Zach had his surgery on Tuesday. He went in at 8:30 and got out at 1:30. They did the ileostomy takedown surgery first. That one is considered a "dirty surgery" because it involves the bowels, then they cleaned him up completely and the re-prepped him for the hernia repair and the scar revision. Dr Granger, Zach's trauma surgeon and Dr Fryer, Zach's plastic surgeon came out and advised that he did well and the plastic surgeon said……"Dr Granger did all of the work….. I just made him pretty". Zach isn't sure how pretty the scar is. It's still a twelve inch scar, but we cheerfully point out to him that at least it no longer looks like he has a bum on his stomach.
He has not been able to eat since Monday and they won't allow him to until things start working their way out (he has to poop). We watched tv last night and Zach has become painfully aware of how many commercials are about food. We are crossing our fingers that today will be the day.
I will keep everyone aware of any changes and when he is expected to be released from the hospital. We are hopeful that this will be his last surgery for a while. He does have to meet with the orthopedic surgeon because his hip is causing him quite a bit of pain.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Weekly Update 03/24/2009
Zachary is recoving well from his injuries. We only have to look back at the pictures and the scenarios that were played for us to again realize that it is a miracle that he is doing as well as he is. He is walking or shuffling as best he can and does not use the walker as much as he probably should but he never has been one to be bound by restraints.
He keeps asking when he can drive and I am just too reluctant to let him. We just got him put back together again and we are all still reeling from the shock of the event.
Last Sunday we were at the hospital for Greg. His heart was acting up and I cannot help but think that this event has been a catalyst to his condition. We're all a little shell-shocked.
He keeps asking when he can drive and I am just too reluctant to let him. We just got him put back together again and we are all still reeling from the shock of the event.
Last Sunday we were at the hospital for Greg. His heart was acting up and I cannot help but think that this event has been a catalyst to his condition. We're all a little shell-shocked.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Weekly Update 03/11/2009
We met with Zachary's surgeons today and he can now walk using a walker. He is so excited. In 4 weeks we will go back in to see if he can move to crutches.
Then we met with his trauma surgeon to discuss when he can be rid of the ileostomy. We will need to go back to see him in May but we are looking at the beginning of June for him to have that taken down. They will also do a second surgery to re-form his scar on his abdomen.
Zach also asked if it was okay for him to drive. The doctor told him he would need to make sure that all of his reflexes are at 100% so it will be awhile before he will be able to....Thank you doctor.
So we are getting rid of a couple more things that he "brought" home with him from the hospital. We are getting rid of his bed in the family room and also getting rid of his wheelchair. Just a few more things and then we will be back to normal.
Then we met with his trauma surgeon to discuss when he can be rid of the ileostomy. We will need to go back to see him in May but we are looking at the beginning of June for him to have that taken down. They will also do a second surgery to re-form his scar on his abdomen.
Zach also asked if it was okay for him to drive. The doctor told him he would need to make sure that all of his reflexes are at 100% so it will be awhile before he will be able to....Thank you doctor.
So we are getting rid of a couple more things that he "brought" home with him from the hospital. We are getting rid of his bed in the family room and also getting rid of his wheelchair. Just a few more things and then we will be back to normal.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Weekly Update 03/06/2009
Zachary no longer has to wear any dressings on his wound as it is closed up completely. It's not pretty, but he is glad he can take a shower without having to keep it covered up. We did not have any dr appointments this week but I cannot say that it has been quiet or returned to normal..... after all, "What is normal?"
I have returned to work three days a week, much to Zachary's chagrin. He does not like it when I leave him. We have different people to come in and sit with him while I am gone or until the other kids get home from school.
As you may have already determined, Zachary is quite tenacious and he does not take being limited by any situation easily. This week we have taken him out for rides in the car instead of the van that has the wheelchair lift. This has given him the opportunity to ride up front and confront some of his fears about being in the car. It has also put it in his head that if he can get in the passenger seat without any problem he should be able to get in the driver's seat without any problem as well. I came home from work last night and he announce to me that he was going to Wal-Mart. When I realized that he meant that he was going to drive. Yeah.....no way Zach!!!! It took a very long conversation to convince him that it was not going to happen
Next week we have his follow-up with his surgeons. He will find out how much longer he has to have his ileostomy. That has probably been the most humiliating and frustrating part of all of this. He handles it well but when he and I are alone he often comments on how much he hates it. We also follow up with his orthopedic surgeon to find out if he can start weight bearing activity and start his physical therapy. So we will have to wait and see.
I have returned to work three days a week, much to Zachary's chagrin. He does not like it when I leave him. We have different people to come in and sit with him while I am gone or until the other kids get home from school.
As you may have already determined, Zachary is quite tenacious and he does not take being limited by any situation easily. This week we have taken him out for rides in the car instead of the van that has the wheelchair lift. This has given him the opportunity to ride up front and confront some of his fears about being in the car. It has also put it in his head that if he can get in the passenger seat without any problem he should be able to get in the driver's seat without any problem as well. I came home from work last night and he announce to me that he was going to Wal-Mart. When I realized that he meant that he was going to drive. Yeah.....no way Zach!!!! It took a very long conversation to convince him that it was not going to happen
Next week we have his follow-up with his surgeons. He will find out how much longer he has to have his ileostomy. That has probably been the most humiliating and frustrating part of all of this. He handles it well but when he and I are alone he often comments on how much he hates it. We also follow up with his orthopedic surgeon to find out if he can start weight bearing activity and start his physical therapy. So we will have to wait and see.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday Update
We had a very interesting night last night. Zach had a sudden acute pain in his left thigh and so we had to take him to the emergency room to check for a bloodclot. We are happy to report that he does not appear to have one.... but we will be following up with the doctors today.
The interesting part was the doctor that he saw in the er. He actually was the first doctor that saw him on the night of the accident. As he started the exam last night and was going over Zach's medical history.... he said, "I remember you, you were the kid with the colon in your chest." He told Zachary about that night. How he came in and looked pretty good from the outside, not alot of outward trauma in fact he came in as a code trauma level 2, he had a couple of lacerations and such..... the doctor said it was his color and the fact that he did not have capillary refill in his extremeties that they made them concerned. They were pretty sure that he was bleeding internally and so they did an ultrasound which surprisingly did not show any bleeding..... they also did a chest x-ray and that is when they saw that all of his organs had been shoved into his chest cavity.... they decided to take him to get a ct scan, they got through the head and part of the chest when his blood pressure dropped and the trauma surgeon said that they were going to stop the ct scan and they took him to the operating room. So from the time he came in to the er to the time he ended up in the or was 35 mins.
We are once again reminded of how amazed and grateful that we are to the Emergency Room and Trauma team staff for the care that they provided to him. We are grateful for the instincts that they heeded, we cannot ever thank them enough.
We also have been getting the detailed bills concerning his care.... the amount of entries for January 1st is enormous and really gives us an feel for how chaotic that day was. The final total of 52 units of blood and plasma that he used.
The interesting part was the doctor that he saw in the er. He actually was the first doctor that saw him on the night of the accident. As he started the exam last night and was going over Zach's medical history.... he said, "I remember you, you were the kid with the colon in your chest." He told Zachary about that night. How he came in and looked pretty good from the outside, not alot of outward trauma in fact he came in as a code trauma level 2, he had a couple of lacerations and such..... the doctor said it was his color and the fact that he did not have capillary refill in his extremeties that they made them concerned. They were pretty sure that he was bleeding internally and so they did an ultrasound which surprisingly did not show any bleeding..... they also did a chest x-ray and that is when they saw that all of his organs had been shoved into his chest cavity.... they decided to take him to get a ct scan, they got through the head and part of the chest when his blood pressure dropped and the trauma surgeon said that they were going to stop the ct scan and they took him to the operating room. So from the time he came in to the er to the time he ended up in the or was 35 mins.
We are once again reminded of how amazed and grateful that we are to the Emergency Room and Trauma team staff for the care that they provided to him. We are grateful for the instincts that they heeded, we cannot ever thank them enough.
We also have been getting the detailed bills concerning his care.... the amount of entries for January 1st is enormous and really gives us an feel for how chaotic that day was. The final total of 52 units of blood and plasma that he used.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Friday Update
Well we took Zachary in for his wound care and we are happy to report that they have taken him off of the wound vac. It should be a couple of more weeks before it closes up completely......but considering that his wound was once 12 inches long and 5 inches wide we are happy about that. He was bummed out when they told him that he should not do abdominal exercises for at least 2 years. He was hoping that he could get right to work on his "six-pack".
He did visit his orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday and was told that it will be another 4 weeks before he can put pressure on his pelvis. He was hoping that he could start doing a little more but he is not creating new bone as quickly as he needs to. His left arm is healing very well, all of the restrictions that he has had for it have been removed.
He is making great progress.
He did visit his orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday and was told that it will be another 4 weeks before he can put pressure on his pelvis. He was hoping that he could start doing a little more but he is not creating new bone as quickly as he needs to. His left arm is healing very well, all of the restrictions that he has had for it have been removed.
He is making great progress.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday Febuary 10, 2009 update
Zachary has been home for a little over a week and he is doing well. He gets around on our upper floor in his wheelchair and just seems to be better adjusted now that he is home.
Home healthcare comes in on Monday and Wednesday to change his wound on his abdomen, and we are astounded at the improvement that has been made in that since his time home.
I think that as we look back on the events of the last 6 weeks we are amazed at the enormity of the situation. There have been many little details and things that we all take for granted once they are taken away.
I think when Greg first received the call asking if he was Zachary Brimhall's father that the severity of it hit him right away. For me, now that we are at home and able to relax a little bit, it's hitting me.
We are starting to receive the bills from the hospital. WOW !!!! It leaves us very frustrated at the other driver's insurance company, who is making this more difficult on us.
I often wonder what the long term implications are going to be and we really have no way of knowing at this point.
There are many things that we are grateful for. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support our family has received. I feel very unworthy of the generousity that has been shown to us. There are SO many people that have done so much for us and I know that we will never be able to repay them. We did want to make sure that everyone knows how supportive Zachary's employer www.davesmotors.com has been to us. He placed a thread on his own website about Zachary and the response from his customers has amazed us as well. They sent him a model helicopter that keeps him quite occupied. Zachary has also been working on model cars. This seems to be helping with the numbness that he has in his right hand.
Zachary enjoys having people coming to visit. So all are welcome to visit as long as you can "pardon our dust" while we are remodeling. (we did start that before the accident)
We will be posting some of the photographs that we have taken of Zach during his hospital. Some of them are very graphic so we are just warning you ahead of time.
Home healthcare comes in on Monday and Wednesday to change his wound on his abdomen, and we are astounded at the improvement that has been made in that since his time home.
I think that as we look back on the events of the last 6 weeks we are amazed at the enormity of the situation. There have been many little details and things that we all take for granted once they are taken away.
I think when Greg first received the call asking if he was Zachary Brimhall's father that the severity of it hit him right away. For me, now that we are at home and able to relax a little bit, it's hitting me.
We are starting to receive the bills from the hospital. WOW !!!! It leaves us very frustrated at the other driver's insurance company, who is making this more difficult on us.
I often wonder what the long term implications are going to be and we really have no way of knowing at this point.
There are many things that we are grateful for. We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support our family has received. I feel very unworthy of the generousity that has been shown to us. There are SO many people that have done so much for us and I know that we will never be able to repay them. We did want to make sure that everyone knows how supportive Zachary's employer www.davesmotors.com has been to us. He placed a thread on his own website about Zachary and the response from his customers has amazed us as well. They sent him a model helicopter that keeps him quite occupied. Zachary has also been working on model cars. This seems to be helping with the numbness that he has in his right hand.
Zachary enjoys having people coming to visit. So all are welcome to visit as long as you can "pardon our dust" while we are remodeling. (we did start that before the accident)
We will be posting some of the photographs that we have taken of Zach during his hospital. Some of them are very graphic so we are just warning you ahead of time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)