Charlie had a follow-up visit today. Dr. Clarkson, took out the stitches and I asked him, how many because several people had asked me. He said he didn't know he hadn't counted, but it was in the dozens, later he said at least 40. He said there are more important things, like the saw not breaking the sinus membrane or worse. He compared it to an egg, when you break the shell with a spoon, there is a crack and may a piece missing but the membrane is still intact. If it had broken there is a much greater risk of infection.
Charlie said he thought that when the saw kicked back his hand hit the "brake" like it was supposed to and stopped the chain. The Dr said that was probably right, some of the surgical staff was wondering why it didn't go have way through his brain. He also thought that the chain was still moving some although at a much slower speed, that is what caused the lacerations on his cheek. (All that stuff I was thinking on the way up to the hospital wasn't so far fetched after all)
After taking out the stitches the Dr. put on some adhesive steri-strips until it is fully healed. To remind it to stay together. Then he said it can be terribly embarrassing to go out for the evening and have your face fall apart.
He still can't blow his nose for 6 weeks just in case there is a tear in the sinus membrane. Blowing his nose could force air under this skin on his forehead. He has to go back in a month just to make sure
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
This post is rate PG13,
Friday started out as an ordinary day, don't you hate when stories start that way, you just know they are not going to be good news, don't ya? Any way it started as an ordinary day, I left for work about 7:15. Charlie got up just before I left, I told him I would see him when I got home, we were planning on going to the Springport football game.
Charlie was going to a friends house to work on a project, on their farm,which included repairs to an old barn with log beams. .
About 10:30 AM, I just missed a call on my cell phone from a number I didn't recognize, they left a voice mail message: "This is Jim, Charlie has had an accident they are taking him to Eaton Rapids" "voices in the back ground" Oh they're taking him to Sparrow."
I'm thinking: Oh that's not good, Eaton Rapids hospital is bad enough, but Sparrow? (Sparrow is in Lansing and it has a Trauma Center).
I immediately canceled my Dr's appoint and told my boss and co-workers what was going on, I did ask if they knew how to get to Sparrow Hospital, they did not. I figured I knew how to get to Lansing, I'd get directions once I got that far.
About a mile down the road, I thought I should have looked it up, I called the reference Department, asked them to look it up for me, Tessa didn't have to look it up, she knew how to get there. Good thing it was easy I'm not sure I could have followed complicated directions.
I tried to call Shonda, and left a voice message to call me when she got mine.
All kinds of thought running through my head. What kind of accident, electorcuted again? Fell from the loft? Something fell on him?
About a third of the way there, My cell phone rang, It was the same number I didn't recognize. She said she was on of the firefighter, rescue first responders. She explained that Jim had used her phone to call me, she needed to verify, our address and Charlies date of birth. I asked her what kind of accident she said " a chain saw accident, he has some lacerations on his face." That's all she'd say.
So now I'm thinking "He cut off his ear, he cut off half his face..."
By the time I got to the hospital, and was pulling into the parking garage I got another call from the patient liaison officer. He told me to come to emergency and he would meet me there. .... The place is packed, there is no frickin' place to park. I think I drove around 3 levels twice.
I got to the emergency room which is practically next to the elevators, he met me, and took me back to the trauma center.On the way he told me that Charlie is conscious, and alert and told the plastic surgeon he wanted pictures of his face before he fixed it. (I have some here, but they are rather disturbing and I'm not sure how to do this without making some people sick) They said that he was lucky the blade caught right between the eye and the nose, missed the eye, the nose and the mouth.
(He was asked several times how it happened. and I'm sure you are wondering too. He was cutting a notch in a log, to fit in another piece of wood, to replace a beam that had to be removed. The chain saw, hit a knot or something and kicked back and hit him in the face.)
Right after I got there they took to x-ray for the second time, to check for skull fractures.
The trauma surgeon came in a couple of times, a small Japanese woman, I had a little trouble understanding, (It has been a few years since Makiko was here).
The nurses said the plastic surgeon would be back to decide if he needed do surgery of could stitch him up in the ER. He was there in a few minutes, and said that there was a small fracture above the nose and he would have to take Charlie to surgery to know the full extent of the injury. (He had a British accent, by the way). He told Charlie he was not to blow his nose today or for the next 6 weeks. Something about air getting into the sinus cavity and behind the eye. The operating rooms were all being used and they were not sure when they would be able to get in, sometime in the afternoon or perhaps evening.
We waited, a nurse cleaned up most of the dried blood, on Charlie's face, chest, hands and arms.
We watied some more, They changed the linens on the gurney.
We waited. They moved us to another room, with a TV. that neither of us cared to watch. He asked if they got RFDTV, so he could watch some of the FFA convention. (They don't, I checked) Charlie finally napped, I went to get something to eat. About that time my phone died, and I didn't have a charger. So I couldn't call anybody.
I went back. They said they had a room for him upstairs and were going to take him into surgery about 4. Charlie said to tell him to hurry because he had to get home to go to the High School football game.
A pleasant rather good looking young man took us up to the room, it seemed like miles, When we got to the room, Charlie said tell the surgeon, if he can't make me look as good as you, don't bother.
We waited, but not long, Jen, came in and introduced herself as Charlie's nurse, then said she had a student nurse helping her. Kelsy, came in and asked endless questions including, what is your name and your date of birth. She had about 10 pages of questions to ask and at least 5 forms to sign. Charlie said that it felt like there was something in his eye. Kelsey couldn't see anything, and naturally didn't want to disturb it too much.
He joked around with her about all of the questions she had to ask.
They took, us well him , I just followed along, to the surgical holding room. The Surgeon came in again. explained everything he might have to do including putting in a plate if the skull fracture was too big, something to the sinus if the saw had gone in too deep, so there would not be a problem of sinus infections, and even the possibility of doing a bone graft.
We were introduced to 3 surgical nurses, 2 Anesthetist nurses, and the Anesthetist . They all asked his name and birth date, checked the paper work and charts, and couldn't find the EKG that was done in the ER.
We waited some more
and some more
and some more. while ER looked for the EKG,
They finally sent someone down to do another EKG. (We better not get charged for two). Charlie mentioned again that it felt like there was something in his eye.
They finally took him to surgery about 5:15. I went to the surgical waiting room
and waited
and waited
and waited. Actually the surgery only took about an 1 1/2 hours.
The Dr said that there were a few bone chips, that he packed in place and they would heal. He had to cut of the rough edges of the skin and sew those together. Charlie will have scars, but the Dr. thought that because his face is already has a lot of "creases" I think he said, it probably won't show much.
As far as he was concerned Charlie could go home in the morning, but the Trauma Team also has to release him. He also wanted to have an Ophthalmologist check the eye, he didn't see anything, but wants to make sure it isn't scratched or otherwise injured. Charlie will be on antibotics for a few days.
I waited some more.
They finally brought him back up to his room about 8:00. I made sure he was settled in, he was dozing, so I decided to come home.
I got home about 9:30. There were 4 messages on the answering machine. a political survey and 3 hang ups. Someone had posted the score of the High school game on facebook I asked if she had an update, she wrote back, that she didn't and how's Charlie.
The neighbors had gone home from the game and noticed I wasn't home yet, so they were going to go up to the hospital, but decided to come by the house, first to double check. They had heard about it at the game. So it will be interesting to see how big this story gets.
Springport won by the way 19-0 the first 9-0 record in the history of the school.
OK here are the first pictures, if you have a weak stomach don't read any farther, or close your eyes and scroll down to the comments.
This was after they cleaned him up a little.
This was taken on Saturday Morning after surgery on Friday evening.
Charlie was going to a friends house to work on a project, on their farm,which included repairs to an old barn with log beams. .
About 10:30 AM, I just missed a call on my cell phone from a number I didn't recognize, they left a voice mail message: "This is Jim, Charlie has had an accident they are taking him to Eaton Rapids" "voices in the back ground" Oh they're taking him to Sparrow."
I'm thinking: Oh that's not good, Eaton Rapids hospital is bad enough, but Sparrow? (Sparrow is in Lansing and it has a Trauma Center).
I immediately canceled my Dr's appoint and told my boss and co-workers what was going on, I did ask if they knew how to get to Sparrow Hospital, they did not. I figured I knew how to get to Lansing, I'd get directions once I got that far.
About a mile down the road, I thought I should have looked it up, I called the reference Department, asked them to look it up for me, Tessa didn't have to look it up, she knew how to get there. Good thing it was easy I'm not sure I could have followed complicated directions.
I tried to call Shonda, and left a voice message to call me when she got mine.
All kinds of thought running through my head. What kind of accident, electorcuted again? Fell from the loft? Something fell on him?
About a third of the way there, My cell phone rang, It was the same number I didn't recognize. She said she was on of the firefighter, rescue first responders. She explained that Jim had used her phone to call me, she needed to verify, our address and Charlies date of birth. I asked her what kind of accident she said " a chain saw accident, he has some lacerations on his face." That's all she'd say.
So now I'm thinking "He cut off his ear, he cut off half his face..."
By the time I got to the hospital, and was pulling into the parking garage I got another call from the patient liaison officer. He told me to come to emergency and he would meet me there. .... The place is packed, there is no frickin' place to park. I think I drove around 3 levels twice.
I got to the emergency room which is practically next to the elevators, he met me, and took me back to the trauma center.On the way he told me that Charlie is conscious, and alert and told the plastic surgeon he wanted pictures of his face before he fixed it. (I have some here, but they are rather disturbing and I'm not sure how to do this without making some people sick) They said that he was lucky the blade caught right between the eye and the nose, missed the eye, the nose and the mouth.
(He was asked several times how it happened. and I'm sure you are wondering too. He was cutting a notch in a log, to fit in another piece of wood, to replace a beam that had to be removed. The chain saw, hit a knot or something and kicked back and hit him in the face.)
Right after I got there they took to x-ray for the second time, to check for skull fractures.
The trauma surgeon came in a couple of times, a small Japanese woman, I had a little trouble understanding, (It has been a few years since Makiko was here).
The nurses said the plastic surgeon would be back to decide if he needed do surgery of could stitch him up in the ER. He was there in a few minutes, and said that there was a small fracture above the nose and he would have to take Charlie to surgery to know the full extent of the injury. (He had a British accent, by the way). He told Charlie he was not to blow his nose today or for the next 6 weeks. Something about air getting into the sinus cavity and behind the eye. The operating rooms were all being used and they were not sure when they would be able to get in, sometime in the afternoon or perhaps evening.
We waited, a nurse cleaned up most of the dried blood, on Charlie's face, chest, hands and arms.
We watied some more, They changed the linens on the gurney.
We waited. They moved us to another room, with a TV. that neither of us cared to watch. He asked if they got RFDTV, so he could watch some of the FFA convention. (They don't, I checked) Charlie finally napped, I went to get something to eat. About that time my phone died, and I didn't have a charger. So I couldn't call anybody.
I went back. They said they had a room for him upstairs and were going to take him into surgery about 4. Charlie said to tell him to hurry because he had to get home to go to the High School football game.
A pleasant rather good looking young man took us up to the room, it seemed like miles, When we got to the room, Charlie said tell the surgeon, if he can't make me look as good as you, don't bother.
We waited, but not long, Jen, came in and introduced herself as Charlie's nurse, then said she had a student nurse helping her. Kelsy, came in and asked endless questions including, what is your name and your date of birth. She had about 10 pages of questions to ask and at least 5 forms to sign. Charlie said that it felt like there was something in his eye. Kelsey couldn't see anything, and naturally didn't want to disturb it too much.
He joked around with her about all of the questions she had to ask.
They took, us well him , I just followed along, to the surgical holding room. The Surgeon came in again. explained everything he might have to do including putting in a plate if the skull fracture was too big, something to the sinus if the saw had gone in too deep, so there would not be a problem of sinus infections, and even the possibility of doing a bone graft.
We were introduced to 3 surgical nurses, 2 Anesthetist nurses, and the Anesthetist . They all asked his name and birth date, checked the paper work and charts, and couldn't find the EKG that was done in the ER.
We waited some more
and some more
and some more. while ER looked for the EKG,
They finally sent someone down to do another EKG. (We better not get charged for two). Charlie mentioned again that it felt like there was something in his eye.
They finally took him to surgery about 5:15. I went to the surgical waiting room
and waited
and waited
and waited. Actually the surgery only took about an 1 1/2 hours.
The Dr said that there were a few bone chips, that he packed in place and they would heal. He had to cut of the rough edges of the skin and sew those together. Charlie will have scars, but the Dr. thought that because his face is already has a lot of "creases" I think he said, it probably won't show much.
As far as he was concerned Charlie could go home in the morning, but the Trauma Team also has to release him. He also wanted to have an Ophthalmologist check the eye, he didn't see anything, but wants to make sure it isn't scratched or otherwise injured. Charlie will be on antibotics for a few days.
I waited some more.
They finally brought him back up to his room about 8:00. I made sure he was settled in, he was dozing, so I decided to come home.
I got home about 9:30. There were 4 messages on the answering machine. a political survey and 3 hang ups. Someone had posted the score of the High school game on facebook I asked if she had an update, she wrote back, that she didn't and how's Charlie.
The neighbors had gone home from the game and noticed I wasn't home yet, so they were going to go up to the hospital, but decided to come by the house, first to double check. They had heard about it at the game. So it will be interesting to see how big this story gets.
Springport won by the way 19-0 the first 9-0 record in the history of the school.
OK here are the first pictures, if you have a weak stomach don't read any farther, or close your eyes and scroll down to the comments.
This was after they cleaned him up a little.
This was taken on Saturday Morning after surgery on Friday evening.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Springport Ag on Wheels.
Springport's Homecoming is today. The Freshmen have been building their float in our pole barn and today is the annual AG on Wheels event. Sponsored by the FFA, The kids drive their tractors to school and park them in front of the school for the day. This year they also had 3 horses, one of the pioneers "original" tractors. Thought you all might want to see some pictures. Springport's football record is 6-0 this year and with a win tonight they will at least share the conference title, the first time in 37 years (1973 when the conference was first formed. GO BLUE - GO WHITE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)