Mikes Visit to See David;
From the day he arrived in the US I was hesitant to visit; I was afraid of many things like; that the medications he was on were so powerful that might not remember my visit. That the pain would be so bad that we couldn’t try and do something, which wasn’t the case. I am extremely grateful that I was able to visit him and I hope to go again in a few months, or have them come here so we can do thanksgiving or Christmas together.
How was David? Let me just say this, I believe that David is entering what will be the hardest part yet. And I truly believe that phone calls, emails and stuff to help occupy his mind are going to be very important over the next few months.
He is very skinny; his eyes were big and looked tired and kind of sullen. Movement was definitely slower and his sense of humor and general happy/funny demeanor was gone, which was understandable and I didn’t question at first. I wasn’t sure if maybe he was as nervous to see me as I was to see him, I think there was nervousness on my and his part but I think we both masked it pretty good. Later in the trip I asked him about his sense of humor, I was told that when he was in Bethesda he was on some very serious medications quoted as being “10 times more powerful than crack cocaine” so while he was there his disposition was very cheerful. However here at Walter Reed David has pushed back on the medication and is relying simply on Percocet and a few others. Therefore his mind is much more aware of his injuries and he is going through part of what might be considered a grieving stage. I can’t imagine what it must feel like but Kathryn told me it’s a very good thing and it has to happen sooner or later as he begins his road to recovery.
How is his progress? Well his legs have to completely heal before he can get fitted for legs, and although he is getting close, the way the bone is re-growing could force Surgeons to open his leg back up and shave off jagged bone growth. Let’s all pray that’s not the case because David will be setback at least a few weeks if it’s necessary.
His room was very nicely decorated; quilts and different things were pinned to the walls, as well as all the different coins he had received from people like the Secretary of Defense, Commandant of the Marine Corp. and many others. Needless to say my collection totally sucks compared to David’s.
Thanks again for putting up with me David I had a great time.
Mike
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Saturday and Sunday, August 7 and 8, 2010
I'm sorry I've left you hanging for a couple days. It's been very busy with David's brothers, Stephen and Michael, being here and we've been out of the hospital a great deal.
Michael really wanted to express his thoughts about being here and so I have avoided writing about any specifics that he might want to cover. He is probably home right now since I dropped him off at about 0600 at the airport. He'll be writing the blog tonight.
I can tell you that this is an extremely emotional day as Lynnette and I will be travelling home tomorrow. We absolutely love David and the feelings are very tender and close to the surface right now. While we're here we feel like we can protect him even though he doesn't really need to be protected, we can help him even though he really doesn't require a great deal of help, and we can love him as our little boy with ow-ees even though he is not a little boy and he doesn't want us fussing over his ow-ees. If you're a parent - you know exactly how we feel. I'm thinking we're going to have to go to the Navy Exchange and get Lynnette a whole new batch of make-up because she has applied it several times already today.
I can express to you, as I am sure Michael will touch upon - this is a very hard reality period for David. I'll let Michael elaborate on that. Until later, please know how much we love and appreciate all of you.
Gordon
Michael really wanted to express his thoughts about being here and so I have avoided writing about any specifics that he might want to cover. He is probably home right now since I dropped him off at about 0600 at the airport. He'll be writing the blog tonight.
I can tell you that this is an extremely emotional day as Lynnette and I will be travelling home tomorrow. We absolutely love David and the feelings are very tender and close to the surface right now. While we're here we feel like we can protect him even though he doesn't really need to be protected, we can help him even though he really doesn't require a great deal of help, and we can love him as our little boy with ow-ees even though he is not a little boy and he doesn't want us fussing over his ow-ees. If you're a parent - you know exactly how we feel. I'm thinking we're going to have to go to the Navy Exchange and get Lynnette a whole new batch of make-up because she has applied it several times already today.
I can express to you, as I am sure Michael will touch upon - this is a very hard reality period for David. I'll let Michael elaborate on that. Until later, please know how much we love and appreciate all of you.
Gordon
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010 at 0815 on Saturday Morning
Hallelujah, No X-Fix
That's right, the right hand is free of hardware. David is a free man. When he found out they were going to go ahead with the surgery on his ear.....let me explain. The ear surgery was to do a skin graft on the ear drum because it was, pretty much, destroyed in the blast, combined with other concussion blasts that David had experienced. We were told that they wanted the ear surgery to be the very last because, when they do the ear surgery, he can not have any other surgery for a week or two because the oxygen mask he would have to wear during surgery would build up pressure behind his ear drum and damage the work that had been done. So, when he found out they were going to go ahead with the surgery on the ear, he told them to hold off on the ear until they could do the surgery on the X-fix at the same time.
Now that David has established himself as the total power around here, when David talks, people listen. Only kidding. They surely want to do everything they can for every warrior and so they did 2 cat scans to make sure they were seeing if the hand had healed enough - it had. So now there is no hardware on him and he looks like he is wearing ear protection for a wrestling match. The surgeons even put little smiley face stickers on the hard cover protecting his ear.
If you clench your teeth and feel the muscle that is right next to the temple, that is where they took the graft to repair his eardrum. They cut the back of the ear and go in. It's a pretty involved surgery and lasted about 4 hours. They will take the head gear off, perhaps today. It will be about a month before he will really know the success of the surgery, but the surgeon told us that he was 95 % confident that it will turn out perfect. Another great thing was that the pain throughout the day was very minimal - the only pain he complained of was the phantom pains.
Michael, David's brother, came in late and will see him this morning. These brothers of his really love David and respect what he has done - they know, first hand, what incredible effort it takes to do the job he was doing in the military.
The Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, came in to see David yesterday. He was very much to the point and told David of his appreciation. He gave David a challenge coin and a "get out of jail free card". I'll let David tell you the meaning of that card.
David's friend, Carlos, stood on two legs yesterday. He said he cried, not from the great amount of pain, but because he was standing again. When I serve in the Bountiful LDS Temple, I serve with many older men and women and sometimes when you ask them how they are, they make comments like, "I'm Vertical" or "No Chalk Line This Morning" or "I didn't see my name in the Obituaries, so I'm doing great!" I think Carlos and David both feel that way. They are alive, and there is a bright future. Carlos felt a bit short because of the short prosthetics that are first used - I think his wife is about 4' 10" and he was quite a bit shorter than she when he stood up on the shorties. He said that the HO in his left leg was very tender so he had to shift his weight to the other leg, but he was standing. It makes me cry too, Lynnette and I have really built a great love for him and his beautiful family.
Many of these amputees had a great amount of HO and the surgeons try not to do any surgery to remove it until 6 months to a year because it can also be a great support for them if the pain subsides enough. Many times, when they are fitted for the prosthetic, the designers will put a bit of a bubble in the area of the HO so that it does not come in contact with the prosthetic. So, we'll see how it goes with David because he has a great deal of HO.
David is a bit envious of the fact that Carlos is ahead of him in the healing process and now Carlos is getting close to being in outpatient. Carlos told David that he wasn't going to be his neighbor anymore but that David would be "right here" and he pointed to his heart. He sincerely meant it - I don't know how that touched David but it sure hit me right in the tear ducts.
Writing this blog is like therapy for me. The tears just flow when I think of the beautiful moments that encompass a potentially lousy experience. I sincerely mean it when I say that we are all extremely blessed.
All My Love, As Usual,
Gordon
That's right, the right hand is free of hardware. David is a free man. When he found out they were going to go ahead with the surgery on his ear.....let me explain. The ear surgery was to do a skin graft on the ear drum because it was, pretty much, destroyed in the blast, combined with other concussion blasts that David had experienced. We were told that they wanted the ear surgery to be the very last because, when they do the ear surgery, he can not have any other surgery for a week or two because the oxygen mask he would have to wear during surgery would build up pressure behind his ear drum and damage the work that had been done. So, when he found out they were going to go ahead with the surgery on the ear, he told them to hold off on the ear until they could do the surgery on the X-fix at the same time.
Now that David has established himself as the total power around here, when David talks, people listen. Only kidding. They surely want to do everything they can for every warrior and so they did 2 cat scans to make sure they were seeing if the hand had healed enough - it had. So now there is no hardware on him and he looks like he is wearing ear protection for a wrestling match. The surgeons even put little smiley face stickers on the hard cover protecting his ear.
If you clench your teeth and feel the muscle that is right next to the temple, that is where they took the graft to repair his eardrum. They cut the back of the ear and go in. It's a pretty involved surgery and lasted about 4 hours. They will take the head gear off, perhaps today. It will be about a month before he will really know the success of the surgery, but the surgeon told us that he was 95 % confident that it will turn out perfect. Another great thing was that the pain throughout the day was very minimal - the only pain he complained of was the phantom pains.
Michael, David's brother, came in late and will see him this morning. These brothers of his really love David and respect what he has done - they know, first hand, what incredible effort it takes to do the job he was doing in the military.
The Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, came in to see David yesterday. He was very much to the point and told David of his appreciation. He gave David a challenge coin and a "get out of jail free card". I'll let David tell you the meaning of that card.
David's friend, Carlos, stood on two legs yesterday. He said he cried, not from the great amount of pain, but because he was standing again. When I serve in the Bountiful LDS Temple, I serve with many older men and women and sometimes when you ask them how they are, they make comments like, "I'm Vertical" or "No Chalk Line This Morning" or "I didn't see my name in the Obituaries, so I'm doing great!" I think Carlos and David both feel that way. They are alive, and there is a bright future. Carlos felt a bit short because of the short prosthetics that are first used - I think his wife is about 4' 10" and he was quite a bit shorter than she when he stood up on the shorties. He said that the HO in his left leg was very tender so he had to shift his weight to the other leg, but he was standing. It makes me cry too, Lynnette and I have really built a great love for him and his beautiful family.
Many of these amputees had a great amount of HO and the surgeons try not to do any surgery to remove it until 6 months to a year because it can also be a great support for them if the pain subsides enough. Many times, when they are fitted for the prosthetic, the designers will put a bit of a bubble in the area of the HO so that it does not come in contact with the prosthetic. So, we'll see how it goes with David because he has a great deal of HO.
David is a bit envious of the fact that Carlos is ahead of him in the healing process and now Carlos is getting close to being in outpatient. Carlos told David that he wasn't going to be his neighbor anymore but that David would be "right here" and he pointed to his heart. He sincerely meant it - I don't know how that touched David but it sure hit me right in the tear ducts.
Writing this blog is like therapy for me. The tears just flow when I think of the beautiful moments that encompass a potentially lousy experience. I sincerely mean it when I say that we are all extremely blessed.
All My Love, As Usual,
Gordon
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thursday, August 5th
Steve here again,
Well another pretty much average day, busy but average. It is nice to just be here and go through the routine with David. Just to be here feels like a privilege to me. The days here seem to be normal and uneventful but they are constantly full of little "tender" moments, as my dad would say. Seeing David and the other soldiers in physical therapy is always a proud/sobering experience to witness.
David found out today that he is getting his x-fit out of his hand tomorrow during his ear surgery. He will finally be free of all hardware and this should give him quite a bit more movement in his hand. Now he is just waiting for his wounds on his legs to heal up and then he will be fitted for his prosthetics!!! David couldn't be more excited for that.... Also during physical therapy today David was able to do some cardio, there is a machine that is like a bicycle for your arms which David got on for the first time. This excited him just for the thought of getting on the actual bike and getting some outdoor physical activity.
Other then that, there is not much else to talk about except maybe some good quesadillas at the chow hall today :) So with that I will say goodnight and go watch a movie with David.
Till Next Time,
Steve Lyon
Well another pretty much average day, busy but average. It is nice to just be here and go through the routine with David. Just to be here feels like a privilege to me. The days here seem to be normal and uneventful but they are constantly full of little "tender" moments, as my dad would say. Seeing David and the other soldiers in physical therapy is always a proud/sobering experience to witness.
David found out today that he is getting his x-fit out of his hand tomorrow during his ear surgery. He will finally be free of all hardware and this should give him quite a bit more movement in his hand. Now he is just waiting for his wounds on his legs to heal up and then he will be fitted for his prosthetics!!! David couldn't be more excited for that.... Also during physical therapy today David was able to do some cardio, there is a machine that is like a bicycle for your arms which David got on for the first time. This excited him just for the thought of getting on the actual bike and getting some outdoor physical activity.
Other then that, there is not much else to talk about except maybe some good quesadillas at the chow hall today :) So with that I will say goodnight and go watch a movie with David.
Till Next Time,
Steve Lyon
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday August 3rd
Hey all, Steve here.
Today was my first full day with david, it was interesting... From what I understand it was a pretty typical day. Went to physical therapy and then david took a nap. We didn't get any more news on getting his x-fit removed from his hand. David is making some great progress by leaps and bounds in physical therapy, it is amazing how much David pushes himself to constantly improve.
Since I have been here I have been trying to get a read on david and what is going on mentally. He seems to be just fine, he is constantly focusing on the next step to improvement. He is still the same brother as before. It is amazing how much support they give here, there are constantly people coming to visit david and sharing there stories to give support. The higher ranking officials come see him just to check up and chat, and give any help they can.
Its a bit emotional seeing all the soldiers in physical therapy, most of which are amputees in some way. There is a certain amount of pride that comes with the grief, seeing all the soldiers with such mental focus and determination to get back to there previous self. And when they start to get down on themselves someone is always there to help them get back up again.
~Steve Lyon~
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
There isn't a great deal to tell you today.
More exercising, more pain, a bit less HO pain, a bit more frustration with no news on the right hand, very tired after dealing with the pain during PT, and much more of the same.
David's brother, Stephen, came in and got to see David for the first time since this happened. David asked him if it was hard to see him while he was doing his patented squirm to transition from his wheelchair to his bed. Stephen said it was very hard. I totally agree, it's hard to see your son and your brother, who usually towers over you in strength and in size, have to struggle with such mundane tasks. The nice thing is that it is all temporary.
I'll write more later.
Love you all,
Gordon
More exercising, more pain, a bit less HO pain, a bit more frustration with no news on the right hand, very tired after dealing with the pain during PT, and much more of the same.
David's brother, Stephen, came in and got to see David for the first time since this happened. David asked him if it was hard to see him while he was doing his patented squirm to transition from his wheelchair to his bed. Stephen said it was very hard. I totally agree, it's hard to see your son and your brother, who usually towers over you in strength and in size, have to struggle with such mundane tasks. The nice thing is that it is all temporary.
I'll write more later.
Love you all,
Gordon
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, 2 August 2010 at 2116
Hello Again,
Sorry, I didn't write yesterday. David and Catherine were able to get a rental car and do some sight seeing yesterday and we didn't even have the chance to see him so there wasn't much I could report on.
I can tell you that he had a beautiful and awful day. I really do know what those feel like. He and Catherine took the opportunity to go the the Arlington Cemetery and visited the graves of several of his friends. It is such a beautiful and reverent place, yet so awful when you personally know the tragic deaths that put many of these soldiers and warriors in this place. It was a very tender time. I'm very glad he was able to visit those very personal friends of his.
We spent a few hours with David today and Lynnette saw him in his PT for the first time. I just asked her what her feelings were about what she saw today and she was just in awe. Adelle, David's therapist has a list of things that she wants him to do. He did everything on the list plus more. He added weights that she had not required, he added pads under his legs as he laid on his stomach to stretch the muscles in his back, which she did not expect him to do. David always seems to go that extra push so that he can get ahead of the game. David, while one therapist is working on the joints of his right hand, his wrist, his elbow extension, and any other painful thing she can call "therapy", is doing butt ups, leg lifts with weight belts on his legs, etc. etc. etc. When the hand therapist bends his fingers to the point that David arches up on the back of his head from pain, he says "STOP!", at that point she just holds it there for about 15 to 30 seconds and then tries to get a bit further the next time.
David still has no word on the x-fix on his hand but we're hoping it comes off very soon so he can really start the rehab process and the weight bearing on that hand. David was taking a close look at the repair that was done on his right hand where the pinky finger was taken off, he realized that he still has the pinky fingerprint on the side of his hand. He actually thought it was quite entertaining and has figured out how to freak out the next person that takes his fingerprints. I'll let him give you his ideas of fun when you get together with him.
All-in-all, things are going very well and David may be in outpatient status within the month. He is really looking forward to that bit of freedom. We're working things out to make sure this blog keeps going when I am not here. It's going to be a bit harder to write when I'm not present, but we'll do our best to keep you involved and up to date.
Thank You for your thoughts and prayers,
Gordon
Sorry, I didn't write yesterday. David and Catherine were able to get a rental car and do some sight seeing yesterday and we didn't even have the chance to see him so there wasn't much I could report on.
I can tell you that he had a beautiful and awful day. I really do know what those feel like. He and Catherine took the opportunity to go the the Arlington Cemetery and visited the graves of several of his friends. It is such a beautiful and reverent place, yet so awful when you personally know the tragic deaths that put many of these soldiers and warriors in this place. It was a very tender time. I'm very glad he was able to visit those very personal friends of his.
We spent a few hours with David today and Lynnette saw him in his PT for the first time. I just asked her what her feelings were about what she saw today and she was just in awe. Adelle, David's therapist has a list of things that she wants him to do. He did everything on the list plus more. He added weights that she had not required, he added pads under his legs as he laid on his stomach to stretch the muscles in his back, which she did not expect him to do. David always seems to go that extra push so that he can get ahead of the game. David, while one therapist is working on the joints of his right hand, his wrist, his elbow extension, and any other painful thing she can call "therapy", is doing butt ups, leg lifts with weight belts on his legs, etc. etc. etc. When the hand therapist bends his fingers to the point that David arches up on the back of his head from pain, he says "STOP!", at that point she just holds it there for about 15 to 30 seconds and then tries to get a bit further the next time.
David still has no word on the x-fix on his hand but we're hoping it comes off very soon so he can really start the rehab process and the weight bearing on that hand. David was taking a close look at the repair that was done on his right hand where the pinky finger was taken off, he realized that he still has the pinky fingerprint on the side of his hand. He actually thought it was quite entertaining and has figured out how to freak out the next person that takes his fingerprints. I'll let him give you his ideas of fun when you get together with him.
All-in-all, things are going very well and David may be in outpatient status within the month. He is really looking forward to that bit of freedom. We're working things out to make sure this blog keeps going when I am not here. It's going to be a bit harder to write when I'm not present, but we'll do our best to keep you involved and up to date.
Thank You for your thoughts and prayers,
Gordon
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