Day 33 Yet another hurdle!

I talked with Mike today. He was supposed to have surgery, yesterday, to correct the bulging discs in his spine and relieve some of the pressure being put on his spinal cord. He was admitted to Methodist (as planned) on Monday, but they found a blood clot in his left leg so he can't have the surgery until that is resolved. The doctors told Mike that it would probably be another week. The neurosurgeons said that they may even send him back to HealthSouth for a little while to make sure he doesn't have any lasting side effects from the treatment or blood clot. So, when we thought he would be discharged to home around the beginning of March, has turned into an additional two to three weeks because of the spinal surgery and then turned into an additional few weeks because of the blood clot. He is on quite a bit of pain medicine, so he's pretty groggy, but he can still have visitors.

He's at the main Methodist Hospital on Floyd Curl in Rm. 431 of the central tower.

He hasn't been able to see Carolyn since about a week before she was transferred, so I'm sure he would appreciate visitors. (Hopefully we can keep his spirits up through all of these additional trials).

Carolyn does seem to be improving (although VERY slowly and a LITTLE at a time). I have had additional reports of her squeezing some one's hand on command and seeming to "mouth" words like "ouch" in response to a physical pain. That being said......she still is not focusing on anything or anyone and her response to verbal commands is sparse at best. But, it is a good sign that she is progressing, even if it's just a fraction of an inch at a time. Lara will be meeting with the doctors at some point tomorrow. Hopefully we will be able to get some more definitive information about her condition and prognosis. I'll try to post an update as soon as I get the information myself.

Thank you again for all of your prayers, thoughts, and support.

Day 28

Just a quick update.

I just found out that Mike will be taken to Methodist hospital on Monday in preparation for surgery on Tuesday. He still has little to no use of his left hand (the one that was broken) so the doctors did an MRI of his neck and left arm. Apparently he has some problems with his C5, C7, and T1 vertebrae. He has some bulging discs and there is still pressure being put on his spinal cord in that area. They will operate to relieve some of this pressure and as the doctors put it, "put things back where they belong". I don't know how long the surgery will take or exactly how long he will be at Methodist Hospital. All they have said is that he will be there until he is stable and then moved back to HealthSouth (in the same room he is in now). Please continue to include him in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully, with this surgery, he can start to regain function of his left hand.

I am also going to say it again (because it cannot be said enough) Thank You!!! Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, donations, visits, and concern. My sister had said that there always seems to be someone visiting when she sees Carolyn and the nurses have commented (for the better) about how many visitors she receives. Thank you also for the notes in her room and the music that has been left as well as the time that has been spent visiting with her, reading or singing to her, and leaving her reminders of things she loves to do. It brings tears to my eyes every time I think about the pure love that is being shown to both her and Mike. THANK YOU!!

Day 26

Well, both Carolyn and Mike are settled into their new surroundings.

Mike is doing really well. He can now feed himself by holding the utensils in his hand (without the hand strap). He still needs assistance to walk but is getting stronger. A hand surgeon will be evaluating him soon. They are concerned that his left hand is not progressing as quickly as they thought it would. His doctors want to make sure that he does not need any further surgery. The best estimate we have is that Mike will be at the HealthSouth facility for about 4-5 weeks (as long as he doesn't need any other surgeries).

Carolyn is at LifeCare Hospital in the medical center. It is located on Floyd Curl. The visiting hours are 9am-9pm. I know she has had several visitors already. I think that is great. The more familiar voices we can have the better. They have changed her status from "coma" to "unresponsive". This is because she is moving so much. She can lift her arms, turn her head and open her eyes. None of these are by command yet, but since she is moving they can't say she is still in a coma. She has also developed a blood clot in her leg. This is something that can be common in people that are immobile for a long period of time. They have begun treatment and hopefully it will be resolved quickly. As much as we would like for the doctors to give us an indication of her prognosis, they just aren't able to at this time. They say it can take up to a year or so to start making any "guesses". So, we still need every one's prayers for a miracle.

We have really appreciated all the donations that have been made to Mike and Carolyn. We have already had to pay for Carolyn's transport and this is just the beginning of the mountain of bills that are soon to follow. This is not even taking into account all the "regular" bills that they are receiving (with no income to keep up). This looks like it will be an even longer road than any of us anticipated so any and all of the help is GREATLY appreciated. We have also had several people inquire about Carolyn's business. We are in the process of making some really difficult decisions about this and will let everyone know when the decisions have been made. I (Melanie) will continue to keep this blog updated with all the information that my sister (Lara) is passing along to me. Thank you again for every one's prayers and support.

Now It's Carolyn's Turn

Mike was checked into the HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital - RIOSA on Wednesday night. He is all settled in and wanting visitors. The facility is located at 9119 Cinnamon Hill in the medical center area. Visiting hours are from 4:00-8:30 p.m. If you would like to stop in to see him, he would greatly appreciate it.

Carolyn left Fort Worth around noon today. She should be checking-in about the time I post this. As soon as I get her visiting times, etc. I will post them here. There hasn't been much change to her condition except that she is moving her head and arms around a lot. She is also opening her eyes frequently, but has not yet focused on anything or done any of these things consistently on command. As soon as she is settled I'm sure she will appreciate visitors. I will let everyone know.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Mike Is Coming "Home"

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Mike should be on his way home today. When I say home I mean, on his way to the rehab hospital in San Antonio. I only have a few quick minutes to update and then I have to head to the hospital. All the paperwork needed to transfer Mike went through very quickly. I still don't have the exact location address or visiting hours, so I'll post those as soon as possible.

Paperwork is still being processed for Carolyn's transfer, so we don't know when hers will happen. They have told me that it should, at most, be a few days but you know how things go with paperwork and insurance requirements. As soon as I know more I will let everyone know.

Sorry for the Delay

I apologize for the delay. I know how many people use this to keep updated. Several things have happened in the last few days:

The infection that Carolyn has turned out to be MRSA. Originally, they mentioned that this would delay her transfer. Yesterday, though, the Social Worker said that they just have to get some paperwork in order and the transfer can proceed. In the last couple of days she has shown more movement in her extremities, she has opened her eyes several times (still not focusing on anything), and seems to be responding to voices/noises by turning toward to sound. She still is not obeying commands or trying to communicate in any way, but things are very gradually looking more positive. She is in isolation because of the type of infection she has but (with proper precautions) can still have visitors. The nurses have said that it will be really important for her to have people talking to her, stimulating her brain. I'm positive that once she is transferred that she will have no shortage of visitors, so just keep talking to her.

Mike is doing great. He is walking more and has regained a lot of movement back in his fingers. He still lacks the strength to get in and out of bed himself or to feed himself without the assistance of the hand strap, but he is doing really well. He was a little disappointed when they had to move Carolyn out of his room into isolation, but the next day he was moved to a regular hospital floor and into a private room. They started the process for his transfer as well. So, it looks like they could be "coming home" as early as this weekend. There is a lot of paperwork involved and some things have to be finalized but I will let everyone know when they will be back (as soon as I find out). I will also let everyone know what facility they will be transferred to once it has all been approved.

All of this brings up another issue. Being involved in all of this makes it awkward to say this but they will need as much help financially as possible. We haven't begun to receive medical bills yet but from talking with some of the agents and social workers, the insurance will probably not cover the expense of their transfers because of the distance involved. My sister, Lara, has set up an account at Frost Bank (The Michael E. Fosdick and Carolyn Fosdick Benefit Account) where donations/deposits can be made for them. You can go to any Frost Bank branch and tell them you would like to make a deposit into the account. I know that not everyone is in a position to help in this way, and that is perfectly fine. I know that Carolyn and Mike greatly appreciate all the cards, letters, and prayers and know that sometimes that is all that can be given. We, as a family, appreciate any donation that can be made. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, for all of the well wishes. They have worked wonders for Mike and I know that my mom feels the love of everyone who cares so much for them.

I will update everyone as soon as I know more.

Day 12

I would like to start today's post by publicly thanking everyone who has sent cards, letters, or emails for Carolyn and Mike. So far I have received over 30 and continue to receive more everyday. It has definitely helped raise Mike's spirit to know that so many people care so much. I had a request for their location and visiting times. They are at John Peter Smith Trauma Center on Allen in Fort Worth. They have been receiving excellent care and everyone has been so kind and compassionate. (A word or caution to anyone planning to visit - The trauma center is not located in the best part of town, so I would not recommend visiting at night.) Carolyn and Mike are both in the PCU which shares a waiting room with the ICU. The visiting hours are every even hour from 6am to 10pm, for 30 minutes. The signs posted say to limit visitors to 2at a time, but we have had up to 4 people in the room at a time. Please continue to send any other correspondence to me so I can make sure it gets to Carolyn and Mike. I can't guarantee that the hospital mail room is as efficient as the nurses.

Now for an update:
Carolyn seems to be more active (moving her arms, head and mouth around), but still has not woken-up. She seems to react to some things; mainly physical touch and occasionally voices, but nothing seems completely purposeful. The doctors have considered increasing the dose of the medication they started to stimulate her brain function. I'm not sure if he is definitely going to do this or not. Carolyn has also had a few problems today. They are doing some tests to rule out pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and/or sepsis. She has had a low to mid grade fever since this morning so the doctors ordered some cultures. We should know more tomorrow. They have also started the discussions about transferring her to a long-term acute care hospital. We made sure they know that Carolyn and Mike live near San Antonio, so they are looking into appropriate facilities. Sometime next week we should have a better idea of the timing of it all. The doctor has started the process but has not released her for transfer.

Little by little, Mike is getting stronger and stronger. He was able to close his fingers around my finger today. He still needs to work on being able to squeeze hard enough to grip things but he is making progress. He seems to be getting more sleep the last few nights and is enjoying having Carolyn in the same room. I think it helps ease some of his stress now that he can see her and talk to her.

I may not be able to see them tomorrow but will let everyone know as soon as I get more updates.

Day 11

Well, yesterday was a busy day for both Carolyn and Mike.

Mike, with the help of physical therapy, was able to walk a few feet in his room. Occupational therapy helped him learn how to feed himself and do a few other activities of daily living. He still does not have use of his fingers, so they had to use a cool little strap, wrapped around his hand, to help him hold his utensils. He seems to be getting stronger everyday.

Carolyn is doing well enough that they have moved her into Mike's room in the PCU (a step-down unit from the ICU). Hopefully this will help them both. Carolyn is still in a coma. She is still not responding to commands or following objects with her eyes ("tracking"). Her body is showing some signs of pain and they are giving her pain medicine to make her more comfortable. We continue to hope and pray for a miracle.

I don't think that I have recovered from the shock of all of this, but I am comforted by all the love and prays that are being sent our way. I also appreciate all the comments that are made through this blog. I am printing them up and sharing them with the rest of the family and will be passing your well wishes along to Mike and Carolyn.

Day 9

Well, there aren't any major changes. Here is what has happened in the last two days.

Carolyn has been taken off of the ventilator and is just receiveing oxygen via the trach that was placed a few days ago. This means that she is breathing on her own but still has not woken up. Her face seems a little more expressive but she still is not responding to requests or commands. As far as her other injuries....the broken scapula and fractured pelvis/hip are still healing. There is still not much they can do for those except let them heal on their own. She did not sustain any other injuries in the accident so we just have to wait until she wakes up. Oh, they did start her on a medication that has shown some success in stimulating the brain in order for patients to wake up, but has not shown any effect for Carolyn yet.

Mike is recovering from surgery to close the incisions in his left arm. There didn't seem to be enough healthy tissue to completely close the incisions so they did a skin graft, using skin from his upper leg, to complete the closure. He sustained a fracture is his neck during the accident, as well as a bulging disc. We are still waiting for them to do some follow-up test to see how these are healing. He still has very little control of movement of his hands. He is breathing easier and his oxygen levels are doing well. Physical therapy, has gotten him out of bed a few times and hope to have him up and walking on Monday.

I have received numerous cards and well wishes for them both and will be sharing all of those with them as they come in. It looks like this will be a long process, so we thank all of you for your support. I'm sure that we will eventually need to take everyone up on their offers to help. I can't say enough about how much we appreciate everything that everyone has done for us.

Day 7 (post accident)

There have only been a few small changes over the last few days. Carolyn is still connected to the ventilator; although, it is now connected through a trach that was placed yesturday. She also has a tube placed into her stomach (through her abdomen) to allow them to feed her easier. She still has not woken-up or made any purposeful movements.



Mike had surgery today to close the incisions that were made in his arm. In case you didn't know- he had to have some screws/plates put in his left arm and because of the swelling they did not close the incisions at that time. He is breathing easier and physical therapy is starting to get him out of bed. He was able to see Carolyn for the first time yesturday. I think it helped to strengthen them both. He still has diminshed control of his fingers, but we hope that it will continue to improve.



I will try to post more later, but just wanted to get everyone updated for now. Thank you for everyones' show of love and support. It means more than words can express.