4P130 Off Duty....

Us again...

Again tonight we are waiting for another trip to the OR. The imaging showed his heart still looked good but the other one showed fluid on the brain. The are hoping to get his platelets up to at least 100 so they can go in and put a shunt to drain the fluid. His platelets are still really low so they need to rally quick! They are pumping him with platelets and will continue to do so during the procedure but can't risk going in to the OR until then. The risk of bleeding is too high.

A new organ we haven't visited much this last week is his liver. Evidently, it too would like to make the list of issues. He is very jaundiced. They need to look closely at his liver and determine why it is not doing what it should. It has been called on in a big way this last week with all he has going on. All the meds could be the problem but it needs to get figured out.

They told Melissa that they needed to look at his liver and gallbladder and evaluate them. She fessed up that he no longer has a gallbladder. He lost that several years ago - it's not actually lost, it was removed. :)

Still working on that be still and know...

Sobering...

Today we were only reminded of the unknowns that are ahead as a result of this horrific accident. It is a miracle he is alive when you see the car and so very many things went right in getting him here quickly. We will continue to choose hope since this is so out of our control. The plea for prayers earlier was a result of a visit by some of the trauma team. I was incorrect in saying it was the neuro trauma team. Neuro has not yet seen him but will be able to consult soon. They did a new imaging of his brain this afternoon to gather information and they also did an EKG to look at his heart again since the bottom number of his blood pressure is so low. Again, we are just waiting for their interruptions.

The fact that he was alert and talking at the scene - he recognized Carlson and called him by name. The fact that he told the EMS to help him and was responsive and cooperative with them initially is all encouraging. The fact that he hasn't required invasive procedures to relieve the swelling of his brain is good, in fact the highest reading "frankie" gave us was 24 and that was brief. His pressures were mostly in the normal range. All good signs - we just need to see signs of him waking up. His current state is not medically induced any longer and thus the concern. His brain is dictating things and it needs to get busy. Please pray it will -even if it wants to go slowly at first - a small sign would really settle a lot of anxiety around here!

As I finish I glanced at the time and realized it is Monday at 6:29 pm this time last week life was much different! Almost like getting punched in the gut, it can take your breath away when you realize how quickly your life can change. I can hear Lifeflight landing as I sit here and I know that another family is scared to death and their world has been rocked. I am just so very thankful for the many who are walking down this road with us. You have carried us and we are humbled.

Although, if we keep eating at this rate we may get too heavy and you may have to roll us.

Please continue to pray for healing, for signs of him waking up for peace and patience as we wait. That our thoughts may be filled with truth and hope and the sweet memories we have will give us the courage to put one foot in front of the other. Also for clear minds to process this information in our minds and in our hearts.

BTW.... my Blogging 101 post got postponed. I will try to post that tomorrow or later tonight! It was kind of a crazy day!

Please God, please...

If you are reading this please stop and pray that God will choose healing for John's earthly body. Specifically that He will heal the injuries to his brain. The neuro trauma team came by and are very concerned that he is not waking up at this point. His head injuries are severe and they are hoping to do another imaging scan to better understand them but we need prayers in a big way that John will begin to show signs of waking up. It sort of feels like the nightmare we lived on last Monday is back for a second showing...

Good-bye Frankie...

Good morning! Well I was happy to share that John had an uneventful night until I just answered the phone for another update...mom said that his blood pressure has been an issue through the night. We assume he is fine unless they come out and get us during the night but that doesn't mean they are just sitting there playing solitaire as he sleeps. He is a constant balancing act for them. So today's to do list: prayer that his blood pressure will stay steady at a healthy rate. This 123/47 trend is not what we want. The lower number needs to be in the 70's. He was born in the 70's so he should sport that in his blood pressure - as well as for other medical reasons! I somehow forgot to share with you that "Frankie" the brain pressure measuring bolt was removed yesterday too. It was nice to have him but I can't say I will miss him too much. Lots of material there for future use when he is up for some ribbing.

Also wanted to tell you that BLOGGING 101 will be posted soon. I love this tool as a way to get out updates and to ask for specific prayers in a timely manner. Some of you have asked how to post comments so I will walk you through that and a few other handy ways to use this tool. Thanks again for following along with us on this journey and we look forward to the day that we can look back on this experience and not feel the pain of it but only see the blessings that came from it! For today, please partner with us in praying boldly and specifically for his blood pressure to go up and stay steady.

Be still and know...

Today's hot topics in Rm 12-

Platelets- dropped to as low as 12 but rallied back to the high 40 range. Fluids are still a balancing act with his blood pressure being so low. They have significantly decreased the pain meds and he is not on any sedation meds. The circulation to his fingertips is still being promoted with warm blankets but they continue to get poor circulation as a result of the all medicines still in his body. It was explained to us that when your body goes into shock and has as much trauma as he has the body goes into survival mode to protect the vital organs - which is why the poor blood flow to his fingers. They did mid afternoon bring the OR to his room. They closed his abdomen as well as wash out and repack his left arm. He remained stable through the surgery and it was done at the bedside because of full OR's not because he wasn't able to make the trip. They were not able to put the temporary cast on earlier but plan to do that during the night sometime. He is less reliant on the ventilator for his breathing than he was yesterday. He still is not stable enough for an MRI so lots of unknowns remain but we will go with it because that is our only option for now.

Each time I saw John today I was reminded of Psalm 46:10, "be still and know that I am God." I have repeated that to myself over and over today. I know God, I know that He is good, I know that He is able, I know that He is with us, that when we see Him nothing else will matter but on this side of heaven this is hard to process! I miss John and I don't like not knowing the end of this story.

I made an interesting discovery today - his hair is starting to gray - I hadn't notice before I had hours to stare at him. So looking forward to bringing that up to him as he approaches 40. Another updated I am excited to share- they brushed his teeth. It was way past time for that to happen - tomorrow it will be a week!

1-1-11

Today would be such a good day for something big to happen as even the most calendar challenged would remember the date, 1-1-11. Being that there is no big news here to report - I feel led to make an announcement of some sort so this is what I came up with....

Drum roll please...
A new jewelry line is being launched to spread awareness and support of John!!!

Yes, it is true. Most will prefer to call them wristbands but technically that would be jewelry. I am sure they will have a very masculine look for the men but what a cool idea-not sure who's idea but I like it. Just another thing to add to the, "tell John" list. I know I will be wearing mine with pride. I don't know any details about the look or where we get them but will share when I do.

John began the new year just layin' low. He doesn't normally require much sleep but he is snoozing and catching up on some of that lost sleep from years past. No big changes since the last post except that they delayed his surgery until tomorrow. He was surgery free today so that gave his body additional time to heal. They were able to get color back in his fingers today with warming blankets to promote better circulation. Still lots going on but we are thankful for the boring day that allowed him to recoup from the violent trauma he has endured. In an effort to celebrate the new year I made a few recommendations to him for his 2011 Resolutions and set a few goals for him. This is the first new years ever that he has just listened and agreed with me. I know he may make a few minor (or major) amendments to the ones I chose for him but I know the big one we agree on is, "Getting out of here restored".

So this place is seeming really familiar. Not sure comfortable is the word I would use but it is certainly more familiar to us than at the beginning of the week. Several new families have come in tonight. Strange how life gets paused when you are up here. During the day there is a lot of officer talk that goes on to pass the time and we all enjoy visiting. As I sit here tonight in this waiting room I need to report several civilians (including myself) are victims of the noise pollution ordinance. I have discreetly videoed the subjects as evidence because there are no words that could accurately describe these sounds or the severity of the violation. I am a little concerned that I violated their right to privacy by recording them so I decided not to post the video. I will share the mug shots of the offenders so that Melissa and my parents will know who to avoid when they are here for the night shift if they plan on sleeping. Although, they may be avoiding each other! This lingo is just so helpful in remaining neutral and unbiased - I just stated the facts.

For tomorrow, we ask that you pray specifically for his fluids to decrease, for his lungs to stay clear, for his levels to improve, for his arm to remain free of infection as the address the injuries and for peace and perspective on this situation. We are thankful he is here, for his progress, his trauma team, our friends, our family, the encouragement and support that surround us and for a God that loves him even more than we can. On a personal seemingly shallow note - I am thankful to a have a sweet hubby that does not snore! How do these people live with these noises every night???

Party in the ICU...

Happy New Year! ICU parties are more fun than I had initially thought. We celebrated with John and he sported a party hat. It was a little croocked on him but it was a party in the ICU. His nurses kept the hats to keep up the party atmosphere even after we left. So thankful he could celebrate the new year!

He had a good, stable, uneventful night despite the party. In the morning rounds we got good information. Today he is scheduled to go back to the OR to clean out his arm and get it set. Depending on his condition they may or may not close his abdomen. He has lost approx 3 liters of fluid over night which is a really good thing. His brain pressure is in the normal range and that is a really big deal. They are decreasing his reliance on the ventilator in small increments but slow and steady is the name of the game we want to play. He is no longer acidic and despite his heart being very bruised it is functioning well. His lungs are good - not great but good. His team continues to be one step ahead on the what if game plan. So they will be watching his lungs closely. His platelets are low - 47, for those who like details. He is having plasma again for breakfast to help get that number higher. He is off sedation meds and they are even backing off his pain meds. That is not to torture him but to allow them to better evaluate his condition. In a twisted way we were excited to hear he gagged this morning when they were inserting his feeding tube. Those sort of natural reflexes are what we want. They give us a peek into his future and his potential recovery. We are not out of the woods but we are not lost in the deep deep deep woods like we were. I was hoping to ditch the "critical" label but he will keep the label for a while. John loves the outdoors and being in the woods but it's the kind with lots of trees and a few deer not the kind that requires a medical team (although they are great). I am confident he will get out of it as soon as he is able!

BTW...

By the way, I failed to mention this little news flash. The Blood Center reported that the blood drive in John's honor had the largest respone of any event they have done with the exception of 9/11. How's that for top 10 things to be know for...

It's the Evening Shift...

Here's the evening briefing...John David is having a better day. Not much has changed since the last update. He tolerated the surgery well from this morning and has been stable today. They have reduced his sedation meds and yesterday removed the paralysis meds. He is still in possession of heavy narcotics and enjoying the benefits of those. His head bolt we named, "Frankie" - as it gives him the Frankenstien look - is giving us good readings. The swelling in his brain is going down and has not been a hot topic today. Still watching but no big developments and that is fabulous! They decided to wait to go back to the OR until tomorrow. They wanted to give him time to rest and recover. His color looks good his eye not so much. He isn't vain at all so I just told him it makes him look tough.

He is still critical but he is stable and we don't all jump everytime a dr walks through the door. It has been so awesome to hear all his stories. He is such a storyteller so we are working on getting some of those recorded to play to him in the room. Stay tuned for details on how to be a STAR on story time with John!

Wanted to post some pics from the blood drive just so you have a visual that will make your heart smile...

Thursday in a nutshell...

He just got out of surgery and it went well. They were able to clean up what they needed to and he stayed stable. That is good news. He is still having issues with the pressure in his head and so the handy head bolt measuring device - just amazing what they can do - led them to wait on the arm and abdomen. His body is still fighting hard to adjust to all the trauma. There is a lot going on with him but he feels no pain and is just sleeping away! Today we made a little message book for him entitled, "While you were sleeping..." be sure and leave him a note if you are at the hospital. We are looking forward to reading him all the comments, cards, messages, entries, etc. when he wakes up. We are all so overwhelmed (the really good kind of overwhelmed) with the support we have received it has been just amazing. Every need is met before we even know we have it. We will all be about 20 lbs heavier when he leaves the hospital from being fed so well. We have not gone hungry and not had to once wonder what we would eat, drink, who we could visit with, where we could sleep - all good stuff. John is a good guy and he has good friends!

Another day at the hospital is on it's way, so we will put another check in the win column! Still lots of unknowns but the words of an old hymn keeping going through my head tonite - get your singing voices ready and sing along -" I don't know what tomorrow holds but I know who holds tomorrow." That is all we really need to know!!! Good night.

Quick Update...

They are taking John back to surgery to do some clean up in his chest. He was able to go for another scan and make the trip to the OR for the procedure. Will post more about the day and how surgery goes in a bit. Please pray the surgery is uneventful and he tolerates it well.

So much for a boring night...

So today is Thursday and John is here for it- yippee! He did have an eventful night. Late last night that made the decision to put him on temporary dialysis in an effort to protect his kidenys. He is very acidic from the meds and all the fluids are hard on his kidneys. Protecting them is important for his overall health and his long term health. His fever has come done since this procedure and that is encouraging. During the night they struggled with keeping his pressures in his brain steady. It is swelling and the handy brain bolt is a hot topic for the day. The trauma team expects these ups and downs and have prepared us but lets just clarify that we prefer the UPs. They did confirm he has a temproal lobe fracture, and a therasic fracture (which means the middle of his back), a few fractures in the pelvic area but some of that will just heal on it's own. The implications of those injuries will be better determined once he is stable enough for an MRI and he is more alert- oh how I wish we could that a patience pill. They are giving him plasma for breakfast this morning - not his favorie but a healthy choice.

He is still very ill and still critical but he is still here! He will have no memory of all of this drama so we are looking forward to sharing it with him one day. We encourage you to post comments so that we can read them to him when he is more alert. He is going to need a lot of encouragemnt and heckling to get through this - but getting through it is the goal!

Announcement from the Sheriff's Office

2nd Blood Drive Held in Honor of Deputy John Norsworthy:

Due to the overwhelming response the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office is now holding a second blood drive in honor of critically injured Deputy John Norsworthy here at the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, 1410 Williams Way Blvd., Richmond, Thursday, Deceber 30, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Anyone 17 years of age and older is asked to help support Deputy Norsworthy; in critical condition as of early this morning.

Happy Wednesday...

I am questioning my days as it is hard to believe that we got the call less than 40 hours ago that John had been in an accident. In a way it has been a whirl wind and in a way it has been the longest 40 hours of our lives. It has been amazingly refreshing and torturous all at the same time. A roller coaster that is sure to have more ups and downs but one that is on a track and being driven by the best in their field. The support and encouragement received in honor of my brother has been incredibly humbling to all of us. A huge blessing to Melissa, the kids, my parents, her parents all of us. What an act of service, we have been cared for and loved on in ways we didn't even know we needed! Just the constant vigil to sit with us as we wait or cry or sleep even snore (myself excluded, of course) has been beautiful- the kind of beautiful that is far beyond words!

John looks good today. He is sporting a new hair style - his hair line has moved even farther back. His nurse evidentaly has some barber shop experience too. They cleaned his head and face up and he looks better. He went a little heavy on the black eye makeup on one eye but we will take it. His color is good. His swelling is about the same maybe even a little less. They are waiting still for the official results from the scan but the trauma surgeon who saw them had no real concerns. This is the point of the journey were we grab some coffee and sip on it to pass the time. His body is busy healing and recovering. He will remain in an induced coma so he isn't laughing at our jokes or commenting on our chatter but his body is busy doing it's thing - mending. The next days are hopefully going to be a little dull. They will watch for infection from the repair in the diaphragm and continue to monitor the pressure around the brain with the handy screw in his head. If all that goes well the hope is to begin reducing the sedation meds and see how he responds. The timing on that is a judgement call for the docs and we will trust them. John's to do list includes getting rid of his extra fluid and getting rest allowing his body to heal.

It is Wednesday and he is alive and heading toward recovery for that we are thrilled! Happy Wednesday - thanks for sharing it with us!

Your gonna like this post...

We are super excited to share this update with you. John was stable for the most part this afternoon which allowed them to do the full body imagine and take him back to the OR as they planned. The Dr reported they have stopped all internal bleeding and at the time of his report they were working on closing him up. They were able to repair a severe laceration to his diaphragm. The hope is to close him up and be done with this step. They were able to completely close his chest tonight and his abdomen is mostly closed but not completely. They wanted to leave that open to help allievate some of the fluid he is retaining. His vitals are slightly elevated but stable with the medication. The preliminary catscan shows no serious injuries to the brain and we will know more as the swelling comes down. All major internal organs are stable. With the bleeding stopped we can now start to address some of the other injuries. He has many to choose from but with the bleeding under control the next priority is the head injuries. This will be a time thing- it could take days or weeks for his body to heal enough to wean him of the meds to increase his alertness. Orthopedics will need to address the broken bones and the skin graft to repair where they relieved the pressure in his arm. So very thankful for the progress he has made the last 24 hours. This is going to be a long road to recovery but so excited recovery is becoming a real possibility. When asked what to expect the Dr predicted "the ABSOLUTE best case scenario for recovery time is a minimum of 1 1/2 months in the hospital". We are thrilled to have months and years in John's future. This should get interesting especially when John hears that news! :)

Just a note out to the fabulous group of men and women who have supported and loved on our family the last few days - it seems like forever but it has just been a little over 24 hours. What a day and what a blessing you have been!

Battling hard....

JD is fighting hard! He is not out of the woods by any stretch but we are encouraged by the monitor readings. His blood pressure seems to be maintaining at a good level, his oxygen is good, his body temperature is back to normal, his heart rate is good. All good signs. It is possible that another procedure will be done today to close his diaphram. We hope he endures that well. It appears that his leg ISN'T broken (will be confirmed later) and the procedure on his left arm seems to have been successful at getting blood flowing back into it. Status of his pelvis is still not confirmed.

We are encouraged but still praying for more healing. Please join us!

BLOOD DRIVE info

The blood drive will be held at the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, 1410 Williams Way Blvd., Richmond, on Wednesday, Dec. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone 17 years of age and older can give blood.

Thanks to all of you who have and will donate in honor of John - such an honor! Here are other donoating options.

Tuesday, Dec. 28-------
Farmer's Co-Op (El Campo)8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Fort Bend County Road and Bridge 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sugar Land Neighborhood Donor Center 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Best Buy (Rosenberg) 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 29:--------
Austin County Sheriff's Office 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sugar Land Neighborhood Donor Center 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

**********Visit www.giveblood.org or call 1-888-482-5663 for more details**********

Today is a BIG day for John....

So another update- one which is encouraging. The surgeon seemed much more optomistic after this surgery. Although she did not find the source being the pooling behind the pelvis that she had hoped to find she seemed satisfied the team had exhausted all efforts to stop the bleeding that could potentailly be the source. Something about blocking the bleeding from some major vessels. In layman terms they are hoping the bleeding will now start to slow from the trauma and the procedure they did to block those major vessels. They are going to give him some down time back in the ICU to recoop from all his travels and check his level and such before taking him to imaging. The imaging will further check for injuries to the chest and abdomen and neck. They need to continue to look for the bleeding source until it stops. They also want to rule out a spinal injury before they can address the head injuries - which really is unpredicatable as to how they will heal or impact him until we get more info and see how he responds. He did move his arms and legs when he initially arrived - so that is a very positive sign in regards to the spine. They hope to have the imaging done by mid morning and they told us to expect him to return to the OR again this afternoon. We are in the best place to get the best care and for that we are thankful!

12 Hours Later...

This all started about 12 very long hours ago. The accident occurred at 6:50 pm so we are in a critical period for him. They are doing everything they can to save him.....which indicates just how horrible this is. He is still very ill but they did have to take him back into surgery. The internal bleeding is still the main problem. The surgeon just came out to report that he is still with us but she was unable to identify the source of all the bleeding when she opened him up this second time. The best case scenario now is that the pelvis sustained more injury than they suspected (since they can't get him to imagining yet) and that the blood is pooling in the back of the pelvis. She explained in very large words how to address that but lets just say that the Interventional Radiology team is on their way to do their thing and look for that bleeding. They can't open him up to get there because the bleeding would be too intense so they will instead go through his leg very similar to an angioplasty. This is hopefully the source and we are praying that this team can quickly identify it as the problem and do their magic on stopping the bleeding. He is not out of the woods and the next few hours are extremely critical. His blood pressure is better and they have put a screw like monitor in his head to watch the pressure on his brain. It was elevated but is now normal so that is a bit of good news for the head injuries. Please pray specifically that the source of the bleeding will be identified and stopped quickly to give him a chance to survive!

I know many of you who have been here have volunteered to donate blood. We appreciate that and know that John would be honored by your acts of donation. We are working with the hospital to coordinate that and will post as soon as we have the details.