AUGUST 6 | 10:00PM

THE MICKELSEN'S ARE BACK IN COLORADO!!!

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Kirk and his family flew to Colorado today at 4.  It was a pleasant flight and drive to Castle Rock.  Thank you to those who made that flight possible!

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Kirk looks amazing! He is very emotional to all the help and support he and his family have received! His wounds are looking fantastic, but he is still sore, tight, and tired. He is very appreciative of good food, and enjoys eating a home cooked meal. 

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It is so nice to see his family together. They are all an inspiration!

AUGUST 4 | 11:00PM

Kirk has been making great progress.  He is enjoying the freedom of being outside the hospital.  He gets tired and still needs to rest a lot, but he is impressing the doctors with his progress. 

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He was measured for his compression socks which he will wear night and day on any burn area to help with the scarring and elasticity of his skin. 

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Since being out of the hospital Kirk has been to a pool party and even played a little pickle ball. You can imagine how tired he must was.  He still eats A LOT and sleeps when needed.  His body needs rest to continue to recover.  He bragged about his ability to stay awake while traveling in cars, but lately every time he gets in a car he falls asleep within minutes.  His body needs the rest more than he realizes it!

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His kids are amazing helpers and they are being troopers throughout this whole process.  His wounds are looking so much better.  The care is getting easier and he is able to bare it so much more now.  

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Kirk, Stacey and the kids are coming to Colorado this weekend if all goes well. They will be staying with Kirk's brother, Brett for convenience, help, and floor plan accessibility with a wheelchair. BEFORE you all start planning to visit, the Doctors have advised Stacey to not have visitors for at least 2 weeks.  She is still struggling with some memory issues and although they are very hopeful she will make a full recovery, she needs rest and little stimulation.  We all know Stacey, she would never turn away friends, but please be respectful to her health and let her  and her family get settled.  If you would like to visit, the plan is for you to text Kirk, Stacey, Brett, or Shannon Mickelsen and they will contact you when would be a good time for a short visit.  It has been a long journey for them and they really want some good quality family time. They will be in need of help and dinners as both Brett and Shannon work full time and won't be at home during the day.  We will keep you posted for details.  Thank you to all for your support, prayers and concerns. They still have a long journey, but are headed in the right direction!

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Check out the new pictures and videos.

AUGUST 1 | 4:00PM

KIRK HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!!!!!

AUGUST 1 | 5:00PM

Well here's the update of the last couple of days

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Kirk is POUNDING down the food!!  Ice cream, sandwiches, turkey wrap, fruit, ensure, and don't forget the stash of treats!!  He has found it all and EATS, EATS, and EATS!!

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He has also been doing laps around the hospital!  He is determined to walk and do it like a champ!  He is so inspiring to others as he continues to push through the pain, walk, lift, climb the stairs, and do way more than expected! He is moving around so well, it is AMAZING!!

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His wounds are still trying to heal.  One moment they look fantastic, the next they are bleeding and thick.  The Doctors say this is common, and his wounds could take a turn for the better, or for the worse.  They were worried for a bit, but had a great turn around and the doctors believe they are in a great place.  

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Today, the Dr came in during Kirk's wound care and is not concerned about his burns healing on their own!! YAY!!  He had PT this afternoon and then he became a FREE MAN!!!!  He will stay with his older brother in the area until Stacey is able to be released.  He will travel to the hospital everyday to visit Stacey and will have follow up appointments with Doctors until he heads back to Colorado.

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JULY 29 | 9:00PM

Chalk up another great day for Kirk and Stacey. 

Kirk picked up where we left off yesterday and is motivated to do what he needs to do to get out. He walked 10  laps around the burn unit, and even walked several of them without the aid of his walker. He is walking so much faster. When he visited Stacey he walked in without the walker. She has not seen him walk yet. During wound care he spent a half an hour picking off the dead skin. The nurses said that took several days off his healing time. I suspect we will be doing that quite a bit when he is released. He then went straight to PT and worked hard. He actually has an appetite again. Tonight he said he was hungry and even craving an insure for dinner tonight. The girls couldn't believe it. 

Stacey and Kirk had a nice long visit alone as well in her room. The aide came in to get his vitals in his room and we told him he ran away. The look on her face was priceless. The burn PA came in and said that he has or is close to passing all his benchmarks and that he should plan on going home on Tuesday. He is happy 😊. 

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The tentative plan is for him to come go to his brother's house in Lindon and stay. The day will go something like this: Wake up, eat, wound care, drive to hospital, PT, visit Stacey, rest in Stacey's parents hotel room and then do what he feels up to. I think it will be great. 

JULY 29 | 2:00PM

Check out the Pictures Tab for pictures of all the patients!!

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Yesterday (Friday) a great day for Kirk.

 Kirk and Stacey ate lunch together. It was so cute to watch Stacey offer Kirk her food. They are so kind to each other. Kirk ate a good lunch thanks to Stacey's help. 

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Kirk had an awesome day. He slept well, ate better and had two great PT sessions. Kirk endured  changing his his bandages on one of his legs well. His personality is returning too. 

JULY 28 | 6:00PM

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 Wednesday night about 11 they told Kirk that they had 4 new trauma patients coming in and since Kirk was of the best ones he got moved to the 6th floor. He is few doors down from Stacey. It was a bit chaotic with the new nurses doing their assessment and getting settled. In his words he got moved into a broom closet. On top of that they were jack hammering Thursday morning. For wound care he walked down to the Burn unit took a shower and then did wound care. Sadly, they hadn't got his pain meds in him in time for them to be working so it was a bit painful. He walked back to his room. By then he was pretty tired and rested. Gratefully Clint brought him a high calorie Crown philly burger.  He is pounding it down. 

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All is not so bad because they came in later and said he could change to a room that is next to Stacey's and much larger. We hear it is quieter there too. 

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Also with the health hiccups he has had the past few days his tentative discharge date will most likely be at the end of next week. 

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We are thinking things have settled down. He has moved rooms and it is so much better.  Also someone came to talk to us about transitioning to outpatient. She was super helpful helping us know what pain meds he needs before wound care and PT. She went through a checklist on benchmarks that need to be met before leaving.  Because of his 3 days of craziness, he is not as far along as he had hoped. He is taking it in stride and keeping a great attitude. We know that we have to be proactive on his care because the nurse to patient ratio is now 1 to 5 instead of 1 to 2. 

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It ended up being a great day for the Mickelsen family. No fevers or shakes or oxygen for Kirk.

Kirk had an awesome PT session and then spent a long time with Stacey in her room. When he got back to his room he stayed in his wheelchair for another few hours. He ate a good dinner as well. 

JULY 27 | 8:00AM

Kirk has been working super hard in physical therapy!  He is an overachiever and wants to show off his skills! He is doing fantastic as he is bending his legs, walking more, and lifting more.  

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He still gets an occasional fever, and often gets the shakes, which they believe are involuntary tight muscles.  When he concentrates on relaxing, it goes away pretty quick.  His upper thighs are very tight...which is why he is working so hard on stretching and bending!!

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Kirk finally got a good night's sleep.  We know because he was snoring!! Keep up the good work Kirk!!

JULY 25 | 8:00PM

Kirk has been getting multiple fevers the past couple of days.  One moment the doctors are worried, and one moment they think it is getting better.  They are baffled as to why he is getting fevers.  They put him on an antibiotic and hope to continue to keep it under control.

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He is continuing physical therapy and doing way more than expected.  They are pleased with his efforts and his diligence.  

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To clear up a previous misunderstanding, Kirk's doctors are discussing his release and plan to be an "out patient". He would be discharged from the hospital and in the care of trained family members to care for his wounds, while seeing a doctor every few days.  In order for this to happen, Kirk must hit some specific benchmarks.  One of which is getting the fever under control. Kirk's older brother and his wife are being trained on how to care for Kirk's wounds and what to do to help him progress with his recovery.  This all could happen the first of next week....maybe!?

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Kirk has been eating like a champ! 3,000 calories per day! No more feeding tube for him!  His wound care was very hard and painful today.  They are weaning him off of one of his pain medications and that has caused a rough day for bandages. He has also recently had some shoulder pain.  The doctors are going to investigate that with X-rays and scans if needed. His right arm is healing well and may not need bandages within the next couple of days! 

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JULY 24 | 2:00PM

What a great start to a Monday!!

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Halleluja! Kirk's feeding tube is out!!  It was clogged and they were going to put it in again and Kirk said, "Just let me try and consume the calories!" Well, we all know how determined those Mickelsen's are...he ate 1600 calories for breakfast alone!! Good Job Kirk!!  Yesterday, he was able to consume 2800 calories while the feeding tube was still in, so he is getting his appetite back, or simply taking the alternative of food over the tube! 

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This morning he was able to take a shower...a real shower!  Not a sponge bath! This was done before the dressing changes on his wounds, and it made the whole process just a little more bearable! 

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The Doctor was impressed with his wound progress and as of now it looks like there is not a need for surgery.  They are still concerned with the swelling, but are monitoring  it regularly. They will revisit his wounds Wednesday or Thursday and COULD be placed in "outpatient" status, but still needs to plan on at least 4 weeks from arrival before even thinking of a release date.  

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Kirk has been doing some intense physical therapy and works super hard.  I think he is top of his group and in the lead to represent the burn floor in the next crossfit competition! Keep it up Kirk, prayers are still flooding your way!

JULY 23 | 10:00AM

Info from late last night (Saturday):

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The nurse did not change Kirk's bandages last night, which also meant no scraping the wounds.  They will do it once a day now...only in the mornings!  That is GREAT news for Kirk as he struggles with that procedure. Kirk was able to calm down last night as he found out he did not have to go through the dressing change.  What a relief! 

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Some sketchy news is that Kirk had a fever last night which was concerning because he is constantly on motrin and tylenol. They are hoping it is not due to an infection of some kind.  Well, this morning, the news was not as concerning.  Although he did get another fever, the tylenol controlled it.  

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Kirk had his dressings changed this morning and took a bit more pain medicine than normal, which was helpful.  His pain level was much lower. The wounds have really started to look better and new skin is growing.  Hopefully leaving on the wrappings for 24 hours will be beneficial.  

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Last night was a little rough sleeping because his feeding tube came apart twice and they had to change his bedding both times! :( Hopefully he can get some good rest today and a good night's sleep tonight. 

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JULY 22 | 7:00PM

Kirk did really well with the changing and scraping of his burns this morning. They were able to gently remove lots of the dead skin. The healing process is going good and the medicines they are using are working nicely. His left arm has all of the dead skin removed and new skin is forming. There are still large patches on both legs of dead skin that might be able to be removed at tonight's changing and scraping.

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He was able to walk a farther distance today and was taking longer strides and standing up straighter. He walked to the physical therapy room and worked out for 15 minutes on the sitting stair-stepper. The most painful thing about walking today was the inner and outer areas of his right thigh where they removed a lot of skin this morning.

The swelling of his body has started to go down. He is still going to the bathroom regularly every 45 minutes. They did a throat and eating test on him today to see if they could remove the feeding tube through his nose. He is not quite ready to have it removed. There are still chunks of skin coming up from his esophagus and his throat is too sore to swallow very many solids. When he is able to drink six cartons of the Ensure drink then they will remove the feeding tube.

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Sleep is still very difficult for him. He is only able to sleep 30 minute increments before he has a nightmare that wakes him up. They are giving him medication to help him sleep, but it will be a long time before the memories of the accident keep him  from waking him at night.  He has been told many times by the nurses that it will help him to continually talk about the accident so that he is able to process and overcome the fear and feelings that he is having. This will help him to sleep better too. 

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Kirk and Stacey have received several visitors from friends and ward members throughout the day. It hasn't been overwhelming for them and they have enjoyed the company. Everyone that has visited hasn't stayed for longer than 10 or 15 minutes which is very helpful for their recovery.

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The three kids are handling the situation still and continue to surprise us with their maturity level.  The girls continue helping Kirk in his physical therapy and with Stacie on her memory and motor skills.

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JULY 21 | 7:00PM

Kirk is off his oxygen!! Unfortunately he still has the feeding tube which he HATES!

Kirk did a full lap today around the burn unit.  That was a huge accomplishment as it is close to 400 feet! Way to go Kirk!! I feel a 0.1K race is in his future! (notice that is not 1, but point 1!!!)

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Kirk really wanted this info on the blog:  Kirk has been peeing 400-500 cc every hour which is really good because he is retaining a TON of fluids, which is normal for burn patients. He is quite a bit heavier as the fluid is slow to release. --Hang in there big guy!

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He spends his time picking at the peeling skin on his hands and any other exposed skin and throws it on the floor so the housekeeping crew has something to do. His right arm is healing very nicely and he is hanging in there the best he can.

JULY 20 | 9:00PM

Kirk was able to go outside today and get some fresh air! He had to wear a towel on his face to keep him cool and protect his face from the sun. :)

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The kids are happy when they get to help with Kirk's regular physical therapy exercises and stretches. It is a bit painful for him, but they all appreciate the bond they make together. 

JULY 19 | 10:00PM

Kirk walked today. He still has quite a bit of swelling in his legs which is painful. In spite of it all, he and Stacey are troopers and are staying positive. The kids are a huge support to them! They are all happy to be together.

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They are still waiting to see if he is going to need skin grafts. Family is hoping he won't. Doctors will know more within the next few days.  

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Kirks bandage change is still extremely painful. New skin is growing and the nerve endings are very sensitive to the scrubbing. He is so brave and humble. We know angels are watching over him as he goes through this daily. 

JULY 17 | 3:00PM

Kirk did well with his cleaning this morning. His burns are healing well and the Dr. is very pleased with his progress. Kirk was more concerned about the pain and discomfort of the feeding tube. It is very aggravating. Maybe this is what he needs to help him eat more.  

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He was able to get up and walk down the hall! He is an amazingly strong man!! He will try and walk again later today.  

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He was also able to go down and visit Stacey while all their kids were there. What a blessing it was for their whole family to be together.

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Kirk did pretty good today. It is still a very slow process for him. Being able to see Stacey and her improvements have taken a large stress load off Kirk and has given him even more determination to get out of the ICU.  

JULY 16 | 3:00PM

Kirk did well with his dressings being changed today.  He hates having his dressings changed.  It is very painful. His body is healing, as he is beginning to cough up skin from his esophagus which means new skin is beginning to grow.  He says he does not like having skin caught in his teeth...so maybe some floss as a gift? 

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The new concern with Kirk is that he needs to consume a lot of calories and he just has a hard time eating that much.  With burn injuries, the body uses a lot of energy to heal, and needs to be fueled.  

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Tonight Update: 

Kirk had his bandages changed again and only groaned twice and even refused more pain medication when it was offered.  He is tough as nails!

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His skin is regenerating on its own slowly, but is a great sight.  He was in good spirits most of the day, but doctors did put a feeding tube in for him.  He does not like it at all, but it will make a world of difference in his healing process as he gets the nutrients his body needs to heal.  

JULY 15 | 9:30AM

Kirk has second degree burns (possibly third degree) on both his legs from the knee down and on his left arm. Currently, he is resting in the hospital to monitor his burns. The doctors want to make sure he doesn't get an infection. Since he burned 25% of his body, he may have to remain in the hospital for a max of 20 days. 

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And, yes, Kirk looks flipping amazing with his new haircut. Since most of his hair was burned, they decided to shave it off. The afro look wasn't the greatest. And now he is a very handsome bald man!