Saturday update

Today marks 5 months since the accident.  This week's accomplishments  
include getting into Dad's SUV, increasing my left knee's range of  
motion to 125 degrees, and getting a much needed haircut.. babysteps.   
My next goal is to get up the stairs... I'm concerned about keeping  
Tomoka entertained during her visit as I might be confined to the  
first floor.  Other issues, of course, persist.  This week I struggled  
a lot with balance.  I'm doing a lot of standing exercises in therapy  
and the therapists insist on good posture.  We're experimenting with  
walkers and canes so I can finally get out of the wheelchair.  My poor  
posture results in poor balance and makes canes dangerous.  It looks  
like I'll start with some sort of walker and graduate to a cane once  
my balance improves.

We've been eating real well recently and the other day, in a moment of  
StephenColbert-esque brilliance, invented a new word: garlicious.

Carollers came by last night to spread Christmas spirit and Pastor  
Mike impressed us all with his eerily accurate singing of Alvin and  
the Chipmunks.  Our tree is up and looks great.. there aren't any  
presents under the tree yet as I'm still trying to think of gifts  
for everyone. 9 shopping days left to figure it out.  I hope holiday  
cheer finds you all in this last frenzied week until Christmas.
- jamie

howdy

We're trying something new today. As part of my therapy I will be  
contributing to the blog from now on.
Yesterday was kinda tough.  Despite lots of effort and pain, the range  
of motion in my left knee is below expectations. Any bending past 100  
degrees is incredibly painful.
The stitches from my toe surgery were finally removed yesterday.  The  
good news is that I'm healing very quickly.  The downside to that was  
new skin had grown over several stitches and cutting them out was  
bloodier than expected.
Everyone seemed to have the same answer to problems yesterday: do more  
at home.  As a result, I will be in charge of updating this blog.   
Feel free to email me if you think it's gone too long without an  
update.  Improving range of motion in the left knee will be another  
responsibility for home.  Dad feels as though he's picked up enough  
over the past 4 months to be a physical therapist and had me doing  
exercises before I even got out of bed this morning.

Despite the prospect of torture at home there's a lot to look forward  
to.  It's Christmas time and there are plenty of annual joys: Charlie  
Brown, Christmas Story and the Grinch. I'm sure there's a wonderful  
Sam Adam's brew for the season that I can't partake.  I'm hoping I'll  
be able to visit the Animink crew this week.  I've yet to see the new  
house and there are new people working there I haven't had the chance  
to meet yet.  Everyone is looking forward to Tomoka coming to visit.  
It'll be exciting to share the Holidays with her.

-jamie

Happy Thanksgiving!

Back in the summer, when things were really bad, I dreamed of Thanksgiving, and prayed that Jamie would be sitting at our Thanksgiving dinner table with us. I am so thankful that this prayer, along with many others, was answered. I am thankful for all of Jamie's friends and family who shared their love and support these last four months. I am thankful for my son-in-law Marc who took the burden of dealing with hospital bills and insurance and medicaid off our shoulders, and created order out of chaos. I am thankful for the skills and the incredible compassion of all the doctors, nurses, nurses aides and therapists at Carolinas Medical Center and Carolinas Rehabilitation. And I am thankful for our church family, whose caring support has been boundless.

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, Jamie is having therapy. He is being fitted with an orthotic to wear on his left foot/ankle. He no longer has to wear the big brace on his left leg - hooray! It will take several more weeks for his toes on his right foot to heal--this kind of wound has to heal from the inside out - the doctor says to eat lots of protein - we've got lots of turkey leftovers! :-)

I pray that your Thanksgiving blessings, dear reader, are many.
Love and Peace,
Brenda

Home Again

It's Thursday night, and we're home from the hospital. Jamie's sitting in front of the fireplace, eating chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven, and watching CNN's Democratic debate in Nevada. It won't be long and he'll be back in his bed - at home! This last hospital stay (and I hope it's the last hospital stay) was very good - CMC is awesome - BUT, there's no place like home!

One More Night

Jamie is doing very well after his surgery Monday. He's still in the hospital - they are managing his pain with medication by IV, but he needs to have it under control with pill form before he can come home. They are going to start alternating a pill with his IV meds, and plan for him to come home tomorrow (Thursday).

We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. His vascular surgeon said it was amazing how good Jamie looks, and how different he looks than he did in the ICU in July.

Post-Surgery Update

Jamie's surgery went well yesterday. The Doctors cleaned up his toes on his right foot. They debriefed all of the damaged skin and tissue on 3 of his toes and ended up taking off just the tips. This should not affect his balance or ability to walk at all, so that's good. He does have a lot of pain and he will hopefully heal quickly over the next 4-6 weeks. He spent last night in the hospital and should be coming home soon!

And then it's back to therapy next week!

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Halloween at Carolinas Rehabilitation

PT Sarah, PT tech Dave, unknown poor soul who didn't do his stretches, and PT Andrea with Jamie on Halloween. This was taken after Jamie's hour session on the parallel bars.

Jamie's working hard, 3 therapies 3 times a week. Michael and I have been working hard, too, practicing transfers with Jamie. He is scheduled to have surgery on his toes on Monday, November 12th, and will probably be in the hospital for a couple of days. We'll let you know details as we know them.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support during Jamie's recovery!

Catching Up

Jamie started his out-patient physical therapy Monday. He will be having physical therapy and occupational therapy three times a week, and speech therapy (which is working on visual scanning and higher level problem solving) two times a week. This week he has walked the length of the parallel bars (with the help of his therapist) several times. He says he feels "like Robocop" when he's walking - he still has the brace on his left leg, plus a couple of orthotic boots. Today he visited his vascular doctor - had ultrasounds on his legs. The good news is the clot that was in his right leg is gone, and the clot that is in his left leg is smaller than it was.

The doctor looked at his toes on his right foot. They are healing, but it's time for the dead tissue to be cleaned up. He will have surgery in a couple of weeks to remove the dead skin and see what's underneath. This will probably involve a night or two in the hospital. We'll let you know as soon as we do when this will happen.

And again, I must report that Jamie's spirits are wonderful - he is an inspiration to me. I hope you will all continue to pray for Jamie's recovery.

Another Milestone reached

Jamie's had 3 doctor's appointments in the last 2 days. Everyone says he is doing very well - one doctor called him "a Star!" The best news is this: the femur is healed, the pelvis is healed, and the tibia is healed; he can now start putting weight through his left leg. He will start outpatient therapy soon, where he can get upright and walking! God is good!

There's No Place Like Home

Jamie has been home a week now, and we're all getting into a good routine. He has been visited by his nurse, his physical therapist, and his occupational therapist, and is making good progress in his range of motion. The week coming up he has several doctor visits. We hope he'll be cleared to bear weight on his left leg soon; this will make all his transfers much easier. And then he'll transition from home health care to outpatient therapy, where he can really work, with parallel bars and all their equipment.

Thanks to Will and Danny, Jamie's IMac has been moved downstairs, so he can talk to Tomoka and his friends. We're all eating very well - Jamie's gaining back the pounds he lost in the hospital, and is growing his beard out. It is so wonderful to have Jamie (and Puella) home. As soon as Mom finds the cable for her camera, and figures out how to do it, there will be pictures posted. :-)

We're Home!

Jamie came home midday Thursday - rolled up the red-carpet ramp amid LOTS of balloons that mysteriously appeared there! We've had a couple of good days, with excellent food and good sleep at night. Mom had the best birthday ever on Friday, surrounded by Sarah & Marc and Oscar & Henry and Michael, and the miracle sitting beside her - Jamie at home!

Thank you for all your prayers and support. We'll keep you posted about his continued recovery. He'll have nurses and therapists coming beginning Monday. He'll have home care for awhile, and then transition to outpatient therapy.

One More Day

We are SO ready for Jamie to come home! Only one more day! He's working very hard--he stood up five times (with all his weight on his right leg) on a large walker yesterday, and worked his range of motion of his left knee and left shoulder to their edge of unbearable limits. Every time he stands, or sits on the edge of the bed, or makes a transfer, he is visibly stronger and straighter. He keeps his therapists and techs laughing with his dry sense of humor, altho more than one has said they will cry when he leaves . . .

Sunday Pass

Jamie had a good visit at home. We were able to get through all the doorways; found some "trouble spots" that will require some furniture shifting, but could get everywhere we needed to. Of course, the first thing he did was call Tomoka - she was just getting off work, and went home so that they could talk via skype. They had a good visit on the computer, and she is planning on visiting again between Christmas and New Year's. We also had good food and good company - Sarah & Marc and the boys came and ate dinner with us. It was difficult to go back to the rehab hospital, but the next three days will go by quickly, and then he comes home for real!

Working Hard

We're definitely in the "getting ready to go home" mode at Rehab. Thursday afternoon Jamie practiced car transfers - getting himself in and out of my Jetta three times. It's not easy, but doable. The first time in, Jamie said "Start the engine!" He is getting a pass to come home for a couple hours Sunday. This will give us a chance to make sure everything's accessible before he really comes home on Thursday, September 27th. He's got his menu order in for all his favorites, but will have to forego that beer he wanted - his doctor says no alcohol for at least a year!

And He's Up!

Monday morning, the beginning of week nine in the hospital, using his right arm holding a parallel bar, Jamie pulled himself up and stood on his right leg! We were all very excited! Every day he gets stronger. As I write this, the hymn "Great Is Thy Faithfulness" is going through my head: ". . morning by morning new mercies I see. ."

Saturday-Lunch on the Terrace....

When we pulled up to the rehab hospital today, Jamie (and Dad) were waiting for us out front! It was such a great surprise to see Jamie hanging out outside enjoying this nice weather. He told us that he was working Dad out having him wheel him all over--they even went down to the bridge in front of CMC!

We brought cuisine ala Chick fil A and all of us (including Oscar and Henry) all ate together out on the patio. I know this doesn't sound like too big of a deal, but it was nice to feel so 'normal' and so wonderful to see Oscar and Jamie sharing a pack of nuggets together. Since Jamie's getting so much stronger, and sitting up regularly you can also get in and get a good hug which is fabulous--Oscar and I got some good ones in today!

When we were walking back to Jamie's room, Dad challenged me to a race--he with Jamie and me with my double stroller, however after he told me that he'd already taken someone into the wall that morning and that he'd happily take us into the wall in order to win, we retreated back!

He was going to have a shower this afternoon--so all in all a good day!

Two Weeks from Today!

Jamie's proposed discharge date is Thursday, September 27th. He's got a gorgeous red-carpeted ramp awaiting his entry into the house. And it's just in time for my birthday! What a great present!

Jamie's had a couple of good days in a row. Today they let him bear weight on his right leg for the first time. This will make all his transfers easier. He has changed from a high back reclining wheelchair to a regular low-back style. He will get another one the first of next week, that will have two rims on the right wheel, made to drive with one hand--one rim works both wheels, and the other works one wheel, for turning. If this new chair is a good fit, it'll be the one he brings home.

The headaches and nausea are gone, and he's eating better. For the next two weeks he'll be getting stronger and stronger and ready to come home. Hooray!

Tuesday was a good day

Jamie's headaches and nausea are lessening. He had a long, full day Tuesday, highlighted by a shower and a haircut. Jamie's hair now matches on both sides - he's buzzed all over, and looks quite handsome! Every day in therapy you can see his growth in strength and movement. His care team meets this afternoon (Wednesday), and they will determine his discharge date. I'm hoping it will be in time for my birthday (Mom) at the end of the month - will let everyone know as soon as we find out. There's a team of carpenters from our church coming to the house this morning to build a temporary ramp to prepare for Jamie's homecoming. There are angels everywhere!

Monday- Update

One week post-surgery and it's back to a full rehab schedule this week! Jamie had a pretty good weekend--he's able to eat a little more each day which will help with his strength. He basically has a constant headache that the Doctors say unfortunately could be around for a few more weeks.

He was able to see Puella (our boxer) over the weekend--Dad took her out to the courtyard for a visit to Jamie. She really wanted to get up in Jamie's lap (which he's just not quite ready for yet!)--but she only jumped once and luckily Dad caught her!! Needless to say there was lots of tail wagging going on!

Friday Update

While Jamie is still not feeling great, he was able to do some work at rehab today. His knees are pretty stiff from taking it easy during his surgery and recovery earlier this week. He even sat in his chair this afternoon for about 3 hours. He's not wanting to eat too much, but Mom has been keeping him filled up on liquids all day.

He had a great visit with some of his work buddies yesterday which boosted his spirits. His post-surgery swelling is just about gone and even though he doesn't feel it, he looks great. (and his head is back to being perfectly round!)

Stay tuned...we're hoping that he's back on the upswing!

Thursday Update

Jamie is doing a little better today and he's moving back to rehab this afternoon. He had some X-ray's done on his legs to see about being able to try and put some weight on his right leg, so we'll see about that tomorrow. He's also been able to eat a little bit today. He's tired but a bit better!

Tomorrow he's back to work with his therapies!

Tuesday Update

Well if you ask Jamie how he's doing today, his answer is "I've been better." Poor guy is just not feeling good. He's in a lot of pain and his stomach is upset and he's not keeping much down. Earlier tonite they gave him some anti-nausea medicine and some additional pain medication and he seemed to be doing a little better. He's got ice packs on his head and a cold compress on his eyes. He's had a lot of swelling where his surgery was but the Doctors say it's all normal and should go down fairly quickly. Also, his vitals are all doing great, so that's good news. He's still in the hospital on the neuro floor (where the nurses are our favorites!) and he has a sweet room (it's actually a suite!). Much better than the trauma wing if you ask us! Mom told his nurse tonight that we've been everywhere except the Maternity and Psych floors...and Jamie chimed in "not yet". He's still being Jamie!

We got an old family favorite movie going in his DVD player to help him drift off to sleep and hopefully he'll be able to rest tonite.

Thanks again for your prayers...please keep 'em going for Jamie!

Monday Night- Post Surgery

Jamie had his surgery this afternoon and everything went well. He's all put together again! He is having a lot of pain in his head (which does not surprise the Doctor at all), and he's settled into a room and has received some more pain medication and he should just sleep and sleep and sleep tonite.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Surgery on Labor Day

Jamie had a very good Friday - he worked hard in therapy, rested well, and ate well! Dr. McLanahan came in Friday night and said he'd like to replace the bone flap on Monday. He's scheduled for 2:00 pm, but could end up earlier or later. If his surgery is in the afternoon, he'll probably spend Monday night in the hospital, and return to rehab on Tuesday morning.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Thursday- Enjoying a milkshake!

Jamie has had a hard day today--so what better way to treat him than with a strawberry shake! He's had a lot of physical therapy and a lot of work done to his knees which is pretty painful for him. But each day he gets stronger and stronger. Enjoy the pic! (He's kind of propped on his side because of how tired his legs were from therapy!)
And he's already had chicken parmesan, fresh fruit, a hamburger, fried chicken and of course sweet tea with every meal!



Jamie enjoying a strawberry shake

Wednesday-Here Comes Some Sweet Tea (and beer..well not just yet...)!

Sound the trumpets--Jamie passed his swallow test today "with flying colors"! Hooray! He even ate a cookie--first time he's chewed something in over 6 weeks. So now he can eat-what a blessing! Not sure exactly what he'll be eating at first, but we'll keep you posted for sure! We know he's ready for a Bojangles cajun filet biscuit and probably some sashimi and nagiri. Hopefully he'll be eating real food very soon because we need to fatten him back up. He's gotten skinny! (Not that he wasn't before :-) We'll get him back up to his fighting weight before long... Come to think of it, his helmet that he has to wear whenever he's out of bed kind of looks like a boxing helmet!

The rehab hospital is a great place-he gets a daily schedule printed out each night for the following day. He is typically in therapy (physical, occupational and speech) starting at 9am with a little break around lunchtime and then again from 2-4pm. So they're working him hard. He may even be able to take a shower in the next day or so which we know is going to feel absolutely wonderful for him.

Stay tuned...

Tuesday Update

Jamie has had a busy day! They don't let you rest much in rehab, that's for sure! He wanted me to post 2 specific things to the blog tonite, first-he has been officially cleared for ice chips and minimal fluids (so he's that much closer to sweet tea!) AND today in his physical therapy he was able to move his left arm!! woo hoo!! His therapist had him hooked up to a vibrating thing that provided stimulation to his shoulder and he was able to move his arm from left to right rolling another device across the table. Wow! He said he really had to focus and it was really challenging but he did it! And hopefully tomorrow it will be even easier.

He's really doing terrific and he is in good spirits.

Stay tuned for more great news!

Great Sunday!

Jamie looks better every time we see him. He gets to wear clothes in his new room (he looks like a doctor because he's wearing scrubs!), he doesn't have that odious nose tube, and he's finally got his glasses back. Now he really looks like Jamie again. Things are looking up!
It was great to see Jamie and visit with him. He is doing much better, but he's a little bored. If anyone has a good book on CD, I bet I know someone who would be THRILLED to listen to it.
Brenda and Michael tell us that the vigorous physical therapy will begin as soon as Jamie's new helmet arrives. Hopefully, he will only have the helmet for a day or two, because Jamie is almost ready to have the bone flap replaced.
Jamie's progress is miraculous; it's just a matter of time until he's back at home finishing his recovery!

Saturday Update-It's off to rehab!

So Jamie was moved to rehab today! He is now at the Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation which is right next door to the hospital (the smaller building left of the parking deck). He will have his 'rehab evaluation' tomorrow and then Monday it's off to the gym! His new visiting hours are: Mon-Fri 4-9pm, Sat-Sun 12-9pm. Just give one of us a call if you would like to visit Jamie and we'll coordinate a time and tell you where to go.

We'll update you more on Monday with his exciting progress!

Thursday Post Surgery Update

Jamie had his surgery this afternoon where they put a "peg" into his stomach so he now has no more nose tube! He'll have the peg in place through rehab while he works on getting his 'swallow' muscles stronger. Hopefully it won't be too long at all. He did real well through his surgery and was awake when he was brought back to his room. He's pretty groggy so he'll hopefully sleep really well tonite.

Thanks for your prayers!

Hurry Up and Wait

Jamie had a good night - slept almost the entire night through! The trauma team just came in and told us that they were going to have to postpone his feeding tube surgery until tomorrow - Thursday - at 2:30 in the afternoon.

Last night two foot and ankle specialists came to look at Jamie's right foot; they did some debreeding, and underneath there was good, pink tissue! So, his foot and toes are in better shape than initially thought. He could still lose the tips of a couple of toes, but for the most part, they look good. They will continue to "wait and see," barring infection.

We'll keep you posted! Thanks for everything!

Tuesday Update

The neurosurgeon has decided to put Jamie's surgery off a little longer since his previous incision isn't completely healed yet in 2 small places. However he still is going to have surgery tomorrow to put the peg into his stomach so he can finally be rid of his nose tube!! And then he'll be off to rehab. We think they're planning for him to go ahead and get to rehab and then come back to have his bone flap reinserted.

He's had a good day. We'll update you tomorrow after his surgery. We're not sure of the time just yet.

Thanks for your continued prayers-

Sunday Update

We have a special treat for everyone -- pictures of Jamie! (with a couple of his favorite visitors). He had a great weekend visit with Tomoka, who came in from Japan for 4 days, and he is doing well despite having the 'blues' after she left today. He's got a big week coming up; the neurosurgeons are tentatively planning for his surgery on Wednesday to reinsert his bone flap. So keep praying!



Uncle Jamie and Henry



Tomoka and Jamie



Sweet Kiss

Saturday evening update

So we just got back from the hospital and Jamie had just fallen asleep for a snooze. He's had a pretty good day today. It has been such a treat to have Tomoka here for the past couple of days and you can tell it has really lifted Jamie's spirits. We were glad that his surgery got postponed a couple of days since she's only here for the weekend.

Not too much else to report this evening....hopefuly he'll sleep well tonite.

Friday morning quick update

Dr. McLanahan wants to put Jamie's surgery off for a couple of days - he wants the previous incision/scar on his head to be healed completely. So it will probably be early next week. Jamie's feeling good, and actually got 3 hrs in a row sleep last night! Amazing! More to come.

Thursday Update

Sorry for the late update today. Jamie has had a good day filled with the usual rounds of Doctors, Nurses, and Physical/Occupational Therapist. But the biggest news is that Tomoka is here. His nurses were getting him all ready (including moisturizing his lips and having him practice his 'puckering') for her visit! His roommate from Japan and his wife Masako are also here in NC from Japan this week so they are able to visit too.

He's still on the schedule for surgery on Saturday and they're talking about moving him to rehab as soon as Monday. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted!

Wednesday Update

Jamie is continuing to do well. He had a great physical and occupational therapy session this morning and got quite a work-out. He's also mentioned having pain in his left elbow which could be a great sign for his recovery. At one point he had a therapist working on a leg and one with an arm (both female) and he said "too many girls, can't think." Good thing Tomoka gets here tomorrow! Yes, Tomoka is arriving tomorrow afternoon from Japan for the weekend. She will be great for all of our spirits!

As of right now, he is on the schedule for surgery on Saturday morning to have his piece of skull put back in. I've been taking some pictures of his head because after Saturday, his head will be back to it's normal shape, and he looks really cool right now (at least we think so!) Especially with his punk-rock haircut!

I took his nephew Henry in with me this morning and he sat on the bed with Jamie and gave him some good drooly kisses (while also trying to "help" his uncle pull his nose tube out)--luckily he didn't get it.

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and comments!

Tuesday morning update

What a busy morning! Jamie went down for his xray swallow test, and even though he did much better as far as the sitting upright, etc. goes, his throat muscles are not ready for him to eat food yet. When he gets to rehab, he will have intensive speech therapy to get those muscles stronger.

He has seen all his doctors this morning, and they're all pleased with his progress. Here's the most exciting thing, though: Dr. Bernard (one of his neurosurgeons) came in this morning and said, "Jamie, have you had any movement on your left side? How's that left leg?" And Jamie promptly lifted his left leg! We were amazed, and the whole trauma team was giving him high fives when they came in and saw what he could do.

We are so thankful for all your prayers and support - keep the prayers coming! There's a possibility that Dr. McLanahan (his other neurosurgeon) will replace his skull bone this weekend. After that recovery he's off to rehab!

Monday Update

They have decided to wait another day for Jamie's swallow test. It will most likely be tomorrow.

He's doing pretty well still considering everything--he's watching the Simpsons on his new portable DVD player (while also changing the channels on the hospital TV) while snoozing in and out.

More to follow....keep praying!

Sunday Night Update

Jamie has had a good restful day and was able to have a very long nap this afternoon. And thankfully he is sleeping better at night too.

So not too much to report today--he did not have his 'official' physical therapy this morning, but he did do his assigned exercises. Mainly a good rest day. (And Mom got a good nap in too this afternoon which was MUCH needed!)

We think he might have his swallow test tomorrow so pray for success for him! (and strength for him to sit in the chair--that's the hardest part!)

Stay tuned!

Saturday Update

Jamie has had a good morning and he slept a little better last night. He's had physical therapy and a lot of visitors! Aunt Martha and our cousins Emily and Erica are here from Maryland for the weekend, so they've been able to visit. And this morning when I talked to Jamie on the phone (yes he can talk on the phone a little bit!), he told me to "bring the boys"! So his nephews Oscar and Henry were able to see him--Oscar made sure to tell him that he hoped his boo-boos get better.

He's moving to another room this afternoon (for no other reason than to move from the orthopeodic wing to the trauma wing where a room has opened up). If you would like to visit Jamie, just give Mom, Dad or myself a call and we'll let you know where to go and when a good time is. You can also send me an email if that's easier too!

Friday afternoon

The speech pathologist visited Jamie today to give him a swallow test at his bedside. He had a couple of spoonfuls of apple sauce - he said, "the best applesauce I've eaten in a month . . " The speech pathologist wants to wait until next week to have the x-ray swallow test again. He's swallowing fine, but the muscles in his throat are still weak and confused, and the food could easily go to his lungs. So, he has the feeding tube for a few more days. The physical therapist had him sitting on the edge of the bed today for a few minutes, and gave his legs a good workout. He had another restless night last night, so they have upped his pain meds - hopefully he will sleep better tonight. He's doing great - working hard at recovery.

Thursday- Update

Jamie is now in his own room! He was moved late yesterday afternoon. He didn't sleep too well last night and I think it was because now that he's out of a ward-type setting, there aren't as many 'beeps' from everyone's monitors! He is doing well, just very restless.

He had physical therapy this morning and was able to get into a sitting position briefly. We're not sure when the swallow test will be--could be today or tomorrow. We'll keep you posted on that front.

And we're still just waiting and seeing on how his right foot continues to heal. It's holding it's own right now.

Thanks again for your continued thoughts/comments and prayers!

Wednesday

Jamie is going to be moved to a private room either today or tomorrow. I am so happy how far he has come in 3.5 wks.

Jamie’s swallow test is tomorrow; he hates that tube in his nose and is looking forward to getting it out and getting some real food. (Beer)

Let's pray for Jamie to do well on his swallow test, and a continued quick recovery.

Tuesday Update

Jamie has had a good day. His trach is now gone! He's completely breathing on his own (he has been for a while, the oxygen was just there for support). But now he can talk a little better, although his voice is still pretty raspy and it seems to take a lot of effort. This morning Dad asked him to say something and he replied "Something." Typical Jamie. He also had physical therapy today so he was tuckered out at tonite's visit.

We're not sure but think he might have a swallow study tomorrow (or the next day) to see if he can start eating. Hopefully he gets a good night sleep tonite so he's rested up for it--the swallowing isn't difficult for him, but they make him sit in a chair to do it and that's the really hard part.

We'll keep you posted! Keep on praying!

Monday Update

I have not seen Jamie in 4 days (was up in Michigan with Marc's family for Henry's (our 8 month old) baptism). So to see Jamie this afternoon was amazing! He's Jamie! They were able to put a smaller tube in his trach and he can talk a little better--we can hear his voice a little more. He doesn't talk too much but he's able to answer our questions and even make jokes! He is beyond ready to get his feeding tube out and today I told him that as soon as he did and was eating again I'd bring him in all of his favorite food and he replied "Beer". He's working on swallowing so hopefully very soon he'll be able to eat! He's real close.

The vascular surgeon has decided to wait a couple more days to work on his foot--it seems to be making some progress on it's own. So we just pray that it continues to heal and the antibiotics keep fighting any potential infection.

He also told us tonite that his left knee was hurting and we all replied...'that's great!' Poor Jamie....no sympathy for us on feeling pain on that left side!! We're trying to keep his spirits up--now that he's more awake and alert, he's very aware of his injuries.

So please just continue to pray for his courage, PATIENCE, and peace.

Sunday Night Update

Jamie's had a good day. He's had some good sleep, and some good visits. He will go in to surgery sometime tomorrow - a vascular surgeon will debride (I don't know how to spell it) his right foot, in other words, he will take off the dead skin and tissue and clean everything up.

Jamie looks good - his color is good. He has, however, earned himself a big white glove that looks sort of like an oven mitt, in addition to the restraint on his right hand. He's very quick and sneaky, and will pull out tubes in a flash. Jamie's friends Trevor and Mary Duke came by to see him tonight (Mary's a neuro ICU nurse in Fredericksburg, VA) and Mary is very impressed with how well Jamie is doing, and the excellent care he's getting at CMC.

Will has posted the new visiting hours of the progressive care unit on the sidebar. His room has four beds in there, with two nurses in the same room 24/7.

As soon as we know how his surgery goes, we will let everyone know. Thanks for your continued prayers and well wishes.

Saturday Morning

Jamie has been moved to a transitional room! He has new less restrictive visiting hours. What wonderful news.

Last night he had a new CAT scan and was making very good progress.

Also his vascular system is looking very good.

As the doctors were moving his left leg Jamie felt pain and said ouch, this is just wonderful he can feel on his left side! What wonderful news.

More to come as the day progresses.

Friday morning update

Jamie had a good night - he's getting much needed rest after his two surgeries this week. He will probably go back to the OR on Monday for work on his right foot (it suffered from the life-saving drugs and the cooling technique used the first week. The Drs. are letting it heal itself as much as possible and treating the infection risk with antibiotics). With the possibility of more surgery in the near future, they are keeping the larger sized trach tube. He is breathing on his own and has a small amount of oxygen help. He will have his first CT scan in a while in the morning, to make sure fluid is not building up in his brain. He's got a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in each leg, which is common with his type of injuries. The good news is they can now give him anti-coagulation drugs, which they couldn't do earlier because of the brain surgery. As soon as he gets a smaller trach tube, they will do a swallow study to see if he's able to eat, and get rid of the feeding tube going through his nose (which he hates!). His right hand is still restrained - he tries to pull out any tube he can get his hand on. The left hand is 4 hours on and 4 hours off of a splint that will help keep the tendons in his hand and fingers from drawing up. He has physical therapists every day during the week working on range of motion. All that said, he's lucky to get any rest at all! We truly appreciate all the prayers and good thoughts - and hope you keep them coming. He is making amazing progress, but has a long, difficult road ahead.

Thursday

Jamie was moved to a different ICU room, while we await a opening at the transitional room. The visiting hours have changed, also only two visitors are allowed at a time.

More to come as the day progresses.

Wednesday Post-Surgery Update

Jamie is awake from his surgery and is doing well. The doctors let us see him at 1pm; he is sleepy from the anesthesia, but is alert enough to look around and recognize everyone.

The nurse told us Jamie might be moved to a transitional room in the next day or so. Transitional rooms still have a high patient-nurse ratio and, but are more private and have less restrictive visiting hours.

Jamie is making such amazing progress! Everyone who checks his blog, leaves him notes, and sends him love and prayers makes a huge difference. Jamie truly has a wonderful group to draw strength from: family, practically-family, friends and even people who have never met him, but want him to get better.

Wednesday Post Surgery Update

Jamie's surgery went 'very well' according to the orthopeodic surgeons. They were able to repair his knee with a plate and found that there wasn't any torn cartlidge. (he's becoming bionic!) He now has a brace on it with hinges and the physical therapists will be able to start working with his knee.

He's now back in the ICU to recover from the surgery and will hopefully sleep and rest for the remainder of the day.

Thanks again for your continued prayers.

Wednesday Afternoon Update

Jamie's knee surgery went just wonderfully he and his parents are back on the 9th floor waiting room awaiting him to wake up.

This hopefully is his last surgery on his legs.

Please continue to pray for Jamie's speedy recovery.

More to come as we get to see Jamie.

Wednesday Morning

Jamie's knee surgery is going well, the doctors just called to tell his mom that he is doing perfectly. I wanted to share this with you as we await him to get out of surgery.

Tuesday Night- Another Big Day Tomorrow

So Jamie's team of Doctors got together this afternoon and decided to go ahead with his knee surgery tomorrow (Wednesday morning).They decided that since he did so well on Monday, they would go ahead and do it now so his knee will be in optimum shape for rehabilitation.

So another big day towards Jamie's healing. Please pray for his strength, and his Doctors, Surgeons, and Nurses for tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes!

Tuesday Update

Jamie has been officially upgraded to stable! Wow! After the past two weeks, I can't believe this day is here! He is on the list to move into progressive care which is a step up from the ICU.

He was awake and alert this morning when we visited with him and is really trying to talk to us. We told him that it wouldn't be long until they would make his trach tube smaller and he could actually talk and he responded "when?". He mouths the word and it comes out kind of breathy because of the trach. We know he's so anxious to get that out but it won't be long. He really wanted to know about Puella (our Boxer dog) this morning too. We asked if he wanted us to bring her in and he nodded his head yes! Don't think CMC is quite ready for that one yet! haha.

So another day of progress. We'll let you know when he moves.

And so many thanks for your continued prayers and kind words. We're planning on printing out all of the posts and comments from the blog for Jamie to read when he's ready. Keep 'em coming!

Monday- Post Surgery Update

Jamie's surgery went well. They repaired his right femur with a titanium rod that is actually load-bearing, so no cast or brace. If he didn't have any other injuries, he could technically walk on that leg. The Doctors decided not to do the knee at this time. They were able to examine it while Jamie was under anesthesia and decided not to surgically repair it now but he could opt to have elective surgery in the future.

So he'll be in icu for another couple of days while we hope he continues to surprise us with his progress!

We'll keep you posted and thanks again for your continued prayers!

Monday Update

Jamie is in his orthopeodic surgery all afternoon. The surgery could run anywhere from 1-5 hours. We were able to visit with him this morning and he was doing well. He even snapped his fingers at the end of a song Mom was singing.

So please continue to pray for the surgeons, nurses and doctors taking special care of him today and that his surgery goes well!

And today is his birthday too. He's 27 years old today!

Sunday Update

Guess who's playing catch with his Dad? It's Jamie!

This morning at 10am, Jamie was able to throw one of those little squishey stress balls back and forth with his Dad--not too bad for a guy with his wrist strapped to the bed...

Jamie is a little restless now that he's awake and alert in the ICU, so he passes the time by keeping those nurses busy. He is clearly happiest when his Mom and Dad can spend time talking with him, and this morning he was eagerly answering questions with a nod or a shake of his head. He still has something to say (or a question to ask), but the trach prevents him from talking. I tried to get him to write a note on paper, but since he couldn't really see what he was writing, it didn't come out very legibly. Or maybe it was kanji? We'll have to work on that some more.

Tomorrow is a big day, because it's Jamie's birthday and because the orthopaedic doctors are going to do a procedure to correct the breaks in his legs. Let's pray for a quick, successful surgery and continued progress.

Saturday Afternoon

At about 2pm today, Jamie had showed even more improvement!

Jamie continues to communicate with nods and with his right hand...and he's started moving his left arm a little bit as well. He even made a "smooch" face when his Mom sent him a kiss! He's glad to be communicating with his family again: he stuck his tongue out when his Dad told him to make a funny face. You can tell he wants to say something, we're just not sure what.

Thank God for this progress-Jamie needs prayers and support more than ever now that he is awake and aware. We've been telling him about all the postings and kind words from everyone, so he knows that a lot of people love him and care about him.

Saturday continued

As the nurse put it this morning....'he's full of himself today!'. She said she heard an unfamiliar noise coming from his 'cubby', so she went over and his head was going up and his feet were going down and vice versa...He had found the buttons on the side of his bed and was just pushing them.

He's also communicating (just with his right hand and head nods) more and more. His nurse asked him today if his sister had any children and he held up 2 fingers! Wow! He has also squeezed beats out on Mom's hands as she's singing to him.

It's amazing. His brain is still so swelled and he's on a lot of pain medication, but he's able to see us and recognize us and communicate. We're so thankful for these blessings and for all of your prayers.

Saturday Update

Jamie had a nice restful night. He figged out how to move his bed around. I guess a small amount of nurse heckling passes the time.

Hopefully his surgery will be cleared for Monday and he can get his own private room out of the ICU and we can start bringing him things to occupy his time.

Friday update continued...

So I just had to post this because it's kind of funny. Jamie's nurse told us this morning that he is way more awake and active than he has been...so much so that he has figured out to grab onto the right side of the bedrail and shake it when he wants a nurse to come over to him. So much so that as she put it, 'he's bought himself a wrist strap!'. This restraint he has now is nothing bad...it's just to protect himself. He's not the most patient guy in the world that's for sure. We thought it was pretty funny ourselves.

Stay tuned for more updates and keep praying and thanking God for these amazing blessings!

Friday Morning

Jamie's neurosurgeon Dr. Bernard was surprised today to find Jamie with "all the lights on" this morning.

This is just wonderful news, more to come as the day progresses and we get to see him. But I wanted to share with all of you the wonderful turn of events.

Way to go Jamie!

Update- Thursday 4:30pm

What a wonderful day! Jamie surprised even the nurses today. He was awake this morning so the nurse came and got us out of the waiting room to see him. He opened his eyes and really looked at us and we asked him to squeeze our hand and he did it. Then Dad asked him to give us a thumbs up and he did it. Then Dad asked him if he was in any pain and he shook his head no!!!!!!!! Then this afternoon he was doing it again. Shaking his head yes and no to questions.

The other good news is that he now has a temporary tracheotomy so he does not have that tube going down his throat. So he should be more comfortable. And that procedure went smoothly.

They were also able to clear out his lungs and start some more antiobiotics to help with that infection. So the plan is that he knocks out the infection this weekend and he'll be ready for his orthopeodic surgery on Monday morning.

We still cannot thank all of you enough for your kind words, thoughts and prayers.
Stay tuned for another update tomorrow!

Thursday Morning

Jamie's neurosurgeon Dr. Bernard would like to wait a few days on Jamie's surgery just to let him rest.

First off Jamie is just fine, since the surgery is stressful on the body Dr. Bernard would like Jamie to be as rested as possible.

While this may sound like a set back. It is not, they are just letting him rest. We all want Jamie to be better as quickly as possible. With all that Jamie has been though lately more rest is "just what the doctor ordered" (sorry for the pun but I know Jamie would approve).

Lets pray for a nice quiet restful day for Jamie.

Update- Wednesday 2pm

So we have some more progress to report. The Doctors feel that Jamie could have his orthopedic surgery on his legs as soon as tomorrow! They are going to do another ct scan tonite and get official sign-off from his neurosurgeon, but he's on the schedule right now for 9:30am tomorrow morning. His surgery could be anywhere from 1-5 hours depending on his vitals and how he's doing. They are planning on placing a rod in his right femur and a plate in his left knee. There is some possible damage to an artery in that left knee that needs a test as well to confirm the extent of it. He's most likely not going to have a cast on either leg either which is hard to believe--he'll most likely have a brace on his left leg. But just the rod in the femur.

Wow. We are still continuously told that he is 'not out of the woods yet' and 'bad things could still happen', but it feels so good that we are moving in the direction we are moving.

In addition, he is back to following some commands today. He's wiggled his toes, squeezed hands, and held up 2 fingers this morning. (The past 2 days he wasn't following commands as well which they attributed to his fever, which is still up and down). When we were visiting this morning, we were talking to one of the Doctors and all of the sudden Jamie even opened his eyes for a second. It was kind of a drunk blink--but as soon as he did it, we all leaned back toward him to say 'heeeeeeyyyyyy jamieeeeeee' because he kind of surprised us! That's the first time that I've seen his eyes open! (Since the Sunday night of his accident in the ER before he had his stroke and he was complaining about his catheter! Boy is he going to have a lot to complain about when he wakes up now, but we can't wait for that!)

A lot of you have asked about how the family is doing. We are doing better--eating a little more and sleeping a little more. Yesterday my Dad said "The good news is my appetite is back...the bad news is my appetite is back!" Mom and Dad are the veterans in the 9th floor waiting room and know all of the families and are manning the phone in there. We have an amazing support network and I have been blessed with wonderful people coming to watch my little ones in the mornings so I can be at the hospital all morning and then at night.

We can't thank you enough for all of your prayers for Jamie and will ask you to please continue them! Please pray for his healing and his strength for surgery tomorrow.

Wednesday Morning

Jamie had a good morning and is able to follow the doctor around the room with his eyes and respond to requests to move his hand and wiggle his toes.

The outpouring of prayers and love are helping Jamie lets keep up the good work!

More to come as the doctors make there rounds.

Update- Tuesday 3pm

This afternoon the Doctors were able to put the filter into Jamie to 'catch' the clot in his leg and the procedure went smoothly. He's now sedated and resting.

One more baby step in the right direction.

Keep praying and thanks again.

Tuesday Morning Update

Jamie had a good night. The CT scan shows nothing new (a good thing). His doctors hopefully will be working on his blood clot in his leg today.

Lets pray that goes well. I know Jamie is benefiting from all this prayer lets keep it up!

Monday Night Update

We have some good news from the doctors. Mike and Brenda got a chance today to talk to all of the -ologists who are taking care of Jamie, and the doctors say Jamie is making some progress. Jamie is still in a holding pattern, but that's okay for right now because he has a lot of healing to do.

After increasing his sedation for a little while last night and this morning, the doctors now have him off sedation again. He is drowsy from the pain medicine, but he squeezed our hands at 5pm, and he reacts to his visitors' voices. The nurses are able to get him to open his eyes for a little while. With the help of some Tylenol and a cooling blanket, Jamie's temperature is staying steady around 100 or 101.

Everyone's prayers are really making a difference. I told Jamie that there are a lot of people praying for him, and that everyone is checking on him on his website and thinking of him all the time.

Update Monday

Jamie had a good night. He is opening his eyes for the nurses. The doctors said he is in a holding pattern right now, nothing new good nothing new bad.

More to come as the day progresses.

Lets pray to get him over this next hurtle.

Update Sunday- 9:30pm

We just saw Jamie and he is holding steady. The nurse very cautiously used the word 'better' in describing Jamie tonite. He's been off sedation all day today and is opening his eyes when they really stimulate him. He hasn't opened his eyes for us yet, but that's ok. We got him all worked up tonite just talking to him and touching him. He was moving his right arm all around and his pulse and blood pressure went way up. He was also doing a lot of breathing on his own instead of letting the venilator do it because we had him stimulated. So we made it a quick visit so that he can continue to rest and heal. (Mom and Dad stayed back to watch him quietly and he calmed way down!)

He'll have another scan tonite so hopefully his brain is not swelling anymore. The Doctors really want to see what it does now that he's off sedation. I'll try to have a post as soon as we get a report from the Doctors in the morning.

Keep praying. He's definitely not out of the woods but he's still in there!

Update Sunday- 12:30pm

Jamie had a quiet night last night which is good. He was running a fever of 102 yesterday afternoon, but as of this morning it's down to 100.6 (the nurse says it will go up and down due to his body fighting his lung infection and possible blood infection which is still unconfirmed). The nurse has taken him off of sedation completely and is going to work on getting him to really wake up. While we were there, he was able to squeeze Mom's hand and move his hand all around. He was really trying to respond to us. Hopefully he'll open those eyes this afternoon.

Thanks again for all of your prayers. Keep them up. We'll keep you posted.

Update Saturday- 1:30pm

So Jamie had a good restful night. He's warming up and should hit 98.6 degrees very soon. (and then hopefully he will not go over that!). As soon as he's warmed up, they'll do another scan to check for any change in his brain swelling. The 2am scan was the same as yesterday which is ok. The nurse told me that it could take a little time before the brain starts to move back.

He does have a clot in his right leg where he has the bad break of his femur. As soon as he's completely warmed up, they can hopefully take the 'cooling' machine off of him and get a filter in his leg to take care of that clot. That might be as soon as tomorrow. It's just a matter of prioritizing his injuries and we have to save his brain first because it controls everything else.

His nurses are so wonderful and they just love Jamie. His nurse this morning told me it was easy to care for him because she has her whole heart into it and he's just 'awesome'.

His color looks real good too--he's pink again! They've taken his bandage off where he had his surgery and his head looks amazing. We couldn't believe it. There's even hair already starting to grow back. He's got a really cool punk-rock hairdo going right now with half of his head shaved. We think he'd like it. He is still waking up on his sedation breaks and squeezing the nurses hand and giving her a thumbs up.

The support and well wishes are very much appreciated. We also love all of the comments that you leave-it's uplifting to see how many people are pulling for Jamie. We can feel the power of prayer and just thank you all so much. Please keep praying--he's still very critical and fragile but he's fighting hard.

Restful Night

Jamie had a restful night. We can be thankful for that. More to come as the doctors make there rounds and we get the scoop for the day.

All that positive energy and prayer are working! Help us get the word out about Jamie. Please ask your churches to include Jamie in there prayer groups. Also please encourage your church family to visit this site and leave there well wishes I can't express how much its means to Jamie's family and friends to hear from you.

Update-Friday 3:30pm

Jamie’s neurosurgeon, after reviewing the CT scan, said that “Jamie is holding his own” at this point they are going to start warming his body up (they had him in a cooling state to reduce swelling). So we have some good news this evening.

Keep praying I know he is comforted by it and it gives him strength.

Update-Friday 10:30am

We just saw Jamie. We have not been able to talk to our neurosurgeon yet this morning and he will be able to give us the update from his ct scan last night. Hopefully he will be by soon and can give us the update.

It is not confirmed that he has a blood infection- we will not know that for the next 2 days. However, he does have some type of pnemonia which they are fighting with the strongest antibiotics possible.

He just has a lot of battles going on right now but the nurse confirmed that he is a fighter for sure. Even though he had a really rough night, his color looks better today.

Keep praying.

Friday

Jamie had a tough night. It seems that he has a blood infection and pneumonia. Keep sending your prayers and positive energy he needs them now more that ever.

More details as they come.

Website

To make it easy the domain www.prayforjamie.com will point to this site. Please pass this on to everyone you meet so that we can all come together to help Jamie get better.

Pray Pray Pray

So many people have asked what they can do to help. Just keep praying-we are really feeling the power of prayer and need as many people praying as we can get. So if you can add him to a prayer list, please do so!

All we can do is wait right now. Wait for his brain to stop swelling--the Doctors are hopeful that he has 'swelled out' as much as he's going to and now it just needs to move in the right direction. From his scan at 2am this morning to an additional scan at 11am, it had done that. We just hope it continues in that direction. The nurse was extremely pleased that when she took him off sedation for his neurology check today, he opened his eyes! He didn't do that yesterday-so that's another baby step in the right direction.

And last night during our visit, they took him off sedation and he squeezed Mom and Dad's hands! We threatened that his bossy big sister was going to fuss at him if he didn't do it, and he did it right away! We know he's in there fighting hard!

He is still extremely critical and is at risk for pnemonia and other infections. So pray for his strength.

Thanks so much for the outpouring of faith, prayers and kind words. Keep the juicy prayers going up!
Sarah

Wonderful News

Jamies brian swelling went down!

He also opened his eyes during when he was taken off his medication to test his vitals.

Thursday

Jamie had another restful night. Although his brain swelling continues, lets pray for his fever to break and the swelling to go down.

Last Night

Last night Jamie had a restful night and was able to wiggle his toes and squeeze the nurse's hand when he was taken off his medication to test his vitals.

Jamie

As you all know Jamie has been hurt, Sunday the 15th on the way home from Raleigh he hit a slick spot on exit 38 and hit the guard rail. As Jamie was inspecting the damage outside his car. Another car hit that same slick spot and he was hit.

He is now here in Charlotte in critical care.

This blog is my attempt to keep everyone informed of his recovery and a place for you to leave your well wishes to Jamie and his family.