Happy New Year For Sure

Well, I can't say enough about the week I had with my Dad out here, I know I could not have made it to where I am without him here this week, Erin came and how I love my sister, now my Mom has the charge and boy is she doing great. I had forgotten that she had worked in a nursing home when i was younger, changing my bandages and cleaning out the burns on my ear is nothing she is a champ. I have appointments on Tuesday with the burn nurse, and occupational therapy that afternoon, then Wednesday morning I get the burn nurse dr. Russell again who is awesome and get fitted for compression gloves, which I think they did at UCSD already, but I keep forgetting to ask Alfreda(case worker at balboa) about it.

Well on this New Years Eve, my thoughts are hold those important to you, do whats right for you and dont forget to tell them you Love them. I am lucky in that my real family is just as strong as my second family. Big Guy makes me smile and laugh like no one else( I am crying as I write this); Romel and Ryan you guys are like my other brothers, I love you guys, Lynette is amazing as is Larry. I just say instead of a crazy party hold those important to you close. make sure they know you love them because you never know. I wish everyone a safe 2007.

Love PJ

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nightmares prevail

 well, I am ome and that is great, however nightmares keep me up at night and make me anxious towards the end of an evening.  i am trying to beat them with an anti anxiety drug but i think its just going to take time.

 

pj

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home

 Well we hit my goal.  I wanted to be home by friday, and I am I made some phone calls wednesday about 3 pm and stirred up the pot to put pressure on the doctors to get the Trachiotomty out and then get me released.  To say they were not Happy would be an underrstatement ; the Navy LT Hutton from Nimitz  especially was able to do in 2 hours what they couldnt do in 6 days.  Dad laughed at me cause i made one phone call and the phones were ringing off the hook.

 

so yesterday morning at 0630 i was dismissed from the rehab hospital to go to balboa hosp for Trach removal.  At the  general surgery clinic, DR. Kinsir had already set up with ENT clinic to pull it out, after much scoping through my nose with a camera.......very weird feeling they verified their was no scar tissue and pulled that LOSER out.  now i have an extra hole in my throat which is healing closed and until then all kinds of fun thins ooze out of it.  i can talk but I have to hold my hand over the bandage where the trach was. 

 

SO then we Met Alfreda Byrd my social worker and a great doctor names shelly williams who i have to go back for followups to get some compression gloves. 

 

I am home and spent the day at Target/SEARS/ lowes yesterday getting all the supplies i need and working on my endurance, nightmares still hound me but im moving forward.

 

LOVE  PJ WHO SLEPT IN HIS OWN BED LAST NIGHT

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Making my Goal

 Well, we had the conference with the doctocrs and rehabbers and they all agreed im ready to go, however I can't leave with this trach stlll in.  i told them i was very frustrated that they couldnt find a doctor to remove a trach in 5 days.

 

well by about 3:15 they didnt have any answers yet so i made some phone calls, dad said i really stirred up  a hornets nest, but loook i want some kind of results. 

 

So I am being released this morning, where I will check into balboa walk in surgery clinic and they will remove the TRACH.

 

Ive reached all my goals this week now i just have rehab and working on my stamina

 

LOVE PJ

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BIG DAY

 Lynette tells me I reallly need to spell check before I post, its not easy typing with grease and lotion on your fingers. JUST KIDDING!!!!!!  Ill concentrate harder and put out a good product.

 

Well activan and ambien my new best friends!!!  I am up early but i slept about 6 hours last night the most since arriving at Paradise Vallley rehab center (sounds like somewhere Nicole Ritchie or othere celebrity would go.

 

ON SCHEDULE FOR TODAY

the Trach doctor is supposed to be back today or they are going to ask for a consult.

we have a meeting witth all rehabbers and doctors at 11

doing the onsite of my apartment so i can be released.

 

Its a really big day, yesterday we did alot of physical and occupational therapy,  my legs are pretty tired today.  well wish us luck and well let you know how it goes.

 

LOVE PJ

 

 

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PJ REPORTS

So last night i had a a battle with the medicine and lost, about 1930 I was hit with withdrawals so  badly, i never guessed withdrawals, was like yir mind going at 400 mph and not knowing wwhat you can do t appease it.    The way im looking at it now UCSD burn unit used some strong stuff to save my life, even though im against pills all together if i need some to be normal until my system is ready so be it.  I havent been sleeping well and the trach should come out tomorrow I may accept the ambien to get a goodnights sleep tonight.   I am one day at a time and things are still looking good for release by weekend.   Well enough for now.  Thanks to Everryone.

 

 LOVE PJ   

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Too much of a good thing...

Hello everyone, I talked to my Dad this morning and our man PJ is trying to take on too much at once it appears. He had a small issue last night going through the withdrawls of the medicine. He has not taken any medicine since he arrived at the rehab facility, and it caught up with him last night. They had to give him a bit of Ativan to help him out, his pulse was racing, he was sweating, and was really having some trouble.

They were supposed to take the trach out today, but they are having trouble getting a hold of the person that is supposed to do it. It may not be out until tomorrow. He wants that out badly! He can't lay on his stomach, and that is supposedly the way he normally lays when he is sleeping. So he is having trouble sleeping with the trach in, and wants it out yesterday!

He walked to the gym today and did some exercise this morning. He will have to do it again this afternoon as well when the PT (Physical Therapist) arrives later. Dad was with him most of the night and then again early this morning to try to help him through it.

That is what I know as of now. Remember to hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

FROM the MAIN Man PJ

first of all thank you to larry and lynette for an absolutley excellent time last night, im so glad, for those of you whoo dont know for the last 4 or 5 years every christmas eve , Big guy, Romel and very others have all congregated at Larry and Lynettes(two of the most fabuolous people Ive ever met) For Hor's de oures. It was an absolute excellent occcasion that i got the three hor pass, i laughed and had such a good time. Thanks dad for making that happen

Secondly THANKS to all the support over the last 6 weeeks while i have been in the coma and drugged beyond my blief. I make the nurse go through every pill every day. Im not sleeping so well and they keep trying to give me a sleeping pill. If I need a pill to sleep i dont need to sleep, sheesh ive been sleeping for a month!!!! Ive been rehab hospital at Paradise Valley since Friday and its ok, some crazy dreams I hate being in this room alone at night. I stopped taking the pain pill, becuase I HAVE NO PAIN!!!!! The nusrses are all learning that i dont just take pills, I have kept taking the blood pressure medicine (however last night they wouldnt give to me because my blood pressure was so good.

MY GOALS: get this trach out, with xmas holiday its a ghost town so im stuck with it and its useless
Get home by Friday.



ONCE AGAIN THANKS TO ALL FOR ALL THE SUPPORT AS I AM REALLY MOVING NOW!!!

FA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA RA....

Merry Christmas everyone, I hope everyone has had a great holiday. We will see how many get the Title and what it is referring to. I talked to Dad last night, and it appears that PJ was able to make his first trip out on the town last night. PJ was given a 3 hour pass yesterday and was able to go over to Larry and Lynettes for Christmas Eve last night. Dad and PJ were allowed to go over about 6:15 last night and allow PJ to continue in the Christmas Eve tradition that we read about in a previous blog.

PJ is also no longer with a patch over his eye. He was having difficulty focusing with his left eye, so they put a patch over his right eye to allow his muscles to work more and help his eyes to focus. That is no longer the case according to the Christmas Eve report that I received. PJ is also going to be off the Methadone by today if he isn't already. He is still given an anxiety pill, but PJ has said that he hasn't taken that in a while. The doctors are as pleased as they can be with the progress that PJ is making. I am sure that getting to go out last night was a big boost in his spirits!

I was able to talk to him again yesterday, and boy was he busy. He was doing about 6 things at one time and going 100 miles per hour. He was trying to get his laptop fixed, so he would talk to me for a minute and then say, "I can't get the mouse to work!" Then he would say, "How did you like riding in my jeep." Then, "I need to get the drivers for the card." It was great, he was trying to get back into the swing of things and, it seemed, getting a bit frustrated doing it. Then just as quick as the conversation started, it ended. "OK, I am going to go now." I was so happy to get to talk to him, and he sounds like he is doing great!

He is ready for the trach to come out. Dad tells me that the doctors are thinking that Tuesday (Tomorrow) he may get the trach out. He wants that out in the worse possible way. He sounded even stronger yesterday than the day before, and makes great progress every day it appears.

Merry Christmas everyone! I can honestly say this is one of the best Christmas's that we have had in a long time. The kids are having so much fun, and we are really blessed to be where we are. It is sad that sometimes it takes an event like this to make you really appreciate what you have in your life and how fortunate you are. I love you brother, and don't ever doubt that!

Hug your loved ones, and tell them you love them.

Chris

Big gifts come in small packages...

Hello everyone, sorry I didn't post last night, long evening. Well I got the best Christmas present ever yesterday. I was able to talk to PJ! I had a good 5 minute conversation with him and it was great to hear his voice. My dad put me on speaker phone, and I put the girls and Diane on speakerphone also. The girls were able to tell him they love him and they can't wait to see him. He said, "I think I might be a little late getting you Christmas presents!" Just like PJ, first thing he starts doing is thinking of other people. The girls told him that talking to you is the best Christmas present that they could get. He asked me how I liked his house when I was out there and that he was sorry that I had to use vacation to come out there. I told him that I didn't have to use vacation, and that as far as I am concerned his house is the best one he has had in San Diego that I have seen.

He was a bit tired, but very much coherent. He said that his hands and arms are burnt to bad so he thinks he can get out of the rehab facility quickly. It was so good to hear him.

Dad then called me late last night and told me that they played foosball. They have PJ getting up and moving around via a wheelchair. I couldn't understand if dad meant that he walked with the wheelchair in front of him or what. The Doctors told Dad that they still are giving him methadone, an anxiety medication, blood pressure medication, and one other that I can't remember right now. The meds should stop soon though according to the nursing staff.

This is absolutely the best present that I could have had. I was so excited to hear him, and he sounded great. He did ask when I was coming back out there, and I told him that we are anxious to have him fly home for a while so that everyone here can see him and hug him. He has a way to go before that happens, but it is not as far off as people think. He is starting to remember more about the accident and what happened. He has several therapists. An occupational therapist, a physical therapists and others. They work on his strength and his mind every day. In the afternoon they come in and quiz him on what happened that morning. He still gets wiped out pretty quickly, but he is making such large strides.

Well I hope that everyone has a blessed Christmas. Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

Warning...Contents under extreme pressure...

Just got off the phone with Dad, and he has been in the room with PJ. According to Dad, PJ had just finished eating breakfast when he arrived, and then the breakfast came back to visit them both (coincedence that Dad was there when this happened??? I will let you decide). Actually the nurse told Dad that he can't lay back down after he eats, or that is what will happen. So Dad had to leave while he cleaned himself up and took a shower (HOW COOL!).

He is becoming more aware of what has happened and how long he has been out. He is feeling bad and that he has put a burden on the family for having to be out there. Make sure when you read this PJ that there was no burden at all and that is exactly what family is for. No one has felt burdened by being out there, if anything, we all want to be out there at once.

Steve is trying to get a Sprint broadband card for his laptop so that he can get onljne and start getting back into his normal routine. This is exciting times right now, and we are days away instead of weeks.

I also want to let everyone that has read this blog on a daily basis know that our family, especially PJ, is so grateful for the thoughts and prayers that have been sent his way. The outpouring of support and love has been overwhelming, and it is so appreciated! It will not be long before PJ will be able to have as many visitors as he can handle, so hang in there, and we will let you know when that is.

Remember hug your loved ones, and tell them you love them.

Chris

Full Steam Ahead....

Big Guy left an update last night in the comments of the last post and today the PJ Dad is with Peej. I am heading over now to see how his new digs are and I will update when I get home to let everyone know how he's doing.

He was asking Big Guy for his computer last night but there is no internet access for him there. He was still a little confused but the fog is clearing everyday.

More later, Have a great day!!

Lynette

Pack up the Gravy Train...PJ is on the move.

PJ is on the move. He is leaving the ICU and the hospital all together today, and heading to the Rehab facility. They will be transporting him today at 2:30 Pacific time to his new place of residence and the next stop before he gets to return home. After a conversation with Lynette today, she told me that PJ FED HIMSELF TODAY. He is still a bit off becuase of the medication, but he fed himself none the less. All he did was ask for help to open his sherbert and he did the rest himself. He told her today that he feels like his eyes are 30 degrees off. He said that he can see fine, but everything is 30 degrees off. Judging by the way he was trying to get his Sherbert, Lynette told me he may not be far off on that assessment.

He also thinks he is funny (Like that isn't the case when he is not on medication!). Lynette was peeling away the dead skin on his hands the way the nurses told her and he said, "Hey what are you doing?" She asked him if it hurt, and he said "I'll tell you if it hurts, I may smack you by doing it, but I will tell you if you hurt me." He then told Lynette, "Where is the nurse, that was a funny joke and he wasn't even in here to hear it!" Ahh the same old PJ!

She also said that he was much more coherent and agreeable this morning than he has been in the past. He is slowly coming around, and becoming more aware of what is going on. The move should be a good thing for him, if anything it changes his environment which is something that he needs right now. Dad is on his way down there, I told him to call me with updates so that I can update everyone. Everyday is something new and exciting, and we are getting closer to having PJ back the way we all know and love him.

Thanks for the thoughts. Have a blessed holiday and make sure you hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

Update from Mom (otherwise known as Jackie)

Jackie just emailed me this update....

"I just got off the phone with the doctor and PJ was walking by himself using a walker. He said so far he has taken 15 steps and he is also marching. He ate a couple bites of cake yesterday and they were going to try different food today. He says he is doing great and he will probably being going to the rehab center in a few days. The trach will be coming out very soon because he is breathing on his own. Pj was walking by when I was on the phone with the doctor, I told him to tell him I said Hi and he responded "Merry Christmas". It is another good day for PJ."

I realize we may not be sure on the timeline for him moving to the rehab center, but the news about P.J. moving up to a walker is outstanding. Great job PJ!!!!

They are moving him!

From Erin -

I just talked to Chris and he gave me some good news. They are moving PJ to the rehab facility today. They called Chris and told them they would be moving him today and he will probably be in the rehab facility for two weeks. So PJ is officially out of the ICU.

Merry Christmas to everyone and hug your loved ones,

Erin

Okay so, this afternoon, Peej didn't mention that I said his Dad was coming today....which is good, because he doesn't come until tomorrow. He was pretty much the same this afternoon. They took the one tube out of his nose, the one that keeps his stomach empty. So he has THAT going for him. I did the whole peel the dead skin thing again on his hands and then he let me know that there was another step in the process with the hands...he meant that I was supposed to put the oinment on but I had indeed already done so, he just needed to be reminded, but he was on top of it!

THE BIG NEWS

The are NOT moving him over to the Naval Hospital, they think he is ready to move over to a rehabilitation place. I am not going to say the name of it here, as the visitation to PJ is still very limited and will continue to be, even at the rehab center, until Peej can make is own choices. They anticipate this move as early as tomorrow but more likely on Saturday or even Tuesday. They will provide training to Big Guy, Romel and myself so we can help him when he gets home. Between the numerous friends and family coming out here ~ Pajamas will have more help than he probably even wants!

Master Chief Templeton (one of the other crewmembers hurt in the accident) came to the hospital while Big Guy and I were there, PJ was so glad to see him. EMCM Templeton looked great, he explained to Peej he was out of all hospitals but still going once a week to do rehab for his hands. PJ seems to be trying to put together what happened, he knows, but it seems to be jumbled up in his head right now.

The funny for today.....PJ said, "Lynette, I am going to take a nap and then you come back and I have to tell you all the CRAAAZY stuff that has been happening the last week and a half (now picture arms spread wide) it is eight pages long all the crazy stuff! Girl, wait till you hear it all!".....PJ, PJ, PJ if you only knew.

That is all for today! My husband came home with the ship and we are going out to dinner.

Have a wonderful night and hug your people....

Lynette and Steve

Left, Left, Left, Right, Left

This was a GREAT morning in PJ Land. Physical Therapy came in this morning and though they have been getting him to sit on the edge of the bed and stand (both for very brief periods and with much assistance) today, he came very close to standing up off the bed on his own. He did need some assistance and still has to be told each step of an action but he did it! They had him to it twice but the second time took some convincing, he laid down and said "we can do this later okay". But after some prodding, he did it for the second time and they don't want him to take any steps yet (he is still very weak) they did ask him to march in place....and like a good little military man, he did. Then he was over it and wanted to lay down.

They did some physical therapy on his hands and he wasn't so thrilled with that. In fact, I think is exact response was "how bout we NOT do this right now!"

We are still having to keep him focused and on task but you can tell his mind is starting to put things together. He was asked the date and was at least close this time until we got to the year then he said "2025" when we told him it was 2006, he giggled and said "Well, that was kind of a leap from 2006". Then I asked him what he does on every Christmas Eve and he said "Duh girl, I go to your house". LOL That he does. But to recall that information and apply it to the question was a good sign of his mind coming out of the fog. He also asked if he had any messages and I passed on the ones from the blog. He was glad to get them.

It is so nice to see the progression over the last two days. He had kind of "stalled out" for a week or so when coming off some of the machines and drugs. I think it was just so much work for his body that he was just adjusting. It's nice to have stuff to report.

I didn't stay long this morning, he was very tired after all the activity. He said he needed a nap and then to come back. He is still confused quite a bit but having more and more moments that he seems to be starting to retain information.

Some have asked about phone calls, the staff says no for now and I would have to say, it would probably just confuse him. Though is mind is getting clearer he still is very confused most times. Thinking the lights are candles, wondering why the fan isn't on (Peej, it's not a fan, it's a smoke detector), he thinks the O2 nasal cannula that goes from his nose to behind his ears are glasses and keeps trying to adjust them. The way he is going though it will be no time at all.

That is all for now, I am going up this afternoon and will update then. The PJ Dad is coming in today, so he will have a busy afternoon.

Happy Holidays and Hug your people...

Lynette

Give the boy a menu...

Well, Peej has moved on to berry Jello and thinks it is good. He is drinking through a straw well, we tried the regular drinking thing and that didn't go so well...so for now...a straw it is!

It seems he got a little uncooperative this afternoon but the nurses figured out the temper tantrums parallel a medication they were giving him everyday at noon to stimulate the abdominal tract to contract. Those should subside as they don't think he needs that particular medication anymore. And when I say "temper tantrum" I mean "full on two year old temper tantrum". Yesterday he straightened out his legs, slapped them on the bed, as well as both arms and grunted....just like a toddler. Tonight though he was calm, cooperative to verbal requests and even smiled more. He is still a confused but I can tell he is putting more and more together. He remembers things for more than 30 seconds and even apologized tonight for "fighting with Big Guy and the nurse this afternoon". So that is great progress. He remembered I was there earlier and asked if I picked up my daughters (which I told him I needed to do), so he is starting to put small things together.

The nurse said tonight they were transferring him tomorrow to the Naval Hospital but the charge nurse said that is probably not likely to happen. I will call in the morning before I head up there and if there is any news I will update before I leave. Other than that, I will probably not update the blog until 1 or 2 California time (I have some last minute shopping and my husband is coming home on the ship tomorrow). You know, the ship Peej still thinks he is on most of the time.

Have a great day, hug all your people, and remember what the Season is really about!

Lynette

J-E-L-L-O.....

Just got back from seeing the PJ. What a great sight! He is much calmer and not struggling anymore to take everything out/off. He still did not have his restraints on either. That was nice to see! He seems to be putting a little bit more together (I stress "a little bit") but enough to make sense in that moment.

PJ Land has moved into solid foods. Slowly, but hey, it's not in a tube (he does still have the tube feed going). He took a couple bites of Jello and then said "Hmmmm lemon, good". But then, he said no more because he thought he should go slowly. He drank a cup of apple juice through a straw too! He has to be told each step of what to do until the 'fog' from the meds wears off. They said it could be a while.

There are rumors among the doctors and nurses that PJ might be moving over to the Naval Hospital in as early as two or three days. Not for any other reason than they have a bed and he will need physical therapy to regain his strength. I'll keep ya posted on that!

They showed me how to put the ointment on his hands and peel away the dead skin where the burns are healing, so I did that for a while. I am so not touching the feet though. The Peej Momma did that and it must be the love of a mother!

More later from PJ Land........

Happy shopping & continue the prayers for his recovery to progress with leaps and bounds!

It's a conspiracy.....

So according to Heather, PJ is doing well today. He is off the Ativan completely (again) and is starting to be more vocal (not to be confused with more lucid). They have taken off his gloves and untied his restraints....he was behaving while Heather was there but we will see how that goes today. For the most part he still thinks he is on the ship and though at times he seems to be more aware...he is still very confused and it is hard to understand what he is saying. Each day though, his verbal skills improve and even through it all you can see his sense of humor is still there, however, he is getting aggitated with the whole process but this is normal behavior. He said he thinks "someone is drugging him because he keeps waking up naked"...oh Peej, if you only knew...

He looks great and his hands look better everyday with the dexerity improving constantly.

I am heading up there right now and will update this afternoon with the plan for the next few days. There was some talk of them taking the trach out so we'll see, and once they take that out, he can be moved out of ICU.

Thanks for all the prayers! PJ is so blessed to have such a strong network of people in his ring.

Enjoy your families and Merry Christmas,
Lynette

Meyerpeter vs The Nurses

PJ is doing well. He is doing exactly what they said he was going to do.. become confused, agitated, and a little uncooperative. He has been fighting his restraints for three days, and he finally wore himself out.

Today when I got up there, they had these HUGE padded mitts on him. Both hands had them. They look like white boxing gloves. It is him vs. the nurses...He is trying to pull everything off him. He is really trying to escape, so they finally made it almost impossible to do it. They have not completely taken him off the ativan yet. They are going to hold off for a bit, because he is very restless. When I was there today, he slept the whole time. I got there at 10:00, and he was just starting to sleep, I left and came back a couple of times, and finally stayed at 2:00 pm. I was there until about 5:30, and he slept that whole time. Peacefully. I really think that he wore himself out from fighting, "morphing", and planning his escape. He made the comment last night that he had all night to figure out how to get out of there.

They stood him up today for a few minutes and he did great with that. He has been coughing up a LOT of phlegm. Nothing like wiping snot off my brother's trach...

So that's about all that's going on in PJ land. He is tired today, and sleeping well. I feel sorry for the nurse that has him tomorrow. He will be a handful.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They are being answered. Now, we just need to convince PJ that he is in the hospital in he needs to stay there.

Talk to you soon,
Heather

Rise N Shine

Hey everyone. PJ is getting more and more alert everyday. Some have asked if he can talk on the phone yet, I don't think so. He is getting agitated with a lot of little things, and he would probably get agitated with that also.

They lowered his ativan, and you can tell. Like I said, he is getting really frustrated with all the "things" they have hooked up to him. He wants all the things taken off and he wants to be untied. He is planning his escape route. He is wanting to sign the papers to get out of there. Some of the things he is saying is funny! Today he asked what the other "sheet" was that was on him... when he found out that it was his gown, his eyes got really big and said, "Boys don't wear gowns".

Other than some of the things that he is saying, there really isn't much changing. I am spending a lot more time up there with him, as he is staying awake longer. So, the posts are going to slow down, but I will post when anything changes. (Trach coming out, eating solid foods, etc...).

He told the nurses today that he didn't trust them. (He didn't think they were nurses) and he wanted to see some ID. He told us that he needed to so to the bank, and to get his uniforms ready for work.

He also is asking/talking about the accident. He wanted to know today if anyone had died and asked if they knew why it happened. He also asked how "the kids" (nieces and nephews) were taking all of this. He asked about the family, (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc) and again how the other guys were doing... He found out that he has been in the hospital for four weeks, and I don't think that he believed that.

Oh yeah, he told me that the kids wanted to talk to him about Christmas. He also said that Kendyl is getting a puppy... Have fun with that Chris!

As you can see, he has a lot to say. There is NEVER a dull moment with him.

That's all for now. I will post again tomorrow when there are changes. Tonight he is going to rest, and Mom and I are going up there first thing in the morning. I will post tomorrow afternoon sometime.

Hugs from San Diego,
Heather, Mom and PJ

Another Day

Just talked to the nurse, Pj is doing ok. No changes, they are jusy slowly waking him up..

Stats are good, he is responding. The only thing really now is getting him awake and off the ativan.

I will post more as I know.
Heather

Check Out time is 11:00

Ok so, we just got back again from the hospital and PJ is talking! Like,you can hear him... I told him that Mom was coming in tonight and he said,

"I am going to have to check out for a couple hours to take my mom out for dinner."
He is just gonna check himself out. So he thinks. He is talking about work, asking about the other guys, and and he said he was "definitely ready to blow this joint."

Doctor said she is planning on lowering his ativan everyday from here on out. He should be off the ativan by Monday. She also said that if he continues to do well, they are going to cap the trach tomorrow. If he does well with that, they will take the trach out. Once the trach is out... there is "no reason for him to be in the hospital".

Very good day in PJ land. Mom's flight gets in at 11:00pm and the nurses said I can bring her up tonight if she wants to go. He is sleeping off and on all day, and doesn't yet sleep through the night, so it won't be a big deal if we go up there.

Have a great evening!

Anthony, Lauren and Erica, I love you so much! I miss you and I will see you in a week..

Heather

Out with the old, in with the new

I just left the hospital. PJ is sleeping. He didn't sleep very well last night which they said is to be expected. He is in his "chair" right now. When I got there, they told me that they downgraded the trach. In other words, they put a smaller tube in. YEAH! We will be able to understand him here in a little bit. This also means that he is that closer to getting rid of the trach.

They also told me that they are moving the vent OUT of the room.. NO MORE VENT! Hopefully he won't be on the vent EVER again!

She (Laura the nurse) is going to call me when he wakes up, and I will go back up and visit him more. I will keep you posted...

Hugs from San Diego!
Heather

Catch your breath and keep on running....

PJ HAS BEEN BREATHING ON HIS OWN SINCE YESTERDAY AT 8:00 am!

They have not put him back on the vent at all since yesterday morning. They are lowering his ativan today, so he will be more with it. All his stats are good... He is rockin' and rollin'!

That's the morning update! I am getting ready to go up there now...

Heather

This little piggy went to the market....

I will have to say that PJ and Big Guy are probably the two most humorous people I know. Get em together, and they are a comedy act...

So, I went there this morning and PJ had been off the vent since 8 am. They had already sat him up and dangled his feet over the side of the bed. He did a great job. He was pretty tired after that, so I was there for about an hour and a half, and then let him sleep.

Steve, Lynette and I went back up this afternoon and was he awake!!!! First, he was trying to write.. didn't work so well. He is great at scribbling. Big Guy is going to hang it on the fridge he said.. So, Steve and Lynette were moving his fingers.. and PJ is getting so much stronger! When Big Guy was moving his fingers, he started playing piggy with PJ. "This little piggy went to the market, this little piggy went home..." Then PJ raised his other hand and started saying, this little piggy went we we we... It was FUNNY! (He doesn't say words yet, he just mouths the words which can sometimes be very difficult to understand. This afternoon though, he was slowing down, and we could read his lips much better). PJ then told Steve he was stupid...

Peej is also trying to sit up on his own. His strength is really coming back. He is moving his legs a lot more, moving his arms, stretching, grabbing your hand and squeezing. (He was being a butt head today and wouldn't let go of my hand). He is smiling, and laughing, and talking... He has so much to say. He asked about Chief Johns, and Templeton (who were the others in the accident), he told Ryan (one of PJ's friends who also works with him. Ryan stayed behind when the ship went out to help the families while we are out here.) to bring Josh, Romel and Robert (his friends) up to see him. I asked if he wanted to have a party in his room, and he said yes.

He is also giving hugs. He will grab your hand and bring you close to him.
This was my favorite part of the day. He knows who you are, and looks right at you when you talk to him.

So, he has been off the vent all day and his stats are great. 100% O2 saturation, great blood pressure, normal heart rate, no fever... He is coming along great. They won't put him back on the vent until tonight to let him rest. Hopefully soon he will be off the vent forever.. baby steps.

Today is a great day out here. He is fun to be around. He gets tired, but he is so much more "with" it. Don't get me wrong, at one point he said, I feel stoned and he is! They have not lowered his ativan yet. Can you imagine how active he is going to be when they do?

Well, that's all for now. Leave your comments. I will tell him what you say. He seems to want to hear from everyone.

Hugs from San Diego!
Heather

If needed... oxygen will drop from the overhead compartment

OK, so I just talked to the nurse. Kelly is his nurse today, but she was busy, so I talked to the "floor" nurse. PJ slept well last night, no complications, and no vomiting. He is already on the trach collor (which means that the vent is off again), and they are not planning on putting him back on the vent until they see that he is tired. They are also putting him back into the chair today with the vent off.. So todays plan: wear his butt out.

Everything else is the same, they are talking about lowering the Ativan again today since they didn't yesterday. (Ativan is the sedititve). So, hopefully he will be even more awake...

I am getting ready to get up there and I will post more this afternoon... today looks like a good day in PJ land...

Heather

Quick update

I didn't go back up to the hospital tonight. I called up there tonight and the nurse said that he was really tired and was still resting pretty well. So I decided to let him sleep. They told me that they would call me if anything changes as far as him doing well.

He sat up in his bed again today and dangled his feet over the edge. Although this may seem mindless to all of us, this is a huge step for him and really wears him out.

Kelly(his nurse today) told me that tomorrow they are thinking of taking him off the vent for an unspecified amount of time. Today they had planned on leaving him off for only four hours, tomorrow, it could be for much longer. We will see how it all goes. He has come such a long way in the past couple of days, it's no wonder why he is sleeping so well.

So, I will post again tomorrow morning. Hope you all have a great night... let's see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully great new things will come.

Heather

Happy Birthday Mom!!!!

First of all, Happy Birthday Mom! Do I have good news for you...

So let me go back to last night. I got a lot of grief from my sister for not posting here last night.... I apologize, I was pretty tired, and there was no change at all.

I went back up there and they moved him out of the "chair" back into his bed. However, they took off the air mattress on the bed, so now he is in a "normal" hospital bed . Once they put him in this bed, he was much more comfortable and was sleeping very well. Yesterday he was crabby. What I mean by that is you could tell he was uncomfortable in the bed(with the air mattress) and with that stupid tube back up his nose, and by the time they took him out of the "chair" he was tired. Very tired. He remained "open ended" until bedtime. That means he was on a setting of the vent that allows him to breathe on his own, but kicks in if he needs it. Other than the sitting up, and the open ended thing, there was no change. Stats were good and he had a slight fever. But he was restless the most of the day. So, last night I went back and sat for a hour, and he was a sleep the whole time. So, I left.

TODAY HOWEVER... we called up there this morning, and he had a great night. No problems and no vomiting. So, we asked when would be good, and she said the only thing on his "schedule" was changing his lines, so sometime after 1 would be good to come and visit...

We got there at 1:00 and WHAT A GREAT SITE!!!! The vent was POWERED OFF COMPLETELY... as in NO JUICE AT ALL!!! Peej was breathing on his own. No help.. they had him on oxygen flow, but his lungs were doing all the work with no back up plan... They turned the vent off for 4 hours, will let him rest with the vent on for 2 hours, and then take him off again for 4 more hours. Then he will sleep with the vent tonight and start again tomorrow. It was awesome to NOT see all the tubes from the vent there and that one machine is turned off completely. His stats were very good and this was the first time he was cool to the touch. (Usually he is burning up, and sweating)..
So now, he if off the pain meds, his sedative is being lowered, and he is REALLY coming off the vent. I mean, they kept saying that he was being winged off the vent, but until I saw it powered off it wasn't the same... today I saw results. PJ is almost back! He has come such a long way.

Also, when Lynette and I got there this afternoon, it was the most peaceful I have seen him rest since I have gotten out here. No moving around, no opening and closing his eyes, just resting.... That was nice to see too.

This afternoon, they are going to sit him up again.. put him in the chair again, and take him off the vent again. He should sleep VERY well tonight.

I can't stress to you how cool the little things are. Today Lynette and I were talking (in front of PJ) about Chris sucking out his boogers, and we look down, and PJ had a big smile on his face. It is so nice to see that smile. It's awesome when you tell him to wiggle his toes and he does.. the littlest of gestures make you feel so warm and fuzzy inside...


So, I will go back up there here in a little bit. I am sorry for the delay in the posting of the blog. Please know that if I don't post for a while, we are still doing the same routine... in the "chair", sitting up in bed.. or, he is just resting. I (or Lynette) will post more often.

That's all for now,
Heather

Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.....

So today was another small step ahead in PJ Land. Though he did not have a super great night, today was a move ahead. Last night though, he started vomiting, a lot....so they put the tube (to keep his stomach empty) that was in his mouth back in, but this time, in his nose...(according to his nurse - Peej wasn't so hot on the idea and gave him a really hard time). He also seems to be running a low grade fever so they are trying to determine what is causing that and if the two are related. Other than that, last night was okay but he is tired today from not resting well.

On to today!!! While Heather and I were there, they came in to sit him up on the edge of his bed! They even let us help! I think because of last nights restlessness, he feels a little less like playing with us today. He did follow commands to help get him to the side of the bed, but it is clear he has little strength after laying around for so long. Though the sitting up required a fair amount of assistance...HE DID IT! He sat up for about 5 minutes and then I think the staff got tired of holding him up, then they sat him in the "chair" thingy I told you about yesterday and he was so happy to be in a different position he couldn't keep still! He kept moving his arms and legs all around and we kept telling him to stay still or he would slide out of the chair. He is strapped into the chair but we all know, even in his weakened state, that boy doesn't like to be tied down.

They asked us if we wanted to do his physical therapy on his hands and showed us how to manipulate his fingers to help stretch the skin that was burned, so it becomes more pliable and his range of motion will increase...this is necessary but it is a little uncomfortable for Peej. So....Heather wimped out...something about "not wanting to hurt her brother...blah blah blah.." Really though, I think she is just so happy to see him smiling and making progress she is not wanting to be the one to cause him pain. I feel for her. She said she would try tomorrow. So I did it for a while and even in that short time, his fingers really loosened up. We just have to keep it up. It felt good to do something tangible to "help" in his recovery.

He did indicate, with his nodding head, that he is comfortable and is ready to leave. When I left he was still in the "chair" and they have him "open ended" (meaning he is breathing on his own but the vent is there still as needed for support) they planned on keeping that way until this evening and then letting him rest during the night and then putting him "open ended" all day tomorrow as tolerated.


When I told PJ I was leaving and asked him if he could say goodbye...he raised his hand and waved. Heather just came in and said that she asked for kisses when she left and he mouthed some kisses to her!

What great joy we take in these little motions!

Have a great day and keep praying for him to continue in this forward direction!

Lynette

Quick Update

So I went up there not looking at the time and got there just in time for shift change (which means they kick everyone out for an hour). So, I turned on the Monday Night Football and his Rams...this made him happy. Then Dan (the cool nurse dude we love) said that he wasn't going to put him in the "chair" until tomorrow because Peej was tired. (Waaah...right? Sheesh) So I will go back in the morning and give him crap for being a sissy. And Yay! Dan will be there tomorrow. Dan is cool, he doesn't coddle PJ, though he takes great care of him by means of also giving him crap like us!

Overall, PJ had another great day of progress and once he gets a little less dopey and more of the drugs out of his system I am sure we won't be able to shut him up!

Lynette and I are going to head up early (930-ish) and she will come back and post a morning update.

PSSH.....He's back!

So Peej had a busy day today! 2 hours sitting up in a cool bed/chair thingy that they lay him in and then sit him straight up and then strap him in! He was breathing on his own for the two hours he was chillin' in the lounger. Way better than the one hour yesterday! He was more alert today and responsive to verbal commands. He thought he was funny too. He was blowin' kisses to me and Heather and Big Guy had him laughing. It was so nice to see the PJ smile! When I put oinment on his lips today, he totally puckered up trying to help me! Now THAT was funny!!!!

He is completely off the pain med since early this afternoon and seem to be tolerating things super good. The small tube is out of his mouth, which is good cause he wouldn't leave it alone and when you told him to, he just messed with it more just to be stubborn and defiant. All his other vitals are in normal range and his fever is gone. His hands were both uncovered for a good while today and they looked great. The right hand is all pink and pretty with the swelling on both having gone down a bunch. The left hand still has a couple areas that are blistered but are healing well. So other than needing a manicure and pedicure, he is looking fabulous.

Peej is so much happier and responsive today. He gets tired by late afternoon but he clearly knows when he has company and tries to communicate though he is not supposed to talk yet with the trach still in, but you know he thinks he has so much to say and he sure tries to say it! Oh yeah, now, when we are in the room with him they take off the restraints on his wrists. I guess they think we can stop him if he tries to pull anything out! ....really though, he listens when we tell him to not mess with stuff, but then adds a raised eyebrows and Pshh! That's our Pajamas. Heather told him she was going to paint his toenails and he shrugged his shoulders like "whatever"...but then when she told him she was going to paint them red, he shook his head "no". So - he is coming around. He is still very in and out, but wow, what great progress in such a short time.

He looks great, he seems comfortable and he still has his sense of humor. He is still a little dopey looking but they say that is the meds, I am not so sure, but okay. Peej is coming back. What a fighter.

Heather is heading back up to the hospital now, they were going to put him back in the "chair" for a while. She can update when she gets home to let us know how he did.

Still moving forward...

Posted by Anthony--

I spoke with Heather this morning, she had some problems updating the blog so I'll post for her...
"P.J. continues to have good progress reports, he did well all night long. His numbers continue to remain very good, and he was very responsive this morning."

Heather will post another update late this evening.

Butterfly Kisses

Hello all. Sorry for the late post. Lynette and I went to see PJ tonight around 5:30 pm. Everything is still going very well in PJ land. He was pretty worn out, but still in and out. He wasn't fighting the restraints as much as he was earlier today and yesterday.

This morning, they took him off the vent for 30 minutes to breathe on his own, he did very well. They told us that they were going to do the same in the evening. When we got there tonight, I asked how it went, and she said that she took him off and started "working" on him. Then she looked up at the clock, and he had been off the vent for an HOUR with NO PROBLEMS!!! This is what we wanted to hear!!! So tomorrow, they will take him off again for a little longer, and a little more frequently. The setting on the vent while he is on it allows him to "over breathe" the vent if he wants. He has been over breathing a lot. That is awesome... GO PEEJ!

So, he still really likes to tell you no... about EVERYTHING. He is like a two year old.

While we were there, I told him that I loved him, and.... he "blew me" a kiss. It was quite funny. Lynette and I kinda looked at each other and said, "Did he just do that, really?" Then when I was leaving I told him I was going to give him a kiss, and he did it again... it was pretty cool.

Stats are great. Infection is getting better, no fever. Blood sugar was 103, blood pressure was great. Yes.. a good day in PJ land yet again. Kisses and all...


I can't tell you how proud I am of him. He has come such a long way! The nurse tonight said that she thought he would be on the vent until at least Christmas, and now she thinks he will be completely awake and off the vent by the end of the week if he does every step of this process without a problem... So, we need more days like the last few.


Heather

Good Morning....

OK so I will have to start thinking up clever titles like Chris.

I got here yesterday, and couldn't wait to go and see him. When I did get up there, Chris had to tell me what I could and couldn't do, (I have a thing about pulling out the trach and trying to kill my brother) before I really felt comfortable enough to take the reins here.

Once Chris and my Dad left, and the Ativan levels started wearing off from the decrease in the dosage, PJ was in and out a lot. I think I lucked out and got him when he was "more awake". Don't get me wrong, he is in and out like Chris said, but I tell you what, he was shaking his head"yes" and "no" left and right. (We all know that there was more of the "no").

He was coughing quite a bit when I was there. Dan the nurse said that was great. That's what they want to see. Right now, the vent is set to breath for him, however if he tries to overcompensate, that isn't a bad thing. If he keeps doing well on this setting, and keeps up with the great coughing, then they will lower his vent settings more (maybe today) and he will be breathing more on his own....

PJ did know that I was there yesterday. I asked him if he knew who I was and he shook his head yes and mouthed Heather. (All these years of working in the DRIVE THRU PHARMACY paid off... I can read lips!) He does get very frustrated with the situation. But, if you tell him to calm down and that every things OK, and he seems to calm down. I can't imagine how scary it would be to wake up like this; but the good thing is, he only remembers the moment. He won't remember any of this when he finally "wakes up" completely...


OK time to shower and get ready to go frustrate him more today! (Just kidding)

Heather

On the road to recovery...

Hello PJ Land, well it was another exciting day in the wonderful world of PJ. First off, he had a great night. He has really responded well to the new ventilator settings, and is going along with it very nicely. They dropped his Ativan again today, so he was a bit more alert and man was that tongue going! When he wakes up, he opens his eyes and then immediately starts moving his tongue to get his feeding tube out of his mouth. He is sweating all the time, so I am always wiping him when I am there. He is responding to commands, and I thought was reacting much better when he woke up. We found out today that the Ativan is addicting, and he will have to be weened off of it and is given Methadone to counteract the detox symptoms. He is doing really well, so all the prayers are working.

His left hand was completely uncovered today, and although it doesn't look near as good as his right, it will heal very nicely. It did have some dark blisters, but the nurse said that is normal and will heal in time. He is doing great and will be up and moving in no time I am sure. This is my last blog for a while, Heather is here now and she can keep everyone updated.


Hug your loved ones, and tell them you love them.

Chris

The Dawning of a New Era...

I talked to my Dad this morning, and he said that PJ had a great night. He is doing well on the new ventilator settings so that is great to hear. So as they slowly get him adjusted to the new settings, then I assume they will slowly lift the Ativan to allow him to be more awake as we go. He is still kind of in and out now that they put him on the Ativan, which I think is good. We need to see if he will tolerate the ventilator before we just wake him up. I will be up there in an hour or so to see him as well.

Heather, PJ's sister, arrives today as well. She will be staying out for the next couple of weeks to keep an eye on him and let him know that everyone loves him. That is all for now, more when I return from the hospital.

Remember, hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

WHAT A DAY....

Well, when I got to the hospital, the first thing the nurse told me was that he didn't do so good. So after hearing that my hopes were down. She told me that he did have a brief period of desaturation when she went to lunch. So I was in the middle of lecturing him on how he needs to behave and work with them in the hospital. That is when the nurse came in and gave me the BEST NEWS YET, they were taking him off the paralytic medicine and moving his vent to the pressure setting instead of the volume setting (or it could be the other way around for all I know), but anyway they were going to let him start waking up and moving. Then they kicked me out so they could change all of his lines. About 1.5 hours later, they let me back in because, of course, right when they were going to let me in he crapped himself so they had to clean that up. So when I went in there they asked me to speak to him, AND HE OPENED HIS EYES!!!!!!! The tears just started welling up, he was loopy, but responding to simple requests and questions. He responded that he knew my name was Chris, and that he was in the hospital. He was not happy at all, he looked a bit mad and very much scared, which I think is to be expected. So I got to talk to him, but he was getting all worked up and kept trying to talk back to me, which is not good. So after about an hour, the nurse and I thought it would be best if they started his Ativan again to sedate him and let him rest and get some sleep. It was tough to leave him, but I am going to put my faith in the nurses that they know what is best. I am going to go back up there when my Dad gets here in an hour or so. It is very tough to see him struggling when he wakes up, not knowing what is going on. They keep telling me that he won't remember, but it is still tough to see. So now we need him to cooperate and relax, which we all know is not his strong suit given the situationl. I told them that if you give him any control, he will want to take all control which is bad. They will slowly start to reduce the sedative and allow him to start taking over the breathing. The better he does, and the more he cooperates, the quicker he will get out of the hospital.

It has been a huge step today, so much so that now I am thinking that I may stay out here a few more days so that I can talk to him. I haven't decided on that yet, but I am thinking about it.

Well that is the news that I have been waiting to type, and I got my wish today. Things could still go backwards, so we need to be cautiously optimistic about all this. What a day. Well remember hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

All the kings horses, and all the kings men...

Hello all, just got of the phone with the nurse and PJ had another good night YIPEE! He no episodes of desaturation, and has done wonderfully since he got the trach. Not that the trach has contributed to it. So if we can continue to have these good days and nights, they will start to change the ventilator and start modifying the PEEP (Which I have no idea what that is), but the RT (Respitory Therapist) yesterday told me that is what we are wanting to be the next steps. So he is doing better. They are still bronching him daily, and they continue to get a bunch of stuff out of his lungs. They particularly get most of the stuff out of the upper right lobe. The RT told me yesterday that his lungs were looking better, not good yet but better than they have in the past.

I took off work today to rest and I will get to see him this afternoon. My dad gets here tonight, and Heather gets here tomorrow. PJ will have plenty of love here, which is great. I wish I could be here when he wakes up, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, they have been wonderful. Hug you loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

Picture of the spinning bed...

In case anyone wanted to see the spinning space bed from hell, here is a picture.

Chris

Another day, another piece of spaghetti...

PJ had a great day today. His vitals were good all day. Oxygen level was at a solid 40% all day long and he did really well with his new trach. We definitely need more days like we had today. His fever was down and they cut back his food supply today, which also means they cut down his insulin needs. I was able to see his left hand better today, although it looks good, that is definitely one of the areas that was hurt quite a bit. He is just doing so great. At this point, we need for him to continue like this for a while and then they will begin to reverse the respirator to make it more of PJ breathing. That is when they will start to bring him out of the coma and send him on the road to therapy.

PJ is doing so good that I keep trying to talk his nurse into letting me shave him so that I can shave designs in him. Big Guy and I think we should do 1 of 2 things: 1.) Shave a Hitler mustache on him (my personal favorite), or 2.) Big ugly shovel sideburns and a soul patch under the chin. In fact, post your comments to tell us what you would want us to shave on him, I am interested in hearing what everyone elses idea for shaving him like.

Well that is all for now, a great day for PJ and we need many more. Hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.

Chris

I almost killed PJ...... Twice!

Just kidding. PJ received his tracheotomy today and given everything that he went through today, he did pretty darn good. While I was up there, I actually knocked the trach tube off twice while I was rubbing his arms. I had actually seen the nurse do it so I knew what to do. I was FREAKING OUT on the inside, but on the outside I was my old calm collected self. He did well today other than a brief episode of desaturation this morning. He was trached and bronched and CPT'd (which I really don't know what that is) and still had a good day of breathing. When I talked to the doctor today, he said that his lungs are healing, but it will take a little while. While they don't think it will be months, it won't just be days either. So we are still in the waiting game. So I entertained myself this evening by watching him blow large snot bubbles out of his nose as he rested. It was a wonderful sight to see, in fact at one point while the nurse was out Lynnette told me to suction it out. So I did! I got to use the small vacuum machine and sucked out a nice long spaghetti booger out of his nose. That was the highlight of my evening. It was a good day in PJ land today, and we need more of those.

I also got to see his entire right hand tonight and it looked great. He may have a few small scars, but nothing significant. He is moving along nicely with his burns. I decided that I am going to be flying out on Sunday with my Dad. Heather will take the reins here and keep us all updated.

Hug your loved ones, and tell them you love them!

Chris

Tracheotomy here we come...

Well all, I had a brief visit with PJ tonight, mainly because I am exhausted after work today and I think that I need to rest a bit. PJ had a good day today. The doctors have asked for consent to do the tracheotomy on PJ for tomorrow. They said that although he is doing well, his lungs are still not great so he will need the ventilator longer than they can keep him on it through his mouth. So tomorrow he will be getting the trach around 10 - 11 am. I have a lighter day tomorrow so I should be able to get up to the hospital a bit earlier than today. So PJ is doing well, tomorrow is a trach and I will update the blog tomorrow morning to let folks know how everything is going.

Thanks to everyone for all the thoughts and prayers. They are greatly appreciated.

Chris

Morning Report 12/5

Called the morning nurse, Scott, this morning and he told me that PJ had another good night. No episodes of desaturation which is what we want. They are going to bronch him today and told me they have to change some lines and tubes so that it would be good to come up in the afternoon. Hopefully we will have another good day today when I get up there and there will be more good news this evening.

Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers, they are greatly appreciated.

That is all for now,
Chris

There is a new smell in the air...

So as Steve has already told everyone, PJ is out of the spinning bed HALLELUJAH! Just in the nick of time too, because he was getting FUUUNNNKKYY. I mean I know that he is in a coma, but man was he starting to smell. So now that they have him out of that bed, they can give him a bath a bit more often. Ok seriously, he had a good day today. He did not "desat" at all during the day. He is staying strong, and we just need to continue that. Last nights episodes were not that bad, but frustrating because it was a setback. His temperature has been mild to normal. When I left tonight it was at 99.9. Now that he is out of the space age spinning stinky bed from hell, they are beginning to lower the paralytic drug so he is moving. It is more like involuntary muscle movement like a slight raise of the eyebrows, or his head will shake a bit. It is neat to see him moving a bit, and it appears like he kind of responds to you when you talk to him.

They are still holding out hope that they won't have to do the tracheotomy. I think that it is silly, but when I talked to the doctor today he said that he wanted to wait to see if we need it. My take on that is either the doctor has some hope that he will be off of the vent by Thursday, or he is delaying this aimlessly. They have to take him off of the vent through the mouth by Thursday so they don't risk damage to his vocal cords. So why wouldn't they just do it now unless they thought there was still a chance that he could be off of the vent in time. Anyway, that is my editorial opinion, no other factual evidence will back that up.

His wounds looked great today. He has no bandages at all on his face anymore, and his ear looks outstanding. The nurse this evening also told me that his hands have healed completely. I don't know this physically to be true other than her telling me. I still have yet to see his hands without bandages on them. His hair is growing back nicely, you can see the area that was burned off, as it is shorter than his other hair. The skin is blending nicely and his eyebrows are back. He only has a few scabs here and there on his face that should heal with very little scarring. So as I told my mother tonight, he will be just as ugly as he was before, which is great.

As you can tell, things were good today. I only kid him because I love him, and if it were me in there he would be writing the same thing about me. For those that know PJ you know that he is a joker and a prankster and loves to give people crap. I can't wait to give him crap and tell him I love him and give him a great big hug when he wakes up.

That is all from San Diego, I will try to write more in the morning after I call and talk to the night nurse.

Take care and kiss your loved ones!

Chris

P.S Kayler, Katelyn, Curtis, and Diane I miss you all very much and I can't wait to see you. I love you guys!

PJ's New Address

Just in case there are new friends reading this, I wanted to give out our new address. It will be better to send cards and pictures for PJ's room here to the house and I can take them to him. Our new address is:
PJ Meyerpeter
c/o Steve
1313 24th Street
San Diego, CA 92102

Out of the Crazy Spinning bed

Hey everyone - I wanted to add a quick note. I am sure Chris will add a better note later. I had to leave him there to go back to work. PJ is out of the space bed - YIPPIE!!! Although he can go back in if things take a turn again. but for now he is in a real bed with sheets and everything!!! He was doing pretty good. he had great color in his face. I still marvel at how quick he is healing on the outside. He is looking more and more like pajamas everyday. It is those darn lungs that we need to get better. they got another good amount of stuff sucked out again today which is good. All of his stats seemed to be in the right direction. He was on 40% O2 when I left. His left ear is starting to look pretty good. I still have yet to see the back of his hands, but the upper arms are lookin pretty darn good. It was just so good to see him in a real bed again. lets just pray he has a couple good days again. Last nights episode wasn't a big hiccup but we need some smooth days/nights now.

A side note on PJ number 2 - he has had several operations that have completely cleaned away all of the dead skin and tissue. they will now start the graphs in ernest. they also have a plan to try to save his fingers - by graphing his hand to his body and letting the good skin grow around his hand with good strong tissue - absolutly amazing.

And good news for walter as well - when I walked by his room he was TALKING on the phone. they say he is going to be released from the ICU this weekend if not sooner. WAY TO GO WALT!!!!

Well look at that, how is that for a quick note - hahahaha
Have a great night everyone - steve

Brief Morning Update on 12/4

Talked to the night nurse and PJ did have a few episodes of desaturation last night. He told me that the doctors were doing their rounds and would determine what they would like to do with him in regards to the bed. According to the nurse, the episodes were brief where he went to 89 - 85% oxygen level. So I don't know what that exactly means.

That is all for now.

Chris

The captian has turned off the seatbelt sign...

Hello all, well I just got back from visiting PJ, and we are now eclipsing 48 hours of good oxygenation. All this means, is we haven't had a setback in a while, nothing more. So I have good news to report for the moment. As the title says, the captain has turned off the seatbelt sign for right now. We may have future turbulence, but for now PJ has had a good couple of days. The nurse told me that the infection is getting better, so the antibiotics seem to be working. PJ was at 40% oxygen this evening and oxygenating at 97 - 98 percent which is great. We can only hope to keep this going. They are removing him from the bed tomorrow. The doctor told me today that they will wait until Wednesday to determine if they need to put in a trach for PJ.

I was able to see him tonight with no bandages on his face, he looks great. His lips, eyes, ear and face is healing wonderfully. This is great news. So that is the goodness that is PJ land for right now. I hope everyone has a great night, and keep PJ in your thoughts and prayers for the evening.

Chris

The roller coaster ride continues...

Hello all, well I have good and bad news, so I will start with the good news.

I was able to talk to the Doctor today. He told me that his burns are healing exceptionally well. At this point, they are not thinking that he will need any skin grafts at all. I was able to see his left ear today for the first time. It looked really good. His fever has been non existent today and when I left his temperature was still normal. He has had a very good day today, much better than yesterday. When I left this afternoon, after he was turned, he was holding strong with good oxygenation and the oxygen levels at 50% on the vent. We need many more of these good days, but it is all up to PJ right now. I was also able to see him move a bit. It turns out that they were lowering the paralyzing medicine to ensure that his body doesn't get too used to it. So I saw his head, lips and shoulders moving. At first I was a bit freaked out, but once they explained what was going on it made much more sense. And as anyone that knows PJ would expect, as soon as they let him do that he tried to take over completely and was overbreathing, so they had to give him more medicine for his own good.

The Bad news

He is still on the bed and his lungs are still producing a lot of "crud". They are bronching him everyday, and are taking chest X-Rays everyday to see how things are going. There is no other course of action according to the doctor. It is a waiting game, but the only therapy is what they are doing for him currently. It is a matter of him having several good days in a row. They will most likely make the decision on the Tracheotomy on Monday, and at this point I think it is the right thing to do for him. He has been on the ventilator for 16 days now, and they say that the longer you are on it can be damaging to the vocal cords. They most likely will take him off the bed on Tuesday at the latest, just to give him a break from the bed. He sustained the most internal injury of all the patiients it appears. He is a fighter, and I know that he is fighting. We would all like it to go quicker, but that is not happening at the rate we would like it.

That is what I know, so you know what I know. I am anxiously awaiting the time that I am able to give him crap about all of this, but for now I will continue to pray as I hope you all will as well.

Thanks for all the support, it has been tremendous.

Chris

Friday, December 1, 2006

PJ Land is never boring....

As Chris said earlier Peej was having a better day and when we were all there was doing well. When we left, they were ready to turn him on his stomach. I called about 730 this evening to see how he tolerated the turn (it is at those times he usually dips in O2 sat a little but after about 45 minutes - compensates and balances out). Apparently, he didn't feel like cooperating so much this time. They decided not to leave him on his stomach and turned him back over. After adjust the ventilator back up to 70 his O2 sat came back up to 98-99% and they will gradually bring the vent back down to 40 as he can tolerate. The nurse said they did another bronch and got a bunch more of the cruddies out his lungs.

We all know PJ is a fighter. He looked really good when I left tonight, they were going to try to turn him again when they felt they could. I talked to Chris and he said he was going over early in the morning so hopefully one of us can update early to let you all know how his night went.

With great respect for PJ and his family and friends,
Lynette

One small step for PJ, one giant leap for PJ kind...

PJ has done good today, hopefully that will continue. Just returned from the hospital and PJ is doing well and on his back when I was there to visit him. He is oxygenating very well today. They did bronch him today, and we were told that they found a section of his lung with "crap" caked to the walls of his lungs. They were able to get most of that out, and this could be why he was having such a hard time when they had him on his back. His fever is slight, and he is still fighting the nasty little bug that he has caught. It must be pretty bad, because now they are making us wear gloves when we touch him. Supposedly they have not seen this bug in the hospital for over a year. They will continue him on the bed until it is no longer working, they will not even give us a date now because we just keep getting disappointed. I got to see his face good today and his left arm, the burns are healing great. He is growing hair on his arms, and they are now saying that he may not need any skin grafts at all because of how well he is healing.

So a small step for PJ, hopefully a giant leap for PJ land. As always keep the thoughts and prayers coming.

Chris

A step in the wrong direction...

Well, I am here posting again after a great visit with PJ. Not everything went his way tonight, he is still having intermittent problems saturating oxygen in his lungs. Particularly when he laid on his back and side this evening. Because of that, he gets to stay in the bed for another 24 hours. The nurses seem to say that this is normal behavior, and that most patients go through this. His fever was gone when I left, and they believe that they have found the culprit (a nasty little bug they tell me) and they are dealing with it. We are simply waiting on the lungs to heal, and that is not happening as fast as most of us would like. They put him back to 100% oxygen this evening, and were getting ready to roll him over on his belly when I left. They bathed him tonight, and I finally got to see him laying on his back for a while. The swelling is going down day after day, and his burns are healing great. It is just a waiting game to this point. So not the best of days in PJ land, but things could be much worse. They keep telling me we will have some set backs, and it appears that PJ is having a slight setback tonight. Pray for a good night, and a good couple of days.

That is all for now, as always keep the thoughts and prayers coming.

11/29 Evening Post from Chris

Just returned from a very nice 3 hour visit with PJ. PJ had a rough evening last night, his respiration was not doing what they would have wanted it to do. Having said that, he had a much better day. So his lung volume (?) was over 800 all day, which is good. In fact they changed the pressure from 15 to 14 while I was there, which is also a good thing. His fever was mild all day 100.4, but when I left it was creeping up to 102.4 so getting a bit high. His oxygen level is 40 % which is what we want with his oxygen level in his body was at 98% when I left. He is still in the space bed spinning on his belly for 3 hours and on his back 2 hours. If he can have a good evening tonight, finger's crossed, they will take him off of the spinning bed and start to cut back the medicine that is paralyzing him.

Keep your fingers crossed, and keep those thoughts and prayers coming.

11/ 29 Update from Chris Part II

I talked to the nurse this morning. They were in the process of changing his bandages. They said that they did Bronch him this morning, and did not get much from his lungs. His X-ray is still showing some slight collapse in the back so they are wanting to keep him in the bed another night to make sure they can get this out. He did have a slight fever through the night, but the nurse did not seem to concerned about that. Not sure if I am speaking the terms right yet, but that is what I wrote down. So, one more night in the space bed, and hopefully things will be better in the morning for PJ. I will be visiting him later this afternoon, as soon as I am finished working for the day. Should be about 3:30 Pacific time.

That is what I know for now, so you know what I know. Please keep the thoughts and prayers coming.

11/28 Update from Chris

Hello everyone,

Well I was able to get to San Diego and Steve and I went straight to the hospital. I got to see PJ in his space bed that spins him like a rotisserie. He wears his Darth Vader mask and was on his belly spinning around. The good news is that today, as long as everything continues to go well, he will be removed from that bed and placed back in a more normal bed. I thought that PJ looked great. We sat and talked to him for a few hours, it was wonderful to be able to talk to him. While we were there, his fever was mild, 101 degree and he was oxygenating very well at the time. His face looked wonderful, even with the little bit of swelling that had occurred. I am working from PJ's house this morning, and I will call up again in a few minutes after the shift change to find out his schedule. My plan is to go the hospital at about 3 pm here and visit as long as I can.

I will update more when I hear it. So far things are looking good. At one point, when the nurse was sucking some stuff out of his lungs, you could actually see him coughing. The nurse pointed out that they would need to give him more of the medicine to paralyze him because of this. He needs more days like the last couple that he has had.

That is all for now.

Another Update From Lynette

I have talked to Lynette again, and she said that she was waiting to go up to see him until after they did the suction out of the lungs again today. When she called later, she was told that they weren't going to do the procedure because his vitals were standing strong. (His O2 and such are staying strong). This is GREAT news!

She also said that they just can't believe how great he is looking. I can't wait to see him when I go out again.

I am sure Chris will update more when he gets in and sees him.

Talk to you soon
Heather

Tuesday, November 28

I just got an update from my dad. It seems PJ is doing very well. The nurse said he had a slight fever but nothing to be concerned about. They have lowered his oxygen rate to 40. This is the lowest it will go while he is on the ventilator. They have also lowered the respiration rate from 17 to 14 which means he is breathing more on his own. He was inverted in his space ship bed when my dad called. They told him they were going to be looking in his lungs with the camera after he gets flipped back over.

Chris is on his way to San Diego and will be updating when he finds anything out. Keep those prayers coming!

Monday 11/27 update

Saw the PeeeJaaay today. He was out of the spinning bed and out of the darth vader mask. this is the first time I have seen him without all the gauze and tape. He is looking GREAT. I was so excited to see his face...and he looks just like the PJ we all know and love. There does not seem to be a lot of scaring. his eyebrows are starting to grow back, which means we won't have to paint them on later:) His face is still a little puffy, but it is way down from before. I saw his left ear (which is the one most hurt) for the first time as well as that side of his head. It looks good, but the doctors still needs to determine if graphs will be needed. His hands are still wrapped up so I was not able to see those, but word is that he may need some minior work there. No fever, O2 saturation was holding great at 99 and the vent is still turned down to 45, which is really good. He is still on antibiotics for the pneumonia, today they got A LOT of the junk in his lungs that has been causing some of the problems with his pneumonia. So this is a really good thing. The bed he is in has been working and he is probably going to be out of it by weds am. He is still on the rotation of 3 hours on his stomach swinging back and forth and the two hours on his back. So this my friends was a really good day in PJ Land. We need lots more just like it - keep him in your thoughts and prayers - they are working :) - steve

11/26 From Lynette

Hello everyone.

Lynette is a very good friend of PJ's who is out there with him right now. She sent me this email giving the daily update....

Hi Heather,


Just talked to you and here is how Peej is doing:I spent an hour and a half with PJ, he looks good. According to his nurse he is still battling strep, staph and is still somewhat septic but that is par for the course with his injuries.

His temp is down a little bit (but still there) but not concerning at this point.
His O2 assistance is down a little more to 45% that is good news!! His bodily functions are all working normally which is good news too!! We tell him of all the well wishes and thoughts that are sent his way from family and friends. His blood pressure was great while I was there holding steady and 153/70. They said he should be out of his "space ship looking" bed in the next couple days. They say whatever good it was going to do, it will do in the first 5 days and then not be so productive.

Steve will go this afternoon to see him, harass him and tell him to hurry up and get better. I will resume a constant vigil of harassment starting tomorrow!

Have a great day,
Lynette

Sunday, November 26

I just talked to my mom and dad and they have both said that PJ did well last night. His oxygen level has stayed the same. He has a mild fever and they are starting him on another antibiotic today.

Mom said the doctor will be in later to look at some of the tests they have run. She is planning on calling them back and we will post the information when we have it.

Sat 11/25

Just got off the phone with mom and Steve. Pj had a rough night last night. His fever is up again, and his rash is still there. Last night PJ was on 40% oxygen (That is what we are breathing). He is up again on 50%. They think that his right lower lobe of his lung is what is giving him the most problems. They think that is the one that is "clogging up".

They are giving him 6 units of insulin an hour to keep his blood sugar under control. His blood pressure is steady which is good.

I know I am forgetting something, so I will update later. Mom and Dad leave today to come home and Chris is going out Tuesday. His friends Steve and Lynette are going to be there with him for us. I really can't tell you how wonderful his friends are. There are a lot of people out there that care for him, which doesn't surprise me, but it's a great feeling to be part of that love.

Cards, Gifts, Pictures, Thinking Of You

Hey everyone.

Many people want to know where to send cards, etc. to Peej... he has a "board" in his room where we can hang stuff for him. I know that there are pictures and cards from Lauren, Erica, Kalyer and Katelyn up already. If you want to send things out to him, here is the info below.


PJ Meyerpeter
c/o Steve
1313 24th St
San Diego, CA 92102


Steve is PJ's roommate. He will get it to him. Flowers can't be back there, however if you want to send a plant (they did just move into this new apartment you know), Steve will take great care of it for you. Once he is able to put stuff in his room, we will be sure to get it there.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. And keep those comments coming. He will be able to read them as soon as he wakes up, and I am sure he will want to read them.

Talk to you all soon,
Heather

Friday, November 24

I just talked to my mom and she gave me an update. PJ is doing well and his lungs are getting a little better. She said the doctor told her they are sounding better than they have since he has been in the hospital. The have lowered his oxygen down to 40 percent. She explained this as the machine is doing 40 percent of his breathing and he is doing the other 60 percent.

He does still have a fever of 102 degrees, but she said they are not surprised by that. His blood pressure is staying pretty regular.

They did a chest xray this morning and the nurse said it looked good. She said the doctor had not had a chance to look at it yet and she will let me know more after she talks to the doctors again.

November 23

I talked to my mom and dad today and they both said that PJ had a really good night last night. They said the bed is doing exactly what it is supposed to and the stuff in his lungs is starting to break up. My mom said that his blood sugar and blood pressure are both under control and they pulled him off of one of the antibiotics.

I will update more when I hear more. Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving!

As of today (11/22/2006)

They moved PJ into a special bed that rotates 360 degrees. This is to help loosen up the fluid in his lungs. Hopefully this will help with the pneumonia and his lungs collapsing.

His blood pressure is all over the charts. They would like for it to be more "regular", but they think the reason it keeps going up and down is because he is in pain.

They also have re wrapped his face. They said that the synthetic skin was not working as well as they had hoped.

This is all that I know for right now, and I will post more as it comes.

What Happened?

Here's what we know, the U.S.S. Nimitz was in port. When the ship is in port, they will hook the ship up to power lines from the shore. P.J.'s group was testing a 120 volt line using a "Fluke" branded meter. The meter they were using was designed to test 120 volt sources, with a capacity to support a 500 volt spike. The line however was powered up to 4,160 volts. The meter of course couldn't handle that amount of electricity and exploded. When the meter exploded, the metal casing of the meter was blown into an exposed electrical panel bus bar. That panel was engergized with 4,160 volts. The metal of the case created an un-fused link between the positive and negative bus bars of the panel. This created a plasma ball much like a lightning strike which caused severe heat and fire. PJ was supervising a crew of three other men. This included two other naval personnel and a civilian assigned to work for the Navy.
PJ was standing directly behind the person administering the test.

Saturday, Nov 17

On Saturday, they removed the bandages on his face. They let us come in to see him and I can not tell you how WONDERFUL it was to see that PJ was not burned as bad as we thought he was going to be. His face was still very swollen, however, under the swelling, he looked just like PJ. When we found this out, spirits took off. I don't think he is going to take as long for long term recovery now that we know that his face isn't bad. This was really the HUGE part of this day.

His face will remain uncovered from here on out is what they told us.

Friday Novemeber 16

Ok, many of you know that PJ was in an accident on Thursday, November 16. He is currently in the ICU burn unit in San Diego. He has burns to his face, arms, and hands. They are saying 2ND and 3rd degree burns. He will for sure need skin grafting on his hands and arms, and they don't think he will on his face.

His lungs are very critical. As of today, they have collapsed twice. Each day they go in and suction out mucus, soot, and fluids out of them. He has pneumonia right now. They expected the pneumonia to happen, however, his lungs are not doing what they had hoped.

Mom, Dad, Erin and I went out this weekend. Mom and Dad are still there, and are giving us the updates. We plan on taking turns being out there every week until he no longer needs us.

When we got there on Friday, it was very overwhelming. He face was completely bandaged and all you could see was his eyes and mouth. He had huge blisters on his mouth, and his head was VERY swollen. He is on a ventilator, which is keeping his airway from swelling shut. His arms and hands were also wrapped.

When we talk to him, his blood pressure goes down. It comforts him. They said they he can hear and recognize familiar voices. They have him on pain meds, antibiotics, and sedatives. They are also giving him a paralytic. That's what paralyzes him. They do NOT want him to wake up and take that vent out. They said that is the first thing he would do.

When we got there they told us that is was at our discretion to let friends come back and visit him. However, the more people who are back there, the greater chance for infection. Also, they told us to take into consideration WHO he would want to see him like that. That is one of the first things that they wake up and say... why did you let so and so see me like this?
With that being said, my parents at first didn't want anyone back there except for us. However, after we talked about it, and since hearing us comforted him, we decided to let his best friend come back. That was a very wise decision because Steve got his blood pressure down to a great level.

Later that evening the doctor came and briefed us. She said that this was going to be a VERY bumpy road. For ALL of us, especially PJ. She told us he would be sedated for at least a month. Recovery would be long...

The Navy is keeping someone at the hospital 24 ours a day for updates, and if the family needs anything. Also, the Navy Support Group is bring food, drinks, etc for all the families. PJ had TONS of very good friends there to support not only him, but to help us out also. He surrounds himself with an awesome group of people. I don't think ANY of us will ever know how to repay them for thier kindness and support.