Just got off the phone with Mike. He's in good spirits, but his ribs are hurting him pretty bad today. From what we know, the ribs have likely started to heal, which is pretty painful, but at least they are healing, which is good news. He said his knee isn't too bad today, and his hand isn't too bad today either. He did stand up this morning, which wasn't too bad either, he said.
He was a little groggier this morning than he was last night, but nothing more than normal...just the meds. They were refilling his morphine drip when I was on the phone with him, so more meds are on their way!
He's ready for his surgery, but also thought he'd be very out of it afterwards, so he confirmed the wishes for no visitors this afternoon/evening. As soon as we get word on his surgery, I will post them here and send an email to all as well. Rest assured, I will get word out to everyone as soon as I hear from the family.
Love & Blessings,
karin
27 May 2009
Mikey update - Wed 5/27 9:07am PST
Just a quick note....no new updates, really...
One of our friends spoke with Mike this morning...just for about 2-3 minutes. He seemed in pretty good spirits, though groggy from the meds. He was aware that his blood count had gone up and that he was having surgery today. The impression she got is that he seemed very eager to go home...and really, who can blame him!
That's all...just wanted to share with everyone that we have first hand account that he is in good spirits this morning!
Love & Blessings,
karin
One of our friends spoke with Mike this morning...just for about 2-3 minutes. He seemed in pretty good spirits, though groggy from the meds. He was aware that his blood count had gone up and that he was having surgery today. The impression she got is that he seemed very eager to go home...and really, who can blame him!
That's all...just wanted to share with everyone that we have first hand account that he is in good spirits this morning!
Love & Blessings,
karin
Mikey update - Wed 5/27 8:31am PST
Good Morning All,
Mike had a good night. As I mentioned in my update last night, he received 2 more pints of blood, and slept well...until after 9am this morning. Very good that he is getting a good nights rest...that can be hard to do in a hospital! His blood count this morning is over 9, and as such, the surgery for his hand is "a go" and is scheduled for 3:30pm CST today. Mike's Dad spoke with the general trauma doctor this morning, and everything is good with regard to Mike's status.
The staff strongly recommends that no one visit this afternoon or evening. He will likely not be back in his room following his surgery until 7 or 8pm CST and he will be really "out of it" until the anesthesia wears off. Tomorrow will be a better day for visiting. Based on Mike's Dad's discussion with the doctor, Mike will likely be in the hospital for at least another 2 or 3 days.
Keep sending the good thoughts and prayers his way...they are certainly working.
I will talk with Mike later this morning and post any additional updates as I receive them throughout the day.
Love & Blessings,
karin
Mike had a good night. As I mentioned in my update last night, he received 2 more pints of blood, and slept well...until after 9am this morning. Very good that he is getting a good nights rest...that can be hard to do in a hospital! His blood count this morning is over 9, and as such, the surgery for his hand is "a go" and is scheduled for 3:30pm CST today. Mike's Dad spoke with the general trauma doctor this morning, and everything is good with regard to Mike's status.
The staff strongly recommends that no one visit this afternoon or evening. He will likely not be back in his room following his surgery until 7 or 8pm CST and he will be really "out of it" until the anesthesia wears off. Tomorrow will be a better day for visiting. Based on Mike's Dad's discussion with the doctor, Mike will likely be in the hospital for at least another 2 or 3 days.
Keep sending the good thoughts and prayers his way...they are certainly working.
I will talk with Mike later this morning and post any additional updates as I receive them throughout the day.
Love & Blessings,
karin
26 May 2009
Mikey update - Tue 5/26 8:56pm PST
Just a brief update. Mike's hand surgery is scheduled for 3:30pm CST tomorrow. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts. I will, of course, post any information as it comes my way.
Love & Blessings,
karin
Love & Blessings,
karin
Mikey update - Tue 5/26 6:34pm PST
Below is some corrected/updated information as provided to me by Dave (Mikey's dad):
"Correction on the blood level – it went up to 7.8 – he needs to get this up to about 9.0 to have the operation. FYI – the norm is around 11. The swelling and additional bruising is normal – we talked to the doctor a little while ago and got a much better explanation than the doctor this morning. That doctor downplayed the hematoma….We just read the cat scan reports and we feel a lot better about the information.
Another positive: Mike got cleaned up today and they took several of the initial bandages off for good. The bandages were covering relatively minor scrapes on his left hand and arm and on his left knee. He looks less like a mummy now.
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers – we really appreciate it!"
Mikey update - Tue 5/26 5:47pm PST
Pat and I just got off the phone with Mike. He remains in good spirits today, and we shared quite a few laughs.
Earlier today, he was given 2 pints of blood due to the blood loss from his hematoma. The additional blood only made his hemoglobin level rise 2 points from 7.1 to 7.3. He is currently experiencing some swelling in his lower extremities, and they are all working to get the cause identified. The doctor has just ordered 2 additional pints of blood for Mike.
The hand surgery is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow morning, we think around 9am CST. This is dependent on whether or not Mike's hemoglobin level rises to at least 11 by that time. They will see the result of the additional blood, and take it from there.
His pain seems to be "under control", and by that I mean, he still hurts a whole lot, but he does have the morphine pump to help him self-regulate his medicine when he needs more. His ribs and his knee are the source of most of his pain. He sounded a little more "with it" this afternoon...but still very groggy. One positive note, he has been sleeping through the nights, despite the various alarms and beeps that occur around him all night, and the nurses that are constantly coming in to check his vitals. Last night he said he fell asleep around 10pm, and didn't wake up until 8am...very good, much needed rest.
We don't expect to hear anything further this evening, but of course if we do, we will pass it along. Once we have an update in the morning...on his blood counts, his surgery, etc...we will share.
In the meantime, keep thinking good thoughts and send your positive vibes his way!
Love & Blessings,
karin & pat
Earlier today, he was given 2 pints of blood due to the blood loss from his hematoma. The additional blood only made his hemoglobin level rise 2 points from 7.1 to 7.3. He is currently experiencing some swelling in his lower extremities, and they are all working to get the cause identified. The doctor has just ordered 2 additional pints of blood for Mike.
The hand surgery is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow morning, we think around 9am CST. This is dependent on whether or not Mike's hemoglobin level rises to at least 11 by that time. They will see the result of the additional blood, and take it from there.
His pain seems to be "under control", and by that I mean, he still hurts a whole lot, but he does have the morphine pump to help him self-regulate his medicine when he needs more. His ribs and his knee are the source of most of his pain. He sounded a little more "with it" this afternoon...but still very groggy. One positive note, he has been sleeping through the nights, despite the various alarms and beeps that occur around him all night, and the nurses that are constantly coming in to check his vitals. Last night he said he fell asleep around 10pm, and didn't wake up until 8am...very good, much needed rest.
We don't expect to hear anything further this evening, but of course if we do, we will pass it along. Once we have an update in the morning...on his blood counts, his surgery, etc...we will share.
In the meantime, keep thinking good thoughts and send your positive vibes his way!
Love & Blessings,
karin & pat
Mikey update - Tue 5/26 1:44pm PST
Just had a nice chat with Mike. He is in better spirits today than he has been all weekend. We laughed, and he seemed more "with it" today. Albeit, he's quote hopped up on morphine, but he sounded more "there" than he has the past few days.
He does have a steady stream of visitors and phone calls. I asked him if it was too tiring or if it was good, and he did say that although it is a bit tiring, it's very good to have the support. So...keep the visits and phone calls coming!
He's still just feeling "ok". He didn't talk too much about the pain today, which is an improvement from yesterday. He is a bit frustrated because of the delay in the hand surgery. Not because he was in a big rush to get his hand operated on, but because of the reason for the "delay of game". Apparently, he'd been asking the nurses, etc to check on his left side (with the big owie), because it was bleeding, and nobody seemed to think much of it. Then today, he had lost enough blood to require a CT scan to check for the internal bleeding, and thankfully, there was none. But the hematoma that is present, might have been spotted earlier, and that was a bit annoying to him.
He's tired, and his voice is a little scratchy (for a variety of reasons I'm sure), but all-in-all, he sounded good. He has visitors now, and is very blessed to have such good friends.
Now...I'm off to make cookies...so far, that has been his only request from san diego...a special cookie just for him...so off to make those and send his way.
Keep thinking good thoughts....
Love & Blessings,
karin
He does have a steady stream of visitors and phone calls. I asked him if it was too tiring or if it was good, and he did say that although it is a bit tiring, it's very good to have the support. So...keep the visits and phone calls coming!
He's still just feeling "ok". He didn't talk too much about the pain today, which is an improvement from yesterday. He is a bit frustrated because of the delay in the hand surgery. Not because he was in a big rush to get his hand operated on, but because of the reason for the "delay of game". Apparently, he'd been asking the nurses, etc to check on his left side (with the big owie), because it was bleeding, and nobody seemed to think much of it. Then today, he had lost enough blood to require a CT scan to check for the internal bleeding, and thankfully, there was none. But the hematoma that is present, might have been spotted earlier, and that was a bit annoying to him.
He's tired, and his voice is a little scratchy (for a variety of reasons I'm sure), but all-in-all, he sounded good. He has visitors now, and is very blessed to have such good friends.
Now...I'm off to make cookies...so far, that has been his only request from san diego...a special cookie just for him...so off to make those and send his way.
Keep thinking good thoughts....
Love & Blessings,
karin
Mikey update - Tue 5/26 11:17am PST
First, I posted the incorrect hospital number below. The correct number is 630.208.3000.
Update...nothing too much right now. He's getting a "wash down"...basically they're trying to get some of the gravel and blood out of his hair.
He is in good spirits.
Update...nothing too much right now. He's getting a "wash down"...basically they're trying to get some of the gravel and blood out of his hair.
He is in good spirits.
Mikey update - Tue 5/26 9:51am PST
Now that I'm back in front of a computer, I'll be communicating any updates on Mike to you all as I get them. If there is anyone you'd like me to add to this distribution, please send me their email address. Here is what I know as of a few minutes ago:
This morning, as they were preparing him for surgery on his hand, they noted his blood count was low. They were concerned about internal bleeding, especially since he has a very large "owie" on his side. They did a CT scan to check all of his insides, and there was no indication of internal bleeding. They did find that he has a hematoma that is resulting in some blood loss, but the doctors feel his body will start absorbing it soon. He is being given blood now, and is in good spirits.
His hand surgery is postponed until tomorrow. He will be having his right index finger/hand repaired, as the tendon that controls his index finger was 80% severed. They will also be putting some pins in his right ring finger, as that was also broken.
I will do my best to get emails out, but to be sure that I'm not missing anyone, please do feel free to forward these on to anyone I might have missed. I will also be using my blog to post updates on his progress.
I will be in touch with "the room" throughout the day and upcoming days, so if anyone has any questions, or just wants to hear a "live voice update", please don't hesitate to give me a call at any time. I know we are far away, but we are keeping as close of a watch on him as we possibly can.
The link to my blog is: http://guitarley.blogspot.com/
Home phone (please use first, as we get no cell signal in our house): 858.240.7974
Karin's cell: 858.243.6628
For anyone that doesn't have it, here is the hospital information:
Delnor Hospital
300 Randall Road
Geneva, IL 60134
630.208.3993
UPDATED NUMBER: 630.208.3000
Mike's room number is 2657. We've talked to him several times, and is usually up for a chat. If he's not, he'll let you know :) There is almost always someone in the room, so if he is unable to answer, someone usually will.
Your continued thoughts and prayers are welcomed. It's going to be a long road, but I am confident with all our prayers and blessings, he'll be on the mend before we know it!
This morning, as they were preparing him for surgery on his hand, they noted his blood count was low. They were concerned about internal bleeding, especially since he has a very large "owie" on his side. They did a CT scan to check all of his insides, and there was no indication of internal bleeding. They did find that he has a hematoma that is resulting in some blood loss, but the doctors feel his body will start absorbing it soon. He is being given blood now, and is in good spirits.
His hand surgery is postponed until tomorrow. He will be having his right index finger/hand repaired, as the tendon that controls his index finger was 80% severed. They will also be putting some pins in his right ring finger, as that was also broken.
I will do my best to get emails out, but to be sure that I'm not missing anyone, please do feel free to forward these on to anyone I might have missed. I will also be using my blog to post updates on his progress.
I will be in touch with "the room" throughout the day and upcoming days, so if anyone has any questions, or just wants to hear a "live voice update", please don't hesitate to give me a call at any time. I know we are far away, but we are keeping as close of a watch on him as we possibly can.
The link to my blog is: http://guitarley.blogspot.com/
Home phone (please use first, as we get no cell signal in our house): 858.240.7974
Karin's cell: 858.243.6628
For anyone that doesn't have it, here is the hospital information:
Delnor Hospital
300 Randall Road
Geneva, IL 60134
630.208.3993
UPDATED NUMBER: 630.208.3000
Mike's room number is 2657. We've talked to him several times, and is usually up for a chat. If he's not, he'll let you know :) There is almost always someone in the room, so if he is unable to answer, someone usually will.
Your continued thoughts and prayers are welcomed. It's going to be a long road, but I am confident with all our prayers and blessings, he'll be on the mend before we know it!
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