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

October 30, 2011

Hello Everyone!,

Last night I stayed the night at the hospital with Donnie and he did not have to wake me up at all.  I did get up a couple of times to check on him but he was sleeping and ok.  I heard him refuse his morphine a couple of times which is a good sign but then about 6:30AM he called for some because the pain in his right leg and foot were catching up with him.  It is much, much less pain that it used to be now that his back is sewn together.  At 6:45 AM Dr. Sohn came in to check the back wound.  I quickly jumped up out of bed to see him and watch him do his work.  He said I didn't need to get up but believe me, I wanted to be sure to talk with him and see the wound as it is now.  It looks good and just needs a couple weeks more to heal completely and be solid.  I asked him about the report that the Charge Nurse gave us last night about skin grafting on Don's ankle.  Dr. Sohn looked rather surprised and then looked at the two wounds left on the right leg.  He announced that the body would easily heal those and there would be no skin grafting.  I think that the notes were put in Don's file back when Dr. Sohn did the 1st plastic surgery and was doing a quick look at what he was facing with Don's case.  We are so happy to know that this was not something he was thinking about currently!!!  Praise The Lord!

The Physical Therapy lady came in very early...just before 8AM with the wheel chair.  Don wasn't even dressed yet so we quickly got his shorts and shirt on so he could get into the chair.  It was quite cool this morning like around 50 degrees for the low.  We poked our heads out the mail lobby doors and decided to go to the cafeteria so I could get a quick bite to eat and some Naked Juice for both of us.  Nobody ever told us that patients are not allowed in the part where you get food so we were in there looking around and the cashier came in and told us that patients were not allowed in there.  There were not more than 4 people in there so I just got my food and she came again and kinda yelled at us.  Donnie quickly wheeled himself out past the cashiers and apologized for not knowing about this rule.  It wasn't posted anywhere either.  Gosh, we have been here so long that they think Mom and I are employees you'd think they would cut us some slack.  Donnie could be out in the eating area but not where the food is.  Guess they don't know how many anti-infectious oils he has inside and on the outside of his body, do they?  We got a chuckle out of it anyway.  Heck with the personal care Mom and I give him, he is the cleanest, best smelling patient in the whole place!  I'd bet money on it, wouldn't you?

Mom and Aunt Detta came in about 9:15AM all dressed for church.  We visited for a while and we worked some on the puzzle together before they went on to church.  We had about 300 of the 500 pieces of the puzzle together and it was a cheapy!  They cut several of the pieces exactly the same but as you would go along you would suddenly see that in some of the areas that were like grass or an area where there was a lot of the same color that the pieces would have to be pulled out of one place and switched to another.  Then there would always be a piece or two that didn't quite fit right.  Well, we got to laughing about how crazy it was after about 5 different rip outs that we decided the best thing to do was put it in the trash can.   So I pulled up the can and dumped it.  This puzzle came in a box with 5 different puzzles in it (yes, they were individually wrapped in separate bags) so I got out another one with lots of flowers and a real cute house on it.  I started it myself and when Mom and Aunt Detta got back I had about 1/3 of it done!  We worked on it very diligently all day and by 10PM we got it all done!  How's that for a puzzle marathon and a half?

Don didn't help us much on it as he was feeling kind of nauseated.  They gave him so much different stuff to move his bowels that he was just flat miserable.  We were very patient with him and just let him rest and sleep as much as he could.  We did have an explosion later (actually a couple of them) and he feels so much better now.  The morphine is really a problem with causing constipation and that is what is giving him trouble.  Don has refused all of his morhpine all day today and it is now 11PM!  This is great!  He did just say that he is going to take one dose of morphine just to get his leg to stop hurting so he can sleep better.  He has had a very big day today and he really should sleep well.

Tonight is Mom's last night with us and in the morning she flies back to Florida on a nonstop flight.  This time we definitely gauged it better for her leaving.  Everything here is much better under control and both of us feel like we can handle it from here on out.  We are hoping that within a couple of weeks we can go back to Mesa, Arizona.  At least we should be able to celebrate Thanksgiving at home!  It truly will be a day to be thankful for when we can get in our own vehicle together and go home!

This week should be very busy and interesting as we anticipate a move to a rehabilitation facility near by.  Lots of changes and big steps toward recovery for Sugar Bear.  He is really a trooper and is handling his condition so well.  You would all be so proud of him!

Please keep up those awesome prayers...we sure need them!

Until tomorrow, take care and stay tuned,
Don and Carol Schirr and Mom (Sharon Zelinko)

P.S. I have attached a picture from the champagne (spiced apple cider, really) party and also another picture of Mom and Don playing Skip-Bo by the side of the bed so you could see how we spend a lot of our time keeping Don occupied.

October 28, 2011

Hello Again,

Last night was a perfect night!  Mom said that Don did not wake her up even one time.  They went to bed about 11:30PM and Mom was able to sleep the whole night through!  Yippee!

I was able to get over here by just a little after 9AM and Dr. Sohn was just finishing up putting the dressing back on Don's back wound.  He said that the right lower part of the wound was still looking a little delicate but that the tissues underneath were healing well.  We are just watching that area and he did slightly sluff off some of the tissue there before re-bandaging the area.  I noticed that Don had on his new shirt and shorts that I bought him yesterday.  He looked so much better being clothed and he felt so much better too.

I came in early because I knew Don wanted his hair washed and also we got the items we needed at the beauty supply house yesterday to get a hair trim and beard trim on him while he was up in the wheelchair today and I did not want to miss the Physical Therapy people when they came in to transfer him to the wheelchair.  I hurried up and got his hair washed and blow dried and also gave him his shave and boy did he look and smell good!  He wanted to look his best for the wheelchair people.  Well, we waited until almost 3:30PM before they came in.  It is Saturday and the Physical Therapist that was here said she was alone today and had a lot of people to see so that is why she was so late in coming.  We didn't waste any time at all getting him in the wheelchair and he got his driving gloves on for wheeling himself.  He headed right out the door and into the hallway and today we got him right on the elevator so he could get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine.  It was a beautiful day and Don loved being outside!  Of course we took lots of pictures and I am attaching some of them for you today, I hope you are able to view them.  We stayed outside for about 25 minutes and then headed up to his room so I would have enough time to trim his hair and beard.  I am not a cosmetologist, to say the least, but I have cut a few people's hair and have cut Don's a half dozen times before.  His hair wasn't perfect, I'm sure, but it sure looks so much better and he looks so sharp now.  The nurses were surprised that Mom and I can do so many personal care stuff for Don.  They never know what they are going to walk into when they come to our room, that's for sure!!!  Today it was a barber shop!  I guess I am The Queen of Everything, right?!

Mom and Aunt Detta and Don played several games of cards today and then Mom and Aunt Detta got out another 500 piece puzzle.  They got real focused and stayed with the puzzle for several hours and got over 1/2 of it put together while I took a nap here in the hospital room.  Donnie was dozing in and out in his bed with the football game on because of course, OSU was playing.  I got up and helped Mom and Aunt Detta work on the puzzle and then we took off to have dinner together at Marie Callenders.  On the way back, Mom wanted to be dropped off at the hotel to take a shower.  It was already 7:25PM and the Main Lobby doors lock at 8PM so I suggested that Mom stay tonight with Aunt Detta since she is leaving in the morning to go back home to Phoenix.  Mom jumped at the chance and so I just changed into a jogging outfit to stay the night with Don.  This will be a good test to see what next week will be like when I am here alone again.  Hopefully everything will go off without a hitch.  At least I am not at my witts-end without sleep and Don is not at his witts-end without sleep and in pain.  In fact, his pain level is really diminishing and slowing down since he is healing more.  That is so wonderful!!

Tonight about 11PM Tess, the charge nurse, came in and said that she noticed in Don's chart that Dr. Sohn noted that he may have to do some skin grafts on Don's right ankle and ankle bone where he still has two bandages where the wounds are not totally healed.  We were quite shocked to hear this because he did not mention any of this to us when he was in here.  He must be waiting to see what the back wound is going to do before he makes that announcement to us.  Oh well, at least we know about it being a possibility.  Let's pray that it will just heal nicely on its own and we don't have to do more surgery.  Don is totally maxed out on his surgeries.

Today was a day to truly celebrate!  Thanks for your undying love and constant prayers!!!

We love you all,
Don and Carol Schirr and Mom (Sharon Zelinko)

P.S. Enjoy the photos attached.

October 27, 2011

Hello Faithful Praying Friends and Family!,

Last night was a little reminder of days past.  Don had to wake Mom several times to get his foot and leg massaged to help get rid of the tingling.  He sat up a couple of times on the side of the bed for short times to help relieve it.  We are hoping this is just a one night thing and not something that is going to keep up.  Especially with Mom leaving on Monday we need the nights to improve and not go backwards.

Before breakfast, Dr. Sohn came in to check the wound.  It still looks like it is healing nicely with just one little corner that he is a tiny bit concerned about watching.  He said that Don has to stay down one more day and then maybe Friday his activity can increase.  Don is very happy with this news and is willing to stay down for one more day with the hope of getting out of the bed tomorrow.  He is still restricted to NO WEIGHT BEARING on his feet until Monday, October 31st at the very earliest.  We still have not heard any report about the X-ray reading but we are waiting out the time anyhow.  Dr. Sohn also made the order that Don must stay on this air bed for at least 9 more days before he can go into a rehab facility.  Only if a rehab facility has the expertise in staff to handle all of his special needs and the special bed could he be moved out of this hospital.  He did say that Don will NOT be able to stay here at the rehab floor in Sunrise Hospital because Don is not able to walk and you must be able to walk and be somewhat independent to be on the rehab floor here.  So at least we know what we are looking at for the near future.  A rehabilitation company came by to drop off information about the several locations they have here in Las Vegas and also picked up all the information from the case worker here about all of Don's needs and unusual care he will require to see if they could handle him as a patient.  The name of the company is Kindred and they seemed really nice.  The one facility they have that is their highest level of care is only a couple of miles from here so it will work out nicely for where I am staying at Homestead Studio Suites.  We will have to go check the place out in the next couple of days to see what it is like before we let them have Don as a patient.  God is working out the details, that's for sure!

I did call Blue Cross and Blue Shield to find out if they would pay to transport Don to Mesa, Arizona so I could be at home and they said that if the doctor would call or fax in the information for a preauthorization as to why he could not be transported in a regular vehicle then possibly they would cover the transportation to a facility in Mesa, Arizona.  I have a call into the case worker to come see me about getting this communication accomplished.  It would be so nice to eliminate the hotel bill each week and also be home in my own bed.  God knows best and we are content to do whatever has to be done.  It sure doesn't hurt to ask regardless of the outcome, right?  I thought about getting an air mattress to fit in the van but Don couldn't even begin to get into the van or out of the van to get on the mattress so that would be pointless.

The Pain Management Team came in and told Don that they were needing to get him off of the IV pain medicine and get him on to an oral medication at a certain dosage and then wean him off of that at a pretty quick pace.  After only having his pain under somewhat of a control we weren't real excited to hear this but we also know that we don't want to be on this stuff forever.  So they put him on an oral dose of morphine every four hours with the option of asking for a small dose every hour if needed.  They gave him his first dose at Noon in apple juice.  He said it tastes like vinegar!  He did real well without asking for additional dosages until about 6PM and he was getting into some extra pain.  He was sitting on the side of the bed playing cards with Mom and I and he thinks he sat up too long.  He rang the nurse but we waited about 30 minutes before she came.  Then she went to get the morphine and when she came back she said that what they had in the machine was expired for 3 months so she had called the pharmacy to bring more.  Well, by the time the pharmacy came up with the medicine it was only 20 minutes before his 4 hour dose so Don decided to hold out for the regular dose.  His pain had subsided once he got resituated so it wasn't like the end of the world like it was in days gone by.  Don and Mom and I played cards by his bed while he laid down.  I stayed way too late as it was about 11:30PM before I even left.  I have to stop doing that.  It makes it really hard to get up in the morning.

Tomorrow at midnight will mark exactly the six week mark of when Don arrived here in Las Vegas for the first time.  Wow, how far we have come and how proud we are of him for all the bravery he has shown and the progress he has made.  All of your prayers are greatly appreciated and you can see the progress from them, that's for sure.

We love you all!,
Don and Carol and Mom (Sharon Zelinko)

October 28, 2011

Hello Everyone!,

Last night was great!  Don only got Mom up one time!  He turns himself from side to side using his trapeze bar.  This is awesome!

This morning Dr. Sohn was in real early and was still a little concerned about the one area of the wound but says it is coming along nicely.   He emphasized that Don has to stay in this bed for at least 8 more days.  He made the orders that Don could be placed in a wheel chair for 1 hour but only 1 hour!  This was such a day to celebrate!!!!!!!!  The first time in 6 weeks to get out of the bed.  Wow!  Mom quickly got out the pajama shorts that I had brought from Lexington and a tee shirt and the physical therapy team came in to transfer him to the chair without letting him put any weight on his feet.  He was so thrilled to get in that chair.  He got out in the hallway and tried to find someone to race wheelchairs with but nobody was up for a race!  I think he watches too much Nascar and Indy Car Races, don't you?  He actually got a slight blister on his hand from working the wheels on the wheel chair.  He says that he is really getting soft from no activity.  The staff brought him some special gloves with the finger tips cut off that are like driving gloves to use to prevent blisters.  Nice that they brought it after the damage was done.  Crazy!  Mom and Don played cards during the rest of the time he was in the wheel chair.  I didn't get here until about the last 30 minutes of his freedom from the bed and I was taking tons of pictures as a reminder of this day of celebration!

Right after Don got placed back in the bed so much was happening here in the room.  The case worker nurse came in and got the phone numbers of the people I was talking with at Blue Cross Blue Shield so they could discuss the preauthorization for the possible medical transfer to Mesa, Arizona.  She also informed us that she was working on getting Don placed at the proper rehab facility that had the right kind of care available.  She is trying to find one that would take his air bed and trapeze but so far we are going to have to be here the 8 days as Dr. Sohn prescribed.  She advised us that we want to save as many of the days of insurance coverage for rehab for when he is well enough to actually gain from the exercise because the coverage only lasts for so many days.

Right after the case worker came in then the financial lady came in and we had a bill from another surgeon from the first night Don was here and she had to call them for us and let us know what to do with that bill and the deductible.  She came right back with the answer and gave us clarity on what to do.

Then the Pain Management Team came in to check how the oral pain meds were working.  They discussed between Mom, Don and I and the three of them how to proceed.  It sounds like they are going to be cutting down the dosage some everyday.  He will probably be off of the morphine by mid week next week altogether.  We will be able to handle the pain totally with Young Living Essential Oils of Vetiver and Valerian from that point on.  We do give him 20 drops of each of those oils everyday two to four times a day and that is probably healing him inside as well.

This afternoon when I took Mom back to the hotel room to rest I went out to get some more pajama pants for Don since we only had one pair.  I also had to go to the post office and I had to go get some sparkling cider so we could celebrate Don's first wheel chair experience!  While I was gone, the Therapy Dog came in to visit Don.  He was very pleased to see the dog and he got to pet him and visit for about 10 minutes or so.  Don is a real animal lover as he grew up on a farm and had all kinds of animals.  I had called a couple of different times to have a Therapy Dog come in but they never came.  I had just given up on the idea and shazam...he shows up!

The case worker called back while I was out shopping and told me that she talked with Blue Cross Blue Shield about the transfer to Mesa, Arizona and she said that the policy clearly states that it is only to the closest facility so we know for sure that we will be here in Las Vegas at least until Don is well enough to get into my van on his own.  The case worker said that his extensive injuries and wound care are such that we will have to do follow up care with the surgeons that have worked on him here anyway and so Don really needs to be here for now until he can get a full release.  That's fine with us, we love the surgeons here and trust their judgment and so for now we know and understand that Las Vegas will be our home for a little while longer.  With Don's determination and strong muscles, we know it won't be long before we will be able to safely take the 6 hour journey back home to Mesa, Arizona.

Later this afternoon my Aunt Detta that was here several weeks ago from Phoenix, Arizona, came back to visit while my Mom is still here.  She will stay with me tonight and tomorrow night while Mom stays with Donnie.  When Mom and Aunt Detta came into the hospital room I announced, "Party Time!"  I quickly got out the glasses and the sparkling cider and of course took pictures again and we all had a toast to Donnie for this day of celebration!  It was fun and we called the nurse with the call button to come in and take our picture together so the four of us could be in the picture together.  She thought it was great and we had a lot of fun.

The World Series is on tonight and so Donnie is watching that and Mom, Aunt Detta and I are playing Skip-Bo together.  Of course, I had to take a break so I would have time to write to all of you who are always waiting to hear what happened today.  I am so excited to have so many that care and love us enough to keep up with our story.  God love your hearts!

With much love and appreciation,
Don and Carol Schirr and Mom (Sharon Zelinko)