second opinion about the shoulder surgery or lack thereof (since the doctors in the hospital seemed to have differing opinions) but that process is apparently more complicated than simply making a phone call. I think that has something to do with the automobile insurance, medical insurance, and Medi-care issues. (He is sixty-five, you know).
He has had some lunch, prepared by my mom, and Mom got his prescriptions filled on the way home from the hospital. Hopefully he will continue to feel better and better. We are still so thankful for the extent of his injuries being only what they are.
Highway 458 between US 62 and KY Highway 55 near Bloomfield, Kentucky south of Taylorsville, Kentucky is the closest place he has pinpointed the location of the accident. The Nelson County Sheriff's Department reported at the scene. Obviously, we are also so thankful that Dad's friend Curt was with him and was so helpful and called the ambulance instead of letting my dad tell him he was okay.
I'll keep posting if anything exciting happens.....he's feeling better and that is great!
We are hoping he stays comfortable and doesn't get ants in his pants while he is letting the collar bone and shoulder blade heal. :-)
He also has called his normal orthopedic surgeon to request a second opinion about the shoulder surgery or lack thereof (since the doctors in the hospital seemed to have differing opinions) but that process is apparently more complicated than simply making a phone call. I think that has something to do with the automobile insurance, medical insurance, and Medi-care issues. (He is sixty-five, you know).
He has had some lunch, prepared by my mom, and Mom got his prescriptions filled on the way home from the hospital. Hopefully he will continue to feel better and better. We are still so thankful for the extent of his injuries being only what they are.
Highway 458 between US 62 and KY Highway 55 near Bloomfield, Kentucky south of Taylorsville, Kentucky is the closest place he has pinpointed the location of the accident. The Nelson County Sheriff's Department reported at the scene. Obviously, we are also so thankful that Dad's friend Curt was with him and was so helpful and called the ambulance instead of letting my dad tell him he was okay.
I'll keep posting if anything exciting happens.....he's feeling better and that is great!
We are hoping he stays comfortable and doesn't get ants in his pants while he is letting the collar bone and shoulder blade heal. :-)
home sweet home.....maybe
Yesterday afternoon the Occupational Therapist came to get Dad up for a workout and he did great. Then after that his blood ox levels were back up over 90 so he did not have to have oxygen anymore! He sat in the chair some more in the afternoon while Bill and I sat on the bed and floor and he determined that is NOT a comfortable chair for one with a broken collar bone and shoulder blade (we have all given up trying to get him to say scapula - it was a "spatula" for the first few days - now it's just "shoulder blade"). He tried to sleep but the intercom in his room kept going off and people kept calling for his new suite-mate with GSW to the knee. He was in surgery.
Today he has been up and shaved - (WTH??) and is ready to go elsewhere..... Mom is with him and I am going up there very soon.....might be assigned with picking out a comfortable leather reclining chair for their living room. YIKES! I will keep everyone posted as soon as I can.
While you're praying, say a prayer for my husband's basketball team who may not win a game this year and my little boy who got his first B (90%) on a test this week while I was out of town. Hoping that will not cause permanent psychological damage for him because I know I am going to need soooooo much therapy after this!
just kidding......maybe
Today he has been up and shaved - (WTH??) and is ready to go elsewhere..... Mom is with him and I am going up there very soon.....might be assigned with picking out a comfortable leather reclining chair for their living room. YIKES! I will keep everyone posted as soon as I can.
While you're praying, say a prayer for my husband's basketball team who may not win a game this year and my little boy who got his first B (90%) on a test this week while I was out of town. Hoping that will not cause permanent psychological damage for him because I know I am going to need soooooo much therapy after this!
just kidding......maybe
Thursday, November 12, 2009
progress from Progressive Care
Today my dad had the other x-ray of the chest when he was sitting in a chair, after taking a walk with the physical therapist. He is no longer on the IV pain meds, so pain is being managed okay by oral medicine. Because of the fractures, his muscles have been spasming and they have been giving him a muscle relaxer which is helping with that a lot.
He is sleeping now, still on oxygen because his blood oxygen levels went down a little after his walk, and we are waiting on the result of the most recent chest x-ray to make sure the lung is okay. I am thinking that the doctor would not have ordered the chest tube removal if there were still a tear in his lung, but obviously I am not an expert. This is not my forte. Not even close.
I made my dad laugh when I told the PT that junior high might be viewed as its own sort of trauma unit and he told me to shut up because laughing hurts. He has been on his phone as much as he can today - which is one step closer to being back to normal.
Bill is in the chair watching tv/sleeping and I am on the floor on the computer. This hospital room is hot and miserable during the day. I have a headache and I miss my kids and my dog. The police have been in and out of here all morning having discussions with the GSW (gun shot wound)victim in Suite A. He is in surgery. I just tried to shut the door to keep the noise out but accidentally slammed the door.
Dad just took his iPhone and called his own room to see if the sound adjustments we did on his phone worked. Thankfully, his personality is 100% in tact. :-)
He is sleeping now, still on oxygen because his blood oxygen levels went down a little after his walk, and we are waiting on the result of the most recent chest x-ray to make sure the lung is okay. I am thinking that the doctor would not have ordered the chest tube removal if there were still a tear in his lung, but obviously I am not an expert. This is not my forte. Not even close.
I made my dad laugh when I told the PT that junior high might be viewed as its own sort of trauma unit and he told me to shut up because laughing hurts. He has been on his phone as much as he can today - which is one step closer to being back to normal.
Bill is in the chair watching tv/sleeping and I am on the floor on the computer. This hospital room is hot and miserable during the day. I have a headache and I miss my kids and my dog. The police have been in and out of here all morning having discussions with the GSW (gun shot wound)victim in Suite A. He is in surgery. I just tried to shut the door to keep the noise out but accidentally slammed the door.
Dad just took his iPhone and called his own room to see if the sound adjustments we did on his phone worked. Thankfully, his personality is 100% in tact. :-)
YIPPEE!
This morning's chest x-ray showed that the lung "looks great" according to the Trauma Nurse Practitioner and they just removed the chest tube. Another chest xray in a couple of hours will hopefully show that the lung is still inflated and they will leave the chest tube out. He is doing okay but said that the removal wasn't too pleasant. He can now take deeper breaths and said it doesn't hurt to move as much as it did yesterday. He keeps saying he might get to go home today, but probably tomorrow, which is still miraculous considering all that happened. Want to make sure he can manage pain on only oral meds for today by taking away the morphine pump.
Short version: Collapsed lung re-inflated, 5 broken ribs still painful, broken shoulder blade and collar bone are excruciating, but he's on the mend!
Cop guarding the patient who's not going home is cute. New roommate in Suite A was shot last night. What they do in this Trauma Center is nothing short of incredible.
Thank you so much everyone for all the prayers - we are humbled and encouraged by the faith and support! God is in control.....
All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord, all who are called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28
Short version: Collapsed lung re-inflated, 5 broken ribs still painful, broken shoulder blade and collar bone are excruciating, but he's on the mend!
Cop guarding the patient who's not going home is cute. New roommate in Suite A was shot last night. What they do in this Trauma Center is nothing short of incredible.
Thank you so much everyone for all the prayers - we are humbled and encouraged by the faith and support! God is in control.....
All things work together for the good for those who love the Lord, all who are called according to his purpose. ~ Romans 8:28
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
keep 'em coming
Prayers are working!!
So far today – Doctor came in when mom was here this morning and was kind of flippant with her. Explained that they were not going to do surgery because they were just going to let it heal on its own. This was confusing since yesterday’s report from the same doctor was adamant about how they were going to screw down the clavicle in three places to stabilize since he had broken the scapula as well as the clavicle. His pancreatic enzymes that they apparently were concerned about yesterday are no longer a concern and looked normal. THIS IS GREAT NEWS! Indicates little or no injuries to the inside……
They let him eat since he did not have to be permanently ready for surgery and then they were able to give him some pain pills to go with the morphine. This seemed to make him a lot more comfortable. Until the occupational therapist came in. Then I had to leave, but apparently she made him sit up on the side of the bed. When she told him she would be back later, he said, “No, you don’t need to come back.” Many of his comments are hilarious despite the situation he is in.
At 1:55 pm another orthopedist came with a copy of the clavicle xray. She was really nice and apologized for the conflicting reports. She was younger than me and seemed extremely intelligent. She explained that the alignment of the bones was as good as they would be able to do with surgery. She said that they felt with his age, lung condition, other injuries, and trauma that they would be doing more harm than good by operating and they wanted him to heal on his own as much as possible. The risk of infection, risk of anesthesia and risk of recovery from surgery was greater than the potential gains. She was very patient with us, but Dad told me to hush once when I was trying to ask a question. This is not the first time I think I got on his nerves. Cconfirmed that he only had one scapula broken. During her visit he asked a couple of questions and explained the feeling he has in his shoulder blade that is broken. She said all that is perfectly normal and is just part of the healing process. He ate fruit and broccoli for lunch and has been calling his friends.
The Nurse Practitioner from the Trauma Center came to explain to Dad that they were not doing surgery and was very nice and friendly. She said they will do another chest X-ray first thing in the morning. She said the lung is inflated now and that it was not punctured, just collapsed. Depending on the x-ray, they will watch it tomorrow and change it to water seal tomorrow and then pull it the following day. Best case scenario is to get out of here Saturday. All of this is very positive info. :-)
He is feeling a lot better this afternoon after eating and talking to a couple of his friends. I’m hanging in the hospital room and missing my boys. Watching Dr. Oz and planning to disinfect my fridge as soon as I get home.
So far today – Doctor came in when mom was here this morning and was kind of flippant with her. Explained that they were not going to do surgery because they were just going to let it heal on its own. This was confusing since yesterday’s report from the same doctor was adamant about how they were going to screw down the clavicle in three places to stabilize since he had broken the scapula as well as the clavicle. His pancreatic enzymes that they apparently were concerned about yesterday are no longer a concern and looked normal. THIS IS GREAT NEWS! Indicates little or no injuries to the inside……
They let him eat since he did not have to be permanently ready for surgery and then they were able to give him some pain pills to go with the morphine. This seemed to make him a lot more comfortable. Until the occupational therapist came in. Then I had to leave, but apparently she made him sit up on the side of the bed. When she told him she would be back later, he said, “No, you don’t need to come back.” Many of his comments are hilarious despite the situation he is in.
At 1:55 pm another orthopedist came with a copy of the clavicle xray. She was really nice and apologized for the conflicting reports. She was younger than me and seemed extremely intelligent. She explained that the alignment of the bones was as good as they would be able to do with surgery. She said that they felt with his age, lung condition, other injuries, and trauma that they would be doing more harm than good by operating and they wanted him to heal on his own as much as possible. The risk of infection, risk of anesthesia and risk of recovery from surgery was greater than the potential gains. She was very patient with us, but Dad told me to hush once when I was trying to ask a question. This is not the first time I think I got on his nerves. Cconfirmed that he only had one scapula broken. During her visit he asked a couple of questions and explained the feeling he has in his shoulder blade that is broken. She said all that is perfectly normal and is just part of the healing process. He ate fruit and broccoli for lunch and has been calling his friends.
The Nurse Practitioner from the Trauma Center came to explain to Dad that they were not doing surgery and was very nice and friendly. She said they will do another chest X-ray first thing in the morning. She said the lung is inflated now and that it was not punctured, just collapsed. Depending on the x-ray, they will watch it tomorrow and change it to water seal tomorrow and then pull it the following day. Best case scenario is to get out of here Saturday. All of this is very positive info. :-)
He is feeling a lot better this afternoon after eating and talking to a couple of his friends. I’m hanging in the hospital room and missing my boys. Watching Dr. Oz and planning to disinfect my fridge as soon as I get home.
many different doctors = many different reports
Just talked to my brother who has talked to my mom who has been at the hospital since about 5 or 6 this morning. Apparently mom has now been told there is only one shoulder blade broken and that they are worried about his pancreas. I am going to the hospital as soon as I get ready. Will post asap if any news. Thanks everyone for your prayers....we need them and believe in them!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
that was rough
Bill and I are back at my mom's house and my dad was sleeping when we left him. The nurses tonight told us that he has two broken scapulae!! She said they were nasty breaks and that he would need two surgeries - one on each scapula (putting a plate on it and screwing it in). They said he has five broken ribs and did not know how many punctures to the lung. My mom said that the orthopedic surgeon had previously reported that he would operate on the clavicle. His vitals were too low for more pain meds. I was ready to spend the night, but he didn't want me to and asked Bill to take me home. So Bill brought me back here.
The chest tube that is in is really nasty and it is still draining......can't operate until the lung re-inflates - still won't let him eat in case he is cleared for surgery they want him ready to go immediately. :-( Poor dad/granddaddy/Steve is in a lot of pain and they are trying to manage it, but they just can't. The right scapula is (per patient report) floating around and probably in pieces (per my speculation).
Time for a funny story: My mom's dear friend, who shall remain nameless in the blog, actually beat my mom to the hospital after getting the call. She only had her husband's old vehicle, which is hilariously referred to as "hunk of junk." She got in it and drove it to the hospital despite her disdain for said vehicle. On the way out of her neighborhood, a neighbor flagged her down and asked her what happened because something really bad must have happened if she were leaving in that vehicle! I think that is both touching and insanely funny.
Also - my brother is obnoxiously funny in traumatic situations. He located a guy in the street on a wheelchair/scooter who was flying, by wheelchair/scooter standards. He was driving in the right lane and Bill and I were amazed. We saw the helicopter land and fly away during our time in what is being called "Suite B" aka Bed 2 of a semi-private suite. One room was guarded by a cop because the dude in there is not going home from the hospital if you know what I mean. When Bill and I went to get something to eat, we asked a nurse what floor to go to. She said, "Basement. The food's crap, but good luck!" as she was walking away from us.
FYI: he is in room 735 at University of Louisville in what is called Progressive Care. Sort of half-way between ICU and regular hospital. He may not feel like talking, but if you want to send him wishes, he will have access to this site through his iPhone and he will receive them. Mom is going back tomorrow early because the doctors come in at 5:00 and she wants to get an update. Hoping surgery will be scheduled soon to stabilize those bones that are extremely painful. Keep the prayers coming.
lyons out
The chest tube that is in is really nasty and it is still draining......can't operate until the lung re-inflates - still won't let him eat in case he is cleared for surgery they want him ready to go immediately. :-( Poor dad/granddaddy/Steve is in a lot of pain and they are trying to manage it, but they just can't. The right scapula is (per patient report) floating around and probably in pieces (per my speculation).
Time for a funny story: My mom's dear friend, who shall remain nameless in the blog, actually beat my mom to the hospital after getting the call. She only had her husband's old vehicle, which is hilariously referred to as "hunk of junk." She got in it and drove it to the hospital despite her disdain for said vehicle. On the way out of her neighborhood, a neighbor flagged her down and asked her what happened because something really bad must have happened if she were leaving in that vehicle! I think that is both touching and insanely funny.
Also - my brother is obnoxiously funny in traumatic situations. He located a guy in the street on a wheelchair/scooter who was flying, by wheelchair/scooter standards. He was driving in the right lane and Bill and I were amazed. We saw the helicopter land and fly away during our time in what is being called "Suite B" aka Bed 2 of a semi-private suite. One room was guarded by a cop because the dude in there is not going home from the hospital if you know what I mean. When Bill and I went to get something to eat, we asked a nurse what floor to go to. She said, "Basement. The food's crap, but good luck!" as she was walking away from us.
FYI: he is in room 735 at University of Louisville in what is called Progressive Care. Sort of half-way between ICU and regular hospital. He may not feel like talking, but if you want to send him wishes, he will have access to this site through his iPhone and he will receive them. Mom is going back tomorrow early because the doctors come in at 5:00 and she wants to get an update. Hoping surgery will be scheduled soon to stabilize those bones that are extremely painful. Keep the prayers coming.
lyons out
ok, people
My mom has informed me upon reading the previous post outloud that actually he had two chest tubes but we don't know why and that they are actually going to do surgery on the clavicle because it is easier to get to. She also said there is so much more to the story....like funny stuff. more on the way!
the day after
Ok, so first of all let me say that when motorcyclists say someone "went down" that really doesn't represent what happens.
Steve/Dad/Granddaddy had a motorcycle wreck yesterday afternoon (11/9/2009) somewhere south of Louisville. At approximately 4:00 pm, a deer jumped out and hit his bike.
He was thrown from the motorcycle and landed on his shoulder. His riding friend, Kurt Jacobs called the ambulance and Bonnie and she went to Baptist East Hospital to meet the ambulance.
In the ER, he was dianosed with a broken clavicle, scapula, and four upper ribs. He also had a collapsed lung so they sedated him and put a chest tube in him to release the air from his chest cavity that had escaped the lung. There is small tear in his lung, so the broken rib must have punctured it, and there is some blood in the lung.
These doctors decided that he needed to be transferred to University of Louisville's nationally acclaimed Trauma Center. Bonnie stayed with him all night in the ER where he stayed until about 2:00 pm today due to lack of rooms! At some point they did a CAT scan of the whole body: spine is fine, head and cranium are fine, but the lung collapsed more upon removal of the chest tube to do that. Internal injuries are suspected due to blood in the lung and abdominal enzymes being high, but the CAT scan does not show that kind of injury. Taking enzyme levels again after 24 hours is the next thing they do.
He needs surgery on the broken scapula, but will not be cleared to do that until his lung can stay inflated on its own.
Right now he is in room 735 at University of Louisville Hospital. I'm going with my mom as soon as Bill comes to get the little one.
Elevated enzymes in abdomen right now mean possible internal injuries.
Steve/Dad/Granddaddy had a motorcycle wreck yesterday afternoon (11/9/2009) somewhere south of Louisville. At approximately 4:00 pm, a deer jumped out and hit his bike.
He was thrown from the motorcycle and landed on his shoulder. His riding friend, Kurt Jacobs called the ambulance and Bonnie and she went to Baptist East Hospital to meet the ambulance.
In the ER, he was dianosed with a broken clavicle, scapula, and four upper ribs. He also had a collapsed lung so they sedated him and put a chest tube in him to release the air from his chest cavity that had escaped the lung. There is small tear in his lung, so the broken rib must have punctured it, and there is some blood in the lung.
These doctors decided that he needed to be transferred to University of Louisville's nationally acclaimed Trauma Center. Bonnie stayed with him all night in the ER where he stayed until about 2:00 pm today due to lack of rooms! At some point they did a CAT scan of the whole body: spine is fine, head and cranium are fine, but the lung collapsed more upon removal of the chest tube to do that. Internal injuries are suspected due to blood in the lung and abdominal enzymes being high, but the CAT scan does not show that kind of injury. Taking enzyme levels again after 24 hours is the next thing they do.
He needs surgery on the broken scapula, but will not be cleared to do that until his lung can stay inflated on its own.
Right now he is in room 735 at University of Louisville Hospital. I'm going with my mom as soon as Bill comes to get the little one.
Elevated enzymes in abdomen right now mean possible internal injuries.
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