John's
Burn Recovery Journal
This
is Page 1 / January 1998
 Home Journal
Page 2 Photos Email
This page last updated: 04/22/01
WHAT
HAPPENED?
Click
here to see John today - 4/2001
Below - photo
of John one month before the accident.
 This
accident occurred on Monday, Jan 5th, 1998 at 12:55 PM, at Marathon Oil
Company, Littleton Co.
Although John
apparently has total recall of the accident, I am not familiar with the
kind of testing he and his Marathon co-worker were doing. So I am not going
to elaborate on that. The exact cause of the explosion/fire is under investigation.
But that part is not the important part right now. The blessing in
all of this is that 2 men escaped death in a truly horrible, yet profoundly
lucky incident.
I do not want
to speak for John's co worker who was injured, other than to say he has
been released from the hospital, and has much healing to do. Praise the
Lord he will be fine, in time. As will John!! Please find room in your
prayers for his co-worker, as well! John has suffered burns on about 25%
of his body.
It will take
about 3 weeks to determine if he will require skin grafting or not. The
docs are hopeful that he will heal on his own. He has many borderline 2nd
to 3rd degree burns, but they are hoping that because of his age, and great
physical condition that nature will take it's course and his body will
be strong enough to do the work.
His whole
face was burned, except for the area around his eyes, as he and his co
worker were both wearing eye protection!! Also, there are emergency showers
which were close by, and I feel that getting to the water must have done
a lot of damage control, as far as the burning goes. Also, both of John's
hands and arms were badly burned, as was his backside and thighs.
Please continue
in your prayers. I will update this page, if you would like to check back.
I'll try to get a better photo as well.
John needs
the support of his friends and family right now. Please feel free to send
him mail greetings. Probably snail mail will be good right now, as he won't
even be able to sit for a while, let alone work his fingers at the 'puter!
PS - Johnny
and I are trying to hang on and be strong. If you have a minute, could
I ask you to send a word of encouragement to Johnny, please? He would appreciate
the support, I am sure. Thank you for that.
Thank you
for your concern, prayers, and good wishes. I just know with his family
and friend's LOVE and PRAYERS, he will get through this long road ahead
of him.
PPS - when
John gets better I will NEVER hear the end of this web page...he already
thinks I'm internet crazy! I think it's a great idea though!
Thank you
so much for the outpour of concern since John's horrible accident.
I will
try to update this page as time goes on. Thank you for understanding that
keeping on top of the phone calls is difficult and will get harder as time
goes on, as John will be needing us more once he gets home. Especially
in the next few weeks.
JAN.
8th
John came
home from the hospital yesterday. Hurrah!! He has a long road ahead of
him, but at least he is in his own germ environment. His mother is coming
tomorrow for a few days. A mom needs to fuss.......we all know how that
is! John actually signed on and sent out a couple one sentance e-mails
today. He can use the middle finger of his left hand and peck around. So,
I think he will be checking his e-mail every other day or so, if you want
to say HI!
We are have
twice daily visits from the nurse....I may take over the second visits
soon (that one is just for the face!)...not ready to deal with the rest
of it yet. John says hi to everyone!
Thanks again
for your support and good wishes!
Jan 10
This has been
very difficult...reality is setting in for everyone, and the task that
lies ahead seems overwhelming at times. We will over come it, I am positive
of that....but the days are very rough.
Apparently,
John's wounds require much more care than Home Health Care nurses are used
to. We have had 2 different companies in two days. Yesterday it took myself
and the nurse working together over 3 hours to attend to the wounds. There
is concern from many sides that possibly we are putting John at too much
risk for infections, and maybe there is a better way. I decided that the
burn unit at the Hospital is where I am going to be taking him today. They
agreed to dress the wounds there. We will be taking him in this morning
sometime. I spoke to his Doc last night, and she hopefully will be there
when we go today, to evaluate the situation.
Again, we thank
you so much for all the thoughts....cards, flowers, plants....John said
yesterday that he wishes the florists were not profiting so much from his
accident!! Same old John!!
PS - His mom
arrived yesterday, and it has been nice to have her here...especially after
a rough evening like last night. We were worried that John was getting
ill, as his fever came close to having to possibly be readmitted - but
it went down!! Praise the Lord!
JAN 11
whew.....John
has an infection, and is on antibiotics....I was concerned about this,
as I had noticed some warmth and swelling in his arm. He also was fighting
a fever....THANK GOD we took him to the hospital yesterday, and they caught
it early enough, we think. Hopefully John can fight it off with the meds
at home....if not, I certainly know how to get to the hospital. He will
continue daily visits for while. I believe they told me that his wounds
will be changed and bandaged daily for at least 3 weeks......
Many of you
who even live in town have told me that you read this everyday THANK YOU
SO MUCH for the concern.!!! The 3 of us really cannot say thank you enough
for the kindness shown to our family.
I KEEP FORGETTING
TO SAY THANKS FOR THE MEALS!!! My goodness, we are all getting
so spoiled - the food has been fabulous. It truley is a Godsend to have
a hot meal delivered to the door every night. If the cooking were up to
me.....we would all be very skinny right now!
JAN 12
Kind of a
bad day yesterday....John has lots of pain in the arm with the infection.
Drugs don't seem to help with the pain. I am encouraged to wash his face
a couple times a day, and reapply the med to his skin. It's an ordeal,
but he feels good afterwards, and it helps remove some of the "gunky stuff"
from his face. I can look into his eyes and see the beautiful man underneath...so
we both feel better. We all are really scared but I know it's normal to
be so. One day at a time is the key. A friend gave John a journal yesterday,
and we decided last night that every day John, Johnny and I will find 5
positive things that happened that day and write them in the book. I'm
keeping my eyes open today!! Thanks for reading this!
JAN 13
Well, we stated
off yesterday full of hope, thinking that we finally have gotten into a
routine with our daily lives....then the rug was pulled out from under
us - - and we now have started our maze of red tape and confusion. We are
trying to keep John's best interests at the center of things...but it feels
as if we now are loosing power and control over decisons being made. That
is probably one of the scariest things, once you know the prognosis is
good, just the helpless feeling that consumes the whole family. In a nutshell,
yesterday was just another awful tear fulled day. John is having pains
in his arm....I think the docs told him it is the nerves growing back.
I am getting a book today for familys of burn victims - sort of a handbook.
It should help us with questions and concerns we are having.
Praying hard
for a better today.
Oh yes - I
promised to find some good, didn't I?
OK - Some friends
visited John yesterday (he received a very unique gift that only a close
friend could get away with!-it brought smiles and laughs). We had a wonderful
dinner last night (thanks Bec). John got many cards yesterday - they really
lifted his spirits up. The opening of the envelopes is great therapy for
him - of course it take him a while to do, but it has become our afternnoon
activity. Dear friends, we cannot thank you enough for all the caring you
have done. We are feeling the power of you prayers, every single day. THANKS
TO YOU ALL!!
Jan 14
John's mom
went home yesterday....feeling better, I hope, about John's condition.
Today we try the home nursing again....last week was a disaster...but we
feel optimistic today. You'll find out tomorrow! Yesterday at the hospital,
they removed lots of the dead skin from his hands...it's like if you had
a blister, and you cut dead stuff away...you are left with raw skin...consequently,
John was in a fair amount of pain last night. The Codine doesn't cut it,
and they told us it won't. I think the words spoken to John were " Just
because your skin is healing, it doesn't mean it hurts less". His arm with
the infection is still swollen quite a bit - poor guy - he has to make
sure it is elevated way above his heart at all times.....when I look at
him sometimes, he reminds me a school kid waiting to be called on by the
teacher, his hand raised in the air......a smile is good for us!
The whole family
is finding so much comfort from the cards and greetings coming our way,
once again, a BIG THANK YOU!......Johnny missed a week of school, right
at the first of the new semester, so he is struggling with that, but Dad
is helping him a bit get caught up in Chemistry......so that's a good sign
too.
Have a great
day, and thanks for reading this!
John says
hi to you all. Someday he can take over the web page!
Jan 15
Hi friends!
Thanks for taking the time to visit. I think it was Abe Lincoln who said
"We are about as happy as we make up our mind to be" [to my bear friends
- yes, I took it off the Boyds Bearstone Box!]. So today, I am going to
tell you what we are happy about.
We are happy
because John's face is looking better by the hour. I debride his face 2
or 3 times a day [that means washing his face with sterile gauze and sterile
soap.] I use as much pressure as he can take, and I wash the gunk off.
This is followed by greasy ointment. It is incredible how much better he
looks each time.
WE are happy
because we like the new nurse, Wayne, who came over yesterday. Wayne is
going out of town, so I decided rather than have a couple of relief nurses
over the weekend, I will be doing the dressings on Fri - Tues. I did half
of them yesterday, while waiting for Wayne to come over. I feel much more
comfortable doing it now. I feel like I am really doing something nice
for John too. (ps - if you ever have to do this for someone, wearing a
bathing suit is the best way - I got that idea after doing it in my clothes
last week!)
We are happy
because today we go to the Burn Clinic and John will have an evaluation
on his wounds, healing, etc. We still won't know for about 10 more days
if grafting will be required.
We are happy
for life, family, friends, neighbors, church, and God's Love.
John and Johnny
say hi to you all.
I would like
to share with you all some heartbreaking news we received yesterday. A
dear young man we have known for 10 years, a college student, was critically
injured in a car accident yesterday. His friend was killed, and they were
hit by a 15 year old who was driving drunk. Please, if you have room in
your prayers, please pray for Dan's recovery. Thank you.
Jan 16
John's appointment
went well yesterday.His prognosis is excellent. Still no OK to even go
back to Marathon to visit with folks. We go back next Thursday for another
evaluation. We are all starting to feel very overwhelmed with what lies
ahead of us. The pain for John is getting rough. He has a very high pain
tolorance, but he is being put to the test. Hope you all have a beautiful
day and thanks for reading this.
JAN 17
Well, thanks
for the notes of concern we received when I didn't update the page this
morning. Wow, it is nice to know many of you are looking out for us daily.
I kinda feel like we have reached rock bottom at this point, and maybe
things will get better. It seems that the adrenaline rush helps you through
the first week or so, then harsh reality sets in.....I won't lie - our
days are very rough. It is hard to keep one's head above the water...forget
about the laundry, mail, unanswered phone calls, and "normal" routine.
So many have helped us out, and many of my friends have gone way beyond
the call of duty! We thank you so much!
The good news
- John shaved himself today! Very Carefully and slowly and painfully, but
he did it! and a much better job than the burn techs and I could do it...(sounds
sadistic, doesn't it? Shaving a man whose face is burned!). He looks so
good. We had to ride down to the hospital this afternoon, as we ran out
of some ointment and couldn't find it at any store (we called and called).
The burns on his other areas are extremely painful and very bloody. It
still take me the better of two hours to change the dressings (takes the
burn techs that long too). It is so difficult to see the one you love in
so much agony, but John is very strong physically and emotionally. I haven't
written about Johnny much, mostly to protect his private feelings. Thanks
for asking about him, he is holding up well.
THANKS FOR
READING THIS! HAVE A GREAT DAY!
JAN 19
Hi, thanks
for stopping by to read this. Well, today marks the TWO WEEK anniversary
of the accident. Not two weeks we would ever want to repeat! The nurses
had told me early on that I would be amazed at the healing in the face
within a couple weeks - and they were right. It is truly a miracle the
way the skin can heal itself! It literally improves by the hour. Of course
washing the face and getting rid of anything that not's paying rent ( a
little joke John's dad used to say) sure helps tremendously. So, I believe
we are going to attempt an outing in public. The folks at Marathon gave
John a thoughtful gift certificate for Barnes & Noble - - and I think
I've pep talked John into going out and using it. Unfortunatly, he cannot
read yet, because it is a very akward ordeal to hold the book, and turn
the pages. Isn't it amazing what we take for granted every waking minute
of our lives?
The wounds
on the rest of John are not healing as quickly as his face has. Of course,
the burns are deeper and more serious elsewhere. But, seeing the healing
in his face gives us comfort and strength, as does the continued friendship
and support of so many wonderful people - - like YOU!
Have a beautiful
day!
PS - - John
wants me tell you all that he has been sitting at the computer for a while
everyday, and will be happy to attempt to answer you, if you would like
to e-mail him - JJECHURA@aol.com
Jan 20
Once again,
thanks for stopping by to read today's update. Last night was a tough go
- the itching is starting in for John. We will try to find out if there
is something he can get for that. I had a horrible nightmare and was upset
the rest of the night. Today will be better.
Some of you
may recall on our Christmas letter that I mentioned how John had to walk
with a cane last fall, due to a back injury. Remember how I said that it's
a great way to get stared at in the mall? WELL - ha - a cane? that's for
beginners - try a burned face, wrapped arms and hands, and a limpy walk!
That'll get the stares!! We went on our first "outing" yesterday - to Target.
Boy, talk about your double and triple takes! Some folks even asked him
what happened (which is good, I think). He is still scaring small children
(we laugh about that!). It's strange, because to me and Johnny, John looks
great - almost good as new. But it's all perspective. We saw him at his
absolute worse. Wayne is coming today . . he will do dressings, I will
just do shower, bandage removal and bathroom clean up!
John said he
spent a good deal of time trying to answer e-mails last night. He will
get to everyone, sooner or later - he thanks you all for writing.
Have a beautiful
day!
Jan 21
Hello friends!
We had another outing yesterday - to pay the car insurance bill and a stop
at Einstein's for coffee and a bagel - yes, I never thought doing a simple
task like that had the potential of being a cause for celebration! Life
is good, life is funny........speaking of funny, John's friends will be
glad to know he still has his sick sense of humor - when he was pouring
his own coffee into the cup, at Einsteins, I said, "be careful that you
don't get burned" - and he said "Oh, it's too late for that!"
No more Wayne
for us - he thinks the bandaging is going well enough for me to just press
on and continue - so I have now been promoted to "head nurse in charge
of patient Jechura!". Wonder if the pay is better? The payment of course
is witnessing John's daily recovery - worth more than a king's ransom!
Have a beautiful day!
JAN 22
Well, Yesterday
John had decided that he didn't want to go out ANY WHERE, because the previous
2 days had made him tired. Guess what? By last night, he was sick of the
house, sick of himself (probably sick of ME, too!), and now he has made
the decision to get out EVERYDAY!! That is really good news - a big step
to his recovery. Today we go for the weekly evaluation at the Burn Clinic.
We will be gone the better part of the day. You all will be surprised by
another decision John made yesterday. He asked me to make a web page with
photos of his recovery.
Jan 22 Afternoon
I know many
of you are curious about John's visit today.....thanks again for your concern.
I am very sad to tell you that John has been scheduled for surgery next
Friday, Jan 30, at University Hospital, Denver, for skin grafts. We were
very surprised, as the encouragment was good, and grafting always seemed
unlikely to us. BUT, there is a chance, that if the healing kicks in this
week, he will not need the grafting. I am going to do everything in my
power to get this skin working!! The worst area is around his right elbow.
There are also areas on both hands and wrists that look bad. John is handling
the news well, Johnny and I are upset right now about it.
OK - to let
you all know, we will not know a thing until next Thursday's visit to the
burn clinic. So, he is on the surgery schedule, and we will let you all
know AS SOON as we find out next week! IF he has surgery, he will be in
for about 4 days.....and I don't know the other details, like where they
will take the good skin from, etc.
SO PLEASE
DEAR FRIENDS, CAN WE ASK ONCE AGAIN FOR EXTRA PRAYER POWER??? THANKS!
Jan 23
It's after
midnight, so I guess it's technically the 23rd! John got some new meds
for the itching, and he is out cold (I am glad, as he really needs the
rest - the past few nights have been bad) - - I am still upset about today's
news and cannot sleep. So, here I sit at the computer, my new therapist!
Some of the good news today. The docs have reduced the area that needs
to be bandaged. Only half of John's "good" arm is now wrapped. The "bad
arm" is being wrapped the same as before. His backside is healing very
well, and the bandaging has been modified. Our work load has been reduced
a bit! Speaking of work, many of you have asked, I am basically out of
work now. I have had to totally shut my business down indefinatly. I feel
really badly about that. For those of you who don't know what I do, I am
a barber who goes to clients' homes to do hair. My business is called "HairCuts
To Go!". Doing the wound care, I am not comfortable bringing lots of strange
germs into our home right now. Also, my energy level is currently low,
and it's taking everything I have to keep afloat here at home.
The number
of responses to the web page has been amazing. We wanted to share with
you an e-mail John received yesterday. It is from a church friend, and
I considered it quite a compliment:
John and Sally
I read the
Web page - it is beautiful and will serve as an inspiration to others.
IF you don't mind, I would like to give it to my nursing students to see.
It will help them to see the entire picture and how injury affects the
lives of all those involved.
Sally, you're
doing a great job!!
Carolyn
Carolyn Yucha,
RN, PhD
Oh - other
good family news - Johnny got a job yesterday - at Park Meadows Mall -
retail! It's hard to believe he is almost 18 (in just a few weeks) and
will soon be graduating High School. He has been a blessing and comfort
thorugh all of this!
Thanks once
again for reading our news.
Jan 24
Hi friends!
Hope things are well your corner of the world. Yesterday we started "scar
massage" on John's wounds. That is part of the job description of the Head
Nurse! So, 3 times a day I am to massage using certain manipulations on
every burn that has closed and healed. It is fascinating. This is supposed
to help stimulate the collagin and minimize scarring. This slows down the
wound care time - back to over 2 hours again, but it is healing for both
of us to slow down and work together doing something that does not cause
pain. In fact, since this activity focuses on the healed skin, it can be
a time to visually appreciate what has been healed.
Johnny will
take good 'ol Dad out today. I don't think they will be driving the convertible
however!
HOPE your
weekend is great! GO BRONCOS!!
Jan 26
No update
yesterday - sorry - today's will be twice as long! The really great news
is that John surprised many folks yesterday by attending church. John wanted
us all to go, so he could thank everyone for the outpouring of support
we have received from our church family at St. Lukes. John's talk was video
taped at the first service, then shown to the later services. Also, we
took a posterboard with the photos from the web page, so folks could see
the miracle and power of God's healing. It was very theraputic for the
three of us to attend church.
OH - other
good news! John has a physical therapist name Lisa. Well, if you know any
PTs, you know they are slave drivers. The very day of John's accident,
Lisa came in and made him start to do exercises with his fingers and face.
She scolded him for riding in a wheelchair once early on when we brought
him into the hospital! Well, I have this thing I say now . . "you want
the newspaper, Lisa would want YOU to go outside and get it" . . . "you
want a cup of coffee, Lisa would want YOU to get it"..So yesterday morning,
I told John that Lisa would not approve of me helping with the showering
anymore. So, John did it all by himself! I know it doesn't sound like a
big deal, but it was. John removed bandages, debrided and washed the skin!
Lisa would like that!
I have a book
that a dear friend sent me last year, to help cope with the loss of my
mom. I have been turning to it again for comfort during this. I found this
last night, John really liked this quote as well:
Bless
a thing and it will bless you. Curse it and it will curse you...If you
bless a situation, it has no power to hurt you, and even if it is troublesome
for a time, it will gradually fade out, if you sincerely bless it . . .
. .EMMET FOX
I think seeing
John's survival early on was the "blessing" for me. When I read this, I
realized that I did need to change my newly aquired negative attitude if
we are to get through the skin grafts. We will try to remind ourselves
that skin grafts are blessings - they provide quicker healing to the exposed
burn area.
Promise we
will try!!
Johnny started
his new Job last night - at Contempo Casuals - it's a clothing store for
young ladies! He enjoyed it very much!
Johnny and
I are not football fans. but the 3 of us enjoyed watching the BIG GAME
yesterday. I am happy the Broncos won, but so much more grateful and happy
that JOHN was here to witness it. Funny how those thoughts work.......
Have a wonderful
day, and thank you for taking the time to read this!
JAN 27
Hello friends!
To be really different today, I am going to start you off with a beauty
tip (and laugh). NEVER apply highlight bleach to your roots and
then go read e-mail while you are processing. Trust me on this one. I usually
process 10 minutes . . . . 45 minutes later, John walked in with a look
of horror on his face. He said "I don't believe you Sally, you'll do anything
to take the attention away from me at the mall!" (I'll be a dishwater
blonde by lunch today!)
Now you all
can see why I love this man so much. He has never criticized me (even when
I deserved it!), and tells me I'm beautiful when I look like a beauty school
dropout. He is MY blessing!!
OK - you all
came to hear about John, not my hair. John is going to visit his work place
today. He has been asking to go back since about day 3, I think! He finally
got the release from the DR., on the condition that they don't "parade
him around!" Not a problem, he will be sitting in the cafeteria, and folks
can come and say hi.
Wayne is stopping
in this morning. I have some concerns and questions about some of the burn
areas that I want to discuss with him. He will do the dressings today.
OH! - that reminds me - John was again successful with his shower yesterday
- as HE says "hey - I can do something most 2 year olds can do - Life is
Good!". He says that a lot these days - "Life is Good". Not sarcastically,
not jokingly, but reverently.
Yesterday was
the magic 3 week mark in terms of the grafting. Every day we are mentally
preparing ourselves for the surgery. We are not doctors, of course, but
we can see that the wounds are not closing. With only 2 days left . . .
it's not looking good. We haven't discussed the burn areas in much detail
on this page, so I'll fill you all in.
The largest
unclosed area is around John's right elbow. This seems to be about 5-6
inches long. It is disturbing to look at...nothing has really made me queasy
until the past few days. The open wounds are getting hard to look at. I
am uncomfortable touching them even to put the ointment on now. The other
areas that are still open : small areas on both ears; both wrists; both
hands; a small area on his backside; and one area on his thigh. I could
never figure out the thigh burn, it's deep, but isolated from the others.
John said last night that the burn came from the keys that were in his
pocket - they must have gotten hot enough to cause a partial thickness
burn . . . strange and scary.
LAUGHTER NEEDED
PLEASE!
If you have
a minute, can you e-mail John a joke? (nothing too racy - the man is trying
to recover! LOL). I put a counter on this page yesterday (wow - I had NO
idea so many are reading this!)- so if everyone would send him just one
today - he might have over 100 jokes by tonight!
~THANKS~
Again, John,
Johnny and I would like to thank you for your support, prayers, e-mail,
snail mail, gifts, thoughts, laughter and tears as some of you have shared
stories with us of your own trials and tribulations. We are truly humbled
by the giving. I hope we can keep that giving spirit alive and someday
pass it on.
Have a beautiful
day
JAN 28
Good Morning! THANKS FOR ALL THE
JOKES YESTERDAY!! John likes all kinds - seems to be lots of good Clinton
Jokes going around these days! We both appreciate the time you took to
write them out and send them! They certainly help lift his spirits!
The visit at Marathon went very well
yesterday. It was therapeutic for both John and me. It was nice to be able
to say hello, share our stories, and thank the folks who helped John right
after the accident. The support from John's colleagues has been very kind.
I would like to thank the folks at Marathon for the words of support, prayers
, cards, meals, and so much more. A dear friend yesterday also gave John
a generous(!) huge gift of John's all time favorite dessert, from his favorite
place to get it!
(PS to Eric - John limited himself
to one piece of tiramisu last night! - THANKS!)
Our nurse was ill yesterday, so I
did the bandaging. I played phone tag with the Doc yesterday, so I still
have not had my concerns addressed . I am sure we'll get our questions
answered today sometime. I guess today is the day to start preparing for
the weekend. Last time John was in, they allowed us to bring inhis CD player
(no headphones, of course!). So we will load up a bunch of CDs to take.
He won't be able to read, so I'm not sure what else to take to amuse him!
Not that he'll be in the mood for amusement anyway!
Today I'm closing with the words
to the music on this page. John last night said he loves the song, but
wanted to know all the words. One quick web search found them - Voila!
John, this is for you!
(he signs on and reads the page
just like you all do! He's always sleeping when I do this!)
Have a Beautiful Day, and thank
you for reading this!
WHAT A WONDERFUL
WORLD
(George Weiss
/ Bob Thiele)
I see trees of green, red roses
too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself, what a wonderful
world
~~~~~
I see skies of blue and clouds
of white
The bright blessed day, the dark
sacred night
And I think to myself, what a wonderful
world
~~~~~
The colours of the rainbow, so
pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people
going by
I see friends shakin' hands, sayin'
"How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"
~~~~~
I hear babies cryin', I watch them
grow
They'll learn much more than I'll
never know
And I think to myself, what a wonderful
world
Yes, I think to myself, what a
wonderful world
Jan 29
today's inspiration
Difficult
times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich
and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes
worrying about are of no importance whatsoever. ---Isak Dinesen
~~~~~~~
Hi thanks
for reading this today! Boy, isn't that the truth ? When I think back,
to even a month ago, I was consumed with worry about things so trivial.
What a waste of time. Mark Twain also said " I have spent most of my life
worrying about things that never happened." I have learned through this
that no matter what hand you are dealt, you will find a way to cope and
manage. Where there is life, there is hope. That is really the only advice
I can give - - do not waste time worrying in advance. God will help you
find the tools you need, if you let Him! I hope I can remember my own advice
when this is all over!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember a
week ago, I told you about the "magic pill"? John took one, and was knocked
out all night? Well, here it is 6 nights later, John took two of them 2
1/2 hours ago - - he still awake, itching like mad, frustrated, and angry!
I just helped him move downstairs to the chair he likes, and hopefully
he can get some sleep. He took a different pain pill just now - so I hope
the 2 can work together OK. I feel so badly for him. I want to check on
him in a little while, so here I sit! Decided to do this now, and maybe
sleep in a bit in the morning myself.
~~~~~~~
Well, this
has been a very long week - - the waiting and wondering (but not worrying!)
what Friday will bring. We will find out soon. When we get home from the
burn clinic, I will jump on and do a quick update on the page. We want
to let all you concerned, kind and caring people know what's going on.
I still am amazed, 3 weeks into this, how many of you check this page every
day. Earlier tonight I was thinking that it is very comforting to us to
know that we have you all "out there" pulling for John, and that we are
not alone. We have no family at all out here - - we are 1300 miles away
from relatives. In the past 13 years, I have wondered from time to time
what we would do in a crisis situation. Now it is clear, that "family"
doesn't have to mean "blood", your family can be anyone who cares about
you and loves you. Neighbors, friends, church community, even cyber-friends
can qualify! To those of you who have allowed us that honor, we thank you.
JAN 29 -
PM
There
are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.
The other is as though everything is a miracle.
----Albert
Einstein
Guess which way we live? GREAT NEWS - - THE SURGERY WAS CANCELLED!!!
YIPPEE!! PRAISE GOD!! YAYAYAYA!!! Thanks for your prayers!!! They worked!!
When we removed the bandages at the clinic today, the big wound over
the elbow had developed a thin layer since yesterday - I see that as a
MIRACLE!! - it was enough of a layer to cancel the skin graft! John still
has open wounds, some of the smaller areas I mentioned the other day. But,
they will eventually close, and leave bigger scars. The docs said on the
smaller open areas, if they don't graft them, the scars heal very thickly.
John told them he would choose the bigger scarring over the grafting ANY
DAY!!
We go to the clinic again next Thursday. He will be measured for
compression garments. Kinda like spandex, but a bit thicker (and it comes
in 48 colors! - John said NO to NEON!!). He will have to have custom made
garments - shorts, something on both arms (maybe even a jacket-like thing),
and I think they said gloves, too. He will wear them 23 hours a day for
a year. This helps with the scarring.
We still have a long road ahead of us, but this feels more like
we are on our way up, instead of taking a giant step back!
I feel like a huge weight has been lifted, and the three of us are
so very happy, grateful, joyous, and humble.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT, CONCERN, and LOVE !
JAN 30
Funny, last
night I thought I would want to take a break from writing this page for
a while. Not so, I got up, and first thing started gathering my thoughts
for today!
John was given
the OK to sleep with a pillow last night AND he doesn't have to elevate
his arms at night anymore! It was so nice to sleep "normally"- for me too!
Also, yesterday at the clinic, they decided that John's severe itching
may have been caused from an allergic reaction to the antibacterial ointment.
So the docs switched him to petroleum jelly - and it does seem to have
made him feel a lot better. The reoccurrence on his forehead also may have
been an allergic reaction to the Bacatracine. A culture was taken to make
sure there is no infection there.
Today John
and I are CELEBRATING!! We wanted to go downtown (our favorite thing to
do), but the sun is too bright here in the "Mile High City", and John cannot
put sunscreen on his face yet. So, we will think of some place fun to go
today.
HAVE A BEAUTIFUL
DAY LIFE IS GOOD!!
JAN 31
John and I
went out to a mall yesterday afternoon, and then dinner! It was nice to
able to walk and hold hands again. I noticed more people staring for some
reason. One saleswoman at a store did approach John and ask if he'd been
in an accident. They chatted for while, and I whipped out the web page
photos and showed them to her. It actually is better for John if people
come right out and ask. It is good therapy for him to talk about it, and
he doesn't mind at all. I have a feeling many accident victims feel the
same way.
Today John
and I are going to go the Denver Art Museum. I think it will be a pleasant
outing.
Oh - a few
of you asked about the compression garments that John will have to wear.
I found a web site that explains how the skin of burn victims scar, and
why they should wear the garments. If you are interested, ~CLICK
HERE ~
[Note: The originally linked page no longer exists. A current page that decribes compression garments can be found here. JLJ Dec. 16,2007]
Once John
gets to sleep, he does very well. I am sure the pillow and normal arm positioning
help a lot with that. Life gets even better everyday, as we are able to
start picking up the fragments of what was once our "normal" lifestyle.
Life is Good!
Have a beautiful day
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