Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Dad!!
Sorry for no post yesterday, things get pretty crazy at Halloween, especially with kids :)
So I talked to mom, she said that Ali was with dad most of the day the other day helping take care of him and spending time with him. We've had a few people email so far about visiting him, so I think he has some visitors. Mom said he was talking about needing to pray for Deborah and Ted (his sister and brother), we don't know what that is about but we'll keep them in our prayers:) I just talked to mom on the phone and they were just starting to take David into surgery (remove the pins from his broken arm) so I will talk to her later and post more when I get some new info on dad. Hope everyone has a very happy and SAFE Halloween!!

Oct 29th 11:18 am

Dad started his physical therapy today, hooray! I just got off the phone with mom and she said that he was able to get his shirt on by himself, he pushed the wheels of the wheelchair a couple of rounds by himself and walked about 25 feet being assisted and using a walker. For his first day, this is great work! Mom has been at the hospital with him and was able to help a little with the therapy.

I forgot to mention yesterday that they had to redo his feeding tube shortly after I arrived yesterday afternoon, we think he must have pulled it out in the ambulance on his way to the new hospital...*sigh*, but they were able to remove the catheter today so I'm sure that is much more comfortable for him.

After I posted last night I stayed for a couple more hours and we wrote down some of the things he said and did so we could share them with you on the blog. He talked about the young men going on a hike this year, he mentioned someone by the name of Bob Geise (sp?), (sounded like dice but with a hard g) and how he needed to "stick around for 3 hours for construction"...we don't know what that was about but thought we would post it in case there is someone by that name:) Also, when one of the physical therapists came in to introduce herself last night she asked dad what he wanted to be called, he said "Brother Allen", lol!! He asked about the children and when the doctor asked who his oldest daughter was he said "Morgan":) Not quite, but we'll work on that:) Toward the end of the evening dad fell asleep while Jordan read my favorite book, "The Tale of Three Trees", to him.

Dad has physical therapy anytime between 8am-4pm everyday, so it would be best to visit him between 4pm-8pm. We would like to limit his visits to 2 per day if possible so he doesn't get over stimulated too quickly, he will need a lot of rest while he is working so hard in therapy. If you would like to come for a short visit, please either leave a comment on the newest post or email myself at onenjen@yahoo.com. I will try to figure out some sort of calendar to put on the blog so you will know what days are open. Thanks!!

Oct 28 (Jeny)

We are here! Dad is at IMED now and taking some time to rest. The doctor came in and looked him over, asked a lot of questions, etc. He seems like a really good doctor. The only new thing we found out from the new doctor is that there is some "moderate" tendon injury in his right shoulder which hurts him quite a bit when it is moved around. He still favors his right side. He has been talking and is doing really well so far in the new hospital. It is a very nice facility and very tall! (We are on the 12th floor and Emily and I do NOT like heights!) That is pretty much it for now. He has a lot of work to do for the next few weeks. (Oh, by the way, the doctor told us that there is no set time frame for his rehab, like we previously thought, so we don't know exactly how long he will be here. It will depend on the progress he makes. We initally thought it was a 4 week program, so we will have to see.) We will keep you updated. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.

Oct. 27 2:02 p.m.

IMED does not have a room for Levi today. They will move him at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

This program is 4 weeks so he should be home 2 days before Thanksgiving. Then we will have home rehab therapists work with him at home.

I am at home today so Levi will have a peaceful, restful day (except for the physical therapists!). Ali and I will meet him at IMED in the a.m.

Oct. 26 11:08 (Kelly)

I forget so much by the time I post to the blog so I will keep this post going all day and add as I think of things or as things happen.

So far this a.m. Levi has been up again and working really hard to take a couple of assisted steps. This is painful for him.

Dr. Hill came in to check on him and said he is doing well. He is certainly stable enough to move but it would not be before tomorrow afternoon.

Stacy, thanks for your questions. Levi is quite conscious he just wears out quickly. He answers questions appropriately but when he tries to add information(express his own thoughts) he just mumbles. We turned on the TV to see if we could find a talk to listen to and Conference was on! The Primary Choir sang I Am a Child of God and he sang along. It was a mix of words, mouthing and a bit of mumbling, but he was trying to sing it.

He just sang "Teach Me to Walk in The Light". Also, "I Love to See the Temple". And most clearly, "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet."

Yesterday I was surprised to see Elder Ballard visiting the ICU. Maybe we can include his loved one in our prayers.

I'm so sorry. I intended to post this as soon as I got home, however I found there was problem with the Internet connection. Fixed now.

The physical therapists worked Levi really hard this afternoon. He went about 5 steps forward and a couple to the side. This completely wears him out! He was really talking a lot today and we understood a little more of it. Ali and Jordan were there and they showed him pictures on their laptop. He seemed to recognize everyone. We took all the cards and decorations off his walls in preparation of his move. Hopefully he will be transferred Monday afternoon, after numerous drs. sign off on his release papers. It is now 12:12 a.m. the 27th. No cocoa tonight, I think, just right to bed.

P.S. The speech therapist will be working more with Levi to help him learn how to swallow again but until he masters that the feeding tube has to stay. They have kept him in the same room in ICU for over three weeks now as a matter of practicality. Otherwise I think they would have moved him out after the drain was removed, then back in after the back surgery, then out, then transfer to rehab. That would have been very counter productive I think. Thanks for your questions Bro. Cox.

Oct. 25 7:34 (emily)

Hey everyone! It's just mom and me today. We arrived here in time to see my dad strapped in the tortoise shell (brace) and stand up! With help of course but still he stood up and walked a little. He was able to walk in the direction that the physical therapists told him which shows that he knows left right front and back. He was having a little trouble with his right leg. He wouldn't straighten it or put much weight on it. They say that might be because of the surgery on his back. The therapist also told us to give dad more specific instructions such as "touch your head" instead of "raise your arm". Chris, Lisa and there son Jonathon came by today to say hi. Dad talked a lot while they were here. After they left, my dad was pretty quiet so we figured he was sleeping. I worked on homework until five when we had to leave. We just got back and learned that while we were gone he read the sign that we made, it says We Love You Dad! And yesterday he thought he was in Africa. lol. He will be transferred on Monday to IMED. Love you all and thank you for everything that you have been doing to help my family.
P.S. Please direct some of your comments to my dad. My mom thinks that in a week he will be reading them himself.

Oct. 24 10:59 (Kelly)

What a day! I came home last night and visited with the children. This a.m. I did "normal things" like dishes, laundry, grocery shopping, several phone calls, etc.etc. It is a little bit of sanity, let me rephrase that, normalcy. I don't think I've really ever had sanity!
I went to the hospital with Jen then came back home to have Morgan's "dinner party". Jordan and Ali made the dinner and the cake. Jordan then ran Hillary to work, Emily to a Drama Club Halloween party, and David off to a scout sleepover/Super Saturday event. This was not the end yet. Jordan and Ali invited Morgan to spend the night at their apt. They left. Then for various reasons too entailed to share now, they came back, then left, then came back, then left. Then David came back a couple of times to get "stuff". Now it is quiet. Emily is back and sleeping and I'm just waiting for Hillary to call for a ride home from work. I'm ready to go back to the hospital and get some rest!

I want to clarify that Levi is off the vent. They are, however, putting the Bipap mask back on for a little while. This is the positive flow device that helps him take deep breaths on his own. There is no tube down his throat, he is even off the little bit of oxygen they had him on.

Last night, after the operation, he began sweating profusely and his skin was ice cold. His temp was down so the nurse put warm blankets on him. After a little while his temp began to come back up to baseline. When the nurse came in to check his glucose level, she pulled back the blanket to get his hand and there was blood every where. I'm glad she chose the left hand to check. He had pulled out his IV...again! This makes 4 times I think. The nurse had spent a good deal of time trying to place that IV. She said he has a lot of valves in his veins and he had already blown the good spots. She finally got this one placed and the other nurse asked if she should tie the restraint again. Levi's nurse said," no he seems pretty calm and they are about to take him down to surgery so it should be o.k." I suggested they might want to tie the restraint as she had worked so hard to find the seemingly last spot for the IV. He is very cunning and deliberate in the removal of his lines! They agreed. I think what may have happened is The surgical techs didn't tie the ties tight enough when they returned him to his bed after surgery and we didn't catch it. I forgot to check where the line is now.

I think I've kind of gone on auto pilot now. I talk to him, crochet, wait in waiting rooms, eat meals, sleep, blog,...... I will be sooo glad to have him moved closer. I will miss the staff in Provo. They have been great! Tomorrow marks three weeks so we have had many of the nurses rotate through. We have been blessed to have a few of them stay for three days or nights in a row. As I'm coming in or leaving the ICU they ask about him or say "I hear he is improving. That's great!"

It is amazing how much and how many people care. What terrific people we are surrounded by. It's like that perfect world at Christmastime. Thank you for all your support and prayers especially. I know everyone wants to do something to help. Let me say, if you have prayed you have helped bring him all the progress he has made. The Lord has blessed us from the smallest things, that could have gone another way, all the way to Levi standing at his beside this morning. I have known from the time I was a child that God hears and answers my prayers. I learned early that those unselfish righteous desires are granted. A little later I learned that at times we must yield to the will of the Lord. Somewhere along the way I realized that I no longer have "faith" in the power of the priesthood and for the Lord's love for me, as faith is that which is hoped for but not seen. I know of a surety that God lives and that he loves us so much as to give us the authority to exercise His power here on earth through the Priesthood. I am so grateful to Him and for all of you and your faith and knowledge of the power you posses. May I just quote my mother ( if you are saying "no" I can't hear you-too bad) who said "We Mormons don't have a monopoly on prayer". So everyone again keep up the good work. We love you ALL.

This post is by Jeny:
I just got home from visiting dad today, it's been a very long day. It was great to see him again and boy what a difference from a week ago!! He was talking so much, although most of it was not understandable. I asked him if he could see me and he said "I can see you". I asked him who I am and he said "yeny" (Jeny). I asked him if he remembered me, he said yes. I asked him if he knew where he was, he said hospital (slurred), then I asked if he remembered his accident. I don't remember if I said ladder or if he said it, but he talked about needing more water (for the windows he was washing). I thought maybe he was talking about the rain that day, so I asked him if it was raining and he said no. He then repeated that he "needed more water and I realized..." the rest was too slurred. I then talked to him about his family, all the kids and grandkids. He couldn't remember my kids names until I told them to him then he said "I remember". Each time I said someone's name to him he would go on about something for each one. I couldn't understand what he was saying. I asked him who his daughters were and he said "Hillary". I asked who his dad is, he said "Lewis", sisters "Doreen", brothers "Blaine". He remembered the rest and remebered his mother and that she had died. I asked him again who I was and he said it again "yeny". I asked him where he went on his mission, he said "Chile". I talked to him about Abbie's baby blessing but couldn't understand what he said back. Most of this conversation was with the big face breathing mask on so it made it difficult to understand him and probably difficult for him to hear me. I have to say that I was very surprised that I was able to converse with him so much, I didn't expect that when I went there today. I am so grateful I had that little bit of time with him to talk, it really meant a lot to me that he was awake and able to talk to me.
The nurse said that he helped the therapist get dad out of bed today and stand up. He can't stand on his own, of course, but they got him up for a minute. That is great!! I know it must be driving him crazy to lay there and not be able to get up and move. I'm sure it's very frustrating also to not be understood most of the time. He really tries hard to communicate. I asked the nurse if he mumbles a lot or if he stops sometimes and the nurse said he does it all the time. I wish I could be there more to sit and talk to him. I started singing "I am a Child of God" to him and I'm pretty sure he said "lead me" while I was singing. It was really sweet. As I was leaving, I said "I love you, dad" a few times and each time he said "I love you, too". I blew him a kiss (without the hand movement) and he did it too. This breaks my heart to see him like this but I am most grateful for his progress. It has been such a blessing to him and to our family to see these miracles with him. I absolutely know that it is the faith and prayers of all of us that love and care about him that has brought him this far. We have so much to thank our Father in Heaven for. Thank you for your prayers, please keep them coming, they are working!! :)
Like I said, it's been a long day so I'm sure I've forgotten something. I will post if I remember anything.
Jeny

Oct. 23 2:43

Levi had surgery this a.m. He now has 6 bolts and a rod in his back. The dr. said as soon as he is awake to sit him up and start working with him. It will take a little longer for him to wake up from the anesthesia because of the brain damage. He is back on the vent for now. He will likely be off by morning. He had both eyes open when we came back from lunch but not responding to commands.

I forgot to mention the nurse told me that the Orem fire chief called to see how Levi is doing. I thought that was very thoughtful.

The nurse just checked him and he did respond to commands.

Ali, Jordan, and David just left. They were talking to him and he seemed to understand so I think he is starting to wake up a bit more.

Tomorrow will be a very busy day.

I would like to start reintroducing him to his family and friends so if you have or can create a 3X5 laminated copy of a picture of yourself and send it to us with your info on the back that would be great. If you need our address you may e-mail me at kellynlevi@yahoo.com and I will e-mail it to you.

He doesn't remember very much. He did tell me where he served his mission but he doesn't remember his brothers, sisters, children, etc. One of the children joked, "that might be by choice"!

Well, that's about it for today. I hope you all have a great day!

Oct. 22 5:19

Dr. Reichman said he will do the surgery tomorrow. So I'm now hoping we can move him Monday or Tuesday.

I'll stay here tonight then go home tomorrow night so I can be home for Morgan's birthday on Friday. Then we'll just have to see when they will transfer him.

I guess that's it for today.

Oct. 22 3:19 p.m.

We have John Bytheway's CD of Super Sonic Saints and have played it for him. It is, in fact, on right now. Thanks for the offer Randy and Monica and for the reminder Chris. :)
The comment I made re: the Ritalin is because we have two AD/HD children and one that is a poss ADD. This is a hereditary condition. The reason it is used to wake up or animate patients is because it is an amphetamine ("upper"). The reason it is given to AD/HD people is because they have something in their brain that triggers the opposite reaction.

The nurse said that Levi was very awake this a.m. so she didn't give him any Ritalin. She did give him some around 1 p.m. He seems a little sleepy. This could just be due to how hard he has worked today. The nurse (whose name is Kelly) said he worked better with the speech therapist and he ate ice chips!

Still no dr. yet today. Maybe later after surgeries?

I forgot to mention, I think, that Levi was having pain in his right arm when they worked with him yesterday. They took xrays of his elbow and found no breaks. When the did the MRI they incl. his shoulder. All is o.k. it might just be sore and stiff muscles. That's the arm he hasn't used much.

Hopefully, I'll have more to tell later.

Oct. 21 3:59 p.m.

No dr. again today. They are taking him down around 6 or 6:30 for an MRI of his back so we likely won't hear anything until tomorrow a.m. He is speaking a little more. The rehab people are anxious to get started . The nurse now checks him only every 4 hours so hopefully he is getting more sleep at night. They gave him Ritalin this a.m to help wake him up more today. I wonder if he would do even better without it. We can wake him up and get a couple of answers out of him then he fades out again. All in all, still good news for today.

Oct 20 8:23 p.m.

Levi is resting well and responding well. The turtle shell, tortoise shell, Boston Body Jacket, Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthosis (TLSO), or simply Orthosis finally arrived today. They took it back for a little while to make an adjustment but it is back now and just waiting for the dr. as am I. We haven't seen either Dr. Gardner or Dr. Reichman (spelling is correct, pronounced Reyeshman with a long i) today. I guess we'll find out tomorrow about surgery.
David was talking to Levi and asked him if he wanted the TV on and Levi said something that sounded like tired. David asked if he was tired and he said yes. So we will let him sleep.
If one of the drs. comes in tonight I'll post again, otherwise I'll post tomorrow.

Oct 20 10:16

Levi is still really responsive today. His dr. is back but has not been in yet. He probably has a lot to catch up on. The shell is supposed to come today. I am very anxious to know if he will have surgery or not. I'll update after I hear from Dr. Reichman. (I'll also check that spelling)
Yet another person has told me he is the best and that he worked on her husband. Good to hear.

More later.

Oct 19 8:23 p.m.

Wow! Levi spoke today! David asked him where he worked and he answered, ''Cookietree''. The doctor asked if he knew where he was and he answered,''I don't know where I am''. He still mumbles quite a bit and we don't understand most of what he says. The nurse asked him if he was in pain and he started mumbling something we couldn't understand, but in the middle of it he said,''this foot here'', wiggling his right foot. How great is that, that he would speak and connect movement to thought on his own without command.

We are so excited. Thank you so much for all your prayers! Keep up the good work we still have a ways to go.

It is now just past 10:30. It has taken awhile to write this because we keep getting up to talk to Levi and David is trying to figure out what I'm saying so he can type it and we are both pretty tired.

Looks like it's time for cocoa and sleep.
More in the morning.

Oct. 18 11:00 p.m.

Sorry to post so late again. We had a quiet day. Not much response to commands. Still fidgeting. He opens his left eye from time to time and he tried to speak a little. They let him spend the day without the breathing mask but he still had the tongue thingy (more medical terminology) to keep his tongue from obstructing his airway. Morgan and I left a 5 p.m. to come home for the night.

We have started the paperwork to get him transferred to IMED as soon as the issue of the burst fracture is resolved.

I noticed that the time at the bottom of the post does not match the time I am posting. Jen K. or Kathy W. do we know how to fix that? I guess if we leave it alone it will be right in a couple of weeks, won't it?

I need to go pick up Hillary from work.
More tomorrow.

Oct. 17 11:56 p.m.

Levi has been pretty calm today. I guess he just wears himself out and needs to rest. Lynn asked about IMED. It is part of the new IHC (Intermountain Health Care) facility on State and 5400 (ish). It is the inpatient rehabilitation center he will be in for four weeks. It's a very intensive program.

I think we need some ideas on some sort of "puzzles" he can figure out with his fingers. He likes the texture toys we gave him but I think he can figure things out and that will stimulate him more. An example is that washcloth I tied a knot in and he untied it. He still keeps his eyes closed for most of the time and he is primarily using his left hand. We gave him a stress ball today because I think the other ball was too hard. If anyone has ideas, please post.

It's time for hot cocoa and sleep. :)

Good night and thank you!

Oct 17 2:55 p.m.

His breathing problem seems to be under control. We are having a quiet day. Jen brought the toys and he seems to like them. we have a ball in his right hand and we are trying to get him to squeeze it. He plays with the links and the butterfly with his left hand. He quit playing for a little while then he reached his hand down and picked up the toys again to play. I'm not sure if he was just randomly looking for something to play with as he does a lot, or if he remembered where he left them. Hard to know right now.

Jen came to visit and brought Ali, Hillary, and Morgan. Morgan is staying overnight and we will go home around 5 p.m. tomorrow. I'll come back Sunday so I can be here when his dr. returns Monday a.m.

I'm guessing his dr. will decide whether or not to do surgery on his back by Monday night. If he decides that the fragments of the burst fracture are not posing a threat and are already in the healing process, then probably no surgery. They will put him in his shell and transport him up to IMED. If he does the surgery then Levi will need a few more days to recuperate then they will transport him.
So I'm thinking that either way we will leave here by Monday the 27th. That will make it easier for me to get Emily up to the Moran Eye Institute for her appt. on the 29th.

Levi is a little restless right now so I'm going to tell him about the recent posts, especially that joke (if the coast is clear!) and Tyler's reminiscing. :)

Thanks to all

Oct. 16 11:05 p.m.

Levi was having a little difficulty breathing. He was up to 51 breaths per minute. It turns out he was obstructing. His tongue was in the way. They put a plastic device in his mouth to keep his tongue from falling back and his rate went right down. Prior to that they gave him some pain medicine to try to relax him. They gave him the full dose instead of the half dose they sometimes give. He is having a good albeit short sleep now.

The nurse said she is hoping that his scan, which they will do tomorrow night will still be at least stable so the dr. might let them go to checks every 4 hours instead of every hour. I'm guessing that some things have got to be affected by sleep deprivation.

I have decided to try my own rehab program for him. We are getting a couple of baby toys with textures for him to play with. We noticed how much he plays with pillows, sheets, gown, tube, etc. I tied a knot in a washcloth and gave it to him. Within about 5 mins. he had it untied with just his left hand. So, I tied it again and he untied it again.

I also want to get a board/page and put pictures of the children and grandchildren on it then see if he can identify them.

Tomorrow when the children come we will do some reminiscing and see if he remembers any of it.

The frontal lobes control movement, memory, reasoning, behavior, personality, and intelligence. So exercising the memory is easy to figure out. Movement, get a ball for his right hand to squeeze. Intelligence, reading to him and listening to music. Reasoning, this is a littler tougher. I think untying the knot in the washcloth took some reasoning. As for personality and behavior I thought we would just have to wait and see. Then I thought we could read the peaceful parts of the Book of Mormon, maybe some Emily Post/Miss Manners. lol Any suggestions on any of these points?

Thank you everyone for your comments. It really helps us to know you are there and I tell him about each one. If you have something you've done or are doing that we can tell him about that would be great. My cousin is remodeling her kitchen and I can tell him about that. Did anything funny happen at work? Or home? Send him a joke. And please keep praying.

Maybe when he gets into rehab we can set up some times for people to come read to him. If you have an interest in this let me know and we will start a list. Maybe our children can read their history and english assignments to him! ooooh fun.

Well it's midnight so I'm going to bed.
Thanks again for all your kindnesses.

Oct 16 9:48 a.m.

We are drain and staple free! The dr. took them out right here in the room.

Dr. Gardner asked again re: the color of his shirt and Levi mouthed, "blue". (Dr. Gardner is wearing blue scrubs today) Levi had only his left eye open so he can see out of the one we were worried about.

The dr. showed me his MRI and last nights CT scans. There is still swelling, bruising, and softening in the frontal lobes. The dr. says that might still clear up. That area is personality, inhibitions, aggressiveness, etc. So we need prayers still and specifically regarding those frontal lobes.

He is stronger on the right today and following commands on both sides.

I am with him today so I'll try to post as things improve.

Oct. 15 8:52 p.m.

So sorry I didn't post this a.m. We have had a very busy day! I went home last night to take care of a few things. Dr. Gardner called this a.m and said Levi was responding. He would hold up 2 fingers, wiggle toes, thumbs up, etc. He also opened his left eye again and I think squinted the right. The really exciting thing is that the dr. asked him "what color is my shirt?" and Levi answered "green". People ask me "and was it green?" or "did he get it right?" I think I asked the dr. the same thing. Yes, the shirt was green. The point is he understood that he was being asked a question and he answered it! The dr. then asked "do you have a headache?", and Levi said "no". Then he asked "do you want to go home?", and Levi answered "yes". It was very slurred but he was communicating! He only needed to be drained twice last night and it was a minimal amount so they think they might take it and the staples out tomorrow.

They have already fitted him for his tortoise shell and it should be here on Monday. I think they are probably looking at Monday or Tuesday for back surgery. Maybe we can post a link about tortoise shells.

More good news-Lisa Mullins and her children, Beth and Jonathon took a metal detector to the site and found Levi's glasses. Many of us have been there looking and could not find them. They were at the base of the retainer wall down in the ivy. Thank you, thank you!

Also, thank you to the wonderful Cookietree employees who keep sending yummy snacks!
There are so many people, known and anonymous, to thank for so many things.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Oct 14 11:11

Dr. Gardner was just here. Levi was pretty non responsive. He did try to pull the drs. hand away when he was pinching him. The MRI shows there is still swelling in the frontal lobes and sadly, bruising deep in the left stem. This explains the lack of response in the right side. They are putting the breathing mask back on and giving him a bath right now. I think he really needs more rest for a little while.
I think of a roller coaster ride with all its ups, down, twists, and turns. Some people throw their hands in the air and scream. I just hang on really tight to the bar, close my eyes, and scream.
I don't know what this means.
I do know it's time for lunch.

Oct 14 9:55

Today seems a little better than yesterday. They took Levi down for an MRI instead of a CAT scan. They would like to take out the drain. He had to be drained maybe 5 times last night so we just have to wait to see Dr. Gardner. He might keep it in for another day.
When they brought Levi back from his MRI he coughed and cleared on his own and he showed 2 fingers on his left hand. The nurse said he opened his left eye and a squint in his right while he was down there for the MRI. He also did it when he came back. He is really trying to say something.
I can see that the easier part is beginning to slip away. That's o.k. we'll take each stage as it comes and see the will of the Lord. It's a little scary but He knows best.
Thank you so much for your fasting and continued prayers.

We've talked a lot about the pressure on my dad's brain and the 'brain drain' system they are using to monitor the pressure and drainage of spinal fluid so I thought I would do a little research and find a good site for info if anyone is interested in the technical stuff. It's all very interesting and this particular site I use for information is very straight forward and easy to understand so if you're interested it is listed under the 'Medical sites' on the far right at the top of the blog. Thank you again for your prayers, fasting, and help for our family.

Oct 13 4:36

We just had a visit from the Rehabilitation Dr. As soon as the drain can come out the back can be fixed and stabilized then he can start rehab. He had some positive things to say. He thinks Levi will walk and talk he's just not sure what communication challenges he will have. He recommends IHC on State St. for rehab (maybe 4 weeks there) Then it can continue at home through a group called "Rehab Without Walls".
Levi has been off the drain for more than 3 hours and his pressure is about 5 to 6 as long as he is left alone (no poking ,brushing, adjusting, etc.). They will probably take the drain out tomorrow.
His heart rate is in the 120s and his blood pressure is 158/67, the mean is 94. Right now his icp is bouncing around 9-15. He has apnea which drives the pressure up. But things look o.k. for now.
We need to look at facilities for rehab. Choices are The IHC Murray(IMED) or University of Utah, or a place in Sandy, can't remember the name. If anyone has any knowledge of these places please let us know as we might need to choose pretty soon.

Oct 13 12:35

The Dr. Came to check on Levi. There is still not much response. He did turn off the drain to see if the pressure would stay down without it. He went almost 35 mins. before the pressure got up to 15 and they had to turn the drain on again. They will wait about 5 mins. and turn it off again. Here she is to turn it off.

Is there anyone out there who has traveled or their children have traveled with People to People and received high school and university credit? Our daughter Morgan went to DC a few weeks ago and poss. still needs to fill out some papers to receive the credit. If anyone has that experience I could use help with that.

We were in the middle of a few time sensitive things when this happened and I am trying to get all that stuff taken care of and get going on the new, ie: insurance, disability, etc.

If there is anyone with knowledge of oil and gas exploration, I could use help there too.

Thanks so much.

Oct 13 9:25

No changes this a.m. They will probably do a scan tonight. I will post again later today or sooner if anything changes.
Thank you Lynn and Calee for your comments and prayers. It's hard to wait but it will be worth it.

Oct. 12 8:25

No change for Levi. His blood pressure is running around 149/67 (right now) up to mid 150s/?. And his ICP (brain pressure) is about 9 to 15. His heart rate is about 130. The mean of his blood pressure runs in the high 90s. When you subtract the ICP from the bp mean you get a figure that indicates the profusion of blood to the brain. We are in the high 80s and that is good.

On another note, I like reading the comments to the posts, but I'm starting to loose track of the count on each post. That means I have to go in to each again to see if I've already read them. It doesn't take much to confuse me right now. So Jen suggested that we request that all new comments go under the most current post. Please continue to comment as much as you like. You can comment more than once under the current post I think, but when a new post goes up please place your comments there until the next post. This way I hopefully won't miss any.
Thank you!

Oct. 12 4:30

Levi's room looks like Halloween. It's very cute. Jen cut out spiders with her cricut machine and creeped herself out! Silly girl.
So, Levi is on an antibiotic for the brain drain and another for the lungs. He is still not answering commands except for the occasional toe wiggle. He does still fight the mouth cleaning and suction. He still tries to reach for tubes etc. Not much more to post. It is almost 5 o'clock so we need to leave for awhile for the shift change (5-7 a.m. & p.m.)
Thank you to those who leave comments, we enjoy reading them.

A note to Chris: please feel free to add a comment to the post entitled "The Accident" to fill in anything we may have left out.

Thanks to all!

October 11th, 9pm

Mom wanted me to post tonight. Dad is still about the same as the last couple of days. I just spoke to the nurse who said he is a little more responsive to commands but his movements are mostly reflexes. Ali and Emily have been in here (dad's room) singing to him and playing "thumb wars" with him. Dad keeps winning :)
The respiratory mask is still on and he seems to be resting a lot which the nurse said is good. She explained that they are doing all they can to assist him in this recovery but ultimately his body has to do the work so there are going to be days where he just needs rest. He does still have some obvious adema (sp?), swelling, on his face under the skin that was pulled back for the surgery last Saturday night but is looking better. His left eye is still very bruised from the fracture under it. The nurse earlier today said that he does move his eyes back and forth a little under the eye lids so that is a little bit of a good sign. As always, we will take what little we can get. The nurse tonight (different nurse, different shift) said that the improvements are happening and will happen in increments and that is normal. Any decline(s) usually happen very quickly so it's not a bad thing that it is taking time. At this moment, he is holding a pillow in his left hand and waving it around! It looks like he is trying to play with it or something. He seems to always want to have something in his left hand, either someone else's hand or his sheet or a pillow. Emily left his side for a minute and he started to reach for some of his tubes. We just take his hand and tell him "no dad, you have to leave it alone". He is very insistent sometimes.
I know we say it a lot, but thank you again for your love and prayers on our dad's behalf and for our family. Thank you for your willingness to fast for him tomorrow, we love you!!!

A Note from Kathy

As tomorrow is Fast Sunday- let's all be sure to include Levi, Kelly and their family in our fast.

Oct. 11 3:30

Sorry, I forgot to mention his dr. says he may have a slight case of bronchitis as opposed to pneumonia. Emily and I are going to go get lunch now.
More later.

Oct.11 2:21

I just realized I could change the font. Fun stuff. So not much change today. They took the breathing mask off and did a deep suction. I'm sorry if I'm repeating some things. He is coughing a little better today. Still very little response to commands although he did wiggle his toes on command for the Dr. this a.m. Maybe I need to clarify something. We talk about how much he moves and the things he does and doesn't do and it can get confusing. He does move his arms and legs and head. He will squeeze your hand when you hold his. He coughs and grunts and can become agitated (as with the Dr. this a.m.). These are mainly considered reflex motions. And while these are good and we feel also an indication of good spinal cord health, we get more excited when he responds to commands. We are not having any visitors right now, except family, as he needs to keep his pressure down (in the brain). It goes up when they have to move or bathe him or perform a procedure. Also visitors can cause the same effect. It has been a full week now so we are looking for the swelling to begin receding, also for him to begin absorbing the fluid that is now being drained from his brain. They are also being very cautious re: pneumonia. another reason for the decision re: visitors. I hope everyone can understand that we don't intend to hurt feelings or be rude. Simply, Levi has to come first. We are so grateful for all the help and thoughtful gestures from so many wonderful people. Most of all we thank you for your prayers. Therein lies the greatest power and service.

Oct. 10 11:40

The respiratory therapist was just in and said the breathing mask is working well. They did do a deep suction earlier today and it has made a big difference. Jen, Steve, and Emily (also Abbie) are here.
Now it is Oct 11 1:00 a.m. Jen and Steve left so Em and I are going to go to the guest house in a little while to get some sleep.
Last night the nurse put my name in for a room so I got one for the weekend. It is like a hotel room with a big common kitchen.
Anyway, Levi's latest check is the same. His blood pressure is 137/80 and his icp (brain pressure) is 6. These numbers are good. He is still not responding to commands but he does squeeze my hand when I hold his. Maybe tomorrow he will be "lighter" as they put it. The surgeon said it would be like this, good days and not so good.
We really appreciate your prayers.

Oct 10 (I think) 11:09

I just spent 30 mins. writing a post which vanished. So for right now here's the short version. His reputation preceded him so they gave him a heavier sedation and they said it could be 4 hours or more to come out of it. He is moving his arms, won't respond to "move your feet", is coughing again and a little moaning. It has been two and a half hours since the procedure started and about 2 hours and 15 mins. since it finished. Very fast. Just 15 mins.
In case the other post shows up let me correct something- he has a breathing mask which causes him to take deep expanding breaths which will help prevent pneumonia. It covers his face and is clear plastic. They wanted to avoid any deep suction of the mucus because of the facial fractures but they might try going through the mouth to do some.
I am going to post this so I don't loose it again and I will post more after lunch.

Oct 10 10:22

I found it! Hope it makes sense. Not very much for half an hour is it? I'm using Levi's laptop. Very different from a desktop.


One of Levi's many doctors was just in. As Jen said Levi has not been very responsive yesterday or today so far. They are concerned about blood clots forming in his legs. He does have the inflating thingies (medical terminology according to Kelly) on his legs but as the dr. said they are not perfect so the VCF was placed in the IVC (now we're cooking- it comes and goes). They did plan on only a local for placement but his reputation preceded him. The gave him a deeper sedation which he is now trying to come out of. It could take up to 4 hours but in his condition they don't really know it could be longer. In the mean time he has a breathing mask which covers his whole head. It is clear plastic and assists in taking deep expanding breaths. He has a great deal of trouble with mucus which he is not getting cleared by himself so they are discussing a deep suction. They had considered this a day or two ago but wanted to avoid disturbing the broken facial bones. Pneumonia is a big concern while we wait. Wednesday was a very good day. He was holing up 2 fingers, sticking out his tongue, trying hard to talk, waved a couple of times, says yes, no, and ouch. The nurse was trying to get him to communicate so she asked hi to say yes when he finally did she asked him to say no to which he finally responded. The she said "I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me. Levi, are you cold? Tell me yes or no." On the second request he managed to answer "yes or no". So commands good-processing not so much maybe. It did give us chuckle.
They are talking more about putting on a tortoise shell for his back. Maybe that would allow them to make him a little more upright when the pressure on his brain goes down more. This would allow better drainage of the mucus also. As it stands they are very careful about keeping him at 20 degrees for the brain pressure. 30 degrees is best for the prevention of pneumonia.

I want to publicly thank Chris Mullins for finding Levi and for all his support. I'm certain Levi would have died if Chris had not found him. And I feel Levi will have a complete recovery as the Lord wills according to his blessing.

October 10, 2008

Dad was much less responsive yesterday than the last couple of days but hopefully he is just trying to get some rest. His body is working hard right now. The swelling on his brain has gone up again as well as his blood pressure so the Dr's are keeping a close eye on that but say that its normal to have up days and down days. He finally has a feeding tube in so hopefully he is slightly more comfortable. This morning they were taking him in for a procedure to put a line in from his groin all the way up under his heart to filter/stop any blood clots that might form in his legs and try to travel to his heart or brain. They are only giving him a local so we are praying for his comfort and that the procedure will be successful without any further damage. Thank you for your comments and your love and prayers.

October 9, 2008

Levi is doing well today. Kelly says he attempted to say "hi" in a whispered voice, and wave goodbye by slightly lifting his right hand to wave. He opened his eyes very briefly, fluttered and closed them. He said "no" to one of the nurses when she asked him a question and he pulls his pillows out from under him each time the nurses try to make him more comfortable! All of this is wonderful news for us and we will gratefully take it. He is still considered unconscious. They still are not addressing his broken back until his brain is more stable. We did find out yesterday that his left eye socket has lots of tears in it so we don't know if he will have vision in that eye yet. Jenny overheard a nurse say he is "very responsive" which is wonderful!

The Accident

On Saturday morning, October 4, Levi was washing windows, and fell from a ladder. He was found by a friend he works with. He may have fallen as much as 20-22 feet onto landscaping rocks. He has been in critical condition with a broken back ( a ‘burst’ fracture on his 12th vertebrae), a skull fracture, blood clots on his brain, severe head injuries, and swelling on the brain.

He has had surgery to remove a clot from his head, and relieve pressure on his brain. Everything went well with that surgery. Over the next couple of days (Sun and Mon) the doctors were doing scans to monitor the other blood clots and swelling.

Levi seems to have some purposeful movement in his hands and legs. He was very insistent on getting loose from the bed restraints and he would even follow commands like squeezing the nurse’s fingers and then letting go, moving his feet and toes. Monday he was grunting like he was wanting to talk and Tuesday his nurse asked him to show him one finger to which he did. All of this is very good news for us and at this point we are happy to take what we can get.We pray that he will have a full recovery if that is the Lord's will for him. We love him so much and it's so hard to see him in this condition but everyday seems to bring more hope.