Updates During Hospital Stays
Memorial Central Colorado Springs
Sunday 10/16 - Wednesday 10/19/22: Tracy was in the ICU and not well enough to begin documenting and writing.
Thursday 10/20: Moved out of ICU to Orthopedics floor of Memorial Health
Tuesday 10/25: Nose splints removed, learned to transfer from bed to chair with legs still supported on bed, MRI on right knee to assess possible additional damage to ACL or MCL
Wednesday 10/26: MRI results show no additional damage on right knee so approval to bear weight(!), facial stitches removed
Thursday 10/27: Speech language pathology (SLP) team approve Tracy to drink all liquid types (previously had to thicken all liquids before drinking), (re)met ER nurse from initial night in hospital
Tracy's Reflection: When the ER nurse stopped by, she felt so comfy but I couldn't place her. After I realized who she was, I asked to hold hands, and we just held each other and cried. The whole room cried. She talked about how I was in such scary, bad shape but somehow remained calm and positive, inspiring all of the nurses and the doctor to cheer me on. She described a knowing that I was going to do great things. Her and the other nurses had been looking for me to see how I was doing; it made my heart feel so full to reconnect with someone who saved and changed my life, and whose life I somehow also deeply changed.
Friday 10/28: Med switch from painful blood thinner tummy shots to oral, PT started to help practice walking with modified walker, trache removed (incision on the anterior aspect of the neck that opens a direct airway in the trachea), attorney selected, (re)met remaining members of intake ER nurse team
Saturday 10/29: Trauma team confirms full approval for discharge, PT exercises throughout the day
Monday 10/31: More practice with PT; walked in the walker to the bathroom and used a regular toilet for the first time! Successful transport to Swedish Medical Center at 7:30pm (arrived at 9:00)
Swedish Medical Center Denver
Tuesday 11/1: First day in rehab facility, with 3-hour/day therapy requirements. First wheelchair experience, walked farther in the walker than ever before (see video on recovery journey photos page). CT scan to assess increased pain in mouth/face and suspected infection.
Wednesday 11/2: Practice getting in and out of shower tub, more walking and strengthening including exercises to help other parts of the body not get injured by compensating. Mom cleared for helping Tracy transfer to wheelchair and walker! Started IV antibiotic via a special IV line called a PICC for widespread infection in mouth. LADIES NIGHT with Carolin, Caroline, and Elise 🤗 .
Thursday 11/3: Approved to go outside with family and friends in a wheelchair, got a fresh haircut 💁🏼♀️, and Calvin will be arriving on the 10th! Other face-related updates include confirmation that extensive dental/oral surgery work is still needed (scope TBD) and nerve damage in at least the left side of the face is very likely.
Friday 11/4: Started the day with a telemed appt with Dr Celeste, one of Tracy's most valued practitioners in Taos. More walking practice. Care team met and communicated a discharge goal of 11/14 with home care as follow-up to start. We've decided this will take place at mom's in Denver and transfer home to Taos when most of the follow-ups are complete. Switched meds with help of floor NP to bring face pain more under control.
Tracy's Reflection: My night nurse from Thursday and I got to know each other a bit and on starting her second shift today, she brought me a rock with the word strenth engraved on it and said she thought about me all day, that I am "otherworldly," and strength is what I represent to her 😍
Saturday 11/5: Somewhat of a rest day with only 1 hour PT and some visitors. Patrick back in town! Exploring needed home accommodations and equipment. Fun visitors on and off all day - my sister, Kristi, gave me a wash and blow dry 🤗. My hand/arm—which has been the least of my concerns—started hurting a little more than it has been which is a little concerning but x-rays look ok.
Tracy's Reflection: Drinking your food (puree diet) is no fun and neither is losing too much weight, but we have figured out how it do it well. Lots of smoothies and juicesfor breakfast, and for lunch/dinner, Vietnamese Pho, Thai soups and curries, and Indian food are awesome pureed!
Sunday 11/6: Patrick cleared for helping Tracy transfer to walker and wheelchair! More conversations to determine what equipment is needed for discharge.
Monday 11/7: Big day in therapy: in PT, learned how to use walker for a couple of platform stairs to enter mom's front door; in OT, practice retrieving items from cabinets and at different level surfaces in a large room and then putting them back, as well as using regular height toilet. Coordination of follow-up appointments w/ Co Springs surgeons: hoping for telemed with leg ortho on 11/10 and for stitches/sutures to be approved to come out as soon as tomorrow; follow-ups in person with both face surgeon and arm surgeon scheduled for 11/23. Equipment for home: Walker, arm attachment, organizer bag, and grabber ordered. Wheelchair from family approved for use. Shower chair decided on and supportive wall bar by toilet will be installed.
arm splint broke at elbow in the evening, causing some ongoing wrist pain
Tuesday 11/8: Calvin switched arrival date to 11/12. Therapy: unable to do weight bearing/walker PT due to splint, but mom and Patrick were trained on wheelchairing me up steps into mom's front door. We also got a demo on how to use a shower chair to go up and down the three stairs in the garage. Mostly discussed how to arrange the house safely and equipment to use at home in OT. Wounds and Injuries: Sutures and staples removed from legs in a painful but successful 4 hour project. Pretty miserable because many of the sutures had healed into my skin, making them difficult to remove. Left two in for ortho. X-rays confirm legs are healing well! No Ortho visit to fix splint.
Wednesday 11/9: Due to arm-related setbacks with therapy, will discharge 11/14. Therapy: still unable to do weight bearing/walker PT due to splint, but able to take boots off and do ankle mobility and other quad strengthening/knee mobility exercises. Wounds and Injuries: Ortho came and removed broken splint and remaining two sutures, then left for 3 hours - quite stressful because we were unsure about acceptable range of motion and therefore could not really move or get up from wheelchair. Finally, OT built a new removable splint (photos here and here) that only covers half of the forearm as opposed to previously splinted past elbow. Feels great! Waiting for confirmation from original surgeon in co springs that this advancement is ok. Highlights: food delivery from an old friend and then movie night and hanging out with Carolin 🥰.
Thursday 11/10: Therapy: baked blueberry muffins--that I can't eat haha--in OT and practiced sitting on the regular height toilet seat more (it is HARD to bend my legs at 90 degrees); learned how and got signed off to get in my mom's truck in PT! Goodness am I sore and tired. Wounds and Injuries: got to remove all bandages and ace wrap on my legs and sleep without Controlled Ankle Movement (CAM) boots (yay!). All surgery incisions and other wounds are healing well. Confirmation from Co Springs Ortho that splint is ok and needs to be worn through 11/28, though still some disagreement and miscommunication between the two hospitals. Highlights: Changed my panties and put on real pants for the first time and all by myself! More food delivery from my sister, blended pho for dinner 🤤, and another evening visit with friends who are like family. Cup full!
Friday 11/11: Therapy: Started the day by taking my first shower since the accident and doing everything all by myself (with supervision, of course) - taking all the bandages off and being independent felt great. Due to setbacks from splint/arm, will discharge on original date of 11.14. Wounds and Injuries: Later in the day I found out I likely have something called heterotopic ossification (HO)—calcification of muscle and soft tissue (basically building bone where it shouldn’t be)—happening near my femur fracture on my weight bearing leg. If it is, in fact, HO we are doing all the right things to take care of it. The most important thing for both prevention and treatment is movement, which is also confusing because damn have I been moving this leg! This is not commonly seen by the folks in this facility so they are doing the best they can finding information and helping me navigate. This will not impact discharge date of 11/14.
Tracy's Reflection: This additional issue has been very frustrating and scary but also, it will be okay! It is hard to have one more thing come up but I’m sure this is not the last of one more things… and in a weird way it feels good to have a reason why the pain in my weight bearing leg has been increasingly worse and feels like more than just fatigue.
Saturday 11/12: Wounds and Injuries: Rehab Medical Director discovered a scan to determine whether I have HO or if it is a bone fragment. Attempting to schedule before I discharge Monday. Therapy: Practiced the shower chair method of going up and down stairs in case we need to use the garage at mom's. Highlights: Mid-day visit from old friends and wonderful company most of the day. Patrick arrived with the pups, who I hadn't seen since Oct 10, so it was quite a reunion (video). Calvin arrived as well and brought his sweet puppy, Ajo, to hang in the room.
Sunday 11/13: Therapy: Easier day with a run-through of all assists and transfers Calvin, Patrick, and mom will need to help with and final questions for PT/OT before discharge. Wounds and Injuries: Bone scan will happen Monday, which will push discharge to later in the day but would rather have it done before we leave. Highlights: Surprise visit by my oldest brother, Tommy. Enjoyed hanging out in the room with Calvin and Patrick most of the day and night. SO excited to discharge tomorrow!
