Tyler down in serious condition in Idaho!

[Toecutter]

A good afternoon visit with Tyler. She's much better able to enunciate, but still pretty hallucinate-y. She asked our mom if she (Ty) was at my house, asked to go for a walk, was telling me about some of the (very interesting) things she was seeing - it was sort of like someone narrating to you what they're dreaming about as they're seeing it. But then for short periods of time, she was able to recognize the who/what/where that was going on right there in her room. And she remembered the ambulance escort! Woohoo! She is definitely very spunky and feisty still, but on a bit different plane of reality for the time being. Every time I've asked, she's confirmed she's not in pain and she's happy with how they're caring for her. She also, however, is aware of the challenge of the path she's trudging, at one point telling me "This [deleted] sucks." And I commiserated with her, and told her no one would disagree with her on that BUT that she was kickin tail like nobody's business. Thankfully, in front of Tyler, one of her nurses described how she did one of Tyler's dressing changes when Ty very first came to VMC and how amazed the nurse was after being off for a week and then doing Ty's dressing change today. She said she couldn't believe how much progress the doctors and Tyler had made in the healing of her legs. She said they look SO much better she couldn't believe they were the same legs. And Tyler got a little smile on her face, so it was a nice shot in the arm for her (and someone besides her little sister was telling her she really was doing an amazing job and advancing even if she couldn't yet see/feel it directly.

So although it's hard to see Ty in her current state, we're grateful for all the progress she's making and all the people who are helping her do it. I'll be back with her tomorrow & will update you afterwards. Take care.

-Jaime

 

[Old Michael]

... And Tyler got a little smile on her face, ...-Jaime

It's a beautiful day!

Know that ...you will laugh and smile. dc

Damn Carver is always right.

And brothers and sisters, I'd encourage y'all to keep those cards and letters coming. Just takes a minute.

(I'll tell you, there is nothing cooler than receiving a hand-written note or letter while you're laid up.

...Even if it's from one of you bastages. )

[SIZE=14pt]Santa Clara Valley Medical Center[/SIZE]

Patient: Tyler Risk c/o TICU

751 S. Bascom Avenue

San Jose, CA 95128

The Our little gal. (Hope she doesn't mind.)

 

[Toecutter]

Where to start with today?! Tyler is more and more with us as time passes, but still having some darn interesting hallucination episodes. But she's now realizing she's having them, so better able to differentiate between reality and the world of morphine/percocet cocktails. Her spirits are good, if a little frustrated and stir crazy (understandably). Her cabin fever is settling in (no surprise for such an active lady) but she's fully understanding the necessity and the process of it all. She had her first real food today - turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots, mmmmm!!! She was *thrilled* to be able to eat on her own and wash it down with a little Seven-Up & ice chips (livin' large, our girl is...)Even more exciting is the information I got from the nurse: she's hearing skin grafts to start this Tuesday! Yahoo! That's a very good sign in terms of how the tissue on her legs is doing, and very exciting to hear. I'm told the grafting process is far less painful than the debrading, but then there's the PT on the non-grafted leg which will invariably challenge Ty. It'll be another mountain to climb, but she's got heaps of emotional sherpas surrounding her in spirit so I know she can do it.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. More to come tomorrow.

-Jaime

P.S. She *loved* the group hug I passed on to her after the BBQ today - thanks to all of you!!! ;-)

 

[rogdeb]

Sounds like better news to us

Still with ya Tyler :wub:

 

[Toecutter]

Ahhh, much better. Nothin' like a nice strong cup of Manhattan Dark from Vasquez Coffee Company in SF... (Yes, I'm getting paid to do endorsements now. What? There's something wrong with a little product placement?! ;-)Each day, Tyler is more lucid and with it. Now, when one of her hallucinations starts to kick in, she just tips her head back, closes her eyes and breathes differently and .... I wait. Then when it's done, she pulls her head forward & opens her eyes, looks at me, and I ask her if she's back, and she says, "Yes, I'm back." It's the cutest thing, really...

Big treat yesterday was the nurse brushed her teeth - woohoo! Some of you have written it's the little things, and it truly is. And sitting there and watching and being reminded of that is a blessing for me as I walk through the rest of my day in the "outside world."

Another treat was that Ty finally got a good look at all the cards on the window will. Her big ol' IV station thing was blocking her view so I scooted it out of the way (I was a little nervous the whole thing would go over, tubes flying everywhere, & I'd have some explaining to do to the nurse - Ty & I got a good giggle out of that.) She turned her head & looked & just stared. Then said, "Whoa." Then she got a little smile and shook her head. It was a great moment to see her realize just exactly how many people are pulling for her.

I also brought over to her the big framed photo of the ambulance escort riders posed in front of the ambulance so she could get a good look at it (it was over in a corner behind her). That got an "Oh my God. That's great." and a special little squeel when I pointed out her beloved Bart front & center in the picture with Leslie, wearing his blue ribbon on his collar in honor of Ty. I also told her the "Pediatric & Neonatal Care" written on the side of the ambulance raised some eyebrows with some of the riders who wondered if there was something she hadn't told them. That got a good chuckle out of her.

Lastly, I showed her the framed "Unity" photo, of her & the other riders from "that day" holding hands underneath a green governmental sign for Unity, Idaho. It's a beautiful picture, and she *loved* it. She told me the story behind it, and really loved looking at it. There's a special bond there from that day that's really important to her, it's obvious.

Then, as I was getting ready to leave, about 15 more cards arrived. And she just looked at me in astonishment as the nurse handed them to me. Included in the lot was a *wonderful* bandaged-up koala bear who had made the trip all the way from Walla Walla NSW in Australia. Cheers! I read a couple of the cards to her, then her PT person came in so I just placed them on the sill as she dozed and flexed her ankles. (She's still a great toe wiggler, by the way.) Her one request (okay, well, two ... it is Ty after all) was for red jello (she's quite miffed that the kitchen keeps sending green jello when she very specifically requests red, LOL) and some Frogurts. "Yes, m'lady. Right away, m'lady." And she made me promise twice that I would bring them later in the evening and not the next day. I know what's good for me - I promised. I've heard that lady wrangles with big rigs and wins.

That's about all for now. I expect to hear more today re: whether they're going to start the grafting today. When I know more, you'll know more of course. Have a great day.

-Jaime

 

[airboss]

Uh-oh, may not be too much longer before she gets hold of a keyboard :ermm:

 

[dsmack]

We can hope! B)

Don

 

[Toecutter]

After all that, she hasn't even eaten any red jello! To be fair, they wouldn't let her eat until just a couple of hours ago because they had her on call for surgical debradement, meaning no food. Then they gave up and rescheduled her for Thursday, so she got to get down some yogurt and a little 7-Up this evening. She'll get a full warm breakfast (or brekkie to our international friends ;-) tomorrow morning. The good news, though, is that Thursday will be debradement AND some grafting. That's what they're telling me anyway. Of course, it all remains to be seen - I'm learning not to place any bets on medical predictions but instead just wait and see. But regardless, the fact that they're even talking about it is a good sign of the health of her leg tissue, so we'll take it!Many more cards today - yippee (like the dog ;-)!! She enjoys seeing the fronts of them and hearing who they're from. (I don't read them all to her just yet because she gets tired so easily...) But she does delight in checking them out and pulling a visual of the sender(s) from her brain, then nodding and smiling.

Beyond that, not much new to report, which is fine by me. Status quo at this point is a good thing for her. Resting, healing, and rallying is all we want for Ty Ty.

Going back early tomorrow morning and will let you know what I hear/see, as always. Have a good night.

-Jaime

P.S. All apologies to Bill & Una Taylor for muffing the name of the town whence the cute koala came - it's Wagga Wagga NSW! Silly me! Sorry about that!

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

..... When do we get to go visit her?????

 

[Toecutter]

..... When do we get to go visit her?????

Probably not 'til after she gets her new skin....

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

..... When do we get to go visit her?????

Probably not 'til after she gets her new skin....

I live like....... 10 minutes away from the hospital......... does she have a window view????

a bunch of bikes in the parking lot honking their horns and waiving would be kool......

B

 

[Silent]

I'm not that far away either. But I'll patiently wait until she's feeling well enough to have a swarm of nosy visitors B)

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

I'm not that far away either. But I'll patiently wait until she's feeling well enough to have a swarm of nosy visitors B)

Damn......... why must you be so mature and responsible??!! :lol:

B

 

[Toecutter]

Big day for Tyler again - procedures and visitors and tubes, oh my!! Started off nice & early with my morning visit to her, accompanied by her friend Sue P., who will be my avatar while I'm on vacation. Introduced Sue to the medical staff & the whole rigamorale involved in a visit, and watched Ty's face light up as someone other than her boring ol' sis walked in the room. It was so good to see them hold hands & catch up - a nice shot in the arm (no pun intended) for our girl.After that, lots of medical doings & goings on, not the least of which was she finally got her epidural, so is now numb from the waist down, which is great b/c hopefully that means less morphine and more Tyler. Tomorrow is another big day, with the debrading and initial grafting procedures scheduled.

This afternoon was a visit from our sister Cynthia, who drove all the way up from L.A. for a couple of days with Tyler and Shannon. Cyn told me that Tyler has now devised a form of space travel for her "trips" and regularly visits Las Vegas, Reno and other exotic climes, according to Ty. I think that's about all that I, as the little sister, really need to know about those trips. ;-) Stay off the pole, Tyler!! LOL

Now about her injuries. It occurred to me after an email inquiry that I haven't been complete in my details regarding the extent of Ty's injuries and what exactly she's facing at this point, and I'm sorry for that. Some further explanation will help develop the picture of what's going on for her, as well as why visits are still so restricted at this point. I have focused on all the good stuff to the detriment, maybe, of getting the whole picture out there. Her Idaho trauma surgeon described it thusly: her skin trauma is the equivalent of 3rd and 4th degree burns over 30 - 40% of her body. The skin area involved is from the top of her buttocks all the way down to her ankles. The necrosis from the dead tissue did travel far down into some areas of her legs (ie, into muscle) but thankfully did not reach down to the bone. As you can imagine (don't try too hard, really), that means *very* extensive grafting that will take months to complete. Right now they have removed all the dead tissue (debrading) and are now working on getting the remaining tissue to a point that it will accept and hold on to a graft. What that means for her current condition is that both her legs are basically huge open wounds. They are wrapped in wet then dry sterile dressings that are meticulously changed by the burn nurses every 8 - 12 hours (near as I can tell.) Every visitor must wash their hands, but on a full length gown, a face mask & rubber gloves. And obviously, every ounce of energy Ty has is going towards healing right now...literally. Her spirits are good, but she tires easily and especially with all the upcoming procedures, needs to stock up on her rest.

It is not at all lost on me how frustrating and painful it is to not be able to visit her right now, but between the *extremely* high infection risks for Tyler with her legs in the condition they currently are, and the importance of her conserving her energy, it's just not logisitically feasible nor rationally appropriate to have a whole stream of people in there with her. Not that she doesn't deserve it, wouldn't love it, and it wouldn't be the most tear-jerking sight ever to see a big pile on of love and good thoughts for her from all her buddies - and when that CAN & DOES happen, I want to be front row & center to take it all in because I know it will be amazing. I guess I'm just throwing this out there to let you know we understand the desire to see her, and just as soon as it's not too risk-y (ha ha, okay, see? see what I did? sorry...back to business) to engulf her with that love, it's gonna be on like Donkey Kong. But until then, I would never forgive myself if we let the parade on in, and then Ty suffered a huge setback from infection or tiredness.

So please continue being patient. I talked with Sue about the possibility of perhaps bringing one person at a time once a day for Ty to get some variety - provided the medical personnel are cool with it, I think it's a great idea. But it will take some time to get to everyone, so please don't get hurt feelings if you hear someone "got to" go before you - that's just the nature of the process.

Sue will be updating the journal from here on out until I return from Glacier National Park, Montana (where God shows off) after 2 1/2 weeks of hiking, biking, boating, lake swimming, huckleberry pie eating and deeeeeep sleeping! I will miss all of you *very* much but will become one of the journal watchers myself for a time & will very definitely still be with you all in spirit. It is hard to leave Tyler, but I have absolutely no doubt she is in great hands. And I also know I need it and will return fresh and ready for more updating. ;-)

Enjoy yourselves and your lives to the fullest & I'll catch up with you in a bit. Hugs to all.

xo Jaime

 

[Big Sky]

This Jamie is a darned good writer, from one to another.

I doubt she reads this forum, but I hope she most thoroughly enjoys some R&R here under the Big Sky. Man, she sure deserves it.

And, if she needs a few days to cool out at a piece of Montana paradise, we have some river frontage and a primitive, but comfortable, cabin (no electric, well or sewer, but propane lights and heat) she and her crew would be welcome to use. It lies between Silver Star and Twin Bridges on the Jefferson River, one of the three forks of the upper Missouri.

Big Sky

 

[Toecutter]

Greetings All,
It was a great pleasure to be asked to step in and watch after our Tyler while Jaime is on a well-deserved vacation. I will strive to continue to fill these pages with complete and accurate information and clever repartee.

Today was filled with medical procedures, new visitors, new nurses, and new digs. Tyler started her day with skin grafts. Her medical team placed donor skin over both her legs and bum. This skin will remain in place no longer than two weeks. At that point her doctors will remove the donor skin, determine the readiness of the tissue to accept her own skin and proceed with skin grafts from Tyler’s back.

Tyler was then moved to the Burn Unit. My first visit to her new room….much bigger with a view of every sunset…told me the medical staff is knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and looking after our Tyler. Nobody crosses over into her room until they are fully geared up…..hands washed, gloves, mask, gown. She was nicely settled into her room this evening with her photos, gifts, and cards near by.

With the help of many of you, Tyler received a new laptop this evening. A special thanks goes out to Dorothy and Chris. Dorothy managed the donation process and Chris took charge of the computer purchase and set-up. Twenty or so of the SBR gang gathered at Hooters to oogle at the new computer, sign cards, take photos, eat, drink, chat, and send out good vibes to Tyler. Dorothy came to the hospital with the computer, cards, DVD’s and good wishes. Tyler was so pleased to see her. I heard them giggling. Though Tyler is unable to use the computer at this point, she was deeply moved by everyone’s generosity.

As I conclude my first post, I hope Tyler is sleeping comfortably. Her day was busy and she looked a bit weary this evening. Keep sending your prayers, good wishes, and juju her way.

Sweet dreams everyone,

Sue

 

[Toecutter]

Good evening everyone,
After a busy day yesterday, Tyler had an opportunity to rest and focus on healing today. She said ta-ta to her sister Cynthia. Had lunch with Shannon and rounded off her visits with Susan G. this afternoon.

Her spirits were good when I saw her this morning. She was fully engaged in our conversation and her hand was firmly gripping mine as we chatted about SBR drama, Shannon’s performance in the show, Audrey watching her kitties, and her new computer. She asked me if I ever got comfortable while I was in the hospital and sadly I told her no. So I massaged her hands, arms, and head hoping to bring her a small amount of comfort.

I spoke with one of her doctors and he is pleased with her progress. The twice-daily bandage changes, antibiotics and light physical therapy for her feet continue. I heard they hope to get her in a more upright position soon. She’ll be able to see those sunsets better.

If anyone of you need to reach me, my e-mail address is [email protected]

Night night.

Sue

 

[Toecutter]

Greetings Everyone,
What a great day! So great I’m celebrating with a wee dram of scotch.

Tyler is getting better by leaps and bounds. She is more alert, shifting about more, and laughing more.

This morning the epidural catheter was removed. I understood she would then get the “happy button”, my word for it, for self-administered pain meds. Not so. According to her evening nurse Tina, Tyler is tolerating the pain like a champ. I quote “She is such a strong and determined woman”. But we already knew that…

With bandage changes every 6 hours, the doctors have her on oral Percoset with a bit of morphine. I know from personal experience that this combination of pain medication makes the world a better place. Think seeing rainbows while floating on clouds.

Today was all about parental unit visits. This morning I arrived to find Tyler’s father, Eric, sitting by her side as she slept letting out a soft sigh now and again. I crept in the room and a short time later our whispers woke her. The three of us chatted and remembered Eric’s ride in my Cooper on a Dangerous Curves ride a few years back.

Her mom Vanna and step-dad Ed met me as I was leaving. It had been a week since their last visit and they were anxious to see Tyler.

My second visit was around 8PM. Tyler was sleeping after her bandage change. I spoke with Mark, one of the nurses, and learned he rides a Ninja 250 to work almost everyday from Bolder Creek. You go Mark!

Here’s where the great news starts…. I saw a huge improvement from this morning to this evening with Tyler’s ability to reach for her cup of water and bring the straw to her lips, her ability to shift her position, all the while her sassy self was carrying the conversation.

We all know how much Tyler likes sunrises and sunsets. Being I was there near sunset, I asked if she wanted me to open the blinds so we could see it. As we looked at it together, I sighed and said, “Yep, another date night and here we are watching a sunset through plastic blinds while sipping water through a straw”. We both burst out laughing. And she said, “Talk dirty to me”. I said a few oooo baby babies and she responded, “Well, I’ll take whatever I can get”. We laughed again. The nurse was looking at us at this point.

We chatted a bit more. She asked me to return in time for breakfast so I could help her eat. I plan to be there with one of her favorite treats, cantaloupe. Her nurses asked me to assist as little as possible since eating on her own is part of her occupational therapy.

My scotch glass is empty as I bring tonight’s update to a close. I wish you all a good night. I will sleep better knowing Tyler’s indomitable spirit is shining brighter every day.

Sue

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

..... When do we get to go visit her?????

Probably not 'til after she gets her new skin....

I live like....... 10 minutes away from the hospital......... does she have a window view????

a bunch of bikes in the parking lot honking their horns and waiving would be kool......

Might want to rethink that one. There are sick people in that hospital, and many will not appreciate the effort. Including security ;-)

B

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

The progress Tyler is making is so great to hear. Thanks for the updates all. Go baby, go!