One last message...

Jon will continue to go to outpatient rehab at Jim Thorpe in OKC.  Jon can now use a cane to walk short distances and was told to return the wheelchair to the rental place.  He is still working hard even during his "off" days.  The president of the hospital saw Mom and Jon again today at rehab and recognized them...He asked if everything was still going well.  Jon was the first person in the state of Oklahoma to be put on the rotoprone bed.  Baptist is the only hospital in Oklahoma to have this bed.  Jon's doctor had written the president of the hospital a letter telling that the bed had made a HUGE difference in Jon's recovery.  After he got the letter, he went to the 9th floor to see the bed.  When he got to the 9th floor, the nurses told him that he had to meet Jon so he went to the sixth floor and met Jon.  He was amazed at Jon's recovery to that point. ...so today he saw mom and Jon and checked in on him.  They discussed how we believe that the Lord got Jon to OU and they got him "patched up" enough to get him to Dr. Boggs.  Then Dr. Boggs healed him through the guidance of the Lord.  We are so thankful to everyone who has played a part in Jon's recovery from people who have sent a note, called, mowed the yard...and prayed.  This is our last post to the blog.  Once again, words will never express our gratitude to everyone during this time.  We wanted to leave you with a message from Kem, Mom and Jon.  

Thank you so much for all of your prayers, kind words, and support during the past 4 1/2 months.  We appreciate your prayers during this time.  Everyone's support has meant so much to us. The many acts of kindness such as the community benefit, mowing our yard, taking care of our animals, and watering our plants have truly touched our hearts. Thank you to Fargo Public Schools for your continued support during this time.  Your support has made it possible to focus on Jon through his accident, illness and recovery. Your kindness is very heart felt.  A special thanks to all the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, and the many other medical staff members who have played such a crucial role in Jon's recovery.  Your dedication and acts of kindness will never be forgotten.  An extra special THANK YOU to Dr. Boggs for going above and beyond the call of  duty. Above all, we give thanks to the Lord for all of our blessings.  Please continue to pray for us and we look forward to seeing everyone in the near future.--Kem, Dani and Jon

Jon is home!

Jon was able to come home on Friday.  He will be going back and forth to OKC for out patient rehab.  The splint on his let is really helping to straighten it out.  He is walking MUCH better w/ the walker.  He has even been picking it up and walking all on his own.  It is so great to get to visit him @ home.  His doctor still cautioned him about being exposed to stuff in public. He does not want him to get sick so he is being very careful to stay well.  We are still so appreciative of all the prayers that have been said on our behalf.  We are so thankful for everyone's support.  Words cannot express how thankful we are.  Please continue to pray for Jon and his continued recovery.  We thank God everyday for all of the blessings He has given to us and for continuing to answer our prayers.  Remember never, never, never give up!!!  

In case you didn't know...

Jon is out of the hospital.  He was released on August 20.  He is continuing his out patient rehab at Jim Thorpe.  He continues to improve. The therapist are working with him to help straighten out his leg that is bent.  He may end up having to wear a splint for a while.  They are all giving him "homework" to work on when he is not in therapy.  He also has to go to the hospital to have different levels checked throughout the week.  Jon still needs to be able to rest during the day.  The occupational therapist stressed to him today how important it is for him to prioritize his tasks during the day so that he does not get worn out.  Small tasks take a lot of energy for Jon to accomplish.  Visitation still needs to be very limited for several reasons...1.  it is VERY important that Jon does not come into contact with ANYONE who is even the least bit sick 2.  He needs to have time to rest so that he can work during therapy 3.  Resting is one way that the body heals 4.  He is busy for much of his day with his therapy.  Please call before going to visit in order to see if it is a good time for visitors.  Jon's health has been so fragile that it is important to take it slowly and not overwhelm his body.  Also, it is important to remember that it is Jon's lungs that have been so sick and not to do anything that would irritate them.  He needs to be in fresh air and not be exposed to overwhelming scents that could cause it to be hard to breathe.  He will be home (in Arnett) before we know it.  He has another appointment with his doctor Friday for a check up.  Hopefully everything will go well.  

Jon is doing really great! We truly appreciate all of the support that our friends and family have shown.  We are so lucky to have such a supportive community and we are so thankful for all of the prayers that have been said on our behalf.  None of us would be where we are today if it weren't for answered prayers!  Please continue to pray for him and our family.

8/19/09

Jon continues to improve and will be leaving the hospital soon and will be doing outpatient rehab.  Outpatient will last for a few weeks.  He is doing so great!  He continues to gain strength and is continuing to walk farther all the time w/ the walker.  Please continue to pray for him, Melinda, and our families.  God is answering our prayers... remember to thank Him for all of His blessings.

8-15-09

\\Jon's procedure went well this morning. After they are able to take his IV out this afternoon, he will not have any other tubes in his body:). He will be back at his therapy this afternoon. \

8-14

Jon has still been working hard during therapy. He is staying busy during the day and then going for malts in the evening. He is going to get his stomach peg out tomorrow morning. He may be released from the hospital in the next 7-10 days!!!! It seems like such a short amount of time. He will be staying in OKC for some outpatient therapy for a couple of weeks though. He is doing so great! He is still working to improve his short term memory. It is improving each day! He is walking with more ease with the walker and has been going up and down stairs. He is able to see Rusty (the dog) and go on short trips around OKC w/ mom. Jon is much better but still has many days of recovery ahead of him. Please continue to keep him and our entire family in your prayers. God has truly answered our prayers so far!

Weekend 8-8,8-9

Jon had a good weekend.  He was able to walk with the walker down the hallway this weekend.  He walked up to 55 feet without any assistance besides the walker.  He continues to work hard.  Sunday evening he choked on something and got sick.  It scared mom. They checked his oxygen and it was 99% and listened to him.  They said his lungs sounded good.   We played cards and started a puzzle today.  He is gaining strength each day and is ready to come home.  Please continue to pray for him and his recovery.  He has also been going to Sonic for chocolate malts.  It has been nice to be able to leave the hospital for short amounts of time:)  

August 5 and 6

Jon had a very happy birthday...for being in the hospital.  We are so thankful that he is here with us to celebrate life!  He really enjoyed reading all of the cards that were sent!  It is so touching to all of us to see our friends and family reach out and support us.  Jon got his trach out yesterday and he has no food restrictions now. He just has to eat while being supervised.  He ate A LOT of cake and ice cream and then ate almost all of his supper.  His appetite is not lacking.  Jon is making progress and getting better quickly.  Each day he is better.  They are saying that he will be ready to go home in a few weeks:)  He may move to a different rehab facility in the near future so that he can receive services that may be more appropriate for him.  Today, Jon was able to walk down the hallway with the help of some type of walking machine.  They are working to help Jon's leg straighten out so that he will be able to stand and walk more easily. Jon is also able to get from his bed to the wheelchair by himself!!  He is working so hard and we are so proud of him. We are also thankful for all of the friends, family, doctors, nurses, and therapist that are so kind, caring, and compassionate not only to Jon but also to our entire family.  Prayer is so powerful!  

August 4

Jon has made huge improvements in the past week. He has moved to rehab. He is working almost all day. The first few days he was so tired but is building more endurance. He passed his swallow test on Monday. He can eat and drink whatever he wants to! He was really craving a Dr. Pepper. He said it wasn't as good as he remembered!...I told him to try a Pepsi b/c they are much better:) Jon remembers things and his personality is very much the "old Jon." He does have a little trouble with his short term memory but it is getting better. Sometimes he gets some details confused. It is hard to see him feel upset b/c he has something wrong. He is very determined to get out of the hospital and walk! He has a few sayings..."depends on how you want to look at it," "slowly but surely," and "it could be a whole lot worse." He has a good outlook and a positive attitude. He is supposed to have his trach removed tomorrow. He has had it capped off for about a week now and is doing well. We are so thankful for all of the prayers and kind words. Please continue to pray for Jon, Melinda, and our families. We still have many tough times ahead of us.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Wed July 29

Jon has't been sleeping or talking much the last couple of days. He has been out of ICU in a room w/ a window for the last couple of days. Yesterday they capped off his trach and his oxygen has been great (97% and up)! He has refused to have the mask on for a breathing treatment during the night and told one of the nurses that came in that he wanted a "real" nurse to take care of him and wouldn't let her take his blood. They sent in a different nurse and he let her do it! Rehab is in his near future...he hopefully will make the move today if everything is still going well when the doctor does rounds. We are so thankful! Please continue to pray for Jon and Melinda. Our God is truly an awesome God!

moving day

Jon is moving out of ICU today. He had a good weekend. He gets tired easily. Jon has been giving the nurses a hard time and they love it! It is so good to see him acting more like himself. One of Jon's nurses played basketball at OU and so I told him to ask her where she played and she told him. He said, "That sucks!" She told him that they beat OSU everytime. Jon said,"That's impressive." They then began talking about his birthday. He asked her, "So what ae you getting me?" She asked if he would accept an OU hat. He said, "I would burn it and do a dance around it!" He was smiling the whole time. We were a little concerned Friday night b/c his oxygen was around 93 so Saturday morning Mom asked the doctor about it and we found out that he is down to 28% on the oxygen cap. This is very close to what we breathe. He also explained to her that Jon may seem tired and like he doesn't feel very well b/c he doesn't. He said it would be like if we had the flu over the weekend and went to work on Monday. We feel tired and not like talking to other people. He said that Jon feels like this but about 100 times worse! Anyway, Jon is much better and we are so thankful for all of his improvement! Please continue to pray for Jon and Melinda. Rehab is going to be a very trying time for Jon! It is going to take so much work and determination on his part! Thanks for all of your kind words and prayers--they mean so much to us!


Also, Jon's 21st birthday is coming up! It is on August 5th. If anyone would like to send him a card, please mail it to our home address: Jon Mann, P.O. Box 18, Arnett, OK 73832. Thanks:) We are going to surprise him w/ these on his birthday!

Wed and Thurs

The past couple of days Jon has worked very hard during PT and OT.  The physical thearapist has been helping Jon to stand briefly and then sit in a chair for a few minutes.  He is very weak.  His right leg does not want to bend and his left leg wants to stay bent.  They are working with him to get them to both bend and stay straight.  OT is helping him by doing stretching exercises.  Jon keeps saying how tired he is and is trying to sleep a lot!  Jon's doctors have been consulting with the rehab doctors.  We are not sure exactly when he is going to be moving out of ICU but it is in the near future!  Jon's oxygen is staying good.  On Friday morning they are going to change his trach to a cuffless trach.  This will allow him to be able to talk a little more.  I got to hear him talk for the first time yesterday (Thurs).  It is so exciting.  I don't think Jon understands why all of the nurses and doctors and us are so excited about these little things! Hopefully one day he will.He is ready to be able to come home! We keep asking him what he wants mom to cook for him.  He is much more quiet than he was last weekend.    Each day he is making small strides!  Please continue to pray for Jon.  He needs strength to continue to fight this battle.  He is working so hard and we are so proud of him.  

7-21-09

Jon had a good morning with PT.  He was able to get into a wheel chair and go for a short walk around the floor this morning. He was in the wheel chair for about 45 minutes. While Jon was up exercising his oxygen sats were still between 90 and 93.  While they were wheeling him around it was around 96.  This is very good.  Jon's doctor is a little concerned b/c Jon will cough until he gags and throws up. He is concerned that Jon could aspirate when he does this.  We do not want him to aspirate anything!  It could cause a setback for him.  The ultrasound they did on Jon's arm earlier still shows that he has a blood clot in his right arm so he still has to take the shot in his tummy.  The rehab doctor will come by tomorrow.  They are going to put the voice thing on his trach later today.  He will require closer supervision w/ this b/c it would make it easier for him to aspirate b/c they have to loosen the cuff when he uses it.  Hopefully they will be able to remove the trach soon!  

At this point we are still trying to do what is best for Jon and his long term recovery process.  In order to respect Jon's privacy during this time, we are still asking that visitors are restricted to our immediate family.  We truly appreciate people stopping by the hospital to check on him and us...this helps to lift our spirits and we can tell Jon who stopped by.  As Jon recovers more and becomes stronger, we will begin to allow limited visitation.  I know everyone may not understand or think that we are being overprotective, but it is what we feel is truly best for Jon right now.  Jon knows that we are sometimes overly cautious...the other day he was coughing and we got RT and the nurse in his room. When he finished coughing, he told RT that his mom is overly cautious.  It is so hard to know what is always best, but we have to go w/ our instinct.  

Please continue to pray for Jon.  He needs to continue to gain strength and not have any setbacks.  We appreciate all of the support!

Weekend and Monday

This weekend Jon was full of it!  He had so much to say to all of us.  He is starting to remember things that were going on at the time he got hurt.  Jon got really worried about his tests.  He looked at us and said "I have tests this week!" and was worried about how he was going to get them taken.  We told him that we have talked to his teachers and that he has extended time to work on them.  They continued to lower the pressure support all weekend.  Jon wants to know what the nurses and medical staff are doing and why.  When they explain to him, he is much less anxious.  He kept asking all of us to take him home.  The doctor on call this weekend told us that he is in the "recovery" stage.  We are  so thankful.  We told Jon all weekend that he would have to ask his doctor when he would be able to go home...we are closer each day.  The doctor took his neck brace off this weekend.  Jon's doctor put it back on this morning and said that another doctor would have to ok it.  Jon likes the people who come for PT but he does not like the people for OT.  He told us that he thought that they were weird.  The OT people told Jon if he kept taking the vent off they would have to stop and so he kept pulling at it!  Jon is hard to understand b/c he can't talk out loud yet.  He is trying to talk over the vent and is mouthing everything else. He becomes frustrated when we don't understand.  He asked mom if "she understood English" and she told him that she was trying.  Jon shook his head and then said "never mind."  This morning (Monday)  Jon's doctor took him off the ventilator.  PT is going to stand him up later this week.  They said to try to get some stuff that would make Jon feel more normal like shorts and boxers...  The other doctor came in and took his neck brace off.  The doctor said that rehab people will becoming soon to evaluate Jon.  Everyday we can see such improvement in Jon.  His strength is returning each day!  We are so thankful!!  Jon still needs prayers.  We are so thankful for everyone's continued  support and prayers.

Many changes

Everyday Jon's improvement is becoming more and more apparent.  Last Saturday his hand shook the entire time he moved it to his face.  Today, he does it without shaking and much more quickly and efficiently.  He is starting to communicate with us much more.  He becomes frustrated sometimes b/c we don't understand him.  The pressure support on the vent is on 12.  The doctor assesses him daily and then they lower it by 2 every twelve hours depending on if the Dr gives the okay.  They really think that his fever is due to being on the ventilator and his elevated liver enzymes are due to some of his meds.  All of his tests are coming back good.  Earlier this week the doctor told us that one day soon it is going to be up to Jon...his recovery would depend on what Jon put into it rather than the treatment that the doctor was/is giving to him.  All of the doctors and nurses are so happy to see Jon and see his improvement.  It is so hard to leave him alone.  It seems like we have so much catching up to do!  Jon is being his normal self and making some somewhat inappropriate comments to the nurses and us...:)  It is good to see (I think?)  Jon is not "Jon" yet.  It is easy to paint a picture that is different than reality.  Jon is still on some strong medications.  It can be deceiving to hear about all of his improvements and in your mind imagine that he is about to walk out of the hospital door.  Jon is MUCH better and we are so thankful, but realistically Jon has a long road ahead of him to regain his strength.  Please continue to pray for Jon and Melinda.  Your prayers are the most precious gift.  One day Jon will be able to understand and know that so many people have prayed for him and know how lucky he is to be here with us today.  Today one of the nurses talked about the day that Jon came to Baptist and said that being on the rotorest bed probably saved his life.  They talk about how close to death he was when he came.  We can only attribute his recovery to God's will.  We are so thankful.  So, when your faith waivers and you doubt the power of prayer, remember Jon's story.  God does answer our prayers; we must be open to hearing His answers.  

Monday

Jon had another good day today.  Jon's doctor said that he was pleased with the weekend.  He wants Jon to continue getting up each day.  He started going down on the pressure support again today.  They did another ultra sound of Jon's gall bladder and liver.  Jon was busy all day today but tolerated it well.  Jon has such a long road ahead of him. He needs to continue to get stronger.  Please continue to pray for Jon and Melinda.  They have each come such a long way.  We truly appreciate everyone's support!

Friday,Saturday, and Sun Morning

On Friday morning Jon's respiratory rate increased close to the 50s and his heart rate also increased.  The doctor ordered an EEG and an EKG.  The results from these tests showed that Jon's heart is just fine.  It is pumping properly.  They will give him heart rate medicine for it.  The doctor really thinks that Jon is just becoming more and more aware of what is going on.  He could also be having some withdraws from some of the medication.  Saturday Jon had a good day.  He didn't want much to do with anyone.  He seems to be upset and doesn't really want us loving on him...he is really out of luck w/ this one!  They were planning to run the high intensity scan on his liver and gall bladder Saturday.  When it was time, they came to his room.  They put Jon flat and told him not to move.  They then told us that he would have to be still for 4 hours.  This was never going to work so after a little while they stopped the test.  It was not Jon's regular doctor that ordered it. It was a GI doc...we are not really sure what he was thinking??? This is not how we understood that the procedure was going to work.  Saturday afternoon he rested comfortably. Jon had a good night. Jon was doing well Sunday morning as well.  The infectious disease doctor does not think that Jon has an active infection even though the psuedomonious grew in his sputum.  It is not causing him to have pneumonia.  She went ahead and started him on inhaled antibiotics.  Jon's white count was down in the 10,000s today.   Please keep praying that Jon continues to be infection free and continues to have a full recovery.  

Thursday and Friday July 8 and 9

Jon is still doing very well. He is receiving PT everyday. This is helping him to become stronger. They are reducing the pressure support by 2 every 12 hours. He is tolerating this change. He must be getting better b/c he has let Mom know that she is getting on his nerves:) Please continue to pray for Jon's recovery. Prayer is a valuable tool that everyone has access to 24/7.

Wednesday July 8

This morning the doctor said that Jon's chest x-ray looked better than he had ever seen it!! Jon's white count was down. They are going to insert the peg in Jon's stomach after lunch today. This will make Jon VERY happy! Yesterday, Jon was able to sit up on the edge of his bed for a little while. It will take him a while to regain his strength. Continue to pray for Jon and Melinda. God is answering our prayers and we are so thankful!

7/7/09

Today they are completely removing Jon's sedation. They are going to remove the fentynal drip and use a patch for his pain relief. They are also going to put the vent on pressure support so that Jon is breathing on his own but has the vent as a backup. Jon's liver enzymes are down today. Please continue your prayers.

Monday, July 6

The doctor decided not to put the tube in Jon's stomach today. Jon's white count was up a little but the infecious disease doctor said that nothing had grown. It is better to wait and make sure all is well rather than to rush things. The neurologist fired himself today. He said that Jon didn't need his services right now:) Jon didn't really respond to his regular doctor today but the nurse told him how Jon had been responding to us. He is still responding to Mom and Melissa. He wanted his glasses on but didn't want to watch TV. Physical Therapy came today. Jon's right knee didn't want to bend and they forced it. Jon's liver enzymes were up again today. The doctor will do another test around the end of the week on his liver. (They did tell us that his liver is NOT failing which we are very, very thankful for.) We continue to have faith in the Lord and his plan for Jon and our family. His plan is playing out each day in front of us. He continues to answer our prayers and heal Jon. It is such a blessing! I can't say enough times how thankful we truly are! Please remember to keep praying during the good times. Jon's road to recovery is not going to be a short one. Jon needs our prayers just as much today and tomorrow as he did the past few weeks. Words are not enough to express our feelings to our friends, family, and God...we simply say thank you and we love you all!

Friday-Sunday July 3-5

Friday--I don't know that the Jon's liver enzymes were high...I thnk that they are elevated. The scan showed that Jon's liver is okay; it may be his gall bladder but he is not having all the symptoms of a bad gall bladder. They are continuing to lower sedation.

Saturday--They did not change any sedation today. The doctors have all decided to let Jon's body run its course. They are not giving him tylenol for his fever or heart rate medicine. They said that this can help them determine if there is an infection and where. Jon gave Mom a kiss today. He seemed very agitated today. His "waking up" process has been different this time. He seems to be VERY uncomfortable. The highest Jon's temp got to was 103. The doctor consutled w/ cardiology about Jon's heart rate b/c it was in the 160's. The cardiologist said that in a healthy young man w/ a healthy heart that he would not treat it. This still makes us feel nervous. They started Jon on tube feeding again today! This is a good step for Jon's recovery.

Sunday--Today was a great day!! The GI doctor came in and said that he may be able to have the tube in his nose remove the tube in his nose and put a tube into his stomach. This will be much more comfortable for Jon. They will do this procedure some time early this week if Jon tolerates the tube feed on Sunday. The infectious disease doctor does not see any infections in Jon right now. This is a VERY good sign! Jon's temp could be related to medicines, agitation, or his gall bladder. Jon's regular doctor is VERY pleased with Jon's progress this weekend. When the dr went in this morning, Jon reached up and tried to shake his hand. Jon responded to us all day long. He gave me a hug and several kisses. He understood what we were talking about. He even said, "yup" a couple of times. Jon got very frustrated when he couldn't communicate with us what he wanted to. Jon was being honery today when the neuro dr came in. He wouldn't respond to him when he asked him to look at him. I told the dr that he would look at us. So I talked to Jon and he looked at me so the dr asked if he would look over toward Melissa. She started to talk to him and he looked at her. The dr said "ok" and left. Jon was smiling and teasing the nurse. Jon was much more clear today. He was clearer today than when he arrived at Select. He still is not back to himself. He has a long, long road ahead of him. Someone told Mom that he will have one week of PT for every day in ICU...that is over one year of therapy. Jon's lungs are MUCH better but still need to become more plyable and some of the aveoli are still not functioning properly. These can heal and when they do, it will be much better for Jon. He is very weak, but seems very determined. He was uncomfortable and moved himself in the bed. Please continue to pray for Jon's recovery. God has answered so many prayers and we are so very thankful. We appreciate all of your prayers and support!!!

7/2/09

They have cut Jon back on all of his sedatives and pain medication. He is moving much more. They are going to continue to remove the sedatives and pain meds. Jon's pulmonary status is still good. The doctor has not been ordering ABGs or xrays everyday. He did order an xray this morning though. They did a CAT scan this morning on his liver and gall bladder because his liver enzymes were high today. Jon's temperature is still getting high (up to 102ish). Please pray for Jon's recovery and for the medical staff. Please don' stop praying now.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Jon has had a couple of days where things were up in the air. He has had a temperature of up to 103. They are not sure why. Nothing has grown in his spudum culture and his white blood count is still normal. They determined that the bacteria that had grown from a blood culture was from a contaminated container. Jon is still reacting to coming off the sedation. They have removed all of one of his sedatives. They are trying to find the best medication to treat Jon. Jon's pulmonary status is remaining good. They tried lowering the vent yesterday. The doctor said he didn't think that Jon was ready but to try anyway. He was not off for long and they put him back on. It feels like things are up in the air right now as to how to treat Jon most appropriately. Please pray for the medical staff and for Jon and our family.

Weekend and Monday

Jon had a really good weekend.  They are lowering his sedation very slowly.  Jon is starting to wake up again.  He is having muscle twitches and increased respirations.  Sunday after not getting much rest, they moved the sedation up a little so that he could rest.  He is having a periodic, low grade temperature. They are monitoring his blood cultures and sputum culture.  So far nothing has grown in the sputum.   Something has grown in one of his blood cultures so they are redoing them b/c if there is an infection it should be in both of them.  Sometimes containers or the central line may contain an infection but the person may not be sick.  They will find out so if he needs medicine they can treat him appropriately.  The doctor was pleased with Jon's recovery over the weekend.  The doctor on call told us Sunday that his xray was A LOT better than it had been. This is really good news and news we don't hear too often.  Jon has continued to do well and has handled coming off the sedation better today.  He is on 40% oxygen and having sats in the upper 90s.  The doctor said that he has been stable for a few days now and that is good...he was referring to his pulmonary status when he said that.  Jon still has a long way to go but he is MUCH better!  Please continue to pray for his recovery.

6/26/09

Jon had a good night last night. They were able to move him down to 45%. His sats are around 99-100 this morning. They have the paralytic off completely but it will take a while for it to get all of the way out of his system. They said that his x-ray may be a little better today. Jon's temperature was down as well as his white blood count. They are going to start lowering one of his sedatives today. Please continue to pray.

6/25/09

Jon's paralytic has been stoppped and he is starting to be able to move around. He is wrinkling his face and starting to move his feet. He has even opened his eyes. He is still on sedation medication so he is not alert at this point. They had to increase his oxygen to 60% during the night but they are being able to lower it slowly. The doctor said that they are not going to make any changes today. He also thought that Jon's x-ray looked better today. His ABGs were adequate so we would like for them to go up a little. Jon's white count is down today from yesterday. Yesterday it was up into the 11,000s. We need his white count to stay down. The doctor said that he still think that Jon is better. Praise the Lord!!

Every time we turn around...

God is here! He continues to answer our prayers. The doctor came in this morning and said that everything was better today. They are going to start taking the paralytic off today and see how Jon tolerates it. The doctor told Mom and Kem that he thinks we are headed in the right direction.

If you are someone that does not believe in the power of prayer, please let this be an example to you. I can tell you first hand that there is no explanation for why Jon has steadily gotten better other than God and His healing power. I believe that He has guided the doctors and medical staff to treat Jon. Time after time the treatments they have chosen for Jon usually/should not work and they do! When you can sit in a room filled with strange machines, beepers, buzzers, monitors, and see someone you love so dearly depending on them and still have a sense of peace and love fill your heart, you know that God is there. Please continue your prayers for Jon and Melinda. We send lots and love and thank yous to everyone.

6/23/09

Well, Jon does NOT have to have any chest tubes inserted. They did a CT scan and found that he did not have much fluid around his bad lung. The doctor was pleased to find this out. He said that tomorrow he may end up doing a bronchial scope. The doctor thinks that what they are seeing in the x-rays are mucus plugs and the old pneumonia. The mucus plugs can be removed in the scope. This is such good news that Jon does not have to have these tubes inserted... The doctor said that they will monitor his lungs closely and that our next step is to start removing the paralytic. Please keep praying for Jon that he continues to heal and does not have any new infections. Please pray for the doctors and medical staff to continue to treat Jon appropriately and to guide them in their treatment of Jon. Please pray for all of his friends and family to continue to have the strength to endure this storm. Please thank God for all of the wonderful blessings He has bestowed upon us and for all of the answered prayers:)

Sunday and Monday 6/20-21 and Tuesday morning

Sunday--Jon was able to be taken off the nitric oxide. They were able to do this fairly quickly and keep his sats up. While Jon has been on the rotorest bed his heart rate has been up. It has been about double what it should be. We are very thankful that he has been able to come off the nitric. Jon also stayed on his back the entire day:) They inserted a tube thing where his chest tube was to help the wound heal faster. It is like a little sponge that is attached to a vaccum.



Monday--Jon was able to be moved to a somewhat "normal" bed today. This bed still moves him from side to side but it looks like a regular bed. His sats were good all day. Jon's white count was down and his temperature was also down.

Tuesday--The doctor said that his bad lung looked worse today and his good lung looked better. They are going to take him for a CT scan this afternoon and possibly insert two tubes into his chest to help his bad lung. He has been able to be on 40% but they have recently had to up his oxygen to 50%. Please pray for the doctors and medical staff to make the best decisions for Jon's health care and recovery.

6/20/09

Jon has had a good day today. He is down to 12 on the nitric and his sats are between 93-95. His oxygen is on 40%. Jon continues to make progress and we are so thankful. It is always good to see him and tell him how much we love and care about him. We always tell him how many people are praying for him and how lucky he is. We are lucky too! We have so many people who care about all of us and pray for us each day. This is what has made all of the difference. Even when things are scary, the peace that only God can give is in our hearts. Please continue praying for Jon and Melinda's recovery, that the medical staff will have the knowledge to treat them appropriately, and that our families will remain strong and have peace. Remember to thank Him for all of the blessings He has already bestowed upon us...we are truly grateful! Let each member of your family know that they are special and how much you love them because you never know what the future may hold...each day that God gives us is truly a gift and we need to cherish it. Each small moment we have with Jon is a moment we are thankful for!

6/18 night and 6/19

Thursday night Jon did very well. They were able to lower the nitric to 18 and get his oxygen to 40%. His lung function number was up to 215 by Friday morning. Jon was doing very well. He has these times when he is just staying the same or even needing his oxygen increased and then within a short amount of time he really starts to do much better.

Friday Jon had a very busy day! They tested his chest tube to see if his lung would collapse if they removed it. His lung did not collapse and his numbers stayed good so they removed his chest tube. He had 5 x-rays. He had his central line replaced. He was also staying on his back for 3 hours and then tummy for 1 hour at a time. Jon's numbers stayed good all day. They moved his nitric down to 12. They are able to suction a lot of stuff out when he turns onto his tummy. Jon's numbers usually are staying in the upper 90's while he is on his tummy and the mid-lower 90's when he is on his back. By the end of the evening, they had to increase his nitric to 19 and increase his oxygen to 60%. He was doing well for a while so they decreased his oxygen to 50% for the night. This is a lot of activity for Jon and he handled it very well. In the past couple of weeks, Jon would not have been able to tolerate all of this activity. This morning (Saturday) Jon was doing well. His lung function test was in the 190's rather than the 200's. This is probably b/c he is on 50% oxygen rather than 40% like yesterday morning. It has been good for Jon to have this week of progress and no-little setbacks. Your prayers are still working! God is still working! Please continue to pray for all of us!

the beds

I have added pictures of the rotorest beds that Jon has been in at the bottom of the blog.

6/17-18

Jon has been doing about the same the past couple of days. His lung function (I am not sure that this is really what it is called) number has been a little lower the past couple of days but it is still in the same range. His temperature has stayed below 100 and I think his x-rays have been a little better. The doctor has made some changes on the bed. Jon is now staying on his back for 3 hours and his tummy for 1 hour. Through making this change they have had to increase his oxygen. They started out at 50 and it is down to 45%. Please keep the prayers up for Jon and Melinda. It may be hard for everyone who is not witnessing the answered prayers in person to see how they are truly being answered, but believe me they are and it is amazing! We truly appreciate the love and support from everyone!

6/16/09

Jon had a good night. Before our parents left last night, they had to raise Jon's oxygen to 50% or 55%. This happened after he had been on his back. Throughout the night they were able to get his oxygen back down to 40%. The nurse also noticed that Jon's sedation was not working as well as it should. He was moving his lips and his heart rate was going up. She explained to him that his Mom and Dad were sleeping and that they would be back in the morning. She also told him that he was being given medicine to keep him from moving and not to worry. When she talked to him his heart rate went down. She called the doctor and told him about the sedation and they switched it so that he would be more sedated. We also found out this morning that his lung function number is 202!!! We would be in the 400's. The 200's show that his ARDS is less active. They want him to be in the 300's. This is such progress from last week. When he went in on Wednessday, he was at a 60. We are so thankful for all of his progress. Please remember to thank God for all of his blessings that He so graciously gives us and continue to pray for Jon and Melinda's recovery. Thanks again for all of your support and prayers...it has made all of the difference.

6/14/09

Jon has had a good day today. He has been on 40% oxygen and the nitric is on 20. They decided to not make any more changes to that today and work on getting him more used to staying on his back. He was on his back for a while today and they had to increase the oxygen to 50% for a minute but were able to bring it back down. The doctor told Mom that he was a little better today. We also learned that he has a staph infection and psuedomonious (not sure how to spell it) around the chest tube. The infectious disease doctor came in today and they are going to switch his antibiotics to treat it. Overall, Jon has had a good weekend. Please continue your prayers. It is so inspiring to see God answering prayers and what a support system Jon and our family has. So often we don't give God the credit for the "things" that happen in our life. In our situation, we have no one else to give credit to...He is truly guiding the medical staff, healing Jon, and giving us strength and so much more.

6/13/09 EVENING

Tonight when they had Jon on his back, his O2 levels dropped. He had a hard time recovering when he was turned back onto his tummy. They increased his oxygen to 60% and turned the nitric back up to 20. They also noticed that his input and output levels of fluids were not staying the same. He was taking in more fluid than he was putting back out. The doctor thinks that this is because of his chest tube and is not too concerned with it but ordered an x-ray to double check. Preliminary results of the x-ray showed no change from this morning. This would indicate that the fluid is not gathering around his lungs.

Remember to say thank you

Sorry I haven't been able to update...I was at a conference and the didn't have internet in my room. Last time I posted I said that Jon's oxygen was at 50%...They had tried to get it to 50% and ended up having to move him back to 55%. On Friday they were able to get him down to 45%. He has tolerate this well. The doctor said that things were all about the same, but 3 different nurses told us that he was better. On Saturday, they moved his nitric from 19 down to 10. He has tolerated this so far. They were also able to leave him on his back for one hour without having to increase his oxygen. This is an improvement. They also told us that they have a scale to assess lung function...when Jon moved to Baptist he was at a 60, today he was a 196 and at 200 people are no longer in ARDS!!! They also told us that they thought his x-ray from today looked better. Please remember to give thanks for the many blessings and answered prayers. Please continue to pray. It seems like every time things seem to be improving prayer volume may go down and we have a setback...anyway, we appreciate all the prayers and please keep praying for Jon's recovery.

What a week!

Tuesday the respiratory therapist continued to lower Jon's oxygen. When the RT came on duty, Jon's oxygen was at 80% and he was doing well. She continued to lower it to 50% and his numbers began to go down. He struggled all day with his oxygen sats. They finally turned it up to 100%. On Tuesday, his x-ray looked a little better. His ABGs were good (I think)...his numbers were steady all night. The doctor all tried to begin moving the bed again. Jon did not tolerate this so they had to stop. Wednesday morning, his numbers began to go down into the lower 90's. At this point, they decided to move him to Baptist ICU. Moves are hard on patients. It made me nervous...Anyway, he made the move fine. They moved him b/c Baptist has more resources than Select. Jon still has the same doctors seeing him. They put Jon on a new bed. It turns him completely over onto his tummy. He stays like this for 3 hours and then he turns to his back for 1 hour. This is not going to be pretty. It will cause his face, eyes, and lips to swell. He will also have a lot of secretions drain from him. This may not look good, but it is good for his lungs. They also started him on the nitric oxide. He was not requiring this, but the doctor thought it might help him faster. After they started the nitric they were hoping for one of his numbers to go up at least by 10 points. It went up over 100 points!!!! Also, his respirations went down from 20-25 breaths per minute to around 12. (We breathe about 15.) They were able to move his oxygen down much more quickly. By late last night, he was down to 50%. This is a much safer oxygen level. His ABGs are adequate now. Today (Thursday), they think that Jon may have fluid in his body cavity so they did a CAT scan. If he does, they will insert a tube to drain it. They have not found any new infections. The doctor thought that Jon's x-ray may have looked a little worse today, but he does not know why so they are checking everything out. Overall, they are happy with the progress Jon has made since yesterday. He is still VERY sick! Please continue to pray for him and the medical staff. It is so apparent to us that God is working each and every day! Jon has continued to respond to treatments that people do not normally respond to or sometimes they do not respond to them. God is directing the medical team and is healing Jon. I pray that He continues to do so. Jon is such a precious person to all of us. I keep thinking about how he makes each of us feel when he is around. Somehow, he seems to always make us smile:) As always, lots of prayers!

6/8/09

The doctor said that Jon's bad lung was better today and the other side (left I think) has pneumonia in it. This pneumonia is sensitive to the antibiotic he is on. They have his oxygen down to 90% and Jon is hitting 100. Please continue to pray for Jon's continued recovery. Also, please continue to pray for Melinda. She is making gains each day. She also has pneumonia and needs our prayers.

What a Weekend!!

Saturday morning Jon's oxygen level began to go down. The doctor said to raise his oxygen to 70%. When we visited with the doctor he explained to us the severity of Jon's condition and that his lungs were very sick. He told us about A.R.D.S. and that he needs to get rid of whatever is causing the A.R.D.S to act up. We needed to be able to "keep him alive" long enough for his lungs to heal. Jon's numbers looked good for a while. As the day progressed his oxygen sats were going down. They had the oxygen on the ventilator up to 100%. They were trying everything that they could possibly try and nothing was working. Jon's sats got down to 71. They took x-rays, drew ABGs (Arterial Blood Gas), put him on antibiotics, put him on blood pressure medicine...they were doing everything that they could think of to help Jon. The doctor bluntly told us that if Jon continued down this path that they were not going to be able to save him. The doctor was not finding a reason for Jon's decline. Jon's blood pressure was going down; his temperature was going down, and his oxygen sats were going down...We were SO scared. The doctor wanted to move Jon to Baptist but told us that he would not be able to survive the transport so it was better for Jon to remain at Select Specialty Hospital. We knew that if something happened to Jon that it was God's will. It is hard to accept sometmes that God's will may not be your will. We continued to pray continuously. We talked to Jon and told him to keep fighting. A little later in the evening (around 8:30) the doctor came in and actually lowered Jon's PEEP. This is not something that patients usually like or tolerate. Jon responded favorably to this. From this point Jon's oxygen began to rise. Within minutes it was in the 80's, by around 2:30 it was consistently about 90, by 6:00 it was 94 or above, and by last night it was above 97. The doctor told RT to begin weaning him off the oxygen but if his sats got below 95 to go back up. She put him at 90% and he tolerated it well. They were messing with him and it went to 94 for a couple of seconds and she moved it back up to 100%. (She was a little nervous) Jon had a good night Sunday night and his ABGs were good this morning and we were told that they showed that his lungs were functioning better. We will see what the x-ray and doctor have to say. It is only because of God's will that Jon is with us...we don't know his plan for any of us, but we must be willing to accept whatever he has in store for us. It doesn't mean that the human in us is going to "like" it or that our "selfishness" won't sometimes come out, but we can try. We are so thankful for so many things. We are surrounded by so many blessings in this life, we just have to remember that and give thanks appropriately...We are so grateful that God has answered our prayers. We are also thankful to everyone who has stopped to pray for Jon and our family. Everyone's prayers mean more to us than you will probably ever know.

6/5/09

Today has been an up and down day. The doctor said that Jon's xray looked a little better maybe. Jon's white count was up a little. His temp is down still. His heart rate is good. Jon's blood pressure is a little high but the doctor said that he'd rather it was a little high rather than low. The doctor said that he thought that Jon was better and going to continue to get better. It is just going to be a long recovery for his lungs. Another doctor (either rehab or pt) came by and said that the doctor had asked him to stop by. He said that he would be helping stimulate Jon's brain when he was ready. When the nurse changed Jon's sheets and gown today, she had him reclined. When she sat him up, his oxygen went down. It finally was coming up about an hour later and we discovered that his bed was reclined too much. The nurse sat him up and the monitors all went off. Jon's oxygen went down to about 88-92. They were having a lot of trouble getting it up. As we were sitting there watching everything, we noticed that Jon began to move his head and mouth. It made us wonder b/c he was on paralytic. We stopped the nurse and she said that he was dreaming. Jon continued to move. We talked to her again. She called in RT. It looked like Jon was trying to breathe through his mouth. They took off the vent and used the bag to try to dislodge a mucus plug. They didn't get it but did get it moved. The put the vent back on. They figured out that the paralytic medication was not getting to Jon in the proper amount at least for a brief time and it was allowing him to move. They got it corrected...They have also been in contact w/ the doctor on call. He said to move the oxygen to 70% and do a blood gas and then call him. The RT/nurse figured out that a tube on the vent was loose and that the pressure on the vent was wrong. Hopefully, with all of these things corrected, Jon's oxygen level will increase. It is so stressful to see Jon go through these ups and downs. I have gotten up and gone to the waiting room several times today...Please continue to pray for Jon to have a speedy, healthy recovery. It is remarkable, no matter your situation, be thankful for what God has given to you because as you look around, you will find that you have been given many blessings. Never count anything out when you have God on your side:)

6/4/09

Last night around 10 the nurse was giving Jon a bath and changing his sheets. They had Jon flat for about 30 minutes. When they sat him back up, his oxygen went down to about 87 and was not going up. They increased the oxygen to 70% and it still didn't go up. The doctor was next door getting a new patient situated so when he was finished he decided to do a bronchial scope. The doctor was able to get a lot of stuff out of Jon's lungs. After the procedure they had Jon's oxygen at 100%. By this morning his oxygen was already down to 50%. Jon's x-ray looked a little better today. Jon's white count was up a little bit today. The infectious disease doctor is also monitoring some of Jon's mucus. Some bacteria has grown on it, but everyone has bacteria so they are waiting to see if it turns into anything else. They also got Jon a vibrating bed. It vibrates and rotates. They will be able to use this for Jon's respiratory treatments. Jon's condition seems to change sometimes with his position. Jon's body fluid level is at 12. The normal level is 8-10. They are giving Jon medicine to help with this. Continue to pray for Jon's recovery. He is still very sick and has a long road ahead of him, but we have faith that he will continue to get stronger each day.

6/3/09

Jon has had a good day. His temperature is down to around 99. His oxygen level is good as well as his heart rate and blood pressure. His blood gasses were in the 90s today. Yesterday they were in the 60s. His xray was better. The doctor said that he was pleases with the change in the xray and that he is optimistic. Jon's white count is in the normal range now. God is once again answering our prayers one by one. The doctor wants Jon completely sedated and paralyzed today so that it allows his lungs to heal faster and he doesn't try to over breathe. When he is more aware his respirations go up. Earlier this morning he was less sedated and he raised his eye brow when I told him that I was here for the day. When I told his nurse that he was that aware and raising his eye brow at me he raised it again so I told Jon that I was going to sit down so that he would rest and get better. Please continue to pray for Jon's continued healing. He needs strength. We appreciate everyone's continued support and prayers.

PRAY! PRAY!PRAY!

Jon is very, very sick. The ARDS (Acute Respiratry Distress Syndrome--this is what Jon had earlier when he was so sick) and pneumonia are both affecting his lungs. The x-ray from today looked worse than yesterdays. Yesterday, there was only a small spot at the bottom of his right lung. Today, both lungs are cloudy. They have him completely sedated and paralyzed so that he is not breathing at all on his own. They want the ventilator to do all of the work. They do not want Jon to be coughing or anything. This is a VERY serious situation. The doctor told Mom that he is very concerned and that the next 24 hours are very important!

What we have to be thankful for: A nurse told Mom that they had seen lungs in worse shape and those people ended up fine. Also, Jon's white count is down today. They do have some room to make changes in his ventilator. It is set at 40% oxygen and the PEEP is at 10 so they have room to go if they need to. Before, the ventilator was at 100% oxygen, at least 15-20 on the PEEP, he had the ossilating ventilator, and nitric oxide...we are still better now than we were then...

PLEASE PRAY FOR JON AND THE DOCTORS AND NURSES TO KNOW HOW TO TREAT HIM APPROPRIATELY. WE ARE VERY WORRIED, YET VERY FULL OF FAITH AND TRUST IN GOD. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE PRAY FOR JON! I CAN'T ASK IT ENOUGH TIMES.

Last night

Jon had a good night. His vitals were all good. His temperature was actually down to normal for a few hours during the night. Jon's respiration and heart rate did go up when they were taking his blood. They had to do this in an arterie and this is supposed to be painful. Not very much is draining from Jon's chest tube which is a good sign. I feel so repetitive but I also feel so strongly...prayer and God's will has gotten us this far--Please continue to pray for Jon.

6/1/09

The infectious disease doctor came today and said that Jon's white count was a little lower. They are pretty sure that he has pneumonia, but if he is not better in a day or two they will do a scope and see what is in his lungs. He might have a mucus plug in his right lung?? If he does, they will clean it out when they do the scope. His fever is down to around 100. They are keeping his antibiotic the same. They also told us that the small "cough" like things he was doing is actually not a cough at all; it is a bronchial spasm. They have Jon very sedated in order to allow him to rest and heal. They do not want him coughing or fighting much. It is also helping to keep his respiration rate down and his heart rate down. Please say an extra prayer or two for Jon (and the rest of our family) tonight or whenever you read this. Jon needs extra strength. He needs to fight this infection and have healthy lungs again. Thanks for all of your support. It means so much to us all...

This weekend

Late Saturday afternoon Jon was moved back to ICU at Specialty. He ended up with a collapsed lung and pneumonia. They have taken cultures to see if there is anything else going on. They also put Jon back on the ventilator and on light sedation. The sedative that they chose is a short acting sedative so it will not have to be weaned. They also inserted a chest tube. Once they had Jon settled in ICU he looked MUCH better. He was really having a hard time Saturday. They started him at 100% oxygen on the vent but by late evening they had it down to 60%. When we went back Sunday morning he was at 40%. His fever was down to about 101. The doctor was pleased with his breathing and said to turn the vent to pressure support which means that Jon is breathing on his own and the vent is only a back-up in case Jon doesn't breathe. The doctor said that he wished that his fever was gone. They also consulted with an infectious disease doctor to decide on the appropriate antibiotic. Jon had a really good day on Sunday. Although he was on a sedative, he was still awake for parts of the day. When we would talk to him, the "dazed" look seemed to be gone from his eyes. It was so good to see him this way. The doctor told us that Jon needs a period of medical stability--a period of time where he does not have an elevated heart rate, bp, respiration rate, pneumonia, etc...--so that he can focus on the neuro side of Jon's recovery. About 4 am on Monday, Jon woke up and was lightly feeling of the tubes around his neck. The nurse told him that he could feel of them but not to pull on them. She also told Jon that Mom and Dad would be back in a little while that they were sleeping. Near this time Jon's heart rate and respiration rate went up...(we think maybe he got nervous b/c Jon really doesn't like to be at the hospital) so they put him back on ventilator support and gave him some more sedation. Pray for a quick recovery from this minor set back, a time of medical stability for Jon and that the doctors and nurses have the knowledge to treat Jon in the best possible manner. Also, please pray that we can all continue to have strength. Prayer is such a powerful tool.

friday and saturday

Friday morning at 10 they moved Jon to Select Specialty Hospital. Jon had a really great day yesterday. He was assessed by the doctor, the pa, and different therapist. Jon really responded well. He did everything that they asked. He moved fingers and toes on the right and left side according to what they asked him. He was talking more. He wiggled his tongue. They were all very happy with how Jon responded. He was able to sit up in a special chair for a while. This hospital is bright and clean. Jon has three big windows in his room. Someone told us that there was a small window for things to reconnect and we are in it. The doctor said we need to get Jon up and going so he can get out of here:)...

Last night Jon started to get a fever. By this morning it was at 105. His pulse rate was also up. Jon is also breathing fast. They have him on a cooling blanket and have started antibiotics. They haven't gotten the results from his blood cultures back yet. Jon is coughing up a lot of stuff. They also are taking his pic line out and putting a central line back in in case the pic line is a source of infection. They said that this is common but it still worries us. Yesterday was such a great day; this feels like such a set back...Please say an extra prayer or two for Jon.

5/27/09

Jon is going to be moving again soon. He will be moving to Select Specialty Hospital. The doctors explained to us that Jon is not sick enough to be in an acute care center such as OU Medical but not well enough for 8 hours of PT at Jim Thorpe. Select is a step down unit. Jon will be able to get as much therapy as he can tolerate. Yesterday Jon was able to take a wheel chair ride out to the pond at the hospital. He has been up again today. They are still reducing his meds. Last night Jon spiked a fever and they discovered that he has a UTI. They started him on antibiotics.

Jon is making many advances and we are very thankful. It is so easy to misconstrue Jon's condition. Jon is not full awake. It is like he is in a daze and not aware of most of what is going on around him. His eyes are open but he doesn't "talk" or respond all of the time. He will track us sometimes. Jon isn't Jon again yet...please keep praying that he comes back to us soon. I miss him so much!!! We will love him unconditionally but my selfish side wants to see him and talk to him and tell him how much we love and miss him!!! There is so much he has left to do in this world. Thanks for all of the prayers and continued support...lots of love to everyone:)

5/26/09

Jon had another busy day yesterday. PT and OT sat him in a wheel chair for almost 1 1/2 hours. His oxygen and pulse stayed good while he was sitting up. We got to wheel him around the 5th floor. It was so exciting to us...I am not really sure what Jon thought of all the excitement. Mom discovered after I left that the oxygen was not making any noise...It had been empty. We do not know for how long but Jon's numbers did not indicate that he was having any problems. I should clarify that Jon is not able to have conversations or "talk" all of the time. He sporadically will say something. It is hard to hear him b/c he does not have the voice thing on his trach. He is allowing mom to brush his teeth. He opens his mouth up and lets her clean his mouth. Yesterday, Jon was fidgeting in his bed and I was sitting next to him. I asked him if he wanted me to move and he did not hesitate in shaking his head yes! He was also trying to snap his fingers. The doctors are going to meet and discuss the plan for Jon's continued recovery today. They are still lowering his meds all the time. Please keep praying.

Movin' on up...

Saturday evening about 7 they moved Jon to the 5th floor. He is in a room that has a sitter. The sitter sits in a room that has a camera on Jon and watches him and one other patient. Yesterday (Sunday) they reduced one of his meds by 1/2. They are completely taking him off of it today (Monday). It is a medicine for his agitation. Jon is MUCH less agitated. Thank the Lord!!! This morning Jon actually talked to Kem. Kem asked him if he was in pain and he said, "No." He asked Jon if he was uncomfortable and he said, "yes." Jon said, "help me" and Kem told him that we were helping him. The doctors and nurses are doing everything they can for him and that he had been in an accident. Kem asked him if he was going to tell Mom hi when she got here and he said , "yes." Jon seems much more aware today. Although he is much aware, they told us to not over stimulate him. Lots of talkin could be overwhelming for him. We so thankful for all of these things. Keep up the prayers!

5/23/09

Jon has had some good days lately. He is less agitated than he was in the past. Yesterday when the therapist had him in the chair they told him that he was going to leave and ask Jon if he could wave bye to him. Jon waved a finger. Later a therapist did the same thing and Jon waved his hand. Jon is not consistently responding to commands. He looks kind of like he is in a daze when his eyes are open. He will track people. As soon as they have a sitter available Jon will get to move to the 5th floor!!! They said that maybe by the end of next week Jon will be moved to a rehab facility. They may even be able to take his trach out soon? All of Jon's vitals are good. It is so good to see him less agitated. He has started to moan some. The therapist that came in and worked w/ Jon's ankle today said that he would sit in the chair later today. It is such a good thing to get to be moved to the 5th floor but it also seems a little scary:) We are so used to the nurses in ICU and know that they work so hard to take good care of Jon. (Part of me wishes that he could just stay w/ them until he is well enough to go home...I know this isn't best for Jon though.) Each new step is exciting and we are so thankful. The doctor said this morning that they are pleased with Jon's progress so far! The RT said that Jon is a miracle child. God is still performing miracles on earth so please continue your prayers...

5/20/09 afternoon

Today Jon was taken off of the ventilator. They were going to do trials but when they had the oxygen collar on him his oxygen level was as good or better than with the vent so they took it away!!! They also took out his ART line. The ART line was a line inserted into an artery to measure his internal blood pressure. Jon got to sit in the chair again today. He is still agitated and gets upset. Mom thought he was more responsive/aware today. We are so thankful for these advances.

I think that when most people think of someone being in a coma, they think that they just "wake up". This is not always the case. With brain injuries there is never any particular way that things occur. The doctors don't give certainties...they don't say that if this happens that will be the result. The process Jon is going through is the "waking up" process. This is what we refer to as Jon being agitated. Agitated is not just a simple rise in blood pressure or heart rate. It is thrashing around in the bed/chair. He moves his hands/arms and kicks the bed. He tries to sit up and get out of bed. He tries to pull the feeding tube out of his nose. He grimaces. He looks completely uncomfortable. These "agitated" episodes don't last all of the time but they are exhausting. They say that this can last anywhere from one to two days to a few weeks. Jon is not talking yet. He has mouthed a few things to us, but cannot verbally express himself yet. Although he has his eyes open he is not fully aware of everything. We are thankful that he is responsive. He is not fully awake or back to his old self again. He has such a long road of recovery ahead! Continue your prayers:)

Busy Day today!!

Jon has had a busy day today! He was agitated this morning and so mom stepped out of the room for a few minutes and when she returned they had him sitting in a recliner. He stayed there for about an hour. They also did their first ventilator trial with him. They put the oxygen collar on him for two hours this afternoon and he did VERY well! They put him back on the vent after the hour. They will continue this and keep increasing his time off the vent...They are also talking about having to put him back on some sedation because of his severe agitation. There is a fine line between what we want him to be doing and what is out of control and not healthy for him. He needs to be able to settle down and rest so that his body can continue to heal. If they put him back on the sedation he will have to stay on the ventilator so we really hope that he will not have to go back on the sedation! We are so excited about Jon's progress today! Praise the Lord!!!! It is so easy to focus on the many steps forward that Jon has had. He still has so much recovery time ahead of him. We are so thankful for his progress but also aware of the long road of recovery still ahead....

Monday 5/18/09

Jon's condition is about the same. The respiratory therapist want to put the oxygen mask on Jon and take the ventilator off but the doctor says to wait a little longer. She wants to take it slowly so that we don't have any set backs. The sedation medication is off completely now. He is on pain medication and medication for his agitation. For most of the day Jon was pretty calm. When Mom left last night he was VERY agitated and they had to give him quite a bit of medication to get him to settle down. Once he begins to get upset, it is hard for him to settle himself down and so therefore he continues to be agitated and it gets worse and worse until they have to use medication to help him. Mom says that his strength continues to grow each day. We really need for his lungs to continue to heal and get better. Please continue to pray for Jon and our family. Knowing that this is all in God's hands and that we have such an awesome God is such a comfort to us.

Sunday

Overall Jon had a much more restful day. He had a few times that he was really agitated. They are working to lower the meds for the agitation. He is taking all of his own breathes except for 2 per minute. They still have his PEEP set at 8. They're going to leave all of the pressure settings the same on his vent until the bottom part of his lungs heal a little bit more. His blood/gas levels are almost normal:) Jon is still responding to the things the doctors and nurses are asking of him. When he gets agitated, we can tell him that he has been in an accident and that he is okay and he tends to settle down at least for a little while. They have been giving him medicine to cause him to forget so we have to keep reminding him of things. They told us that they are starting to look for trends in Jon's health and will be going more from week to week rather than minute to minute. Please continue to pray...God is answering so many prayers.

Saturday Morning

Jon is highly agitated this morning. We have been kicked out of his roo for a while so that he can rest. We can look through the window at him but the nurse asked us to please not wake him:) He is quite a handful today...Earlier before we were kicked out Mom leaned down and told Jon that she loved him and he mouthed "I love you" back to her. He tried to say something else but no one could understand what he was saying--I think he was asking where I was...lol. They did increase his medication to help with his agitation.

Friday 5/15/09 8:00 pm

Jon's surgery went well today. He returned to his room around 1:00 and the ventilator was on the same settings as before surgery:). They did a tracheotomy on Jon today when they were finished with his surgery. We were assured that this is in his best interest. The doctor says sometimes they can wean patients off the ventilator faster if they have a trach. By having a trach Jon will be able to eat and drink (when he is ready...not right now) and talk. He is not allowed to even try to talk for at least the first 24 hours and up to a few days....Jon is very agitated and is fighting while he is waking up. He moves his arms and legs A LOT!!! He has knocked the vent off twice and is trying to pull at everything. He is also kicking and moving his legs everywhere. He tries to pull his gloves off. The nurse explained to us today that all of his agitation and fighting is the neurons in his brain re-firing. This causes him to over react to any type of stimulation. This agitation and fighting stage is very normal. The nurse assures us that it is a very positive behavior b/c the more he fights the more his brain is doing. This behavior is very exhausting for us. We know that he is okay but it seems like we can't do anything to help him. It really hurts to not be able to help someone you love so dearly. The nurses assure us that Jon will not remember this time...Jon does eventually settle down either on his own or with medication. This part of his hospital stay is so tiring...I am glad that he is waking up more so that he brain injury can be more accurately assessed, but it is VERY DIFFICULT to see Jon this way. I am not sure that we will completely understand the extent of Jon's injuries until we have left the hospital. It seems as though each day we learn more and more about what improvements he has made and how sick he really has been...and how far he stil has to go. At this point they continue to tell us that we will not know the extent of trauma Jon's brain has undergone until he is more awake and past this stage. He is now at a 10-11T on the coma scale. We are at a 15. He needs to begin talking or trying to talk for the rating to go up. I learned what PEEP was today--It is the amount of pressure in the lungs. We normally exhale all of our oxygen with every breathe. The PEEP does not allow Jon to exhale all of his oxygen. It maintains a certain pressure in his lungs so that he does not have to use all of his energy to refill them. It also helps keep the aveoli inflated so that they do not shrivel up. They tell us that the ventilator is at minimal settings. Jon also got a pretty, big, black boot on his right leg today (I am not sure if he will like this boot as much as his new pair of boots he has at home...lol) . His vitals are all good. His bp and heart rate are at a much more stable level now than they have been in the past. Please continue your prayers for Jon and Melinda. Our families apprecitate them so much. God works in such wonderous and wonderful ways! So many of our prayers have already been answered! We are so thankful!

FYI

The nurse today told my mom that when the doctor first talked to us about Jon's condition two weeks ago, the nurse had never seen oxygen levels or vent levels that high before! We are so thankful for Jon's progress. Nurses from around the floor are stopping by to see him and they notice his remarkable progress. They are telling us that we need to let him rest and not talk to him too much b/c it keeps him "agitated." They also have told us that when he comes out of surgery tomorrow to expect his vent levels to be increased from today and that they will have to wean him off again. Please pray for him during his surgery and after:)

GOOD NEWS!!

This morning about 5 am Jon began responding to commands that the doctors were giving him. He is wiggling his toes and keeping his eyes open. They are trying to let Jon settle himself down whenever he gets agitated and if he doesn't settle down they will give him something. Jon is not able to talk because he has the ventilator in. They have gotten his PEEP down to 8 which is their target! The doctors are very happy about Jon's progress. Remember that although Jon's eyes are open, he is still very groggy. They are planning to be able to do surgery on Jon's ankle tomorrow. They assure us that this is nothing to be worried about. Please keep praying for Jon's recovery and give thanks for all of the success Jon has had so far!

yesterday

Jon had a hard day yesterday. The doctors did a scope on his lungs. They cleaned them out and took a piece to do a culture on. They think he may have pneumonia again or something. By the end of the evening they were able to get his ventilator back where it was and lower the PEEP by one to 10. They still have his sedation level lowered. The head nurse reassured mom that he is improving and that we knew we were going to have bumps in the road. She also reminded us that waking up is going to be hard.

10:30 am

I just talked to Mom and she said that Jon is having a little tougher time right now. He is awake much more and this is causing him to cough more. He is also feeling more agitated. His oxygen levels are lower than they have been in the past. They ended up having to make some increases in some things on his ventilator...Please pray for his continued recovery.

9:39 am

Last night Mom said that Jon was having a coughing fit and he had his eyes open. Mom and the nurse asked him if he was okay. He shook his head no (back and forth about 4 times)!!! He is coughing up a lot of stuff. He is also opening his eyes much more. Please continue to pray for Jon!

Jon's Weekend

Jon had a really good weekend. They changed some of the settings on his ventilator and he tolerated them. They changed it so that he would have to work harder on his own to breathe. They have also been reducing his sedation medication. It is now on a three (not sure what it was before). He is still on VERY strong pain medication. It is 100 times stronger than moriphine. He also has a dose of loratab every few hours. They said that if we took that dosage it would kill us but he has adjusted to it. The amount of pain meds keep him asleep a lot of the time. The doctors had him have a blood transfusion on Sunday. They said this was routine in trauma patients. Jon's bloodpressure and heart rate have been okay. They would like his bp to be a little higher and his heart rate to be a little lower...Jon is making steady progress on the vent....hopefully he will be able to get rid of it soon and they can really start to wake him up. He can't be fully awake with the vent b/c of the amount of discomfort it causes. Sunday as I was leaving I could see Jon's eyes cracking open and he squeezed my hand a couple of times. It is always so good to feel him and see him. They took out his central line and put a pick line in to administer meds and take blood. This will be a more permanent line for them to use. He should be able to keep it until he is well. Even though these were all small steps, they kept Jon busy this weekend. The doctors and nurses have said that he will have a busy week this week. They will continue to make changes to his vent and meds. Please continue to pray for his continued recovery. I also asked that you pray for my family. ALSO, my mom's second cousin was in an accident this past weekend and she is also in the hospital with a TBI. Please pray for her and her family.

Friday morning

Jon has still been doing well. Mom says that he has been getting agitated when they do different things to him. They are giving him medicine to wake him up. The nurse is going to see if they can switch the pain meds around to better address his needs...it would treat the pain to his bones and muscles rather than make him sleep. I am ready to get back to OKC so that I can see him again:) Please continue your prayers b/c they have made all of the difference so far. Although Jon is doing better, the nurses/doctors still have Jon's room limited to the immediate family. We appreciate all visitors though. We are truly thankful for everyone's overwhelming support and prayers. If he is too stimulated some of his numbers begin to fluctuate. Have a great Friday!!!

3:42 pm

Jon has had a good day today. All of his numbers have remained good today. He has been running a low grade temperature today but nothing has grown on the cultures that they did. They did find a blood clot in his leg and in his arm today. They are treating him with medication. Jon is also doing some of his breathing on his own. He is still on the ventilator but it monitors what it does and what Jon does on his own.

Thursday morning

This morning the nurses asked Jon to give them thumbs up and he did multiple times. He also squeezed their hand with strength and was looking around the room. He has developed another infection but they are not concerned with this right now. The sedation is still at the same level it has been...Please pray for a calm, restful, and healing day.

2:35 pm

Jon has opened his eyes today and looked at Mom and Kem. He has squeezed their hands, coughed and wrinkled his forehead. Mom says he looks fragile and she has explained to him that he has had a very bad case of pneumonia and that he needs his rest but not to worry because they are there. (I came back to school today so I haven't seen him....) I keep telling her to give him a big hug and tell him that I will be back soon! I hope he realizes how much he is truly loved! Remember that all praises and glory go to God!!!! This has just been a really good few days for him in his recovery:)

11:32 am

They are moving Jon to a regular bed now and they are going to take the paralytic off at the same time (we think). He had a good night. He is doing so much better!

9:05 pm

Jon got off the special ventilator today. The doctors and nurses had been talking about switching him all day and his oxygen level kept showing about 90-93 so we weren't sure if they were going to do it. They decided that if they didn't try we wouldn't ever make any progress. They made the switch and he did extremely well. He was having about 97 and above oxygen levels. They went down a little bit later in the evening but he was doing well. They are talking about moving him to a regular bed and turning the paralytic off tomorrow. God answers our prayers and we need to be thankful! Please keep praying for Jon and Melinda.

11:06 am.

Jon had a VERY good night! This morning he had a little dip in his oxygen level but the nurse said that it was okay. She reminded us that we are going to have to keep taking the chance of pushing forward and accept a little step backward to ever make any progress. They are monitoring him closely. The doctor also told us that there has been a good amount of improvement in his x-ray from the first day until now. We are so thankful for all of his improvement. Jon's color looks good. The scabs on his face are really starting to heal. They are about to fall off. His swelling has really gone down. Jon is about back to his normal size. The orthopedic doctors told us that they would be able to do surgery on Jon's ankle whenever he was well enough to undergo the surgery safely. There would not be any further damage done by waiting. Jon's pupils are still responding appropriately. They are both equal and responsive. They all keep reminding us that his recovery will b made in baby steps...All prayers are appreciated!

1:17 pm

Jon is still off the nitric oxide. After his last lung recruitment they had to increase his oxygen to 80% but are working to bring it down again. The doctor said that he expected him to come out of this :) We still have a long road and need continuous prayers that this continues to work. He also said that Jon would probably be on a regular ventilator for 4-6 weeks...He also said that Jon is young and could surprise him. The doctor said that he is doing just what they expected and that not getting worse is getting better. We are so thankful for even the smallest of improvements that Jon makes.

10:30 am

They have taken Jon off of the nitric oxide this morning. Right now his oxygenation level is showing about 93 and they want it to be 94. This is the longest he has been off the nitric w/o having to be put back on. Hopefully, he will continue on this path...we have prayed so hard for this day to come. Now, we need him to be able to get off the special ventilator. I think it has to get down to about 40% and it is at 60% right now.


I am not sure what nitric oxide does to help...I just know that it has and I am very thankful:)

12:41 pm

Jon had a good night last night. They have his nitric oxide as low as they can get it w/o turning it off. They are also trying another approach...they are going to lower his oxygen % to 50% and let him stablize then try to turn off the nitric. We are still waiting on the x-ray from this morning. Jon's temperature is good as well as his blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen level. We think he looks so much better each day. He seems to be a lot less swollen than he has in the previous days. To us it is such an encouraging sign...but we are not the doctors. This morning we went to the church service held here at the hospital. It focused on Courage, Comfort, and Help in Times of Trouble. These are a couple of scriptures that really stood out to me: ""God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." Psalm 46:1-3 and "These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33...Please keep praying.:)

5:16 pm

The doctors have kept Jon's nitric oxide level at one today. They tried to lower it to zero earlier and his oxygenation level was not quite what they wanted so they moved it back to one. His blood pressure has fluctuated a little. Jon's nurse seems to think that it is pain related so they are increasing his pain medicine a little. Hopefully it will help it to even out again. The doctors did say that his x-ray from this morning on his lungs might have looked a little better today so keep praying that this treatment continues to work!

9:15 am

Jon had a good night. He did not have any dips in blood pressure! They have the nitric oxide down to a 1. They are hoping to turn the nitric off at 10 am. The plan from there is to lower the oxygen % and then change back to the regular ventilator. Please keep praying that this is able to happen. God is so good and has answered so many prayers up to this point. We just need for everyone to keep praying for Jon's recovery b/c he still has such a long way to go. He is still considered to be critical at this point...we just have to be grateful for all of the baby steps he is making!

12:36 pm

Jon had another pretty good night. His blood pressure stayed up last night and today which is a positive thing for him. They are slowly weaning him off the oxygen level and nitric oxide. So far so good today. Please remember that Jon's condition is stil very fragile and he still needs your prayers. I know that I am beginning to sound like a broken record about the prayers, but it is truly what we believe will help Jon! All of his bloodwork so far has come back good and is not indicating any further problems. Continue to pray that Jon's treatment continues to work!

5:18 pm

Jon has had a relatively good day. All of his levels have stayed about the same all day. They have worked to get his oxygen level reduced to 60%. Usually when they suction his lungs, they have to increase the oxygen level again. The last time they suctioned him they did not have to increase the level. Jon's oxygenation level has been about 97%-100% most of the day. This is definitely an answered prayer. The doctor told us that he is still critical and not stable but at least nothing has changed throughout the day. Please keep praying that Jon continues to improve and that the treatment continues to work!

11:24 am

Jon's numbers are all still holding steady.

8:35 am

Jon had a good night last night. It is important to remember that Jon's condition is VERY serious! The doctors still have him hooked up to the ventilator that gives him a lot of short breaths each minute and they are also giving him nitric oxide to help his lungs. So far he has responded to this therapy. (Give God many thanks for this because it is because of Him that it is working!) The doctors have been reducing the amount of support Jon is receiving and Jon is holding his own. We just have to continually remind ourselves that things can change at any time. They monitor his condition continually and remind us that things can change very, very quickly with Jon because he is so sick. They did confirm that he has pneumonia but he has been on antibiotic for this for a little over 24 hours so the meds should start helping soon. We have to be appreciative of the prayers that have been answered so far, but remember that Jon needs continuous prayers and support to get through this battle. We want to emphasize that we truly appreciate everyone's love and support. Anyone who would like to come to the hospital is welcomed but it is important to remember that at this point Jon is not really strong enough for visitors. He still is in a room where he receives very little stimulation. Thanks again for all of the prayers so far and PLEASE keep praying!

JON NEEDS YOUR PRAYERS

Jon is very, very sick and he needs our prayers so very badly. I cannot express to everyone the extreme need for prayers. We need God to heal Jon. Jon has had a pretty rough day so far to put it mildly. The doctors are keeping a close eye on him. Right now his numbers all look good, but it is important that they stay that way. The most important thing anyone can do is pray! I am pleading with everyone to take a moment and pray a true, heartfelt prayer to God. Say a prayer that is from your heart. You don't have to use fancy words; just talk to God the same way you would talk to your best friend. He will listen. Again, please pray!

I forgot something

The neuro doctors also told us last night that Jon had tried to open his eyes and was grabbing at their hands when they pinched him...we have to remember baby steps...

9:41 am

Last night the doctors took Jon to x-ray to determine if there were any further complications with his lungs. They discovered that he has a small hole in one of his lungs. This is probably due to the ventilator since his lungs are so fragile at this point. They put a chest tube in to help with his oxygenation level. They also ended up moving him into a different room where the nurses are more familiar with the new type of ventilator they have put him on. The doctors are also monitoring Jon's blood pressure carefully. It went down for a while but they are hoping to treat it w/ fluids. (10:47) I just came back from Jon's room. They docs have a sign that says 2 visitors and low stimulation on the door. This is so important for his healing. Jon's vitals looked pretty good when I left. His b/p was MUCH better and his oxygen level looked good (It was staying near 100). The RTs are lowing the number on the new vent by 2 every hour. (This is a good thing). One of the RTs also said that he believed that they treat and He (God) heals. It is so important to remember this. Keep praying!!! Thanks for everything!

6:05 pm

We visited with the neuro team and they told us about Jon's assessment this morning. They said that when they pinched him Jon would grab for their hand and they said that Jon tried to open his eyes. They told us that his brain was stable at this point. They could not do an assessment this evening due to the medicine he is being given. They are trying to get his oxygenation level to stablize a little more even though it is MUCH better than it was earlier today. Jon seems to be responding more when he is receiving attention...this is typical for Jon though:)

1:28 pm

Hey everyone we are going to post information to this blog so that people can stay updated on Jon's condition. Right now the team has limited visitation to immediate family so that Jon can have time to rest and recover. Let me start at the beginning...On Friday night/early Saturday morning Jon was in a car accident and had to be mediflighted to OKC. He is in ICU at OU Medical Center. Jon has two broken collar bones, a facial fracture in his lower jaw, a broken ankle, an ankle that was dislocated with bone fragments (I am not exactly sure on this ankle.), also he has some broken vertebraes in his lower back. Jon also has a tramautic brain injury. He had been pretty stable until this point. The plan that the doctors have expressed to us at this point is to start at the top (brain) and work their way down to his ankles. Yesterday the doctors said that his lungs were stable enough for surgery but they were waiting on the neuro doctors to give the okay. He also responded to the nurses during evaluations. They asked him to give a thumbs up and were 60-75% sure that he did. Jon responded to pain and also squeezed their hands. He continued to cough and respond to the suctioning. He did not like the doctors removing tape from his arms or putting stuff in his eyes. Jon had a good night but right before shift change he had a set back. The neuro doctors had asked the nurses to turn the sedative off so that they could assess him. When they did this, Jon spit his "popcicle" out and closed his mouth. During this time he ended up biting on the ventilator and therefore reducing his oxygen level. This really caused him a set back. The doctors had to increase his sedation level and paralyze him to get him back into a stable condition. He will remain this way for the rest of today. When we first went in to the room his color was not very good but it has gotten better throughout the day. He is going to be put in an oscillating bed to help him with his pnemonia. It is going to be a long process so KEEP PRAYING FOR JON!!!! Prayer is a very powerful tool and everyone can do this! We will try to update this so that everyone can stay updated.