Home Again!

Hello Everyone,

 

We hope you are still all praying earnestly for us because we still need it desparately!

We made it home Saturday, November 12th about 8:50PM.  We had stopped in Kingman, Arizona so Don could meet the man that rescued him from the wreck, Officer Ryan Timmerman.  It was a grand event.  He brought his beautiful wife, Lisa with him and his gorgeous 3 month old daughter, Hailey.  We visited for well over an hour at Denny's there at the Flying J.  I did not want to eat there but Kingman is a very small town so I was forced to eat there.  I got a wrap with avacado on it and it tasted like it was bad so instead of returning it I just took the rest of the avacado out of it and finished it.  Well, as a result, I got food poisoning pretty bad so the rest of the 225 miles was miserable.  I had to keep stopping to use the restroom and I was so nauseated and on the verge of  throwing up that I could hardly drive.  I was pulling a small U-Haul so Mel did not want to try to drive so I just kept going as best as I could.  I had a bottle of Peppermint oil up to my nose inhaleing it constantly to keep from throwing up.  Donnie was getting very nervous about what was happening.  He just couldn't wait to get home!

 

If that wasn't bad enough, when we got to Wickenburg, Arizona we stopped of course to go to the restroom, right?  Well, it was dark and I noticed that I couldn't see my running lights reflecting off of the trailer when I was driving so when we stopped I checked and sure enough, there was a short in the U-Haul trailer lights and now we had no running lights and it was pitch dark!  My brake lights and turn signals worked on both the trailer and the van but neither one had running lights!!!!!!!!  If you remember from the last email it took the U-Haul dealer almost 2 hours to get the lights working right and fixed fuses, etc.  So this was no surprise that something happened eventually with the lights.  As a result we had to drive the last 95 miles of the trip with our flashers on.

 

Just wait...it gets worse!  Well, I kept getting these waves of nausea and I kept fighting it just hoping to get home.  We made it to 10 miles before the exit for University Drive and I had to whip the van across several lanes and just got off the shoulder slamming it into park and just got one foot out the door before everything emptied out of my stomach!  I had to go to the back of the van after the first go round and just kept losing it!!! Geez that was terrible!  I had Mel call her husband to make sure he opened the house and turned the lights on in the bathroom by the back door so I could just run in and hit the bathroom.  I was so sick and felt so terrible!  Of course, Donnie was having such pain in the night that night and absolutely could not sleep in bed for more than a minute or two.  He really needed me but I was so sick and was just moaning out and begging God to deliver me from this horrible nausea all night.  Donnie just had to fend for himself.  I could not help it.  Well, again it gets worse...by 4AM Donnie started with the runs and man it was bad!  He can't move very fast so all day I cleaned up after him even though I felt like 900 pounds of homemade sin myself!  Donnie went through all 4 sets of his clothes in one day.  I was doing laundry as fast as I could to keep up.  Plus I had to go shopping for us as there was no food in this house and he had such pain I had to try to pick up some over the counter pain meds to help him and get some bandages for his wound on his back.  Oh, and I had to go to Auto Zone to get fuses to fix the lights on my van.  Ugh!  I felt so terrible the whole time but I just kept dragging through the day and kept putting one foot in front of the other.  I know this is probably unbelievable and I really wish it weren't true but you will be on the floor laughing when you hear this next twist to the story!!!!  Envision my van in the driveway backed in with a small U-Haul attached to it.  Then I have a Toyota Camry with a license plate that just expired on 10-31-2011. 

No kidding!!!  I always make it back here by the end of October to renew the license plate but guess what?!...I couldn't make it here because of Donnie.   So here I am running around town in a car with expired tags and my other vehicle without running lights!  Some days you just wonder, don't you?

 

This week has been a real challenge.  Many things I cannot even tell you or you would have to quit your full time job just to read the details of this journey!  We have had to take Donnie to the Acupuncturist and Chiropractor to get his pain under control and it worked fabulously the first time.  On Monday night we went to bed at 7PM and we both stayed in bed and Donnie actually slept until 6AM!!!! This was truly a miracle.  Well his pain has slowly returned so we have been back to the Acupuncturist Wednesday and Thursday in hopes of keeping his nerves intact.  He has had some horrible nights and the last two have been out of this world.  Please, please pray for him and that we will get some answers!

 

We love you all and hope to get more emails out after I get my bomb of a house put back together inbetween taking Donnie all over the county to appointments, trying to do laundry, make meals, clean up and keep his supplements and everything going. 

 

Thanks again,

Don and Carol Schirr

 

Celebration!

Hello Everyone!,

Today is 11-11-11, a very powerful day and a day of miracles for us!!!!!!  We are so overwhelmed by the power of all of your prayers and love and we have some very, very exciting news to share with you!  Just to catch you up on things a bit, Tuesday, November 8th on a gurney in a medical transport van to the TLC Care Center nursing home in Henderson, Nevada.  One big step in the process of getting home!

Before we share the exciting news I would like to let you know that we will be holding a LIVE conference call that you can dial into from anywhere in the world at the end of November.  Donnie and I will be sharing LIVE and in person some of the secrets of how Donnie was able to heal in quantum leaps!  Have your pens and paper ready because we will be giving you our Essential Oil and supplement tips and tricks that help us through not only healing but trauma, stress and nutritional deficiencies caused by trauma and stress.  Donnie wants to greet each of you and personally thank you for your faithful and constant prayers that have been the foundation of this journey.  You will be hearing from my Mom, Vallorie Judd and several others that were able to come out here to Las Vegas to see Donnie and to help with his care.  This will be a day of rejoicing in what God has done through your faithfulness to bring about many, many miracles.  Please be watching your emails for the announcement of this conference call once we are able to establish a date and time.

THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Don had the "no weight bearing" restriction lifted on Tuesday evening.  Wednesday he was able to stand up, a little shaky of course but he stood with no problem!  That same afternoon he was given a walker and after gaining his balance he slowly started taking steps a little at a time.  He proceeded down the hall, around the nurses station, around the block of rooms behind the nurses station, back around the block of rooms and the nurses station and back down the hall to his room.  This was approximately 40 yards of distance!!!!!!  This is truly a miracle! By the time he was coming back down the hall his steps were much more sure, stable and smoother!  The physical therapists were totally amazed that he did so well.  So, Thursday morning it was off to the gym to see what else he could do.  He was at Physical Therapy for 1 1/2 hours straight and was able to do everything he was asked...including small stairs!!!  He even did bicycle petals for 30 minutes straight!  Can you believe it?!  He was so proud of himself that he would cry tears of joy.

Friday, 11-11-11, he went to 2 hours of therapy and did everything he was asked including a set of 5 stairs, going up and down 3 different times!  Of course, he is probably overdoing it and muscle soreness is going to be there but he wants to go home!  He was told when he arrived that he needed to be able to do two steps up and down to their satisfaction before they could release him from the Physical Therapy Department to go home.

At 3PM we had an appointment at the office of the plastic surgeon, Dr. Sohn, to see how the wound was doing. I actually drove Donnie in my own van to the appointment!!  He easily got in the back seat through the sliding door and off we went!   Donnie just loved being out rolling down the road again.  He just couldn't believe how good it felt!  We stopped a couple blocks from the nursing home at a Walgreens and picked up a walker for him and off we went.

Dr. Sohn was totally and completely floored at what Donnie looked like and that he was only on a walker!   He couldn't believe he could stand let alone walk!  He thought he was still on the weight restriction.  He just gasped when he saw him and you could see the joy in his face!  Everything on the wound was looking great except one small corner that is about the size of the tip of a man's finger that has "delayed healing".  Donnie begged him to release him to go home.  Well, Dr. Sohn said that I could easily treat this one small spot myself and redress it everyday myself.  He gave us the full release to go home to continue physical therapy there in our home with no restrictions!!!  Donnie just cried with joy and hugged Dr. Sohn thanking him for saving his life and for releasing him.  Dr. Sohn was so tender and so personal with us...it was a very special moment! Dr. Sohn ordered his nurse to remove the staples and stitches and dress the small spot with special gauze and a bandage.  Now only that spot has a bandage and the rest of the surgical site is open!  Of course I was taking pictures the whole time!

We are so excited that we can hardly stand ourselves!  We still have our neighbor Mel Ehlers with us and she can't believe we are actually going home tomorrow!  We took Donnie to Marie Callenders restaurant to celebrate and have a meal with him outside the nursing home.  He couldn't believe how great the food tasted.  We just had to call his parents and my parents to tell them that we were going home tomorrow, in our own van and with no restrictions!  Everyone is crying tears of joy!

So when you are praying today, please send many prayers of thanksgiving to Our Heavenly Father for showing His miracles to us and answering our cries!  Please keep us in your prayers especially as we drive the 6 hour trek from Las Vegas, NV to Mesa, AZ.  We will have to stop a few times for sure but Donnie is sure he can make it.  He just wants to be HOME!  We need lots and lots of prayers as Donnie has a lot of physical therapy and occupational therapy to do.  He has lost 25 lbs of muscle since we got here 8 weeks ago.  He kept his upper body muscles with the trapeze but the legs and buttocks will need much work to bring the muscles back.

In a few days I will be catching you up on some of the details of the past week but for now I must get packing as Donnie has probably been up all night waiting for us to come get him.

With love and adoration!,
Don and Carol Schirr and Mel Ehlers

November 5-7, 2011

Hello Everyone,

 

I bet you are wondering what is going on out here in Las Vegas, right?  Well, I will have to give you a general overview for the past few days.

 

Mel Ehlers has been here and has been a tremendous help and comfort to both Don and I.  It helps us to feel like we are home since she is our good neighbor from Mesa, Arizona.

 

So much has happened and most of it is good.  It has been very busy around here and it seems we are running all the time.  Don is improving a little each day.  We have had our ups and downs, that's for sure, but all in all he is moving up and getting ready to move out of here.  Speaking of moving, we have been standing by in anticipation of moving him to a place called TLC Care Center as I mentioned earlier.  We have had nothing but a waiting game.  The insurance company is holding the ball in their court right now.  We thought we were for sure moving today but nothing came through.  So here we are another day waiting.

 

Saturday, November 5th, our great friend Vallorie Judd from Utah came to help us with her expertise in Young Living Essential Oils to help both Don and I with not only physical issues but emotional ones as well.  She has given of herself and her time to be of help to us during this long and involved process.  Both of us feel tremendously better and we could never thank her enough for all she has done to get us back on track.  She helped us with special healing foods, suggestions for eating, drinking and oil and supplement schdules.  It has all been such a huge help.

 

Right now Don is free of all of his external hardware.  They took the PIC line out several days ago and of course you knew the catheter was gone so all he has is two bandages on his right ankle and foot and the big bandage over his back. 

 

We are headed to bed for tonight but we wanted to give you a quick update at least for the moment.  Please keep praying and we will give you some more exciting details about these last three days in one of the upcoming emails.

 

We love you all!,

Don and Carol Schirr, Mel Ehlers and Vallorie Judd

November 2, and 3

Hello,

 

The roller coaster we are on is picking up speed and increasing in intensity!  Remember when I said that if you don't get an update that things are probably intense?  Well, if you are into roller coaster rides, get your belts fastened and shoulder bars secured because the tight curves and upside down cork screw part of the roller coaster is coming up!

 

When I left the blog last, I believe I was telling you that our friend Mel was flying in from Phoenix on Wednesday morning.  Well, since Don was not feeling well on Tuesday, he did not want to get washed up and get his hair done so we got up bright and early Wednesday morning so I could get him all washed up, bed changed, hair done and shaving job done so when Mel arrived he would feel as good as possible.  Of course, Don did not know that Mel was coming and I wanted to keep that a big secret and surprise to cheer him up.  I was able to get all of his personal care done and easily get out the door to pick Mel up shortly after 9AM.  I told Don I had to run a couple of errands and that I would be back in a very short while.  Just as I was finishing getting Don cleaned up and dressed his parents called. He only said a couple of words to them and attempted to tell them how badly he felt and how depressed he was and he started to cry and could not finish his conversation.  As soon as he heard his Mom's voice he lost it completely and handed me the phone asking me to tell them he couldn't talk.  He just sobbed and of course, I started crying too and explained that his emotions were just all over the place.  I explained that it was probably due to the drug withdrawal and that he was just struggling right now.  They quickly got off the phone and said they would talk with him later in the evening.  I felt so bad that they had to end the call that way.  I know they are suffering just knowing that Don is so far away and that he is hurting so badly.  They told me that they don't sleep nights and that they shed a lot of tears just knowing Don is in such turmoil.  Please pray for Junior and Dorothy Schirr as they too have a big burden to bear.

 

When Mel and I got back here I had Mel wait in the hallway until I was sure Don wasn't in the middle of something.  Well, he was sitting up on the side of the bed which faces the door which was good and he was just finishing up a call.  He was looking very depressed and down so I asked him if he would like a good surprise.  He said he would so I told him I had one I would like to give him.  So I stepped out in the hallway and got Mel my by the hand and brought her to him.  He immediately burst into tears of joy and grabbed her and hugged her very tightly and for a long period of time and said, "Mel, it is so good to see you!  I am so glad you came!"  He just kept saying that and sobbing at length.  It really made Mel's day and she realized how much we really needed her.  Don could not believe that she would come and stay to help for a length of time but he was so glad that she would.

 

Just before lunch we got Don up in the wheelchair and got his new hoodie sweatshirt and sweat pants on and tried to go outside.  It was only like 56 degrees and there was a strong cold north wind.  Don could only stand it for a few minutes so we just sat in the nice sitting area in the Main Lobby for most of his wheelchair time.  His emotions were so fragile and he would cry so easily about everything.  While we were sitting in the Main Lobby Mel said she wanted to step in the gift shop and she came out with the cutest Ty black and white fuzzy puppy named "Bo" for Donnie and a beautiful bouquet of the most beautiful color of purple orchids and a praying angel for me.  When Mel gave Donnie the puppy he just broke out crying and thanked Mel for the kind gesture.  Don got a phone call from his daughter and they talked for at least 15 minutes while we were still in the Lobby.  All of a sudden at the end of their conversation he got all teary and crying and handed me the phone to end the conversation for him.  I was talking with Mel so I had no idea what they were talking about.  I just apologized to Mindy for Don and explained that he just could not control his emotions and that he was probably experiencing withdrawal.  Don immediately wanted to go back to the room and get put back in bed.  So we hurried up and got him up there and back in bed without the help of the Physical Therapist.  He just wanted to take a rest so I tucked him in and then Mel and I had to get a couple of errands done for Don and then I just dropped Mel back off here while I went to get a short nap and take a shower to get back here for the night.  Don called me just as I was about to come back and explained that during the 3 hours I was gone that he had 4 very loose episodes which Mel had to get the nurses to help with 2 of the 4 episodes.  I felt so bad for Mel that this happened especially since she just got here.  Oh well, that's reality I guess.  Also, the time came to remover the catheter which is a little stressful even under the best conditions.  Mel also convinced Don to call his parent's back during the time I was at the hotel so they wouldn't worry about him and he did pretty good talking with them this time.

 

When I got back to the hospital Mel and Don were playing Phase 10 and Don seemed pretty content and normal.  Well it wasn't very long before Don started taking a turn for the worse, as they say.  He was very uncomfortable bladder wise and was stressing about not being to eliminate much.  He would get super cold and i would put several blankets around him and hug and hold him while he would chatter his teeth and moan.  Then within a minute or two he would throw everything off and be too hot.   Then he would want to lie down on the bed.  We would help and cover him up again and within a minute or two he would want to sit up on the side of the bed and he would try to urinate.  This went on for 2 1/2 hours.  We called the nurse and asked for his oral morphine because we were sure it was withdrawal.  Well she had just got on duty and checked the records and Don had not taken any of his dosages for over 12 hours.  She knew it was withdrawal then. She was alarmed at his drastic, aparent change and asked if he had any new pains or chest pains.  He said no so she checked his breathing and listened to his heart.  Well, Don was increasingly agitated and literally almost climbing out of his skin by all these weird gyrations and shivering, stomping his feet very rapidly, shaking his legs, etc.  It was scary to watch and Mel and I were totally beside ourselves trying to help him.  Mel just kept shaking her head in disbelief of what she was witnessing.  The nurse got his nausea medicine ( which kinda calms him down) and his 20 mg. dose of morphone down .  I of course got several oils on him that were relevant and tried to calm him down.  He was so miserable.  I told him to just cry out to God outloud.  He did cry out and asked God to help him and that he was desparate for God to deliver him from this situation.  Within 30 seconds he started to show signs of calming down.  I was gently rubbing his lower legs and feet which he asked me to do and finally after about 40 minutes he started to drift off to sleep.  I snuck out with Mel to get her to the hotel but it was already way past 10PM.  I got Mel back to the hotel safely and flew back to the hospital.  When I got back he was awake and said he finally was feeling a little better.  He talked with the nurse and they agreed that every 3 hours he would get 20 mg. of morphine to keep from crashing by going off of it too quickly.  About 30 minutes after I got back Don asked if I would play cards with him to help pass the time.  I was shocked but I agreed to and so we played until about 1AM.  We went to bed and Don only had to get me up one time during the night.

 

November 3, 2011

 

This morning we got up with the coffee run about 7AM.  Neither one of us was moving very fast and so after the coffee we both decided to take a second nap.  That felt pretty good!  Around 9AM we hadn't heard from Mel yet so I called the hotel and Mel was still sleeping.  She couldn't believe it.  Well, she had had a very short night and a long day with packing at the last moment and having to get up so terribly early to get to the airport.  Then to have all the stressful things happen here in the hospital while she was here, she was pooped!  I went to get some more shopping done and picked up Mel about 11AM.  I took Mel to Denny's since she hadn't gotten to eat yet then we went up to the hospital.  Don was sitting up in a regular chair but he was already needing to get transfered back to the bed so we helped him with that.

 

The Pain Managment Team came back again and gave Don some words of encouragement and confirmed that he needs to take the morphine some to keep from crashing!  Donnie agreed as he felt like he was in hell yesterday.

 

Later today Dr. Kim came in and confirmed that Dr. Silverberg is the doctor that wants Donnie off his feet.  He also said that soon we would be moved to another facility soon as soon as the issue with Don's special bed.

 

Later in the afternoon the case manager nurse came in and told us that we were only approved to be in this hospital until the 4th which is tomorrow!!!  Also, she mentioned that the Kindred Hospital did not have a bed for Don and that we would have to find another facility for him.  She said that TLC Care Center could take him and that it would probably be tomorrow that he moves. If she couldn't get it arranged tomorrow it would probably be Monday.  Well since it was almost 5PM Mel and I decided we better go check this place out before we actually have to go there.  We jumped in the van and got the GPS loaded with the address.  The facility is in Henderson and is 10.5 miles away from here.  It is very nice but it is nothing like Sunrise Hospital.  The visiting hours are from 10AM to 8PM so there will be no way I can be with him during the difficult, long nights!!  This is going to be a major adjustment for him in many ways so please pray that he is able to get moving on his rehabilitation quickly.  Of course, we still have 12 more days of no weight bearing and we hope we get the green light after that so we can get Don on his feet and back to Mesa.  I have decided to just stay at the hotel where I am and travel back and forth because of the good deal I am getting for one and because I have so much stuff between Don's personal effects from the truck wreck and my Winter stuff that my sister gathered up from Tulsa and Kentucky and it is way too much work to move that many more times.

 

Well, if that isn't enough twists and turns for you in one day then you need to go to Six Flags or Disney World to get some more thrills.  We have to get to bed earlier tonight so we can get up earlier in the morning to get everything packed up here to make the major move across the valley to another town.  God will be with us and with your prayers we will make it, one day at a time.

 

Thanks for your prayers!,

Don and Carol Schirr (Mel too)

November 1, 2011

Greetings!,

Last night I decided to stay the night here in the hospital with Don because he was not feeling well at all.  I was not comfortable leaving him alone when he was feeling that poorly.  I had only had 4 hours of sleep the night before so I was pretty tired but at least I would be here if he needed me.  Earlier in the evening he was tired of laying down so he forced himself to get up on the side of the bed and asked if I could play cards for a while to get his mind off of his dilemma.  Finally at 11:30PM I insisted that we go to bed because I was just so very tired. Don did not get me up at all so I slept until 5:45AM when Barb, the charge nurse, came bounding in the room announcing, "Good Morning!! Is everyone ready for coffee?".  UGH!  Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a morning person but I got up and put my shoes on and in a flash she had two steaming cups of hot coffee there.  Don was feeling much better this morning but in no way was he 100%. He complains of nausea, has no appetite and says that the food just doesn't taste real good like it used to.  I think the food is great and I taste it and it has plenty of taste.  He is taking some kind of meds for nausea so hopefully in time he will get rid of that feeling.  I had him smell Peppermint oil and put Valor on his feet, legs and shoulders to try to balance him out.  He usually likes to be bathed and have his hair washed but he keeps getting chilled and then too hot so he asked if we could pass on that part this morning.  He barely ate anything for breakfast at all and was pretty out of it.  I went to the hotel just a little after 8AM so I could take a nap and get showered and changed because we were going to have special company come in from Mississippi today.  I laid down and asked The Lord to give me supernatural sleep that would make me feel like I slept for a long time and He answered.  I slept for 1 hour and 45 minutes and woke up feeling very refreshed!  I returned to the hospital just after 11AM.

Dr. Sohn had come in while I was gone to redress the wound and check it out.  He told Don that he would not be coming in until Friday to see him now and that he would put in a written order for the nurses to check and change the bandage the rest of the week.  This must mean things are looking pretty stable to him.

After I returned from the hotel Physical Therapy came in with the wheelchair for Don's one hour break to freedom.  His lunch came during the time we were transfering him into the wheelchair so I had him eat first thing before we went outside.  It was so pretty outside today.  A little windy but nice.  We stayed out for almost an hour.  We were waiting for our guests to come but they got tied up in traffic so we ended getting Don back up in bed and then they called to say they were here.  I went down to the Main Lobby and escorted them up to our room.  They were Ken and Sally West from Petal, Mississippi and their daughter Emi that lives here in Henderson, Nevada.  Ken and Sally are friends of my sister Ruthie and her husband Doug.  They also live in Petal, Mississippi.  The first day or so we were in our regular room at the hospital this wonderful couple sent their daughter over with a huge, beautiful snack basket and a case of drinking water as a get well and also help for Julie, Mom and I as care givers.  This was so sweet especially since we had never met any of them in our lives!

We had such a great visit with them and they were very inquisitive of all the wonderful oils we have lined up and the smells.  They kept asking questions about them and how they work for different ailments and of course, Don had to tell his herniated disc story.  Well Ken wanted to see the Essential Oil Reference Book that I have with me and before I knew it he and his wife Sally wanted to get set up with a Wholesale Customer account with Young Living right away.  So I quickly helped them open their account with a Start Living With Everyday Oils Kit.  They are so excited to get started.

Just before the three of them left the charge nurse for the day came in to let us know that she was here to help answer any questions we might have.  Well we inquired about Don's restriction on weight bearing and if he is now able to stand at all.  She said that Dr. Kim (our main doctor) had written an order today 11-01-2011 for two more weeks of NO WEIGHT BEARING.  We were devastated by this announcement as Don has worked so hard and diligently to get to this 6 week mark from the beginning.   He just started sobbing and could not help himself.  He was sitting on the side of the bed visiting with the guests and I quickly got next to him and just held him as he cried.  I teared up and just rocked him for a minute.  Don is a person that does not cry and especially in front of people he doesn't know.  So to see him this broken was really bad for me because I knew how deep the pain of this new "sentence" went for him.  He said, "I just want to get out of this bed!  I just want to go home.  These walls are starting to climb in on me."  My heart just breaks for him!  I assured him that I would be here with him and that we would get through this together.  He just continued to sobb and apologize for it.  I told him that he needed to cry and to mourn the loss of his freedom and loss of reward for the work he had done.  Once he could mourn then he could move on and face this next challenge.  He asked me to go out to the charge nurse and ask if we could at least have a wheelchair in here so he could get out of the bed a few times a day and also ask to see if we could get a bedside potty chair and possibly get off the catheter.   She came back a while later and all of his requests were denied but she had explanations as to why, of course.  He cried again with this news.  It is so hard to see him so defeated.  He said he just needs to get over the hard part and then he'll be ok but he just isn't handling it very well today.  He tried to call his parents at supper time but shortly into the conversation he lost his composure again and handed the phone to me and said to tell them he would talk to them tomorrow.  I just explained that he was having a very difficult time handling this information and that 14 more days in the bed is like a sentence to him.  They were very sympathetic and also felt his pain.

I decided that I will stay the night again over here to be of comfort to Don.  He was so thankful that I decided to stay and not go to the hotel.  I just took a 20 minute run over to the hotel before dark to clean up, wash my makeup off and change clothes so I would be more comfortable for the night.  I dashed back and Don wanted to play Phase 10 again.  While we were playing the male nurse announced that the doctor's orders just came in to take out the catheter.  We insisted that he have bladder training which is to kink off the tube for 1 to 2 hours at a time and then release it and keep doing that for about 24 hours to retrain the bladder to hold liquid again.  Yes, I know you just read that they denied our request to get off the catheter but here we are a few hours later with a doctor's order for it.  Go figure!  The first hour was started.  At the 45 minute mark he started sweating and getting very uncomfortable and called for the nurse to come release the line.  We started him taking a fabulous product from Young Living Essential Oils called K&B Tincture just about 5 minutes before they released the tubing.  This product has herbs and essential oils in it to strengthen and tone the kidneys and bladder.  Well, the next hour was a breeze with over double the output and now he is on his third session and it is already just past the 2 hour mark and he is totally comfortable!!!!!!!!!!  This K&B Tincture is a little miracle!  He has only taken two doses of it and he is already without any discomfort!  If you would like to read a little about this product just click on this link:  http://oilqueen.younglivingworld.com/products/ProductPopup_Main.asp?ProductID=77

While I was at the hotel getting ready for the night I called a very good friend of mine in Mesa, Arizona, Mel Ehlers.  Her and her husband Al have done so much for us over the years with watching over and taking care of our property there in Mesa and getting the mail, car license tags and the list goes on.  I told her of Donnie's new no weight bearing sentence and she felt so terrible for Donnie.  I just asked one time, "Mel do you think you could come up here?"  She immediately said, "Name the time, and I'll be there.  Can you find me a flight for tonight?"  Well, I actually found one for her but she would only have one hour to get to the airport so we opted for a flight tomorrow morning.  She is packing now and getting ready to come.  She will be staying until November 15th!  Isn't that wonderful?  Donnie does NOT know she is coming.  I want to save that surprise for the morning to brighten his day.  Mel has worked in hospitals and is wonderful company and knows all that we are up against on a daily basis.  She knows how to care for people in Donnie's situation and it will do both of us so much good to have the moral support, the help and have something new to do to pass the time.  I cannot wait to see his surprise when she comes.  I know he will cry when he finds out how much time she has agreed to sacrifice to help out.  Please put Al and Mel Ehlers on your prayer list as well.  Al will have to "batch it" while Mel is gone and I know Mel will miss Al terribly as they are not used to being apart much.  Donnie would do the same thing if the roles were reversed.  He is such a giving, caring and loving person and now that he is in desparate need his kindnesses are returning to him 10 fold!  We are just overwhelmed with the love and support so many of you have shown us in countless ways.  Yes, these are difficult days to say the least but when you have so many friends praying and pulling for you it sure helps get you through the valleys when they come.

We thank you again for your continued prayers and ask that you really beef them up to the max these next couple of weeks.  We love each and everyone of you that are reading these updates.

Until tomorrow, we say, "Good night",
Don and Carol Schirr

October 31, 2011

Hello Again,

What an action-packed, roller coaster day!

Last night was kind of long for Mom and I.  We had to help Don with bathroom duties as we talked about on yesterday's update.  I ended being here at the hospital until 1AM working on the update for you all and getting thank you cards sent out through the Internet.  I got to bed at the hotel about 1:20AM and set the wake up call for 6AM so I could get Mom to the airport.  Well, Sugar Bear called me at 5:20AM with a bright and cheery voice telling me I had to get up.  I begged for another 30 minutes of sleep so he called me back in 30 minutes.  I don't do real good with only 4 hours or so of sleep but today I just had to do it.  I got up at 6AM and got the coffee going and got in the shower.  Just before I got in the shower Don called me again to be sure I didn't fall back asleep.  He knows me pretty well, doesn't he?

I hurried up and just left without eating anything and got up to the room by 7:10AM.  Donnie still felt nauseated a little and not quite up to par.  He had somewhat of a restless night and he still refused all of his pain medication.  The nurse from last night was Alicia and she is a super sweet, awesome nurse.  This is the first time we have had her and she loves oils and wanted to know more about NingXia Red so I had to bring her information about NingXia Red before she left at 7:30AM.  I have Christmas Spirit going in our diffuser and everyone just loves how it smells and they always ask about it.  I just got the new TheraPro Diffuser this week because it is so quiet and has so many more features.  It is totally awesome and the nurses all want one now.

I whisked Mom out of here and to the hotel so she could take a very quick shower and get her suitcases to the van and off to the airport.  We are only 3 1/2 miles from the airport so it is really easy and quick to get there.  We got her to the airport in plenty of time so that was good.  We booked her a nonstop flight and so it only took her 4 hours to get to Tampa, Florida.  That is so amazing!  She texted when she landed so we knew she was safe and sound.  It was much easier to let her go this time knowing that Donnie is not in such a bad way and needing so much help at night.

When I returned to the hospital I had to quickly get Don's clothes on so he could get up in the wheelchair again with the Physical Therapist.  Just before Physical Therapy came in Dr. Sohn flashed in for about 3 minutes to check out the wound and put on the new bandages.  He let me take an updated picture and it looks pretty good.  There are just two spots still that are taking more time to heal completely.  The staples are still in and we don't know when they can come out.  We asked about the possible updating of his activity level but we did not hear anything from the other doctors today at all about it so the orders are still "NO WEIGHT BEARING".  We got Don into the wheelchair and off we went outside in the gorgeous weather.  I walked him out in the sun across the parking lot and back.  Then we sat for about 10 minutes in this really nice area that has a roof over it and nice benches.  After that I decided to walk him through the hospital all the way to the Trauma Emergency entrance to show him how far we would have to come to see him if we came in after 8PM and where we used to be for the first 12 days here at Sunrise Hospital.  Then I took him up the elevator to the Trauma ICU to show him where he started out.  The wound nurse, Marcia was just coming out of the ICU door when we walked up.  She was thrilled to see him in a wheelchair and we chatted for couple of minutes.  We headed back through all the halls back to the Main Entrance where we got on the elevator to go up to Don's room.  He was complaining of having a "Hot Flash" and was feeling quite uncomfortable and nauseated.  I quickly got him back to the room and within 5 minutes he wanted me to hit the call button to get the Physical Therapist back in here to get him back to the bed.  When he got laid down he said he felt dizzy.  Then suddenly he was real chilled and wanted a double blanket on him.  This is totally unlike him as he is usually very warm and complains of sweating all the time.  He got real still and just did not want to talk or move for at least 2 hours.  He was just not himself at all.  His abdomen was very tender and his eyes looked like a child's eyes do when they are real sick.  He just kept saying that he was having a down day and needed to rest.  The Pain Management Team representative came in and we talked about if Don could get some other type of pain medication that isn't morphine.  Well that didn't get anywhere.  They just lowered the dosage again to 40 mg. instead of 100 mg. per dose.  I just want him to have something that doesn't have the side effects of morphine.

Then the substitute for the case worker came in and asked what our plan was because, "Don doesn't really fit the criteria for the hospital anymore."  Well, that was music to our ears in one way for sure.  We explained the bed situation and the fact that he cannot have weight bearing and she flew out the door to see what she could find out.  We waited for about 30 minutes or so and then I decided to go out and look at some of the places we could possibly be sent to for the LTAC (Long Term Acute Care).  Our case worker is on vacation this week (of course) and this other lady was taking her place.  I got a list of 5 different places from her.  She could not legally tell me which places she would pick over another and just said I would have to look them over and make a judgment call.  Well on the way out the front door, here sits the lady that came in saying we didn't fit hospital care criteria.  I stopped and talked with her at length and asked her recommendation on a place.  She at least gave me the different categories that the places were and I headed out the door.  When I just got my van started and put in reverse my cell rang and it was Donnie!!!!  I couldn't believe it.  He said someone was in the room that wanted to talk to me.  It was Iris, the substitue for our case worker.  She just found out that we were accepted to Kindred Hospital for the LTAC.  She said to come back to the room.  I came back up and she told us that Blue Cross Blue Shield is holding up our case because they have a back log of patients right now that need approvals and they couldn't look at our case for a couple of days.  Well we found out that they are paying $5000.00 per day base rate on this room before the nursing care and drugs, food and everything else are added on!  That is a ton, I think.  She also told us that Dr. Sohn has orders in for a contiunation of no weight bearing.  We will have to verify that with him in the morning.  Maybe he feels the wound would come open or something if he stood up.  We definitely need clarification on that with him in person.

Well, a little while later I took off again to go to check out Kindred Hospital which is only about 2 1/2 miles from here.  Don was feeling terrible and looked sick and did not want any lights or sounds in the room so it was a perfect time for me to go there.  It is really nice and kinda reminds me of an updated hospital with a slight nursing home feel.  It will work out just fine until we can get him home.  I stopped at the mall to pick up a sweat jacket and some tee shirts for Don and then went to the hotel for about 1 1 /2 hours to nap and rest a little.  Don called just as I was getting into the hotel room and said he had another serious BM that the nurses had to come help him with.  He said, "No wonder I have been feeling sick today."

When I returned about 6PM he looked so sick.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong.  They checked his temperature and everything was normal so it wasn't that he picked up a bug or anything.  My feeling is that he may be experiencing some withdrawal from the pain drugs since he is just skipping them altogether and with the combination of all the laxatives, stool softeners and such he is just getting too much of that and his bowels are totally upset.  I had a long talk with the nurses and said for them to cut out the senicot pills and let his bowels get settled down.  I told Donnie that he was probably having withdrawal and that we would just have to work through this and to get off the senicot.  I put Frankincense and JuvaFlex oils over his liver area and then put Valor, Frankincense and Lavender on his feet and massaged them.  He is just completely irritable and not real cooperative even with the oils which he normally loves and begs for.  He is just not himself at all!  Of course, this would happen the day Mom leaves...ugh!

He wanted to get up on the side of the bed for a change of position so I helped him with that.  Then he wanted to play Skip-Bo to try to get his mind off of his misery.  He called for his morphine and nausea medication and the night nurse, Alicia came in and she really feels that his problem today is more the excessive bowel management meds more than the withdrawal issue.  However, we both believe they are both part of the problem right now.  When she went to get the meds suddenly Donnie had to have another very loose BM which it is so good to get this poison out of him.  I got everything back together before the nurse returned with the meds.

After this very long roller coaster of a day, Don fell asleep by 9:30PM and is sleeping soundly.  I have chosen to stay the night here because he is just not feeling well enough for me to go to the hotel tonight.  I feel he is like a sick little boy that needs a lot of TLC and comforting so I am in for the night.  I am looking for a much better day tomorrow and for the return of my Sugar Bear!

Please continue to uphold us both in prayer not only for health and healing but for the many, many decisions and changes we must face during the remainder of this week and into next month.

Thank you for all the cards, gifts and prayers,
Don and Carol Schirr