Dr. Red Duke - He makes me smile!

We love Dr. Red Duke!  He is such an amazing doctor with an amazing bedside manner and Texas twang. He makes me realize what all his generation has to offer and how they will be gone before we even realize it. He makes me miss my grandparents and brings back memories from my early childhood when I spent time with them.  It was brief, but they had so much to share before they passed away. I love hearing Dr. Duke say things like, "Scoot your fanny over here."  and  "No hill is too high for a billy goat."  As he put on his gloves he said, "Now that's probably what my mother went through each day putting her girdle on!"  He has such a good sense of humor. 

He shares stories about how there was no air conditioning back when he worked at Parkland Hospital and sometimes the patients would have heat strokes while in the hospital!  He said,  "If you heard a bath tub on wheels rolling down the halls, you knew someone had a heatstroke."   

He tells of his time in Alaska after his first year of medical school and how he wanted to go so bad that he bought a car and drove it the whole way and then sold it when he got there.   He loves Alaska and even got a license to do guided hunts there.  

He spent time in Afghanistan and India. He has such an appreciation for life and the beauty of God's creation. He speaks of how amazing God's design of the human body is and how so much of our body is made to take care of itself, including pushing drains (foreign objects) out, which is why we are here today!  Dr. Duke had to suture two of Samuel's drains back in because they are so determined to work their way out and the tape is not working.  He is also having some other complications related to still having six drains.

I asked Dr. Duke what the plan was from here. He said, "We just wait for healing."  He was a little less optimistic about waiting six months to go back in and try to make repairs and rebuild what can be. He said it will probably be more like 8-9 months.  We were really hoping to start having those surgeries towards the end of the year, but that may not be happening after all. I know God's timing is perfect though. Praying the time will pass smoothly and that I can keep my eyes focused on The Lord and not the chaos and stress of everyday life.  Blessings!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

We had an early morning drive to Houston for more appointments today. Samuel had a little bit of a rough night and was sick in his stomach.  We have doctor appointments or home health visits almost every day right now, so there isn't much time for much of anything else. Today he sees the trauma-orthopedic doctor about his leg that was broken during the accident.  It has really been the most minor of all of his injuries,  but we are really hoping to get into a different kind of cast today or to go home without a cast at all!  It would certainly be a step towards trying to become more mobile and building strength again. It will take many many months, maybe even years to recover from this accident, but every step he makes towards his goal of a full recovery is certainly progress and makes things a little easier.  We are thankful for every tiny step in the right direction.  Praising the Lord for all the miracles He has worked in Samuel.

Samuel's Appointment with the Spine Team

Samuel had his doctor appointment with the spine team today. It went really well.  His x-rays show that all of the vertebrates are still aligned. They said it looks really good and they made the decision to allow him to remove the brace because or is causing some other complications with drains and the abdominal wounds.  He isn't able to walk without the walker, even for short distances.  He spends most of his time sitting or laying down, so he isn't really doing any strenuous exercise that could cause problems.  He seems to be improving daily.  Thank you to everyone who has continued to pray for him. It's a long road ahead, but at least he is making steps forward!  Blessings!

A Visit with Dr. Red Duke

We had the most amazing doctor appointment ever!  Today Samuel had his appointment with the trauma team. To our surprise, Dr. Red Duke came in and visited with Samuel for a good two hours. He told Samuel how he knew all about him, but never met him awake. I took the dressings off the wounds and he showed me how to use the silver nitrate sticks.  We visited about vet school, longhorns, paint horses, Aggies, and even his frustration with art and painting.  He told us about a Longhorn bull that was named Red Duke that was donated to an auction with the money to benefit Life Flight. He said it was back when Tom was the president of the TLBAA. He said he bought that bull and sent him home with a friend, but the bull got struck by lightning years later. He told us how he's a rancher at heart still and doesn't ever own a television, but only watches the weather on the televisions throughout the hospital.  He shared a story of a painting he did one time that looked like it needed something so he added a longhorn. He tried to sell it for $25,  but said some goofy person paid him $750 for it!  He joked about being a frustrated artist and said he looked forward to retiring and having time to paint.  

He said Samuel was doing great!  He is a miracle!  He gave us his cell phone number before we left and told us to call if we ever needed anything. He was such an amazing person to meet, with such a zest for life and appreciation of beauty. I felt as if I was talking to a legend!  What a humble beautiful soul!  We were truly blessed to spend time with him this afternoon. 

Update on Samuel - 6/7/13

Friday, 6-7-13 at 10:00 pm

Samuel slept during the first half of the day.   He really sleeps a lot. There was really no changes today, which is nice. We need days where he just maintains and doesn't regress.  Each day I've been in contact with Bobby, the man who slept in the chair next to us in STICU.  God has truly placed some special people in our lives through this ordeal. His brother is doing better and is about to be moved to rehab.  

We are hoping that Samuel makes some progress in the next few days so that we can go to the the World Show and Autobahn.  The wheelchair that was ordered for him almost two weeks ago still has not shown up.  The home health nurses are trying to find out what the problem is and we should have it soon. If Samuel is feeling up to it, we may go for a drive in the pasture tomorrow. I think he needs to get out of the house for a little bit.  Thanks for praying for him. 

Update on Samuel

Thursday, 6/6/13 – 12:45 pm

Just a quick update on Samuel.  He is doing well.  We do not have the results from the cultures back, but he definitely has an infection because there is drainage out of one of the previous holes from a drain that was removed at some point.  I have been in contact with Dr. Kozar several times a day through text or phone.   She has been such a blessing through all of this.  Samuel had a good day yesterday.  He spent most of the morning at the table working on his speech again.  He looked great!  I will try to post a picture of him.  Teresa Blake came out yesterday and gave him a haircut.  We even washed his hair while he was standing up.  He can’t bend his back at all due to the spinal injury. 

In the afternoon, Marcus, Ethan and Ben Lawhon came out to visit Samuel.  They were surprised at how well he was doing.  Last time Marcus saw Samuel he was still in Shock-Trauma ICU on the ventilator.  Shortly after they left, the home health nurse came.  Samuel’s fever had spiked again and we had to call Dr. Kozar.  I sent her pictures of the wound and the infected area.  He is on two strong antibiotics that should take care of it. 

Every really good day seems to be followed by a day where Samuel needs a lot more rest.  He has slept all day so far.  I wake him occasionally to empty drains and change bandages.  I make him drink an Ensure Plus shake each time too.  He is very thin now.  He only weighs 94 pounds with the spine brace, all the tubes, and his leg in a cast.  I’m sure he weighs less than 90 pounds without all of that.  It has been a tough road, but I just keep reminding myself that he is here and that he will be healed in time.  Praise the Lord!

Tuesday, 6/4/13 at 3:30 pm

Tuesday, 6/4/13 at 3:30 pm

Samuel had fever again today. It is sometimes masked by the Tylenol that is in one of the narcotic pain killers. I took him into the doctor to have cultures done of the two nephrostomy drains from his kidneys. While there, we noticed the wound drain was putting out a different looking fluid so we cultured it and did a CBC.  Dr. Kozar is out of town so we are trying to communicate through text to try to make the best decisions on what to do from here.  We should have the CBC results soon.  While sitting here, I read the discharge papers and it gave an account of what all had happened over the last month at Memorial Hermann.  It started with the life flight notes and then followed day by day for 30 days.   It was scary stuff to read and it actually made me cry just reading what all he has been trough, but it was also a stark reminder of how far God has brought Samuel. Even if this is another step in the wrong direction, we are not back at square one.  He has made a tremendous amount of progress and lived through some very iffy times.   God is good and His Word

does not return void.  Blessings. 

Monday Night

Monday, 6-3-13 at 10:00 pm

Samuel has a fever tonight. We will be going in for some tests in the morning to try to figure out what is going on.  Please keep him in your prayers.  Three steps forward, two steps back. Please pray it is something minor that will not cause them to put him back in the hospital. 

Monday - 6/3/13

Monday, 6-3-13

Samuel is doing fine. He sleeps most of the day. When he is up, he tires fast. Eating has been a bit of a challenge for him.  He doesn't feel hungry, but he needs to keep his calories up.  Home health came yesterday. It went well.  We are thankful for all the prayers. Please continue to pray for Samuel's complete healing. Pray that he has the will to keep fighting. He has a long road ahead of him, but he has the Great Physician on his side. 

Day 30 - Heading Home Again!

Saturday - Day 30 

We are heading home from the hospital. Jay came straight from the airport to drive us home. It's such a good feeling to be going home again!  Samuel is doing well, but this has definitely set him back some. He seems much weaker than he was and he sleeps a lot. He has six drains now and his spinal brace, which make him pretty uncomfortable.  Tomorrow home health care will come and help change the wound dressings etc.  It is a little different now with part of his abdomen still open.  We appreciate all the prayers and everything our friends and family have done to help us through this difficult time. Thankfully he is back on track and with lots of time, rest and good nutrition he will be able to have the rest of the surgeries he needs next November or December. Blessings. 

Update on Samuel - Saturday 6/1/13 at 10:30 am

Saturday, 6-1-13 at 10:30 am

Samuel is doing well. He felt nauseous all day yesterday and his pain was harder to control than it had been. Today is much better though. He is eating again and seems fairly comfortable today. We just noticed that his left nephrostomy tube has stopped again, so we called the nurse. I am not sure what that will mean for today. It looks like a blood clot has stopped it.  I had a great talk with Dr. Kozar yesterday. She is an amazing person...and doctor. I have no doubt that God placed her here with a purpose.  Teresa Blake spent the day with us here. She took care of Samuel while I slept for about an hour. She is such a precious friend. Sheryl Hall came by after she got off work and visited with Samuel.   She always does such a great job of explaining to me what exactly is going on with Samuel.  I fell asleep early last night and Samuel texted with Haley for a while. It seems busier here at night than during the day. It is nice to have a sleeper chair, but I feel so worn out.  Yesterday Dr. Kozar said we may be able to go home today with home health care. We are ready!  

Friday

Friday, 5/31/13 at 9:00 am

They have Samuel comfortable now.   They basically opened up the bottom of the wound about two inches and drained everything and are now going to keep it packed with gauze. It's not the ideal situation because he doesn't have the fascia (the material that binds the muscles and organs organs etc.) closed. He has only had a skin closure, no muscle, so now he is completely open in that one area again. Right now he is having the procedure done to replace the left nephrostomy drain in his kidney. He has been gone for about an hour and a half. He is not in ICU. They moved him to the Jones Pavillion room 614 at about 3:00 am this morning.  It has been one procedure after another since then. We are very tired, but so thankful we are back on the floor instead of ICU. Thank you for lifting Samuel in prayer. I've often thought of how no parent ever wants to see a child go through such an ordeal, but if one of ours had to go through this, I can't imagine anyone handling this better than Samuel has. He's a fighter. 

Thursday Night

Thursday 5/30/13 @ 11:00 

Bad day!!  Samuel slept well last night, but when he woke he just didn't seem to feel as well as the last few days. Joshua got up early and made pancakes, but Samuel didn't want to eat because he said he felt nauseous. He only wanted a breakfast shake. He said he was fine, but it seemed like something was wrong all day. By this afternoon, he was leaking out the front of his wound again, just a small amount though and his left nephrostomy drain from his kidney was not working properly. I spoke and texted with Dr. Kozar several times throughout the day just trying to figure out what was going on.  Originally we made plans to come in to the clinic tomorrow and they would try to see what the problem was and set up to do the new nephrostomy drain as an outpatient procedure.  Things got a little worse and an hour later, we decided we would admit him in the morning. About two hours later, liquid was pouring from the the wound, which is about 14 inches long now, and Dr. Kozar told us to come in right away.  I came alone because only one person can stay in the room and Jay is out of town on that business trip that he really need to go to.  The big kids have the babies at the ranch.   When we left the house for Houston he was fairly comfortable. About 40 minutes into the trip, he was in serious pain even with the pain meds. As we entered Houston I was wishing I had not come alone because he was in a lot of pain and all I could do was drive. He was begging me to take his spinal brace off because he couldn't stand the pressure his abdomen.  Dr. Kozar had called the ER ahead of us and told them what was going on and what to expect. They brought him in on a stretcher and started taking steps to prepare him for a CT scan which will lead to taking him back to surgery. He was doing great, but something new has went wrong and they aren't quite sure what.  Samuel just has so many problems right now all in his mid section and because his back is broken he has to wear the spinal brace, but that works against all the drains and stuff he has.  It's like you can't fix one problem without it creating another problem.  I'm sure Samuel will probably go back into ICU tonight. He is very sick again. When we got here,  he didn't have a fever, but now he does.  It seems like whatever is going on just came on very fast. Please keep praying for Samuel.  He is fighting so hard to get through this, but these setbacks just take so much out of him. 

Last Wednesday

Wednesday - 5/29/13

We had a phone appointment with Samuel's doctor at Johns Hopkins this morning.  I explained what all has taken place with Samuel since I had spoken with him a couple of weeks ago. He reassured us that Dr. Kozar and the trauma team at Memorial Hermann have done everything they possibly can do to give Samuel the best shot possible. He said the name of the game at this point is healing and that he wants to see Samuel taking in as many calories a day as he possibly can.  We will be starting him on Ensure today. Dr. Gearhart remembered how when Samuel was four and in really bad shape that he responded by not really wanting to eat.  Fifteen years later, he is still sort of like that, but he also understands that to give himself the best chance of reconstruction in six months, he has got to eat. We still have to push him to eat though. 

Today he ate breakfast and we drove to the ranch to see a new baby calf that was just born. Then we parked the Suburban and watched the girls barrel race and practice pole bending. It was windy and didn't seem too hot. I kept asking him if he wanted to go to the house, but he just wanted to sit in the car and watch them...so we did.  We had a late lunch and then he slept the rest of the afternoon. I woke him up to come back home.  I think Samuel likes being at the ranch more than at our house.  It is where he has lived for almost two years now while in college.  All of our kids like being there. It only has a tiny little house, but everyone is outside anyway so it doesn't seem to matter much. It is so dusty right now though.  We really need rain and we keep missing it. 

I am starting to adjust to all the things I need to do to take care of Samuel and I can do it much quicker than I could a few days ago, but it still takes some time.  I am really thankful he is here though and that I have the opportunity to be his mom and take care of him. We weren't sure that was going to be the case just a couple of weeks ago. So much to be thankful for....

Last Tuesday

Tuesday, 5/28/13 

Samuel had a great day at home today. He slept well last night and late into the morning. I woke him up to eat breakfast and took care of all his drains and brace etc. After breakfast he asked if we could drive over to our lease on 36 so he could see the cows.  I think it is good that he wants to keep his mind busy.  That went well so we drove to the ranch to see his steer and the others. We ate lunch there and he took a nap and then we came home and he took another nap.. Jason Christa came to visit tonight and he talked to Samuel for a long time.  I think Samuel really enjoyed his visit. 

Dr. Kozar called this afternoon.   I love how honest and real she is. We talked about some of the complications associated with all of Samuel's abdominal trauma.  She told me that she hopes it will heal, but that honestly she doesn't think that will be the case. I agree with her.  We will have to cross that bridge in six months and try to figure out the best path to take at time.  God has a plan and we have to trust in Him.  

Last Monday Night

Monday, 5/27/13 at 10:20 pm

Samuel had a good day at home. He was tired after the drive home and slept for a couple of hours. Then he wanted to sit outside on a porch for about an hour. He said the wind felt so good.  It's amazing what we take for granted until we've been through something like this.  He slept for a couple more hours this evening and then had two plates of food. He has been missing his Daddy's good cooking!   Naomi brought the babies and Rachel and Miriam Grace home this afternoon.  The other kids are still staying at the ranch house. I was a little surprised to see Gabriella's reaction.  She couldn't wait to see him, but when she did it really scared her and she wouldn't talk to him.  When he got up later and went outside, she seemed to adjust and they are back to being buddies again.  She is really too young to understand why he has so many tubes etc and it scares her.  I must say it is a lot to take in, but we will all have to adapt because this is how it will be for the next six months or so. When he is well enough to have more surgeries, he will start losing some of the drains.  I still have the same concerns that I've had at the hospital the last few days, but no one can really give me a good answer to what is going on.  All we can do is wait and see what happens. If anything goes wrong, we can always take him back to the hospital, but we are basically doing the same thing at home as we were there.....taking care of his needs and trying to patiently wait.   His body was such a mess of problems that sometimes the doctors don't even have the answers. I guess this is where we have to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding.  He doesn't have a fever and he is better than he was yesterday and he is sooooooo happy to be home!  I'd say that's a day of progress. Praise God!