Good Tuesday update

1. A little before 2:00 this afternoon they removed the vent from Tip. They ran tests first to make sure he would be breathing on his own. He passed the tests with flying colors! Now he can talk. It's a little scratchy and mumbled but he can communicate with us. They have cut his sedatives in half. If all goes well he might have a little food this evening. He doesn't remember the accident so Kay told him about it. He also didn't realize 8 days had gone by since the accident. I don't think he understands a lot of what he was told but it is beginning to sink in. I'm sure he'll have lots of questions as his mind clears and he gets stronger. It is good to see some of the tubes taken off.

Follow up with Highway Patrol

I just received a phone call from the Highway Patrol/State Trooper. Very disturbed to hear the driver of the vehicle who caused the accident was under the influence of prescription drugs plus there were illegal drugs found in the car. Probable DUI charge, just waiting to get all test results back. My dad so didn't deserve this and I am praying to make some sense out of it all. Right now I'm feeling a rage of anger.

Monday surgery

Tip is now out of surgery and resting comfortably in ICU Trauma. They repaired his left femur. We were mistaken about his right lower leg and knee. It looked like it was bandaged like other places where he had surgery but today they worked on this. They repaired one of the lower legs bones (fibula and tibia). I think it was the tibia but not sure. They also worked on his knee and did some bone grafting. The other bone area is still swollen and they won't work on it yet. It is badly messed up. They will see how things go and fix it later, in two to four weeks. The heel/ankle are still worrisome. They skin is not in good shape and this area cannot have a skin graft because it is on the bone. The doctors are keeping an eye on it.

He did well during the surgery and will spend the rest of the day resting. He might have the ventilator removed sometime this week, possibly as soon as Tues. In the near future he will be moved to a skilled care center. They cannot rehab him yet as he won't be allowed to put any weight on his legs for several months. They will begin therapy though. He will be brought back to the hospital for future surgeries.

I will be visiting him later today and will update here if there is any more information.

I did not post yesterday as there had been no change. Like Saturday it was a day of rest.

A day of rest

Tip is doing well today, Saturday, resting. The ventilator was turned off for 8 hours today which is good. I found out today the doctors did do surgery on his right femur yesterday as well as the right lower leg, left arm and heel/ankle.

Monday morning they will be doing his left femur. I'm not sure but I think this will be the end of the major surgeries. As stated before the heel and ankle site will most likely need more surgeries.

His blood pressure was elevated for a time today and there are many reasons for this - discomfort, pain, he was moved to different positions a couple of times. His body temperature was slightly elevated but the doctor doesn't think it is infection as his white blood count is good. All in all he is doing well. He will have another rest day tomorrow before the surgery on Monday.

Friday's results

Everything went well today. The surgeons set his left arm, it is now in a cast. They also fixed his right lower leg with pins and plates and other stuff. This was a difficult part. They also worked on his ankle/heel on his right foot. I'm guessing that there will be more work on this area as it is pretty well smashed up. They also put a filter in his aorta to trap any clots, bone debris, etc. Laura said this is normal and done in most surgeries like this.

I saw him tonight and he looks good, his skin coloring is normal. He is doing well with breathing, blood pressure and pulse. I don't know how to read the other lines on the monitor.

His next surgery is scheduled for Monday and I think they will be working on his femur in each leg.

Thursday update

I visited Tip at the hospital this afternoon. Today is a day of resting. He is on pain medication and is also sedated. He is in no pain and is breathing on his own. All of his vital signs are good.

Tomorrow will be a very difficult day for him. The doctors want to repain the femur in both legs and set his arm. The problem is the bones are shattered in his legs. They also want to be careful not to stress his heart. It will be a long surgery. Please pray for him and the surgeons working on repairing his legs.

Tip's journey begins

This should be an easier way to follow the progress of my brother, Tip as he goes through the process of healing after the auto accident.

For those who don't know what happened he was involved in an auto accident on Monday morning. The car he was driving was hit head on by another car. Three people were in the other car, a woman and her two grandchildren. All were sent to the hospital, the woman and her grandson were the most seriously hurt. Tip was driving in his job and never saw the car coming.

Monday the doctor's stabilized his legs and arm fractures, checked out his heart and tried to get his breathing and blood pressure stabilized. There was considerable damage done to his legs. He had a surgery Wednesday to clean up around his right heel to prevent infection.

I will try to add to this post as new information is learned.