Thursday, July 2, 2009
July 2, 2009 update
Zach is home now and we are glad to have him here, I am just not a fan of packing his wound..... yuck..... it looks like he has a big hole in his stomach. We have decided to move updates to Zach's or my Facebook pages.... it gives a little more privacy and I finally feel like we are at the end of this for awhile....(crossing my fingers)
Monday, June 29, 2009
June 28,2009 update
Zach is still in the hospital and will be there for another couple of days. He is not showing any signs of infection which is what they have been concerned with.
I have been impressed with Zach. Yesterday was the first he was able to eat again since Monday 06/22/2009, and he has not complained (much)....... He has been through so much over the last six months much more than someone should at the age of 17.
Watching the other kids with him has been very impressive as well. Siblings don't always get along, but they hate being away from him as much as I do. They enjoy just sitting with him in the hospital.
As soon as he gets the okay to leave the hospital I will let everyone know.
I have been impressed with Zach. Yesterday was the first he was able to eat again since Monday 06/22/2009, and he has not complained (much)....... He has been through so much over the last six months much more than someone should at the age of 17.
Watching the other kids with him has been very impressive as well. Siblings don't always get along, but they hate being away from him as much as I do. They enjoy just sitting with him in the hospital.
As soon as he gets the okay to leave the hospital I will let everyone know.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Zach's latest surgery
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday Update
Yeah!!!! He is home. We brought him home this morning, and it has been very emotional for all of us, but especially for him.
We are having a Welcome Home/Birthday Party for him at our house at 6:00 pm tonight for those of you that would like to come.
We are having a Welcome Home/Birthday Party for him at our house at 6:00 pm tonight for those of you that would like to come.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday Update
Saturday is the day that we expect to bring Zachary home. He is very excited about it. He misses Ginger and Sadie (our dogs) and cannot wait to see them. We look forward to bringing him home and having him with us. He will still have a wound vac on his abdomen until it has healed enough for them to close it.
He has been working hard in rehab. It is amazing how much he can do in rehab even though he has so many weight bearing restrictions on his legs and arms. We are sure that when he get the all clear on his fractures that he will be able to re-learn how to do all of the things that he currently cannot.
We have been overwhelmed with all of the support that we have received during this time. We have been truly humbled by the amount of people that have reached out to us.
He has been working hard in rehab. It is amazing how much he can do in rehab even though he has so many weight bearing restrictions on his legs and arms. We are sure that when he get the all clear on his fractures that he will be able to re-learn how to do all of the things that he currently cannot.
We have been overwhelmed with all of the support that we have received during this time. We have been truly humbled by the amount of people that have reached out to us.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday Update
Zachary met with the surgeons yesterday about his abdominal incision, and things look better. They debrieded the wound and it will be re-evaluated on Tuesday.
He enjoys physical therapy a lot. It gives him something to do to try to keep his mind off of things. He is experiencing some bouts of frustration and anger and sadness.
He should be coming this weekend as long as everything continues as it has been. Greg has been working feverishly to get the bathrooms completed and the house somewhat put back together before this weekend.
He enjoys physical therapy a lot. It gives him something to do to try to keep his mind off of things. He is experiencing some bouts of frustration and anger and sadness.
He should be coming this weekend as long as everything continues as it has been. Greg has been working feverishly to get the bathrooms completed and the house somewhat put back together before this weekend.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday Update
Zachary is having some rough days..... he is desperate to go home and is upset to hear that he will probably not be going home Tuesday. It looks like his abdomen incision is not healing like it should be. The trauma surgeon will be taking a look at it on Sunday to determine whether or not he will need another operation.
He has made a lot of strides with physical therapy he is determined to do everything that he has been asked to do. He has amazed us with his determination. It reminds me of when he was 4 years old and was so determined to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. He worked all day long until he was able to do it.
He enjoys having visitors to talk with and has been texting his friends.
He has made a lot of strides with physical therapy he is determined to do everything that he has been asked to do. He has amazed us with his determination. It reminds me of when he was 4 years old and was so determined to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. He worked all day long until he was able to do it.
He enjoys having visitors to talk with and has been texting his friends.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thursday Update
Today Zachary is on the 12th floor and engaging in physical therapy. He still has a lot of restrictions on the amount of weight that he can put on his legs and arms, but being surrounded by other patients that have been through the same type of trauma has made us realize how truly lucky Zach is. The long term prognosis for a lot of them is not as good as it is for Zach.
He will be there on the 12th floor until next Tuesday (at least), and then they will review his case to determine if it will be best for him to stay or to have him come home.
He desperately wants to be home, and we would like for him to be here as soon as possible, but we are nervous to bring him home when he is still so sick, and has open incisions that could become infected. If he had his way he would come home today.
He has had a lot of friends visit him in the hospital and he enjoys that tremendously. It has been fun for us to meet some of the parents of his friends and to hear how much they appreciate and like Zach.......helps us to feel as if we have done something right.
We want to thank everyone for their support. Mere words cannot begin to describe the outpouring that we have encountered. There truly are great people in this world.
He will be there on the 12th floor until next Tuesday (at least), and then they will review his case to determine if it will be best for him to stay or to have him come home.
He desperately wants to be home, and we would like for him to be here as soon as possible, but we are nervous to bring him home when he is still so sick, and has open incisions that could become infected. If he had his way he would come home today.
He has had a lot of friends visit him in the hospital and he enjoys that tremendously. It has been fun for us to meet some of the parents of his friends and to hear how much they appreciate and like Zach.......helps us to feel as if we have done something right.
We want to thank everyone for their support. Mere words cannot begin to describe the outpouring that we have encountered. There truly are great people in this world.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wednesday
As previously mentioned, Zach had another orthepedic surgery on Sunday. During that procedure, docs installed a large metal plate spanning the distance of his pelvis. They secured this to his bones with several screws. He now has so much metal inside him that he was recently asked if he'd be interested in playing IronMan's new side-kick in the next movie since he really is made of metal.
Zachary was moved from his room on the 11th floor to a room on the 12th floor which is the Rehabilitation Floor. We're not sure how long he'll be there.
Zachary was moved from his room on the 11th floor to a room on the 12th floor which is the Rehabilitation Floor. We're not sure how long he'll be there.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday morning
A friend of Zach's found this amazing news story about him. Thought everyone else might enjoy it. (visit the link)
http://www.sun7news.com/index.php?code=216K207qP255dS1znXIv&CMP=OTC-WWYCOVS1001
http://www.sun7news.com/index.php?code=216K207qP255dS1znXIv&CMP=OTC-WWYCOVS1001
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sunday Update
Zachary is in surgery right now to try to get his pelvis stable. They are putting a plate that spans the front of his pelvis to keep it from moving the wrong way. So along with the long vertical incision on his abdomen he will have another long incision horizontally for this surgery.
He has been moved to the eleventh floor, so things are slowly but surely improving. Not quickly enough for Zachary, he is frustrated that his body will not do what he is used too.
He does enjoy visitors, it seems to help him keep his mind off of the more depressing things.
He has been moved to the eleventh floor, so things are slowly but surely improving. Not quickly enough for Zachary, he is frustrated that his body will not do what he is used too.
He does enjoy visitors, it seems to help him keep his mind off of the more depressing things.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Thursday Update
Today Zachary his pain seems to be under better control. It has been difficult for him to get any real rest, but today he seemed to be a lot more comfortable and he said he was able to sleep last night for the first time.
He should be moved to the eleventh floor sometime today. This will be nice for him as visitors can come and go with more ease. He wanted me to let you know that he enjoys visiting with people.
It is hard to believe that it was two weeks ago today that we received that dreaded call asking if we were Zachary's parents and being told that he was in a serious car accident. Looking back at some of those events in the first 24 hours it is clear to us that the surgeons did not expect him to make it, we are extremely grateful that he has more here to do.
We have seen some pretty amazing things happen with Zachary's recovery. The most difficult part for the immediate future is his orthopedic repairs. We originally expected Zach to go in Friday for his next operation, but that likely will happen on Saturday or Sunday, since the surgery is going to be rather long and complicated, the orthopedist wanted to make sure that there was a good block of time set aside and it will most likely be his only operation that day.
He should be moved to the eleventh floor sometime today. This will be nice for him as visitors can come and go with more ease. He wanted me to let you know that he enjoys visiting with people.
It is hard to believe that it was two weeks ago today that we received that dreaded call asking if we were Zachary's parents and being told that he was in a serious car accident. Looking back at some of those events in the first 24 hours it is clear to us that the surgeons did not expect him to make it, we are extremely grateful that he has more here to do.
We have seen some pretty amazing things happen with Zachary's recovery. The most difficult part for the immediate future is his orthopedic repairs. We originally expected Zach to go in Friday for his next operation, but that likely will happen on Saturday or Sunday, since the surgery is going to be rather long and complicated, the orthopedist wanted to make sure that there was a good block of time set aside and it will most likely be his only operation that day.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Wednesday Update
We thought Zachary was done with surgery but it appears that he will require at least one more orthopedic operation to fix his pelvis. That is currently scheduled to take place on Friday.
He is having a difficult time getting his pain under control. Today was extremely frustrating for him as he could not seem to find a comfortable position.
It will be two weeks tomorrow since the accident occurred, which is surprising..... it just feels like it has been one really long day
He is having a difficult time getting his pain under control. Today was extremely frustrating for him as he could not seem to find a comfortable position.
It will be two weeks tomorrow since the accident occurred, which is surprising..... it just feels like it has been one really long day
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