August 21 | 6:00 PM

It has been a little while since we have updated Amy's progress.  Last week we had her first follow up appointments with the burn doc and the ortho doc.  Since she is no weight bearing on both legs, just getting her to the doctor appointments are no easy task.  She can't bend her legs and needs someone to hold her legs while she uses her upper body to move from wheelchair to bed, etc.  This makes getting into a car close to impossible.  If the wheelchair isnt a few inches away from the bed or seat that she is moving to, that makes it pretty impossible.  If she has to move up from a wheelchair to a seat that is several inches higher....forget about it.  So right now we cannot go in our own car.  We have to get a ride that is wheelchair accessible.  Any guesses on how much that costs?   We got a quote for $70 each way to go to her primary docs office which was 5 miles from our house.  We got quotes for $140 each way to go to our ortho and burn docs at Swedish.  Not covered by insurance.

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We found a rental for $125 for a day.  Were able to wrap two appointments in a 24 hour period.  What a pain.

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Her burns are progressing quite well, as we learned last Thursday.  They aren't very painful anymore.  This is a blessing.

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Her knee, as we learned on Friday afternoon, is dislocated.  She had to go to the OR on Monday (21st) to go under anesthisia to have her knee realigned.  They put a large external fixator back on her leg to hold everything in place.  Good news is we may not have to do a major surgery to repair ligaments in her knee.  Bad news is we may have a 9th surgery to add more surface area to keep her knee from moving off of her Tibia Plateau.

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We will know more on Friday.at her check up....yep another trip to the doctors in which we get to pay hundreds of dollars just to get her there and back.

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Some more good news....though she has an external fixator back on her leg, she will be able to start putting weight on her one leg, almost immediately.  The fixator prevents her from being able to damage the bones or joints by putting weight on her leg.  We just need to work with PT over the next week or two to get strength back in her leg and get control of the pain and she may be able to transfer from wheelchair to other things with weight on her one leg.  This may allow us to use our own vehicle and Amy will no longer be completely home bound.  I am guessing this will take us a little time but a week or two is a much better length of time than 6-12 weeks.  At least something to compensate for having to have an external fixator again.

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Her right leg is making some good progress too.  She might be able to start putting a little weight on that leg in the next 2-3 weeks.  She has pins in her foot (sticking out through the skin) that will probably be removed in the next couple of weeks.  She wears a boot on that leg which we can take off occassionaly to clean etc, but has to stay immoblile while it heals.  The good news there is we didn't have to have a cast.

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We have known from the beginning of this, that we are on a long road to recovery   Mentally we think through that  and except that.  Emotionally, the reality of it all can really get to you.  The magnitude of it all can be overwhelming, so Amy (and I) have our moments where it seems to be so much to take on.  We are reminded that we need to take it one day at a time.  One day at a time and we will get to the finish line.

August 9 | 6:00 AM

It has been a busy few days.  Amy came home Monday late afternoon.  It was a day of anxiety.  We had the help of a wonderful medical staff that took such good care of Amy and then we were anticipating the journey placed before us to do this on our own.  Excited to come home!  Nervous about whether we would be able to do it without the help of such kind and capable doctors and nurses.

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Amy came home in a medical transport because she cannot put wait on her legs and currently has limited mobility and flexibility in her legs.  Difficult to get in a car when one or two people have to hold her legs while she tries to transport her body from wheelchair to car seat with her upper body.  That ride was a bit traumatic for Amy as I think it reminded her of the reality of her injuries and how dependent she is on others right now.

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First 24 hours home were difficult.  She had some nausea and we had some difficulty controlling her pain.  One of the meds that she takes was not available right away at the pharmacy.  We learned that it was pretty important after all:-(  So far the second 24 hours have been a bit smoother.  Pain is better controlled.  So far no nausea.  Slept really well through the night.  A big 'thanks' to our awesome friend Mindi who came down from Grand Junction for the week (her second week with us) to support us while I work (and basically help 24 hrs a day).  This first week home has been an easier transition because of her.  Don't want to leave out all the others who are bringing us meals, coming over to help, helping us get the boys ready for school, etc.  We are so blessed...makes a long road easier to handle.  

Another update - Her batadine 'scab' over her donor site came off completely today.  In the morning about 90% of it was free from her leg.  In the evening the last 10% came off.  It looks good and removes a lot of discomfort!

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And, we got to see Kirk and Stacey for the first time since we watched them all leave a terrible accident in a helicopter.  They are a little more mobile than us so they came to our house.  So good to see them and witness in person that we are all surviving.  

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Good friends and family are the best therapy!

August 6 | 5:00 PM

Amy's surgery on the 3rd was successful.  She came out of the surgery with no nausea and the pain was fairly well managed.  The pain quickly started picking up though later in the day.  Friday and Saturday were very difficult days with the pain being very high and hard to control.  The doctors basically stated that based on the amount of work that they had to do, the excessive pain was to be expected.  She had many crushed bones and some bones fragments had already been removed in a previous surgery, because of the amount of trauma which  had rendured those bone fragments non-viable.  Saturday night Amy was still in quite a bit of pain, but we had hope that she would turn the corner today.

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She did!  Amy is feeling so much better.  She is able to control her pain with oral pain medicine.  This is pretty important as she cannot leave the hospital until we can get off of IV pain medication.  They have been talking about her going home on Monday, as long as her pain was under control.  We haven't heard an official word, but it is our expectation that she will be home tomorrow!

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She will be in a wheelchair with no weight bearing for several weeks.  Probably 12 weeks.  Of course that will be decided on a day by day basis.  No weight bearing means she has to do all transports from chair to bed, to whatever, with just her upper body while someone else holds her legs.  This makes travel by vehicle only possibe with a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

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Fees are starting to roll in.  We got a bill the other day for the flight from Grand Junction to Denver....over $30,000.  That is before insurance has been assessed, but I suspect that fee alone will be about 20% for us to have to pick up.  We will see bills coming in for Flight for Life, 7 surgeries, 25 days in Burn Unit/ICU, countless xrays and scans, transport fees, medical equipment rentals, physical therapy, and who knows what else.  We don't know what will be coming and what we will end up having to pay out of our own pocket.  We sure thank you for all of your prayers, kind thoughts, awesome acts of service, donations, and your love.  We have so much more of this journey ahead of us. Now that we will not have the round the clock care of an awesome medical staff (Swedish has been so awesome and so good to us), we will really need support.  We are truly blessed with amazing family and friends!!!  

August 2 | 1:00 PM

Amy had all bandages and woundvacs removed today to look at whether the donor (her skin that was taken from her thigh) graphs had successfully taken.  It was the first time we really saw the wounds ourselves since the night of the accident.  It was emotional to see the extent of the damage that had occured.  In the dark of that night it was harder to tell how bad things actually were.  Though the burns covered a smaller area (her feet and lower shins) they were clearly deep and extensive.  

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Good news!!  The auto graphs have adhered 100%!  They look great and are healing perfectly.  Her donor site is scabbing over like it should.  Because of that, we will be doing her final (hopefully) surgery tomorrow on her right foot.  More good news is they did some more x-rays and CT scans and they believe that they are going to be able to do more extensive repairs to her foot and ankle and maybe less fusing.  This means potentially more range of motion than was originally anticipated.

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Last week was a rough week where it was easy to feel like she was moving more backwards than forwards.  This week has been much kinder with some positive progress and we are grateful for that.  

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So Amy has her 7th out of 7 surgeries tomorrow.  We hope and pray that it is as successful as possible and we are able to get the best result that we can.  We also pray that she doesn't have a bad post-operative reaction to surgery...that she is not nausious or in lots of pain.  If everything goes well, she may be discharged from the hospital this weekend.  We have a long road ahead of us and she will be wheelchair bound for 8-12 weeks before she can put any weight on her legs.  This will require a lot of assistance and upper body strength, but we will get through it.  Feeling blessed!

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Fund-Me Site

Many people have been asking to help us with the massive amounts of medical bills and expenses that we are/will be encountering through this recovery.  With the advice and pushing of friends, we agreed to set up a Fund Me site. I have to say this is hard for us to accept assistance, but it is also a huge stressor to anticipate the costs that we are going to face and how we are going to meet those obligations.  We don't ask you to donate, but if you feel so inclined to do so, we will be humbled and grateful.

JULY 27 | 9:00PM

Amy had a total of three surgeries this week. Monday Burns, Wednesday Left Leg Ortho, and Thursday Burns.  Monday was fairly straight forward and mostly uneventful...about a one hour surgery to clean and maintain.  Wednesday was pretty much the opposite. They had to repair 20ish bone breaks at the top of her Tib (top of shin bone just below the knee). She went down for pre op at about 10 am and made it back to her room at about 4pm. 

The surgeon informed us that this surgery was anything but straightforward. They got in all the hardware and removed her external fixator that straddled her knee. Unfortunately, they put a new ex fix on her left foot to pull it into a 90 degree angle to prevent future complications. That meant a pin through her heal and into her lower shin with straps that pulled her foot back into a 90 degree angle. When she came out of surgery she was super nauseous and in incredible amounts of pain. They had difficulty getting on top of it. Amy said that Wednesday night was the worst night of her life....considering what she has been through,that says a lot! 

She couldn't eat because of surgery and was able to get a half a sandwich down before she wasn't allowed to eat again because of the next surgery. Thursday was burn surgery. They basically removed good skin from her thigh to apply to her burned areas that were not healing with new skin on their own. Surgery started at 7 am and she got back to her room around 1 pm. She had great anxiety going into surgery based on what she just experienced. 

Good news! She came out with no nausea and pain is well managed! Yay! She is basically in pain management and healing mode. She can't get her right foot surgery until the burns are healed on that foot. This can take 1-4 weeks and will be done as out patient. Weight will not be possible on the left leg for a minimum of eight weeks. Weight on the right leg can start the day after that surgery has been done. 

They are talking about us going home as early as this weekend, but more likely Monday or early next week. We have to figure out a few things first: pain management, how to transport when she can't put weight on her legs or bend one of them, being skilled enough and strong enough to transfer herself from bed to chair to car to house to chair to bed etc. We are on the long road to recovery but making strides!

JULY 27 | 9:00AM

Amy had surgery on her left leg on Wednesday. It was to repair her tibia with the hardware and to remove the external fixator. Coming out of surgery, Amy was very nauseous, which is common for Amy.  She doesn't really take well to anesthesia. Doctors said surgery went better than expected. The break was very extensive--about 20 pieces to put back together.They took off the external fixator on her knee, but had to put on a new one at her heel. She won't be too happy about that when she wakes up! They did this because she had been laying in bed for so long that her foot has straightened and they need it to be able to bend at a 90 degree angle.  So the doctors put the fixator on as her foot is flexed at 90 degrees. She will have the fixator on for 2 weeks and will not be able to put any weight on the foot for 8 weeks! Stay strong! We will take care of you, Amy!!

After surgery, they had trouble managing her pain. She has been doing so well, it was hard to see her in so much pain after this surgery.  

Today, Amy is having burn surgery. This too is very painful and will be a rough couple of days ahead. Keep her in your prayers.

JULY 25 | 8:00PM

Amy had surgery yesterday. It wasn't too long.  They were able to remove the bandages on her arm. The skin has healed nicely. They had to remove a lot of tissue on her legs so she is in more pain than she has been in for a while. They are working to manage the pain but it was a hard day.  

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She was also visited by all her Lake Powell House Boat friends yesterday! Although she was a little groggy from surgery, she was able to enjoy their company!

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Amy is targeted for surgery on her left leg for Wednesday or Thursday.  The right foot is still at wait-and-see.  She is also targeted for autografting for Thursday. That is where they take some skin and graft it onto the more severe areas to get skin growing back. Surgery days are a little more exhausting.

JULY 24 | 2:00PM

 Amy had burn surgery this morning.  More to come shortly!!

JULY 22 | 7:00PM

Amy had a pretty relaxing day.  She was able to eat smash burger and enjoy it! Curt has been trying to hook up his Ipad to the TV so Amy can watch all her DVR shows.  She hates the fact that she can only bend one leg, but is grateful she can at least bend one leg! 

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She has been visited by many and enjoyes the company and conversations.  Like Kirk, Amy has been told to talk about the accident to help her heal.  She has spoken to therapists and they work on her emotional side to the accident.  

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Interesting fact--her burns are wrapped in bandages made with silver.  The silver helps prevent bacteria from growing.  Bacteria cannot survive on silver! Who knew?...Maybe some of you smart people who are reading this!

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Amy is having burn surgery on Monday. 

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JULY 21 | 7:00PM

Amy had a REAL shower today!! It's the little things that we take for granted that means the world to a recovering patient! She also got to go outside and get some fresh air. The Doctors took off the lens on her eye that was helping it heal.  It looks good, but she still has a little blurriness in that eye.  She wore her glasses for the first time so it was nice to be able to see more clearly and recognize people when they come in to visit. (Although we were all enjoying announcing our grand entrance as we came into the room). 

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Amy will have burn surgery on Monday, which is where they put her under and scrub the dead skin off her burns.  It is painful, but she is out as they do the rough work. They are also looking to close the wound on her right foot. Ortho surgery is still out a ways.  

JULY 19 | 10:00PM

Amy and Curt were able to FaceTime Stacey and Kirk --separately yesterday! That was great for all involved for healing and reassurance that everyone was okay. No change or update in the timing of the next surgeries, we are probably looking at the end of next week at the earliest. Things are healing well. Amy's eye looks much better--the bruising has nearly gone away, but she still can't see very well out of it. They have an amniotic lens on the eye to help heal it. She is a bit groggy the last couple of days as they are trying to wean her off of the IV pain killers onto pills and get the right balance. She looks great. Her spirits are great. And she is a joy to be around! 

JULY 17 | 3:00PM

Amy went into surgery at about 10am this morning.  She is out now, but I do not have any information yet. More to come!

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Amy's surgeries went well.  They were able to realign her left leg fixator.  They removed the fixator on her right ankle and did internal pins to hold things together.  This enabled the burn surgeon to do more work on her burns. It will be several days before the swelling goes down and they can finish the work. It is likely they will do work on her ankle before they can do work on her left leg. So we are looking at multiple surgeries.  They did extensive burn surgery. It has been very painful and has taken several hours to manage the pain but it seems to be under control now.  Amy is a little loopy though.  Her arm looks really good and looks like it will heal on its own now.  Her legs look like she will be doing some skin grafts but it will probably be 10-14 days before they will be able to do that.

JULY 16 | 9:00PM

Amy has been alert most of the day. She even crack some jokes while her sister was in the room. She will have surgery on Monday morning to clean out her wounds and breaks and to adjust the external fixators. If it works out she will also have some burn surgery done at the same time, otherwise the burn surgery will happen on Tuesday. She is doing well and is in pretty good spirits. She was able to talk to Landon (her son on a mission in Brazil) and had a great conversation with him. 

JULY 15 | 9:00PM

Amy finally got the breathing tube out of her throat and is extremely happy about that. She is talking and worrying about all involved with the accident. She loves her nurses and tells them how much she appreciates all they do for her.  

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She currently has external rods on both legs holding bones in place. She will have surgery on Monday to lengthen those rods.  

JULY 14 | 9:00PM

Amy broke both her legs and has some second degree burns on one of her arms. She has just finished one of her leg surgeries and is doing great. The doctors are looking at different treatment options. Amy hopes they will put a rod in her leg so she won't need a cast. She will likely go into surgery again tomorrow.