David Watson's Blog

My First AIRPLANE FLIGHT after loosing my leg, Feb 2011

2011-03-24T20:24:00.016-07:00

I had not flown since Sept 2007 when I went to Oregon for my 35th High School reunion. It was on the Southern Oregon coast.

Because I had been assigned the Temples in Oregon, Washington, Alasaka and Utah, I needed to travel to Tri-Cities Washington. Here are some pictures of the experience of being loaded into a plane using an Aisle seat (a hand truck with a seat on it.)

Shore Acres, Oregon

Bay bridge over Coos Bay at the North End of North Bend, Oregon.

The Rest of 2010

2011-01-23T16:42:00.005-07:00

Cove Fort, UT

I took 9 trips this year, 8 to Temples and 1 to Cove Fort Visitors Center where I got to go past the very section of I-15 freeway where we rolled in 2008. The Temples I went to and did PM vists to were Monticello, Vernal, Draper, Oquirrh Mt., Jordon River, Mt. Timp., Bountiful and Logan.

My First Solo Road Trip to Monticello Utah

2010-02-07T17:15:00.014-07:00

It has been two years since I survived the Freeway rollover. I finally went out again and drove to SE Utah to the Monticello Utah Temple, to do Upgrade Work and train the new Presidency. They had 36" of snow when I got there. It was quite exciting and very difficult to maneuver around this small town in my wheelchair.
Sunset in Arches National Park

2009-12-22T22:58:00.001-07:00

Watson Family 2008-2009 Christmas letter

2009-12-22T22:55:00.005-07:00

The last two years have been varied and challenging, and we have had to make many changes in our lives. In 2008, I lived in our home for just eight days before leaving for a temple installation in St. George Utah. On the trip back to Salt Lake, about half way home, our driver fell asleep on the freeway and rolled our van. I was taken by ambulance to Fillmore, Utah and then flown by Life Flight to the new IMC hospital in Murray, Utah where I spent nine days in a coma.

When they woke me up, I was informed that they were going to amputate my leg. I said "No you’re not," to which they replied "You can keep your leg and be laid in the grave with it in two days, or lose your leg and save your life." Due to some divine intervention, I allowed them to take my left leg above the knee which saved my life. I spent a total of five months in 2 hospitals, and finally got to be reunited with my family. I could not return to our 2 story home, so we moved to an apartment in downtown Salt Lake where we lived for seven months. In late July, I started physical therapy and the process of getting back to work. I started working 10 hours a week, and going to physical therapy three times a week to see if I’d be able to walk again. After 10 months of physical therapy, it became very obvious that walking would probably not be an option for me. I had severe nerve damage in my right leg, which means that not all the muscles fire. I do not have sensation in most my foot and ½ my leg, which makes it very hard to walk and I don’t have the strength. I now get around in a wheelchair.

When I was getting ready to leave the rehab hospital, we realized our two story home of 16 years would not work anymore. In June 2008, we started the process of getting it ready for sell. By late July we listed it. Unfortunately, it was a terrible real estate market. After 7 months and greatly lowering our price, we sold our home. We had found a really nice one story home in Lehi, Utah. It is quiet and peaceful and I can get around with wide doorways and halls. I commute on the Express Bus to Salt Lake about 30 miles away.

Our youngest daughter Mary has just a finished her 2 year degree from BYU-Idaho and will be with us for a little while. Shawn our oldest boy is living here with us and is a great help to me. Barbara still struggles with her migraines’ but is getting out and doing things around the home. She loves to go to Thanksgiving Point Gardens which we live next to. Our daughter Nicole moved back to Utah recently, and we love to see her, Taylor and our granddaughter Rosie. Our son Jacob lives in Sandy and is going to school full time in Mechanical Engineering.

Here’s wishing you a Merry Christmas, which to me this is correct thing to say this holiday season, and a happy New Year in 2010.

My sisters and I got together at my Mom's when my older sister flew in from Portland.

2009-10-19T20:56:00.008-07:00

My sisters and I got together at my Mom's when my older sister flew in from Portland. This reunion was short lived. My mother was coming down to let us in. Unfortunately, the floor outside the elevator was just mopped, and had no warning signs of the wet floor. She slipped, severely hurting her back. It's been two weeks now with non stop pain. Please pray for my mom Joyce.

September is here, Kids going back to school, Mosquito's aren't as thick.

2009-09-05T14:35:00.008-07:00

We are enjoying our new life in Lehi UT. Daughter is returning to school. Back to work full time now for 4 months. Basement rooms finished and moving in. Glad the Mosquito's aren't as thick. I don't post much because I guess I'm getting back to life. Below are picture of my new neighborhood and backyard WHERE I CAN EXPLORE. I went on a 5 mile roll up to the windmills. It took me 1 1/2 hours. Longest solo trip yet. I came back home in the dark.

Our home modifications and basement rooms are almost done

2009-07-09T21:11:00.002-07:00

We started in March and now they are nearing completion. We are so glad. Taking the Express bus to work is working well too.

Publish Post

Starting my 4th week back at Full Time

2009-05-06T20:42:00.005-07:00

It has taken me 10 months since my release from the Hospital, but I have finally ramped back up to 40 hours. It has been a challenging trip, but I have made it. I have had good days and some bad days, but I roll on. I have been driving the 54 mile round trip but decided to try the express bus. It is only 3 miles from my house, takes 3 to 5 minutes to hydraulically load me in the side but it is so much better and easier than driving. Our basement room finishing is happening and also home modifications for me start tomorrow. Here is a picture of me when We moved into our home and I could not find my shaver for a week

The whole family together.

Recent News! We've sold our home in Murray, Bought our Lehi digs and am weeks away from going back to work Full time.

2009-03-17T16:24:00.006-07:00

It has been a long time coming, but we no longer are Salt lake county property owners. We sold it and closed last week. Between improvements, repairs, new furnace, Realtor fees, and falling real estate market, we lost nearly $100,000 to get it sold. We could not have sold it at a worst time, but we could not have lived there either. At least a nice family lives there now and we do not have double payments. We love our now home, neighborhood and Ward. 27 mile commute is a little long but livable. Takes about 45 minutes each way. Life moves forward........................

One Year Anniversary...

2009-01-11T12:36:00.010-07:00

Hi there...David's daughter Nicole checking in. I just wanted to share the post I put on my blog today. What an amazing year it's been.

One Year Since The Gaping Jaws of Death

Some people's heroes are religious, political, historical, or celebrity. But some of the most influential heroes are those that directly impact your life. In my life, my hero is my father, David Eugene Watson.Dad and I have always been very close. He is full of love, guidance, humor, and spirituality. I love to spend time with my parents, and it's been hard to move further than 20 minutes away from Murray. This picture of us was taken in April 2007 at the SLC airport. He was kind enough to bring my beloved Cafe Rio pork barbacoa salad to the airport on my 2 hour layover so we could chat. It was really hard on him when I moved away from Utah. Little did I know that when I moved to Michigan, I'd be seeing him more than ever...

On January 11, 2008, my dad was returning to Salt Lake from St. George in a van with some of his coworkers in the LDS Church Audiovisual Engineering Department. In central Utah, near Fillmore, the driver of the van fell asleep, was startled awake then over corrected. The van tumbled off I-15 and rolled several times through a field. The driver sustained a shoulder injury and needed some plastic surgery from the shattered glass. The front passenger had minor cuts and bruises. My father was nearly killed from the impact of the crash and subsequent rolling. He had a giant abdominal gash from the seat belt, a lung injury, major contusions all over his body, and his legs were crushed under the weight of his body, particularly his left leg. He was briefly taken to Fillmore Hospital, and soon Life Flighted to Salt Lake City and rushed by ambulance to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. My mom alerted me of the accident that evening, less than a week after arriving in Michigan. Rosie and I packed up our bags and took the earliest available flight to SLC. Once I arrived, I was appointed as the family representative to talk to all the surgeons, doctors, nurses, respiratory techs, and hospital workers...and then relay the information to my family.

His first surgery was overnight with an orthopedic surgeon, vascular surgeon, and general surgeon. They did a saphenous vein graft from his other leg to restore bloodflow to his crushed leg. After nine hours, they were able to restore bloodflow to the left leg. However, his body was in shock and had endured so much trauma that he was medicated into a chemically-induced coma.

Over the next few days, several more surgeries were required. Unfortunately, the trauma of the crush wound and the extended hours without blood supply was too severe and his left leg was amputated. It was originally expected to be amputated just below the knee, but the necrosis had spread further up, and the amputation was done just above the knee.

In order to keep friends and family informed, I started a blog for his health updates. News of my dad's accident spread like wildfire, even internationally. We were the recipient of thousands of prayers, hundreds of service hours, and dozens of meals and cards.

Throughout the next two weeks after the surgery, his condition improved. He was doted on by many loving people, in addition to the wonderful staff at IMC. On my 28th birthday, February 5th, dad "graduated" from IMC and was transferred to Aspen Ridge Transitional Rehab. This would become his home for the next four months.

Rosie and I traveled back and forth from Detroit as much as possible to encourage him through his recovery. It was difficult to be away from him all the time, but a blessing to have our pass benefits to travel to SLC for free whenever we needed to.

Dad made incredible progress at Aspen Ridge. He had hundreds of hours of physical and occupational therapy.

Taylor loved to fly out to SLC as often as possible to be my dad's right hand man. There's a saying about girls wanting to marry men like their fathers...let's just say they get along amazingly.
Dad was fitted with a prosthetic C-Leg, and spent the majority of his physical therapy time adjusting to the function of the prosthetic. Unfortunately, his right leg had sustained more damage from the accident than originally anticipated, so he spends the majority of time getting around in his wheelchair.
In June, Dad graduated from Aspen Ridge, and my family moved an apartment in downtown Salt Lake. It became their home for the next six months. Dad was fitted with hand controls on the van, and was able to start driving and returning to work.
This picture was taken on my last trip at Christmas at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, just one week before they moved out of the apartment and into a new home in Lehi. It was a great night, going around to see the lights at Temple Square as a family. It amazed me that I was able to visit him 9 times in 2008, when I'd originally expected to see him every 3-4 months. Hopefully his recovery will continue, and he'll be up for a visit to our new home in Atlanta!

He still has a hard road ahead of him, but I am amazed at the progress he's made in the last year. He has kept his sweet soul and has not allowed the tragedy that he faced to ruin his spirit. He was been an inspiration to many, and I'm so lucky that I can claim him as my own father.

Our new home. I hope 2009 is better than 2008.

2009-01-01T23:23:00.001-07:00

We moved in on Saturday 27 Dec 2008. Our new home is so "wheelchair friendly". We will be unpacking for weeks. Still need to sell the Murray home of 15 years.

December has come, We have found our new Home and still need to sell the old one. Dropped the Price to $309,000

2008-12-05T07:50:00.009-07:00

View from our new Home. Mt Timp.

We found a home at Thanksgiving Village in Lehi. It was made for someone in a Wheelchair. Perfect for me. We move in in less than a Month. We have dropped our home price now $43,000. Need it sold soon. http://www.utahrealestate.com/850530

November is here, Lowered our home price $25,000. I hope it sells soon.

2008-11-09T22:58:00.006-07:00

I'm back at work 20 hours a week going towards 25 hours. The Election is now over and we will wander in the wilderness for a while. I hope our home sells soon. Here are some new pictures. Only $324,900.

Summer has ended, our home has not sold, I am up to 20 hours a week at work.

2008-09-28T00:13:00.006-07:00

Walking around our apartment

Stacy and Randy, my Physical Therapists.

Our Youngest goes off to College this week.

2008-09-01T08:45:00.005-07:00

The time has come and Mary leaves for college. We are getting ready to take here up to BYU-Idaho where her sister also went. This will be our first vacation in a year and a half so very much needed after all that has happened. We get one or two looks a week at our home. We hope someone makes an offer soon. Shawn has been downtown with us for 17 days and is settling in nicely. I'm back at work now 15 hours a week and doing fine. I found out Friday that my Boss of 9 years has a new assignment so I get a new one. This will be interesting. Our new life goes one......

Our home is now listed and our cat has been adopted.

2008-08-13T22:18:00.002-07:00

See our home For Sale at http://www.utahrealestate.com/821031.
Mystic was adapted today by a nice woman who loves Persian cats. Shawn will move in with us this weekend.
I have been back to work for a month now and am ramping up from 10 to 15 hours a week.
More soon.

Views from the new Apartment

2008-07-26T07:35:00.002-07:00

Current situation: One month after Leaving Rehab.

2008-07-09T20:02:00.008-07:00

It has been just over one months since leaving Aspen Ridge. My family and I now live in downtown Salt Lake and actually enjoyed it. It's 3 blocks from work and I have visited there many times. Physical therapy is three times a week and quite grueling. I've been trying to prove I'm completely independent by getting everywhere by wheelchair and light rail (TRAX). It usually takes me four hours to go to my physical therapy sessions three times a week. That's 12 hours a week. When I get there after spending about an hour and 15 minutes wheeling myself up hills and through long corridors of hospitals I'm exhausted. And then I'm not very useful as far as doing the physical therapy activities themselves. I'm going to have a serious talk with my case manager Spencer about doing things differently. I need assistance in getting to and from the hospital . Either I can drive or get there by taxi or whatever, but this current method is not going to work; plus I can't afford to take 12 hours a week away from work just to do physical therapy. I am almost out of sick leave and I cannot afford that pay cut. So yes we will have a serious talk .

Selling our home. All our preparations are going well and we have a painter there painting the main floor and other areas and it looks beautiful. My wife choose a paint color that just looks wonderful and I think the new owners will love it. We have a storage unit and have moved our first 6 Pickup loads over. I hope by the end of the month to have the house ready to list.

We haven't found a temporary or long-term home for our cat. We are kind of thinking that maybe out of fairness if someone does want to take our cat, let them take her completely and not asked for her back. If they bond with her, it's not fair to ask for her back . So if you are interested, Mystic or Golden Eyes would make a great new addition to your home.

Well those are the basics. I will probably have more later but I haven't put anything new for some time so I thought I'd better add something for those of you who do check out my blog. Signing off for now.

As always,
David

We need a temporary home for our Kitty Mystic.

2008-06-20T12:55:00.002-07:00

We can't have pets at our Apartment so we need to find a home for our cat until we move into our 1 story home this Fall. We would provide food and supplies etc. She is a typical independent cat , she likes being indoors and out. Perfectly house trained and loving (when she wants to be.) Please call if you might be able to help.

Free at last, Free at last, thank golly, I'm free at last.

2008-06-13T14:38:00.004-07:00

A week ago, I left my 4 months and a 1 day of sheltered life at Aspen Ridge. It was a great place for me, but it was time to move forward with the HARD challenges of my new life. I live 3 blocks away from my work. I went their yesterday. It took me 20 minute to wheel myself there. Many inclines both ways. It will be hard. Maybe I need a electric wheel chair.

We are getting settled in our new place. It is nice and comfortable, but 1300 sq feet is not 3200 sq ft. We have live in our 2 story house for 15 years. My son in law Taylor came over from Detroit and helped me de-clutter my basement of about 100 A/V items from the last 2 decades. Even found some Cadillac Beta maxes. Still have a lot to do to get our home ready.

Went to my first Dr appointment with Dr. Webster. He will do alot to manage my care.

I check out in 12 hours. My new life soon begins.

2008-06-05T21:26:00.003-07:00

I discharge tomorrow morning. I walked 300 feet today. That's a football field long. It's been almost 5 months since I left for St George. Now I finally return to my family. It's been a long road.

Final days at Aspen Ridge and parting shots

2008-06-04T08:04:00.004-07:00

I have only two day left. I discharge on Friday June 6th. I will have been at Aspen Ridge for over 4 months . Time to move forward .

My PT's with my leg over their shoulder.

Mary at our new Apartment

My wife and I at our daughters Seminary Graduation.

High School Graduation

Annual Support team lunch

The HR team back at AV- Julie and Laurie. They have the same names as my two sisters.

This will be my new Temporary housing in June.It is only 2 1/2 blocks from work and wheelchair accesable.

2008-05-23T22:06:00.001-07:00

Walking with my new C-Leg

2008-05-18T15:39:00.006-07:00

18 weeks after the accident and I am finally walking again. I went 55 feet.

Using my new C-Leg

2008-05-15T00:06:00.008-07:00

My new C-Leg

2008-05-05T22:54:00.007-07:00

Latest visitors and develpoments

2008-04-28T21:52:00.019-07:00

Utah Highway Patrol photo's of the accident scene

2008-04-24T12:32:00.011-07:00

Current Conditions

2008-04-21T22:58:00.004-07:00

Right Leg 75 % weight bearing, still very weak lift motion
Standing on my one leg in Parallel bars 5 ½ minuets
Right knee 90 degree range of motion
Right foot, no dorsa-flex, maybe by Thanksgiving 2009.
Left ring finger has blown or severed tendon. Left hand would have to be immobile for 6-12 week after surgery. Can’t do that now, Maybe in a year or two.
Left leg measurements taken last Friday, sleeve fitted
New C-leg fitted this Friday
I can now Transfer into the front seat of a Car
Home will be evaluated Thursday by Assist Utah for modification to be made so I can function there.

Life in Physical Therapy

2008-04-11T01:36:00.013-07:00

You want me to do what? Stand on my only remaining leg for 3 minutes? It has been dormant for almost 3 months.

Hey, I can actually do this.

I made it for three minutes. Tomorrow we go for 4.

Kevin works on restoring range of motion to my foot.

Time to have my back treatment of electrical stimulation with heat,. Add my mp3 player and some fine tunes. This is a great way to end my session.

My Family comes to visit- (Pictures span from Febuary to March)

2008-04-06T14:41:00.028-07:00

My home away from home, but where's my family. Proceed downward to see them.

Mary- my youngest child, and my joy!

My kids still at home.
My three youngest.
Wife and son.

Sharing Sunday dinner at my Rehab room.

We made some great Potato soup.

Its great to have my family visit (and bring dinner) on Sunday.

My family who still live at home, plus my Mom from Oregon.

My youngest son, Jacob

Jacob after his haircut.

My oldest daughter and grand daughter, visit me from Detroit.

My wife takes me for a walk.

The view from outside the Rehab Center.
My smiling wife resting after she pushed me around.

Aaaaahh...... Sunset.

My oldest sister Laurie came all the way from Portland just to see me and support me. I can't hold back my joyous emotions that she would come all this way to be here for me.

I was finally OK'd to have thick liquid and pure-e'd food. My sister provides my first food---a chocolate shake.

My caring Mom.
Mom, Dughter and son. Note my left hand ring finger is torqued and out sync. I go to the doctor in 10 days ti fix it. The tendon poped out of its groove.

My mom fly out from Oregon and took care of me for 2 1/2 weeks.

My father-in-law.

Wife and grand daughter.
Brother-in-law Grant, Hollie and family.

Nephew Thomas Orrock and new wife Adriene

Brother-in-law James, Leana and family.

My Daughters friend Nathan McEuen gave a personal concert.

Son-in-law Taylor and me.
A father could not ask for a better son in law.

Latest improvmets to my mobility.

2008-04-02T11:54:00.009-07:00

With a supportive family like mine, how could I not get better. My two daughters and grand daughter.

I can now transfer from my wheelchair to my bed. It is uphill so it is a bit of a challenge.
Can I really do this? Yeah, I believe I can.

Insert Slider board. Be careful of the undercarriage.

Lift and slide laterally.

Bring up the leg.
Sweet success. This is wonderful. I can now take walks "in my wheelchair", then get back in bed without anyones help.

Other Things I have done this week. Because I can bend my knee at least 60-90 degrees and bear some weight, I can now get into the shower and "fly the porcelain throne." Everyday tasks I can finally do again.

My sister Julie took some pictues of the accident site and wrote a letter with her early visits and recollections of January 2008.

2008-03-31T01:12:00.011-07:00

My sister Julie and brother-in-law David

Jule locates something.

Some tinted glass that broke out of the window.

Julie overviews the accident path.

She walks down into the path.

The tall grass was smashed down as our Van rolled over it.

The final resting spot by the frontage road. Note the fence we had broken threw.

My sister walking away from our final resting spot, she has quite the grim look as she contemplates what happened here.

The van we rolled in was towed to a wrecking yard in Kanash, by Meadow.

To David from Julie

All my experiences regarding your experience.

January 11, 2008

On the night before my birthday I was at my home with my children who had taken me out to dinner and a movie for my birthday. We were just about to move onto cake when the phone rang. It was mom and she had the unmistakable tone that said something terrible had happened. “Your brother has been in a terrible accident,” she said. “He was life-flighted to SLC and is going into surgery soon.” Mom was terribly upset. I told her I would talk to Barbara and get more info to her. Barbara was at the hospital in the waiting room and confirmed that he was indeed in surgery but that he seemed to have no internal injuries and no head injuries. She was hopeful that all would go well. She was calm and happy that she had been able to talk to you when she arrived at the hospital. It turned out that that was the last conversation she or any of us would have with you for over a week. I called mom back, reassured her and told her to try to sleep.

January 12, 2008

I headed up to the hospital on Saturday arriving just before noon. You were not in the room and the nurses informed me you would be out for another half hour or so. I went to the cafeteria and had lunch. You were back when I returned and you looked bad. There were tubes and hanging bags and machines surrounding you, pumping stuff in and out, monitoring you, reducing your pain and basically keeping you alive. You were on a ventilator, one side of your face was swollen and badly scrapped, and your lower left leg was huge, like a bloated football and oozing blood. You were not conscious or at least had no apparent awareness of anyone’s presence. I just stood by you and held your hand and spoke soothingly. A bit later Nicole came in. Shortly after one of the surgeons came in to look at you and check your charts. He told us the surgery went well but you were so weakened and badly shaken from the accident and would have to be sedated for awhile. Also, you were not able to breath on your own. Nicole was so sweet. She talked to you, rubbed your forehead and fielded the comments and information from the doctors and nurses and asked questions like a pro. White faced and rosy-cheeked Mary came in for her first visit with her dad. A few minutes after she got there the nurse brought her a chair and told her to sit down. Mary obediently did. Then the nurse commented on how hard it must be to see her dad look like that. Again Mary politely agreed. Finally the nurse brought her a juice and said, you look rather pale and I thought you might need this. Mary, holding the juice box in her hand, looked rather blankly at her and said, “I always look like this.” We all got a kick out of that. After Mary arrived Nicole went to your side leaned in and said, “Dad, did you know that three of your favorite women are here right now?” At that you got a little smile on his face and just a very tine bit, shrugged your shoulders. Nicole and Mary both exclaimed delightedly over this. It was quite comforting to both of them who had any interaction from their dad since the accident. Mary only stayed for a short visit, as she had to go to work. The next person to come in was the orthopedic surgeon. He was a very nice man, very forthcoming with what needed to be said and in hind sight I realize he was trying to gently prepare everyone for what might happen. He said he was quite pleased with the surgery and that there a strong pulse could be measured in the foot meaning there was good blood flow occurring. He said everything went as well as they could have hoped. Than he told us how just as the brain can only go so long without oxygen before damage occurs, so it is with the limbs. He said that after six hours without blood flow the limbs begin to die. He then said it had been nine full hours from the time of the accident until they had measurable blood flowing in the leg. But then he said, “only time will tell what is going to happen with David.”

A little later Jack Parry and his temple buddy came in and gave you a blessing where he stated that you would be blessed with the strength to recover and return to your family. Also, Grant Parry stopped in briefly.

Once the nurse asked you some questions and your eyelids fluttered a bit. Also, the respiratory nurse came in and tried to turn down the level of breathing assistance (I am rather clueless at proper medical terms) from the respirator and you began to struggle so she turned it back up. Those two things and the shrugged shoulders were the only responses I saw from you on that first day after the accident. Barbara came in about 7pm and I left shortly after.

On the way home I called mom who was ready to head right out to Utah. I suggested she wait until you were out of ICU. That was not an easy environment to be in and there wasn’t much one could do to help.

January 13

While I had been in the hospital Nicole had received a call from Ken, one of your co-workers, who mentioned the city where they had towed the wrecked van. It was near Fillmore. Since I was traveling down to Page and passing right by there I decided I would stop and take some pictures of the van for you. I pulled off at a station and filling up right beside me was a policeman. I walked over to him and inquired about the next few towns, he listed the one (I can’t remember it just now) and told me how to get there. I told him my brother had been in an accident a few days previous and I wanted to see the car. I went into the station and when I came out the officer waved me over. He then told me he had been the third person on the scene and asked if I wanted to see his video of that time period. As he rewound and searched for the exact spot he told me a few things. He said that the first person to stop had been an off duty paramedic. I am not sure if that was also the person who was driving right behind the car and stopped of if these were two separate people. But one of these persons, seeing the distress David was in due to the seat belt, took out a knife and cut the belt. Officer Ponton told me that it was quite fortunate that the off duty paramedic stopped as he was able to begin administering life saving duties almost immediately after the accident. He arrived about 15 minutes after the car went off the road and just after the first ambulance, the one that carried you to Fillmore hospital, arrived. He walked up to the car and said that you were suspended, not fully upside down (at least not at that point) but sort of sideways and with your bottom actually halfway out of the window and that you were struggling to climb get out on your own. The officer told him that you should just relax and that they were there to do all the work. As he was working and pulling you you reached over and grasped your hand to help. He said he was surprised at how firm you were able to grasp and how the thought went through his mind that you were surprisingly strong for a man who had just been in a serious car accident. He said that you were complaining that your leg was really hurting. The officer said they got you out of the car and on the ground and at that point he went to help remove the driver from the car. From his perspective at the scene it appeared that the person who was badly hurt was the driver, I imagine because of a lot of superficial wounds and also because the car was crushed around him. The video turned out to be so small and distant that I could not clearly see what was occurring but I was able to make out the paramedics carry and load you into the ambulance, shut the doors and drive away. The time was about 2:10pm. The officer’s name was Don Ponton and he is a Deputy Sheriff there in Fillmore. He gave me a card with his name written on it over a scribbled out name. He said he had recently transferred there.

Next I drove to the little town where Ken (again co-worker) and his wife had just pulled up to take pictures. We looked on at the crushed vehicle, the gaping door where you had been jostled half way out (with seat belt still attached). I saw the cut seat belt in the car and took a shot of that.

January 24

I came home from Page and went up for another day with you. As soon as I walked in the door you said, “can you get me some warm water.” As I mentioned before, I am not medically savvy and I thought, sure. So I ran some warm water in a cup and went out to the nurses station to ask for a straw. “Oh, you can’t give him anything to eat or drink,” they told me. I was walking sadly back into the room when they told me I could feed you some ice chips. Yea! The brought me a small cup half way full. I started feeing them slowly to you. You closed your eyes savoring each bite and quickly opened your mouth for more. After a few minutes of this you opened your eyes and looked at me with rapt sincerity and said, “this is decadent.” You also asked me later if it was chocolate flavored ice. I rubbed your head and arms and hands. You really liked that.

This was a most interesting visit with my brother. You were awake but I would say, not actually lucid. The effects of 13 days of drugs had you really wacky. I hate to be flippant at your expense but you were completely entertaining. You told me that this was your third rollover accident and then went on to describe the other two. You said that in one you rolled over and over and in the other a car swerved from the other lane and hit you. You asked me if I wanted you to give me the tour of the sixth and seventh floors. Once you looked imploringly at me and said, “take me up to the 20^th floor now.” You asked me a question about your appearance and then said, “that is the effects of being chased by the animal farmer.” When a machine was beeping for some reason and the nurse came in to check it out you said to her, “the doctor is in!” You were dozing at one point and I was sitting on the chair reading. You woke and told me there was a place here that you liked to go and hide. I asked you where it was and you said somewhere high up. You had to climb up into it. “Does anyone go up there with you?” I asked. “Dad,” you said, “dad is hiding with me.”

On the intercom out in the hall someone named Nancy Brown was paged (I hadn’t even noticed it, Barbara was in the room by then and she had to tell me what you were talking about) and you exclaimed excitedly, “Yes, Nancy Brown.” At this point we were on the 11^th floor as they had moved you out of ICU. It was a much nicer room and you were much happier with the accommodations. Although, you kept asking us to open the door as they were going to move him to the 20^th floor. You were concerned that it would be able to open wide enough to fit the bed. (Funny, they had just rolled you in there not an hour earlier.) You were really preoccupied with this thought and sort of agitated. We finally convinced you that you had just been moved to this nice new room and would be staying here for awhile. When ever a nurse would come in you would warmly say, “Helllllooo.” Twice you looked over at Barbara and I and Linda who was now with us and said, “It is just part of the game.” Barbara reported to us that you said to her a couple of days previously, “Do you know where that wheelchair is that we have at home? If you can’t find it, bring the wheelbarrow here and take me home.” You also randomly asked her if she brought her calculator and once spoke up saying the words, “they are very, very worried.” (Barbara thought this was particularly interesting as the doctors had used those works in the room in the days before the amputation but you had not seemed to be aware or awake at all.) You also told her you did not want Nurse Ratchet again. And you also saw a cat in the corner of the room a few times.

A hospital staff brought in a tray and asked if anyone wanted to eat. Barbara and I were both hungry so we shared it. You looked over at us a few times and finally asked what was on the tray. Boy did that make me feel guilty. At that time you had been on a feeding tube for 12 days. I told him vegetables. “What kind”, you asked? Carrots, I said, “Cooked?” “Yes.” “Oh,” this with a disinterested tone. Barbara said quietly, good answer, he does not like cooked carrots.

It was time for me to head back to Provo. It was dark and snowing. I went over to the side of your bed. You looked up at me and in a very serious voice you said, “I am so sad that Turkey Lurkey died.” I was doing everything I could not to bust up over that one when you said, “could you please put Henny Penny right here,” and indicated your tray. There was an ice pack on the table so I picked it up and hesitatingly asked, “Is this Henny Penny?” “No, that’s a bag.” “Oh.” “But it is for Henny Penny. Could you just set it right there for her.” I obliged. I kissed him than and said goodbye. As I was leaving you said to me, “We had a good run, Julie.”

January 26

I returned to visit this time with David, Thomas and Adrienne. On this day you went from seeming all there to obvious fantasizing. One moment you were telling us of the Aurora Borealis effect that you could see right from your hospital window and the next you were asking Thomas about his interview with Dish. You even remembered the names of the principle people in the company. But then the weirdness would come out again. You indicated the amputated leg and told us they were doing some experiments on that leg and were sending shocks into your foot. We only stayed for about an hour, probably too long. You were so tired.

Well, that is pretty much all I have to share. I am looking forward to seeing you again soon and being able to really talk to you.

My Sunday outing to Stake Conference with 2 Apostles and 1 Seventy speaking to us.

2008-03-21T16:49:00.009-07:00

Last Sunday I took my second big outing to our Stake Conference for the Murray Parkway Stake.
It have been over 10 years since Apostle, Elder Holland had come. A few ward members were really pushing for me to go. I thought we would have to use someones van with 2 x 6's to form a ramp for my wheelchair. I asked the nurse supervisor Crystal if I could go. She said yes and even offered the use of their van with the lift. My neighbor Jason Terry, a Physical Therapist drove. I got to shake all three General authorities hand. Elders Ballard, Wirthlin, and Huntsman, the Governor of Utah's father. During Elder Huntsman's talk he mentioned how nice it was for me, Brother Watson, to make it out today after the terrible accident I was in. Earlier during the conference, when our eyes met, he winked and waved at me. It is so nice that many of the General authorities are aware of me and my situation.

Afterward, about 30 or members of my ward came up and said Hi. Sister Mills even gave me a big hug. It was so nice to mingle with the saints after two months away.

Current Medical conditions

2008-03-17T14:02:00.008-07:00

Last Tuesday I had a Nerve Conductivity test. Dr. Johnson placed a receptor on my leg, then stuck a needle probe in different parts of my leg. I would feel this nice shock and he would get pulse measurement on his lap top. The nerves on the left side of my leg were strong as ever, but the right side, there was nothing. He determined that the Peranial nerve got trauma close to my knee and the nerve down to my leg died. The actual sheath is OK as determined by the exploratory surgery I had weeks ago. He said it can rejuvenate at a rate of 1 millimeter a day, and my 70% of use may come back. At that rate, by Thanksgiving 2009 it may return and then I can lift my foot. Today Phil came by and made a cast of my right leg so he could make a, AFO or ankle foot orthopedic brace. It has spring in it to restore my lift. This would help with normal foot response for walking.

On Friday I will be able to try 25% weight bearing on my leg. This will increase every week until I can bear full weight. At that point, I will be able to stand 10 minutes so a mold can be made of my left leg. This is used to create a socket for my C-leg. At this time, I could transition to home. Here is a website tha t has some cool video's about the C-Leg.

http://www.ottobockus.com/PRODUCTS/LOWER_LIMB_PROSTHETICS/c-legvideos.asp

The final issue is my left hand ring finger won't extend fully. It received trauma during the rollover accident. I did not discover it until I tried typing on my laptop late February. The therapist here at Aspen Ridge are trying a tape method to help, plus finger exercises with the ring with holes in it . I'd rather try this than another surgery. Seven are enough.

My first Road trip back to visit my friends at work.

2008-03-15T07:49:00.020-07:00

I had been looking forward to this day for months; to reconnect with my friends and co-worker and it was finally here. Alma and Patrica (my CNA's/Angels) helped me get dressed in my white shirt and tie. First time since the beginning of January

Patrick drove me down to the Church Office Building. Karen my OT came also and pushed me in my wheel chair.Load em up, move em out

Behold, the mighty Church Office Building. I work in the catacombs several floors underground.

The three survivors of the rollover accident- REUNITED!
My AV Engineering gang I work with poising for pictures in the Conference Room.

Visitors are very Welcome.

2008-03-10T15:50:00.007-07:00

If you would like to come see me, the best time is M-F 12:30- 2pm or 4-7pm. On Saturday or Sunday I'm available most any time. Call ahead 713-3120 to make sure I'm here and not at a Doctor office. I'm at Aspen Ridge, 963 E. 6600 S. It is by the Off ramp at 215 and Ft Union, just South of Wheeler farm and East of the Murray RC Wiley's.

Finally get the OK to move my knee.

2008-03-10T15:18:00.010-07:00

Dr Keene says I can now move my knee up to 30 degrees bend angle. I can finally make some real progress. My lower leg is so thin. The muscles will need a lot of work to recover.

I still have no feeling on my foot below my toes and I can't dosaflex, (raise up my foot.)
I may take months or years to rgenerate the Perineal nerve.

Jeff comes to visit on Saturday. We discussed how we both look forward to the Resurrection. He wants every hair of his head restored. I want my limbs restored. I think I have a little more invested in this future event.

Can't wait for my "boat anchor" Right leg to get the brace off and start moving

2008-03-06T16:54:00.005-07:00

Tomorrow Dr Keene from Dr West's office will come and see my leg and knee and see if it is time to start range of motion and other therapies. I can't wait for this to happen.

Here is what I've been recovering from.

Friends from the Ward come to Visit

2008-03-06T16:39:00.008-07:00

Meet Jim Livingston, the best friend, neighbor and Home Teacher a family could have.

Getting from my bed to my wheelchair- before and after

2008-02-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived on Feb 5th, it took 6 people to transfer me from bed to wheelchair.

After 3 weeks of upper body strengthening and therapy, I can transfer all by my self.

Another sitemeter graph...

2008-02-28T23:39:00.001-07:00

Life at Aspen Ridge

2008-02-28T21:04:00.002-07:00

Mike and Scott from work helped wire up some of my DVR's to watch my recorded show.

Sleeping arrangement

My first "Grandma size" bed was 6" too short, I felt I would roll off. I'd only get 4 hours sleep each night.

Meet the insomnia buster.

Finally getting my haircut

Occupational Therapists help with the re-entry into normal life

2008-02-28T20:31:00.001-07:00

Karin and Scott, the best OT's in the world.

Teaching me how to get dressed.

They bargained with me, we'll take you outside if you'll do your free weights.

Friends from work come to visit

2008-02-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry Johnny for cutting you off.

Meet some of my Nurses and CNA's

2008-02-28T12:34:00.003-07:00

Cherice brings my first breakfast at Aspen Ridge

Jana takes my vitals before I drop to sleep at night.

Chris is the best night male CNA.

Patrica
Elli brings me water and Ice.

Katie Jackson. A brand new CNA Who went to School with my son Shawn. She has a very friendly, caring temperament. Perfect for the job here.

Kari from Logan has been one of my night nurses.

Stacy changes my bandages and cleans my wounds twice a week.

Cristina from Logan actually give a pretty painless shot.

My first post

2008-02-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here is my simple exploratory surgery. It looks pretty extensive to me. But the nerve was in-tact. When this heals, I start Physical Therapy on my right leg.

Post-Op Update

2008-02-24T17:41:00.001-07:00

David's surgery on Friday gave a few answers on his long term right leg nerve health. There was some definite trauma to the nerves, but despite the stretching and blood residue, the nerves are intact. The surgeon anticipates that within 2 weeks to 2 years, nerve impulses will return and he'll have better control and feeling in his leg.

His TOSH experience was not very positive. He got to the hospital for surgery on Thursday, and then found out he'd have to wait until Friday at 10 am. In actually, he had to wait until 4 pm, worrying and worrying. He'd only brought his MP3 player to keep him occupied, and he had almost 28 hours at TOSH. He said that the equipment and comfort level of TOSH was about 40 years back. The only thing that made the wait tolerable was his nurse Emily. After being in a world-class hospital, and a new rehab center, TOSH seemed somewhat antiquated. Also, his nurse put his IV right in his wrist. Anytime he used his hand or wrist, the IV would dig in and cause pain. So this meant he couldn't use his hands for lifting himself in bed or for wheelchair transfers.

Tomorrow he meets with Dr. Goodman for a checkup on his stump. The staples will likely be removed, and he'll meet with a prosthetist on his C-Leg.

The best time to visit David is between 4-9 PM, because he has most of his appointments and therapy in the morning and early afternoon. Please call him at Aspen Ridge at 801-713-3119 before visiting, to make sure he's ready and available for you.

Surgery Postponed till Friday

2008-02-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

I spoke with David tonight. He was supposed to have his surgery this afternoon, but when his blood levels were taken, the blood was too thin to operate. They transferred him to TOSH to stay overnight. They will be giving him some frozen plasma to bulk up his blood, and hopefully he'll be set for surgery around 10 am.

In the surgery, the extent of his nerve damage will be discovered. Either the nerves are intact, and just need more time to heal...or the nerve injury was so severe that it is irreparable and he will have to walk with a spring-loaded brace to position his foot. He's sad that this additional surgery will add time to his stay in Aspen Ridge, but hopefully they will be able to fix any damage, and he'll have a better outcome for his right leg.

Surgery Today

2008-02-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Today David will be going in for another surgery at TOSH. He has been doing well with physical therapy, but continues to have difficulty with his right foot. Today the surgeons will enter the leg through one of the scars from the last surgery. They will do some nerve testing to see the extent of the nerve damage from the accident. The surgery will likely be an outpatient procedure, and he'll return to Aspen Ridge this evening. Please keep him in your prayers...David NEEDS his right leg intact to be able to walk with a normal gait once he's fitted with the prosthetic on the left.

Worldwide support for David

2008-02-17T07:41:00.001-07:00

One-hour home visit

2008-02-17T06:36:00.001-07:00

Friday, right before Rosie and had to leave for the airport, David was done with an ortho appointment at TOSH. The driver from Aspen Ridge said that David could come to the house for a few minutes. He was overcome with joy, as he hasn't been to the house since a week before the accident. The wheelchair transfer was a little tricky, and required three of us to get him up the front steps and into the house.

Barbara was all smiles to have him home for a few minutes!

Mystic was more than happy to take an immediate perch on dad's leg. She's the only family member that hasn't seen him in 6 weeks, and was slunking around his leg and the wheelchair for the whole visit.

I'm so glad that I got to be there for David's first trip home. It's still going to be a long time (3-5 weeks before he can come home for good), but hopefully his drivers for future appointments will be gracious enough to let him visit the house occasionally.

The Van of Doom

2008-02-14T09:02:00.001-07:00

This is the van that nearly ate David alive.

I finally got hold of some of the accident pictures. They are incredibly scary, and it's a miracle that all three men in the car survived. Pics courtesy of Ken Wooton.

I am so grateful to all those who stopped at the accident site to help David, Nathan, and Bruce out of the wreckage. It's a true blessing that their lives were spared.

David Watson is Popular!

2008-02-13T16:01:00.000-07:00

Scenes from Rehab

2008-02-13T05:29:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Grandma Joyce, here are a bunch of pictures from the past two weeks, both at IMC and Aspen Ridge rehab. Yesterday, he met with the prosthetist to start some of the initial fittings for his C-Leg. He has physical and occupational therapy everyday. He is able to eat just about anything, but his stomach shrunk so much from the feeding tube that he barely has an appetite. He has been working on an assisted slide transfer into the wheelchair, instead of the 6-step transfer that wore him out. He typically has his appointments in the morning, takes a nap after lunch, and then most of the visitors come in the evening.

With Grandma, Mary, and Jacob.

My first outing in a wheelchair. We toured the 11th floor of IMC.

David and some of his coworkers from the A/V Department

With sister Laurie from Portland and Barbara

David's mom has been an amazing caregiver!

Rosie and I are so happy to visit David in such great shape!

One month anniversary

2008-02-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last night, Rosie and I arrived into SLC to visit David for a few days. We had a crazy day stuck in -20 degree Minneapolis, and we were lucky to finally make it in to SLC around midnight. Today is the one month anniversary of the accident. He has showed me some picutures of the accident, and I've uploaded some pictures of his last two weeks. More info will be posted today. Leave a comment and wish David a "happy anniversary."

You want to visit dad in rehab, I say go Go GO!

2008-02-08T15:16:00.001-07:00

Now that David is settled, he is happy to have visitors in his rehab facility in east Murray at 963 E. Winchester. He has been happy to have a change of scenery from the hospital and Aspen Ridge is very homey. He requests that any visits be kept to 10-15 minutes. He is very exhausted most of the time from all of the physical therapy, and a few visitors have stayed a little too long for his fragile state.

He is getting better and better at the assisted wheelchair transfers, and all other prescribed physical therapy. He has been so happy to have some of the foods and drinks that he has missed for so long. He's been in heaven with his mom visiting from Oregon, and was also happy to have his sister Laurie for a few days. Rosie and I are flying out to SLC on Sunday to spend most of the week with him.

My Birthday Wish Come True...

2008-02-05T20:09:00.002-07:00

This has been David's bedside crew this week...Mary, mom, grandma and Laurie. Taylor took the picture a few days ago while in SLC. Today was a wonderful day...a great birthday wish come true! He passed all but the thin liquid swallowing test, they removed the PICC line, he was able to do an assisted transfer into a wheelchair and......(drumroll please).... he's out of the hospital! Because he is out of the hospital sooner than expected, Aspen Ridge West on 53rd isn't open yet. He is at Aspen Ridge on Winchester and 10th East. It's a beautiful facility, which my Grandpa Jack was in after his car accident in 2005. There aren't many beds, so he was lucky to get in. He is still on oxygen, but otherwise his labs are good and he doesn't need IVs anymore.

Slurp and Swallow

2008-02-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

I just got off the phone with David. He was in much better spirits than yesterday. He finally passed the swallow test...he can have thick liquids, like yogurt, pudding and pureed foods...but not thin liquids like milk and water. He celebrated with a chocolate milkshake. He said the hospital shake was pretty mediocre, but he was so happy to have a sweet taste in his mouth! Tonight he'll be having some pureed foods for dinner. Mary's going to pick him up a yummy shake at Take Five tomorrow.

They also removed the feeding tube and catheter today. His blood levels have regulated and he's okay on his labs. Good news is just what the doctor ordered!

The Reality of Injury

2008-02-04T04:11:00.000-07:00

I talked to my dad yesterday...and today was the first time he seemed very downtrodden since the accident. He's been more cognizant of his pain and injuries, and has been having some insomnia. He was thankful that Taylor brought him a large stash of music and movies to keep him occupied and sane. He talked to me about some of the feelings he went through at the accident site, wondering if this was the end...if this was the way that Heavenly Father wanted to bring him home. He has been trying to process why this is his trial and how he's going to grow from it. It broke my heart to have this conversation with him.

Thank you to all who have been praying for him. I had a large amount of people tell me that they fasted for him yesterday. I can't believe that he's already been in the hospital for over 3 weeks. The surgery on Thursday not only did a number on his spirits, but on his body as well. Three more units of blood products were infused yesterday because his hemoglobin level had dropped dramatically. His overall recovery will be held back while his leg recovers from this recent surgical trauma. And the fact that he still aspirates on the swallowing test, and isn't able to eat or drink any of his favorite foods is terribly hard on him.

At this time, I think he'd best benefits from cards and letters of encouragement. He is enjoying short (10-15 minute) visits at the hospital from family and close friends. He is going to be at IMC for another week or so, then will be transferred to Aspen Ridge, 963 E. Winchester in Murray. Please continue to keep him in your prayers, especially for recovery on his right leg. If the nerve doesn't regenerate, he will likely have very limited mobility for his right leg (in addition to a prosthetic leg on the left.) We have faith that he will be healed and eventually be able to live a "normal" life, but it's the patience and enduring to the end that will be his test now.

Fast Sunday and Post-surgery update

2008-02-02T13:25:00.000-07:00

David got out surgery on Thursday night around 9:30. The surgery went as well as can be expected. Unfortunately, they didn't get the dosing of pain medication correct for almost two hours post-op. He was in miserable pain, the worst he'd felt since the actual accident. He is more awake and less groggy than when I left. Most of the psychosis has subsided. The next obstacle to overcome will be passing the swallow test, then they will put is leg into some sort of stump-shrinker to get it prepared for the prosthetic in a few weeks.

He has asked that all those who are willing and able to fast for him tomorrow on Fast Sunday. He appreciates the prayers and well wishes, but feels like he needs a special fast to help him gain strength and recover more quickly. The nerve in the top of his right foot was much more damaged than originally realized. Since the surgery, the physical therapy has been pretty tough because the nerve has not regenerated at all. There is a possibility that his nerve won't heal, and he will have a "dropped foot." This would require the use of a brace on his right foot, in addition to the prosthetic leg. We are praying for full mobility in his recovery, and your faith is requested.

Back into the OR

2008-01-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

I just got word that David is going into the OR for his ortho surgery this afternoon. I talked to him earlier today, and he's finally seeming to be in his right mind again. His voice is a little gravelly, but he can hold a full conversation. He'll be under general anesthesia today for the surgery, so he'll probably be feeling a little drugged for a day or two. Taylor flew into SLC today for a few days, to visit my dad often and bring techno distractions. Grandma Joyce and dad's sister Laurie will be flying in from Portland tomorrow morning. I will post again after I get a report of the surgery.

Silly spaceman!

2008-01-29T13:37:00.001-07:00

Since I got back into Detroit, there haven't been a lot of updates to post. I've notices a bunch of hits on my blog sitemeter that have only lasted a few seconds...Sorry to disappoint if I don't post something on him everyday. It's a good sign if there's nothing to report...no news is good news! He's a pic from him in the ICU a few minutes before they took the trach out. He was acting like a space man with the oxygen mask on his eyes. From what I can tell, the ortho surgery on his knee has been postponed until Friday. He's still having some difficulty swallowing, but he should be able to have food and drink within the next two days. He's in good spirits, and happy to have visitors for short visits.

You need to adjust the Flux Capacitor...

2008-01-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

My visits with David on Saturday were fairly short. I arrived in the morning when he was getting physical therapy. I helped the therapists sit him up and move him to the side of the bed. He's getting much stronger moving himself up with the trapeze bar. He sat up for about 15 minutes while enjoying the view. It was a crystal-clear day outside, sunny and bright...so he loved the view. But then he started talking nonsense about what he saw out the window....and the patient monitor started beeping. He kept telling the nurse, "You need to adjust the flux capacitor." He had coughed up part of his feeding tube, and he went in to have a procedure to fix the tube and have another swallow test.

Unfortunately, he aspirated on the swallow test, so he has to keep waiting to drink his root beer. When I came in the evening around 7:00, he was peacefully sleeping. I didn't want to disturb him, so I left about 5 minutes later. He had a few visitors from the ward in the evening, but after about 10 minutes, he was lecturing my mom on visiting time limits. He said he likes visitors, but not for longer than a few minutes. From what I've noticed, he's a bit more lucid in the mornings, and less agitated. I think as the week progresses, he'll be requesting more visitors. He realized that there's a phone book by his room phone, and he keeps threatening to call people. So if you get a random, raspy-voiced call from David...be prepared for some silly talk.

A Brighter Outlook

2008-01-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, David was in surgery for just under 3 hours for a revision of his amputation. They assessed the remaining tissue and removed the damage, adjusted the bone, and sealed up the stump. Dr Goodman said that it went as well as could be expected. He's now back in his room on the 11th floor, raving about the "most beautiful view than you can ever imagine in this neck of the region." He's still having some hallucinations from the meds and the anesthesia, but he's making some coherent speech. Monday he will have the knee reconstruction on his right leg, but until then, his "job" is to get better. He would like a few visitors for short visits, so feel free to contact me and I'll let you know if it's a good time.

Outta the ICU!!!

2008-01-24T18:25:00.001-07:00

Today David's main issue has been his ICU psychosis/hallucinations. He has complained of ants crawling on his face and on the ceiling, sea creatures on the window, water dripping from the wall and tv, a cat in the corner of the room, and a baby's head suspended out the window. He has upgraded to sucking on ice chips, which taste "more decadent than fine wine." He explained to his sister that this was his third rollover car accident, even though it wasn't. It's a bit worrisome to see him only partially coherent. When Jim, his friend and home teacher came over, he said "There's my neighbor that works at the U," but then started off on talking nonsense again. His body is working through the remains of all the sedation he's been on for the last two weeks.

Tomorrow morning the vascular surgeons will complete the "full amputation," which will assess the damaged tissue still there, adjust the length of the bone, and close up the wound. Dr. Goodman was optimistic that the surgery would go well, and only minimal tissue would have to be taken out. But we had to listen to the list of risks, benefits, and alternatives before signing the consent. He had an evaluation with a psychiatrist, had his wounds redressed, reinstalled the feeding tube, and then was transferred up to the 11th floor. He's in room 1116, and is able to have non-family visitors. He will be in surgery for most of the morning, and will probably be out of it for most of the day from the anesthesia. I would venture to guess that he can handle visitors by Sunday, but be prepared for a little psychosis.

Without a Trach...

2008-01-24T11:33:00.001-07:00

This morning I went to visit David for a few hours. He was in good spirits, but still complaining about being stuck in the hospital and wanting to sneak out. The trauma team was there on their rounds, removed his trach and bandaged the stoma. He's able to talk a little more easily, but it's pretty breathy and fragmented. The stoma (the hole from the trach) will heal on it's own, without sutures, within a few days.

He'll have the next surgery to revise the amputation tomorrow. Either tonight or tomorrow he'll be moved out of the ICU and into a step-down unit. His first phone call was to his mom in Oregon. I put my cell phone on speaker phone and they had a short, but emotional talk. He keeps asking for phone books so he can call people when he's bored. But after about two hours of visiting, he started drifting off for a nap. I'll be back over this afternoon, and will report any updates as they come.

Getting better all the time

2008-01-23T14:18:00.001-07:00

I could not believe the progress my dad has made since the last time I saw him. His body isn't swollen and bloated, there are less tubes coming out of him, he is able to force-talk through the trach, and he's done with the ventilator. Unfortunately, this morning he pulled out the NG feeding tube out of his nose, which is bad because he's not getting nutrition or a route for medication in pill form. This afternoon they will be doing a swallow test, and if he does okay, he will be able to start eating and drinking. Tomorrow he will have another surgery on his leg to make sure that the tissue is healthy and not infected, bloodflow is good, cut down the bone, and sew it up with plastics. After that surgery, he'll have the trach removed. Next week he'll have surgery on his other leg to repair the knee.

I met with the rehab case manager, who said the doctors have ordered no weight-bearing activity for 6 weeks. She said that acute rehab could be done through the hospital, where willing caregivers would be trained in proper caring and lift techniques. She said the better option would be up to 6 weeks in a rehab facility. He says he really wants to come home, but I am not sure it's a possibility unless we get many, many willing caregivers to take shifts every two hours for 6 weeks. We'll have to play it by ear.

Not much to report right now..

2008-01-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

According to the email I got from my Grandma Joyce yesterday...

"David is stable, he still has some temperature but that is normal. He will go back to surgery in a couple of days & the surgeons will amputate a little above the knee to make sure they got all of the necrosis. He is still on a ventilator, but seems to breathing a little easier. And he still has a feeding tube. He's on a lot of medication so he is still a little confused, but he is not in pain. As soon as he is not in critical condition, he will be moved either to another floor, or to rehab, wherever the family & his case manager & his nurse decide."

I, Nicole, David's eldest daughter am now moved into my apartment in Michigan and can get away to Utah for a few more days. I'm flying back out to Salt Lake tonight and will be able to give more first hand accounts soon.

Life or Limb?

2008-01-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

Last night my dad was taken in for surgery, after signing a consent for possible amputation. When the surgeons went in, there was so much decay/necrosis and infection that they had absolutely no choice but to amputate. From what I understand, the amputation was right at the knee. In a few days they will have another surgery to cut down the bone and seal up the end of the stump as soon as it drains enough...and to make sure there's not any more necrosis or infection.

Elder Dickson of the Quorum of the Seventy came to the Highland Ward today ("for Mary Watson") and spoke. He then went to the hospital to visit David and give him a blessing. He's talking a little bit now, but very labored with the trach. Dad asked Elder Dickson what he should do about consenting for amputation. He lifted up his coatsleeve, and revealed that he himself had an amputated arm. He had bone cancer when he was 19 and required an amputation. He advised David to do what would save his life. What a perfect man to be counseling dad on this life-altering decision.

Absolutely wonderful lung news!

2008-01-20T03:50:00.001-07:00

While at John and April's reception, I got a call from my mom with the happiest news of the week...David was breating on his own! He had been breathing without the ventilator for 5 hours...which just shocked the nurses and doctors. The previous day, we were told he could be on the vent for up to 2 more weeks. The trach is partially responsible, as there is less obstruction and makes it easier to breathe. The respiratory therapists said they will continue to keep a close eye on his breathing, and may need to reconnect the vent over the next few days if any issues come up. This a huge step in his recovery!

Unfortunately, his leg isn't doing so well. Despite the surgery on Thursday, he continues to experience more muscle death. The enzymes from the muscles are very hard on the kidneys...we don't want his kidneys shutting down from this. There's a fairly strong chance he will need his leg amputated from the knee-down this week. We are praying that his leg will recover, but I personally feel that amputation isn't as scary and dramatic as everyone thinks. It will speed up his whole-body recovery by several months, it will make physical therapy much more effective, he won't have life-long chronic pain issues, and prosthetics are so amazing now that he'll be up on his feet/foot in half the time. We should have some answers on this by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Transfer from Nicole's Blog

2008-01-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

I felt that it was more appropriate to document David's progress on a blog that is solely for his progress. He is a journaler, and will probably want to continue to document his progress himself once he is able. In the coming days, I will transfer over the blogs on his progress to this site. To read the prior entries, click HERE

One week post-trauma

2008-01-18T22:27:00.000-07:00

For the most part, David's condition is about the same as yesterday. His fever has decreased slightly, and the blood cultures didn't grow out any bacteria. The trach tube was inserted, so he's got the "Christopher Reeve" neck look going now. His leg is still exposed from the surgery, and the opening is gaping about 3 inches by 7 inches. The leg is packed with gray sponges and the wound vac is still sucking away. He is developing pneumonia, which is scary, but a common condition when you've been on the ventilator for a while. The doctors don't expect any big improvements in the next few days, but we're hopeful that his body will continue to heal and be ready for less sedation soon.

Post-op Report

2008-01-17T23:29:00.000-07:00

This evening, David was in surgery for approximately 2 hours with the vascular surgeon. His left leg muscles were assessed for death/damage. Unfortunately, I'm not up on my muscle anatomy these days, nor is my mom who gave the report. Apparently two muscles were okay with no tissue removed, but 50% of the other two muscles was irreparable and removed. The surgeon tried to be conservative and take only was was absolutely necessary at this point. He will have another surgery in a few days.

Tomorrow, he will be having a tracheotomy, which is a surgical procedure to create an opening through the neck into the trachea(windpipe). A tube is inserted through the opening to allow passage of air and removal of secretions. Instead of breathing through the nose and mouth, he will temporarily breathe through the tracheotomy tube. It'll leave a noticeable scar, but will be much better for his body in the long run. Below is a diagram of where the trach incision will be.

What YOU can do to help the Watson Family

2008-01-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

From within hours of the accident, we have had an outpouring of offers to help our family in this time of great need. Usually at the time of these offers, we said we'd let them know because the family hadn't fully assessed our needs. Now we have a list of ideas for how you can help the family run. Unfortunately, a lot of the family need is financial. Without David's DISH income, a lot of day-to-day expenses will not be able to be paid without help.

1. Gift Cards: Smiths, Harmons, Costco, Shopko, Target, Walmart...to help pay for groceries and other items that may need to be purchased. Mary will be sent out on a lot of shopping assignments (and who can trust a teenager with their parent's credit card??? jk) Cash or checks are also gladly and thankfully accepted for any amount.

2. Ready-to-Eat Meals: We have been blessed with many fully-stocked hot meals so far, but what would also be helpful are ready-made casseroles, lasagnes, meals for the crockpot, etc...that can be refrigerated or frozen, then easily heated up and served. We're big fans of the fruit and veggie trays from Costco too :)

3. Cases of bottled water, juice and other snacks: Since we stand vigil at the hospital for so many hours at a time and all of the vending machines are outside the unit, we've already scraped our stash of bringable snacks at the house. We get thirsty, and Barbara prefers juice over soda. Other snacks like granola bars, fruit, junk food, Orbit Gum and munchies also help us curb our hunger and minimize our trips to the hospital cafeteria.

4. Outside-the-house help: If you happen to drive by, and see that snow has not been shoveled, or garbage cans haven't been taken from the curb, please stop by. We also need our Christmas lights taken down (since David will obviously not be up on a ladder anytime soon...) As the spring comes along, there may need to be some yard work done also.

5. Prayers, Letters, Emails, and Supportive Phone Calls: While David is in the ICU so long, this means that whatever progress he does make will probably come slowly. I know that my nerves have been frazzled after 6-9 hour shifts at the hospital each day. It can be hard to keep spirits up when looking at his swollen, bandaged body with various tubes hanging out.

My email is nicoleandrosie@yahoo.com . You can email me with questions or just to let me know that you're thinking of us. Any donations, cards, and meals can be sent or dropped off at their house. If you would like to mail something, and are not in the Salt Lake area, please email me for their home address.

Second-hand Wednesday Report...

2008-01-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Taylor, Rosie and I flew back to Detroit. We left for the airport around 6:00 am, but due to layovers and a 2-hour delay on the ground in SLC, we didn't arrive back until 5:00 pm. We're pretty exhausted, and Taylor leaves on a 4-day trip this morning. I wish he wasn't going to be gone. We get our apartment keys on Friday, and the moving truck comes Monday.

As for David, his status continues to remain the same. He's had a temperature around 102 degrees for a few days now. They use fans and ice packs to keep him cool. His vital signs have remained steady, but he is heavily sedated. I don't think his lungs are quite as bad as the RT who signed him up for the albuterol protocol led us to believe. There are some crystalized parts of his lungs, but the vent protocols are going as expected. The lady from the wound team looked at his leg and said part of it looks "dusky", which means there hasn't been adequate bloodflow to that area. Thursday he will go into surgery with Dr. Merrill and his resident to work on his leg. They will take out any necrotic tissue, assess his muscles and take out any part that has died. This surgery will give a good idea on what the long-term prognosis of his leg will be. Now the time estimate is for him to be in Shock-Trauma for up to two more weeks.

A Trying Tuesday

2008-01-15T23:40:00.001-07:00

Tuesday proved to be more trying than Monday for David. The temperature that he developed on Sunday night has increased, which is indicative of infection. He's on Kefzol and Gentamycin, which are two great antibiotics, and his blood culture hasn't grown any specific bug...so it's a waiting game to see what is causing the fever. The two murses (male nurses, the metro training the redneck) weren't particularly helpful in explaining his condition today. I got there too late to hear the report on the doctors rounds, and his wounds looked better, so I thought he was showing constant improvement. I talked with the respiratory therapist a lot today, stood at his bedside as she tried to wean him off the ventilator. She said she heard some "crackles" in his lungs and he didn't do very well with the vent weaning. It made his BP increase, his pulse ox go down to 86%, he was very agitated, his body was quivering, and he had to be put on a higher dose of Propofol (sedation) to calm down. His hands were also put in soft restraints to prevent him from pulling at the tubes. I grabbed Taylor's Zune and some headphones so he could listen to Crosby, Stills and Nash to calm him down.

I spoke with the HR and Workers Comp people at the Church. From what I understand, WC will pay 2/3 of his full time wage through a third party administrator. But because of a upper limit cap, he will only get 55%.The remaining 11.66% will come out of his sick time accrual (11 hours a week, I believe). This will be about a $900 a month loss in net pay. Kind of hard to take. Health insurance will continue to be in force for the family, but he will not accrue sick time, 401k deposits, or vacation time. After 45 days, his Long Term Disablility coverage will kick in, and medical insurance premiums will be covered for no cost. Luckily, all medical care for the rest of his long-term recovery will be covered by WC and he will not have to pay a cent for his accident-related injuries. That's a blessing for sure.

Around 5 PM, and 5 hours at his bedside, I gave him a kiss and said my goodbyes until next week. I had plans to go out on a double date with John and April. As we were leaving, my mom got a call from the respiratory therapist asking if David could be enrolled in a research protocol for patients with Acute Lung Injury. Up until this point, the family was under the impression that all of his major injuries were from the pelvis down. Apparently, his lungs have filled with some fluid, the trauma of the accident is exacerbating his decreasing lung function. To find this out freaked me out, because Acute Lung Injury is in the same pulmonary family as ARDS, which I had in 2000. The research protocol will give him doses of Albuterol through his vent tube every four hours until 24 hours post-extubation. The RT came to my parents' house to explain it to mom, and the RT called me on my date to explain the protocols. I thought it was a great idea, and quite ironic because the ventilator protocols used now, with the highest positive outcomes, were the same ones established through the ARDS study in 2000. I gave my approval and mom signed the consent forms.

Due to the increased need for pulmonary care, David was transferred to the Shock-Trauma ICU last night. I was so exhausted that I couldn't wait until 11:00 PM to visit him, which was the time the nurses said he would be ready for visitors post-transfer. If I wasn't leaving for the airport so early on Wednesday, I would have been over to get the details from the horse's mouth.

My blogs will become a little less detailed at this point, since I won't be speaking with the doctors and nurses directly until next Friday 1/25 when I fly back to Utah. Hopefully he'll be out of the ICU and will be able to enjoy my visit and see Rosie too. My blog will probably have a few non-David related posts, but I will put any updates I get on here for your reading fulfillment.

Monday, Monday

2008-01-14T23:41:00.001-07:00

Dad continues to make progress. When I went to the hospital this afternoon, his wound-vac had been installed. This machine helps drain out the infection and excess fluid to speed healing from the inside out. They also cleaned up his bandages that are barely dripping now. He did develop a bit of a temperature, but with some ice packs and a fan blowing, it never seemed too out of control. He did need two more units of blood infused, likely from all of the wound vac/cleaning/ evaluation by the wound team. Mom and I rubbed lotion over his arms, hands and feet after Thana (our favorite nurse) washed his hair and shaved his face. He looks a little less like an a accident victim, and more like a man who is just really sick. He'll likely still be intubated a few more days, so I don't know if I'll be able to talk to him before I head back to Michigan on Wednesday. Rosie's got the 25th off school, so we'll likely come back to SLC that weekend.

Mom and I talked to a case manager nurse and the HR representative for dad's department. His billing and pay should be figured out over the next few days. Luckily, he has 32 sick days accrued, which will guarantee 2/3rds pay until at least Mid-February. We'll find out the details on his other compensation and benefits sometime Tuesday or Wednesday. In the evening, we had a family council with Bishop France and Jim, our home teacher. We figured out some of the upcoming needs for keeping the household running, such as paying bills, housework, and meal preparation. Jacob knows how to do the Dish installations, so hopefully that stream of income won't dry up during dad's recovery. It's great to have such an amazing support network, especially within our own family.

Sunday Evening Update

2008-01-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

Mom, Mary, Taylor and I went to see dad after the shift change. He'd been changed from Versed to Propofol for sedation. His bandages were cleaned, he was in a more comfortable, larger airbed. The swelling in his body was still pretty severe, but the bleeding in his leg has decreased significantly. There wasn't enough time in the afternoon to do the IVC filter and the wound vac, so that will be installed tomorrow. He didn't respond much to our touch because of his sedation level, but tomorrow they will probably take the sedation down and see how he responds. They added a breathing treatment into his ventilator line to help with any mucous in his lungs and make sure that his asthma doesn't kick in. His toes are pink and warmer than yesterday, and bloodflow has been consistent on the doppler everytime.

Sunday Afternoon Update

2008-01-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

When I arrived at IMC, the nurses and RT were preparing him to be transported to Angio for his IVC filter procedure. He was gone for about 2 hours, and the procedure well perfectly. The trauma surgeon gave me a little update on his situation...and it was pretty similar to this morning. My mom and I left soon thereafter so the nurses could change his sheets, clean up his wounds, and other nursey duties. I'm leaving to pick up Taylor from the airport, and we'll head back to IMC after 8:15.

Sunday Morning

2008-01-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

I went back to IMC around 8:30 this morning. I met with the trauma team on their morning rounds. The acid levels in his blood are now normal, but there is evidence of muscle death. The enzymes from the muscles are very hard on the kidneys. They checked his BUN and Creatinine levels, and his kidneys are now okay for now. Today they will be inserting a feeding tube, wound vacs, and an IVC filter. The IVC filter is iron mesh, and it prevents any blood clots he may acquire from causing a pulmonary embolus. They are unable to use anticoagulation therapy to prevent the blood clot because he still has a gaping open wound in his leg.

At church today, there was a flood of love, support and prayers. I know our family will be taken care of. I was also told by Bishop France that Elder Dixon from the Quorum of the Seventy contacted him, and let us know that the First Presidency is personally praying for David.

I'm heading back over to IMC again. Taylor was released from duty early today, and I'll be picking him at SLC airport around 6:30.

D-A-D in I-C-U in S-L-C

2008-01-13T00:47:00.002-07:00

Friday night I received a call from my mom. My dad, David, had been in a serious rollover accident near Fillmore on the way back from a work trip to St. George. He's an audio/visual engineer with the LDS Church, coming back from equipment upgrades on the Temple. He was with two other coworkers, Bruce and Nathan, in the back seat of a van (we still aren't sure if it was a minivan, with lots of heavy A/V equipment that was being transported back to Church Headquarters. I haven't gotten the full story, but here's what I've pieced together.

Around 1:30 PM, Friday January 11, Bruce dozed off while driving, by sign post 143, pretty close to the Meadow/Kanosh exit on I-15. He was startled awake by the sound of the caution grooves on the freeway, and overcorrected right when my dad yelled out his name. There was a slight hill down which the van flew over and tumbled a 2 1/2 times, broke threw 80 feet of fence and landed on its roof, by the side of the frontage road. Matt, a passing motorist from CA on his way to Provo for his daughter's wedding, saw the accident and was the second person on the scene. I've talked with Matt a few times, and this is what he explained to me:

The van was very well crushed and totaled. It had flipped and flown three or four times. Matt saw David's rear end was hanging out the side window of the crushed, upside-down van. It looked like he was crawling in with his left leg squashed under his body. Matt saw that the seatbelt was still attached, so he went to look for a knife and cut him out of the seatbelt to relieve the pressure. By the time he got back, another person had cut him out. Matt and some of the other motorists who stopped to help, set out some blankets, clothes, and other items so David could be laid out on the ground without getting cold and snowy. He was fully conscious through the whole ordeal. They administered consecrated oil and gave him a priesthood blessing.

The paramedics arrived and started triaging and treating David. Nathan was freed from the car fairly easily, and walked away with some minor cuts and abrasions on his forearm and elbow. Bruce was crumpled, not crushed, in the debris of the van and required the Jaws 'o Life to free him. He sustained some lacerations and contusions to the face, and was patched up within a few hours at Fillmore Hospital. My dad was taken by ambulance to Fillmore Hospital, where they diagnosed a pelvic fracture and a completely dislocated knee that had stopped adequate bloodflow to his leg (below the knee). Two hours post-impact, they decided that his condition was way too serious and he'd need to be LifeFlight'ed to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.

For those who read this blog, and don't know David....he's no lightweight! My guess is that he's somewhere around 6'2" and 315 pounds. Due to weather conditions and the weight and balance on the helicopter, they were unable to chopper him to Murray. They loaded him on a fixed-wing LifeFlight plane, and flew him to Salt Lake International Airport. Then they took him (via helicopter) to IMC. Within an hour of arrival, my dad was taken in for an 8 hour surgery with a vascular surgeon, orthopedic surgeon, and general surgeon.

The pelvic fracture was on the wing of the pelvis, which is a non-essential area for bodily movement, and did not require surgical intervention. He had a pretty massive open wound over the pelvic fracture from the seatbelt, which they cleaned up and took care of. The main concern was his knee and lower leg. In addition to the dislocation/fracture of the knee, he had a significant crush injury to the leg. A saphenous vein graft from his right leg was required to restore bloodflow to his left leg. An external fixator was installed on my dad's lower leg, which elevates the open-wounded leg for drainage. After just over 8 hours in the OR, he was moved to the Thoracic ICU.

By the time I got the call, Taylor was into the 2nd day of his 4-day trip, so I decided to take Rosie out to SLC on the first flight of the morning. After 4 hours of sleep, we woke up at 4:00 am and drove to the airport. The layover in Minneapolis and flight to SLC was pretty uneventful. I knew that Rosie wouldn't be able to go into the ICU, so I arranged for her to stay with the Lewis' family while I stood vigil at the hospital. My mom and Jacob had stayed overnight through the whole surgery until 6 am, and were sleeping, so my job was to be on call for questions and support at the hospital. After taking about 6 condition-calls at my parents' house, I drove over to IMC. The IMC Campus is huge, and I was a little confused because I'd been told he was going to be transferred to Shock-Trauma ICU. After about 15 minutes of going from nurse station to nurse station with no luck (his trauma alias was ZZZIM, ZITI for some reason) I found a doctor who has been briefed on his condition and he showed me where to go.

When I walked into S204, I couldn't believe how swollen and bruised up he was. His neck had swelled so much that it was bigger than his head, but even his ears, eyes, nose, and tongue were swollen. He was sedated on Versed and intubaed. The most gruesome sight was his leg, itself. It was covered in bandages and elevated, but was soaked in blood and fluids from the open wound (to help reduce swelling and edema). Thana, his ICU nurse, was absolutely wonderful. I spent 5 hours with her, as she kept tabs on his vitals, dopplered his feet to verify adequate bloodflow, infused more units of blood, checked labs, glycerine-swabbed his mouth to keep it moist, and other nursing functions. She and I got along really well, and she designated me as the family spokesperson to give updates to anyone who called the ICU with the privacy code. Throughout the afternoon, Mary, Grant, Julie (his sister), Grandpa Jack, Mom, and Bishop France visited him. He was given another priesthood blessing by Jack and Patriarch Sheffield, and was guaranteed a full recovery.

I spoke to all three surgeons over the course of the day. The vascular surgeon said that this was one of the most difficult surgeries he's ever done because my dad's calf was so large. We joke about our "Watson Cankles"...our giant calves and ankles that have no end. The swelling made his calf about the size of a volleyball, and he had to use his deepest instruments. The maneuverability within the leg was darn-near impossible to operate quickly, and the surgery lasted over 8 hours. Unfortunately, from the time of impact to bloodflow restoration was just over 9 hours...and normal function of the leg is only guaranteed within 6-8 hours of blood deficit The orthopedic surgeon said the health of his muscles and nerves will take a few weeks to determine, and he will likely have permanent nerve damage. He could have partial or full muscle loss, which could require amputation. The general surgeon said she'll be rounding once or twice daily to make sure that his other vital systems are functioning normal (i.e. respiratory, urinary, cardiovascular, etc)

For a while, the respiratory therapist tried to wean him from the ventilator to see if he would breathe on his own, but he coughed and gagged irregularly, and it was clear that he would still need to be intubated for a while. We were told that due to the pain medication and sedation, it was necessary to keep him on the vent while his body healed, because he wouldn't be able to adequately breathe on his own (due to trauma and existing asthma and sleep apnea). His Versed dose was weaned from 10 to 2 while I was there, and for part of the early evening he was responding to stimuli. The first response made me laugh...I asked him if he knew that 3 of his 4 favorite girls were next to him, and he smirked and shrugged his shoulders. A few times he tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids were swollen shut and purple, and his eyeballs were completely red. He loved it when I scratched his head, and would lean into it a little. He grabbed my hand a few times, but didn't have much grip (from a bandaged hand with a chunk of flesh missing).

I stayed at the hospital from about 1:30 PM to 6:00 (at shift change) and went back from 8:15 to 10:30 MT. I had been up for 21 hours, after only 4 the night before, so I headed back to Chez Watson and slept on the couch. I will probably go back again this morning around 8, stay till 10:45, go to sacrament meeting at 11, then come back to his bedside. I'd originally planned to fly back to Detroit this afternoon, but in my priesthood blessing from Grant, I felt that the family needs me here for a few more days. I'll have to play it by ear.

Any prayers or positive vibes through the universe would be muchly appreciated. I'll try to keep updates on my blog everytime I'm back home by my computer. You can call my cell for updates also.