September 22nd

 Friday, September 23, 2011:

For the last day and 1/2 Don has had extreme difficulty getting comfortable and sleeping because of the intense pain everywhere.  He called us this morning at 7:18 AM just as we were about to leave the hotel wondering where we were and begging us to come because he was in so much pain.  We just about ran the couple blocks to get there and he just wanted me to hold his hand and comfort him.  We got another new nurse, Sue, that was one of the best for knowing how to curb the pain.  She got him on muscle relaxants and also gave him some Lortabs.  He had not had Lortabs for almost 24 hours and that is why he was suffering so much.  The wound nurse was there right after we got there and does such a marvelous job tending to all of his wounds and getting them cleaned up, trimmed, remedicated and rebandaged.  She is very helpful in so many ways.  She told Don that when he is stressed because of the pain it actually slows down his healing because his energies are spent on the stress and trauma rather than the healing.  He wants to just "take it like a man" and also doesn't like drugs in general but that really made sense to him.  The result of adding Robaxin to the other pain meds was his blood pressure has come down to almost normal, he slept for quite a bit at a time rather than waking up every 5-10 minutes and trying to get comfortable, and his face looked much more like my "Sugar Bear" because he was not in so much pain and stressed.  He slept so soundly that the normal noises of the machines and the helicopter landing above us did not even rouse him.  Mom and I were able to leave tonight with his blessing at about 7:15PM which will allow us to get to bed earlier so we can get up there well before 6AM so he is not so anxious about when we can get up there.  With him sleeping so soundly and actually getting in some healing time, we are expecting a much better day tomorrow.  Please keep the prayers for a speedy recovery coming!

There was concern with all of the staff about him being horizontal too much because it can cause him extreme dizziness in later days when he is able to put weight on his legs and stand, he would be very wobbly because the inner ear would think he is supposed to be horizontal.  So they consulted with the doctor and with the surgeon that did the surgery on his buttocks and he said that NO WAY could they sit him on the side of the bed because of the risk of tearing loose the wound vac and damaging that wound.  So they put the bed in a sitting position and he did get a little dizzy.  It was very painful for him but he had to stay that way for 15 minutes.  He made it and the pain actually subsided some by the end because the Lortabs were kicking in.  He will have to do the same thing tomorrow but because of him getting some good rest tonight and the pain meds being administered more regularly, it should be easier.  The problem with the pain meds is that he has to actually request them.  They cannot just administer them on a regular basis like an antibiotic.  So, believe me, he is asking more often.  He does not want the pain to get advanced before doing something about it.

Today he received a balloon bouquet with the cutest bear that had a cast, a bandaide and a thermometer  in his mouth.  Donnie said, "He's pouting, I don't want to pout."  But that is what makes the bear so cute!  I just love him anyway!  Also, Young Living Essential Oils sent a bouquet of flowers that he was not supposed to have in his room but the nurse Sue said that she could see no reason why he couldn't have them in his room.  Of course there isn't very much room in the room but the one bouquet fits just fine.  I love flowers so it is a wonderful addition to the atmosphere.

This morning my sister Julie arrived at our condo in Lexington, Kentucky so tomorrow she will get things packed up and start heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma to get more of our things from our 5th Wheel and then head to the West Coast.

I am still fielding quite a few phone calls and emails from various insurance agencies and other truck related stuff that needs to get handled and for the most part I am able to come up with the information needed quite rapidly.  Since I knew nothing about trucking when I married Don just 2 years ago, I am happy to say that I had his important things down and could actually be a help to him on the legal and detail end of things.  I have not had to bother him with most of the things and he has no idea about much of it.  He is always thinking and I want him to focus on his healing.  I can truly say I feel your prayers at work for me as well because it seems that no matter what the question that comes up in the above mentioned matters, I easily and quickly am able to come up with the information.  That is truly a God thing!

That's all I have for tonight.  Tomorrow will be a much better day!