Just a little update on David, he really had a pretty good day today.
He will be receiving another two units of blood tonight.
At about 7 pm they decided to clean him up for the night and that included changing the linens, making sure the two weeks of laying on his back was not creating some bed sores, drawing all his lab work for surgery in the morning and re-wrapping his leg wounds. All went well until they had to take care of the re-wrap - that was extremely painful and David was so incredibly strong.
I was standing by his side and was looking toward his legs and he said, "Dad, look at me!" and then he asked me how long I was in Livermore, California. I immediately realized he was trying to draw my mind away from his legs and so we had a nice conversation about how I met his mother. We talked about when I was in the hospital ten years ago and I reminded him of how he carried a Christmas tree to my hospital room, he said "Dad, I would carry anything for you." I'm glad it's now my turn to help him. Even through all his pain, he is sooooo sensitive to our feelings and really tries to make things better for his mom and me.
He said "I know you want me to look at my legs..." and I stopped him and told him he had the rest of his life to look at his legs. I asked him to please not keep things inside - and I sincerely pray that he'll feel free to talk through everything when the time is right. If you have a Marine in your live, you know that they a very protective of the things they have experienced and seen and they keep those experiences completely to themselves as much as possible.
The Marine Corp duty office here at the hospital took us down and allowed us to pick up a bunch of free clothes for David. There are so many wonderful individuals that donate things to these soldiers. They gave me a back pack that was already stuffed with all kinds of things for him. When I got back to the room I went through the pack and found a package of 12 pairs of socks - needless to say, those socks are no longer in his pack.
We watched some episodes of Burn Notice and he fell to sleep.
If anyone of you decide you want to visit David, please don't think you need my permission. He wears out quite quickly but he sincerely loves to see his friends and associates. I believe he will be very touched by your beautiful comments posted on this blog. When it's all over, this will become a journal that he may want to continue writing as he runs in marathons, hikes mountains, goes trail biking, runs a river in a kayak, or simply tells stories to his children at their bedside.
Good Night Everyone.
Gordon
Monday, May 31, 2010
Memorial Day May 31, 2010 at 1117
Happy Memorial Day,
The address I gave for David the other day is still good.
David has his motorcycle at the home of one of you blog followers and I probably shouldn't mention your name, but I would like you to give me a call at 801-694-2874.
We had the privilege of being at the Arlington Cemetery this morning and what an incredibly reverent place that is. It was a pleasure not to hold back tears when thinking what so many of those heroes gave for the freedoms we treasure. Many heroes like David and many of his friends.
David is having a really good day. Breathing tubes gone, chest tube to keep the lung inflated is gone, cast on his right arm up to the arm pit is now just below the elbow (that is incredible to me because the first reports we received led us to believe he would have limited motion of his right arm from the elbow down and now the elbow seems to be just fine), and now he even has a button to push to apply some of his own pain medication.
When David was in High School he was sledding and decided to take on a tree with his right arm. The tree won the fight and he had a compound fracture that took many hours for Dr. Pepper Murray to repair. David has always been proud of that scar and has often tried to pass it off as a shark bite. We were talking a few minutes ago and I told him that he now had some scars that he could, without question, pass off as several shark attack bites. He smiled, as he often does.
The kidneys are still relaxing and waiting for their return appearance but, I'm confident, that will happen.
David now has a TV in his room and had me put it on the Cartoon Network this morning before we left for the Arlington Cemetery. They also have him set up with an X-box and a Wii but he didn't feel up to that just yet.
His friend, Seth Leonard, brought 4 big boxes of popsicles (root beer and banana) yesterday and David is in 7th Heaven.
David is having a debate with himself as to whether or not he should keep his (very thick) mustache when he is awarded the Purple Heart this next Thursday.
It is so nice to see him alert and feeling better and I wish he didn't have to go back into surgery again tomorrow but we all know that is part of the whole process. The surgery from yesterday left his voice very horse and the feeding tube through his nose and down his throat really make you have to listen close when he is trying to talk.
He had another unit of blood today just to keep his blood counts where they need to be.
I want to express my thanks to so many of you who have left notes or called, or even just thought and prayed for David. He has had many of his great friends visit and these are phenomenal individuals. If their usual mannerisms are the same as they are around Lynnette and I, their parents and our military has created some great men and women.
I hope you all had a great Memorial Day, this is one that I will never forget.
Thumbs Up!
Gordon
P.S. While I am typing this blog I am sitting in the ICU waiting room. About 8 feet away is a mother and father and the wife of a Marine that came in yesterday. They were married this last Valentine's Day. The soldier is in the operating room, right now, fighting for his life. He has lost one leg, potentially up to the hip, one arm up to and possibly including the elbow, and many other injuries. He is in extremely critical condition. While listening, I found that his older brother died a short time ago.
No matter how bad things are in our lives, we don't need to look very far to find another who is possibly hurting more and needs more than ourselves.
Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!!!!!!!!
The address I gave for David the other day is still good.
David has his motorcycle at the home of one of you blog followers and I probably shouldn't mention your name, but I would like you to give me a call at 801-694-2874.
We had the privilege of being at the Arlington Cemetery this morning and what an incredibly reverent place that is. It was a pleasure not to hold back tears when thinking what so many of those heroes gave for the freedoms we treasure. Many heroes like David and many of his friends.
David is having a really good day. Breathing tubes gone, chest tube to keep the lung inflated is gone, cast on his right arm up to the arm pit is now just below the elbow (that is incredible to me because the first reports we received led us to believe he would have limited motion of his right arm from the elbow down and now the elbow seems to be just fine), and now he even has a button to push to apply some of his own pain medication.
When David was in High School he was sledding and decided to take on a tree with his right arm. The tree won the fight and he had a compound fracture that took many hours for Dr. Pepper Murray to repair. David has always been proud of that scar and has often tried to pass it off as a shark bite. We were talking a few minutes ago and I told him that he now had some scars that he could, without question, pass off as several shark attack bites. He smiled, as he often does.
The kidneys are still relaxing and waiting for their return appearance but, I'm confident, that will happen.
David now has a TV in his room and had me put it on the Cartoon Network this morning before we left for the Arlington Cemetery. They also have him set up with an X-box and a Wii but he didn't feel up to that just yet.
His friend, Seth Leonard, brought 4 big boxes of popsicles (root beer and banana) yesterday and David is in 7th Heaven.
David is having a debate with himself as to whether or not he should keep his (very thick) mustache when he is awarded the Purple Heart this next Thursday.
It is so nice to see him alert and feeling better and I wish he didn't have to go back into surgery again tomorrow but we all know that is part of the whole process. The surgery from yesterday left his voice very horse and the feeding tube through his nose and down his throat really make you have to listen close when he is trying to talk.
He had another unit of blood today just to keep his blood counts where they need to be.
I want to express my thanks to so many of you who have left notes or called, or even just thought and prayed for David. He has had many of his great friends visit and these are phenomenal individuals. If their usual mannerisms are the same as they are around Lynnette and I, their parents and our military has created some great men and women.
I hope you all had a great Memorial Day, this is one that I will never forget.
Thumbs Up!
Gordon
P.S. While I am typing this blog I am sitting in the ICU waiting room. About 8 feet away is a mother and father and the wife of a Marine that came in yesterday. They were married this last Valentine's Day. The soldier is in the operating room, right now, fighting for his life. He has lost one leg, potentially up to the hip, one arm up to and possibly including the elbow, and many other injuries. He is in extremely critical condition. While listening, I found that his older brother died a short time ago.
No matter how bad things are in our lives, we don't need to look very far to find another who is possibly hurting more and needs more than ourselves.
Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done!!!!!!!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Sunday May 30, 2010 @ 1308
David is in recovery from his 8th surgery (at least that's 8 that we know of). He had another 5 units of blood and is doing good. They are aggressively working on his pain meds right now as well as putting him through another 3 hours of dialysis. The dialysis is simply taking the place of his kidneys until they are ready to rebound. The kidney function is considered "Acute" up to about 6 or 7 weeks and then gets downgraded to "Chronic". There is not one person we are speaking with that is extremely concerned about the kidneys at the current time. Yesterday Lynnette and I got in a little trouble because we gave him a fairly large bottle of water and he drank the whole thing as well as eating some Peach Yogurt and a few Cherry Twin Pops. He actually had a two or three hour period with some good kidney function but today is back to normal. (Very Little) Catherine told him that she would consider it a major gift to her if he would get his kidneys in gear and he just pulled a face at her.
Here are some comments from Catherine's time with him:
David's orthopedic surgeon came to see him around 1:15am and obtained his consent for surgery in the morning, which is scheduled first at 7:30am. They were going to call you but David told them he was awake and aware and could consent to the surgery. We discussed the procedure tomorrow, which the doctor summed up as a wash-out with the possibility of having to remove more bone on his lower extremities. He also said he would be washing out David's arm but not doing any of the flaps or attachment procedure we have discussed.
David told the doctor that he felt he was in good hands and could not sign his name on the consent form given the injuries to his right hand, but he did place an "X" on the signature line.
Aside from that, David was in a very relaxed mood this evening and joked with Kathy (the older, blonde nurse) for most of the evening. He also ate another cherry popsicle. He did not have any hallucinations so I spoke to Kathy to ask her what he had been taking that he was not on this evening to see if we could avoid the past medications that caused him so many graphic, violent hallucinations. (note from Gordon: David has been at war many times in his mind - he has made sure that Lynnette and Catherine stay behind him and don't leave his side - he has attempted to wipe blood from Catherine's face - luckily for Catherine, he even let her drive the helicopter) She seemed to think it could have been the pain medication that starts with a "D"; I can find out the name tomorrow. Either way, he slept for most of the evening so it was nice to see him get some good rest.
Catherine's thoughts this morning:
I just spoke to the surgeon so wanted to type this down while it is fresh in my mind: David's procedure went well today. They did not have to shorten the bone in either leg. The left leg looked good and they started closing it up but left a smaller area open as instructed by the senior surgeon, which from my understanding was not present but advised via oral or written instructions to Dr. Chin and the other resident who I spoke to last night in David's room when he came to obtain David's consent. The right leg did not look as good and muscle had to be removed. They did not have to remove bone but "quite a bit of muscle." His arm looked in good shape and they were able to close a good portion of the arm. The abdomen flap may not be necessary(fantastic), and will certainly not be necessary for the elbow, however there is a good chance the thumb area will be sown into David's groin area to regenerate the skin, as previously discussed with the surgeon. In other words, the hand will only need to be sown into his stomach/groin area, which will be less uncomfortable for David. Due to this potential procedure, the outer iron fixtures (fixator) will not be removed as they will provide support for the arm when the thumb is sown into his groin. Dr. Chin said "David is on the right track and things are looking as they should for his start to recovery." David's next surgery is schedule on Tuesday, June 1st.
Gordon again:
David's cultures from Friday's surgery returned positive results for a fungus and a bacteria from Afghanistan - this is all part of "the injury presenting itself". He is on a very very aggressive regiment of antibiotics which should take care of all the infection problems.
Lynnette and I had took the opportunity to go to church today and met some incredible people. We're going to get a private tour of the Arlington Cemetery. The gentleman, Randy Cone, that gave us a ride back to the hospital was incredibly sensitive about this situation and told us a quote that his mother made: "we do the extremely difficult every day, it is the impossible that takes a little more time!" I'm sure there are some that would consider this situation impossible but, absolutely, not David.
I love you all,
Gordon
Here are some comments from Catherine's time with him:
David's orthopedic surgeon came to see him around 1:15am and obtained his consent for surgery in the morning, which is scheduled first at 7:30am. They were going to call you but David told them he was awake and aware and could consent to the surgery. We discussed the procedure tomorrow, which the doctor summed up as a wash-out with the possibility of having to remove more bone on his lower extremities. He also said he would be washing out David's arm but not doing any of the flaps or attachment procedure we have discussed.
David told the doctor that he felt he was in good hands and could not sign his name on the consent form given the injuries to his right hand, but he did place an "X" on the signature line.
Aside from that, David was in a very relaxed mood this evening and joked with Kathy (the older, blonde nurse) for most of the evening. He also ate another cherry popsicle. He did not have any hallucinations so I spoke to Kathy to ask her what he had been taking that he was not on this evening to see if we could avoid the past medications that caused him so many graphic, violent hallucinations. (note from Gordon: David has been at war many times in his mind - he has made sure that Lynnette and Catherine stay behind him and don't leave his side - he has attempted to wipe blood from Catherine's face - luckily for Catherine, he even let her drive the helicopter) She seemed to think it could have been the pain medication that starts with a "D"; I can find out the name tomorrow. Either way, he slept for most of the evening so it was nice to see him get some good rest.
Catherine's thoughts this morning:
I just spoke to the surgeon so wanted to type this down while it is fresh in my mind: David's procedure went well today. They did not have to shorten the bone in either leg. The left leg looked good and they started closing it up but left a smaller area open as instructed by the senior surgeon, which from my understanding was not present but advised via oral or written instructions to Dr. Chin and the other resident who I spoke to last night in David's room when he came to obtain David's consent. The right leg did not look as good and muscle had to be removed. They did not have to remove bone but "quite a bit of muscle." His arm looked in good shape and they were able to close a good portion of the arm. The abdomen flap may not be necessary(fantastic), and will certainly not be necessary for the elbow, however there is a good chance the thumb area will be sown into David's groin area to regenerate the skin, as previously discussed with the surgeon. In other words, the hand will only need to be sown into his stomach/groin area, which will be less uncomfortable for David. Due to this potential procedure, the outer iron fixtures (fixator) will not be removed as they will provide support for the arm when the thumb is sown into his groin. Dr. Chin said "David is on the right track and things are looking as they should for his start to recovery." David's next surgery is schedule on Tuesday, June 1st.
Gordon again:
David's cultures from Friday's surgery returned positive results for a fungus and a bacteria from Afghanistan - this is all part of "the injury presenting itself". He is on a very very aggressive regiment of antibiotics which should take care of all the infection problems.
Lynnette and I had took the opportunity to go to church today and met some incredible people. We're going to get a private tour of the Arlington Cemetery. The gentleman, Randy Cone, that gave us a ride back to the hospital was incredibly sensitive about this situation and told us a quote that his mother made: "we do the extremely difficult every day, it is the impossible that takes a little more time!" I'm sure there are some that would consider this situation impossible but, absolutely, not David.
I love you all,
Gordon
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday May 29, 2010 at 1210
A good day so far.
It is very impressive to watch the orchestration of this ICU. There was an entire team here this morning that went over every possible area of David's medications, readings, inputs, outputs and made adjustments to make sure he had the best possible comfort and every possible precaution to any further problems. David is really resting well today. They did have to get a blood gas reading from a vein in his wrist and, surprisingly to me, the fact that the technician had such a hard time finding the vein seemed to hurt me worse than David and I had to leave the room. Lynnette and I aren't even on medication and we get a bit confused when our emotions are triggered by the smallest little things.
I mentioned to the team that he had asked for Popsicles several times and today is the day!!! Yes, oh yes - they gave the OK. When I told him he could have some he gave the ever-impressive-yet quite cheer that his brother-in-law Jay gives "oooowho". He specifically asked for Strawberry but Cherry was the only one on hand. He is scarfing them down and loving every second of it. Last night, while David was comfortably sleeping, right out of the silence he gave the "ooowho" cheer. It brought a smile to all of us. There is actually a great deal to smile about.
Last night his friend Seth Leonard came by to visit and it was great.
I was able to call his friends in Afghanistan and he was able to talk to Adam Roberts and Dave Moran. What a privilege to have such loyal friends.
David is still very sedated but tries to carry on an intelligent conversation. The sedation causes him to move the phone around so much that he can't even keep it to his ear. I took the phone and held it there and stroked his hair while he was talking. David was very sweet and was tenderly stroking my arm as I stroked his hair.
It is so impressive for these incredibly strong, in body and spirit, warrior Marines to be so able to protect our country and the freedoms of others in the terrible situations they face and, at the same moment, be so sensitive, considerate, respectful, and tender.
I have had so many comments of the tears that flow as you read some of these blogs - I want you to know that the beautiful and sentimental comments you make at the end of these blogs is just as touching to us.
All My Love,
Gordon
It is very impressive to watch the orchestration of this ICU. There was an entire team here this morning that went over every possible area of David's medications, readings, inputs, outputs and made adjustments to make sure he had the best possible comfort and every possible precaution to any further problems. David is really resting well today. They did have to get a blood gas reading from a vein in his wrist and, surprisingly to me, the fact that the technician had such a hard time finding the vein seemed to hurt me worse than David and I had to leave the room. Lynnette and I aren't even on medication and we get a bit confused when our emotions are triggered by the smallest little things.
I mentioned to the team that he had asked for Popsicles several times and today is the day!!! Yes, oh yes - they gave the OK. When I told him he could have some he gave the ever-impressive-yet quite cheer that his brother-in-law Jay gives "oooowho". He specifically asked for Strawberry but Cherry was the only one on hand. He is scarfing them down and loving every second of it. Last night, while David was comfortably sleeping, right out of the silence he gave the "ooowho" cheer. It brought a smile to all of us. There is actually a great deal to smile about.
Last night his friend Seth Leonard came by to visit and it was great.
I was able to call his friends in Afghanistan and he was able to talk to Adam Roberts and Dave Moran. What a privilege to have such loyal friends.
David is still very sedated but tries to carry on an intelligent conversation. The sedation causes him to move the phone around so much that he can't even keep it to his ear. I took the phone and held it there and stroked his hair while he was talking. David was very sweet and was tenderly stroking my arm as I stroked his hair.
It is so impressive for these incredibly strong, in body and spirit, warrior Marines to be so able to protect our country and the freedoms of others in the terrible situations they face and, at the same moment, be so sensitive, considerate, respectful, and tender.
I have had so many comments of the tears that flow as you read some of these blogs - I want you to know that the beautiful and sentimental comments you make at the end of these blogs is just as touching to us.
All My Love,
Gordon
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010 at 1750
David has completed another round of surgery - this one was approximately 4 hours. As was planned, the pinkie finger was removed and the wound was left open. They were able to save enough skin from the finger to close the wound on the side of his hand when the time is right.
That long explanation of the skin flaps and attaching his arm and wrist to his abdomen was delayed until the middle of next week. We were also told that the "fixator" attached to his pelvis would be altered to accommodate making the arm completely immovable for the 3 to 4 weeks necessary to obtain good tissue growth.
Unfortunately there was a necessity to do more "debrisment" from both legs. Debrisment is the term they use for cutting away unhealthy tissue. The debrisment did not necessitate changing any length at this time and it appears that they will wait until the very last moment to make the final adjustment to the length of his legs - they anticipate very little change, if any.
David had to have 3 more units of blood in the operating room. That much blood loss was prepared for but not necessarily anticipated. The problem they encounter is that the body can not produce enough red blood cells to keep up with the blood loss during surgery - they're just keeping up through the transfusions to make sure there is very little change in his blood pressure. So, that was 5 units of blood today - if you haven't donated for awhile, you may want to consider taking the time.
Some good news is that they found the other end of the transected (I believe that's the right word) ulnar nerve and it may result in much better sensation and use of his right ring finger. Any good news through this whole procedure is fantastic.
The impressive thing is that, sometimes, the only way we can see he is in pain is if the area between his eyebrows is wrinkled. It was wrinkled and we asked what his pain level was - between 1 and 10? He said 12.
After a little medication he was closer to a 4 and he opened his eyes wide. Catherine told him how wonderful it was to see his eyes because, she said "you're always hiding those eyes from me." He immediately squinted his eyes so she could hardly see them. I tell you, this son of mine has a fantastic sense of humor and I'm loving every second of it.
The infectious disease team was very comfortable with the current situation and are feeling very good about how he is progressing in that regard.
One of the more tender things that I have heard in the past few days is when Lynnette asked another mother who's son had lost his legs, "didn't you just love kissing your baby's toes?" I'm hoping that when David is all well and looks back at some of these entries that he doesn't decide to smack me for being so gushy and sentimental.
Soooo many different feelings behind soooo many different tears.
All My Love,
Gordon
Friday May 27, 2010 at 0958
The nurses comment today sums up a bunch of what is happening right now - this is not a level road. Lots of ups and downs.
Today is surgery day again.
We talked with the ortho surgeons and the hand and arm surgeons yesterday and I found myself almost pleading with the hand surgeon. I know it's a bit selfish of me but I really am trying to put myself behind David's eyes. The blast to David's hand took out a major portion of the tissue between his pinkie finger and his wrist - the bone for that same finger was also broken in several places. With all the conversation and my desperately trying to talk the surgeon into another direction, it is pretty much determined that the finger must be removed as it is only being held on by a few small pieces of tissue. The idea is to take all of the bones out of the finger and use the skin from that finger to fold back against the hand and close the wound. We're told that, unless you look very very close, you don't even notice because the knuckle is also removed.
The surgeon said that the finger could be saved but about 5" to 6" of the ulnar nerve in the arm was severed and destroyed. They can graft in a canal to give the nerve a path to generate itself but the likelihood is extremely low and even if it does generate itself, David will have little or no sensation and use of that finger.
Now to the arm and the thumb and wrist area. The plan is to make incisions on David's abdomen in two places and create a skin fold. The arm will be sewn into that skin fold and left for approximately 3 weeks. The same procedure will be done for the meaty part of the thumb and the wrist just above the thumb. After the 3 weeks or so, they will surgically separate the arm and the abdomen and do skin graphs on his abdomen and his arm and hand.
It is felt that he will have fairly good use of the remaining fingers and thumb but it will probably never be pain free.
The surgery today will also include cleaning his leg wounds and possibly removing the tube from his chest. Today they will be applying a specially designed mesh to the end of the right leg that will enable them to graph skin to the end of his leg in preparation for his prosthetic. The left leg was damaged much worse and is not yet ready for that procedure - at least that is my understanding.
David's kidneys are still a concern. The magic number they are looking for is below a 1.2 and his current number is 7. They are still considering this as an acute renal (kidney) failure - that is a good thing. There is still a great deal of optimism suggesting they believe his kidney will still be rebounding and functioning perfectly normal in the future. He went through another 3 hours of dialysis this morning and received another 2 litres of blood.
They put a big bad of special dye through his system last night in an effort to detect whether or not he had some major infections in this system and the CAT scan was, wonderfully, negative. His fever is doing much better today after the 103 yesterday.
The psychology of this is going to be an uphill climb. This morning we were told that, at some time in the future, they set up mirrors so these warriors can see that they have no legs. It is very hard for the mind to realize that they are gone. Yesterday he asked for his uniform and his boots. Catherine had him reach down and feel the end of his left leg and explained to him, again, that he had lost his legs. He said "I know, but my feet are still there!" I know my great friend Brian Cook lost the end of his pointing finger many many many many many (he's really old) years ago and he still can feel the sensation of a full length finger. They are giving David special medications that deal with the "phantom" pain.
Yesterday, 3-Star General James R Amos, who is the Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corp, came in and visited with David. What a great person he appeared to be. He held David's hand as I or Lynnette would hold his hand. He stroked his hair and I or Lynnette would stroke his hair. General Amos sincerely had a love and concern for David. It was truly a beautiful scene and I'm not sure if he'll every know how much that moment meant.
David was quite concerned that he hadn't received a clean shave and was not in full uniform when the General came in.
Next Thursday David will receive his Purple Heart from General James T. Conway, Commandant of the United States Marine Corp. We'll make sure he has a clean shave that day. David is very proud of his mustache but is very willing to shave it for that occasion. David has been eligible, to the best of my knowledge, for two other Purple Hearts but refused to allow the application to be place because "I'm not going to give the enemy a merit badge for getting to me!" When I was told about next Thursday, I told David I would not allow him to turn this one down.
The following comments come from Catherine.
David had a very long day and I hope he can get better rest tomorrow night. He spoke about how something was a tragedy and we discussed his legs earlier. He was complaining of phantom pains in his feet and the nurse told him his legs were gone. He looked at her with shock in his eyes and she told him she would go see if there was something she could give him for the pain. Thereafter, David said she scared the heck out of him and I asked why and he said because he thought he lost his legs and I discussed with him how he had in fact lost his legs and it was taking his brain a little longer to understand that. He argued with me about it and I think he will be able to understand all this a little better once he comes down off the pain killers.
After the 3 star General visited David, he was adament about getting a fresh haircut, a clean shave, and a clean pressed marine uniform for when he would be accepting his purple heart. He instructed me specifically on the sizes of uniform and boots I should go purchase at the Marine Corps store and got very upset that I was not going immediately because, as he told me, he did not think I was taking it seriously and he was "a little offended and insulted." I went for a walk and when I came back he said he wanted to watch movies. Lauren, his nurse, is going to obtain a television for his room. He is very comfortable with Lauren, and in my opinion, she is incredibly good with taking care of him and addressing all his concerns adequately. I was very happy to see that.
I am hoping the television will help with all his hallucinations. After you both left for the night Lauren gave David a shot to help with the hallucinations and said she would speak with the doctors about finding something more suited to address his fears properly. David asked me where we were and told me he saw bad guys but shortly after this he calmed down a little. He is speaking to himself quite a bit and later told me to get down because of the guy behind me (there was no one there.) I told him there were no bad guys here and he said "they" were conducting psychological evaluations on him to see how he would react and it was okay because he loved video games and now he was in one all the time. He later stuck his tongue out at me, and was able to joke about video games so at least he is finding some humor.
Overall David had a really long day today and I think he started off his day really tired because of the dialysis and judging on the CAT scan he is having at 3am, followed by his session of dialysis to rid his body of the liquids placed into his system for the CAT scan, and his surgery scheduled thereafter, he will probably be exhausted by tomorrow night.
He has been all over the place in his thoughts but always retains the ability to make jokes and laugh, which is really beautiful to see given the magnitude of the trauma he has so far endured with little to no complaints. His spirit is so strong and he is a beautiful person that will serve as an inspiration and symbol of strength and courage to everyone fortunate enough to cross his path or hear of his story,
He expressed having a lot of nausea tonight. He also threw up today (3 times) and after speaking with Lauren she seemed to think there might be some infection in his stomach. I'm very worried about this but hopefully after tonight the doctors will know whether there is an infection, and if so, how to go about treating it immediately.
Notwithstanding all his hallucinations, he was a little more aware when he was 'present' so to speak. He asked me "what was up with [me]" and how I was doing. I told him I was well and like everyone else, hoped he would get better really soon. He smiled and rubbed my hair and told me he would. He then proceeded to instruct me on how to go on a "special op" with him, get in the helicopter, and drive while he took care of other things. He had several very detailed instructions for me regarding which "paths" to take and all the while didn't forget to stick his tongue out at me whenever I'd start laughing.
Lauren gave him some medicine to help with the nausea and this put him right to sleep, he was mumbling to himself a little, but for the most part snoring so all in all I think he'll get a little bit of sleep tonight.
Gordon again.
As hard as all this is, it is also very beautiful to see him rebound after each and every jolt of pain or dilusion. This morning he talked with Mary Jayne, with Michael, and with Ryan Whicknick. As he talked with them I would watch his face and see him flinch at another pain that hit him, but, at no time, did his voice reflect the discomfort he was feeling. He asked me if I had seen really weard things and visited really strange places when my eyes were closed - this was referring to the time when I was having so many problems with the morphine after my surgery 10 years ago. I could honestly feel exactly what he was talking about and I vividly remember it being a very awful time as I am sure it is with him.
This is a very long blog but, I believe, it gives you a really good feel of the awful yet beautiful feelings we are having.
Today is surgery day again.
We talked with the ortho surgeons and the hand and arm surgeons yesterday and I found myself almost pleading with the hand surgeon. I know it's a bit selfish of me but I really am trying to put myself behind David's eyes. The blast to David's hand took out a major portion of the tissue between his pinkie finger and his wrist - the bone for that same finger was also broken in several places. With all the conversation and my desperately trying to talk the surgeon into another direction, it is pretty much determined that the finger must be removed as it is only being held on by a few small pieces of tissue. The idea is to take all of the bones out of the finger and use the skin from that finger to fold back against the hand and close the wound. We're told that, unless you look very very close, you don't even notice because the knuckle is also removed.
The surgeon said that the finger could be saved but about 5" to 6" of the ulnar nerve in the arm was severed and destroyed. They can graft in a canal to give the nerve a path to generate itself but the likelihood is extremely low and even if it does generate itself, David will have little or no sensation and use of that finger.
Now to the arm and the thumb and wrist area. The plan is to make incisions on David's abdomen in two places and create a skin fold. The arm will be sewn into that skin fold and left for approximately 3 weeks. The same procedure will be done for the meaty part of the thumb and the wrist just above the thumb. After the 3 weeks or so, they will surgically separate the arm and the abdomen and do skin graphs on his abdomen and his arm and hand.
It is felt that he will have fairly good use of the remaining fingers and thumb but it will probably never be pain free.
The surgery today will also include cleaning his leg wounds and possibly removing the tube from his chest. Today they will be applying a specially designed mesh to the end of the right leg that will enable them to graph skin to the end of his leg in preparation for his prosthetic. The left leg was damaged much worse and is not yet ready for that procedure - at least that is my understanding.
David's kidneys are still a concern. The magic number they are looking for is below a 1.2 and his current number is 7. They are still considering this as an acute renal (kidney) failure - that is a good thing. There is still a great deal of optimism suggesting they believe his kidney will still be rebounding and functioning perfectly normal in the future. He went through another 3 hours of dialysis this morning and received another 2 litres of blood.
They put a big bad of special dye through his system last night in an effort to detect whether or not he had some major infections in this system and the CAT scan was, wonderfully, negative. His fever is doing much better today after the 103 yesterday.
The psychology of this is going to be an uphill climb. This morning we were told that, at some time in the future, they set up mirrors so these warriors can see that they have no legs. It is very hard for the mind to realize that they are gone. Yesterday he asked for his uniform and his boots. Catherine had him reach down and feel the end of his left leg and explained to him, again, that he had lost his legs. He said "I know, but my feet are still there!" I know my great friend Brian Cook lost the end of his pointing finger many many many many many (he's really old) years ago and he still can feel the sensation of a full length finger. They are giving David special medications that deal with the "phantom" pain.
Yesterday, 3-Star General James R Amos, who is the Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corp, came in and visited with David. What a great person he appeared to be. He held David's hand as I or Lynnette would hold his hand. He stroked his hair and I or Lynnette would stroke his hair. General Amos sincerely had a love and concern for David. It was truly a beautiful scene and I'm not sure if he'll every know how much that moment meant.
David was quite concerned that he hadn't received a clean shave and was not in full uniform when the General came in.
Next Thursday David will receive his Purple Heart from General James T. Conway, Commandant of the United States Marine Corp. We'll make sure he has a clean shave that day. David is very proud of his mustache but is very willing to shave it for that occasion. David has been eligible, to the best of my knowledge, for two other Purple Hearts but refused to allow the application to be place because "I'm not going to give the enemy a merit badge for getting to me!" When I was told about next Thursday, I told David I would not allow him to turn this one down.
The following comments come from Catherine.
David had a very long day and I hope he can get better rest tomorrow night. He spoke about how something was a tragedy and we discussed his legs earlier. He was complaining of phantom pains in his feet and the nurse told him his legs were gone. He looked at her with shock in his eyes and she told him she would go see if there was something she could give him for the pain. Thereafter, David said she scared the heck out of him and I asked why and he said because he thought he lost his legs and I discussed with him how he had in fact lost his legs and it was taking his brain a little longer to understand that. He argued with me about it and I think he will be able to understand all this a little better once he comes down off the pain killers.
After the 3 star General visited David, he was adament about getting a fresh haircut, a clean shave, and a clean pressed marine uniform for when he would be accepting his purple heart. He instructed me specifically on the sizes of uniform and boots I should go purchase at the Marine Corps store and got very upset that I was not going immediately because, as he told me, he did not think I was taking it seriously and he was "a little offended and insulted." I went for a walk and when I came back he said he wanted to watch movies. Lauren, his nurse, is going to obtain a television for his room. He is very comfortable with Lauren, and in my opinion, she is incredibly good with taking care of him and addressing all his concerns adequately. I was very happy to see that.
I am hoping the television will help with all his hallucinations. After you both left for the night Lauren gave David a shot to help with the hallucinations and said she would speak with the doctors about finding something more suited to address his fears properly. David asked me where we were and told me he saw bad guys but shortly after this he calmed down a little. He is speaking to himself quite a bit and later told me to get down because of the guy behind me (there was no one there.) I told him there were no bad guys here and he said "they" were conducting psychological evaluations on him to see how he would react and it was okay because he loved video games and now he was in one all the time. He later stuck his tongue out at me, and was able to joke about video games so at least he is finding some humor.
Overall David had a really long day today and I think he started off his day really tired because of the dialysis and judging on the CAT scan he is having at 3am, followed by his session of dialysis to rid his body of the liquids placed into his system for the CAT scan, and his surgery scheduled thereafter, he will probably be exhausted by tomorrow night.
He has been all over the place in his thoughts but always retains the ability to make jokes and laugh, which is really beautiful to see given the magnitude of the trauma he has so far endured with little to no complaints. His spirit is so strong and he is a beautiful person that will serve as an inspiration and symbol of strength and courage to everyone fortunate enough to cross his path or hear of his story,
He expressed having a lot of nausea tonight. He also threw up today (3 times) and after speaking with Lauren she seemed to think there might be some infection in his stomach. I'm very worried about this but hopefully after tonight the doctors will know whether there is an infection, and if so, how to go about treating it immediately.
Notwithstanding all his hallucinations, he was a little more aware when he was 'present' so to speak. He asked me "what was up with [me]" and how I was doing. I told him I was well and like everyone else, hoped he would get better really soon. He smiled and rubbed my hair and told me he would. He then proceeded to instruct me on how to go on a "special op" with him, get in the helicopter, and drive while he took care of other things. He had several very detailed instructions for me regarding which "paths" to take and all the while didn't forget to stick his tongue out at me whenever I'd start laughing.
Lauren gave him some medicine to help with the nausea and this put him right to sleep, he was mumbling to himself a little, but for the most part snoring so all in all I think he'll get a little bit of sleep tonight.
Gordon again.
As hard as all this is, it is also very beautiful to see him rebound after each and every jolt of pain or dilusion. This morning he talked with Mary Jayne, with Michael, and with Ryan Whicknick. As he talked with them I would watch his face and see him flinch at another pain that hit him, but, at no time, did his voice reflect the discomfort he was feeling. He asked me if I had seen really weard things and visited really strange places when my eyes were closed - this was referring to the time when I was having so many problems with the morphine after my surgery 10 years ago. I could honestly feel exactly what he was talking about and I vividly remember it being a very awful time as I am sure it is with him.
This is a very long blog but, I believe, it gives you a really good feel of the awful yet beautiful feelings we are having.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday May 26, 201 at 1145
I had a request from Laura Brecht for an address to get cards or letters to David, I'm sorry I didn't think of that earlier.
SSGT David Lyon
c/o National Naval Medical Center
Intensive Care Unit - Room 16
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20889
The address will remain the same for a little while but, as his condition improves he will moved to the 5th floor (out of ICU) and I will let you all know what the new room number is.
David just completed another round of dialysis and is doing good. He now has a team from the Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury unit, headed by Christina O'Brien, Psy.D.. Their goal is to make sure his meds are doing well for his agitation when he is re-living the experiences at war and to do an overall evaluation of his psychological welfare.
I met with a Master Gunner Sergeant Michael Todd this morning and what a great man and a great Marine. I am very serious when I say that these guys are incredible individuals and are incredibly loyal and caring for each other. He told me of another warrior who came through here about 6 months ago who is up walking. The prosthetics he is wearing right now have computer chips that are reading his every motion and then his own prosthetics will be designed to his bodies individual way of handling the balance and other issues. If David is going to be injured in this way, this is an incredible time to have these issues because of the technological advances that have been made in his behalf.
We were told last night that David's ability to be on any prosthetic will be delayed about 6 weeks more than some of the other individuals because of the severe separation of his pelvis. Once they are able to put the screws in the front and back of the pelvis to hold it firmly, David will have at least 6 weeks before he will be allowed to have any weight bearing on on his hips.
The dialysis is a little difficult on him because it flushes the blood and every medication in the blood that is helping with his comfort level. The medication is still going in but it is also going out at the same time. Immediately after dialysis he is re-medicated and is extremely worn out.
David is so impressive, with pain at a 9.8 he still is aware enough to give us a smile or two. When I was talking to the Gunny Sergeant, David told Lynnette that he thought I was being a little disrespectful to his comrade. I can't think of one thing disrespectful that I was saying but I was still impressed with David's awareness through all the medication.
We are back to gowns and gloves for a day or two because David keeps spiking a fever - today it went up to 103. The are concerned with some bacteria and are presently doing all the lab work to rule out any infections. This is really a balancing act for several days and sometimes several weeks. These, I guess, are the "1 step back" that the trauma surgeon discussed.
David has had several visitors from EODs that he has worked with and they are all very much concerned and want to be a part of his recovery.
I can't think of much else to fill you in on today. We'll be going to the Washington Temple tonight and will then be with David after that so I will give you any updates if there is anything new to report.
Until Then - Lynnette and I Love You,
Gordon, Dad, etc, etc, etc
SSGT David Lyon
c/o National Naval Medical Center
Intensive Care Unit - Room 16
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20889
The address will remain the same for a little while but, as his condition improves he will moved to the 5th floor (out of ICU) and I will let you all know what the new room number is.
David just completed another round of dialysis and is doing good. He now has a team from the Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury unit, headed by Christina O'Brien, Psy.D.. Their goal is to make sure his meds are doing well for his agitation when he is re-living the experiences at war and to do an overall evaluation of his psychological welfare.
I met with a Master Gunner Sergeant Michael Todd this morning and what a great man and a great Marine. I am very serious when I say that these guys are incredible individuals and are incredibly loyal and caring for each other. He told me of another warrior who came through here about 6 months ago who is up walking. The prosthetics he is wearing right now have computer chips that are reading his every motion and then his own prosthetics will be designed to his bodies individual way of handling the balance and other issues. If David is going to be injured in this way, this is an incredible time to have these issues because of the technological advances that have been made in his behalf.
We were told last night that David's ability to be on any prosthetic will be delayed about 6 weeks more than some of the other individuals because of the severe separation of his pelvis. Once they are able to put the screws in the front and back of the pelvis to hold it firmly, David will have at least 6 weeks before he will be allowed to have any weight bearing on on his hips.
The dialysis is a little difficult on him because it flushes the blood and every medication in the blood that is helping with his comfort level. The medication is still going in but it is also going out at the same time. Immediately after dialysis he is re-medicated and is extremely worn out.
David is so impressive, with pain at a 9.8 he still is aware enough to give us a smile or two. When I was talking to the Gunny Sergeant, David told Lynnette that he thought I was being a little disrespectful to his comrade. I can't think of one thing disrespectful that I was saying but I was still impressed with David's awareness through all the medication.
We are back to gowns and gloves for a day or two because David keeps spiking a fever - today it went up to 103. The are concerned with some bacteria and are presently doing all the lab work to rule out any infections. This is really a balancing act for several days and sometimes several weeks. These, I guess, are the "1 step back" that the trauma surgeon discussed.
David has had several visitors from EODs that he has worked with and they are all very much concerned and want to be a part of his recovery.
I can't think of much else to fill you in on today. We'll be going to the Washington Temple tonight and will then be with David after that so I will give you any updates if there is anything new to report.
Until Then - Lynnette and I Love You,
Gordon, Dad, etc, etc, etc
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Message to Trey
Trey, if you know how to get in touch with Adam, could you please make sure he is aware of this blog....I am sure he is worried. Thank You
Gordon
Gordon
May 26, 2010 at 1845
David just came back from another three hours of surgery. Two members of the Orthopedic Trauma surgical team, including Commander Mark E. Fleming, have already visited with us to let us know that more muscle from the back side of the left leg had to be removed. The right leg seems to be healing very well and there was no revision to the length of the legs but that is still a possibility.
We were told that the Commandant of the Naval Medical School would be doing surgery on David's right hand this coming Friday. The surgical team, including the plastic surgery team was present in the operating room today to take closer looks at the wounds on his hand and arm and determine a strategy for repair. There will be the Commandant working on the muscles of the hand, a different surgeon working on the muscles in the arm, a different surgeon attempting to do tendon repairs, and then a plastic surgery team working on the entire arm and hand. There is still the possibility of amputation to his pinkie finger but I'm really not sure if that determination has been made or not.
These Marines really take care of their own. The Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation, the Semper Fi Fund, the Yellow Ribbon Fund, the Marine Mothers and many other organizations do so much to make this experience as painless as possible financially.
So many great people doing so many great things.
There are many in Brother Gatten's ward out here going to the Temple with us tomorrow.
I think most of my tears these last couple days are coming from the beautiful little things David is saying and the incredible well wishes, prayers, and love we are receiving from YOU.
All My Love,
Gordon, Dad, etc. etc. etc.
We were told that the Commandant of the Naval Medical School would be doing surgery on David's right hand this coming Friday. The surgical team, including the plastic surgery team was present in the operating room today to take closer looks at the wounds on his hand and arm and determine a strategy for repair. There will be the Commandant working on the muscles of the hand, a different surgeon working on the muscles in the arm, a different surgeon attempting to do tendon repairs, and then a plastic surgery team working on the entire arm and hand. There is still the possibility of amputation to his pinkie finger but I'm really not sure if that determination has been made or not.
These Marines really take care of their own. The Wounded EOD Warrior Foundation, the Semper Fi Fund, the Yellow Ribbon Fund, the Marine Mothers and many other organizations do so much to make this experience as painless as possible financially.
So many great people doing so many great things.
There are many in Brother Gatten's ward out here going to the Temple with us tomorrow.
I think most of my tears these last couple days are coming from the beautiful little things David is saying and the incredible well wishes, prayers, and love we are receiving from YOU.
All My Love,
Gordon, Dad, etc. etc. etc.
May 25, 2010 1141
What a nice day so far. David was, by far, the most clear today. I asked him if he understood what his injuries were and he raised his left hand and wiggled his pinky finger and said "I have this one and I didn't expect to!", he then wiggled his ring finger and said "I have this one and I didn't expect to!" and he went through every finger and said the exact same thing each time. Then he lifted his right arm and said "I have this and I didn't expect to!" and he said that he understood that he had most of his right leg. I explained how much of his legs were missing.
David later recounted the actual incident and clearly remembers being flat on his face and consciously made an effort to roll to his back to get away from the blast so it was not a complete amputation. He expressed a vivid recollection of the actual blast, explaining that in the following moments he sat up to move his body in a direction that would minimize the damage induced to his body from the explosion. He was able to recount the fact that he dragged himself in one direction and was thereafter pulled by his comrades, although he did not say who specifically pulled him to safety, whoever that was we are eternally grateful and thank you with all our hearts. We received a call from the EOD group here in Maryland and was told that his friend Adam was approximately 5 feet away when the blast occurred and his specially designed Oakley glasses saved his eyes completely. He was mainly hit with rocks and dust and had to have 5 stitches. He is really trying to get back out there but they won't let him until the stitches are removed.
A Captain Chilstad from his Afghanistan command made sure we knew that everyone had David in their thoughts.
I just found out that Katherine is Catherine. She was with David until about 2:00 am this morning and typed an email to me and I thought you would like to hear her comments:
Hi Gordon,
In case I sleep in tomorrow I wanted to tell you and Lynette a couple things David was saying tonight.
He was talking with the nurse for a while about how he was seeing a lot of things and hallucinating, he was not overly agitated but he did complain he was "tripping out so hard" and I remembered they recently switched his pain meds or something so maybe there is something they can do to lower the hallucinations, although when I asked the nurse told me it was normal. David did seem to be comfortable when we asked him, which was good to hear.
David continued to speak about his grandmother. He was upset because he thought he had hurt her or potentially killed her and I reassured him that certainly was not the case, but he said she had passed away and he seemed very upset about it. He also kept saying it was her (or someone Else's) birthday.
His left leg was bleeding through the sheets and the doctor came in to try and place some suction tape on it, however she was not able to cover up the entire area and decided to patch it slightly but not redo the entire suction because she felt it was not necessary given his surgery tomorrow morning. The doctor said she had seen much worse bleeding on other patients but that they would keep an eye on David throughout the night to make sure he did not bleed too much. The doctor went on to tell me she had a patient in a very similar, but worse condition than David's a few months ago, and in that patient's case he had started bleeding during the night and they had to rush him to the OR. She drew this comparison to explain how she did not feel David was in that condition and therefore could wait until the morning for the surgery to fix up his wound properly. She also said this other patient was now at Walter Reed and was doing great, she said she recently had seen him in great spirits, doing push ups and sit ups on the work out ball and she told me she felt David was in much better condition than this guy was when she had treated him and she also said she was very confident David would make a great recovery and really thrive in rehab.
The nurse told me David was second to go into the OR tomorrow and that the first surgery was scheduled at 6:30a.m. and would probably go until 10:30-11a.m., so you guys may have a chance to catch David in the morning depending on how accurate that was.
Have a good night, I'm gonna try and get some rest.
Catherine
David was given two units of blood this morning and also received some insulin to bring his blood sugar into the levels they wanted - this all seems very routine to those taking care of him.
David asked for a priesthood blessing. I forgot my consecrated oil but gave him a blessing and reaffirmed the anointing he had received in Germany. I have felt absolutely no need to give David a blessing after receiving word that two worthy Priesthood holders in Germany had given him a blessing. I was so immensely touched that he asked for the blessing. Chaplain Donahue was present for the blessing but is not of our faith. She played the guitar and sang a song to David directly after the blessing. David said "that's a parents love!" He was exactly right because the song was about our Heavenly Father's love.
Brian Cook called me a little while ago and told me of the incredible amount of love expressed in David and our behalf last night at the temple. I particularly thank Bro. Lemon for his prayer.
So many of you wonderful friends. I'm quite sure that, through David's friendships and associations, many many many denominations are praying for him. Just so you know, it is all working - David is progressing very good considering what could have been.
The nurse came in to check his awareness and said "Is this SSGT Lyon?", he said "I am David Lyon are you messing with me?" She said she thought he was messing with her. He then gave an accurate birth date and social security number and introduced us to her. She asked about any pain and he said his left leg really hurt. She asked him to give her a number between 1 and 10 and he said the pain level was 9.8. - you would never have guessed he was in any pain by watching his body language.
We asked about the incident when the corpsman was putting the IV line in wrong and he told us he told that serviceman "You know I haven't been around this that long but I sure know that that's not going to work - you're doing the wrong one!" He expressed some other adjectives about the situation but I had better leave those out of this blog.
I am sooooooooooooooo impressed with David.
I sincerely thank all of you for your expressions of love for all of us.
I Love All of You,
Gordon
David later recounted the actual incident and clearly remembers being flat on his face and consciously made an effort to roll to his back to get away from the blast so it was not a complete amputation. He expressed a vivid recollection of the actual blast, explaining that in the following moments he sat up to move his body in a direction that would minimize the damage induced to his body from the explosion. He was able to recount the fact that he dragged himself in one direction and was thereafter pulled by his comrades, although he did not say who specifically pulled him to safety, whoever that was we are eternally grateful and thank you with all our hearts. We received a call from the EOD group here in Maryland and was told that his friend Adam was approximately 5 feet away when the blast occurred and his specially designed Oakley glasses saved his eyes completely. He was mainly hit with rocks and dust and had to have 5 stitches. He is really trying to get back out there but they won't let him until the stitches are removed.
A Captain Chilstad from his Afghanistan command made sure we knew that everyone had David in their thoughts.
I just found out that Katherine is Catherine. She was with David until about 2:00 am this morning and typed an email to me and I thought you would like to hear her comments:
Hi Gordon,
In case I sleep in tomorrow I wanted to tell you and Lynette a couple things David was saying tonight.
He was talking with the nurse for a while about how he was seeing a lot of things and hallucinating, he was not overly agitated but he did complain he was "tripping out so hard" and I remembered they recently switched his pain meds or something so maybe there is something they can do to lower the hallucinations, although when I asked the nurse told me it was normal. David did seem to be comfortable when we asked him, which was good to hear.
David continued to speak about his grandmother. He was upset because he thought he had hurt her or potentially killed her and I reassured him that certainly was not the case, but he said she had passed away and he seemed very upset about it. He also kept saying it was her (or someone Else's) birthday.
His left leg was bleeding through the sheets and the doctor came in to try and place some suction tape on it, however she was not able to cover up the entire area and decided to patch it slightly but not redo the entire suction because she felt it was not necessary given his surgery tomorrow morning. The doctor said she had seen much worse bleeding on other patients but that they would keep an eye on David throughout the night to make sure he did not bleed too much. The doctor went on to tell me she had a patient in a very similar, but worse condition than David's a few months ago, and in that patient's case he had started bleeding during the night and they had to rush him to the OR. She drew this comparison to explain how she did not feel David was in that condition and therefore could wait until the morning for the surgery to fix up his wound properly. She also said this other patient was now at Walter Reed and was doing great, she said she recently had seen him in great spirits, doing push ups and sit ups on the work out ball and she told me she felt David was in much better condition than this guy was when she had treated him and she also said she was very confident David would make a great recovery and really thrive in rehab.
The nurse told me David was second to go into the OR tomorrow and that the first surgery was scheduled at 6:30a.m. and would probably go until 10:30-11a.m., so you guys may have a chance to catch David in the morning depending on how accurate that was.
Have a good night, I'm gonna try and get some rest.
Catherine
David was given two units of blood this morning and also received some insulin to bring his blood sugar into the levels they wanted - this all seems very routine to those taking care of him.
David asked for a priesthood blessing. I forgot my consecrated oil but gave him a blessing and reaffirmed the anointing he had received in Germany. I have felt absolutely no need to give David a blessing after receiving word that two worthy Priesthood holders in Germany had given him a blessing. I was so immensely touched that he asked for the blessing. Chaplain Donahue was present for the blessing but is not of our faith. She played the guitar and sang a song to David directly after the blessing. David said "that's a parents love!" He was exactly right because the song was about our Heavenly Father's love.
Brian Cook called me a little while ago and told me of the incredible amount of love expressed in David and our behalf last night at the temple. I particularly thank Bro. Lemon for his prayer.
So many of you wonderful friends. I'm quite sure that, through David's friendships and associations, many many many denominations are praying for him. Just so you know, it is all working - David is progressing very good considering what could have been.
The nurse came in to check his awareness and said "Is this SSGT Lyon?", he said "I am David Lyon are you messing with me?" She said she thought he was messing with her. He then gave an accurate birth date and social security number and introduced us to her. She asked about any pain and he said his left leg really hurt. She asked him to give her a number between 1 and 10 and he said the pain level was 9.8. - you would never have guessed he was in any pain by watching his body language.
We asked about the incident when the corpsman was putting the IV line in wrong and he told us he told that serviceman "You know I haven't been around this that long but I sure know that that's not going to work - you're doing the wrong one!" He expressed some other adjectives about the situation but I had better leave those out of this blog.
I am sooooooooooooooo impressed with David.
I sincerely thank all of you for your expressions of love for all of us.
I Love All of You,
Gordon
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
May 25, 2010 at 2051
Well, it has been a very interesting night. David has been quite calm all night but his mind has been everywhere on the planet and with some of the things he has said, he may have been talking with Grandma through the veil.
At one time he said, "I'm sorry Grandma!" I asked him which grandma and he said he didn't know which one came to him. I asked which grandma came to him and he said he was in too much pain and couldn't concentrate on which grandma it was.
He was really dealing alot with "the bus" he said we needed to get off the bus because it wasn't
safe. He said we need to get off the bus but Dad is in the way and so I apologized. He was actually quite funny because he would say "YEP WE ALL NEED TO GET OFF THE BUS BUT EVERYBODY KEEPS GETTING ON THE BUS AND NOOOOOOOOOOBODY IS GETTING OFF THE BUS - THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FRUSTRATING. The nurse asked him where he thought he was and he said he was in India.
He kept being so surprised that we were part of his dreams. Was very protective of Lynnette and warned her not to leave his side, "Stay with me, don't leave me!" he said.
When he recognized Katherine he said "where's our baby?" and she told him they did not have a baby and he was very definite about seeing their baby.
I just talked with Katherine and she got a bit of a nap and is currently with him and he is now very concerned with all the animals in his dream.
It is very beautiful to try to follow his dreams and realize all his thoughts are not at war. He has been extremely thirsty and has drank, through a straw, about 5 glasses of water this evening during our time with him - I'm sure Katherine has given him more.
He reached his arms out and gave a big hug as he drifted into another place.
You know, I'm really dealing OK with the injuries. David is still David, he is all there. It is those beautifully sensitive moments that bring out my tears. I was looking in the mirror and had a thought from yesterday and got a little teary and realized that I look Chinese when I cry.
Tomorrow morning will be
At one time he said, "I'm sorry Grandma!" I asked him which grandma and he said he didn't know which one came to him. I asked which grandma came to him and he said he was in too much pain and couldn't concentrate on which grandma it was.
He was really dealing alot with "the bus" he said we needed to get off the bus because it wasn't
safe. He said we need to get off the bus but Dad is in the way and so I apologized. He was actually quite funny because he would say "YEP WE ALL NEED TO GET OFF THE BUS BUT EVERYBODY KEEPS GETTING ON THE BUS AND NOOOOOOOOOOBODY IS GETTING OFF THE BUS - THIS IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FRUSTRATING. The nurse asked him where he thought he was and he said he was in India.
He kept being so surprised that we were part of his dreams. Was very protective of Lynnette and warned her not to leave his side, "Stay with me, don't leave me!" he said.
When he recognized Katherine he said "where's our baby?" and she told him they did not have a baby and he was very definite about seeing their baby.
I just talked with Katherine and she got a bit of a nap and is currently with him and he is now very concerned with all the animals in his dream.
It is very beautiful to try to follow his dreams and realize all his thoughts are not at war. He has been extremely thirsty and has drank, through a straw, about 5 glasses of water this evening during our time with him - I'm sure Katherine has given him more.
He reached his arms out and gave a big hug as he drifted into another place.
You know, I'm really dealing OK with the injuries. David is still David, he is all there. It is those beautifully sensitive moments that bring out my tears. I was looking in the mirror and had a thought from yesterday and got a little teary and realized that I look Chinese when I cry.
Tomorrow morning will be
May 25, 2010 at 1443
Hello Everyone,
Another update after talking with the Chief of Trama Surgery, Lt. Col. Debra Malone, and she gave us a lot of helpful information.
I'll try to fill you in as it comes to my mind so that may seem a bit scrambled because of my old brain.
When the blast hit David it not only sent fragments into his body, it also threw heat and movement and a great amount of dirt and debris. Sometimes the heat and the movement damage can continue for weeks and they refer to that as "the injury presenting itself". The bacteria and mold spores in the soil of Afghanistan can equally damage open tissue so they can not possibly close all the wounds until they are absolutely sure that the bacteria is at an acceptable level to be controlled through IV methods. Lt. Col. Malone described it as going up a slippery trail, you take two or three steps forward and slip back one or two - so far we are progressing in that forward motion but they are constantly checking for that step back.
I am in the ICU Waiting Room and am talking with the parents of the Marine injured slightly before David - that Marine was the one who lost his hand and both legs. The family just behind me had their Army warrior brought in and he is undergoing full facial re-construction after taking a full blast to the face - he lost one eye as well.
David's kidneys are performing a bit under full capacity but that, from what they say is completely normal. When the body takes a hit like that, certain enzymes are released into the blood and will sometimes cause the kidney to shut down or clog. David's shut down but seems to be coming back nicely. There is absolutely no blockage.
I would tell you what his nurse Capt. Lang told us, but the way he put it would not be really good on this public blog - needless to say, his bowels are working fine.
Brother Grant Williams from the Kaysville 3rd Ward just came in and we talked for about 45 minutes
Lt. Col. Malone spent a good amount of time talking with us about the psychological aspects of what David has experienced. He just came from war and is most likely living that several times over in his head. Within the hour of David receiving his injuries, he took care of another soldier who had sustained almost identical injuries. He will, more than likely, experience PTS or Post Traumatic Syndrome and will need to deal with that in a very real way. We will be advised in the near future as to what our role in that should be so we will leave that in the hands of the experts for right now. We will learn how to treat conversations and photographs, etc.
A lady next to me just, kindly, interrupted our conversation and told me that a friend of hers was the wife of Col. Mike Evans. Col. Evans was present when they were loading David on one of his transport voyages and David was telling the crew that they were putting his IV in the wrong way and was trying to give them instruction as to how they should do it. Col. Evans expressed to his wife that David seemed to be in good spirits.
One of the first comments from David when he spoke to us was that he needed to write Adam. I did some research and found that Adam was on his first deployment as an EOD and that David was, I assume, his mentor. We found that Adam was injured but that he stayed in Afghanistan due to the limited injuries he sustained.
When I was last with David, Katherine said, "David, your dad is here!" I went over and he put his left arm around my neck and pulled me close and said "I love you so much Dad!" You'll never guess what I did, yep, I cried.
I can't remember any more so I'm headed back into the ICU.
See You All Later,
Gordon
P.S. Some of you reading this will understand this: I'm eternally grateful for my garden!
Another update after talking with the Chief of Trama Surgery, Lt. Col. Debra Malone, and she gave us a lot of helpful information.
I'll try to fill you in as it comes to my mind so that may seem a bit scrambled because of my old brain.
When the blast hit David it not only sent fragments into his body, it also threw heat and movement and a great amount of dirt and debris. Sometimes the heat and the movement damage can continue for weeks and they refer to that as "the injury presenting itself". The bacteria and mold spores in the soil of Afghanistan can equally damage open tissue so they can not possibly close all the wounds until they are absolutely sure that the bacteria is at an acceptable level to be controlled through IV methods. Lt. Col. Malone described it as going up a slippery trail, you take two or three steps forward and slip back one or two - so far we are progressing in that forward motion but they are constantly checking for that step back.
I am in the ICU Waiting Room and am talking with the parents of the Marine injured slightly before David - that Marine was the one who lost his hand and both legs. The family just behind me had their Army warrior brought in and he is undergoing full facial re-construction after taking a full blast to the face - he lost one eye as well.
David's kidneys are performing a bit under full capacity but that, from what they say is completely normal. When the body takes a hit like that, certain enzymes are released into the blood and will sometimes cause the kidney to shut down or clog. David's shut down but seems to be coming back nicely. There is absolutely no blockage.
I would tell you what his nurse Capt. Lang told us, but the way he put it would not be really good on this public blog - needless to say, his bowels are working fine.
Brother Grant Williams from the Kaysville 3rd Ward just came in and we talked for about 45 minutes
Lt. Col. Malone spent a good amount of time talking with us about the psychological aspects of what David has experienced. He just came from war and is most likely living that several times over in his head. Within the hour of David receiving his injuries, he took care of another soldier who had sustained almost identical injuries. He will, more than likely, experience PTS or Post Traumatic Syndrome and will need to deal with that in a very real way. We will be advised in the near future as to what our role in that should be so we will leave that in the hands of the experts for right now. We will learn how to treat conversations and photographs, etc.
A lady next to me just, kindly, interrupted our conversation and told me that a friend of hers was the wife of Col. Mike Evans. Col. Evans was present when they were loading David on one of his transport voyages and David was telling the crew that they were putting his IV in the wrong way and was trying to give them instruction as to how they should do it. Col. Evans expressed to his wife that David seemed to be in good spirits.
One of the first comments from David when he spoke to us was that he needed to write Adam. I did some research and found that Adam was on his first deployment as an EOD and that David was, I assume, his mentor. We found that Adam was injured but that he stayed in Afghanistan due to the limited injuries he sustained.
When I was last with David, Katherine said, "David, your dad is here!" I went over and he put his left arm around my neck and pulled me close and said "I love you so much Dad!" You'll never guess what I did, yep, I cried.
I can't remember any more so I'm headed back into the ICU.
See You All Later,
Gordon
P.S. Some of you reading this will understand this: I'm eternally grateful for my garden!
May 25, 2010 at 1125
David has been sleeping all day and it is wonderful. He is presently having another dialysis treatment to help his blood and kidneys.
His nurse showed us his right leg and I was very pleased to see that it is just a little above the knee. It does not look nearly as bad as I thought it would. There is a suction device that just looks like a black, strategically placed and specifically shaped (like a weird peanut), patch over about half of the end of the leg. That overall statement meant that, his leg is longer than I thought and his wounds seem to be closing up nicely.
He still has a tube coming out of the side of his right chest that I was unaware of before. The nurse told me it was just to drain off any excess fluids and make it easier for his lung to inflate as he heals.
None of the reconstruction efforts for his right arm will take place until he is very strong and is able to take an extended amount of surgery at one time. The plastic surgery will be very involved and takes a great amount of time.
We were also told that, as this progresses, the surgery will involve rotating the large side thigh muscles toward the front of the leg to accommodate for better balance and manipulation of the prosthetics. It is literally amazing what advances have been made to assist in David's return to full function.
I'll let you know more as I know more,
All My Love,
Gordon
His nurse showed us his right leg and I was very pleased to see that it is just a little above the knee. It does not look nearly as bad as I thought it would. There is a suction device that just looks like a black, strategically placed and specifically shaped (like a weird peanut), patch over about half of the end of the leg. That overall statement meant that, his leg is longer than I thought and his wounds seem to be closing up nicely.
He still has a tube coming out of the side of his right chest that I was unaware of before. The nurse told me it was just to drain off any excess fluids and make it easier for his lung to inflate as he heals.
None of the reconstruction efforts for his right arm will take place until he is very strong and is able to take an extended amount of surgery at one time. The plastic surgery will be very involved and takes a great amount of time.
We were also told that, as this progresses, the surgery will involve rotating the large side thigh muscles toward the front of the leg to accommodate for better balance and manipulation of the prosthetics. It is literally amazing what advances have been made to assist in David's return to full function.
I'll let you know more as I know more,
All My Love,
Gordon
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday May 24,2010 - 2015 pm
Tonight was very subdued compared to last night. If I repeat myself, please forgive me because I don't want to go back to see what I may have already written.
David came out of surgery about 3:00 PM and has been sleeping since that time. Because of the medications, David is still at war in Afghanistan in his head. He is fighting to get up and go, to protect his men, to get back to the truck. It gives me a bit more sense of how intense some of the situations may have been while actually in Afghanistan.
We left his side a bit early tonight because when we are in the room and are speaking or touching him he tries to respond, he tries to move his head toward the voice and tries to open his eyes. If you remember how beautiful it was to stand and just watch your baby sleeping, that is how we feel when David is calm and resting. This will be an incredible ordeal and he needs his rest so we just left.
From the time we arrived here, every time we went into David's room we had to put on paper gowns, rubber gloves, and a face mask. I guess the soil in both Afghanistan and in Germany can carry bacteria that can be very harmful if carried from one room to another - so, we wear the gear and enjoy it. That time has now passed we don't have to do that now unless they are in the process of preparing David for another surgery.
Tonight a couple from the Wounded EOD Foundation talked with us and gave us some financial support for our stay here and told us to let them know if we needed more. The one gentleman was about Michael's build and height - around 6'3" and about 210 or so. I noticed he had a significant scar on his right forearm and asked if he received that in combat - he acknowledged that he had and that he too was an amputee of his right leg. He was standing there as straight and tall and stable as any young man and Lynnette just gave him a hug.
These people are so incredible, I really mean incredible. They love David, they love what he has done for them, for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and for the freedoms he has tried to provide for others less fortunate than us.
In case any of you have not heard, these men are not quadriplegics or handicapped or any other acronym like that - they are amputees. We do not say we are sorry, feel what we may, we do not say we are sorry in their behalf. They are proud, they are Marines, they will press on, and they will continue to succeed. There are Army men and women here too and, no matter what branch of service they represent, the uniform has no bearing on the care they receive, the support they are receiving for their service, or the support they will receive for the rest of their life.
David still may lose a little more length, but, no matter what the length remaining, technology will enable David to walk again.
I know this is not alot of info about David this time but I had a little time to fill you in on the inner workings of what we are experiencing here in Bathesda.
We Love You,
Gordon and Lynnette
David came out of surgery about 3:00 PM and has been sleeping since that time. Because of the medications, David is still at war in Afghanistan in his head. He is fighting to get up and go, to protect his men, to get back to the truck. It gives me a bit more sense of how intense some of the situations may have been while actually in Afghanistan.
We left his side a bit early tonight because when we are in the room and are speaking or touching him he tries to respond, he tries to move his head toward the voice and tries to open his eyes. If you remember how beautiful it was to stand and just watch your baby sleeping, that is how we feel when David is calm and resting. This will be an incredible ordeal and he needs his rest so we just left.
From the time we arrived here, every time we went into David's room we had to put on paper gowns, rubber gloves, and a face mask. I guess the soil in both Afghanistan and in Germany can carry bacteria that can be very harmful if carried from one room to another - so, we wear the gear and enjoy it. That time has now passed we don't have to do that now unless they are in the process of preparing David for another surgery.
Tonight a couple from the Wounded EOD Foundation talked with us and gave us some financial support for our stay here and told us to let them know if we needed more. The one gentleman was about Michael's build and height - around 6'3" and about 210 or so. I noticed he had a significant scar on his right forearm and asked if he received that in combat - he acknowledged that he had and that he too was an amputee of his right leg. He was standing there as straight and tall and stable as any young man and Lynnette just gave him a hug.
These people are so incredible, I really mean incredible. They love David, they love what he has done for them, for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and for the freedoms he has tried to provide for others less fortunate than us.
In case any of you have not heard, these men are not quadriplegics or handicapped or any other acronym like that - they are amputees. We do not say we are sorry, feel what we may, we do not say we are sorry in their behalf. They are proud, they are Marines, they will press on, and they will continue to succeed. There are Army men and women here too and, no matter what branch of service they represent, the uniform has no bearing on the care they receive, the support they are receiving for their service, or the support they will receive for the rest of their life.
David still may lose a little more length, but, no matter what the length remaining, technology will enable David to walk again.
I know this is not alot of info about David this time but I had a little time to fill you in on the inner workings of what we are experiencing here in Bathesda.
We Love You,
Gordon and Lynnette
May 24, 2010 1600
David's surgeons just spoke with us to give us and update. He was in surgery for a little over 3 hours today and will be back in surgery in another 48 hours. If those having surgery prior to him have been in Afghanistan or other contries with biological concerns, the entire operating room including all the walls are washed and sanitized prior to the next surgery.
This time there was a plastic surgery team that assessed the damages to his right arm and will, over the next several days, assess the damages and figure out if they can use muscle folds from other muscles in the arm or if they will have to bring muscles from his back or other parts of his body.
Every 48 hours they carefully clean the muscles remaining in his legs and if there is any dead tissue or muscle they have to remove a little more = as was the case today. They had to remove a little more muscle from the back of his right leg. The surgeon said that they did not have to remove any more bone but they will evaluate that as the injury is finally close and may need to take another, hopefully tiny, bit more bone.
His kidneys seem to be performing much better but he may still need some dialysis in the future.
The apparatus on the exterior of his pelvis is still in place and they were unable to take care of the screws in the pelvis at this time. With the blast that David took, all of the tendens that hold the bones of the pelvis together were disrupted so the device is in place to hold the pelvic position firm. The scary part to us is when David is trying to lift himself and "get moving" he puts his arms against that bar, holding his pelvis, and just pushes and pushes and actually rotates his entire hips.
We try to control his arms and hands as best we can and direct his hands to an area other than those bars. Man is he strong.
I am simply amazed at the pain he is willing to take in order to achieve his goal. He rolls to his right side and tries to pull himself off the side of the bed so he can "get back to his truck".
We are really looking forward to the time when he will have the pain blocks instead of the pain medication that makes him loopy.
We love you soooooo much! Your support is incredible. I wish you had the privilege of holding him like we are. It is so comforting to put our arms carefully around him and put our head next to his.
See You Soon
Gordon and Lynnette
This time there was a plastic surgery team that assessed the damages to his right arm and will, over the next several days, assess the damages and figure out if they can use muscle folds from other muscles in the arm or if they will have to bring muscles from his back or other parts of his body.
Every 48 hours they carefully clean the muscles remaining in his legs and if there is any dead tissue or muscle they have to remove a little more = as was the case today. They had to remove a little more muscle from the back of his right leg. The surgeon said that they did not have to remove any more bone but they will evaluate that as the injury is finally close and may need to take another, hopefully tiny, bit more bone.
His kidneys seem to be performing much better but he may still need some dialysis in the future.
The apparatus on the exterior of his pelvis is still in place and they were unable to take care of the screws in the pelvis at this time. With the blast that David took, all of the tendens that hold the bones of the pelvis together were disrupted so the device is in place to hold the pelvic position firm. The scary part to us is when David is trying to lift himself and "get moving" he puts his arms against that bar, holding his pelvis, and just pushes and pushes and actually rotates his entire hips.
We try to control his arms and hands as best we can and direct his hands to an area other than those bars. Man is he strong.
I am simply amazed at the pain he is willing to take in order to achieve his goal. He rolls to his right side and tries to pull himself off the side of the bed so he can "get back to his truck".
We are really looking forward to the time when he will have the pain blocks instead of the pain medication that makes him loopy.
We love you soooooo much! Your support is incredible. I wish you had the privilege of holding him like we are. It is so comforting to put our arms carefully around him and put our head next to his.
See You Soon
Gordon and Lynnette
May 24, 2010, 1430
David is currently in surgery and will hopefully come out without the contraption stabilizing his pelvis. He had an extremely busy night. He, as I mentioned before, is now in reality right now because of the drugs he is receiving. They will soon begin to administer a block to the areas of his body that will provide the most pain - like the epidural block that women have when they have a baby.
When I walked in, Lynnette told David that I was there and he was thoroughly in Afghanistan in his mind and said, "Wow, that's weird that you are here."
I tried to make some revisions to my last post and they did not really take effect so I want to let you know that David has not lost his sense of humor. When he was doing so many things to get me to help him stand up, Katherine was trying to distract him with other comments and David stuck out his tongue at her. Katherine said "SSGT David Lyon, did I just see you stick your tongue out at me?" and David said "I most certainly did!" She then said, I had better not see that again and he stuck out his tongue and just left it there for her to see. She is incredibly sweet with him.
Today was no different, he wants to get up, to get in the truck, to blow up some ammo, and asked me if I would like to shoot.
I love you all and will let you know how the surgery went.
When I walked in, Lynnette told David that I was there and he was thoroughly in Afghanistan in his mind and said, "Wow, that's weird that you are here."
I tried to make some revisions to my last post and they did not really take effect so I want to let you know that David has not lost his sense of humor. When he was doing so many things to get me to help him stand up, Katherine was trying to distract him with other comments and David stuck out his tongue at her. Katherine said "SSGT David Lyon, did I just see you stick your tongue out at me?" and David said "I most certainly did!" She then said, I had better not see that again and he stuck out his tongue and just left it there for her to see. She is incredibly sweet with him.
Today was no different, he wants to get up, to get in the truck, to blow up some ammo, and asked me if I would like to shoot.
I love you all and will let you know how the surgery went.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Sunday, May 23,2345 EST
An emotionally draining night. In talking with Katherine, David's Sweetheart, she told me that a couple days before David's incident, he called and expressed concerns about the way things were going in Afghanistan. David has developed a great amount of respect and admiration for the Iraqi and Afghani people and his mission is to always promote peace and great relations between us and them. We are only fighting those who stive to take away the freedoms and liberties of the people in Afghanistan and Iraq. David immediate personal mission was to promote the overall respect of and service toward those people.
When this whole incident took place, Lynnette couldn't sleep so she went and read the conference Ensign in hopes to find a little comfort. Now for her, that's an hour or so, for me that would be a week without sleep. She found this... "for those who eschew evil and live good lives,who strive for a brighter day and keep the commandments of God,things can get better and better even in the face of tragedy." I can think for so many things he was trying to do to bring forth a brighter day and I can think of several commandments he was following to help make other lives better.
David is currently half way in between being delirium and reality. David would say, "Dad, I need your help!" Help in doing what? "I need to stand up." I asked if he knew of his injuries? "Yes, but help me anyway!" Then he instructed me to put my arm behind his shoulders and grab his hand and then he would count 1 2 3, and then he pulled will all his might and I helped to point that he was setting straight up and then he would start counting again and again and again until I was hiding my tears and he was sweating. We went through that exercise many many times until we had to have the Captain, his nurse, order him to stop.
David's will, his heart, and his determination have not been broken in any way.
The Kaysville 3rd Ward has requested to participate in a fast with any in our family that would like to join us. The fast will begin after the evening meal on Wednesday evening and will continue 24 hours. Please do not feel obligated to go the full 24 hours, you do what you can and, as we all know, the Lord will take care of the rest.
Lynnette and I have decided to leave David in Katherine's capable and loving hands while we take a couple hours on Thursday evening to attend a session in the Washington D.C. Temple.
With all the damage done to David's right arm, I am incredibly impressed with the fact that he just fights through all that pain just to get up and out of that bed.
He keeps asking for and MRE (Meals Ready To Eat), but they can't give him any food because of another day of surgery tomorrow.
I snuck the cell phone in and made a couple calls to JJ and Rachelle so he could hear their voices and was going to do more but the nurse was with us the rest of the night.
Good Night and Thank You For All Your Prayers
Gordon / Dad
When this whole incident took place, Lynnette couldn't sleep so she went and read the conference Ensign in hopes to find a little comfort. Now for her, that's an hour or so, for me that would be a week without sleep. She found this... "for those who eschew evil and live good lives,who strive for a brighter day and keep the commandments of God,things can get better and better even in the face of tragedy." I can think for so many things he was trying to do to bring forth a brighter day and I can think of several commandments he was following to help make other lives better.
David is currently half way in between being delirium and reality. David would say, "Dad, I need your help!" Help in doing what? "I need to stand up." I asked if he knew of his injuries? "Yes, but help me anyway!" Then he instructed me to put my arm behind his shoulders and grab his hand and then he would count 1 2 3, and then he pulled will all his might and I helped to point that he was setting straight up and then he would start counting again and again and again until I was hiding my tears and he was sweating. We went through that exercise many many times until we had to have the Captain, his nurse, order him to stop.
David's will, his heart, and his determination have not been broken in any way.
The Kaysville 3rd Ward has requested to participate in a fast with any in our family that would like to join us. The fast will begin after the evening meal on Wednesday evening and will continue 24 hours. Please do not feel obligated to go the full 24 hours, you do what you can and, as we all know, the Lord will take care of the rest.
Lynnette and I have decided to leave David in Katherine's capable and loving hands while we take a couple hours on Thursday evening to attend a session in the Washington D.C. Temple.
With all the damage done to David's right arm, I am incredibly impressed with the fact that he just fights through all that pain just to get up and out of that bed.
He keeps asking for and MRE (Meals Ready To Eat), but they can't give him any food because of another day of surgery tomorrow.
I snuck the cell phone in and made a couple calls to JJ and Rachelle so he could hear their voices and was going to do more but the nurse was with us the rest of the night.
Good Night and Thank You For All Your Prayers
Gordon / Dad
Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 2047 EST
Lynnette read my last blog and expressed that I should not try to paint a better picture than is reality. When we were about to arrive at David's room, you can imagine what we expected to see knowing that David has been hit by an expolsive designed to destroy vehicles and anything else coming near it, knowing that his left leg is now amputated about 4" below his groin, that his right leg is amputated about 4" above the knee, that his right arm, as described by the trama surgeon in Landstuhl, Germany, looked like it had taken a direct hit from a hand grenade, with the meaty area of the thumb - the meaty area of the palm, the meaty area and tendon on the inside of the arm just below the elbow all being gone. Knowing that the pinky finger and ring finger of his right hand may end up with only limited use, knowing that his pinky finger and his thumb near the wrist, and his pointer finger, and his elbow had all been badly broken and would probably need screws. Knowing that he had a contraption screwed into both hips holding several bars that crossed like KNEXs across the outside of his pelvis to hold it together, and knowing that his pelvis was badly broken and would need to be screwed together in an upcoming surgery, knowing that his abdomen was left open so they could continue to monitor an arterial bleed that needed repair, and knowing that the wounds to his legs were still open wounds so they could heal from the inside out with the fact that wyith every surgery they may cut another fraction of a milimeter of his leg bone off - and on top of all that knowing that the function of his kidneys was still not where it should be, requiring dialysis every few days to clean his blood, and knowing that his breathing has to be regulated by a machine, that he had feeding tubes and sucking tubes going in an out of him with a repaired hole in his lung.
Yes, you can imagine what I was expecting to see when I walked into his room for the first time. Instead, I saw my beautiful son, respectfully covered from the waist down, with a heavily bandaged right arm and all the wires I described and I thought it was a beautiful sight and still do. Sometimes I try to describe things that will protect you instead of allowing you to see, through words, the reality of the situation.
I think that should put things in perspective.
I want to share something with all of you.
While on the plane from German to Washington D.C., the nurse taking care of David was handed the following note and was asked to make sure that David received it:
"21 May 2010
My Fellow Service Member,
I amtruely honored to have been able to share the flight home with you.
I want you to know that your sacrafice and service will NOT be, and are NOT for nothing, nor forgotten. I do not make empty or false promises and I stand by my word always. Therefore, as I continue on in the military, I will render all of my services; in such a way as: being professional, giving my selfless service, never accepting defeat, never quitting, with pride and respect, striving beyond the standard, and in honor of your sacrafice as well as those before today, and to come.
I will always remember your sacrafice and be encouraged and motivated. I give you all my respect!
No words can express my gratitude and sincerity.
Thank You seems so insignificant at expressing my appreciation.
You're strong, and I believe in you and that you'll carry on in strength.
Very Respectfully in Your Honor,
SPC (I have chosen to keep this individual's name out of this text but will find that individual and show our appreciation)
All Our Love - We'll Fill You in tomorrow.
Dad and Mom to family and Gordon and Lynnette to Friends and Loved Ones
Yes, you can imagine what I was expecting to see when I walked into his room for the first time. Instead, I saw my beautiful son, respectfully covered from the waist down, with a heavily bandaged right arm and all the wires I described and I thought it was a beautiful sight and still do. Sometimes I try to describe things that will protect you instead of allowing you to see, through words, the reality of the situation.
I think that should put things in perspective.
I want to share something with all of you.
While on the plane from German to Washington D.C., the nurse taking care of David was handed the following note and was asked to make sure that David received it:
"21 May 2010
My Fellow Service Member,
I amtruely honored to have been able to share the flight home with you.
I want you to know that your sacrafice and service will NOT be, and are NOT for nothing, nor forgotten. I do not make empty or false promises and I stand by my word always. Therefore, as I continue on in the military, I will render all of my services; in such a way as: being professional, giving my selfless service, never accepting defeat, never quitting, with pride and respect, striving beyond the standard, and in honor of your sacrafice as well as those before today, and to come.
I will always remember your sacrafice and be encouraged and motivated. I give you all my respect!
No words can express my gratitude and sincerity.
Thank You seems so insignificant at expressing my appreciation.
You're strong, and I believe in you and that you'll carry on in strength.
Very Respectfully in Your Honor,
SPC (I have chosen to keep this individual's name out of this text but will find that individual and show our appreciation)
All Our Love - We'll Fill You in tomorrow.
Dad and Mom to family and Gordon and Lynnette to Friends and Loved Ones
May 23, 2010 15:48
Just some updates at 15:48 pm 23 May 2010
David is somewhat awake and responding to us verbally. He is a little incoherent and some of this statements do not make a great deal of sense but the following statements make all the sense in the world.
"This place sucks!"
"I am so mad, they got me!"
"I'm so sorry mom, I should have known!"
"Can I have a popcicle?" Mom asked, do you want a popcicle and he gave a very definite and drawn out - "Yessssssssss!"
We showed him the photo of he and Ethen laughing and he got a big smile on his face. He keeps saying that he wants to talk to Ethen, but I know he can't really converse in such a way, right now, to give Ethen the assurances he may need.
We are all standing around him and caressing him and he is very aware of our presence. He knows that his arm was really hurt badly and he can feel some of the pain right now. He has been told that he is going to have to learn to walk again with prosthetics and Katherine asked if he would be good and patient and he calmly said "Noooooo!" He said, "Let's just get on with it!" We have told him that you all love him and he says "I love you too!"
He is off the ventilator and they have removed the oxygen mask so he now just has the breathing thingy that goes around your ears and supplies extra oxygen in the nostrils.
My heart is very full of love and appreciation that he has his faculties, his sense of humor, and I have absolutely no concern that he is going to spring back and do everything within his power to be "All He Can Be!".
He feels bad that he can not hold Katherine. Katherine talked about getting some good movies and that they would just lay down together and watch movies while he got better. He said "as long as I get to be a participant!"
As hard as this whole thing is, it is all going to end great. If you were to look at David with the sheets over his waist, he just looks like the David we all know and love - the only thing you would see is the lines running in to give him medications through the left arm and on the chest just right of his left shoulder (if you're in facing the same direction as David). His right arm is wrapped with an ace wrap and you can see his fingers and thumb sticking out the end. His color is great and he just looks like our fun loving David.
I will give you updates as things progress.
Love Dad
Love Gordon
David is somewhat awake and responding to us verbally. He is a little incoherent and some of this statements do not make a great deal of sense but the following statements make all the sense in the world.
"This place sucks!"
"I am so mad, they got me!"
"I'm so sorry mom, I should have known!"
"Can I have a popcicle?" Mom asked, do you want a popcicle and he gave a very definite and drawn out - "Yessssssssss!"
We showed him the photo of he and Ethen laughing and he got a big smile on his face. He keeps saying that he wants to talk to Ethen, but I know he can't really converse in such a way, right now, to give Ethen the assurances he may need.
We are all standing around him and caressing him and he is very aware of our presence. He knows that his arm was really hurt badly and he can feel some of the pain right now. He has been told that he is going to have to learn to walk again with prosthetics and Katherine asked if he would be good and patient and he calmly said "Noooooo!" He said, "Let's just get on with it!" We have told him that you all love him and he says "I love you too!"
He is off the ventilator and they have removed the oxygen mask so he now just has the breathing thingy that goes around your ears and supplies extra oxygen in the nostrils.
My heart is very full of love and appreciation that he has his faculties, his sense of humor, and I have absolutely no concern that he is going to spring back and do everything within his power to be "All He Can Be!".
He feels bad that he can not hold Katherine. Katherine talked about getting some good movies and that they would just lay down together and watch movies while he got better. He said "as long as I get to be a participant!"
As hard as this whole thing is, it is all going to end great. If you were to look at David with the sheets over his waist, he just looks like the David we all know and love - the only thing you would see is the lines running in to give him medications through the left arm and on the chest just right of his left shoulder (if you're in facing the same direction as David). His right arm is wrapped with an ace wrap and you can see his fingers and thumb sticking out the end. His color is great and he just looks like our fun loving David.
I will give you updates as things progress.
Love Dad
Love Gordon
Sunday May 23, 2010
Gordon just called with the latest update. He had to step out of the room because it is so hard to watch his son be in so much pain. David was extubated today because the breathing tube was causing him so much discomfort. Feeling that David is so strong they took it out and are now lightening his sedation to arouse him more. The next few hours are going to be hard. He is moving both of his arms well which is very encouraging, but you can see in David expressions how much this hurts.
Katherine arrived late last night. Gordon got tears in his eyes as she went to his side and said his name. He said that David immediately moved his head towards her voice.
Katherine arrived late last night. Gordon got tears in his eyes as she went to his side and said his name. He said that David immediately moved his head towards her voice.
Saturday May 22, 2010
Good News and optimism from the surgeon at the hospital in Washington. He feels that David is a good candidate for prosthesis!This is very surprising to us considering how high we thought the amputations were. Right now his left leg is about 6 inches from his hip/pelvis, and his right leg is 4-5 inches above the knee. They currently do surgeries every couple of days to clean out the wounds and try to get the skin to stretch over the area to help close it off. David's right hand has very limited function of the thumb, index finger, and middle finger because he sustained injury to his ulnar nerve. Down the road they may be able to repair that, but we are unsure at this time. He also lost some tissue to his right thumb and palm area. We will have to see what the next few days bring as they try to wake him up and to see what his function of that hand his. His kidney function is still being closely watched. They are not currently doing dialysis because his potassium (K+) is under 6.0. If it reaches 6.0 or higher than they will have to do dialysis to clear this out of his blood. They are closely watching his hct (blood level) because he has lost a lot of blood during the numerous surgeries. His pelvis is stabilized with rods. At this time David is unaware, or so we think, of his injuries. He is on a ventilator and sedated. If you talk at him loud enough you can get him to open his eyes briefly. Thursday they are planning on waking him from his sedation. We all pray for him and for his mind and body to be able to take this breaking news. None of us know what he is aware of at this point.
Friday May 21, 2010
David is on his way to the USA! Sad news is that David's potassium levels are too high and so they are going to have to put him on dialysis for a short time to bring that down. Hopefully this is just some acute renal failure and his kidneys are just being stupid and they will return function in a few weeks. Gordon and Lynnette have made plans of flying out to meet him. The military is taking them to the airport, providing full lodging, food, and transportation for 3 weeks! They left at 9:45 pm Friday night, arriving at 10:30 D.C. after a short lay over in New York. Gordon received about 1 hour of sleep and Lynnette a short 3 hours. Sleep isn't a priority, they just want to see David.
Thursday May 20, 2010
We just got crushing news that David has damage to his right hand and may not keep that hand or if he does it may not be functional. They said that there is severe nerve damage and his use of that hand is questionable. They also stated his amputations are a lot higher than we were initially told. We had originally been told below the knee, then above the knee, and now they are saying, "high". So what high means leaves our minds to wonder. They are definitely mid-thigh, if not higher. We are all concerned at this time that prosthesis may not be an option.
Wednesday May 19, 2010
Yay! David has his right hand and has arrived in Germany! All day yesterday we were concerned as to why he was still in Afghanistan. We may never no why they kept him there for a few days, but we are delighted that he has arrived in Germany and we have had some contact with the medical team there. When Gordon called he talked with the charge nurse and she said that she was standing right there looking at him and she sees 10 fingers! Wow! What a blessing! However we are saddened to hear that the bilateral amputations of his legs that were once thought to be below the knee are actually now above the knee. His belly is open because they had to operate earlier on an arterial bleed and rod his pelvis so it is more stable.
Monday 17, 2010
One of the worst days of a parents lives is when a son/daughter is hurt or killed. On Monday 17, 2010 Gordon and Lynnette Lyon can attest to this personally. It started out as a good day as Lynnette, Mary Jayne, Rachelle, and Kaymen were on their way up to Logan to see Christina's new baby girl. Gordon was out in the garage doing some cleaning. At 7:00 pm the Marine Core drove up to their house and Gordon said his heart dropped to the floor. They stood at attention and then walked towards the house. The first thing that they said was that David is alive, but that he had sustained some serious injuries. The report stated that David has suffered triple amputation but is in stable condition. He has bilateral amputations of the legs (both below the knees) and the right hand has also been amputated. We are awaiting more details and will keep you posted. Please keep David in your prayers.
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