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.

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.