Another sunny, mild morning here at IMC. Christian spent the night with Gilbert & Jenny (Jessi's brother-in-law and sister), Eric Jones & Wayne Vance (close friends), Spencer & Jenn (brother with girlfriend), and Justin (brother), in different shifts of course. One thing that has been so amazing is the willingness of Christian's friends to want to jump in and help out. That level of support is expected from family, but when friends are so willing to drop their regular lives and come spend hours of their time, in the middle of the night, to be at Christian's side, it's a true testament firstly to Christian and how loved he is and second to the general goodness of humanity. People are good, people care, they give of themselves to serve those who are in a time of need, although there are some bad apples in the world, there aren't enough to spoil the bunch.
Chris has been completely off the ventilator since last evening. So far his breathing stats look good. He's coughing up quite a bit of "gunk" which comes out of the hole in his neck, but that is normal and a good sign. You don't want to be leaning down for a hug or kiss when he starts "hacking his fool head off" (see explanation of that saying in previous post), for fear of getting a face shot of yuckiness :-).
They have him sitting up at a fairly good angle most of the time and rotate him every two hours from left to right. He gets fairly uncomfortable at times and has been in some pain. It's surely frustrating for him to not be lying in a comfortable position and at the same time not be able to move! During the night they have been giving him pain medication every 4 hours. He usually takes a 2 - 3 hour nap shortly after a new dose, so he has been able to get a fair amount of rest.
His spirits seem high all things considered. The nurses were joking around a bit this morning and Christian was able to share in the laugh with several smiles, it's good to have those moments where the mood is light and bright. We're doing our best to exercise our lip reading skills. For the most part we can usually figure out what he wants/needs. He gets a little frustrated at times during this process, which is a sign of his personality coming through. Chris always likes to be in control.
We continue to pray and hope for further progress. We've been extremely blessed with the progress he's made so far. We know this can change for the worse, but remain optimistic and faithful. We feel your prayers and support. God bless you all!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Visitors & Clots
We've received a small hand-slap from the physicians in the STICU. They prefer to limit the # of visitors at any given time to 2, along with a bunch of other rules that we'll spare you the details of. We want to do everything we can to comply and keep the staff happy, after all they're taking care of Christian in the most professional manner possible! So, we'd like to suggest that any visitors who come by to say hello, please check-in with the family in the waiting room before going back to see Christian. This way we can make sure we're abiding by the rules. There will always be some family in the waiting room who will know if visitors can go back in to see Christian. Usually there are 2 people in with Chris at any given time so we have to wait for 1 to come out before another can go in. Thank you all so much for your love, support and helping us stay out of trouble :-)!
They found a blood clot in each leg today. These are found by doing an ultrasound. They thought Christian may have been pregnant, but found clots instead, go figure! They've given him some blood thinning medication to prevent further clots and that will help him reabsorb the current clots. If for some reason the clots move from his legs, they cannot get to his heart due to the filter they placed a couple of days ago.
They found a blood clot in each leg today. These are found by doing an ultrasound. They thought Christian may have been pregnant, but found clots instead, go figure! They've given him some blood thinning medication to prevent further clots and that will help him reabsorb the current clots. If for some reason the clots move from his legs, they cannot get to his heart due to the filter they placed a couple of days ago.
Tracheostomy
A real quick post... Sorry for the delay, we know many are anxious for an update today. Christian had the tracheostomy around 1:00pm. It went well and he is resting. He is coughing a fair amount, which we're told is normal after this procedure. This is also a good sign in that it proves those muscles that flex to cough are working and are STRONG. Not many of you know this about Christian, but Sheila and surely Jessi will get a laugh out of it... When Christian gets sick with a bad cough, he can REALLY cough hard. Sheila calls it, HACKING YOUR FOOL HEAD OFF :-)! He'll suffer through that for a time, but it's definitely better than gagging on that tube, so we're stepping in the right direction.
The attending physician was VERY close to allowing the tube to be removed altogether, but ultimately the safe route was chosen which is the tracheostomy. It's likely that tonight they will completely unplug him from the ventilator and allow him to breath completely on his own. The beauty of the trach is that if he starts to have any trouble, they can reconnect him to the ventilator at any time. The alternative, had the tube been removed and no trach performed, would have been to re-intibate and this took over an hour the first time, so encountering a breathing problem after the tube was removed could have been catastrophic. Ultimately, the trach was the right choice for Christian's well being over the long run.
If he can breath well on his own for a few days without having to be plugged back into the ventilator, they can reverse the trach and remove the tube altogether. We're trying not to look ahead quite that far, just one day at a time for now.
Here's to Christian's lip syncing abilities, maybe we can understand him a little better now with no tube in his mouth :-)!
The attending physician was VERY close to allowing the tube to be removed altogether, but ultimately the safe route was chosen which is the tracheostomy. It's likely that tonight they will completely unplug him from the ventilator and allow him to breath completely on his own. The beauty of the trach is that if he starts to have any trouble, they can reconnect him to the ventilator at any time. The alternative, had the tube been removed and no trach performed, would have been to re-intibate and this took over an hour the first time, so encountering a breathing problem after the tube was removed could have been catastrophic. Ultimately, the trach was the right choice for Christian's well being over the long run.
If he can breath well on his own for a few days without having to be plugged back into the ventilator, they can reverse the trach and remove the tube altogether. We're trying not to look ahead quite that far, just one day at a time for now.
Here's to Christian's lip syncing abilities, maybe we can understand him a little better now with no tube in his mouth :-)!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Quick Note
Today ended on a good note. Christian, as you have read, made positive improvements in the motor movement of his lower extremities today. We are aware that improvements will be slow, but I have to tell you about the great relief I have when I see them. He was resting peacefully when I left and he is in good hands with nurse Katie.
I wanted to take a moment to thank our friends that have taken time out of their days and lives to stop by, pray, call or write. You make such a difference in our lives all of the time, but especially now. Staff of the hospital, and even strangers that have made connections with us, thank you. The outpouring of love takes my breath away. I personally want to thank our families. We are so blessed to have both sides of our families so close and so loving. I don't think we've had a single minute where someone hasn't been with Chris. What is amazing about these people (my families) is that they are volunteering to spend 3-5 hours with him during the night after they have already spent the entire day in the hospital. That lets me go home and try to sleep, but I have a hard time leaving him. He gets great comfort by seeing and hearing their stories or just knowing that they are with him during the night. But I think it is a comfort for them as well. Actually being able to do something for someone during times like these is hard, Chris is very grateful for the company and I hope they know it. He is so very loved. So thank you family and friends for being so loving, patient, concerned and caring with my Babe. He is so very, very special to me and he and I could not do this alone.
Please know that your prayers are being heard and answered every minute of each day. Thank you. I believe about every denomination in the world is praying for him, so I think that may make him extra special. :)
We can feel all of your thoughts, prayers and love...Thank you from the bottom of my heart. And Happy Anniversary to my Babe. Our first year couldn't have been more wonderful. You are my best friend, fishing guide and partner, bike support team and encourager, and the keeper of my world. Can't wait for next year and our journey to come. I love you Babe and I am so proud to be your wife and partner. You are the strongest, most determined, loving, caring person I know and that's why I picked you. Here's to a good coming year! I love you so much. We will overcome this trial and move on to the next adventure soon. Hang in there. XOXOXO P.S. I am picking the anniversary trip. :)
"Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13 (A reading that we had at our wedding, one year ago and the best day of our lives thus far) . Good night.
"Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envious. Love does not brag, it is not puffed up. It is not rude, it is not self-serving, it is not easily angered or resentful. It is not glad about injustice, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13 (A reading that we had at our wedding, one year ago and the best day of our lives thus far) . Good night.
Physical Therapy
There's no waste of time in starting physical therapy. There are multiple therapists working with Christian as this post is being typed. Jessi and Justin (Christian's younger brother by 2 years) were able to witness Christian flex both quads, both calves, push both feet down (pointing toes to the floor, flexing the calf muscle), roll both legs in (at the same time!), roll both legs out and flex his glutes. If you can imagine the heaviest weight you could possibly lift and the amount of exertion and energy necessary to lift it, that's what Christian appears to go through each time he's asked to flex any of his muscles. His eyes close, face crinkles, and he displays incredible focus, followed shortly thereafter by one or another of the small movements named above.
Next they will move him to another bed (if you can call it one) that they rolled into the room and work with his arms. This bed looks like a 3'x8' piece of plywood covered with a thin padding and blue upholstery. Not sure of the reason to move him to another bed in order to work with his arms and hands, but it will give the nurses a chance to change his bed sheets again.
We're giving the ventilator tube until tomorrow, in spite of Chris's attempts to remove it with his own tongue. His blood oxygen level was not high enough to remove the tube today. It continues to bother him immensely and thus we'll move ahead with the tracheotomy in the morning if the medical team is not satisfied that the ventilator can be done away with altogether.
There are many ups and downs for each of us throughout the day, too many to tell of. We continue to feel all of your support and prayers. We are grateful.
Next they will move him to another bed (if you can call it one) that they rolled into the room and work with his arms. This bed looks like a 3'x8' piece of plywood covered with a thin padding and blue upholstery. Not sure of the reason to move him to another bed in order to work with his arms and hands, but it will give the nurses a chance to change his bed sheets again.
We're giving the ventilator tube until tomorrow, in spite of Chris's attempts to remove it with his own tongue. His blood oxygen level was not high enough to remove the tube today. It continues to bother him immensely and thus we'll move ahead with the tracheotomy in the morning if the medical team is not satisfied that the ventilator can be done away with altogether.
There are many ups and downs for each of us throughout the day, too many to tell of. We continue to feel all of your support and prayers. We are grateful.
Photos
Here are a few pics. No new information from any doctors, though this is no surprise.
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| Not as swollen as we thought! |
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| Time to change the sheets. |
Day 3
It's another sunny, beautiful view looking West from the 5th floor of the J.L. Sorenson Patient Tower at IMC. Christian's breathing has improved steadily throughout the night. Immediately after surgery he was breathing an average of 9 breaths per minute which is a little low, they prefer the number to be in the teens. By 11:00pm the number had climbed to average of 11, and as of this morning it's over 20. We believe these are good signs, but haven't had that confirmed by a physician yet. As usual we're waiting on information. It appears that having a lack of current data from the medical staff will be consistent, so we're dealing with this as best as we can. The nursing staff has been great to update us, but the reality is they have a limited amount of info with regard to the critical issues such as the timetable for removing the ventilator tube and so we wait for a physician.
Christian's neurosurgery team has been to see him a couple of times and they are pleased with his current state and progress. He is able to move his feet and has some feeling in his feet, legs and chest. He also flexed his quads a couple of times during the night. He may have a slight ability to grip his hands, but it's very difficult to tell if this is natural reflex or his muscles reacting to instruction from his brain. He is able to be moved around somewhat, and is sitting up to about 30 degrees right now.
As you can imagine his spirit seems a bit dim today. He gagged on the ventilator tube much of the night, severely at times. Chris has indicated that his pain level is under control, but he does get uncomfortable at times and imagine lying in bed being uncomfortable, but not being able to move! The mental struggle he's in is surely monumental. Jessi was able to get some good rest again last night and is back at Christian's side this morning. All of us, especially Jessi are so concerned about the avalanche of thoughts going through Christian's mind. Jessi is doing all she can to let him know that we're aware of the many questions he has, and with time, he'll be able to ask them.
A shout out of thanks goes to all those who've taken a "night shift" during the last two nights so that Jessi can go get some rest. We promised Chris before the tube went in that we would not leave his side unless necessary. We've also asked if he's scared and, of course, he is, so having loved ones nearby is vital. Here's how the schedule has been thus far... Night 1, Justin & Heather (Chris's brother & sister-in-law) until 1:00am, Gilbert & Jenny (Jessi's sister and brother-in-law) 1:00am to 4:00am, Jesica and Sheila (Chris's sister and mother) 4:00am to 7:00am. At 7:00am they kick visitors out for an hour and a half each day to allow for a staff shift change. Night 2, Justin & Heather until 11:00pm, Spencer & Darrell Smith (Chris's brother and good friend) 11:00pm to 2:00am, Gilbert & Jenny 2:00am to 5:00am, Jesica and Sheila 5:00am on.
We finally have some statistics on the blog from Google Analytics. Since sometime yesterday afternoon, there have been 760 unique visitors to the site from all over the world. Brazil, Chile, England, Italy and Germany are some of the countries and of course there have been hits from all over the United States, coast to coast. This is a sign of the many people who love Christian, it's a testament to what a great man he is! We'll keep you posted on these statistics periodically.
Christian's neurosurgery team has been to see him a couple of times and they are pleased with his current state and progress. He is able to move his feet and has some feeling in his feet, legs and chest. He also flexed his quads a couple of times during the night. He may have a slight ability to grip his hands, but it's very difficult to tell if this is natural reflex or his muscles reacting to instruction from his brain. He is able to be moved around somewhat, and is sitting up to about 30 degrees right now.
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| Dr. Maughan (Neurosurgeon) and his PA Jenna giving the group a post-op report |
As you can imagine his spirit seems a bit dim today. He gagged on the ventilator tube much of the night, severely at times. Chris has indicated that his pain level is under control, but he does get uncomfortable at times and imagine lying in bed being uncomfortable, but not being able to move! The mental struggle he's in is surely monumental. Jessi was able to get some good rest again last night and is back at Christian's side this morning. All of us, especially Jessi are so concerned about the avalanche of thoughts going through Christian's mind. Jessi is doing all she can to let him know that we're aware of the many questions he has, and with time, he'll be able to ask them.
A shout out of thanks goes to all those who've taken a "night shift" during the last two nights so that Jessi can go get some rest. We promised Chris before the tube went in that we would not leave his side unless necessary. We've also asked if he's scared and, of course, he is, so having loved ones nearby is vital. Here's how the schedule has been thus far... Night 1, Justin & Heather (Chris's brother & sister-in-law) until 1:00am, Gilbert & Jenny (Jessi's sister and brother-in-law) 1:00am to 4:00am, Jesica and Sheila (Chris's sister and mother) 4:00am to 7:00am. At 7:00am they kick visitors out for an hour and a half each day to allow for a staff shift change. Night 2, Justin & Heather until 11:00pm, Spencer & Darrell Smith (Chris's brother and good friend) 11:00pm to 2:00am, Gilbert & Jenny 2:00am to 5:00am, Jesica and Sheila 5:00am on.
We finally have some statistics on the blog from Google Analytics. Since sometime yesterday afternoon, there have been 760 unique visitors to the site from all over the world. Brazil, Chile, England, Italy and Germany are some of the countries and of course there have been hits from all over the United States, coast to coast. This is a sign of the many people who love Christian, it's a testament to what a great man he is! We'll keep you posted on these statistics periodically.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
My Neck is STIFF!
Christian just got out of surgery, it's 8:50pm. Dr. Peter Maughan and his partner Dr. Richard Tippets along with many other assistants, nurses and staff whom we have not had the pleasure to meet, performed the procedure and we are so grateful for their knowledge, professionalism and diligent hard work. We wish all of them many blessings, success and happiness.
Everything went very well. Vertebrae C1 through C3 were fused. C2 was so unstable that they decided it was best to fuse all the way to C3, which gives C2, more than one strong connection point. There are now 3 rods, 6 screws, and some wire holding C2 to the adjacent (above & below) vertebrae. Some bone was also taken from his hip and grafted to the neck. Eventually new bone will grow around the graft and further secure the added hardware. The procedure did not take 5 hours, but actually started late, thus the relative belated finish. We're told he will have some swelling in his face since he was lying face down for several hours during surgery. We'll try to get another picture up so we can all see what Chris would look like after gaining 50 pounds or so :-).
The next step is to try to get him off the ventilator. Please pray that this will go well and Christian will have the ability and strength to breathe on his own. We know every prayer helps and we are eternally grateful for each and every one of them. He seemed to be doing well breathing without the ventilator earlier today so we are hopeful. A breathing trial will be conducted, possibly tomorrow which will tell us whether the tube can be removed or not. If the test is unsuccessful, it's likely he will need a tracheotomy. Although this scenario obviously isn't the first choice, it would at least allow for the ventilator tube to enter through the neck in lieu of the mouth and alleviate Chris's constant chewing and gagging on the tube. We have our fingers crossed to say the least.
If the ventilator goes by the wayside, he will be moved to the 12th floor for physical therapy and further treatment sometime this week. If the ventilator is still required, that will be a different freeway exit than we want and we'll re-enter some coordinates into life's navigation computer and establish the new destination and timeline. The destination will likely still be the 12th floor, but the timeline may change. We've learned a main key to keeping your sanity through this process is taking things one day at a time, so for now we're trying not to look too far into the extremely foggy future.
We thank God, family, friends, well wishers, the doctors, nurses, staff, and anyone else who has shown such wonderful support and/or worked so hard on Christian's behalf! Love the Deputy and Reed families!
More to come tomorrow.
Everything went very well. Vertebrae C1 through C3 were fused. C2 was so unstable that they decided it was best to fuse all the way to C3, which gives C2, more than one strong connection point. There are now 3 rods, 6 screws, and some wire holding C2 to the adjacent (above & below) vertebrae. Some bone was also taken from his hip and grafted to the neck. Eventually new bone will grow around the graft and further secure the added hardware. The procedure did not take 5 hours, but actually started late, thus the relative belated finish. We're told he will have some swelling in his face since he was lying face down for several hours during surgery. We'll try to get another picture up so we can all see what Chris would look like after gaining 50 pounds or so :-).
The next step is to try to get him off the ventilator. Please pray that this will go well and Christian will have the ability and strength to breathe on his own. We know every prayer helps and we are eternally grateful for each and every one of them. He seemed to be doing well breathing without the ventilator earlier today so we are hopeful. A breathing trial will be conducted, possibly tomorrow which will tell us whether the tube can be removed or not. If the test is unsuccessful, it's likely he will need a tracheotomy. Although this scenario obviously isn't the first choice, it would at least allow for the ventilator tube to enter through the neck in lieu of the mouth and alleviate Chris's constant chewing and gagging on the tube. We have our fingers crossed to say the least.
If the ventilator goes by the wayside, he will be moved to the 12th floor for physical therapy and further treatment sometime this week. If the ventilator is still required, that will be a different freeway exit than we want and we'll re-enter some coordinates into life's navigation computer and establish the new destination and timeline. The destination will likely still be the 12th floor, but the timeline may change. We've learned a main key to keeping your sanity through this process is taking things one day at a time, so for now we're trying not to look too far into the extremely foggy future.
We thank God, family, friends, well wishers, the doctors, nurses, staff, and anyone else who has shown such wonderful support and/or worked so hard on Christian's behalf! Love the Deputy and Reed families!
More to come tomorrow.
New Day, Positive Mood
It's a new day and a bright one thus far. The sun is out, the view looking west from Christian's 5th floor room is beautiful. First piece of good news, Christian is breathing on his own. Although the ventilator tube is still in, he is breathing with minimal help from the machine. They will need him on a ventilator during his surgery today so it will stay in for now. Let's hope and pray that in the coming days they can remove the tube. It's obvious that one of Christian's largest frustrations is not being able to communicate with us other than specific blinks for yes and no.
His sedation meds have been reduced and he's very alert this morning. With this reduction in meds comes a little more activity in his throat so he has been gagging on the ventilator tube a bit, but otherwise seems comfortable. He moved both legs slightly early this morning for Sheila and Jesica (sister). He also moved his feet for the doctor and it appears he might have some slight feeling in his upper arms. With this news comes caution that these good signs can quickly disappear, but we're hopeful and faithful that this will not be the case.
The surgery is scheduled for 3:45pm today. As mentioned before, a team of neurosurgeons will fuse vertebrae C1 & C2. That will stabilize his neck and allow him to be moved, sit up, lay down, etc. We expect that he will fairly quickly be moved to the 12th floor where his rehabilitation will commence. Once we know when this move will take place the blog will get an update.
Jessi was able to get a solid 8 - 10 hours of long overdue sleep last night and is back refreshed this morning by Christian's side. It's amazing to see the commitment, mental strength, physical strength and sheer willpower that Jessi is exerting on Christian's behalf. It's clear that Jessi loves Christian very deeply and he's so lucky to have her. May all of you offer a prayer on Jessi's behalf today asking for God to continue to grant her the strength that she needs to climb the mountain that has been placed before her. It's also worth noting that Chris and Jess will celebrate their 1 year anniversary tomorrow. The previously planned celebratory fishing trip Chris and Jessi had planned is on hold, but NOT canceled!
Eric Jones and his wife Sue stopped by this morning. Eric and Christian have been friends since they were in the 3rd grade. They are hunting buddies, biking buddies, skiing buddies and whatever other outdoor adventure you can think of buddies. You can imagine the toothy grins when Eric walked in to see Chris :-). Eric rode mountain bikes professionally for many years, he was one of the best in the world. He's now graduated to marriage and fatherhood, but still has a crazy side like Christian does. It's clear that this has hit Eric very hard. This is something that you can all relate to. It has hit us all hard, we all love Christian so much. May we all take comfort in the fact that we're all enduring some level of grief, but doing so together with each other and God.
More after the surgery.
Friday, August 27, 2010
All Smiles (toothy that is)
It's 10:40pm now. Chris is resting comfortably. He's being given many different drugs one of which keeps him slightly sedated. They do not want him to sleep for hours at a time, but prefer that he awake to the sound of normal conversation, thus far he's spot on with this. The Shock Trauma Intensive Care Unit (STICU) is a somewhat unnerving place where modern medical machines puff, whir, buzz, beep and whine almost constantly. You couldn't get a good night's sleep in this place if you tried!
Christian's good friends Darrell and Shauna Smith dropped by tonight for a visit. Christian immediately threw us a "toothy grin" when he saw Darrell. Chris and Darrell are not only longtime friends, who share many of the same interests, they're also fishing buddies, which gives them a bond us non-fisherman don't understand. Once Darrell started in with a fishing story, among others, Chris was all grins. Darrell is blessed with an amazing ability to tell stories. You won't find anyone who has better stories or can recount them as well as Darrell. Just what Christian needed to finish the day out. Thanks Smiths, we love you and if Chris didn't have a tube in his mouth he'd echo that and then some. Sweet dreams!
Christian's good friends Darrell and Shauna Smith dropped by tonight for a visit. Christian immediately threw us a "toothy grin" when he saw Darrell. Chris and Darrell are not only longtime friends, who share many of the same interests, they're also fishing buddies, which gives them a bond us non-fisherman don't understand. Once Darrell started in with a fishing story, among others, Chris was all grins. Darrell is blessed with an amazing ability to tell stories. You won't find anyone who has better stories or can recount them as well as Darrell. Just what Christian needed to finish the day out. Thanks Smiths, we love you and if Chris didn't have a tube in his mouth he'd echo that and then some. Sweet dreams!
Fuse
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| That's a lot of hardware! |
Phase II... Results from the MRI came back. Long story short, there is visible damage to the spinal cord. Whether this damage is completely permanent, partially permanent or not permanent at all is yet to be seen. The vertebrae are in a good line as they're supposed to be and the spinal cord has room to breath. Christian's Neurosurgeons are concerned that his C2 vertebrae is still very unstable due to the amount of soft tissue damage. Normally the next step is to take an x-ray of the injury site while lying down, then another while sitting up, to see how they compare. If things look good, the patient stays in the halo for 3 months +/- to allow the spine to re-fuse naturally, thus being stable again. Unfortunately the surgeons are concerned that movement of any kind may cause the injured C2 to displace again and possibly cause further spinal cord damage. With that said, the plan as of this evening is for the surgeons to fuse vertebrae C1 & C2 sometime tomorrow. This is the most aggressive and stable approach, although it will limit his neck movement in the future. The upside is that the halo/traction device can be removed and a neck brace worn in its place. This will also allow for Chris to be moved around, sitting up, lying down, etc. without concern for C2 moving again.
As of now the concern over the air bubble in his abdomen has subsided, so we can say a prayer of thanks for that!
Chris has been sleeping most of the day, but is alert somewhat between naps. He's communicating with blinks and smiles as best he can. When asked if he wanted to see a picture of himself hooked up to every medical device ever invented, he gave the affirmative "toothy smile" as only a breathing tube down your throat allows :-). The above photo was snapped from an iPhone and shown to Chris which produced another "toothy smile" :-). Until tomorrow, we continue the journey!
Christian's Accident
Welcome to Christian's blog. He'll be mad at us knowing he now "officially" has his own blog. Many of you have heard that Christian was in a mountain biking accident last night (8/26/10) and sustained a spinal cord injury. In order to keep all of Christian's many family, friends and co-workers updated we've created this blog. We will do our best to update you all with information as we recieve it. Christian, Jessi and our entire family are so grateful for all of your prayers and well wishes. We ask that you continue to have him and Jessi in your prayers. We have faith that this journey is part of a plan that God has in store for Christian, Jessi and our entire family. Here are some details and what we know so far...
Christian was mountain biking with his friend Matt Hoffman at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon last night (near Guardsman's Pass). Around 8:00pm Christian and Matt were descending the trail returning to the parking lot. Matt did not see the accident take place as he was 30 seconds or so behind Chris on the trail. We think that Chris somehow went over the handle bars on his bike and landed on his head. His helmet was heavily damaged in the crash. Matt came upon Christian in a tangled mess, one foot still clipped to the bike. Matt is a trained EMT and immediately checked Chris's vital signs. He was not breathing so Matt started rescue breathing, which continued for 5 - 6 minutes when Chris started to breathe on his own again. Without a wonderful friend like Matt who kept a clear head and acted swiftly, Christian wouldn't be with us today. Thank you Matt, we are so grateful for your unselfishness, preparedness, and calm demeanor during an incredible accident such as this. We will love you always and can never repay your heroic acts! Once Christian was stable and breathing again, Matt found a fellow good samaritan who descended the trail and called 911. Paramedics arrived within 15 or 20 minutes, placed Chris on a backboard, stabilized his neck and took him to the parking area. The IHC Life Flight helicopter took Christian from there to the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, UT. It was clear to Matt almost immediately that Christian had sustained a spinal cord injury as he could not move or feel his arms or legs at the accident scene.
Upon arrival at the hospital a great team of physicians took over care of Christian. He did regain some feeling in his lower legs and could move his feet slightly. He could not move or feel his hands and arms. After a CT scan of his entire body it was clear that Christian had displaced his C2 vertebrae. Christian, as is no surprise, remained in good spirits throughout. He was alert, talking and fully aware of the situation. I doubt many could remain so calm and positive as Christian has thus far.
Sometime around midnight, a team of surgeons took Christian into surgery. The first step was to install a halo/traction device which consists of placing 4 screws into the skull (2 in front and 2 in back). This device relieves pressure on the spinal column, aligns the column and stabilizes it. The neurosurgeon then moved the C2 vertabrae back to where it was before the accident, or at least within 1 millimeter. The surgery went well and we were encouraged by the doctor afterward. They did discover a small air bubble in his abdomen. At this stage they are going to monitor that as the spinal cord is of course, the priority. There could be a tear in his intestine which has allowed some air into the abdomen, but the doctors think that based on the impact he took on the head/neck, it would be surprising for him to have sustained another injury such as an intestinal tear. For now they will continue to monitor this and may have to perform a surgical procedure to repair what has caused this.
The next step after the surgery was to perform a MRI. The results of this will tell us the extent of the damage to the tendons surrounding the injury site and the spinal cord itself. As they took Chris to get an MRI he was having trouble swallowing and as a precaution they decided to place him on a ventilator which breathes for him and of course, required intubating him (putting a tube down his throat). After the intubation, the MRI was performed. We have not been given those results yet. Once we get these results we will know more as to the next step in this long recovery process.
We're grateful Christian is with us. Many of you may have seen the story of a mountain biker air-lifted from Big Cottonwood Canyon last night, that's our Chris. We love him so much and know that you all feel the same. More details to come. Keep the faith!
Christian was mountain biking with his friend Matt Hoffman at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon last night (near Guardsman's Pass). Around 8:00pm Christian and Matt were descending the trail returning to the parking lot. Matt did not see the accident take place as he was 30 seconds or so behind Chris on the trail. We think that Chris somehow went over the handle bars on his bike and landed on his head. His helmet was heavily damaged in the crash. Matt came upon Christian in a tangled mess, one foot still clipped to the bike. Matt is a trained EMT and immediately checked Chris's vital signs. He was not breathing so Matt started rescue breathing, which continued for 5 - 6 minutes when Chris started to breathe on his own again. Without a wonderful friend like Matt who kept a clear head and acted swiftly, Christian wouldn't be with us today. Thank you Matt, we are so grateful for your unselfishness, preparedness, and calm demeanor during an incredible accident such as this. We will love you always and can never repay your heroic acts! Once Christian was stable and breathing again, Matt found a fellow good samaritan who descended the trail and called 911. Paramedics arrived within 15 or 20 minutes, placed Chris on a backboard, stabilized his neck and took him to the parking area. The IHC Life Flight helicopter took Christian from there to the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, UT. It was clear to Matt almost immediately that Christian had sustained a spinal cord injury as he could not move or feel his arms or legs at the accident scene.
Upon arrival at the hospital a great team of physicians took over care of Christian. He did regain some feeling in his lower legs and could move his feet slightly. He could not move or feel his hands and arms. After a CT scan of his entire body it was clear that Christian had displaced his C2 vertebrae. Christian, as is no surprise, remained in good spirits throughout. He was alert, talking and fully aware of the situation. I doubt many could remain so calm and positive as Christian has thus far.
Sometime around midnight, a team of surgeons took Christian into surgery. The first step was to install a halo/traction device which consists of placing 4 screws into the skull (2 in front and 2 in back). This device relieves pressure on the spinal column, aligns the column and stabilizes it. The neurosurgeon then moved the C2 vertabrae back to where it was before the accident, or at least within 1 millimeter. The surgery went well and we were encouraged by the doctor afterward. They did discover a small air bubble in his abdomen. At this stage they are going to monitor that as the spinal cord is of course, the priority. There could be a tear in his intestine which has allowed some air into the abdomen, but the doctors think that based on the impact he took on the head/neck, it would be surprising for him to have sustained another injury such as an intestinal tear. For now they will continue to monitor this and may have to perform a surgical procedure to repair what has caused this.
The next step after the surgery was to perform a MRI. The results of this will tell us the extent of the damage to the tendons surrounding the injury site and the spinal cord itself. As they took Chris to get an MRI he was having trouble swallowing and as a precaution they decided to place him on a ventilator which breathes for him and of course, required intubating him (putting a tube down his throat). After the intubation, the MRI was performed. We have not been given those results yet. Once we get these results we will know more as to the next step in this long recovery process.
We're grateful Christian is with us. Many of you may have seen the story of a mountain biker air-lifted from Big Cottonwood Canyon last night, that's our Chris. We love him so much and know that you all feel the same. More details to come. Keep the faith!
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