Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

12 Midnight, Washington DC time

A quick update from Patty's post earlier today. Nothing too different, but more confirmation of what we saw earlier. Len (Patty's Dad), Patty, and I went off the base for dinner (Fuddruckers) and Patty brought back a plastic spoon, fork and several straws!!!! Guess what she put in his mouth first? Yes, a straw! She opened one end and told David to blow. Of course we realized quickly that air comes out his trache, not his mouth. But he held it in his mouth for awhile. Next, she placed all the items on David's lap and told him to pick up the spoon. He grabbed them all and after a time of feeling and sorting with his right hand he grabbed the spoon. Patty said "David, put the spoon in your mouth." He (slowly) brought it up to his mouth! We whooped, hollered and clapped, and Patty was on a roll. She went through the same thing with the fork and he actually put it in his mouth. Again, we cheered at this small thing that seemed so huge to us at that moment. Finally, she jiggled her glass of ice next to his right ear and he reached up and took the glass. (He can hear!!!) He held it for a short time. Patty put the glass by his side and he reached inside to play with the ice. The nurse said, "nothing by mouth", but that we could get the "spongy toothbrush" and let him suck on the ice water from that. (He hasn't been cooperative about this toothbrush and rinse before. We are able to put it on the outside of his teeth, but he won't open up his mouth! Stubborn!!! It's not his toothpaste flavor by choice!) Anyways, Patty handed the "toothbrush sponge on a stick" and said he could suck on the ice water if he wanted. He brought it up to his mouth too! He needed help getting it inside his lips, but definitely understood! He's alive and aware!!!!!! We can't wait to see what he does tomorrow. We had to stay until they gave him his "night-night" medicine, Seraquil(?) because he was trying to rip the tape off his i.v. and all the other tubes! He is ready to get up and go somewhere. Actually, one therapist asked the nurse if we could take him outside! Pray for an o.k. from the dr.!!!! and cooperation from the nurses and staff to transfer him to the chair and get portable stuff to unhook him from the wall!!!!

Tomorrow morning we will take Len to the airport so he can fly home to Sarah in Atlanta. It was so much easier to leave last week knowing that he was going to be here with Patty and David. That was a real blessing. Thanks Sarah for loaning him to us this week.

We still don't know if David can see, so please pray for his vision and for more movement on his left side, on top of everything else. But today was a good day, and God is good. Thanks for your continued prayers and your posts that help boost our spirits. We also know a lot of you are real prayer warriors but 'posting on blogs' is not your thing and your silent prayers are invaluable to us and David. Also, continue to pray for the others that were in the car with David. Christa talked to Daniel tonight and he is still having medical problems with his left hand (and he is left handed), that was "treated" in the Turkish hospital. Thank you again to them for helping David even though they were hurt themselves. If we can help you guys, let us know. You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers. Christa will update you more when she gets to a computer. Thanks.

Steve and Patty

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

4:10 pm D.C. time

After a day of being awake and cooperative yesterday, David continues assuring us that he is in his quiet body. We had a talk (one-sided) about not giving up the fight, that he is improving and can recover. I reminded him of Grandpa Bob after his stroke, how he wouldn't try and didn't improve. But, David is young and a soldier and can fight this battle with all of our help, support, prayers and God! It felt like he understood me. It has seemed that he closes his eyes when I talk to him, as an avoidance. So, today I told him to open his eyes and start fighting. He did! I moved his arms, legs, hips and shoulders around, and he cooperated. I put dice in his hands and tried to play a game with him yesterday. After a long time he let go of some...! Today I tried to have him show OT how he could drop the dice, but he decided to hold on to them. We tried to arm wrestle and he let me beat today. I gave him my cell phone and he held onto it and was trying to push some buttons. I think he will be texting someone soon! Who will be the first????? The OT handed him a pen and he clicked it on and off. Steve and I are going to go look for some sensory items for him to hold and move with his fingers. Oh, he also picked up a towel on his chest and wiped his face a little bit! He is picking up his hand and rubbing his head some too! His head is still hurting it seems. He continues to be on meds for fever, blood pressure, clotting, pain and an antibiotic. (Morphine is as needed.) The nurses and a couple of us put him in a chair again too. It wasn't much different than lying in bed, and it took them at least 20 minutes to unhook and hook his wires up again. No wonder they kept ignoring our requests yesterday!

Thank you all for your continued prayers, emails, blog comments, cards, gifts and calls. It is really hard for me to talk on the phone. The zero on the room phone doesn't work, and there is no reception in the hospital for my cell phone. We try to stay all day and into the night with David, to make sure he is safe.

I am concerned and asking for prayer about rehab. When they send David to Palo Alto for Rehab he will still need to be suctioned from his trachea often and can't ask for help. He will be in a private room. I don't know how far away a nurse will be. Pray for that situation to be taken care of at Palo Alto somehow. I have missed the doctor's calls two times regarding this issue. They won't send him with a fever, or needing to be suctioned more than every 4 hours. This afternoon it went up to 101 again. It will probably be the beginning of the week at least.

There are so many stories here of the wounded heroes who have recovered! It is truly amazing. I am so thankful for all the people who are serving our country! Thank you!!!! There are many men and women in the armed forces here that are amputees and or have problems physically and mentally. One group here is sending shoe boxes overseas for the troops. The Red Cross is passing out quilts and afghans to soldiers coming into the hospital. On the weekends many groups come on post to bar-be-que and entertain the troops and families. Family support here has been amazing. The American Legion donates food and all kinds of goodies to fill the kitchens and bathrooms of the homes where the soldiers live and their families (Fisher House and the Malogne Hotel). If you want to help, check out your local VFW, Red Cross, the American Legions, and quilting groups and get involved there. Veteran's Day is coming up quickly, there are some cards and posters up here. Make sure to thank a veteran this year. :-)

Patty
A great site to look at for more understanding on traumatic brain injury is http://www.tbirecovery.com

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

8:30 CDT

Today was a better day for all of us! Mom was able to move and stretch David's right and left side around more easily today. He seemed more relaxed. His fever went down with the Tylenol- another praise! OT and PT came by to check on David, but there wasn't any new news or anything to report about that. Also, a new Neuro team cam by and observed David and did a few of their stimulation tests. His toes still pulled up instead of curling down when they "tickled" them, which they call innapropriate movement. They just reminded mom that we need to be patient and wait this recovery out.

David isn't quite ready to go to Palo Alto tomorrow as he still needs to be checked on pretty frequently, so it's been postponed. I know a lot of you have mentioned road trips to see David and we can't wait for that. For those of you wondering, though, it does sound like visitors will be able to come after he's there for about a week or two- when his tests are done. We promise to keep you posted!!

Our spirits were up again today, mom said she felt peaceful and uplifted! Thanks for those prayers! She mentioned how great it was to see how strong our family's faith has been and how it continues to grow, even during this time. She was also able to meet some new families at her house and they had encouraging stories and were very inspiring to her. She also wanted me to thank you all again for all of your support- I would have thanked you even if she didn't tell me to! :o) She's so thankful for and amazed at the amount of people praying and who are thinking of and missing David. Even his dentist! She's thankful that her house is still running (and her classroom!) and all of her neighbors and friends who are taking care of things while she's gone.

I can't express how grateful we are as a family to have y'all on our team as we fight David's battle in prayer! Please continue to be our backbone and pray so hard for David's peace, and his ability to keep fighting as hard as he can. And keep praying for his doctors in DC as well as in Palo Alto, that they'll get their wisdom from our God and know exactly how to work with David as he recovers.

God is faithful!
-Laura

Monday, October 29, 2007

Hey everyone! Sorry about the blog delay... Things are still about the same. David is very restful most of the day. He is running another low grade fever, about 100 degrees, so be praying that it goes back down. Grandpa and Mom plan on meeting with the PT and OTs tomorrow morning and will write more then.

Please continue to pray for David's full recovery, his comfort, peace and pray for all of the doctors and nurses who are working so hard for him. We know that David is in God's hands and accept God's will for my brother. Please pray that God would give us His supernatural peace as we learn what God's will is for David.

Thank you for your faithful prayers!
-Laura

Saturday, October 27, 2007

10:00 am CA time

As of this morining, David does not have a fever, although last night he may have had a low grade fever. He is resting, looking good and stable this morning according to my mom. Last night he was agitated and his heart rate was high. They've got him on a new mixture of medicines: ativan - for his restlessness, as needed; seroquel - to help him sleep; lopressor - to maintain his heart rate; and he is apparently still on the fentanyl for the pain. There are no tests scheduled for today. The doctors said this morning that David is still on track for being able to leave on Wed. for California! Keep praying that David would have a tremendous sense of peace as he continues to wake up on and off. The doctors have said this is probably really scary for David because he doesn't know what is going on, where he is or what has happened to him. Pray that God is able to comfort him in these times of confusion and frustration. Rose flies home today. My grandpa Moriarity will still be there for a few more days. Dad's been able to get a lot of work done the last few days with help from mom's friend Donna and David's friend Jenna, my aunt Annette and my grandpa Huddleston. They have been truly amazing! Thanks for your prayers. I hope you can all see God working good out of this devastating situation. God has truly made himself known to our family through this time and our faith in him is just that much stronger. Your comments have truly been an amazing source of comfort for our entire family. Thank you for taking the time to write such wonderful messages!
Christa

Friday, October 26, 2007

8 PM CDT
David's had an exciting day! When mom went in this morning, she told Christa that his arm felt good (temperature-wise), and he wasn't running a fever. His white blood cell count went down and it looks like the infection is under control! They did a CT scan to see why David's trachea was bleeding a bit, but it came back okay. The doctor's said he'll have it for a total of 4-6 weeks. He was moved to the step down unit around 7pm DC time. Before they moved him, they took him completely off the fentanyl which is his pain medicine. He's been pretty agitated and moving a lot. His heart rate has been up since then, and so they were giving him an EKG when I called. He kicked the EKG machine a few times! Rose said that they're going to up his sedatives a bit to make him more comfortable, so pray for that! She also said that they will be giving him all his meds through his feeding tube. He'll still have the IV for antibiotics.

Movement wise, his eyes are still open when he's awake, and they move a bit, but still no eye contact. It seems like he can see though, because Rose said he took her cell phone out of her hand and put it up to his ear. He broke the boot on his right foot, completely taking the metal boards off the bottom of it (they had to be the hottest things ever! You tell 'em David!), so they are useless at the moment. He's responded to commands today! Mom told him to lift his arm high, way up to the sky, and he did!! TWICE!! I love it when he "obeys" because then it proves that he can hear us, and that he's able to process the command and perform! HUGE! He was also playing with his mustache (Yes, mustache! And it's a little red!) a bit with his right hand. His left side isn't doing much today, it's really tight.

Mom had the video conference today with the entire Palo Alto team and also 2 other families at Walter Reed who's boys will be going there soon. Sounds neat! He may be moved as early as Wednesday! Mom will be able to fly on the Air Vac with David to Travis AFB where they'll stay the night there and rest up. Then they'll put them in an ambulance and drive the 3 hour drive to Palo Alto. The first 1-2 weeks will be tests from all the therapists-speech, neurologists, psychologists, case manager (Bill), ...- and then they'll be able to give us an idea of David's treatment, his goals, and what his outcome might look like. Depending on his needs, he may be at Palo Alto for 2 weeks to 2/3 months. After that they'll re-evaluate and see if he needs more time... It sounds like visitors are okay after the 2nd week, as long as David is okay (not over-stimulated). Apparently over-stimulation is one thing that TBI patients can't handle, so even the doctor's will only work with him for about 15 min. a day at first. Of course that will change depending on David's reactions. They have several diff. types of therapies, including visual, animal, and music. I wish we could bring Chester for him!!! David's case manager is also looking into airline miles that people (military??) have donated to help fly our family out to see him. 3 people can fit in the room mom has. They have been so helpful and make us feel at ease as they take care of my brother and all the details that go into keeping my mom there!

So for prayers, I say we start praying now for those doctor's who will be working with David in Palo Alto. I would love God to be able to show them what He's capable of doing within my brother, so that they could be positive (and honest) when they tell us what they think his outcome may be. Again, we know that God created my brother- brain and all, and so we know that He has the power to fix him 100%. Also pray that David can be comfortable and relaxed now that he's off his pain medicine. He's a feisty, stubborn kid and we see that as he fights right now, giving mom, grandpa and Rose a workout as they try to keep his hands from pulling stuff out, but I hate to think that he's hurting, confused, and probably a little irritated.

Today was a great day! Lots of progress! God is good and He is surely working miracles in David! Thanks again for your prayers, support, and comments! That's what's helping us get through this!

Love,
Laura

Thursday, October 25, 2007

2:45 pm CA time

My mom just called with great news! The spinal tap came back negative - no infection in the brain!! The sputem culture came back positive with a very specific type of infection that they can treat with a specific antibiotic instead of the broad spectrum antibiotic they've been giving him. The doctors are very hopeful that once this infection is beat, the fevers will stop and David will be on his way out of ICU!

He was visited by the physical therapist today and he was not so cooperative! He apparently is attempting to kick the doctors! My mom thought this was great and dad's worried about rewarding negative behavior!! His right foot somehow fell off the side of the bed a little bit and he was able to pull it back up onto the bed. He seems to have a lot more strength in his left side and is pushing against them when they push on his left arm and hand. They asked him to lift up his left leg and he wiggled his left toes and lifted his left leg ever so slightly. He's been moving his lips around the last few days. His eyes are fully opened although the pupils are still different sizes. His right eye blinks when something comes at it, but his left eye doesn't. Rose handed him her cell phone in his right hand and David brought his hand towards his head and tilted his head down towards his hand. They didn't actually meet, but they could tell he was intending to put the phone up to his ear! Tomorrow morning there will be a video phone conference call between my mom, Dr. Lepler (David's main dr. at Walter Reed), and a dr. at Palo Alto. They will discuss David's condition and his needs and what they will do for him at Palo Alto. Our prayers have once again been answered! God is good and my faith is again renewed that David is in His hands and there is no safer place for him to be.

Kelli is making a video for David to show him once he recovers. It shows his journey thus far put to music and is really sweet. She called and asked if I would post her e-mail address so that if anyone wanted to contribute by writing 1 or 2 sentences that they would like to tell David, you can send it to her at: kelli.manning@calbaptist.edu . I think David will really appreciate anything you'd have to say.

Thanks again for your prayers and support,
Christa

Thursday, October 25, 2007

7:00 am CA time

Mom just called and said the doctors don't know the source of infection still so they are doing a spinal tap. This will help the doctors determine if the infection is in the brain. We were told before that one cause of the fevers could be because the swelling of the brain and that the brain can't control its temperature. We're wondering if they think that the brain itself is infected. They're going to sedate him for the procedure. It will be happening soon, last for 30 min. and they will know the results in a couple hours. PRAY!!!! Pray for every part of this! I want them to know the source of the infection, but I really don't want it to be the brain! More updates will come as I get them! But for now, get on your knees and plead David's case before our Loving God!

Christa

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

3:20 pm (California time)

Mom just called to give us an update. So this is what we know: he still has a fever that they are treating with Tylenol to bring it down to a moderate level. They've played with his pain meds to keep him from getting agitated. His physical therapist came in today and David was cooperative, which means his body didn't seem as tight and he was a little more relaxed. He did good on his left arm which is his weaker side. When she worked on his feet there was no "toning". This is when his entire leg involuntarily shakes when his foot is moved or pressure is applied to it. They made new splints for his hands that keep them from curling up. The old ones were too big and didn't work very well because he always found ways to wiggle out of them! They found a bed sore on his foot and one on his back. They put a lining inside his boot to prevent the sores from getting worse. The nurses apparently promised my mom that they would stay on top of these better and that the sores wouldn't get any worse. Please add these sores to your list of things to pray for because we know they can get serious and be very uncomfortable for David.

My grandpa has been an amazing support for my mom this whole time and she seems to really enjoy having him by her side. He got to meet some of the people who are staying in the Fisher House where my mom is staying. She said last night they came home late, but some of the people there had made Chinese food for dinner and they shared with my mom and grandpa. They also got to talk more with some of the residents, which in the past have been really encouraging.

My mom's friend from their Little Church, Rose Manning, (Kelli's mom), is flying into DC sometime around 8pm DC time. She comes bearing gifts from several of my mom's friends back home! Rose is an emergency room RN at Loma Linda Hospital and has been very helpful to my family when we have questions about David's condition. It will be great to have her by David's side and act as our interpreter if we need it. Not to mention she is as nutty as my mom and she could really use someone to let loose with!!!

Keep up the prayers! The doctors continue to be impressed with David's recovery, even with the setbacks! Prayer works! The doctors and nurses are doing an amazing job and we know that they are God's hands right now. Pray for them as you continue to pray for David.
Christa

p.s. Mom just texted me that David's fever is up to 102.4 degrees and his white blood cell count is up. Pray pray pray!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Some of you were wondering about mom's address:

Fisher House Rm. 26
Attn: Patty Huddleston
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Ave. N.W. Bldg 56
Washington, DC 20307-5001

Your comments and prayers are so precious and uplifting!! Thanks!
-Laura

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

8:00 pm (California time)

I talked to my mom this evening and she gave me a little update with as much info. as she knew. His fever is down to 100.7 degrees. His body feels really warm she says, but they have a fan blowing on him and cold cloths on his head. He was pretty agitated earlier today and pulled out his feeding tube twice! At the beginning of my conversation with my mom she said David looked so comfy and asleep. By the end of the conversation she was wrestling with David's right arm as he was attempting to pull out his tubes again. She said he's lifting up his right knee pretty high. As you can tell, he changes from one moment to the next! They haven't gotten the results from the blood test and cultures they took today so they don't know the cause of the fever yet. They took him off of the Versed, his sedative, but he's still on Fentanyl, which I think is a pain reliever thingy. They give him boosts of the Fentanyl when he gets agitated. There is still talk today of putting him in the "Step-down" unit instead of ICU, then he will go to the 5th floor (I'm not sure what the significance of this floor means, except that it's not ICU nor the Step-down unit, probably for more stable patients). After this he will eventually make it to Palo Alto. No one knows when this will happen, but it sounds like he will be in ICU for a couple more days.
Continue to pray for his fevers and that the doctors will find the source of the infection. Also pray for God's comfort and peace to rest upon him as he continues to be more and more alert and aware of what is going on around him. The doctors keep saying he will become more agitated, confused and frustrated as they ween him off the sedatives. Thank you for your continued prayers and support around the world.
To God be the glory through this whole ordeal.... Amen?!

Christa and Kelli

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

11:30 AM CDT

I talked to mom today, and said I'd update you all on David's progress. More prayers today as David is running another fever at 102.7. He seems more agitated today, his heart rate and blood pressure were up, he wasn't making eye contact, and wasn't responding to commands. The doctor's are going to try a different combination of medicine to keep him more calm, and they're running a bunch more tests to find an infection. I had kind of prepared myself for a day like this after the wonderful day we had yesterday. Clif's sister, Kara, had said that it's like the body is working out when he does so well, and then it needs to recouperate and he will be tired for awhile. Getting better is hard work!

The Red Cross came by and gave David a beautiful patriotic quilt, a table CD player and some Q-tips (not sure about the Q-tips- but thanks!). They've really been supportive and they also keep the waiting room stocked with snacks and blankets. Mom seemed sad again today, and I'm sure dad is too, so please pray to lift their spirits. My grandpa, mom's dad, arrives this afternoon.

Thanks for your prayers!!! I think we are as addicted to reading your comments as many of you are to reading the blogs. They are so helpful and encouraging! Christa and I made posters for David's room and my mom's room full of the Bible verses you have posted. Sharon, one of David's nurses, made a comment about how wonderful the verses were and said, "girls, lay your hands on him and get to praying" because she sees the progress David has made during the week he's been in DC. It's neat to know that we can witness to the staff as they take care of David.

Thanks for all your support!
-Laura

Monday, October 21, 2007

3 p.m.

David looks so much better today. His neck brace was removed this morning and I'm sure he is more comfortable too! He is still (since Sun. afternoon) off the ventilator, with just moist air flowing across his trachea. The left eye is dialated more than the right still, and the right side of his face, by the eye, is a little swollen. However, the CT and MRI don't show any problems with that area. We are beginning to take pictures of David with all his great nurses. Emily and Sharon have been a couple of his fantastic nurses for several different shifts, and continue to be encouraging to us. Sharon had David sit up in a "cardiac chair" today for 2 hours! They are seeing and excited about the dramatic improvements over this last week. PT and OT came in today to patiently move his arms and legs. His heart rate would race while they worked on him, but when Laura told him to "calm down", David would relax. I'm pretty sure he must be hearing us. He isn't tracking us with his eyes yet, but Laura is sure he was looking at her during the therapy. His eyes are open more and for longer periods of time. There is more talk about moving him to a rehab facility in Palo Alto, CA in a week or two. We are so excited to be closer to home! (Even though D.C. is really beautiful right now, with perfect temperatures and the leaves changing!) Also, they are taking David off one more of the sedation medication. He will be more awake and responsive soon!
Laura is leaving this afternoon. She is so patient and kind with her little brother (it hasn't always been this way!) We will miss her "mucho". My dad is coming out tomorrow, and Rose Manning on Wednesday, while Steve takes care of some business.
Praise God for David's health that continues to improve. He is coughing up "better color sputum" which says his pneumonia is getting better. Continue to pray with us for strength to return to David's left side, his eyes to track and be able to see us. It is not like David to be forced to stay in bed, and he is anxious to get up. Pray that he will allow his body to heal and be patient with himself. Thank you for all your prayers, and comments on this blog that continues to encourage us. God is using this terrible accident for such good. We love and miss you all. Patty

Sunday evening, October21st, 2007

11:00PM, D.C. time

David was consistently more alert today. His eyes seemed open wider and for longer periods of time. He is still running a slight fever, 99.5'ish, but they haven't given him anything for it and it does not seem to be getting any worse. The coolest thing was that he was taken off the ventilator at noon today (they now give him a little extra oxygen in his air but he breathes totally on his own) and has been doing great. They plan to leave him off all night as long as he does good. This seems like excellent news to us.
Steve

Sunday, October 21st, 2007

11:00AM D.C. time

Here is a quick update. Christa and Laura arrived at 5 AM to see David (while Patty and I tried to honor the Sabbath and sleep in!) to find him more alert than yesterday. He gave them a huge thumbs up on command. The nurse was there and they all started clapping.

By the time Patty and I dragged in at 7:30 AM he was still awake and seemed to want to sit up. As he was holding my hand he would flex and literally pull himself towards me and off the bed slightly. We had the nurse raise his bed into a half sitting, almost standing position. I don't know if that was what he wanted but after a bit he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. It was a good morning.

Patty and I took Christa to the airport at 9:15 AM while our pregnant and tired Laura got a good nap. Patty is up with David right now and as soon as I sign off here I will meet her.

Again, thanks for all of you faithful prayers. They do make a difference.

Steve

Saturday night, October 20, 2007

9:50 p.m. D.C. time:

Well the end of the day brings us some praises:
We just got news back from the CT scan tonight, and it showed no blood clots in his lungs or legs! (Didn't know that the legs were an issue until now!) Second, the pneumonia isn't getting worse! Finally, we met some awesome people that live in the Fisher Home where Steve and I are staying. The Home has about 12 families living here, with a large kitchen, family, dining, and living area. Tonight as our family was cooking dinner, we met a Christian mom. She has a son, Brian (Earl), who was injured in Iraq last February. Besides Traumatic Brain Injury, he had many other serious injuries including an amputated lower leg. He is doing very well and was upstairs playing X-Box. She was very encouraging and wise! Praise God for an answered prayer there. There are also several young families with little babies here. They aren't my Bella, Brea, and Tobey, but may help to make up for some homesickness. Christa leaves tomorrow, and Laura on Monday. I will miss their love, support, and friendship. Thank God for cell phones! Now that was a brilliant idea! (Blogs were another great idea!) We just pray for safe trips home and peace as they leave their brother.
We were talking tonight about how there are prayers for David, from all over the world. Turkey, Germany, Iraq, Panama, Australia?, CA, CO, MO, GA, TX, NV, MN, SD, D.C., VA, MD, AR, UT, ... what states and countries am I still missing?! Let us know! Thanks again for all of your support, prayers, help at home, and encouragement. We could not do this without you or God. Patty

Saturday, October 20th

8:45 am D.C. time:
Over night, David's temperature had risen to 101.7, his blood pressure dropped lower than they wanted (60 for the bottom number). Doctors and nurses battled to bring his temperature down and raise his blood pressure, without raising his heart rate.
Christa and Laura arrived first to David's room and his eyes were open. He had just been taken off his pain medication so that the doctors could test his responses. When the doctors tested David today there were no responses to commands to blink his eyes, thumbs up, squeeze and release his hands, or to move his feet. Plus, the dr. rubbed his feet with a pen starting at the heel and moving up to his toes, David's toes curled backwards instead of forwards. Everyone is pretty disappointed after what seemed like such an exciting day yesterday. Not a great day to start wearing mascara again! Today, we need your prayers to lift us up as we are not strong. We will continue to search the Lord for his answers to this trial in David's life. We know that God has protected and kept David for something special since the day he was born. Now, we give him back and say, Thy Will be done. All that we have; all that we are, all that we hope to be; we give to You. Thanks for your prayers, Patty

Friday, October 19th, 2007

8:45 PM D.C. time

We love your messages because they cheer us up and give us renewed faith. Our afternoon wasn't as happy as the AM. Nothing bad, but they put him back on the respirator (or ventilator) though they said he did good breathing on his own. I guess it is common to wean patients from the machine by taking them off for a few hours at a time. His fever was elevated to 100.7 and they also reduced his pain medication. I think because of these two things he was sweating, shivering and in pain.
We were definitely in pain along with him. They finally increased his pain medication and by the time we left him tonight he seemed a little more comfortable.

We of course rejoice in the fact that his eyes are opening more and more and for longer periods of time. But it sure is hard to leave him at night. Tonight as we were leaving, we said a few last words to the nurse and I looked back into the room and it seemed as if he was staring right at me (we still don't know if he can focus on us or not), so I went back in and told him again that we were leaving for the night and would be back early in the morning. I said he was doing good and getting stronger and that I loved him and was very proud of him. I told him to relax and get some sleep, and he instantly closed his eyes and I could see his body relax as a peace seemed to come over him.

We pray tonight for the fever to again go down, and for him to breath on his own tomorrow for even longer.

Steve

Friday, October 19, 2007

2:15 PM D.C. time
We have really good news today. But first, we got a late start after sleeping in until 8AM and checking out of our hotel in Beltsville (about 20 minutes without traffic from the hospital) and into our new rooms on the Army Hospital Base. We can now walk to David's room. The really good news is that we may not have to take that walk too many more times! They have taken David off the respirator and he is breathing on his own. They have taken the "Arctic Sun" external cooling device off because his fever has dropped. His white blood cell count is still improving (at a 12) as the infection is decreasing even more. If he holds steady they will take him off of a medication that controls his blood pressure, and then he can be moved out of ICU and into the step down unit. The doctor's have begun talking about David's move to a TBI (traumatic brain injury) rehabilitation clinic in Palo Alto CA. We're not sure when that may happen, but it doesn't seem too far off.

We really thank and praise God. We are also thankful and humbled by the prayers of hundreds of you- friends, family and even former strangers who we now consider friends.

I'm sure that this is an over simplistic thought, but it seems to me that we have seen two battles being fought, one for David's life (we saw huge victories today) and the other for his mind. This one will require the most patience and persistence. No one can tell us how long this rehab might take. Months for sure, maybe years. Please continue to pray for David's complete recovery.

I would like to acknowledge and thank from the bottom of my heart the following people who I know God worked through, whether they were aware or not. Thanks to David's friends who somehow called for help, helped him breathe and kept him alive for half an hour after the accident. Thanks to the ambulance drivers who drove him to the clinic. Thanks to the medical staff in the local clinic who stabilized him and the team that accompanied him and on the 4 hour ambulance trip to the hospital in Mersin, where the Turkish doctors took over. A special Neurology Team complete with a neurosurgeon was flown from Ramstein A.F.B. in Germany to bring David back to an American hospital at Landstuhl Army Hospital. David's commanding officer from Incirlik A.F. B. in Turkey, Colonel Mike Cote and Major Dr. Lee kept us up to date and were very professional and caring. Even the team in San Antonio TX who arranged for our flights, and passports (in 1 hour) were great. The air force personnel that we met in Germany, Lt. Colonel Amy Dayton and her crew were the best, and they say the surgical and medical teams there are perhaps the best in the world. Every one injured in Iraq comes through those operating room doors. Finally, the medical staff in ICU at Walter Reed Army Hospital has been fantastic. We feel so welcome at the houses we are staying at and cannot imagine going through this without the military's help. It's really eye opening and touching to see all of the injured soldiers who have given so much for their country, sacrificing their dreams for our freedom. We have a whole new respect for them! We thank all of those involved in David's amazing journey. You are all appreciated and loved by us, and someday David will thank you himself.

David's dad, Steve

Thursday, October 18, 2007

10:00 pm (DC time)

This morning, David's "wake up time" wasn't quite as eventful because he was still sedated from the Demerol which keeps him from shivering. He didn't respond to command, but he would open his eyes and we'd talk to him and try to comfort him. His eyes opened more today then they had the last few days. He moved his arms, legs, hands and feet all over the place, just not when asked. The doctors said he does have pneumonia, but they've been treating that with antibiotics already and they're not too worried about it. He did have a staph infection in his blood, but they already had him on antibiotics for it, and today a blood culture came back negative, meaning he no longer has this infection! The dr. said his white blood cell count had been really high this week, but today was much lower. This is a sign that his body is getting over the infections, although still having to fight off the pneumonia. His fever was also breaking today, so his Arctic Sun, the cooling wrap, didn't pump as cold of water through it today and stayed around 30 degrees Celsius. His shivers weren't as bad today! They put him on a new medicine to lower his blood pressure, that also lowers his heart rate. This seemed to really keep him relaxes today. He definitely seemed more peaceful and restful today. We didn't see too much activity today because he was probably so exhausted from working so hard the last few days, but his body overall is healing. The Red Cross came by today and gave him a "Wounded Warrior" back pack full of goodies and a portable CD player. They told us that we could go down to the Red Cross room and pick up whatever else David needed, so we picked up an electric shaver and some CD's. We got some CD's with nature sounds and let David listen to the ocean today!
Oh, and by the way, we asked the Dr. yesterday if David was technically considered in a coma, and he said that they rate comas on a scale of 3 to 15 (weird, I know!). 3 would be someone who is completely brain dead and a 15 would be like most people walking around. David came into DC as a 6 or 7, and he is now at a 10!!!
Thank you for your prayers for David's infection... God is listening and answering our prayers. Thanks for praying for my parents and our sanity! It is truly by God's grace that we are in as good of spirits as we are! We actually are able to laugh and joke a lot... and we're pretty darn funny...well, to each other at least! Pray for our husbands as they have been our heroes this week and fighting David's battle on the home front with our girls! They have been so encouraging to us and so supportive. Pray that God continues to bless their time with our babies (while still getting enough rest!).
God is Great! Keep praying for David's pneumonia and movement on his left side.
Love you all, The Huddleston Family

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

7:00am (DC time)

Before going to the hospital yesterday, we first prayed that God would show us a sign that He is at work by David lifting his legs. And lift his legs he did! Higher than before! So today we decided that we wanted the doctor's to work on his infections/fevers, and for David to open his beautiful eyes wider. And open his eyes he did!! When they took David off his sedatives this morning, he opened his eyes even bigger than he had yesterday. Still not completely open, but we could see the beautiful blue of his eyes! The nurse asked him to wiggle his right toes, and he did! She asked him to wiggle his left toes and he did, although you could tell it is much harder for him to move this side. She asked David to stick out his right thumb, and he did! She asked him to stick out his left thumb and we could tell he was trying, although it too is very hard for him. She asked David to push down on his thumb and he pushed so hard! Dad and him were almost able to play thumb wars! We told him about some of your comments, how his friends Daniel and Ray in Turkey and their entire families are praying for him; how Daniel’s mom came to visit him in Germany; his Commanding Officer, Michael Cote continues to pray for him and told us how they have allowed David’s website to be accessed on base; Emel promises to make him all the Turkish food he wants when he gets better and his wife continues to lift him up in prayer; Lauren Ross wants to read him Harry Potter to torture him out of his coma (did you know that he actually loves these books and even bought 2 of them on their opening day?!!). We told him how Jerra and Ashley are studying medicine terminology! We told him how its our fault that Kelli’s not here anymore, but that we made her go back to school to take midterms (you better be doing your homework Kelli so you can come back!). And of course we told him how he has thousands of people praying all over the world for him. We tried to encourage him and tell him how much progress he has made in the last week. We told him not to worry about anything, just to rest, let God heal him and the Dr's. will do their jobs to make him better too. Then we spent the remaining time with him in his wakeful state praying over him and asking that God would be ministering to him while he sleeps. When the Drs. made their rounds, the entire topic of the conversation was about David's fever and how to help with his infections. They are going to change the temperature in the cooling belt to a "warmer" 12 degree Celsius minimum instead of the 4 degree Celsius that has been making him shiver so much. It was amazing to see that our prayers were being answered, one at a time, just as we asked them. These are not coincidences, only our God showing us that He is faithful and answers prayers. Please continue to pray for the infections and fever so that he can get out of that freezing cold body wrap for good though. Thanks again for everything you all are doing for David. God is good!
Christa and Laura

Later in the day:
When we came back after his trache and peg surgery, the doctors wanted David off the sedatives to see first hand what he could do. Before the doctor came in, Dad was asking him to give him a thumbs up. It took him a little while, but he raised his thumb and lifted his arm up in the air as far as he could with his restraints on. The doctor came in as David had his hand in the air, and Dad explained that he had asked David to do that. David didn't respond as well to the Dr's commands, but that just tells us how much he loves his dad. They put David back on his pain medicine, but a different kind that wouldn't sedate him as much. They want him to move as much as he can (without pulling things out) and to get him on a normal sleep wake pattern. He was more active with his eyes open for most of the afternoon. His eyes aren't looking around, and we're not sure if he's looking at us. He did move them from the middle to the right, but it wasn't like he was following anything. The doctor's aren't worried about it, they say it's a progress that starts slowly, opening his eyes first, then tracking things. It was amazing nonetheless, but made it much harder to leave (hence this post getting posted so late-sorry!). Since he's awake and not sleeping all day, I think tomorrow we'll try two shifts so that David won't be alone and we won't be as exhausted.

Two guys from Occupational Therapy also came in and showed us how to help him move his joints. We got hand braces to put on him when we aren't holding them so that they stay open. They also explained some of the rehabilitation programs that they offered when David is ready- all of which sounded neat and gave us more hope that David will make a full recovery. For instance, we told them how David loves to snowboard and he said they take groups of other rehabilitation patients snow boarding in Pennsylvania. He said that they liked to use things that patients like while they help them to recover- like woodworking, video games etc. They are going to be doing sensory stimulation each day, so he'll be listening to music, smelling things, getting massaged and touched, and watching things. We're gonna find some CD's he likes for tomorrow. The men who we talked to were so nice and I know that David will like them and respect them. They prepared us for some of the stages David will go through as he begins getting more conscious, and how to help him through them. We still have a lot to learn, but the information we received today was very reassuring.


The nurses have talked about lowering the ventilator since David is taking so many breaths above it. He'll still need the trache, even when he's off the ventilator to help him when he coughs and for other medical reasons I don't get quite yet. But that's exciting news! He should begin using his peg-the feeding tube in his belly- tomorrow. It's scary to imagine a trache and the peg, but it's nice to know that both are temporary and will heal completely when he doesn't need them. His face is beautiful now that he doesn't have tubes in his mouth. I know he's more comfortable this way!

In an earlier message we told you about Brian's friend, Clif, who had a traumatic brain injury last December. I talked with his sister, Kara last night on the phone, getting information about his diagnosis and the progress he's made as he recovers. She had so much hope and faith and gave us lots of tips to help us get through this. Though the doctor's prognosis for Clif was similar to what David's was, he's proving them wrong at each step and Kara knows that God will heal Clif 100%. We have the same expectations for David, and will accept no less. Why limit our God? He made David, and he made the brain as complex and amazing as it is. The doctor's don't know how it works, but my God does. And my God can surely heal it. Please continue to pray for Clif's full recovery and also his family as they support him.

Thank you so much for ALL of your prayers, and comments. We really need you to know that you all are truly helping us get through this by lifting us up to God and offering your stories and words of encouragement. Please continue to pray for David, all of the things we mentioned, and more. Tomorrow's prayer is that his left side will move more than it did today. Ask and it will be given! His progress is amazing, and it will surely continue.

God bless,
Laura

Tuesday 16, 2007

11:05 pm (DC time)

We're writing this blog tonight to ask for prayer for infections. David has had a fever now for days that is being controlled by a machine that wraps around his stomach and legs. It pumps freezing cold water through it and makes him shiver and shake. It is difficult to watch his poor body go through this. The doctors believe that because there are so many tubes, he may have a simple infection, or it could be his brain not able to control his body temperature yet. They are pumping him full of broad spectrum antibiotics as they continue to run cultures and blood tests to try to figure its cause. They took out his old "central line tube" today and replaced it with a clean one (this is just a small tube in his chest that they use to draw blood from instead of having to prick him each time). We ask that you would all pray that the infection would just go away. They also took out his other chest tube today!! He just simply doesn't have a need for it anymore!!!! He is winning this war one battle at a time! For each little procedure they gave him more sedatives which kept him pretty still today. He did manage a couple hand squeezes which always makes our day that much better and our faith that much stronger. Tomorrow they are going to take the ventilator out of his mouth and put it into a trache. At the same time he will have his feeding tube put into his stomach. We ask that you would pray that this would not only be successful, but also ease David's comfort. We plan on visiting again tomorrow morning for his "wake up time" so pray for some good responses. You are all truly amazing and we will spend all day with David telling him of your support, prayers and faith that God will heal him to His perfection.
Glory be to God!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christa and Laura

Tuesday, October16, 2007

8:45 am (DC time)

We got to the hospital this morning just after 5 am and they were just bringing him back from getting an MRI of his spine. They said that his spine looked great and they were going to be able to take off his neck brace! Then they took him off his sedatives for his ritual morning wake-up. It only takes about 10 minutes for him to wake up. Immediately he started moving his arms, legs, feet and wiggling about! We told him good morning and started talking to him about all of your comments and how he has people praying for him all over the world!!! THEN... we all noticed that he was trying to open his eyes!!!!! He didn't get them all the way open, but they were definitely cracked slightly!! He also responded by squeezing mom's hand when asked to. We had just prayed before going in that the dr. would see his progress today, and he did! He said that David is definitely waking up and responding purposefully to commands. On the scale of 1 to 6 that they define types of movement, David was a 5 two days ago, a 4 yesterday, and today he passed with a 6! PRAISE GOD! OUR BOY IS WAKING UP!!!! He pushed his boot off that was keeping his foot in a flexed position. He pulled his foot back so that his knee was bent more than we had seen him do before. They kept him awake for an hour and then put him back on his sedatives to keep him out of pain. When he is off his sedatives, it is a total blessing to us, because we know for sure that he can hear us and its our chance to really see how he is improving. However, it has to be the most painful part of his day, so we have conflicting emotions. Thanks again for all of your prayers, God is definitely working his miracle in David and it is awfully exciting to see it first hand.
Love you all,
THE HUDDLESTON FAMILY!!!!

Monday, October 15, 2007

7:17 pm (DC time)

This morning we went to the hospital at 6, right after he had his MRI and he was taken off his sedatives. It was another morning of comforting squeezes and arm movements from David. When we walked in, David was still. We started talking to him and rubbing his head, feet, and holding his hands. When we told David that Kelli was holding his hand he squeezed it tightly and rubbed her hand with his thumb. He started "posturing" which is what the doctors call it when he flexes his arms, chest, and sometimes bends at the knees. The squeezes feel more sincere because you can feel different amounts of pressure being applied from each finger. Then Dad walked up towards David's head and started talking to him. David immediately reacted by tilting his head towards dad, flexed his chest and shoulders and lifted his left elbow and right arm up. We truly felt that David was aware of what we were saying. We saw, what we'd like to call tears puddling in the corner of his eyes and dripping down his cheek. The drs. claim its just eye secretions. (What little faith these drs. have!! They obviously don't know what they're talking about!!! ha ha!) He was also reaching for his ventilator tube and coughing. The dr. said that coughing is a really good reflex and shows signs of improvement. He would put his thumb between his leg and the cold wrap and try to pull it off.
We made sure to tell him how he has hundreds of you all commenting and praying for him. We shared with him your stories and encouraging words and read to him the scriptures you all have sent. Which brings us to our other miracle of the day! We handed Kelli my mom's Bible and asked if she would read us some encouraging scriptures. She opened it up and came across 2 Samuel 11:2 which for some reason was partially underlined and was brought to her attention. I noticed her just staring at the Bible sorta with her mouth dropped to the floor and I asked her what she found. She said, "Well, its a little ironic, but for some reason this was underlined: 'One evening David got up from his bed'!!" None of us could believe it and we just started to cry/laugh as we Huddlestons tend to do! Other than in this circumstance, there is no explanation for why my mom would've underlined these otherwise non-important words. There is no doubt in our mind that this is a promise given especially to us from the Lord! What we don't know, is why the next 2 words weren't underlined, "and walked"! But we will take this one miracle at a time and won't press out luck!!!! We have faith that David will do more than walk, so maybe this would just be putting a limitation on God and we don't want to do that! God was at work when mom and dad chose the name David for our brother.
Now, as far as the medical side of it all... we were told that the preliminary reading of this morning's MRI showed a sheering of the brain. We should learn more about this tomorrow when we speak to the radiologist/neurologist dude. We were given a good demonstration of this, but its pretty hard to re-explain. We'll try to get it straight for tomorrow's blog.
Please pray for Kelli as she had to fly home today. We had to escort her into the airport as far as we could take her because we feared she would not get on! She is not looking forward to going back to school tomorrow and taking her mid-terms. It is hard for all of us to focus on anything else but David, especially studying for accounting and business statistics classes!
Oh, yeah! Mom also found out today that she is able to take 40 days of catastrophic leave... paid! That should take her through the end of January! God is again, showing his grace.
God is good to us and full of so many promises! We love and miss you all so much!
Christa (and the rest of the Hudd's)

Sunday, October 14, 2007

9:13pm (DC time)

We just got back from visiting with David. They did take out his ICP bolt sensor thingy that measures his brain pressure. They had it wrapped up in white tape so it looked like a unicorn horn on his head. We're glad its gone! It barely even left a mark! They also took out one chest tube and x-rayed his chest to see how the lungs were doing. They don't want a gap between the lungs and chest wall, so the x-ray will show if the lungs are doing good without one of the tubes before they take out the second one. We haven't heard the results of the x-ray yet. David's pupils responded to the light when they ran those tests today! This is very important. The nurse said he has seen patients whose pupils stay huge with the light and that is not good at all! He was pretty heavily sedated tonight so we didn't see too much movement. I scratched his shoulders, arms and chest (you all know what a baby he is with needing his back scratched!) and he moved his right shoulder! He is peeling from his sunburn he got at the beach before the accident!!!! He is missing out on peeling off the big chunks of skin, so I tried to help him and then tell them about how big I can get them!!! Someday he will find this funny! I got to snuggle up with his arm and we give him lots of kisses for you all. When we were ready to leave and saying goodbye he squeezed my hand. Not immediately after telling him bye and he squeezed really slowly. I am not sure that it means he understood, but we like to think he does! We had to all pull each other away from him to come back to the hotel so that we can wake up early and get to the hospital in time to see him as soon as they take him off the sedatives. That was the best time of our day today and we see the most movement. We will also get to speak to the drs. doing their rounds and get the results from the MRI he will be getting sometime between 3am and 5:30am tomorrow. Thanks again for your amazing support and prayers. We truly, truly, truly love to hear your encouraging comments, scriptures, etc. It is by His strength alone that we are functioning as well as we are and managing to get through our days. Your prayers are felt here in DC!
Love you all, Christa, Laura, Steve, Patty and Kelli

Sunday, October 14, 2007

9:10am (DC time)

We went to the hospital this morning at 6:30 because we knew they were going to take him off of his sedatives and we wanted to catch all the doctors making their rounds. He was even better this morning! He moved his fingers on his right hand individually. He squeezed our hands and wiggled his toes. He still doesn't do anything on command, but as the neurosurgeon told us later, localized movement is a huge improvement!!! When the neurosurgeon and his team of drs. went in his room and closed the door we could hear him yelling at David to "WAKE UP, DAVID! DAVID, WAKE UP! WIGGLE YOUR TOES, DAVID! OPEN YOUR EYES, DAVID!" I personally added, "in the name of Jesus!" after each of his commands! The other good news is that they are going to remove his bolt that is in his head that has been measuring his ICP (intercranial pressure). They said the pressure has been staying low, so they will go ahead and remove it. The bolt was keeping the dr.s from doing and MRI, so he also scheduled him for an MRI this evening. Then the ICU dr. came by with his team and said that he would like to take out David's chest tubes that have been sucking extra air out of his chest cavity. He said he doesn't think he needs them anymore! He also wants to do a tracheostomy to put his respirator directly into his trachea. This will help prevent any infection and get rid of the uncomfortable tubes down his throat. His feeding tube will then be put directly into his stomach. The trache will be a long term thing since he will probably be on the ventilator for quite awhile. The tracheostomy will probably happen on Mon. or Tue. this week. God is proving once again to be faithful! Keep praying! David is putting up a good fight! I made sure to tell the neurosurgeon (who gave us the awful news Fri.) that "David is going to prove you wrong! You just watch!" He smiled and said that yes, he is making great progress! Please continue to write in our Guestbook thingy... your comments and prayers have literally been what holds us together!
Love you all
Christa

Saturday, October 13 2007

12:10am (Washington DC time! Which I guess is technically Sunday, but we haven't slept yet, so its still Saturday's post!!!)

Yesterday, when I first arrived at the hospital, my mom was a wreck and said she just talked to the neurosurgeon. I immediately chased down the neurosurgeon and his team in the hallway and asked him to repeat his information. He said, basically that with this kind of tramatic injury, the worst case scenario could be like a Terri Shriver situation. The best case scenario, could be he could live a fairly productive life, but not 100% back to normal. Those words were devastating to say the least. It wasn't until after he told us this that I saw David for the first time. I can't describe the pain I felt. Then this morning we got the news of possible blood clot and pneumonia, and also that his eyes weren't dialated the same anymore (one was a 3 and one was a 4). We just felt that we couldn't take any more bad news. We left the hospital when they took him to get the CAT scan and had lunch and sat at a park (with fake grass by the way!) . The fresh air was nice. Then we came back to the Hotel where we read all of your encouraging emails, comments, and found some real life examples of people who have come out of this situation successfully. We were especially encouraged by the story of Brian's friend, Clif. In fact, it helped so much, that we strongly encourage everyone to visit his site at http://www.clifshoemake.blogspot.com/ . We realized from reading his story that we may have a really long journey of ups and downs ahead of us, and he may never be 100%, but we are still hopeful for a good recovery. I think that Clif's story can help everyone realize the battle that may lay in front of David, and that it may take a long time. We also realized that every small thing like, moving a finger, overcoming his fever, taking a breath of his own over the respirator, keeping the pressure in his head regulated, keeping his blood pressure and heart rate normal, etc. are all signs of him recovering. I truly believe that God intervened during this time in our Hotel room and helped us put things into perspective. We left the Hotel with a renewed sense of hope and strength that we knew we were in for a long journey, but we felt ready for it. Then when we walked into the ICU, my mom and dad and I stopped to talk to the dr. while Laura and Kelli went in to see David. Laura came running back out (well, she is pregnant so I can't lie, it was a speedy waddle!), asking if David's arms were really in restraints. The dr. said that yes, when they took him to get the CT scan he tried to pull out his respirator tubes from his mouth!!! She said the people there saw him reach up with his right arm and pull on the tubes! We were overwhelmed with joy! This is the first intentional move he's made!!! She also said that the CT showed no sign of a blood clot in his lungs, which is wonderful, except that still leaves no explanation for this morning's episode of peaking vitals. She also said there is fluid in the lungs, which we knew already and there are tubes draining the fluid already, and he has been on antibiotics to help him from developing pneumonia. She also said that the pupils being dilated differently doesn't mean anything. She said her pupils were dilated differently too! I asked her about the broken pelvis and she explained that it is actually a displaced fracture on the pubis something rather, which isn't the big bone, but the small round one. She said this really isn't a big deal and won't affect his walking. She was so encouraging and said that there is no reason to start losing hope! When we were with David, holding his hands and rubbing his arms and massaging his feet, we felt him squeeze his hands. Both hands. It wasn't the same type of squeezing he did yesterday which was more of tensing up his whole body. This was a squeeze just of his hands. One at a time. He doesn't squeeze his hands because we ask him to, or when we ask him to. It is purely a sporadic thing. When I told him we were going to leave to get a quick bite to eat, he tensed up a little and then moved only his right thumb! We truly feel encouraged and like God is at work in David.
Christa

Saturday, October 14, 2007

Today we woke up (Christa, Laura, Kelli, Steve, and myself) at 8 am and jammed to the hospital to see David again. He was having some difficulty with a fever, blood pressure, oxygen level, and his ICP (intercranial pressure). So, they gave him meds for all of those problems, and had him wrapped in a "automated, cooling blanket thing that went from his chest down to his knees" to get his fever down. The dr. and nurse had these under control very quickly. He started shaking some, and they immediately got a contraption to warm his hands up and put him on some more antibiodics. They are fearing that he might have a blood clot in his lungs, and probably pneumonia. They took him in for another CT to check him out. David is also on Dilantin to decrease the chance of seizures which are possible with this type of brain injury. Monday, they will be putting in a trachea, and a feeding tube directly into his stomach to help eliminate any other secondary infections, since this will be a long term recovery. The doctor on call today gave us a lot more hope, and said to be patient. The next few weeks and months of progress, will determine David's prognosis better.
Thanks to all of you for writing, calling, your posts, and your prayers. It is so good to hear and remember fun stories about David.
Patty

Friday, October 12, 2007

This morning, Steve and I were with David in Germany! It was so great to be with him. I was able to hold his hand and rub his arms, and scratch his head. He seemed to squeeze our hands a couple times. You can not believe how nice and special the Air Force treated us. At 9 am a team of specialists came in to prepare him for the transport. They took him and several other "troops" to the aerovac. They flew him out and we, Christa, Laura, Kellie, Steve, and Patty, arrived at about the same time as he did in D.C. Now we're at Walter Reed Hospital. The nurse, Dan, was amazing. He was so nice to us and explained everything he was doing. David's eyes were dialated differently, which wasn't a good sign. One was a "3" and the other a "4". They did a CT scan which didn't show any difference in swelling. The neurosurgeon and his team came in and evaluated him. He was very negative about his recovery. He said that the next few weeks and months would be very significant for his recovery prognosis. As my wise son-in-law said, David answers to the "Ultimate Neurosurgeon". We're having faith in God and that His will will be done. Wow, this is really challenging our faith! But it seems to be the only way to go, knowing that God is in control of this situation. We have given David back to the Lord, and trust that He knows what He is doing.
Patty

Thursday, October 11, 2007

1:00 PM CST

They have taken David off all of the sedatives/drugs that kept him in a coma. He's still unresponsive except that when they pinched his ears, one arm moved a bit towards the touch (appropriately), but the other arm didn't move appropriately. The doctor's said he might still have some of the drugs in his system. He has a couple broken ribs that will heal by themselves, a broken pelvis that doesn't need surgery, and a broken nose. There are tubes everywhere mom said, and he has a bolt in his head to relieve pressure if needed, but the pressure in his head is lower today. He got a feeding tube today and has been receiving electrolytes and an IV. His lungs had deflated on impact and he has chest tubes coming out, but that isn't a big concern. The major concern is him waking up.

1:50 CST Mom forgot to mention that he has a low grade fever, but it's stayed the same so they're not too worried unless it peaks. He might have a sinus infection that was aggravated by putting in the chest tubes/intibation tubes earlier.

He's flying out around 1pm Friday(Germany time) and shoud get to Washington Friday around 3 PMm EST. Mom and dad will get to Dulles about 3pm as well, and Christa and I are planning on going there to meet him.

-Laura

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

3:30pm Wed The doctors in Germany have done some tests and we were told there was no damage to his spinal cord. I am hearing the message third person from Laura and don't know if there were any other tests done, but everything else still looked the same. He will be flying out to DC on Saturday, as long as everything stays the way that it should. Chirsta

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

9:25am Wed
Mom and Dad are packing their bags and trying to get out of here in the next hour to get passports and leave LAX for Germany. The idea is they'd still get to see him for a bit and possibly be able to fly with him on the aerovac plane to DC. He should be arriving in Germany at around 10am this morning and he will be evaluated and the decision will then be made whether he for sure stays in Germany (if his condition is more severe than previously thought), or he leaves for DC (if he is still stable and nothing more is found in their evaluations of him).
Christa

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

4:31am Wednesday

We woke up from a phone call from David's commanding officer, Mike, who said that him and the 3 guys involved in the accident met David at the flight line. He said, David physically looked great (in spite of the tubes) with only a few scratches on his nose! He looked like he was just sleeping peacefully. Dan Wooten, the driver was crying pretty hard when he saw David according to Mike. We again sent our hugs to Dan through Mike and told him we have lots of people praying for those boys. Keep lifting them up in prayer, expecially that God would show His undenyable grace to these boys who may or may not know Him personally...yet!
David is being flown in an aerovac C-21 plane. He will arriving in Germany around 8 or 9 am this morning where they will do some more test and take more thorough images from head to toe. They are going to take him off the sedatives and paralysers to do some neurological testing and other things. They will see how he does without these drugs and determine whether they need to put him back on them. You can be praying specifically for the doctors who will be with him: Dr. Sang is the head of the team with him on the plane and Dr. Flaherty is the dr. who will see him in the ICU in Germany.
Now for the not so good news, David will probably be leaving Germany by Friday to come to the states due to so many war injuries being transfered to this hospital from Iraq. Dr. Lee told mom and dad not to fly out tomorrow because they will probably just miss him. He could be somewhere in the States as early as Saturday. The good news is that they may be able to take him to a hospital closer to home. It doesn't necessarily have to be in DC. They just want a hospital that has longstanding ICU care and access to all the therapy stuff he is going to need.
So! We wait to hear more...once again! What a rollercoaster ride we are all on! Thanks to all of your prayers and visits. Everyone has just been amazing to my mom and dad (and me as well!)
God is good and there's no better place for us to be than in His hands...amen???

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

8:00am Tuesday

Dr. Lee just called and I, christa, spoke with him. He called to tell us that the plane has been delayed by 2 hours, so he is not expected to leave Turkey until 2pm Turkish time, 4am our time. Which means he should be landing in Germany at about 8 or 9am our time on Wednesday. I asked if the process of moving him via ambulance and plane is at all dangerous for David. He reassured me that the actual plane he will be going in is better equipped than the Turkish hospital he is in right now. And that the medical team going with him are extremely capable of handling his condition and everything that comes with it. He said that David is doing as good as can be expected and nothing has changed with his condition since the last time we talked. I asked him what kind of subdural hematoma he has, acute, subacute, or chronic. He said acute because of the impact of the accident. He said the blood between the dura layer of the brain and the brain itself is evenly spread, not pooling in any one spot. this is also good news. They have said that surgery is not necessary at this point.
It is now 9:51am and I have recieved numerous other calls since beginning this letter. so! There is a chance that after being evaluated and treated in Germany, they will fly him to the states, DC maybe. Mom and Dad are on their way home without a passport from the passport shop and are now advised to wait until after he is assessed in Germany to make further plans. The gentlemen helping them said he can get them a passport in a matter of hours if and when that time comes.
David's commanding officer just called and told me that David was in the seat behind the driver in the car and that when they came around a corner, they hit some loose gravel and started going up and embankment, swirved the other way and hit a tree, which slowed them down, they then rolled slowly down the hill about 50 ft and were stopped by some more trees. They did roll over a big rock that the guys are speculating must have been what caused David's head injury. There was a big indent in the roof of the car.
The guys in the car are pretty shook up and are worried about David. Mom sent word to the driver that she doesn't want him to feel guilty for anything. David's CO said that those words really meant a lot to him and that he's been crying off and on. So pray for those boys and their peace of minds.
Okay, that's it for now! Keep praying!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

3:20am Tuesday

Dr. Lee just called and said the MRI showed a subdural hematoma. A subdural hematoma (SDH) is a form of traumatic brain injury in which blood collects between the dura (the outer protective covering of the brain) and the arachnoid (the middle layer of the meninges). Unlike in epidural hematomas, which are usually caused by tears in arteries, subdural bleeding usually results from tears in veins that cross the subdural space. This bleeding often separates the dura and the arachnoid layers. Subdural hemorrhages may cause an increase in intracranial pressure (ICP), which can cause compression of and damage to delicate brain tissue. Acute subdural hematoma (ASDH) has a high mortality rate and is a severe medical emergency. (I copied this from Wikipedia). I don't remember the Dr. saying it was "acute", so I am sure the last part won't apply. Nevertheless, keep David in your prayers. There is a plane currently on route from Germany to Turkey. David will be driven 1 1/2 hrs to base where he will meet the plane and then make the 4 1/2 hour flight to the hospital in Germany. The good news is that David's labwork came back good - oxygen, electrolyte, etc. levels all look good. The Dr. says he will call again when David's in the air.