Yep still staple free...

Yesterday I was able to fill in for Sophie and be there to help Corrine and the wound care nurse with Corrine's dressing changes.  Just as we were getting started the doctor came in and was looking at things to see how Corrine is healing.  There was a random steri strip on the middle of Corrine's thigh that we took off thinking that it had come undone from one incision area and had just gotten stuck but it was actually covering another small cut or incision.  When we got looking at it we couldn't believe what we were looking at.  There was a staple.  We had thought Corrine was staple free last week.  So the doctor gets ready to pull out the staple, and what did we find...it was just a scab.  Corrine was so excited to find out it was just a scab.  Staples are not the funnest thing to have pulled.  So Corrine is still staple free.  She is also getting closer to becoming steri strip free as well.   

Corrine contiues to heal well.  She is doing amazing.  It was fun to be there during the day and be able to see Corrine up and moving, getting from the wheel chair to bed. 

It was also fun to be able to be there when Damon got there last night.  They are such a cute couple, still so in love.  Last night I realized how hard this is on both of them to not be able to comfort each other the way most couples would.  There really is no cuddling or being able to hold each other, not even a real hug.  That broke my heart.  But they are so strong.  This could really tear two people apart, but Corrine and Damon have totally pulled together.  From an outsiders point of view, I think this accident has made them stronger as a couple and allowed them to grow even closer then they were before.  You two are amazing.  Thank you for the example you are of how to rely on the Lord and each other to get through this. 

July 27

Sorry there haven't been any new posts lately.  Things have kind of slowed down on the recovery front.  Corrine of course continues to make good progress each day but the progress is much slower now that the major hurdles have been overcome. 

They keep Corrine very busy at the rehab center with all of her therapy and dressing changes.  They push her hard which in the end is going to be best for her when she has healed much faster then if they didn't, but going from day to day it gets exhausting.  Corrine is getting to play the Wii for some of her OT, it is nice that they mix it up.  Variety is the spice of life, right? 

Livi's Funeral

The funeral is going to be on Friday Aug 6, 2010.  The viewing will be from 9 am- 10:30 am with the funeral following.  The viewing and funeral will be held at the Mountain View 3rd Ward Building. The address is 1889 S. 1700 E.  Interment will be at Wasatch Lawns.

Keep an eye on this post there will be updates with a little more info in the next few days.

July 23

Corrine continues to improve daily.  She is now down to two open wounds.  And she is now stitch and staple free.  They took the last of them out today.  YEAH!!!!!!!!

There isn't a lot of new news.  Corrine continues to get stronger daily and her stamina to sit up continues to get better.  She is determined to be out of the rehab center quicker then the doctors told her she would be there.

Updates on Corrine

Corrine continues to amaze us with her ability to heal. Or maybe I should say that the Lord continues to amaze us with the blessing of Corrine being able to heal so fast.  All of the open wounds that she has have healed to about half the size they were a week ago.  We are all amazed with how well Corrine has responded to the wound vac help.  It isn't necessarily a pleasant experience to have it changed, but it sure beats dressing changes twice a day.  And it will have definitely been worth it when all those wounds have healed a great deal faster then they would have other wise.

Corrine is also doing well with working on her stamina to sit up in the wheel chair.  She has been able to sit up for 3 hours at a time for the last couple of days.  It has reminded us all of the things that we can do that we tend to take for granted. 

They have been really working Corrine's legs and ankle in PT lately.  It leaves her sore and tired by the end of the day, but she is doing well there. 

Corrine you are such an amazing example to all of us as to what can be done if you set your mind to it.  Thank you for that great reminder.  Keep up the AMAZING work that you are doing.  We love you and are so excited at the progress you continue to make.  We are your cheerleaders forever!

Thank You

This blog is long over due.  So many of you have done so much in so many ways.  

Some visible some not so visible. 

 

 

 

There have been many flowers sent and they have been enjoyed greatly.  

There have also been many meals brought in. 

And most importantly...

 This is only the tip of the iceberg of things that have been done for Corrine, Damon and their entire family.  Thank you!  I know I have said this multiple times over the last few weeks.  But it can't be said enough, and doesn't feel like it will ever be enough.  We pray that the Lord will bless you for all your efforts and all you do.

The news you have all been waiting for...kind of.

Corrine is now ready for some visitors.  We know all of you have wanted to come up and visit.  We appriceate that you have waited until Corrine is ready.  Though she is ready she is not ready for tons of people all at one time.  She has a busy schedule with therapy and dressing changes everyday.  To help with crowd control and so that you don't have to wait for long periods of time to see Corrine if you would like to visit Corrine we are asking that you call Sophie to "set up an appointment" (including family).  Sophie's cell phone is 1-310-970-4946 (you can either call or text) or you can call 801-485-0160.

Updates

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days.  I have been going to do a post with pics but it just hasn't happened yet so I thought I should at least get some of the details out. 

Corrine is doing better and better everyday.  She is blowing the doctors out of the water with how fast she is recovering.  Yesterday and today she has had doctors appointments with the different services who are caring for her diffferent wounds.  Yesterday was Orthopedics.  They took out the rest of her staples and stitches, they said everything was looking good.  Today was burn and trauma.  The burn doctor was absolutely amazed at how well Corrine was doing.  They took the stitches out and called it good.  Trauma said pretty much the same thing.  They were kind enough to not take the wound vac off (it was just redone yesterday).  With Sophie there and having just seen it they took her word for it.  Everything is healing nicely. 

Corrine is also getting stronger everyday.  We have all decided by the time she is done with all this she is going to have the muscles of a body builder with all the working out she is doing.  Corrine is doing well with getting herself out of bed and into the wheel chair, but because of some of the breaks in her legs it is harder to get back into bed so if no one is around she is stuck until someone comes back to help her. 

July 11 and 12

Sorry, I tried to post this yesterday but the internet at the rehab center and I were not getting along.  So let me try it again today.

Apparently not much happens on the weekends.  It is pretty slow.  So there wasn't as much PT or OT as I thought there would be.  They do have sacrament services there for those who would like to participate which was nice for Corrine and Damon.  We went up and spent the afternoon with them and were able to celebrate Sophie's, Corrine's sister, birthday with her. 

Monday was a busy day for Corrine.  She had PT twice yesterday and OT once.  Corrine is making progress, she was able to get out of bed and into the wheel chair by herself.  She had to have help getting back into bed because the bed was too high.  They were able to get her a different bed that is going to make it easier for her to be able to get both in and out of the bed by herself.  They also changed the way they are doing her dressings for two of her open wounds.  They have put a wound vac on.  With this they have put a sterile sponge into the wound that is then covered by an adhesive plastic that creates a seal around the wound.  No one is completely sure why this works, but the vaccum suction is able to keep any drainage out of the wound as well as help the tissue to granulate faster, in other words the tissue heals faster. 

The blessings continue to pour in.  Jamie, Sophie's friend, works for Home Depot.  Unknown to us until this week Home Depot has a program were they get vouchers to use for community service.  So Corrine is going to be part of their community service this year.  They are going to provide all the supplies to finish a major portion of Corrine and Damon's basement.  This will allow for Corrine to have a bathroom that will provide for her needs right now as well as a bedroom and a living space.  Jamie thank you for all your hard work on this.  (Jamie if I missed or messed up any of the info please feel free to comment with clarifications). We are also working on getting her a chair lift to help her get  up and down the stairs.  We continue to feel the Lord's blessings pour down upon Corrine and Damon.  One of my favoite LDS hymns is I Stand All Amazed.  I think the words fit perfectly with how we are all feeling right now.  "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me..." 

Thank you for your continued prayers.  Please continue to send them Corrine's direction.  They are working well.

July 10

Yesterday was Corrine's first day in the rehab center.  Right now she is not supper excited about being there.  She really just wants to be home.  That is where we would like her too, but until she is able to be up and on her own a little more they won't let her go home.  I think part of it being so hard is because it is a new place with a different way of doing things and she is not quite into a routine yet.  While we were visiting yesterday a lady from Occupational Therapy (OT) came in and gave her a bunch of info on what is going to be going on.  Once tomorrow hits she is going to be busy.  She is going to be having Physical Therapy (PT) twice a day and OT once a day.  It was also a hard day for Corrine because yesterday was the day she was supposed to have the baby shower with Damon's family.  So it was a hard day full of many tears for the loss of her little angel. 

July 8 and 9

Corrine has made a couple of huge steps in the last couple of days.  Yesterday Corrine got into a wheel chair for the first time.  She sat in the chair for 2 hours.  

The tiara is definitely well deserved.  Corrine is the queen of recovering.  She is a trooper for sure.  The blue brace on her right foot is to help her get range of motion back in her ankle.  By the end of the day she was already to 90 degrees.  Corrine said it was pretty sore but you have to do what you have to do to get better. 

Today Corrine changed homes.  She no longer resides at the University of Utah.  She is now in the rehab center.  As you can see by the pictures Corrine is doing much better.  But to everyone's dismay, I'm sure, we are still asking that she not get visitors yet.  With all the energy that her body is using to heal and all the energy it takes just to move let alone do her therapy she is exhausted.  Don't let the smile fool you.  Behind those pearly whites and sparkling eyes is one exhausted girl.  When her energy levels are higher we will for sure let you know.  Besides we are not totally sure what the rehab center's policy is just yet.  She is definitely going to need all of you as time goes on so don't you worry there will be time for everyone. 

We have talked a great deal about the miracles we have seen come from this accident.  Corrine in and of herself is a miracle.  And the fact that she is healing so quickly is an even bigger miracle.  The doctors told us that she would be in the hospital for 4-6 weeks before she even got to the rehab center.  She is definitely ahead of schedule.  As we have talked about all this we all attribute her speedy recovery to the faith and prayers in her behalf.  Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.  We know you love Corrine as much as we do and want nothing less then a complete recovery for her.  She will get there with time and a lot of hard work. 

July 7

We had our first minor set back.  At first we thought it was going to be a huge problem but in the end it was not too big of a deal.  The plus side of it all is that they took out all of the staples in Corrine's abdomen and right leg (there were over 300 of them).  The set back of it was that as time went on during the day part of her abdomenal incision started to open back up.  There was talk at one point of having to take her back into surgery to fix it but in the end they only needed to put steri strips on it.  So the set back was defiately minor.  We did find out yesterday that her right femur fracture was a compound fracture (bone broke through the skin) so her scar and skin repair around her knee is more intense then we thought.  Other wise Corrine is still plugging along.  What an amazing example she is to me of how to fight and move on no matter what cards are dealt to you.  We are not sure when they will be moving her to the Rehab center, but there was talk of moving her today.  I guess it will all depend on if all the doctors clear her to be discharged from the hospital.

July 6

Yesterday was a good and hard day all in one.  If you follow this blog regularly you know that Corrine had surgery yesterday.  Everything went just perfect.  She didn't have to have skin grafts, which is what we were all dreading might happen.  So we were all pretty stoked to know they were able to avoid that extra pain for Corrine.  But of course she was the most excited.  If she could have gotten up and danced with excitement I think she would have, but instead she did her best dance of excitement from her bed. 

They also tried to take out the staples that are holding her abdomen together, but her incision isn't healed yet.  She said it was pretty painful to get out the ones they did.  They ended up putting butterfly bandages where they removed the staples and leaving the rest.  They are going to have to call in a specialist to remove the rest of them. 

They are also getting ready to move Corrine to a rehab center.  We are not sure when or where yet.  But it could be anyday now.  We as a family are hoping they will wait until some of her open wounds are healed a little more but we will see what happens.

Corrine is doing pretty well over all as well.  Of course there are the ups and downs, but last night she was helping her brother and I with ideas of how to arrange and decorate the apartment we are moving into.  She is the same cute Corrine we have all grown to love so much. 

July 5

Corrine is looking much better today.  They had to give her 4 units of plasma.  Because the breaks in her femurs were so bad it has kind of traumatized the development of blood from her bone marrow so her levels were low.  There really isn't a whole lot more to report.  She is doing amazingly well at a week and a half.  She is going into surgery in the morning for the burns on her stomach.  Please keep her in your prayers.

July 3 and 4

So I kind of went on vacation over the holiday weekend.  But progress continues.  On the 3rd Corrine was moved out of ICU.  YEAH!!!!!  She is now in a normal room which is much quieter.  The only equipment she is attached to now is an IV and a little bit of oxygen. 

Corrine is now doing more physical therapy.  They have a bar attached to her bed that has an attachment that she is using in therapy to help move and adjust herself in bed.  She has gotten out of bed and into a chair.  She is a very proactive patient.  If you know Corrine at all she doesn't just sit well.  So she is doing everything she can to get better.  Her next goal is to get off the oxygen completely. 

Because she is doing more in trying to get better she is more exhausted. 

Corrine and Damon appreciate all of your love and support.  We all do as a family as well.  If it weren't for the prayers and faith of all of you we truly believe that Corrine would not be healing as fast or as nicely as she is thus far.  The blessings and miracles continue to pour in.  We know that she is also being attended to by her beautiful angel Livi as well as her many other loved ones that have already passed from this world.  This afternoon I was reading Corrine the poem that is in the about me section, and could truly feel her presence.  She is ever present helping and caring for her mom in ways no one else can. 

We know many of you wonder how Corrine is doing so we got a picture of our beautiful princess for you all to see.

July 2 Update

I know I have said it before, but it is amazing what a good nights sleep does for a body.  After getting an assisted (sleeping pills) good night sleep Corrine was doing so much better then on Thursday.  I was shocked at the night and day difference in her ability to cope and enjoy life as it is right now.

One of Corrine's Physical Therapists happens to be a girl that Corrine knew in her singles ward.  That has been nice for Corrine.  I don't know the Therapists name but she was able to take Corrine outside for about 20 minutes yesterday.  They had to use one of the Cardiac wheel chairs because sitting up more then about 30 degrees right now is really painful.   But she is getting there.  Corrine's new favorite phrase is "this sucks".    We all agree with her. 

As part of the injuries that we didn't know about until later Corrine got a pretty bad burn on her abdomen.  It is bad enough that they are going to take her into surgery on Tuesday.  They are just going to cut out the burned part and let it heal on its own.  They figure she has been through enough that they are not going to put her through the trauma of skin grafts. 

July 1 Updates

Corrine has made progress. 

She got her first drink of Diet Coke yesterday!

She was so excited.  They also got her into a sitting position yesterday.  She said that was almost worst then having the chest tube pulled.  Corrine is also able to start eating real food again.  They told her yesterday afternoon that if she can eat a full days worth of meals they would take out the NG tube.  That definately gave her some motivation to starting eating.  She didn't really have an appetite last night, which makes it hard to want to eat.  Each day there is a little bit of improvement.  Corrine is also having a hard time sleeping at night, so last night they finally gave her something to help her sleep.  I was thinking about it last night.  It is amazing the things we take for granted in our daily lives.  I do appreciate the opportunity to realize how fragile life is and that we can't take anything for granted.  We never know when it can all be taken away from us. 

Corrine's anxiety levels high right now, of course.  And she gets overwhelmed really easy.  So we are still limiting visitors to immedate family.  We as her family appricate that you all understand that right now is not the best time to visit even though all of you would love to come see her.  We promise when she is ready we will let you know.