Monthly Archives: May 2011

Friends and family,

A quick update on Dad:

Dad started to show signs of pneumonia this weekend, with a 102 degree fever starting on Saturday. He was placed on three antibiotics on Sunday and tests were taken. The doctors confirmed today that he does have pneumonia and reduced him to a single antibiotic. He has been fever-free for 24 hours. While we are a little frustrated by this, the doctors told us early on to expect it. Burn patients are especially susceptible to infection because of their suppressed immune systems.

Friends and family,

Great news to report! Dad’s seventh surgery took place yesterday (Thursday) and Dr. Peck (one of our favorite doctors) told us that dad is doing extremely well despite the extent of his burns.

The plan going into surgery was to take a look at all of the cadaver grafts and, if he was healing well enough, replace them with dad’s own skin. This is called autografting. (If you recall, dad had all his grafts removed in his 3rd surgery because the tissue underneath wasn’t doing well.) Things looked great, so the doctors removed all available skin on dad’s back and grafted it to his chest, abdomen, arms, front of his thighs and part of his hands. They were able to cover such a large area by using a mesh technique that allows the skin to cover 3 times the original area.

Friends and family,

Dad’s sixth surgery took place yesterday (Friday) and lasted just under four hours. The doctors replaced the cadaver grafts they had placed the previous week and said his tissue beds are progressing well. It is possible they will begin grafting with his own skin as early as next week. They will focus on his chest and abdomen first. This area (and the legs) represents the largest burn area, so getting them healthy first is critical to his recovery.

Friends and family,

A quick update: Dad is scheduled for surgery #6 tomorrow (Friday morning). We met with the head surgeon this afternoon and were provided more detail on what to expect over the next many months. It was a difficult conversation; the journey Dad faces is hard to even comprehend. Please know how thankful we are that Dad has so many amazing friends keeping him close in thoughts and prayers.

Friends and family,

Dad’s fifth surgery took place on Friday. Doctors spent 7.5 hours on him and we are happy to report he made some progress. Dad successfully received cadaver skin grafts and a tracheotomy after not being able to do so in the two prior surgeries. It’s difficult to describe our feelings over the last two weeks, but we can tell you that our idea of progress is much different than it was when this first happened. Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights)…

Friends and family,

It is hard to believe that it has been two weeks since Dad’s accident. The news we have to report isn’t great, as some of the burns are more extensive than first thought. Burn injuries take time to develop, and sometimes they are less severe than first thought and sometimes more severe. Unfortunately, Dad is in the more severe category.

Friends and family,

It is Saturday afternoon, and we are sitting in the waiting room of the burn unit in Phoenix. We printed the posts on Dad’s website and all the emails you sent. We read them to him today and will do this on all our future visits. Please keep them coming. We know he is so very grateful for all of your thoughts and messages.

Dad’s condition remains critical, but stable. He is still heavily sedated and on the ventilator. Bandages cover most of his body.

Friends and family,

There is not much news to report. At this point in Dad’s recovery, this is good news. The recovery from an injury like his is a very long process and things move along quite slowly. Dad is still heavily sedated and on the ventilator, allowing his body to focus solely on healing. The doctors have reduced the amount of fluids he receives, because his body is stabilizing. And he is also up to the full feeding goals, which is very important to promote healing.

Thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers. We will continue to send updates as things progress.

Friends and family,

Dad remains in critical condition but is stable. We were notified yesterday, after additional x-rays, that both his wrists were fractured in the accident. His hands have been placed in splints to support the healing process. The burns remain top priority, but there have been no further complications.

The nurses that have been performing his dressing changes report that the burns and the temporary grafts look well. The swelling of his upper body has improved slightly.

Dad will go to surgery on Monday morning where the doctors will focus on his hands and arms.