I'll sleep in your bed!!!

The other night, Tyler said, "mom, since you're sleeping in the big room with dad, I think I should sleep in your bed."!! How can I resist THAT? It reminds me of a story that Randy's mom tells about him when he was aound 10, Jim was working out of town and one night Randy appeared in Peggy's bedroom and asked to sleep with her, when she asked why, his response was, "I just thought you would be lonely". My son is SOOOO much like his daddy. Such a sweetie. So, once Cambelle was asleep, I let Maddison and Tyler sleep in my bed.

This is my lovely sleeping quarters. Randy's been sleeping in the recliner by that lamp, but lucky for him, there are 5 recliners in the big room!!! I sleep in there with him so if he tries to get up, I can help him and we set an alarm to get him his pain medicine every 4 hours. Mornings are BAD. He's really stiff and sore. If we happen to sleep past the alarm (which has happened a few times), he pays for it and I feel HORRIBLE!!! I feel lucky to be sleeping in the same room as him, in the comfort of our own home. He's being such a good sport, thanks babe!!!

Anyhow, tomorrow is going to be a big day for us. Randy's aunt Lorraine just passed away from a 3 month battle with cancer. Her 49th birthday would have been on Saturday. We will go to the viewing and funeral tomorrow, then see about the luncheon. All of our family will be there. It is going to be a really cool funeral and Randy was NOT going to miss it. It will be hard for him, no doubt, but hopefully our Heavenly Father will bless Randy for being with his family. I think He will!!!

When the going gets tough.....

How do you handle stress? Well, for me, when the going gets tough... I cut my hair!!! It's not the first time I've done it. The second time Tyler was in intensive care, I went for a little choppy chop. So, last Friday, Randy wasn't surprised when I came home with shorter hair!!! (Thanks Angie for being my therapist)









So Thursday was a pretty hard day for me. Not too bad for holding it (some what) together for a week, right? Thursday afternoon it all just hit me and I kinda lost it. My best friend, Anna called to check on us and what she got was not what she expected, I'm sure. She rushed right over and played "mom" for a while. I didn't know what to do?

Do I:
*fix lunch for the kids
*get Randy food
*get Randy his pills
*help Randy to the bathroom
*clean the house
*act like a mom
*act like a wife
*pretend there is still a Hope that is alive
or
*run away to Mexico and never come back

It was a coin toss. I just stood there, almost comatose-like and let Anna take over. I needed to run to the pharmacy and to the grocery store, and then I got McDonald's for me while I was gone. I came back to her deep cleaning my bathrooms. I just sat in the hall, watching her, eating my fries and Coke. I didn't even get a Coke for her!!! I was just OUT OF IT!!! Anyhow, it all got better once the sting of the cleaning chemicals stopped burning my nostrils. I am so thankful for a best friend that will just DO. I don't need to ask, she knows what needs to be done and she just DID. Ohhhh what a blessing she is to my family.

So, after that was all over, I perked up and felt much better. Randy's getting around a lot better now. He's still using the walker, but getting in and out of the recliner is getting easier, showering is easier and when I dress him, he can actually bend his knees back almost to the square. That helps with dressing him. I was THIS close to calling it "naked time at the Clyde's" because it was so hard to get his pants on, good thing he's getting better!!!

The weekend came, we had lots of visitors (which keeps his spirits up, so keep on coming), and Randy was getting cabin fever, so he decided it was time to go to Wal-mart (mainly because we know they have those zippy little carts). He was able to get into the car a lot easier then coming home from the hospital. He zipped all over Wal-mart and surprised a few friends that saw us there!!! By the time we got home (and it was a short WM trip), he was DONE!!!! He rested for a while before we went to the church for a "dry run". He was wanting to go to church, but I didn't want to get him up and ready, over to the church and then have him not able to get into the building. So, on we went. We took our neighbor with for help if something happened. The options at our building are a steep ramp or walk the whole length of the building. He knew he couldn't walk that far, so he did the ramp. We got in and he even was able to get up the 2 steps to the stand. He takes his responsibilities of being a bishopric member seriously, so sitting in the congregation was NOT going to happen. He was pretty happy to be able to get up there. When we left, the ramp kicked his trash and then he rested. It was quite a workout!!!!

Sunday came and we sent the kids to church with the Rindlisbacher's and we went for Sacrament meeting. Our sweet ward members were SOOOO happy to see Randy there. He was so happy to be there. Maybe it was the double dose of Lortab he got before we left, but I think it's just the love he has for his ward members!!! He got to set apart a counselor to the new YM presidency and I think he felt good fulfilling one of his responsibilities.

It's been a hard time being at home. Let's not sugar coat it.... IT SUCKS!!!! But, we're gonna survive probably. Until then, we just need to keep to it!!! Thanks for all your love and support. I promise that everything anyone has done has been guided by our Heavenly Father because we have needed it. Thank you!!!

One week.

Today marks the one week mark of Randy's motorcycle crash. Last Thursday morning, I had no idea how my life was going to change. I never posted much about the time of the crash and the call Randy made to me. He's such a mellow fellow. The kids and I had just finished shopping at Target, Father's Day presents for Randy. I got a call from a number I didn't know. It was Randy. I asked him who's phone he was on and he said Tyler Bracken (works with Randy).

Me- so what's up?
Randy- (very calm) well, I just crashed my bike over here by the scale house (by his work)
Me- are you ok?
Randy- yea
Me- what about your bike? (mind you, he was soooo calm, I had no idea he was injured)
Randy- yea, it's totaled
Me- oh no!!! Do you want me to have Mike come and get it? (our friend that's a mechanic and has a flat bed trailer)
Randy- no, Bracken's Auto Tech is coming to tow it.
Me- we're at Target, we'll come and get you
Randy- you don't need to come get me
Me- how are you gonna get home if your bike is totaled, I'm here and you're there?
Randy- well, (pause, still very calm, almost bored sounding) they're gonna transport me by ambulance to the hospital.
Me- ARE YOU HURT???????
Randy- yea, my hips are pretty messed up, I can't really walk.
Me- WHAT?????????

He was soooo calm that I assumed everything was fine. It was like a side note that they were taking him to the hospital!!! Anyhow, his brother rushed right over and I'm so glad. I can only imagine that if I were hurt in a crash, Steven would be one of the first I would want there. It was just crazy how non-reactive he was about the whole incident.

Another thing I think is funny is what Randy said to the driver when the driver came around to the back of the car. All Randy said was, "Didn't you even see me?". ARE YOU JOKING? If it would have been me, I'm not kidding when I say you would have to get an interpreter, because I would be speaking in tongues. There would be some serious profanity and then physical violence if I had been in that accident!!! It's a good thing that he's as low key as he is!!!

Anyhow, this week has been pretty crazy. We have had some pretty cool experiences with family and friends. I just added up all the names of visitors that I wrote down that visited Randy at the hospital.... 102, and I know there were some I didn't write down and that was JUST the hospital!!! That doesn't count the endless calls, texts, Facebook and blog messages, home visits, ect... We have felt the love from so many people. The serving has been never-ending. How blessed are we? The future is still a little fuzzy. We don't have ANY idea of how long it will take for Randy to get back to "normal", but we are so glad of the condition he is in instead of the condition he SHOULD be in!!! He just took a stroll half way down to the mailbox (maybe 150 ft round trip)!!! We were pretty excited!!! He probably LOVED being outside, if even for only a few minutes.

Love the ones around you and enjoy your life, you never know how tomorrow could change it!!!

Home life with a hop along....

So, we're home and it feels GREAT to not have to deal with hospital stuff anymore!!! Don't get me wrong, I think for the most part our hospital stay was great. But I think there is a lot of healing that can happen at home and no where else. Getting in my mom and dad's car was quite a challenge (both of our cars are too high for him to get into). We wont be going anywhere just because he can't get in the car.

When we got home, we were we welcomed with this sign....
Our friends are soooo cool!!! Balloons all over the house....



And this funny crown declaring Randy the King Ricky.... what's a Ricky? Go HERE to find out!!! When Randy saw the bib that Chanieca had made for him, his response was, "COOL!!!". He had a run in with some rice in the hospital that he wished he would have had that bib!!!


Another one of our neighbors, Brother Manwaring, couldn't let him be on a walker without the token tennis balls (which he called later and told us to take them off because they aren't stable).

So, here he sits. Just letting his body get better, hopefully so he doesn't need surgery. He will see the orthopedic surgeon in 2 weeks to see how he's progressing.

I haven't been blogging since Sunday because it's pretty time consuming taking care of him. Ok, let's be honest, this is FREAKING HARD!!!! What have I been doing?

*call ortho surgeon for 2 week appt. and application for temp. handicap tag for car
*call regular doctor about the IV site's infection (?)
*meeting with attorney
*help him go to bathroom
*help him shower
*feed Randy
*make sure he's getting his pain meds on time, with a snack so he doesn't get sick
*get him dressed
*put him to bed
*talk to our car insurance
*talk to the other guy's car insurance
*talk to our health insurance
*keep everyone updated on his progress
*arrange for things that I can't get out to get from the stores
*try to not let him get bored, depressed, ect...
*arrange for a babysitter for Randy so I can run to the pharmacy, there IS infection in his arm
*now giving 2 different kinds of pills to Randy
*oh yea, AND I'm a mom and wife and Hope on top of that, so the laundry, dishes, house chores, kid's baths, hugs, ect, still have to get done!!!!

So, really, I haven't been too busy!!!!! YEA RIGHT!!!! But I am not complaining, for having a crash that could have killed my husband, and now he's home and not in a neck brace, ect... I'm pretty happy. It's not going to be easy, but the blessings are pouring in and for that I am sooooo grateful.

Here's an x-ray of a normal pelvis..... look at how small the gap is down at the bottom......
Now, compare it to Randy's x-ray. See how big the opening is on his? That is what is causing him all his problems, along with the internal bleeding and swelling that comes with a traumatic injury like this. The surgeon is hoping that he's young and healthy and his body will just start to correct itself. You can also see on the left side how his hip jogs WAY out to the left. It's really obvious when he doesn't have clothes on, his side looks deformed.... weird!!! I edited his x-ray so we all wouldn't see his "man business"!!!!
Anyhow, we're surviving. That's better then we were thinking was going to be the case just a few days ago. Please keep us in your prayers, we feel them everyday. Thank you so much for everyone who has been so pro-active at this hard time. We love you all.

Buh bye DRMC!!!

You heard me, our prayers have been answered and Randy was successful!!! We're gone!!!

FYI.. the song? I just love it AND we left the hospital, so I thought it was appropriate. The message of the song is about a girl leaving her guy... I'm not going anywhere, if I was, I should have on Thursday, huh? haha!!! Anyhow, enjoy the cool song!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

I will do a gooey post about my dad later. Right now, we need to pray for pee. No, not peace... PEE. Randy's catheter is out, he's drinking all he can stomach and now, we just need to let the flood gates open!!! Sounds like no big deal, right? Well, that's where a lot of trauma is and there could be possible complications that we don't know about yet. Because of swelling, it could make it impossible for him to urinate. So, let us all pray. Pray for the flow of Niagara Falls, let's remember the flood of the Santa Clara River a few years ago, everyone, turn on your sinks and let them unite in the efforts of Randy being able to take a leak. You might not like the pee talk, but it's all that's keeping us from going home right this second. So, try not to be so sensitive and just cooperate, would ya? His bladder will thank you later!!!!

By the way... thanks for all the encouraging comments. The have helped us both a lot. I can't respond to all of them, so I will do it now, THANK YOU!!!! I will say it again, I have the coolest family and friends on this planet!!! Now, hit your knees like you're praying to the porcelain God, remember it's pee we want, peace can happen tomorrow!!!

Want some good news?????

The surgeon just came in, the x-ray looks the same, maybe a tinch better, which means he thinks that Randy will be able to heal without surgery!!! And the better news is...... after they take his catheter out early tomorrow morning and he can pee.......

WE'RE GOING HOME!!!!

If he does ok tomorrow we will go home as soon as the doctor comes in!!!!!!!!!!!

Doctor is coming in soon

I took Randy for a walk in the wheelchair this morning. He's always up before the sunrises, so I thought it would be good for him to see the sunrise. We went down and as soon as we got off the elavator, he threw up from motion sickness. I felt bad. Then we went outside and he threw up again. Feeling worse. We got some fresh air and I read his scriptures to him, he hasn't been able to see straight from the pain meds. I brought him back up to the room and we both went back to sleep.

We've had lots and lots of visitors. It's been really great.

This morning they took him for his new x-rays. The doctor is coming in soon (3:30pm) hopefully!!! He is getting up and down easier now, still not good at all, but he's learning how to use his body differently to help. I got to see his x-rays. They're pretty freaking nasty if you ask me. I asked the physical therapist about his break, he said he hasn't seen one of that kind that bad EVER. He said by looking at the x-rays, Randy shouldn't be walking..... that'll teach em, huh?

So, we're trying to be patient waiting for the doctor. FYI... I didn't kill the nurse last night. I checked, it's still illegal, so I refrained!!!

I'll let you know when we hear from the doctor!!!

The road ahead...

It's hard to see my husband crying.

Nurse THIS!!!

So, our nurse tonight isn't the best we've had. She's been ignoring our pages. I wanted to get Randy cleaned up and changed (he only has his shirt on from yesterday when he crashed and a gown). He hadn't been cleaned up really at all. So, the plan was after he got meds and they started working, I would change his shirt and gown and wash him up. Well, I couldn't change his shirt without his worthless nurse unhooking his IV. When she finally stopped ignoring us, she came in and unhooked him. He was a happy boy getting all the road grime off!!! I helped him stand up (which isn't as easy at the PTs make it look), he brushed his teeth just standing next to his bed and then stood there for a minute to just stretch. The PTs don't want him to walk without them, so he just stood there, not bearing any weight on his left leg, for as long as he could without falling down. So, we paged the nurse to come in and hook him up, guess what? She ignored us again. I'm a little tired and under quite a bit of stress. I don't think she wants to play with me tonight. What happens when he needs new pain meds? Are we gonna be ignored THEN? When she finally came in, I asked her politely if she was really busy tonight. She said yes. Then I informed her that SHE needs to keep him on his pain schedule and she shouldn't ignore him anymore. I think she took the hint!!! I am waiting for someone to unleash on, she could be my first victim if she doesn't shape up!!! Anyhoo.... I have all the lights off now, he's a tired man.



A lot of you have asked about me. I am ok. That's all I will commit to. I don't know what the hell I'm doing. Who pays the mortgage if your husband can't work? THAT.... is freaking me out a little. I'm not gonna think about it. I will take this one day at a time and let our lawyer help us and try to not get too stressed out about anything. Well, that's the plan at least!!!


Enough complaining, I have a lot to be thankful for. My husband should be dead and instead I get to listen to him sleeping peacefully. It's a wonderful sound. He feels really bad for crashing, even though it was no fault of his own. I think he is feeling like he's letting our family down. I had to remind him that it's through our trials that we gain strength. He's had a lot of visitors today, which he appreciates every single one. You know he's a social man. I think he's really digging my friends that are coming in to check on him!!! It's been a full day and I'm WIPED!!! So, say a prayer for our nurse that she doesn't die tonight!!!

Love you all!!! Nighty night!!!

Lots of pictures!!!

These are all in the wrong order but I wanted to get them on before I take a fast (and needed) shower.

Randy's room on Thursday.... NPO (no eating food-in medical talk) and FALLS RISK!!!! That's what they put on old people's doors!!! hehehehe
Cambelle and I Thurs. night. Feeling a little overwhelmed.
Randy cheesing it up for the camera. You can tell this hasn't hampered his sense of humor!!!
Mom and dad Clyde and Tyler in Randy's room.
Thursday night, Randy sleeping. At least he slept good last night!!!

This is his 3rd time walking. It was quite an improvement from the first two times!!!


Randy doesn't swear.... this would be me swearing. He's not loving walking, but he knows it'll get him home someday!!!


Randy using his wonderful, bendable toothbrush, courtesy of DRMC!


My bed.... ohhh soooo comfy!!!
I love the Brey's. They are some of (which we have TONS) our favorite neighbors!!! Camrie made this candy bar poster. Enlarge it so you can read it... it's pretty funny!

That's what his pelvis did to his bike!!!! That'll teach it!!!

Let's face it ladies, these pictures are for the boys!!!

Broken.

Yep.... broken.
Not supposed to look like that......
Or that......
Ouchie!!!

Boys will know what this is all about, well and my niece, Katie!!!
Ohhhhh......
Another one for the pelvis, Elvis!!!
Yeouch!!!!
I bet someone got hurt in this crash!!!

I'm still wondering what the people thought when Randy's head came through their back window!!!! Don't chew me out for my sense of humor. If I don't laugh... I'll cry. So, let's keep laughing, shall we? Duh, I know how serious my husband is hurt, it's not gonna help him or me to be all poopy pants about it!!! Right?




So, don't get too excited about the video (I hope it uploaded). Just cuz he's walking, doesn't mean he's going home anytime soon. We will find out more from the orthopedic surgeon in the morning.

AND FYI.... to those angels that cleaned my house and did my yard and whatever else I didn't notice yet.... I love you. Each and every one of you will get a big, juicy kiss from me for your hard work, because when I left yesterday... I remember what my house looked like!!! You made me cry when I opened the door. Can I just say, I love my family and friends. You are truly the best!!!


Oh, yea... and what do you think of the song? 8 Second Ride? hahahaha!!!

3rd time's a charm!!!

The physical therapists just got Randy up for the 3rd time. It was a success!!! He walked out his room and to the end of his hall (20 ft each way) and back and got in his bed almost completely unassisted!!! The PTs were right next to him but barely had to hang onto him!!! It's a great improvement from sweating like crazy, shaking and almost passing out. I think our prayers are all working. Tonight he will stand up from time to time, but they want him to wait till tomorrow for the PTs to be here before he tries another walk about!!! It's really great news. Let's keep it up, Randy!!! My parents are here with him, so I'm going to go shower. I might post some pictures when I get home!!! Until later America!!!

Take 2....

Second time same as the first, but he walked to his door and back. It was killing him, but he survived. For all you boys.... the bike is TOTALLED!!!! That bike has seen better days. It will love it at the metal factory!!!

Walk? I don't think so!!!

The physical therapist came in to get him to move from his bed to a chair. He had a pain shot not too long ago and 2 Lortabs. Those didn't even TOUCH the pain. He was in some serious pain. I felt so bad. He has never felt pain like that before in his life. They are coming back in at 1 or so to try getting him back to his bed. Be careful, you might hear him scream from where you are.

Randy's crash

As a lot of you are aware, Randy was in a crash on his motocycle yesterday (Thursday). He was leaving his work in Hurricane and a car pulled out of a side street into his lane and he couldn't stop. After skidding for 7 feet, he hit the back of an older model Ford Explorer. He smashed his gas tank, broke the handle bars, and took most of the impact on his pelvis from his windshield. His head went through the back window of the SUV (that's when the $750.00 helmet pays off). He got up and started to walk around and could feel the grinding in his pelvis, so he sat down. There were a few witnesses that called 911. He called me very calmly and told me he had crashed and they were trasporting him by ambulance to DRMC. I told him I would meet him there. I called his brother, who is a UHP trooper and told him to get right over there. He was really close. It was good for Randy to see his brother. I was already getting calls from his co-workers, they were all worried about him.



We got to the ER. They did x-rays and a CT scan and found that he had broken his pelvis along with mild internal bleeding due to the break. At first, they said that we would probably have to go to Salt Lake or Vegas. That kinda made me nervous, then the trauma doctor came in and said he can stay here. He is in room 414. The night was good for him, not bad for me. At 5am the pain was starting to get to him. We'll just have to stay on top of the pain meds.

The orthopedic surgeon came in this morning and said his break is just under the maditory surgery level. He was encouraged that he had been up walking at the scene of the crash. He wants to get him to try walking and do a new scan tomorrow. If the break starts to close... no surgery. If it stays the same or opens more... surgery. So, we have a day of trying to walk ahead of us and hopefully make some improvements.

On the advice of some people I trust a lot, I contacted an injury lawyer about his case. He will be a big help, I can tell already.

I want to take minute to thank everyone for all the love and support, prayers and service. We are surrounded by angels. I have never doubted that, but I have had it proven to me over and over for the last almost 24 hours. I love you all and appreciate all you do for me and my family.

I will try to keep my blog up to date on his condition. Thank you again for everything!!!

"I like everything"

We were riding in the car today and I was telling Tyler that I like how he will try any food. He likes to eat... A LOT. By the amount he eats, he should be an obese kid. We were talking about our favorite foods.

Me- Ty what's your favorite food?
Ty- Rice!!! You know I love rice.
Me- What's your second favorite food?
Ty- Sandwiches. Hamburgers, ham, cheese, ham and cheese, meat, peanut butter.... yea, I don't think there's a sandwich I don't like!!!
Me- IS there a food you don't like?
Ty- Just 2.... broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
Me- Have you ever TRIED Brussels sprouts?
Ty- No, (with a light bulb over his head) I should try them... I might like em!!!

With a grin on my face, I remember why I love him so much!!!

Some crackers with my whine, please?

This has been a long week for me and my family. Last week, I made a comment to Randy that I felt like I had a kidney stone on the move (I had passed 10 since 2003, I kinda know what they feel like). Remember this post? Sunday rolled around and when I was sitting in Sunday School, I felt it... the feeling that is undeniably a kidney stone. I sat all the way through church, feeling like I have to pee, not going because I knew how bad it was going to hurt. Once church was over, I mentioned to Randy that FOR SURE we were in for a long night. I was annoyed because Randy's mom was making my favorite meatloaf for dinner and we were going to watch Twilight. Randy was a little later coming home because it was fast Sunday. I had arranged for the kids to sleep at his mom and dad's house because I was scheduled to report for jury duty on Monday morning. By the time he got home, it was obvious that we were sending the kids to Hurricane and taking me to the ER. The pain was getting pretty severe at that point. Thanks to our good neighbor, Kurt, and Randy, I was able to get a quick blessing before we left. We got to the ER, got right in and then I heard the nurse's angel wings flapping as she gave me a shot of Dilaudid (it's a drug for pain that is 10 times stronger than Morphine). At this point I was dry heaving like crazy, so I got Zolphram also. They took me to get a CT scan. Results were there was 1 kidney stone in my urethra, one in my bladder, at least one in my left kidney and my right kidney showed signs that I had already passed one from that side. After some more Dilaudid and Zolphram, they sent me home with Percocet and an anti-boitic (because of the blockage, I now had an infection) I knew what to do to get them gone. Sunday night was LONG. Early Monday morning, I got violently ill and then the pain stopped. I assumed I had passed the stone and missed seeing it. Randy took Monday off, I got out of jury duty for this one and then the Clyde's brought the kids home when they came over for Maddison's ball game. I was still in some pain, but thought it was the infection. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the days I was fine, but night time would roll around and I would get those stupid pains again. Friday I had an appointment with a urologist. I got some good pointers on what to do/not do, eat/not eat and some new meds to try. This morning, woke up, tired but ok. I had a family reunion photo shoot to do. Everything went great. On my way home I started to feel the pain again. At this point, I'm getting really discouraged and feeling wimpy. I didn't make it home before I was on the phone with my mom in a panic. The pain was getting really, really, really strong. Randy was on Kolob hauling wood, my kids were in Hurricane again and I didn't know what to do. ER? Go to my doctor (he was on call)? Tough it out? Thank goodness my mom called my sister, Launa and told her to come and get me. I got another blessing (thanks again, Kurt) and headed for Dr. Chamberlain's office. I was drinking a lot and not peeing. I was getting worried. While waiting for the doctor, I went to the bathroom and guess what came out???? Yep, a stone. I was still pretty sick, dry heaving, extreme pain, shaking, hot flashes, ect. They gave me a shot of Phenegren and sent me home with a bunch of prescriptions. The measurement of this one (almost 3mm) is what the one in my urethra measured on CT scan, so this was probably the first one. I feel like such a light weight and then I am reminded by doctors that I am playing in the major league when it comes to stones. I took these pictures of this stone. The pictures don't do it justice. It's covered in sharp calcium rows and spikes. It looks tiny, but it's bigger than the tubing going from your kidney to your bladder and from your bladder-out!!! I would share the name I gave it, but it's not approved by blogger ;)

I'm so thankful for modern medicine, Priesthood blessings, my family, our neighbors and an understanding husband. I will be changing some things I eat and new meds to prevent more from forming, I just have to get the ones already in there- out!!! I don't want to sound like a whiner when I talk about my stones, they suck, but they have been a big part of my life for the last few years. Hopefully I wont have such problems in the future!!!

June 2002

I am going to share with you what happened to us in June of 2002. We were home with our son, Tyler (4 months) and Maddison (2 1/2 years). We knew the patch on his diaphragm was starting to move up and that's not a good sign. We were prepared to have another surgery, we just didn't know when. While you read this, please note that I was in the middle of postpartum depression. This is one of those times in my life that I know I only survived on the wings of angels.

This is directly out of Tyler's medical journal that I kept.



June 13, 2002-
I am leaving this journal at Tyler's bedside so I can write in it whenever I can. Saturday, June 8th he started crying at 3pm. At 8pm he started throwing up, with some promptings from the Holy Ghost, we took him to the ER. An x-ray was done (After some not-so-nice words with the people in the ER dept.) on his chest and found bowels up in his chest. His diaphragm has stretched TOO much. Tyler and I spent the night at the St. George hospital and Randy went home to sleep. Tyler cried the ENTIRE night. That's unusual for him. Dr. Chamberlain is out of town, so Dr. Barton came in Sunday morning. He ordered an ambulance to take us to Primary Children's (life flight would have taken too long to get to St. George and back to SLC). I rode in the ambulance with Tyler (I couldn't feed him because they didn't know when surgery was going to be, so imagine me... tired, listening to my baby cry and not being able to help, oh yea, and my boobs were out of control, leaking EVERYWHERE!!!) and Randy followed in the car (we lost Randy a couple of times, the ambulance driver wasn't wasting any time). They did new x-rays and found more bowels had moved up. A barium enema showed no bowel obstruction. We went to the infant unit to wait for surgery (there is a nursing shortage so it's hard to get back into intensive care after surgery if there are no nurses).


Can you see the pain in his eyes in these pictures? They wouldn't give him any pain meds in case he had a chance to go to surgery earlier then planned. It was so hard. Randy and I would take turns holding him because all he did for 24 hours a day was cry. I would hold him and Randy would go walking around the hospital and then we would switch. It was hard to hear his cries and not be able to help him.



Tuesday we were finally taken in for surgery. They found that his bowels were all up in his left chest, stomach upside down and twisted, one kidney was rotated and pushed against the diaphragm and while they were in there, they took out his appendix. They knew a regular surgeon would have never found them!


He was put in the NICU because there were no beds in PICU. It's unheard of for kids to go back to NICU after going home. He was pretty desperate for surgery, so an exception was made. Today he got extubated and is comfortable. He also got a PIC line done in his left arm because 3 IVs went bad in 7 hours! He wasn't peeing yesterday, but today, that's not an issue. Although, he's still pretty swollen. Mollie and Dr. Null were pretty happy to see us. Not happy to see Tyler sick. Randy, Maddison, Jim and Peggy are coming up tomorrow. I haven't seen Maddison since Sunday. I miss her so much. Randy went home yesterday with Gina. He needed to work for a couple of days. I'm staying at the Ronald McDonald House room #301. It's $10. per night and worth every penny. It's 5 minutes from the hospital.

It was this surgery that we learned that Tyler is allergic to medical tape. Some band aids give him this same reaction. Can you see where they taped his eyes shut for surgery?


June 14, 2002-
Friday. This morning when I came in, surgery had already been there and took his dressing off his incision. There are steri-strips holding is closed. Today or tomorrow the chest tube should come out. His right lung is showing some "plugs" on x-ray. It doesn't look like pneumonia.

11am- they haven't rounded on him yet. We're taking Maddison to the zoo tomorrow. Tyler's CO2 levels are up, which means he's not breathing enough times per minute. We'll have to watch that. There was some orange stuff in his urine yesterday, maybe from irritation. We'll watch that too.

1pm- the respiratory therapist just came in and "pounded" on his chest to move some of the gunk. He's resting right now. I'm sitting next to him. He's in bed #37, in an isolation room because he's already been home. It's a small, glass room. We have the lights off and the blinds shut, trying to keep him calm. It's not dark, just not as bright. He's sucking on his Binky. I had to give the NNP his vaccination records. I'm glad I grabbed it Saturday, running out the door to the ER. Randy's bringing Maddison's records so hopefully she can come in to see him. His Verced is down to almost nothing. His Fentenyl has been halved. He's pretty comfortable. He's sleeping a lot and I'm tired. We're trying to be quiet to Tyler can sleep but it's getting harder for me to stay awake.

June 15, 2002
Saturday. 10:30am We're getting ready to go to the zoo when Mollie told us that she'll be pulling out his chest tube and Anderson! That means we can hold him! The plan is, when they get the tubes out, we'll hold him and calm him down then we'll take Maddison to the zoo and come back (we have to remember that we have a 2 year old also).

June 16, 2002
Sunday. The zoo was a blast yesterday. Lots of reflux today. He can eat, but LOTS of throwing up.

June 17, 2002
Monday. Still quite a bit of reflux. Dr. Black, the surgeon, said his stomach was twisted and upside down. Now that it's fixed, there might be some kinks or something so they did an upper GI test and put an NJ tube down his nose into his intestines. The NJ will help if he doesn't eat, they will be able to put the food through the tube. Cardiologist, Dr. Day, got an EKG. The upper GI showed that he refluxes at 4 oz. We're putting him on Prevacid and stopping Zantac. Smaller feedings more frequently. Maddison missed Tyler and I a lot.

June 18, 2002
Tuesday. He had a sedated ECHO today. It shows that he still has RVA (right ventricular athickening). The right side of his heart is thicker than the left. The RVA is mild, but he'll stay on oxygen to correct it till at least September. We'll have another EKG and ECHO then to determine if he can come off. They had to give him Verced tonight for the first time in 24 hours. He was VERY irritated.

June 19,2002
Wednesday. He's eating well, no reflux. Dr. Pfeffer, the pulmonologist says he should do good, lung wise. At age 5-6 we will need a lung function test. During lunch I went down and cut 7 inches off my hair. It's the shortest I've had my hair since 5th grade. Randy doesn't know yet! He'll like it. It's dang cute. The surgical resident told me we should be going home in the morning. Randy, Peggy and Jim are coming up tonight. Randy and I will stay at the RM House. Jim and Peggy will stay at Jenny and Jimmy Pectol's house (Peggy's niece).



June 22,2002
Saturday. Well, we came home on Thursday the 20th. Exactly 4 months after coming home the first time. Randy loves my hair. Coming home we got stuck on the freeway because of a fatal crash. It took is 6 1/2 hours to get home. YUCK!!! It was so good to see Maddison again. She was at my parent's house. She was very happy to see us. She kissed on Tyler for about 20 minutes. We went to Dr. Chamberlain yesterday so he could check him out. For the first time in his life, he could hear "full" breath sounds, on his left side instead of "decreased"! He was amazed to hear so much movement. We'll keep Tyler on Tylenol for another week or more. I'm sure he still hurts.

Follow ups:
Chamberlain- 6 month check up
Black- 2-3 weeks surgical follow up
Pfeffer- 5-6 years lung function test
Day- September EKG and ECHO
Newborn follow up program at health dept.- whenever we can go up

It's a lot to remember, but they're all very important appointments. Mollie and Dr. Null came by to see us before we left. They will always have a special place in our hearts. They both love Tyler so much. My visiting teacher and the RS President have brought dinners over for us. They're very kind. I'm so tired. I'm going to bed.

Love, Me


Randy and his dad waiting for Tyler's discharge orders.


Leaving the hospital. Yea, a wagon, how else can you get everything? Remember, it's a children's hospital!

As you can tell, I had lost my sense of humor. I was in such a dark place. My brain just wasn't working right. Who am I kidding? Is it working right now? Anyhow, there were miracles that we witnessed during this time of our life that strengthened my testimony. I am glad that my Heavenly Father trusted us enough to send a child down that would need extra attention. We have received so many blessings from these hard times that it's easy to see this time as a blessing. I am going to start working on a video of his journey, but I'm a little slow, so who knows when it'll get done. To learn more about diaphragmatic hernias, go here.

My brave girl!!!

When Maddison was 5, she donated her hair to Locks of Love for the first time. (I couldn't find those pictures) Then a couple of years later, she was ready to do it for the second time. This is in 2006. She has such a tender head that it hurts her to have long hair, so when it gets long enough to make into a wig (10 inches) she gets really excited to cut it. I have never made her wait to cut her hair, it's something she likes to do.



This donation was just under 11 inches!!!


Now here we are and again, the snarls in her hair are killing her. She wanted to cut her hair, but she wanted to wait till it was long enough to go into a wig. That's when I told her that if it's shorter than 10 inches, they'll sell it to help offset the cost of the wigs. When she heard that, she insisted that we call Angie RIGHT AWAY!!! So, yesterday was the big day!!! She was so excited!!! Donation #3 on the way!!!

Before........

8 inches of hair later.......


That's my friend, Angie (best hair girl in the west!!!) and her son Wyatt!!! The smile on Maddison's face says it all!!! Another satisfied customer!!!


(sorry the picture is blurry) Daddy doesn't like it much because she looks much older (her age)!!!She's feeling a little sassy and she can't pass by a mirror without looking in it an giggling!!! New hair and a good cause? What could be better? I'll be donating mine for the second time soon. I have 10 inches, I just don't know if I want mine as short as hers right now!!! Lookin cute Maddison!!!!