April 26, 2010
In March of this year, a man up in Tennessee custom made a lap steel guitar for my husband, Jeep. When it arrived he was excited to get it, but when he played it, there was a very loud hum he couldn’t stop. He called and made arrangements to take it back to see about getting it fixed and we planned to go on Tuesday, April 27th. We would have planned to go on Monday the 26th, except I was to be hostess for the United Methodist Women’s missionary meeting. The lady who was my co-hostess called me and was unable to be there, so it was up to me. I went to the church early because I wanted to get everything in place before the other ladies came. By the time I got everything in order, I felt my cell phone vibrating on the waistband of my slacks. I answered the phone and heard Jeep, saying something about our plans being changed. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but now I realize he was trying to break the bad news to me gently. Our daughter-in-law, Kay, had called our house and told Jeep that my son, Joe Embry, had been burned in an accident at work! I didn’t know how bad it was at this point, but I judged from the tone of Jeep’s voice, as well as what he said, that it was very serious.
Where WAS everyone? Couldn’t SOMEONE come early? My mind was in a whirl of tortured shock, turning over a thousand thoughts and scenarios. The first thing I did was to run upstairs as fast as I could, go down the aisle in the sanctuary, and throw myself on the altar, crying out to God in prayer. I know you can pray anywhere, but the altar is a special, reverent place where I feel closer to God. After this, I hurried back downstairs and called the pastor’s home to tell him what had happened and ask him to pray for Joe. He was not there at the time, but his wife said she would tell him. She also started the prayer chain.
I think I called the president of the UMW and briefly told her the situation. At this point, I was pretty much a basket case so it's hard to remember everything! I placed the food on the serving bar and left for the emergency room. I knew that when you get a group of ladies together and there is food available, they can figure out what to do!
Next, I drove to the hospital ER, continuing to pray all the way and hoping against hope that Joe was not burned too badly. Luckily, I didn’t hit any cars on the way there.
So much of this scene I don’t really remember! Lots of family, mostly Kay’s, was already there. Jeep appeared, as did the pastor of Eupora First United Methodist church where I’ve been a member since 1964. There was lot of hugging, crying and consoling. People from the place Joe was working, friends, and family were crowding the area just outside the ER. I remember going outside and calling my sisters on my cell phone and asking them to pray as they had never prayed before. Somehow I didn’t particularly feel the need of them actually being there, but I DID feel the need for everyone to be praying hard for Joe. About this time I fell apart and cried long and hard as I clung to Jeep for comfort. It was so hard to see my grandson, Jesse as he came in from school, his face etched with fear and questioning as he hurried into the ER waiting area and saw what was going on. The ER doctor, who happened to be one of Joe’s classmates in high school, and the staff, soon stabilized Joe and sedated him. (Kay later told me that they said Joe walked into the ER and said, "Show me where I need to go.") He had been burned with salty 200 plus degree water when a 30" line was opened for repair.
The helicopter arrived and when everything was in order, they wheeled Joe out through the area where we were standing. They stopped and told us that Joe might be able to hear us and we could speak to him briefly if we wished. I think I was the only one that did so, but I went over and told him that I loved him and kissed his forehead. All the procedure of getting an injured person stabilized, into the helicopter and actually into to air, takes a lot of time. Many people were gathered around to see him off and to talk with the family and make plans for what to do next. Joe and Kay’s daughter, Kym, was in school in Grenada and didn’t get there before Joe was airlifted by helicopter to the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Brandon, MS. (This is a new and smaller satellite version of the main Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA.)
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
......still April 26th
Kay’s sister and brother-in-law planned to take her, Kym and Jesse to Brandon. We planned to wait until the next day to go down there. The helicopter arrived at the hospital in Brandon and Joe’s condition was evaluated and it was decided that he should be flown by airplane to the main Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA. The center in Brandon can handle burn cases up to, but no larger than, 20% of the body. They said that Joe had more burns than that and the grafts would have to be done in Augusta. Even before Kay arrived in Brandon, we got the word by phone that Joe was going to be flown to Augusta. She was allowed to go with Joe on the small jet plane. Kym and Jesse came back with Kay’s sister and brother-in-law. Kym is 21 and responsible enough to take care of things at home, with the help of Jesse, who is 18. Kym packed some clothes and necessities for her mother, brought them to our house and put them in our van in the wee hours of the night.
Speaking of the wee hours of the night, it was around 1:00 AM that our phone rang.... it is never good news that comes in the wee hours of the night! I heard Kay saying that the people in Brandon said that Joe was burned over 80% of his body and lots of those were third degree burns. This was much worse news than we had first received! Needless to say, we didn’t sleep much that night. More tears, more prayer, much more prayer!
After a long time, I was finally able to say, "Dear God, You know I want You to save and heal my son, that is my fervent prayer, BUT if You are ready to take him, Thy will be done." Somehow I didn’t feel like this was giving up on my desire for Joe to be healed, but that I was putting myself and my desires into alignment with God’s will. I hope I’m right on this. It was only after this prayer of completely surrendering my will to God, that I felt a measure of relief and was able to sleep some.
Our clothes and the things we would need had to be packed. How long would we be away? We never thought about that, just that we had to be there for Joe and Kay. Sometime between our leaving the hospital and our going to bed, I found time to pack our clothes and to jot a quick note to my E-mail friends telling them about Joe’s accident and asking them to pray. I also posted about the same thing on my blog, Counting My Blessings. In time to come we found that many people who heard of my prayer request not only prayed, but told others about it and they prayed, also. Later we heard that this request was on the nearby popular Christian Radio Station, WFCA, the prayer list of many churches, not only in our state of MS, but in many other states and even in some foreign countries. Over the next two months, we experienced the most wonderful outpouring of love and support, as we heard about so many people praying for Joe!
Speaking of the wee hours of the night, it was around 1:00 AM that our phone rang.... it is never good news that comes in the wee hours of the night! I heard Kay saying that the people in Brandon said that Joe was burned over 80% of his body and lots of those were third degree burns. This was much worse news than we had first received! Needless to say, we didn’t sleep much that night. More tears, more prayer, much more prayer!
After a long time, I was finally able to say, "Dear God, You know I want You to save and heal my son, that is my fervent prayer, BUT if You are ready to take him, Thy will be done." Somehow I didn’t feel like this was giving up on my desire for Joe to be healed, but that I was putting myself and my desires into alignment with God’s will. I hope I’m right on this. It was only after this prayer of completely surrendering my will to God, that I felt a measure of relief and was able to sleep some.
Our clothes and the things we would need had to be packed. How long would we be away? We never thought about that, just that we had to be there for Joe and Kay. Sometime between our leaving the hospital and our going to bed, I found time to pack our clothes and to jot a quick note to my E-mail friends telling them about Joe’s accident and asking them to pray. I also posted about the same thing on my blog, Counting My Blessings. In time to come we found that many people who heard of my prayer request not only prayed, but told others about it and they prayed, also. Later we heard that this request was on the nearby popular Christian Radio Station, WFCA, the prayer list of many churches, not only in our state of MS, but in many other states and even in some foreign countries. Over the next two months, we experienced the most wonderful outpouring of love and support, as we heard about so many people praying for Joe!
April 27, 2010
Now, it’s Tuesday morning and we were going somewhere alright. Not to Tennessee as planned, not even to Brandon, MS, but we were going to Augusta, GA, which is a nine hour drive for us. We planned to be ready to pull out of the driveway before daylight to make it there in time to get a room for Kay and us. I don’t remember what time of the night Joe and Kay arrived in Augusta. They landed at an airport and were carried several miles to the hospital by ambulance. Kay spent the rest of the night in the little waiting room near the Burn ICU. There were no lounge chairs but she pulled a big footstool/table over to rest her legs on and tried to sleep.
We arrived in Augusta about 4:00 P.M. Joe’s boss had driven over in the night and was there with Kay when we arrived. When it came time for us to go in to see Joe, I was very hesitant. I was not eager to rush in to see him at all! I wanted to wait until he was better. I wasn’t prepared to see him so swollen and with so many tubes going everywhere! Thankfully, his head had been protected by the hard hat and his face was not too badly burned. There was one place about the size of my hand on his right cheek that had 2nd degree burns and was covered with pig skin. Pig skin?? I had never heard of such a thing! Pig skin, as well as cadaver skin, is stapled on and used to temporarily cover and protect the burns while the patients own skin grows underneath.
The kind and helpful nurse that went in with Jeep and me to see Joe that first time, told us that the drugs he had been given and the fact that he had the ventilator in his mouth would keep him from being able to talk with us, but that he might be able to hear us. I remember telling her that I didn’t know what to say. She said just talk naturally about the day, the weather or anything like that. He looked so pitiful, as he was bandaged from his neck to his ankles and was so swollen. I was too emotional to talk to him much, but I tearfully asked Jeep to put his hand on Joe’s head and pray for him. As Jeep prayed, I felt sure that Joe would be healed in God’s own time.
First Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". Sometimes it's hard to give thanks when everything seems to be so overwhelming. However, it didn’t take me long to find things for which I am thankful. "Thanks be to God that someone at the workplace knew to put cold water on Joe. Thanks for someone driving him to the hospital instead of waiting for the ambulance. Thank you Lord, that Joe’s head, very little of his face and his feet were not burned! Thank you, that Joe was brought to one of the best places on earth for treatment! Thank you that Joe’s medical expenses will be covered by insurance. Thank you, that Joe has a loving wife and family who are pulling for him. Kay was there for every visit with her positive attitude always trying to encourage her husband. Thank You, Lord, that Joe has a compassionate and caring ‘boss’ who went far beyond the call of duty to see that Joe’s family’s needs were being met. Thank you that many people are praying for Joe’s healing. Thank you that Joe decided not to cancel their AFLAC Insurance. Thank you for Sherry, our own personal ‘angel’, whose title is, Patient Advisor with Joseph M. Still Burn Centers. And a big Thank You for my husband of three years, Jeep, who never questioned whether or not we would go to Augusta and stay there with Kay until Joe could come home....Jeep, who was a solid rock and anchor for us, especially during the most difficult times....Jeep, who tried to keep us up-beat day after day...and in all the two months we were there, never even one time, acted like he had rather be somewhere else. Thank you, Lord, that Jeep always showed love and compassion for us at all times.
Those first few days are sort of a blur in my mind, but during this time there were plenty of things to be thankful for. It seemed like at every turn, someone from Workers Comp. Insurance or AFLAC Insurance, were there looking for Kay and wanting to know if she needed anything. They wanted to know if she needed some money up front, was she behind, or about to be behind, with any of their bills. They also were busy getting all the paper work done to get payments started which covered most of Joe’s salary and would be directly deposited in their account. Kay began to get many phone calls and get well cards, some containing money to cover her expenses for meals, etc. Meanwhile, back home Kym and Jesse were taking care of the house and pets and getting themselves off to school and college. Some very caring friends set up an account at the bank and advertised in the local paper that deposits could be made there to help with their expenses. A benefit was also planned and held while we were gone. Yes, we had so many things to be thankful for! Many of the people we saw coming through the burn center were not nearly as blessed as we were!
Kay, Jeep and I spent the first week in a hotel room with two queen size beds. Joe’s boss paid for this as well as made two more trips to Augusta to see Joe and take us out for a meal. Although the hotel was very nice and we were grateful for the room, it gets to be a little too much togetherness after a week. Kay asked the Patient Advisor, Sherry, if she knew of any apartments that might be available to rent near the hospital. This is when Sherry told us about the Open Arms Foundation that furnishes a few apartments to families who have to travel a long way from home and will be needing the apartment for a long period of time. She told us that a family was moving out and as soon as they could get the apartment cleaned, we could move in. The apartment had two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The TV cable, phone, Internet service, all utilities and linens were furnished. She said we could stay as long as Joe was in the hospital and then for another week or two if we need it, at no cost to us. The apartment was only five minutes from the hospital! This was a real Godsend for us! It is funded by Mid-America Apartment Communities, their employees and other donations and fund-raisers.
There is also a Retreat near the hospital, with dormitory type rooms, and a few private rooms for couples, available to families of burn patients on a first come, first served basis. Since we were going to be staying in Augusta for two months, we didn’t feel like we could stay in the retreat for that long. We understood that you had to take all of your ‘stuff’ out with you until you came back to stay the next night. There are baths that are shared with the other families staying there. Two meals a day are furnished to the families of burn patients by about 60 churches in the area. There is no charge for any of this.
This morning when we visited Joe at 9:00 A. M. we were very pleased to see that he was looking much better. Much of the swelling has gone from his face and he is looking more normal. In the midst of all this, we are so very thankful that his face was not damaged!! We will be eternally grateful for that!! He opens his eyes and knows we are there, responding by nodding or shaking his head, yes or no. We hope and pray for him to show this much progress each day.
Joe was in surgery for the from 1:30 til 5:30 Wed. afternoon. The doctor came out and talked with us and he is pleased with his progress and thinks everything is going as well as possible. He has 63 percent of his body burned and 10 percent is 3rd degree and the rest is 2nd degree. The doctor said that he is strong and healthy and has a lot of things in his favor. It's going to be a long hard road ahead. They do not plan to do any more surgery before Monday.
Perhaps at this time I should mention that we were allowed to visit four times each day. There were two 30 minute visits and two visits one hour long. Two family members could go in at one time. Each time we visited, we had to wash our hands and dress out fully as though we were nurses going into the operating room. We put on shoe covers, a plastic gown that covered our clothes, a hair net, gloves and a mask over our nose and mouth. Then we took all this off and washed our hands again at the end of our visit. The worst part of this outfit was the mask, which made me feel like I was smothering!
The Joseph M. Still Burn Center was being remodeled when we arrived and all the burn patients were housed in the Doctors Hospital. The two facilities are connected by a long, wide hall.
May 2 - At our time to visit at 9:00 on Sunday morning, we started suiting up for our visit and then were told we couldn't see Joe until 12:00 noon. They did let us wave to him and say "Good Morning" from a distance. He replied that it didn't feel like a good morning! They had him unwrapped and airing out. They gave him a bath, washed his hair, etc. It took them all morning doing this and re-doing his bandages. They had given him medication to make him more comfortable during this process, so when we finally did get to go in to see him, he wanted to sleep instead of talking with us.
The nurse told us that they plan to try to get him up tomorrow and let him sit in a chair and/or walk. This seems soon to us but I know he will be better off if he is able to move around some.
May 4 - It was a week yesterday since the accident happened. It seems like it has been a month! They told us a few days ago that Joe was making progress faster than normal for the amount of burns he received and the amount of time that he had been there. He even passed up some pain medicine that he could have had! However, they told us today that he has an infection and they are fighting that. When we left the early visit today, they were planning to sit him up in a chair. Tomorrow they plan to put him in the whirlpool and then do more surgery. That will be a rough day for him.
May 5 - Going to the whirlpool this morning (Wed.) made Joe feel a lot better! He had some medication so he had rather sleep than stay awake and talk with us. After the surgery, the doctor said that the burns they originally thought were deep second degree were now classified as third degree. About half his burns are second and half third degree. No infection was found in the wounds.
May 6- This morning Joe was alert and hungry! Kay fed him eggs, link sausage, toast, grits and coffee. Both of Joe's hands are bandaged so he can't do much with them. On Thursday afternoon we came home for a break and to make room in the apartment for Kym and Jesse and several of Kay's family members who were going to be there over the weekend. The break was good for all of us.
May 10 - We are back in Augusta as of yesterday about noon. It was good medicine for Joe to get to see his kids over the weekend! He was feeling bad yesterday, but this morning the nurse said he is feeling a little better. We didn't get to visit this morning early because they had all his bandages off for the doctor to check him out. We may get to go back at the noontime visit.
It is a cool, sunny, perfect looking day here this morning in Augusta this morning. Kay, Jeep and I got a good night's sleep last night and now we are just in the waiting room, doing the waiting thing until they say we can go back and see Joe. Please keep on hanging in there with us in lifting Joe up in prayer!
May 11- Today Joe wanted food from KFC! The nurses told us it was a good sign when they asked for something other than hospital food. He thought the chicken was SO good! He had some left and told Kay to bring it back and he would eat the rest for supper. It turned out he didn't want it tonight, but he was hot and thristy and swigged down a cold Boost in two sips!
He spent two hours in the whirlpool, getting some of the staples out, etc. Tomorrow he is scheduled to have the whirlpool again and more surgery.
We arrived in Augusta about 4:00 P.M. Joe’s boss had driven over in the night and was there with Kay when we arrived. When it came time for us to go in to see Joe, I was very hesitant. I was not eager to rush in to see him at all! I wanted to wait until he was better. I wasn’t prepared to see him so swollen and with so many tubes going everywhere! Thankfully, his head had been protected by the hard hat and his face was not too badly burned. There was one place about the size of my hand on his right cheek that had 2nd degree burns and was covered with pig skin. Pig skin?? I had never heard of such a thing! Pig skin, as well as cadaver skin, is stapled on and used to temporarily cover and protect the burns while the patients own skin grows underneath.
The kind and helpful nurse that went in with Jeep and me to see Joe that first time, told us that the drugs he had been given and the fact that he had the ventilator in his mouth would keep him from being able to talk with us, but that he might be able to hear us. I remember telling her that I didn’t know what to say. She said just talk naturally about the day, the weather or anything like that. He looked so pitiful, as he was bandaged from his neck to his ankles and was so swollen. I was too emotional to talk to him much, but I tearfully asked Jeep to put his hand on Joe’s head and pray for him. As Jeep prayed, I felt sure that Joe would be healed in God’s own time.
First Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". Sometimes it's hard to give thanks when everything seems to be so overwhelming. However, it didn’t take me long to find things for which I am thankful. "Thanks be to God that someone at the workplace knew to put cold water on Joe. Thanks for someone driving him to the hospital instead of waiting for the ambulance. Thank you Lord, that Joe’s head, very little of his face and his feet were not burned! Thank you, that Joe was brought to one of the best places on earth for treatment! Thank you that Joe’s medical expenses will be covered by insurance. Thank you, that Joe has a loving wife and family who are pulling for him. Kay was there for every visit with her positive attitude always trying to encourage her husband. Thank You, Lord, that Joe has a compassionate and caring ‘boss’ who went far beyond the call of duty to see that Joe’s family’s needs were being met. Thank you that many people are praying for Joe’s healing. Thank you that Joe decided not to cancel their AFLAC Insurance. Thank you for Sherry, our own personal ‘angel’, whose title is, Patient Advisor with Joseph M. Still Burn Centers. And a big Thank You for my husband of three years, Jeep, who never questioned whether or not we would go to Augusta and stay there with Kay until Joe could come home....Jeep, who was a solid rock and anchor for us, especially during the most difficult times....Jeep, who tried to keep us up-beat day after day...and in all the two months we were there, never even one time, acted like he had rather be somewhere else. Thank you, Lord, that Jeep always showed love and compassion for us at all times.
Those first few days are sort of a blur in my mind, but during this time there were plenty of things to be thankful for. It seemed like at every turn, someone from Workers Comp. Insurance or AFLAC Insurance, were there looking for Kay and wanting to know if she needed anything. They wanted to know if she needed some money up front, was she behind, or about to be behind, with any of their bills. They also were busy getting all the paper work done to get payments started which covered most of Joe’s salary and would be directly deposited in their account. Kay began to get many phone calls and get well cards, some containing money to cover her expenses for meals, etc. Meanwhile, back home Kym and Jesse were taking care of the house and pets and getting themselves off to school and college. Some very caring friends set up an account at the bank and advertised in the local paper that deposits could be made there to help with their expenses. A benefit was also planned and held while we were gone. Yes, we had so many things to be thankful for! Many of the people we saw coming through the burn center were not nearly as blessed as we were!
Kay, Jeep and I spent the first week in a hotel room with two queen size beds. Joe’s boss paid for this as well as made two more trips to Augusta to see Joe and take us out for a meal. Although the hotel was very nice and we were grateful for the room, it gets to be a little too much togetherness after a week. Kay asked the Patient Advisor, Sherry, if she knew of any apartments that might be available to rent near the hospital. This is when Sherry told us about the Open Arms Foundation that furnishes a few apartments to families who have to travel a long way from home and will be needing the apartment for a long period of time. She told us that a family was moving out and as soon as they could get the apartment cleaned, we could move in. The apartment had two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The TV cable, phone, Internet service, all utilities and linens were furnished. She said we could stay as long as Joe was in the hospital and then for another week or two if we need it, at no cost to us. The apartment was only five minutes from the hospital! This was a real Godsend for us! It is funded by Mid-America Apartment Communities, their employees and other donations and fund-raisers.
There is also a Retreat near the hospital, with dormitory type rooms, and a few private rooms for couples, available to families of burn patients on a first come, first served basis. Since we were going to be staying in Augusta for two months, we didn’t feel like we could stay in the retreat for that long. We understood that you had to take all of your ‘stuff’ out with you until you came back to stay the next night. There are baths that are shared with the other families staying there. Two meals a day are furnished to the families of burn patients by about 60 churches in the area. There is no charge for any of this.
This morning when we visited Joe at 9:00 A. M. we were very pleased to see that he was looking much better. Much of the swelling has gone from his face and he is looking more normal. In the midst of all this, we are so very thankful that his face was not damaged!! We will be eternally grateful for that!! He opens his eyes and knows we are there, responding by nodding or shaking his head, yes or no. We hope and pray for him to show this much progress each day.
Joe was in surgery for the from 1:30 til 5:30 Wed. afternoon. The doctor came out and talked with us and he is pleased with his progress and thinks everything is going as well as possible. He has 63 percent of his body burned and 10 percent is 3rd degree and the rest is 2nd degree. The doctor said that he is strong and healthy and has a lot of things in his favor. It's going to be a long hard road ahead. They do not plan to do any more surgery before Monday.
Perhaps at this time I should mention that we were allowed to visit four times each day. There were two 30 minute visits and two visits one hour long. Two family members could go in at one time. Each time we visited, we had to wash our hands and dress out fully as though we were nurses going into the operating room. We put on shoe covers, a plastic gown that covered our clothes, a hair net, gloves and a mask over our nose and mouth. Then we took all this off and washed our hands again at the end of our visit. The worst part of this outfit was the mask, which made me feel like I was smothering!
The Joseph M. Still Burn Center was being remodeled when we arrived and all the burn patients were housed in the Doctors Hospital. The two facilities are connected by a long, wide hall.
May 1 - Today we are celebrating because they took the ventilator tube out of Joe's mouth and he can breathe on his own and talk!!! To us, that is a big victory. God is SO good and is answering the prayers of many people! Someone just told me that their prayer group and also people from AZ and Alaska were praying for Joe! When I hear news like that, I am so touched that I have to shed a few tears. You would not believe how nice and accomodating all the hospital staff has been!!! We feel that God is at work in smoothing our way, and trust that he will be with Joe and his family through the long and tedious healing process!
May 2 - At our time to visit at 9:00 on Sunday morning, we started suiting up for our visit and then were told we couldn't see Joe until 12:00 noon. They did let us wave to him and say "Good Morning" from a distance. He replied that it didn't feel like a good morning! They had him unwrapped and airing out. They gave him a bath, washed his hair, etc. It took them all morning doing this and re-doing his bandages. They had given him medication to make him more comfortable during this process, so when we finally did get to go in to see him, he wanted to sleep instead of talking with us.
The nurse told us that they plan to try to get him up tomorrow and let him sit in a chair and/or walk. This seems soon to us but I know he will be better off if he is able to move around some.
May 4 - It was a week yesterday since the accident happened. It seems like it has been a month! They told us a few days ago that Joe was making progress faster than normal for the amount of burns he received and the amount of time that he had been there. He even passed up some pain medicine that he could have had! However, they told us today that he has an infection and they are fighting that. When we left the early visit today, they were planning to sit him up in a chair. Tomorrow they plan to put him in the whirlpool and then do more surgery. That will be a rough day for him.
May 5 - Going to the whirlpool this morning (Wed.) made Joe feel a lot better! He had some medication so he had rather sleep than stay awake and talk with us. After the surgery, the doctor said that the burns they originally thought were deep second degree were now classified as third degree. About half his burns are second and half third degree. No infection was found in the wounds.
May 6- This morning Joe was alert and hungry! Kay fed him eggs, link sausage, toast, grits and coffee. Both of Joe's hands are bandaged so he can't do much with them. On Thursday afternoon we came home for a break and to make room in the apartment for Kym and Jesse and several of Kay's family members who were going to be there over the weekend. The break was good for all of us.
May 10 - We are back in Augusta as of yesterday about noon. It was good medicine for Joe to get to see his kids over the weekend! He was feeling bad yesterday, but this morning the nurse said he is feeling a little better. We didn't get to visit this morning early because they had all his bandages off for the doctor to check him out. We may get to go back at the noontime visit.
It is a cool, sunny, perfect looking day here this morning in Augusta this morning. Kay, Jeep and I got a good night's sleep last night and now we are just in the waiting room, doing the waiting thing until they say we can go back and see Joe. Please keep on hanging in there with us in lifting Joe up in prayer!
May 11- Today Joe wanted food from KFC! The nurses told us it was a good sign when they asked for something other than hospital food. He thought the chicken was SO good! He had some left and told Kay to bring it back and he would eat the rest for supper. It turned out he didn't want it tonight, but he was hot and thristy and swigged down a cold Boost in two sips!
He spent two hours in the whirlpool, getting some of the staples out, etc. Tomorrow he is scheduled to have the whirlpool again and more surgery.
May 13 - Yesterday we got to the hospital in time to see Joe just a few minutes before they took him to the whirlpool. From there, they took him to surgery and he was there until 5:00 P.M. The doctor and his assistant both talked with us and found that after the two weeks it appears that 45% of his body has third degree burns and 20 % has second degree. That is about reversed from what they thought at first. They are supposed to get his skin, which is being grown from his own cells in Boston, about the 26th of May. They will also have to harvest some of his good skin, and he doesn't have much of that to spare! I'm wondering if they could use some of my skin to graft directly to him. (Sometime later the doctor told me the answer is, "No".)
This morning when Kay asked him what he would like for her to bring him for lunch and after thinking about it a little, he said he would like some loaded potato soup and FIVE rolls from O'Charley's! We brought that to him at lunch and kidded him about wanting so many rolls and he didn't even remember saying that he wanted them! At least he ate one of them and some of the soup. We had a good laugh about the five rolls!
April 28th- May 1
Those first few days are sort of a blur in my mind, but during this time there were plenty of things to be thankful for. It seemed like at every turn, someone from Workers Comp. Insurance or AFLAC Insurance, were there looking for Kay and wanting to know if she needed anything. They wanted to know if she needed some money up front, was she behind, or about to be behind, with any of their bills. They also were busy getting all the paper work done to get payments started which covered most of Joe’s salary and would be directly deposited in their account. Kay began to get many phone calls and get well cards, some containing money to cover her expenses for meals, etc. Meanwhile, back home Kym and Jesse were taking care of the house and pets and getting themselves off to school and college. Some very caring friends set up an account at the bank and advertised in the local paper that deposits could be made there to help with their expenses. A benefit was also planned and held while we were gone. Yes, we had so many things to be thankful for! Many of the people we saw coming through the burn center were not nearly as blessed as we were!
Kay, Jeep and I spent the first week in a hotel room with two queen size beds. Joe’s boss paid for this as well as made two more trips to Augusta to see Joe and take us out for a meal. Although the hotel was very nice and we were grateful for the room, it gets to be a little too much togetherness after a week. Kay asked the Patient Advisor, Sherry, if she knew of any apartments that might be available to rent near the hospital. This is when Sherry told us about the Open Arms Foundation that furnishes a few apartments to families who have to travel a long way from home and will be needing the apartment for a long period of time. She told us that a family was moving out and as soon as they could get the apartment cleaned, we could move in. The apartment had two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The TV cable, phone, Internet service, all utilities and linens were furnished. She said we could stay as long as Joe was in the hospital and then for another week or two if we need it, at no cost to us. The apartment was only five minutes from the hospital! This was a real Godsend for us! It is funded by Mid-America Apartment Communities, their employees and other donations and fund-raisers.
This morning when we visited Joe at 9:00 A. M. we were very pleased to see that he was looking much better. Much of the swelling has gone from his face and he is looking more normal. In the midst of all this, we are so very thankful that his face was not damaged!! We will be eternally grateful for that!! He opens his eyes and knows we are there, responding by nodding or shaking his head, yes or no. We hope and pray for him to show this much progress each day.
Joe was in surgery for the from 1:30 til 5:30 Wed. afternoon. The doctor came out and talked with us and he is pleased with his progress and thinks everything is going as well as possible. He has 63 percent of his body burned and 10 percent is 3rd degree and the rest is 2nd degree. The doctor said that he is strong and healthy and has a lot if things in his favor. It's going to be a long hard road ahead. They do not plan to do any more surgery before Monday.
Perhaps at this time I should mention that we were allowed to visit four times each day. There were two 30 minute visits and two visits one hour long. Two family members could go in at one time. Each time we visited, we had to wash our hands and dress out fully as though we were nurses going into the operating room. We put on shoe covers, a plastic gown that covered our clothes, a hair net, gloves and a mask over our nose and mouth. Then we took all this off and washed our hands again at the end of our visit. The worst part of this outfit was the mask, which made me feel like I was smothering!
The Joseph M. Still Burn Center was being remodeled when we arrived and all the burn patients were housed in the Doctors Hospital. The two facilities are connected by a long, wide hall.
Here in the Burn ICU waiting room we are seeing a real cross-section of humanity. We wait most of the time in this small waiting room which is about 10 x 14 because it is very near the ICU. We see a multi-cultured variety indeed, yet we are all bound together by the fact that everyone of us has a loved one here who has received a bad burn, wound or some other condition to be treated like a burn. Maybe because the room is so small, or maybe because we are all in similar circumstances, we talk and share our stories with each other. After you see the same people four times a day for several weeks, you begin to feel like family.
May 2 - At our time to visit at 9:00 on Sunday morning, we started suiting up for our visit and then were told we couldn't see Joe until 12:00 noon. They did let us wave to him and say "Good Morning" from a distance. He replied that it didn't feel like a good morning! They had him unwrapped and airing out. They gave him a bath, brushed his teeth, washed his hair, etc. It took them all morning doing this and re-doing his bandages. They had given him medication to make him more comfortable during this process, so when we finally did get to go in to see him, he wanted to sleep instead of talking with us. The nurse told us that they plan to try to get him up tomorrow and let him sit in a chair and/or walk. This seems soon to us but I know he will be better off if he is able to move around some. Please continue to keep him in your prayers!
May 4 - It was one week yesterday since the accident happened. It seems like it has been a month! Actually, Joe is doing well and he even passed up some pain medicine that he could have had! They told us a few days ago that Joe was making progress faster than normal for the amount of burns he received and the amount of time that he had been there. However, they told us today that he has an infection and they are fighting that. When we left the early visit today, they were planning to sit him up in a chair. Tomorrow they plan to put him in the whirlpool and then do more surgery. That will be a rough day for him.
May 5 - Going to the whirlpool this morning made Joe feel a lot better! He had some medication so he had rather sleep than stay awake and talk with us. After the surgery, the doctor said that the burns they originally thought were deep second degree were now classified as third degree. About half his burns are second and half are third degree. No infection was found in the wounds.
May 6- Thursday: This morning Joe was alert and hungry! Kay fed him eggs, link sausage, toast, grits and coffee. Both of Joe's hands are bandaged so he can't use them much. This afternoon we came home for a few days break and to make room in the apartment for Kym and Jesse and Kay's sister's family who were going to be there over the weekend. The break was good for all of us.
May 10 - We are back in Augusta as of yesterday about noon. It was good medicine for Joe to get to see his kids over the weekend! He was feeling bad yesterday, but this morning the nurse said he is feeling a little better. We didn't get to visit this morning early because they had all his bandages off for the doctor to check him out. We may get to go back at the noontime visit.
It is a cool, sunny, perfect looking day here in Augusta this morning. Kay, Jeep and I got a good night's sleep last night and now we are just in the waiting room, doing the waiting thing, until they say we can go back and see Joe. Please keep on hanging in there with us in lifting Joe up in prayer!
May 11- Today Joe wanted food from KFC! The nurses told us it was a good sign when they asked for something other than hospital food. He thought the chicken was SO good! He had some left and told Kay to bring it back and he would eat the rest for supper. It turned out he didn't want it tonight, but he was hot and thristy and swigged down a cold Boost that we brought him in two sips! He spent two hours in the whirlpool, getting some of the staples out, etc. Tomorrow he is scheduled to have the whirlpool again and more surgery.
Kay, Jeep and I spent the first week in a hotel room with two queen size beds. Joe’s boss paid for this as well as made two more trips to Augusta to see Joe and take us out for a meal. Although the hotel was very nice and we were grateful for the room, it gets to be a little too much togetherness after a week. Kay asked the Patient Advisor, Sherry, if she knew of any apartments that might be available to rent near the hospital. This is when Sherry told us about the Open Arms Foundation that furnishes a few apartments to families who have to travel a long way from home and will be needing the apartment for a long period of time. She told us that a family was moving out and as soon as they could get the apartment cleaned, we could move in. The apartment had two bedrooms, two baths, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The TV cable, phone, Internet service, all utilities and linens were furnished. She said we could stay as long as Joe was in the hospital and then for another week or two if we need it, at no cost to us. The apartment was only five minutes from the hospital! This was a real Godsend for us! It is funded by Mid-America Apartment Communities, their employees and other donations and fund-raisers.
There is also a Retreat near the hospital, with dormitory type rooms, and a few private rooms for couples, available to families of burn patients on a first come, first served basis. Since we were going to be staying in Augusta for two months, we didn’t feel like we could stay in the retreat for that long. We understood that you had to take all of your ‘stuff’ out with you until you came back to stay the next night. There are baths that are shared with the other families staying there. Two meals a day are furnished by about 60 churches in the area and there is no charge for any of this.
This morning when we visited Joe at 9:00 A. M. we were very pleased to see that he was looking much better. Much of the swelling has gone from his face and he is looking more normal. In the midst of all this, we are so very thankful that his face was not damaged!! We will be eternally grateful for that!! He opens his eyes and knows we are there, responding by nodding or shaking his head, yes or no. We hope and pray for him to show this much progress each day.
Joe was in surgery for the from 1:30 til 5:30 Wed. afternoon. The doctor came out and talked with us and he is pleased with his progress and thinks everything is going as well as possible. He has 63 percent of his body burned and 10 percent is 3rd degree and the rest is 2nd degree. The doctor said that he is strong and healthy and has a lot if things in his favor. It's going to be a long hard road ahead. They do not plan to do any more surgery before Monday.
Perhaps at this time I should mention that we were allowed to visit four times each day. There were two 30 minute visits and two visits one hour long. Two family members could go in at one time. Each time we visited, we had to wash our hands and dress out fully as though we were nurses going into the operating room. We put on shoe covers, a plastic gown that covered our clothes, a hair net, gloves and a mask over our nose and mouth. Then we took all this off and washed our hands again at the end of our visit. The worst part of this outfit was the mask, which made me feel like I was smothering!
The Joseph M. Still Burn Center was being remodeled when we arrived and all the burn patients were housed in the Doctors Hospital. The two facilities are connected by a long, wide hall.
Here in the Burn ICU waiting room we are seeing a real cross-section of humanity. We wait most of the time in this small waiting room which is about 10 x 14 because it is very near the ICU. We see a multi-cultured variety indeed, yet we are all bound together by the fact that everyone of us has a loved one here who has received a bad burn, wound or some other condition to be treated like a burn. Maybe because the room is so small, or maybe because we are all in similar circumstances, we talk and share our stories with each other. After you see the same people four times a day for several weeks, you begin to feel like family.
May 1 - Today we are celebrating because they took the ventilator tube out of Joe's mouth and he can breathe on his own and talk!!! To us, that is a big victory. God is SO good and is answering the prayers of many people! Someone just told me that their prayer group and also people from AZ and Alaska were praying for Joe! When I hear news like that, I am so touched that I have to shed a few tears. You would not believe how nice and accomodating all the hospital staff has been!!! We feel that God is at work in smoothing our way, and trust that he will be with Joe and his family through the long and tedious healing process!
May 2 - At our time to visit at 9:00 on Sunday morning, we started suiting up for our visit and then were told we couldn't see Joe until 12:00 noon. They did let us wave to him and say "Good Morning" from a distance. He replied that it didn't feel like a good morning! They had him unwrapped and airing out. They gave him a bath, brushed his teeth, washed his hair, etc. It took them all morning doing this and re-doing his bandages. They had given him medication to make him more comfortable during this process, so when we finally did get to go in to see him, he wanted to sleep instead of talking with us. The nurse told us that they plan to try to get him up tomorrow and let him sit in a chair and/or walk. This seems soon to us but I know he will be better off if he is able to move around some. Please continue to keep him in your prayers!
May 4 - It was one week yesterday since the accident happened. It seems like it has been a month! Actually, Joe is doing well and he even passed up some pain medicine that he could have had! They told us a few days ago that Joe was making progress faster than normal for the amount of burns he received and the amount of time that he had been there. However, they told us today that he has an infection and they are fighting that. When we left the early visit today, they were planning to sit him up in a chair. Tomorrow they plan to put him in the whirlpool and then do more surgery. That will be a rough day for him.
May 5 - Going to the whirlpool this morning made Joe feel a lot better! He had some medication so he had rather sleep than stay awake and talk with us. After the surgery, the doctor said that the burns they originally thought were deep second degree were now classified as third degree. About half his burns are second and half are third degree. No infection was found in the wounds.
May 6- Thursday: This morning Joe was alert and hungry! Kay fed him eggs, link sausage, toast, grits and coffee. Both of Joe's hands are bandaged so he can't use them much. This afternoon we came home for a few days break and to make room in the apartment for Kym and Jesse and Kay's sister's family who were going to be there over the weekend. The break was good for all of us.
May 10 - We are back in Augusta as of yesterday about noon. It was good medicine for Joe to get to see his kids over the weekend! He was feeling bad yesterday, but this morning the nurse said he is feeling a little better. We didn't get to visit this morning early because they had all his bandages off for the doctor to check him out. We may get to go back at the noontime visit.
It is a cool, sunny, perfect looking day here in Augusta this morning. Kay, Jeep and I got a good night's sleep last night and now we are just in the waiting room, doing the waiting thing, until they say we can go back and see Joe. Please keep on hanging in there with us in lifting Joe up in prayer!
May 11- Today Joe wanted food from KFC! The nurses told us it was a good sign when they asked for something other than hospital food. He thought the chicken was SO good! He had some left and told Kay to bring it back and he would eat the rest for supper. It turned out he didn't want it tonight, but he was hot and thristy and swigged down a cold Boost that we brought him in two sips! He spent two hours in the whirlpool, getting some of the staples out, etc. Tomorrow he is scheduled to have the whirlpool again and more surgery.
May 12 - We got to the hospital in time to see Joe just a few minutes before they took him to the whirlpool. From there, they took him to surgery and he was there until 5:00 P.M.. The doctor and his assistant both talked with us and they found that after two weeks it appears that 45% of his body has third degree bruns and 20 % has second degree. That is about reversed from what they thought at first. They are supposed to get his skin, which is being grown from his own cells in Boston, about the 26th of May. They will also have to harvest some of his good skin, and he doesn't have much of that to spare! I'm wondering if they could use some of my skin to graft directly to him. (Later the doctor told me the answer is, No.)
This morning when Kay asked him what he would like for her to bring him for lunch and after thinking about it a little, he said he would like some loaded potato soup and FIVE rolls from O'Charley's! We brought that to him at lunch and kidded him about wanting so many rolls and he didn't even remember saying that he wanted them! At least, he ate one of them and some of the soup. We had a good laugh about the five rolls!
May 13 thru May 25
May 13- Joe is clean shaven now but they won't let me take a camera back there in ICU and get a current picture. I told him he looked 10 years younger! We'll see if the compliment will carry any weight later on.
We learned tonight (Thursday) that he is scheduled to go back to surgery on Friday for them to work on his left leg, and maybe some other places they didn't get to do on Wednesday. He chatted and joked with the nurse about the computer she was using in his room. I'm so glad he is able to laugh and talk with us at times when he's not under the influence of medication.
Joe is getting lots of cards and enjoys hearing Kay read each one to him. He can't use his hands much because they have them bandaged up most of the time. Sometimes they fix them so you can see the tips of his fingers and he does move them. His thumb and forefinger on his left hand are not burned.
May 14: This morning when we got to the hospital, Joe was a little restless because he knew they planned to take him to surgery today. He was thirsty and he couldn't have anything to drink. At 12:00 noon we saw him briefly before the whisked him away to surgery at 12:15 P.M. Right now (2:30 Eastern time) we are just waiting for the surgeon to come out and talk with us when they are finished.
It's almost 5 P.M. now and we were told about an hour ago that Joe was in recovery. We are still waiting for the doctor to come by and talk with us. We are praying that they don't have to leave the ventilator tube in his mouth. He hates that thing! Visiting hours are usually at 5 P.M. but we won't get to see him at that time today. Maybe we can come back and feed him something at 8:30 tonight.
We learned tonight (Thursday) that he is scheduled to go back to surgery on Friday for them to work on his left leg, and maybe some other places they didn't get to do on Wednesday. He chatted and joked with the nurse about the computer she was using in his room. I'm so glad he is able to laugh and talk with us at times when he's not under the influence of medication.
Joe is getting lots of cards and enjoys hearing Kay read each one to him. He can't use his hands much because they have them bandaged up most of the time. Sometimes they fix them so you can see the tips of his fingers and he does move them. His thumb and forefinger on his left hand are not burned.
May 14: This morning when we got to the hospital, Joe was a little restless because he knew they planned to take him to surgery today. He was thirsty and he couldn't have anything to drink. At 12:00 noon we saw him briefly before the whisked him away to surgery at 12:15 P.M. Right now (2:30 Eastern time) we are just waiting for the surgeon to come out and talk with us when they are finished.
It's almost 5 P.M. now and we were told about an hour ago that Joe was in recovery. We are still waiting for the doctor to come by and talk with us. We are praying that they don't have to leave the ventilator tube in his mouth. He hates that thing! Visiting hours are usually at 5 P.M. but we won't get to see him at that time today. Maybe we can come back and feed him something at 8:30 tonight.
May 15: We learned that Joe had his first skin graft during his surgery late yesterday. They took skin from one of his thighs and grafted his right hand, which has 3rd degree bruns. Last night at the 8:30 to 9:30 visit he seemed to be doing as well as he could. He chatted with the male nurse about school, work, etc. When asked about his pain on a scale on 1 to 10, lying there bandaged from neck to feet in blood soaked wrappings, he said "about a Three" and agreed to take something to take the edge off the pain. He is a much braver patient than I would be!!
This morning when we came to visit, they were wheeling him away to surgery again. He has developed some bleeding under the temporary donor skin, which needed to be repaired and his arms are bleeding too much and maybe they can do something about those, too. I'm so ready for him to have a couple of days when they are not doing something to him so he can rest and eat!!!
May 16 Sunday: When we went to the hospital to see Joe at 9:00 A.M. he looked rested and told us that he had slept all night long! That was a Blessing! We brought him some breakfast from Waffle House but he didn't want that or the hospital breakfast tray. They had the bandages off his arms and just covered with towels. This afternoon they plan to re-dress them with dry dressings which they said would be more comfortable. They have been keeping him wet down and he said it doesn't feel too good to stay wet all the time.
Jeep and I left Kay at the hospital and we attended the 11:00 A .M. worship service at Marvin United Methodist Church, which is not too far from the hospital. We were greeted by lots of friendly people and felt very welcome at their comtemporary service. The only part I didn't like was that we were asked to stand all the time while they sang about 5 or 6 songs we didn't know. I'm currently suffering from Plantar Fasciitis (pain in my heel) and I thought I would have to sit down before it was time to sit down! The next time we will try to get to the 8:45 A.M. traditional service, which will be more our speed.
This is Marvin United Methodist Church. It is a little stone church, which was established in 1891.
We talked with the Greeter as we entered and as we left the church and he gave us his card and very generously offered to do anything, (and he repeated, ANYTHING), to help us during our stay here in Augusta. He said if he couldn't do it, he knew people who could! He sincerely wanted to help. Another member talked with us before and after church and told us to call the church office if we needed anything. This is one of the many churches in this area that supplies free food at the retreat for the families who are staying there to be with family members who have been burned.
May 17- Monday: All of our days can't be spent on the mountain top, although that's such a pleasant place to be. Some of our days have to be spent in the dark, and sometimes lonesome valleys, where we learn to humble ourselves and cry out to God for help and comfort in the midst of our pain and misery. We learn to be sympathetic with the suffering of others and to accept help when we had rather just do it ourselves.
How can we question why a bad thing happens to us, unless we also question why we are so blessed with good things most all the time???
Today, I'm thankful that God promises to go with us THROUGH the dark valleys and one day we will come out on the other side. We don't have to STAY in the dark valley.
May 19 - This morning Joe told us that he had another good night of sleep. He ate a little cold cereal, Mandarin Oranges, Orange juice and drank his protein drink.
At noon we didn't get to visit him because they were redressing all his burns and taking out staples where the donor skin had been attached but left the skin for now. They told us to wait until the 5 o'clock visiting time to come back.
May 20 - Some days were good and some not so good. May 20th was one of those down days. Joe had a fever, an infection and was just feeling really low. The next day he was feeling a little better. Kay got to see him briefly as they wheeled him to surgery. One of the workers told her she could go with them and stay with him in the holding area until they were ready to do his surgery. They took Joe to surgery about 11:00 A.M. Dr. Hassan came out and gave us a
positive report. They took skin from his arm and grafted his left hand. They said the right arm they had been so concerned about looked better than expected. The large burn on his stomach is healing and they don’t think it will have to be grafted. The ventilator tube had to be left in because Joe wasn’t breathing enough on his own to bring the oxygen level up to where is should be. This is supposed to be a short term thing and they hope to have it out by morning. They think this trouble with his breathing is caused by the paralyzing medicine they give to do the surgery. Since Joe has rarely ever been sick or had to take medicine of any kind, he is reacting differently from most people. So, now we are in another valley when we were expecting to be on a small hilltop! We are praying that all will go well tonight and that tomorrow will be a better day.
May 22nd Saturday morning: Joe’s employer, and his wife, came to see Joe this morning. Joe is still on the ventilator and is unable to talk with them. They have cut back on it some and he is breathing about 50% on his own. Hopefully, they will be able to remove it today. We get our hopes up and then we get brought to our knees again. Maybe that’s what this is all about...maybe God wants our attention and our praise.
May 23, Sunday: We were told that Joe has an infection and they are trying to determine exactly what it is, but they are going ahead and giving him lots of antibiotics. He also has some pneumonia! This is where I hit the rock bottom of the deepest valley and I slipped away by myself to the little Chapel on the first floor. I have been here before a few times and have never seen anyone else here. There is a long, narrow table with an open Bible in the center and candles on either side. Another table holds several New Testaments and other reading material. The windows in the small room are too high to see outside and they go almost to the very high ceiling. There is a floor lamp and six chairs. I knelt, using a chair to lean on, and poured out my prayers and my tears. I know I could have prayed anywhere, but in this special place. I felt I could be alone as I sought peace, reassurance and comfort from God.
May 24th: Joe had surgery to clean everything and get ready for the grafts. He did well. Jan, the Physician’s Assistant, said the grafts on his hands looked good and that he didn’t lose much blood from the cleaning. We were delighted that they didn’t have to leave the vent tube in!! Because Joe did not do well on the paralyzing drug, they worked out another way to do these surgeries. Joe and the whole family appreciated this very much!
May 25th : Joe said he slept well last night, in spite of having an infection and pneumonia. They want him to rest at night, so they were giving him something to make him sleep until they found out that he doesn’t do well on those drugs either. They changed and started giving him Melatonin, which is a natural sleep aid. Joe ate some of his breakfast and drank a lot of orange juice, Sprite, Ginger Ale, etc. They are giving him a lot of broad spectrum antibiotics. We are hoping he will have a restful day and build his strength because they plan to go ahead and do ALL his grafts (using the CEAs and some of his own skin) tomorrow. The CEAs, ( Cultured Epidermal Autografts- grown from some of his own cells) have arrived from Boston and there is a small window of time for them to be used. We are nervous about him having so much done while he has infection and pneumonia, but we trust that they know what they are doing and we trust God to take care of Joe.
At noon we didn't get to visit him because they were redressing all his burns and taking out staples where the donor skin had been attached but left the skin for now. They told us to wait until the 5 o'clock visiting time to come back.
positive report. They took skin from his arm and grafted his left hand. They said the right arm they had been so concerned about looked better than expected. The large burn on his stomach is healing and they don’t think it will have to be grafted. The ventilator tube had to be left in because Joe wasn’t breathing enough on his own to bring the oxygen level up to where is should be. This is supposed to be a short term thing and they hope to have it out by morning. They think this trouble with his breathing is caused by the paralyzing medicine they give to do the surgery. Since Joe has rarely ever been sick or had to take medicine of any kind, he is reacting differently from most people. So, now we are in another valley when we were expecting to be on a small hilltop! We are praying that all will go well tonight and that tomorrow will be a better day.
May 22nd Saturday morning: Joe’s employer, and his wife, came to see Joe this morning. Joe is still on the ventilator and is unable to talk with them. They have cut back on it some and he is breathing about 50% on his own. Hopefully, they will be able to remove it today. We get our hopes up and then we get brought to our knees again. Maybe that’s what this is all about...maybe God wants our attention and our praise.
We met with Joe's medical doctor today and he talked with us at length about his overall condition. He has sepsis (infection in the blood) and pneumonia. They are agressively treating him with antibiotics, etc. After the surgery yesterday they left the ventilator tube in to help him get enough oxygen, as he was not breathing on his own enough to bring the oxygen level up where they wanted it. They decided to leave it in, rather than to take it out too soon and have to put it back in later. He said Joe's being healthy and strong before the accident was a big thing in his favor. Hopefully the medicines will knock out all of the infections and they will be able to take the ventilator out soon. Thanks to all of you for your prayers, comments and the cards you have sent to him. We like the doctors and the staff very much and they really take good care of the patients. We trust Joe into their very capable hands and the loving hands of our Lord.
May 23, Sunday: We were told that Joe has an infection and they are trying to determine exactly what it is, but they are going ahead and giving him lots of antibiotics. He also has some pneumonia! This is where I hit the rock bottom of the deepest valley and I slipped away by myself to the little Chapel on the first floor. I have been here before a few times and have never seen anyone else here. There is a long, narrow table with an open Bible in the center and candles on either side. Another table holds several New Testaments and other reading material. The windows in the small room are too high to see outside and they go almost to the very high ceiling. There is a floor lamp and six chairs. I knelt, using a chair to lean on, and poured out my prayers and my tears. I know I could have prayed anywhere, but in this special place. I felt I could be alone as I sought peace, reassurance and comfort from God.
May 24th: Joe had surgery to clean everything and get ready for the grafts. He did well. Jan, the Physician’s Assistant, said the grafts on his hands looked good and that he didn’t lose much blood from the cleaning. We were delighted that they didn’t have to leave the vent tube in!! Because Joe did not do well on the paralyzing drug, they worked out another way to do these surgeries. Joe and the whole family appreciated this very much!
May 25th : Joe said he slept well last night, in spite of having an infection and pneumonia. They want him to rest at night, so they were giving him something to make him sleep until they found out that he doesn’t do well on those drugs either. They changed and started giving him Melatonin, which is a natural sleep aid. Joe ate some of his breakfast and drank a lot of orange juice, Sprite, Ginger Ale, etc. They are giving him a lot of broad spectrum antibiotics. We are hoping he will have a restful day and build his strength because they plan to go ahead and do ALL his grafts (using the CEAs and some of his own skin) tomorrow. The CEAs, ( Cultured Epidermal Autografts- grown from some of his own cells) have arrived from Boston and there is a small window of time for them to be used. We are nervous about him having so much done while he has infection and pneumonia, but we trust that they know what they are doing and we trust God to take care of Joe.
We made sandwiches and ate at the apartment. Jeep and I went to WalMart to pick up his medicine and a few items. Back at the apartment for about an hour, Jeep took the opportunity for a short nap. I think we are getting more exercise than usual, since we make the four visits to the hospital, walk a little in the parking lot, walk a long hall in the hospital and the apartment is up two short flights of stairs. Anyway, it's enough exercise that it makes us sleep well at night.
At the 5 o'clock visit Joe ate some of his supper and drank a Boost. He seemed to be feeling a little better. Then tonight at the 8:30 visit he was sleepy, feverish and not feeling so good. They re-wrapped him in wet bandages this time. They warned us when he was admitted that it is a roller-coaster ride back there in the ICU. Now we are seeing what they meant! It's 6:00 PM and we have just now found out that Joe is back in his room but we are still hoping to talk with the doctor. We are still waiting and trusting that everything went well with the surgery.
At the 5 o'clock visit Joe ate some of his supper and drank a Boost. He seemed to be feeling a little better. Then tonight at the 8:30 visit he was sleepy, feverish and not feeling so good. They re-wrapped him in wet bandages this time. They warned us when he was admitted that it is a roller-coaster ride back there in the ICU. Now we are seeing what they meant! It's 6:00 PM and we have just now found out that Joe is back in his room but we are still hoping to talk with the doctor. We are still waiting and trusting that everything went well with the surgery.
May 26 - 28
Wed. May 26th: Kay, Jeep and I arrived early at the hospital, but Joe had already been carried to the surgery area about 7:30. We were told that it would take about 4 hours to do all the grafts. These were mostly on his back, buttocks, arms and legs, with the right arm and leg being the worst. About 10:30 Jan, came out and told us they had finished his back and the rest of the surgery on his legs, arms and sides would take longer. It was about 2:15 when they finished and by 3:30 we got to speak with him as they were taking him back to his room in the ICU.
Thursday, May 27th: This day went well because Joe and all of us were so very glad that they didn’t use the paralyzing medicine or have to leave the ventilator tube in his mouth. Previously, we had been told that after the surgery to do all the grafts, he would be kept on the paralyzing drug and have the vent in for two weeks! This was so that he would not move during this critical time of healing. We were really dreading that! Joe promised to be very still and not move. After the surgery Joe was a little hungry and very thirsty. He has eaten very little in the last month but wants to drink something all the time.
Friday May 28: They have started the drying out process. They alternate the areas and times of unwrapping and letting the grafts dry out. They also alternate using wet or dry wraps according to how the healing is progressing. All this is supposed to speed up the healing process. When we visited at noon, Joe was turned up on his side in what appeared to be an uncomfortable position in order to dry out his back. He looked like he was in pain, but when the nurse asked him if he wanted pain medication, he said, "No". Tonight Joe and Kay’s son, Jesse, is graduating from high school. We are sad that we can’t be there for him, but with a little engineering, we were able to watch it in real time via web cams and using an air card they borrowed from the county. Granddaughter, Kymberly and nephew, Steve engineered this at the football field back home. Kay bought a web cam and had Jesse’s laptop computer, so we watched it from Joe’s room. Joe seemed to enjoy it, although the picture was a little jumpy. Joe ‘saw’ a few things on the screen that weren’t really there. They were airing Joe’s legs out when we left tonight. The last note that I jotted down in my daily diary was, "I am getting very tired!" For the next five weeks I didn’t write anything else. I will look back at my blog and try to remember ‘the rest of the story’.
Thursday, May 27th: This day went well because Joe and all of us were so very glad that they didn’t use the paralyzing medicine or have to leave the ventilator tube in his mouth. Previously, we had been told that after the surgery to do all the grafts, he would be kept on the paralyzing drug and have the vent in for two weeks! This was so that he would not move during this critical time of healing. We were really dreading that! Joe promised to be very still and not move. After the surgery Joe was a little hungry and very thirsty. He has eaten very little in the last month but wants to drink something all the time.
Friday May 28: They have started the drying out process. They alternate the areas and times of unwrapping and letting the grafts dry out. They also alternate using wet or dry wraps according to how the healing is progressing. All this is supposed to speed up the healing process. When we visited at noon, Joe was turned up on his side in what appeared to be an uncomfortable position in order to dry out his back. He looked like he was in pain, but when the nurse asked him if he wanted pain medication, he said, "No". Tonight Joe and Kay’s son, Jesse, is graduating from high school. We are sad that we can’t be there for him, but with a little engineering, we were able to watch it in real time via web cams and using an air card they borrowed from the county. Granddaughter, Kymberly and nephew, Steve engineered this at the football field back home. Kay bought a web cam and had Jesse’s laptop computer, so we watched it from Joe’s room. Joe seemed to enjoy it, although the picture was a little jumpy. Joe ‘saw’ a few things on the screen that weren’t really there. They were airing Joe’s legs out when we left tonight. The last note that I jotted down in my daily diary was, "I am getting very tired!" For the next five weeks I didn’t write anything else. I will look back at my blog and try to remember ‘the rest of the story’.
Some Other Patients
But here, I would like to tell you about some of the other patients and their families. There are people here who have family members who have been a patient here for three or four months! Some were burned in house fires like Danielle, who lost two of her children in the fire and almost lost her own life trying to rescue them. She was in the first room just inside the ICU, and Joe was in the second room. Danielle is Black and the fire destroyed much of the pigment of he skin. She was very badly burned, but she is cheered up each day as her family ( her mother or her sister, Erica) come four times a day to encourage her. Erica is so funny and keeps all of us laughing. Danielle didn’t want to leave the comfort of her ICU room to go to another floor when her condition improved. She told her mother, "I’m ugly". Her wise mother said, "There are lots of ugly people in this world, but you are not one of them!" By the time we left Augusta, Danielle was in ReHab walking on the treadmill, praising God, and talking about going home.
One young man was brought in with electrical burns he received in an accident at work. His nylon or polyester clothes were literally melted. He had a very delightful and faithful girl friend who was a pleasure to get to know. While he was there he got skin grafts and had many ups and downs on his way to recovery, but later on we got to see him go home!
One day they brought in three men who had received electrical burns at work. When all of their families were there, they filled up the small waiting room. At times like that, we walked down a hall to the main ICU waiting room. There was much more space, a larger TV, coffee, and even blankets and pillows for those who needed a place to crash for the night. This is on the third floor and a long curved wall of windows provide light and a panoramic view.
We learned of one young woman who was burned in a bon fire around Christmastime. Her partner, Baby Jane, was there every day to encourage her and tend to any needs she might have. It’s a long time to have to stay in the hospital from Christmas to the fourth of July! (She was still there when we left on July 2nd.)
I think the saddest cases were the ones that were brought in because of burns received while trying to make crystal meth! One young man had been there since February and was still there when we left on July 2nd. His skin has healed but he has internal injuries, perhaps from the chemicals. His parents are divorced, but both of them seemed very nice. They take turns coming to Augusta to stay with their son. His Dad told us that his son had been in jail and he was trying to give him some ‘tough love’ by leaving him in jail to teach him a lesson. As soon as he was released from jail, he went to a hotel and tried to make some crystal meth. It blew up and he was horribly burned. Surely all this pain and suffering will teach him something!
A grown man was brought in because the crystal meth he was making blew up in his face. His partner in crime didn’t want to get involved so he called the injured man’s wife and told her where she could find him, then left him at the end of a road by the highway! In addition to all the burns on his skin, he was blinded in both eyes! His wife said the doctors told her that he would have to have corneal transplants before they could even see the condition of the retina. He was still there when we left.
A very distraught woman came in and told us that her sister was badly burned and her house completely burned up because their crystal meth lab blew up. Later, she was advised by some of the other people there to change her story. There were young children at home when the explosion and fire happened. What is so sad to me about these people is that, although their burns will heal, what about their heart and soul? They will go home and then what will they do? Will they be forever changed for the good and stop doing the awful, illegal thing that caused their injury? Or will they just fall back in their old ways, thinking that now that they know what can happen, they will continue making crystal meth, but just try to be more careful??? I can’t help but wonder what will happen to them.
A young black woman was brought in because her father, who had just been released from jail, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire! This was on the local news! They kept this case very quite and guarded in the hospital.
Several people were burned because they thought they were using diesel fuel on fires to burn trash or something outside, but it turned out to be gasoline. All of these people thought that THEY would not get burned!
One young man was brought in with electrical burns he received in an accident at work. His nylon or polyester clothes were literally melted. He had a very delightful and faithful girl friend who was a pleasure to get to know. While he was there he got skin grafts and had many ups and downs on his way to recovery, but later on we got to see him go home!
One day they brought in three men who had received electrical burns at work. When all of their families were there, they filled up the small waiting room. At times like that, we walked down a hall to the main ICU waiting room. There was much more space, a larger TV, coffee, and even blankets and pillows for those who needed a place to crash for the night. This is on the third floor and a long curved wall of windows provide light and a panoramic view.
We learned of one young woman who was burned in a bon fire around Christmastime. Her partner, Baby Jane, was there every day to encourage her and tend to any needs she might have. It’s a long time to have to stay in the hospital from Christmas to the fourth of July! (She was still there when we left on July 2nd.)
I think the saddest cases were the ones that were brought in because of burns received while trying to make crystal meth! One young man had been there since February and was still there when we left on July 2nd. His skin has healed but he has internal injuries, perhaps from the chemicals. His parents are divorced, but both of them seemed very nice. They take turns coming to Augusta to stay with their son. His Dad told us that his son had been in jail and he was trying to give him some ‘tough love’ by leaving him in jail to teach him a lesson. As soon as he was released from jail, he went to a hotel and tried to make some crystal meth. It blew up and he was horribly burned. Surely all this pain and suffering will teach him something!
A grown man was brought in because the crystal meth he was making blew up in his face. His partner in crime didn’t want to get involved so he called the injured man’s wife and told her where she could find him, then left him at the end of a road by the highway! In addition to all the burns on his skin, he was blinded in both eyes! His wife said the doctors told her that he would have to have corneal transplants before they could even see the condition of the retina. He was still there when we left.
A very distraught woman came in and told us that her sister was badly burned and her house completely burned up because their crystal meth lab blew up. Later, she was advised by some of the other people there to change her story. There were young children at home when the explosion and fire happened. What is so sad to me about these people is that, although their burns will heal, what about their heart and soul? They will go home and then what will they do? Will they be forever changed for the good and stop doing the awful, illegal thing that caused their injury? Or will they just fall back in their old ways, thinking that now that they know what can happen, they will continue making crystal meth, but just try to be more careful??? I can’t help but wonder what will happen to them.
A young black woman was brought in because her father, who had just been released from jail, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire! This was on the local news! They kept this case very quite and guarded in the hospital.
Several people were burned because they thought they were using diesel fuel on fires to burn trash or something outside, but it turned out to be gasoline. All of these people thought that THEY would not get burned!
Waiting Room Stories
There are too many stories to try to tell them all here, and there were thousands more before we came and will be many more after we leave. One night a black family came in and seemed to be in great turmoil. Of course they had a family member who had been burned, but what seemed to be troubling the grandmother more than anything was some kind of strife within the family. Some of them were out in the hall talking loudly. Another family member, we thought was a son-in-law tried to talk to her about just letting go of the family trouble and concentrating on the person who was injured. Jeep noticed their need and quietly went to them, told them he was a Christian Minister and asked them if they would like for him to pray with them. By that time, most everyone else had left the tiny waiting room, and there Jeep knelt and prayed with them. The old grandmother seemed to feel much better afterwards and I don’t know about her, but I was very touched by this spontaneous act of Christian love.
We see many of the family members who wait here witness to their faith in God, as one Hispanic woman whose child had been run over by an SUV. Evidently, she was the only member of her family who could speak English. Her mother, husband and children only spoke Spanish. She was very upset and when the time was just right, Jeep offered to pray with her. It is in tender and compassionate moments like that, I am reminded just how blessed I am to be married to this man!
A retired man about age 70 was burned as he was working to restore an old tractor. This was his hobby and he had restored many antique tractors before, but something went wrong this time and he was badly burned. He died before we left Georgia to come home. His wife was a very pleasant person and my heart aches for her.
During the time we were in Georgia we celebrated, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Joe’s 48th birthday, and the 3rd anniversary of our wedding. We missed the Memorial at North Union Cemetery, where most of our relatives are buried. The Memorial is a time for family reunions and we always look forward to it. We also missed Jesse’s high school graduation, and all of the activities associated with it.
We see many of the family members who wait here witness to their faith in God, as one Hispanic woman whose child had been run over by an SUV. Evidently, she was the only member of her family who could speak English. Her mother, husband and children only spoke Spanish. She was very upset and when the time was just right, Jeep offered to pray with her. It is in tender and compassionate moments like that, I am reminded just how blessed I am to be married to this man!
A retired man about age 70 was burned as he was working to restore an old tractor. This was his hobby and he had restored many antique tractors before, but something went wrong this time and he was badly burned. He died before we left Georgia to come home. His wife was a very pleasant person and my heart aches for her.
During the time we were in Georgia we celebrated, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Joe’s 48th birthday, and the 3rd anniversary of our wedding. We missed the Memorial at North Union Cemetery, where most of our relatives are buried. The Memorial is a time for family reunions and we always look forward to it. We also missed Jesse’s high school graduation, and all of the activities associated with it.
May 29 - June 5
May 29th: Jeep has a nephew who lives in Houston, TX with his sweet wife, Jeannie. Jeannie has a two sisters who live in Augusta and she had told them about us being there for so long. Jeannie’s sister, Joy, called one day and we talked a long time just like old friends. She set this date for us to come have supper with her, her sister and her brother-in-law. We sandwiched this event between the afternoon visit and the night visit to see Joe. Joy lives is a beautiful part of Augusta. There are lots of tall trees and manicured lawns everywhere. Although we had never met Joy or her sister, Hope, we immediately felt at home with them. The aroma of steaks on the grill greeted us as we entered the yard. Her back yard was very beautiful with lots of interesting flowers, shrubs and trees. We sat in her sun room overlooking the back yard until supper was ready. After a scrumptious meal and dessert, we enjoyed more conversation before leaving to go back to the hospital. This was a delightful break in our routine!
May 30th . On Sunday we checked on Joe and since he was doing okay, we left Kay at the hospital and drove about two hours north to the Bethlehem community out from Atlanta to see Jeep’s daughter, Jennifer, her husband, Bryan and their son, Jackson. They had driven down from Chicago to visit Bryan’s parents over the long Memorial Day weekend. We wanted to hear Jennifer sing and play a special at church there and of course we wanted to see our grandson. We went to church with them and then to Bryan’s parent’s house for lunch. We had a good visit with them and got back to the hospital in time for the last visiting time.
On Joe’s birthday, June 4th, he was sedated once again to have the many staples removed and the backing removed from the CEAs. I think Joe has been put to sleep 12 times for surgeries and various procedures! When Joe was wheeled back into his room, there was a little chocolate birthday cupcake given to him by the physician’s assistant, Jan! We didn’t think he would feel like celebrating his birthday today, so we put off our celebration until the next day. However, the nurses were not going to let it pass. They bought him a birthday cake, brought it to his room and gathered just outside the big glass doors and sang Happy Birthday to him. One of the nurses who knew him was working on another floor that night and she came down at 2:00 A.M. and woke him up and wished him a happy birthday!!
June 5th: We had our little celebration for Joe’s birthday today. Kay had the bakery make and decorate a cake for him. We gave him a few gifts and he got some cards. It’s hard to have much of a celebration in the ICU! We all ate a little cake and gave the rest to the nurses. Speaking of nurses, Joe had some really good ones and only one that made him nervous! Almost half of his nurses were males, which was a little surprising to me.
May 30th . On Sunday we checked on Joe and since he was doing okay, we left Kay at the hospital and drove about two hours north to the Bethlehem community out from Atlanta to see Jeep’s daughter, Jennifer, her husband, Bryan and their son, Jackson. They had driven down from Chicago to visit Bryan’s parents over the long Memorial Day weekend. We wanted to hear Jennifer sing and play a special at church there and of course we wanted to see our grandson. We went to church with them and then to Bryan’s parent’s house for lunch. We had a good visit with them and got back to the hospital in time for the last visiting time.
On Joe’s birthday, June 4th, he was sedated once again to have the many staples removed and the backing removed from the CEAs. I think Joe has been put to sleep 12 times for surgeries and various procedures! When Joe was wheeled back into his room, there was a little chocolate birthday cupcake given to him by the physician’s assistant, Jan! We didn’t think he would feel like celebrating his birthday today, so we put off our celebration until the next day. However, the nurses were not going to let it pass. They bought him a birthday cake, brought it to his room and gathered just outside the big glass doors and sang Happy Birthday to him. One of the nurses who knew him was working on another floor that night and she came down at 2:00 A.M. and woke him up and wished him a happy birthday!!
June 5th: We had our little celebration for Joe’s birthday today. Kay had the bakery make and decorate a cake for him. We gave him a few gifts and he got some cards. It’s hard to have much of a celebration in the ICU! We all ate a little cake and gave the rest to the nurses. Speaking of nurses, Joe had some really good ones and only one that made him nervous! Almost half of his nurses were males, which was a little surprising to me.
June 6 - June 14 2010
June 6th. Jeep and I went to morning worship at Marvin United Methodist Church again. I don’t remember how many worship services we attended at Marvin UMC while in Augusta, but I think about six times during the two months we were there. We always felt very welcome and at home at this church. Many people here prayed for Joe and for us. Some made genuine offers to help in any way. One lady even offered for us to stay in her home! The youth minister and the pastor made trips to the hospital to see Joe. They offered these two strangers their love, prayers and support when they saw our need. I only hope that we, at our churches, can be that generous and caring when we see the needs of others!
June 8th . Joe has had tubes and IVs in every orifice except his ears! Today he was glad to get one of them removed. They took out the line that has been in his artery the whole time to measure his blood pressure with every heartbeat. They also let him sit on the side of the bed for a bit. He said it felt weird.
June 9th . Joe took a few steps in his ICU room today! This is the 3rd anniversary of our wedding. Jeep managed to call and have a dozen red roses delivered to the apartment as a surprise for me! I thought this was so sweet and thoughtful of him! I would have taken them for Joe to enjoy, but he can’t have flowers in the ICU.
June 10th. Joe walked out in the hall of the ICU, about 14 feet. They are planning to start removing tubes and IVs to get him ready to move to Re-Hab on the 6th floor.
June 12. Jeep and I came home for a few days while Kay’s sister, Amy, her husband, Ronnie and Joe and Kay’s children, Kym and Jesse come and visit. Kay called with a good report on Joe. He is detached from the BM tube and he took a long walk.
June 13th. Joe is free of all the tubes and walked all around the ICU hall...twice! The PICC line will remain in his arm until he is dismissed, just in case they need to give him medication quickly. He will be going to Re-Hab soon.
June 14th . They discovered a small blood clot in Joe’s leg and are giving him medicine to dissolve it.
June 16 - July 1st
June 16th We went back to Augusta and Jesse, Kym, Amy and Ronnie came home. Joe started Re-Hab today and said it was not as bad as he had expected. He is so eager to go home! He said this is the longest he has ever been away from home. While he is in Re-Hab the visiting hours are different. He is busy with exercises, etc. in the mornings, eats lunch with the other patients and then more exercise until 3 PM. After that we can visit until 9 PM. Kay and I take advantage of these free mornings to do a little shopping. More waiting, more visits after 3 PM.
June 20th . Sunday. Jeep and I went to church again at Marvin United Methodist Church. This church is smaller than Eupora First UMC and larger than Lebanon UMC.
June 21st. They took Joe’s walker away. I don’t think he ever used it much anyway! They are teaching Kay how to care for Joe’s grafts and the places where they removed his skin to be used for grafts.
June 22nd . The doctors plan to let Joe leave the hospital this coming Saturday, June 26th if he continues to do well. This will be exactly 2 months after his accident. They want him to stay at the apartment with us until after his appointment with Dr. Hassan, his surgeon, on Wednesday, June 30th. Maybe by then his compression garments will be here and can be fitted.
June 26th . It took all morning, but Kay got Joe checked out of the hospital about 11:00 this morning. Joe asked if we were cooking at the apartment and I had to say, NO. He wanted to know why not. So this is my first day to actually cook a whole meal here. I tried to have some of his favorite things. Tonight Joe and Kay went out to Logan’s Roadhouse for supper. After eating almost nothing for two months, his appetite has returned with a vengeance! It was so good to see them walking to the car hand in hand!
June 27th. Sunday. Jeep and I went to church. We always receive a blessing by worshiping with these open and loving people!
June 29th . Tuesday. We had a late breakfast and a very late lunch/supper today. We are testing Joe out with mini-trips around town to see how he will fare on the long trip home. We ate lunch/supper at the Olive Garden.
July 1st We are beginning to pack up for the trip home tomorrow. While carrying a load to the van, Jeep missed the last step on the stairs and hurt his arm on the railing.
June 20th . Sunday. Jeep and I went to church again at Marvin United Methodist Church. This church is smaller than Eupora First UMC and larger than Lebanon UMC.
June 21st. They took Joe’s walker away. I don’t think he ever used it much anyway! They are teaching Kay how to care for Joe’s grafts and the places where they removed his skin to be used for grafts.
June 22nd . The doctors plan to let Joe leave the hospital this coming Saturday, June 26th if he continues to do well. This will be exactly 2 months after his accident. They want him to stay at the apartment with us until after his appointment with Dr. Hassan, his surgeon, on Wednesday, June 30th. Maybe by then his compression garments will be here and can be fitted.
June 26th . It took all morning, but Kay got Joe checked out of the hospital about 11:00 this morning. Joe asked if we were cooking at the apartment and I had to say, NO. He wanted to know why not. So this is my first day to actually cook a whole meal here. I tried to have some of his favorite things. Tonight Joe and Kay went out to Logan’s Roadhouse for supper. After eating almost nothing for two months, his appetite has returned with a vengeance! It was so good to see them walking to the car hand in hand!
June 27th. Sunday. Jeep and I went to church. We always receive a blessing by worshiping with these open and loving people!
June 29th . Tuesday. We had a late breakfast and a very late lunch/supper today. We are testing Joe out with mini-trips around town to see how he will fare on the long trip home. We ate lunch/supper at the Olive Garden.
July 1st We are beginning to pack up for the trip home tomorrow. While carrying a load to the van, Jeep missed the last step on the stairs and hurt his arm on the railing.
July 2, 2010 Friday
Today is Joe’s last appointment with the surgeon and all the others who will check on him and also fit his compression garments. It took all morning with his final checkup, etc. We left the apartment about noon and ate lunch at the Cracker Barrel. I covered a foam rubber pad and brought it for Joe to use on the trip home. He rode up front with Jeep while Kay and I did the back seat driving:-) We made several rest stops so Joe could stretch. At Leeds, near Birmingham, we made a long rest stop at the Bass Pro Shop. We ate sandwiches and shopped a little while there. We had planned to take two days for the long trip home, but since we were only 3 hours from home, Joe wanted to keep going. We got to Joe's home about 10:00 PM. Joe was very tired, as well as the rest of us! Kym had worked so hard getting a Welcome Home Party together. She had made signs, strung streamers, blown up balloons and had the extended family there to greet Joe and Kay and welcome them home. We were so thankful for the safe trip and were all very glad to be home! We continue to praise God for His healing power as He worked through the Doctors and staff who were open to His guidance. Thanks be to God for always letting us feel His comforting Spirit. We are eternally grateful for all the people who faithfully prayed for Joe’s healing. Never doubt the power of prayer!
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UPDATE:
One year ago today, July 2, 2010, we brought Joe home from spending two months in the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA. So much has happened during the past year. God continues to show us His healing power and His mercy. Joe is working, but has to be in an air conditioned environment because he has so many grafts that have no sweat glands or pores. He could easily get too hot and have a heat stroke before he even realized he was too hot. There are many things he can't do and he still has to wear a full body compression garment 23 hours a day. Hopefully, he will be able to leave that off some time this Fall. If you saw Joe, you would not know that he had been burned unless you noticed his hands. He and his wife have been back to Augusta for checkups and procedures many times during the past year. There are several proposed surgeries he could have to improve certain areas. He may choose to have them or leave things as they are now. After being put to sleep for thirteen surgeries plus the 3 procedures, I'm sure he is not anxious to have more. We are so very thankful to have Joe with us, scars and all, and we are so keenly aware that this story could have had a very unhappy ending. We continue to be so thankful for all of you who prayed for Joe.
Peace and Grace,
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UPDATE:
One Year Ago Today
One year ago today, July 2, 2010, we brought Joe home from spending two months in the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, GA. So much has happened during the past year. God continues to show us His healing power and His mercy. Joe is working, but has to be in an air conditioned environment because he has so many grafts that have no sweat glands or pores. He could easily get too hot and have a heat stroke before he even realized he was too hot. There are many things he can't do and he still has to wear a full body compression garment 23 hours a day. Hopefully, he will be able to leave that off some time this Fall. If you saw Joe, you would not know that he had been burned unless you noticed his hands. He and his wife have been back to Augusta for checkups and procedures many times during the past year. There are several proposed surgeries he could have to improve certain areas. He may choose to have them or leave things as they are now. After being put to sleep for thirteen surgeries plus the 3 procedures, I'm sure he is not anxious to have more. We are so very thankful to have Joe with us, scars and all, and we are so keenly aware that this story could have had a very unhappy ending. We continue to be so thankful for all of you who prayed for Joe.
Peace and Grace,
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