Sunday, August 22, Day 9 at Home

Dad didn't attend all of his early morning meetings, but was in his office at the church by 8:00 a.m. and didn't make it back home until 3:00 p.m. It was a very long day, but he was doing what he felt he needed to and that gave him an extra boost of energy.

His appetite was even a little better this afternoon, and he is now in his favorite recliner, taking a nap. We are so thankful for these little steps of improvement...they are actually big steps and we are so excited to see him back doing some of the things he enjoys doing. He loves the ward members, and was so worried about them during the past two weeks...he doesn't remember much before that. Once again, thank you to so many family members, and dear friends for your love, support, and prayers.

Friday, August 20, Day 7 at Home

This week has gone by very quickly for everyone, including Dad. There has been many appointments and lots of therapy. We feel very blessed that Dad is doing so well. The only therapy he needs after this week is a few sessions of pulmonary rehab. He is bouncing back much quicker than anticipated! Dad even spent four hours at work on Thursday afternoon. His nights are still a little long, but he is getting his rest and has the twinkle back in his eye.   We even heard him whistling the other afternoon - that was such a sweet sound!


There aren't words to describe the enormous amount of love we have felt from family, friends, and especially from our Heavenly Father. The blessings that were given to Dad during those first few days were given by worthy priesthood holders. During those blessings, a very warm and peaceful feeling came to me that all would be well, no matter what happened. Blessings were given to myself and to some of our children, and the same sweet feeling of peace prevailed. It was that feeling that we all hung onto, knowing that our Heavenly Father was indeed in charge of the events that took place - from the moment Doug was struck by another jet ski, the surgeries, the days in ICU, and even now as he recovers. We watched as many miracles occurred. I know Heavenly Father has answered our prayers. We have learned many important things from this event, and I have a confirmed testimony of prayer, of faith, of loving friends and families. Thank you so much for all you have done as we have watched this event play out. There were some very special friends that let me lean on them many times. I will never forget this, and am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has allowed my sweet husband to remain here with us. He is our rock, and has remained positive. It was today, 36 years ago, that we knelt across an altar in the Salt Lake temple - how grateful I am that we have kept those covenants and will always be together. Thank you, thank you for your love and support!   ~ Susan

Tuesday, August 17, Day 4 at Home

Things are really looking great for Dad. He has been very busy the past two days with therapy, visits to the hospital, and to the surgeon. Most everything is very positive. He is trying to do his breathing exercises several times a day so that he can soon be without the oxygen at night. (Most of the time he doesn't need oxygen in the day time unless we take him on a walk around our neighborhood.) His appetite is a little better, and he is sleeping a little bit better at night, but usually ends up in his recliner by 4:00 a.m.

We continue to marvel at the miracles that we have watched as he has healed so quickly from such a critical accident. The doctor today told Dad all the things that he had anticipated to go wrong which would slow his recovery, none of them are things Dad has had to deal with. We know without a doubt that our Heavenly Father heard the prayers of so many and answered them in ways that were the best for Dad. We have all learned so much from this trial. Mom calls it our bumpy journey where we all learned more about prayer and faith. May we never forget this experience and how quickly life can change - how fragile life is, and how precious each of us are as we fill our roles in a family.

Sunday, August 15, Day 2 at Home

Dad returned home Friday afternoon - finally! He was able to participate in a birthday celebration yesterday evening for him, Kellie, and Olivia. It was good to see him dressed and sitting outside in the back yard.

Dad gets tired very easily and says he knows he has a long way to go, but he is so thankful to be home. We are so grateful for the many prayers that our Heavenly Father has answered for Dad.

His nights aren't totally restful, but he does get in some good naps in the day time.

It is Sunday and of course Dad felt like he wanted to go to sacrament meeting. He seemed to do well, and he surprised us all by going to the pulpit to thank everyone for their prayers, fasting, love and concern. We all know that there were angels around Dad at the time of his accident.

He seems to get stronger each day, and we definitely know it is going to be a little bit of a task to keep him from going full time on everything. We are just so, so thankful for this day and that we have our Dad home with us again.

Friday, August 13, Day 20

The day has finally come - DAD IS COMING HOME TODAY !!
He can hardly wait! Yesterday he kept saying, "Why can't I just go home now, all my therapy is done for the day?" He will do his therapy today and then he will be discharged. We are all so excited! We realize these next few weeks will be a little frustrating for him until he gets stronger, but we expect giant steps once he is home. 

What a great birthday present for Dad, he can celebrate now with family! Our little Olivia's birthday is today turning seven, Dad's is tomorrow, and Kellie Ann's is Sunday. We will just party all weekend, but most of all, we have hearts full of gratitude for the blessings that Heavenly Father has given to us all -  mostly at this time for our father's life, for his great example, and for the unconditional love he has for everyone.

Thank you friends and family for all your love and support. Your prayers were heard and felt ever so strongly! Our Father in Heaven's spirit brought us peace and carried us through this difficult journey.

(We will continue to post about Dad for the next week or so...)

Thursday, August 12, Day 19

The days are getting longer as Dad's time in the hospital continues to get longer. He had a very good day today - did great with his physical therapy and seems to be breathing easier. So far no exact release day has been given, but we are hoping that perhaps tomorrow when the doctors all meet and the therapists, they will say he is safe to go home. He is so anxious to sleep in his own bed, and wants to get back to his routine! We all know it will happen, but probably slower than Dad wants it to.

We feel so blessed at this time! When we talk about what actually happened almost three weeks ago, we know that our Father in Heaven blessed our Dad, and allowed him to remain here on earth with us all. We have seen many miracles through these past few weeks. Thank you so much for your continued prayers, and for all the love and concern you have sent Dad's way and ours.

Wednesday, August 11, Day 18

For most of us the days are all meshing together and we are having difficulty remembering what happened on what day. With each day this week, Dad has gotten more and more sharp on details and is remaining pretty positive. He wants to come home!

After yesterday's procedure (where they drained fluid off of his right pleural cavity around the right lung), Dad didn't seem to do as well as expected. Today's chest x-ray didn't show much improvement, so we are again cautious about getting our hopes up to leave soon. Today he had to have a unit of packed red cells because his hematocrit has been dropping. The doctors aren't saying why, so we are waiting, and praying that all will be well.

Dad continues to go to therapy and is very, very tired when they are finished with him by the late afternoon. His appetite is getting a little better, but he still isn't very interested in food. Dad did go for a good walk tonight - hopefully it will make him sleep well tonight.

Thank you so much for your cards, visits, and prayers. We know that our Heavenly Father is aware of Dad and his situation. He loves you all and misses you lots.

(Funny things happen at the hospital - sometime ask Mom what happened at the hospital in the ladies bathroom.)

Tuesday, August 10, Day 17

This has been a very, very long day. Yesterday evening Dad's breathing changed, becoming very short of breath and labored. Respiratory therapy was called and he received a breathing treatment. This helped a little bit. Today, however, things got a little worse and the doctors made a decision to have him sent to radiology for a tapping of his right lung. 800 cc. (almost a liter) was drained off. His breathing has been easier and he has rested well this afternoon. We continue to express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His watchful care over our dad. He will be here for at least another two days, but hopefully we will get him home for his birthday on Saturday.

Thank you to all of you for your concern and your prayers. We know for sure that Dad has been watched over ever since this trial started.

Monday, August 9, Day 16

Dad wasn't discharged today, and maybe not tomorrow. We are all hoping for Wednesday, but we definitely don't want him coming home before the doctors say it is safe and he is ready.

Today has been a very busy day for Dad, but he feels it was a very long day (and it isn't over yet). He has had many visits from doctors and therapists to make a plan for his recovery.

He is very tired and feels like he doesn't get any sleep in the hospital. Hopefully he can relax and feel rested for the remainder of his days in the hospital.

Sunday, August 8, Day 15

Dad has been at McKay Dee for 15 days now - for most of us it seems like a month at least! Dad doesn't have much recollection of the first 7-9 days, which is probably a good thing. He is working hard in the day with different therapies but is still having difficulty getting his rest at night, so Dad is very, very tired. His attitude is positive and he is very determined to do all he can to come home. He tells us all after physical therapy, "They are trying to kill me." :) We see giant steps each day and are so thankful that he is doing so well. His appetite isn't what it should be, he says the food is too sweet or too salty (mainly due to some of the medications they had to give him while he was in ICU).

It is Sunday, and things are quieter here at the hospital - time for all of us to ponder how blessed we are. Our dad was truly watched over at the time of that horrible accident, and Heavenly Father has blessed him each day with tender mercies. As a family we pray that we will remember how precious life is and how many prayers our Father in Heaven has answered for us concerning our Dad's recovery.

Sitting in Dad's room we have been able to read yesterday's Church News. On the back cover, at the bottom there is a section called "A Thought From the Scriptures." We loved this and thought it would be appropriate to share. 

"When elders anoint a sick person and seal the anointing, they open the windows of heaven for the Lord to pour forth the blessing He wills for the person afflicted," said Elder Dallin H.Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve during the April 2010 general conference. "As children of God, knowing of His great love and His ultimate knowledge of what is best for our eternal welfare, we trust in Him...We do all that we can for the healing of a loved one, and then we trust in the Lord for the outcome."

We are so grateful for the many priesthood blessings that were given to our Dad by worthy priesthood holders. We know beyond a shadow of a doubt, our Heavenly Father poured out many, many blessings upon our Dad, and we continue to trust in the Lord for his complete recovery. Enjoy this special day. As Dad so often reminds us all, we are so blessed to live in such a wonderful area beneath these beautiful mountains, where we can listen to the birds each morning!

Saturday Evening

This was a good day for dad. He was in different therapies for a total of three hours today. We can all see so much improvement from this morning until this evening. Definitely a blessing to see him doing so well!! It was two weeks ago tonight that it all began. We are thankful that our Heavenly Father has blessed him with a quick recovery from such critical injuries. Everyone is amazed how minimal his pain is and how well he can ventilate his lungs. Our family knows these are answers to so many prayers from so many wonderful people. Dad has enjoyed reading the many cards from so many of you. He commented this evening, "It will be so good to get back to the ward." Again, thank you so much!

Saturday, August 7, Day 14

Dad is very grateful to be in his new room in the rehab unit at McKay Dee Hospital. He had a very
busy day yesterday with lots of things needing to be done before he was welcomed by the rehab staff. He is anxious to do all they want him to so he can return home soon (hopefully Monday, August 9th). Dad loves not being hooked up to all the monitors anymore! His lungs are still not where they need to be for him to get around well. He is reading all the cards from very special friends - thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and concern.

Today will be a busy day with lots of rehab, but we are so grateful Dad has come so far in a relatively short period of time. He sends his love to all of you and with tears in his eyes, he says how blessed we all are. Indeed, life is fragile and we must never take each other for granted!!

Friday, August 6, Day 13

Doug had a much needed night of quiet and rest. We are so thankful for the improvement we have seen since yesterday morning. The doctors have now decided that most of his confusion and disorientation was due to a urinary tract infection. He is being moved to the rehab center on the second floor at McKay Dee hospital. Good news! The best news is....tentatively he will be discharged to go home on Monday - you all should have seen his smile and then many tears of gratitude. We have our Doug back - it will still be a bit of a time getting his strength back. Thanks to all of you for your continued prayers and your sweet, sweet concern for this special guy. Mom and Dad now smile and cry with tears of joy and thankfulness. This is quite a journey.

Thursday, August 5, Day 12

Yesterday was a very busy day for Dad. By early afternoon he was exhausted, but his spirits high and very positive about doing what he needs to do to be ready to come home. However, early this morning, Dad became very agitated and confused making it difficult for him to rest. We are hoping that some of the results of the tests they did yesterday will shed some light on all of this. We should know more about where the infection is that is causing his white blood count to go up. His chest x-rays show improvement in both lungs each day. As a family we are hanging in there with Dad and continue to spend a lot of time praying that his recovery will continue to go forward with no real set backs or problems.

We are humbled, and so grateful to all of you...family, and friends. Your constant concern and your prayers have kept us going. Thank you to the many, many ward members who took their time to work in Dad's orchard, and garden yesterday afternoon and evening. Dad has shed tears of gratitude too for all you did. Thank you too to the wonderful Relief Society woman who worked on Mom's flower beds...she too is so grateful for all you did. Thank you isn't enough! Everyone enjoy the ward swim party tonight...love you all!

Wednesday, August 4, Day 11

Hard to believe that our Dad has been away from his normal busy life for eleven days now. We are thankful for the improvement he has made and we continue to pray and ask for his recovery to go smoothly. 

Last evening Dad started to complain about being chilled and then hot...his temperature was up a little, but nothing too concerning. This morning, however, they are moving very aggressively with antibiotics and additional breathing treatments because his white blood count is elevated and his hematocrit has dropped. Not sure why the hematocit is down, but they will continue to watch for internal bleeding. They are now more concerned about pneumonia with his white count elevated. His spirits are high and he is very positive about doing all he can to "get out of here." The medication for pain that they are using now is not a narcotic and seems to be managing it well - another prayer answered. We have all commented that we know Dad is feeling better because he is always looking at the clock and can't believe how slow it moves. He will say, "I have lots to do." We tell him we know, but the most important thing is to be patient, rest, and get stronger.

Thank you again for all your prayers, fasting, and concern. We know our Heavenly Father quickly removed our father from a very critical situation, to where he is now.

Tuesday Night

Another evening begins and Dad feels he has had his best day yet. We are thankful he really can't remember the first seven days. He has continued to increase his mobility with sitting in a chair for longer periods of time, and walking a little further than the time before. The things that have amazed us today are his breathing seems to be more normal, and he says he really isn't having a lot of pain. Prayers are heard and our Heavenly Father has answered them according to His timing.
This past Sunday the sacrament was brought to Dad by two men. They had a message to share with Mom and Dad. It was in Doctrine and Covenants 111:11. "... I will order all things for your good, as fast as ye are able to receive them." Dad's healing process seemed so slow the first seven days, with many discouraging set backs, but just in the past 24 hours we have been almost shocked by his improvement....no more baby steps we hope...just giant ones. He is still very, very weak, but we know he is a strong man, and won't quit until he is back home with all of us.
Thank you all for your continued prayers and sending your love Dad's way.

Tuesday, August 3, Day 10

Today began with many positive indicators. Dad's epidural site looked like it may be infected, so they removed it.  He has been on a medication for pain and inflammation given through his pic line which seems to be helping him.  His appetite has increased, and the best thing was seeing him walk the big loop on IMC unit.  He has even asked for his glasses and has carried on longer conversations with family and friends.  His breathing has improved, and we are keeping our fingers crossed on what the results of the chest x-ray will be today.  Unfortunately, Dad has a cold now...due partly from the breathing machine he has had to use.  We continue to thank our Heavenly Father for the many blessings he has given to our Dad...we are all feeling a little more like he really will recover and return home to all of us.  Thank you to all of you for your love and prayers.  We are grateful to know we have so many caring friends, and a great family!  

Monday Night

It is evening at Mckay Dee Hospital. Most of us are very tired when darkness comes, but it is usually the most difficult time for Doug. The doctors have continued to have him on a diuretic to help remove some of the fluid in his tissues, especially what surrounds his lungs. He has lost 17 lbs of fluid since last evening, and his breathing is a little easier. We are all holding our breath that pneumonia will not be a complication for him. We continue to pray and thank our Heavenly Father for all the miracles we have seen in the past nine days. Thank you to all of you for your love and prayers.

Monday, August 2, Day 9

Dad had a rough night, fighting to keep his oxygen saturation and respirations within acceptable values. The doctor considered moving him back into ICU, but luckily he hasn't had to move back yet! We are praying today that he will have the energy and be more comfortable so that he will be able to remain in IMC and keep his labs within normal values.  

This has been a roller coaster, but we are all remaining positive and want to thank all of our family and friends for your prayers and concern. There is definitely many things we are all learning from this.

Sunday Evening

This evening the nurse wanted to put Dad back on the bipap machine to make his breathing less labored, however, he did not like this idea.  The bipap machine puts out a lot of pressure each time he takes a breath, which causes his mouth to become very dry and sore.  The respiratory therapist decided to turn the bipap machine on the lowest level, which seemed to satisfy Dad and still aid in his breathing to allow him to get some rest. 

The excess fluid  his body has retained not only causes problems associated with edema, but also hinders the respiratory system.  The excess fluid has put extra pressure on his diaphragm, which makes breathing that much more difficult. In order to help pull off some of this extra fluid, he was given diuretics.  Although the medical team avoided the use of diuretics before, due to his liver injury, his liver function is doing well and continues to improve.  Also, his kidney function is good,which is why the decision to give him diuretics was made.  It is important to try to pull off a lot of this excess fluid from his body.  Doing so should help him breathe easier, which would speed his overall recovery.

Sunday, August 1, Day 8

Dad had a better night last night and didn't have to use the bipap machine! He was scheduled to have his chest tube removed today, but this morning the nurses found that Dad had drained an extra amount of fluid from his lungs which was not normal. A little concerned, the doctor decided not to remove the chest tube yet. They did an x-ray to double check that everything was still looking okay in Dad's lungs.

We found out that Dad is carrying about 50 pounds of water in his tissues right now because his body went into inflammatory response on Monday. This is causing pressure on Dad's lungs which is making it even more difficult to breathe. Not only his Dad's right lung punctured, but his left lung is only working at 50% capacity due to the excess fluid. The doctor won't give Dad any medication to help with the water since his liver is still recovering from the laceration and surgery.

From the x-ray we found out that the chest tube had moved and was partially coming out. Instead of the chest tube draining liquid from Dad's lungs, it was now draining the water from his tissues (that is why he had so much drainage last night). This was good news in the sense that his lungs weren't full of fluid, but bad news since it wasn't in the correct place. They immediately removed the chest tube, and thankfully Dad didn't feel anything.

Dad progressed today in walking. He got up twice and walked further than he has in the past. When he finished walking, Dad's oxygen levels and heart rate were still normal meaning he is becoming a little stronger!

We are grateful for the small steps and progress Dad is making! We hope he continues to get stronger and moves forward!

Saturday, July 31, Day 7

Dad did fairly well last night, although he did have to use the bipap machine to assist with breathing. Also, he has had to use it intermittently twice today. Dad had a really good morning, but has been tired this afternoon. Physical therapy has had Dad up and walking once today which has "tuckered" him out. Dad's pain is still very high but we did take away the IV pain medicine. He is still using the epidural for the other pain medicine. If all goes well the chest tube will be removed tomorrow - yeah! We did learn today that not only is the right lung punctured, but his left lung capacity is at about 50% because of the fluid his body is retaining due to the inflammatory process.

The head MRI results came back negative today, which we are grateful for! We are beginning to realize how patient we need to be with this slow recovery process.

We have been very blessed to see Dad recovering, although it is still hard to watch him struggle. We are very grateful to our Heavenly Father as we have watched medical miracles and seen prayers answered. Thank you again for your prayers and fasting - we have felt them.

Friday, July 30, Day 6

Dad did really well last night and didn't have to use the bipap to help him breathe, which we were grateful for! He was excited to know that he got a full breakfast today - lots of water, orange juice, and oatmeal with peaches. Dad's lab levels are still looking really good, so they decided to move him out of ICU - yeah!

Later today Dad had an MRI scan to double check that everything was going well. Dad had to be disconnected from the pain medications, so it was very painful to be moved and lay flat on his back. Luckily it wasn't too long and Dad held very still for it. We will get the results back tonight.

Thursday, Day 5

Dad is slowly making progress.  All of his lab values are improving. His renal (kidney) function has fully normalized which we are grateful for. His liver enzymes continue to go down- faster than expected considering his liver injury.  They are still monitoring him closely for a potential infection, but so far those labs look promising too. His hematocrit (or blood levels) are low but stabilized and he hasn't had another blood transfusion since Tuesday (I think).  

His greatest challenge right now is the pain and breathing. They were able to take him off the ventilator on Tuesday night and he did well breathing on his own most of yesterday  (Wednesday). However, because of the multiple broken ribs and punctured lung, breathing takes a lot out of him. So, by evening last night, Dad was struggling to breathe on his own. He was put on a bipap machine which worked well and his oxygen levels went back to normal quickly. Today he has been breathing mostly on his own, but they are now using the bipap intermittently to give him some rest as he needs it.

Today they are being aggressive with Dad and have had him sitting in a chair twice and even walking this afternoon. Although it makes him really tired, it will strengthen and help heal his lung. He has also been allowed to eat some clear liquids - he was thrilled! He thought the apple juice was the best darn grape juice he had ever had. Dad is a bit confused and agitated which is probably due to a combination of the pain medications and just the overall trauma, but they are monitoring that closely.

We are very grateful for all the prayers offered and fasting for dad and know that it is largely why he has done as well as he has. We are very grateful for our family and friends and their love and support they are offering! The intensive care doctor keeps telling us that he should be much worse based on his accident.  They tell us he is getting better but it is going to take a lot of time and patience.