Tough Night

I am not sure on the details yet, but Becky sent me a quick message that said they had a tough night with the vent. Here are a few pictures she did send from the past two days.

Good News and Bad News...

They Left SLC and are en route to Ely!!! Chad, Becky and Blake are probably to Wendover, and Dad is just leaving SLC. Everything is going well with Blake and I hope he is able to stay at home for a very long time.

Dad stayed a little longer so he could try to catch his Dr. and get his test results back. He had to go in twice this week to get the radiation through him and map his arteries etc. The first one was abnormal so they had to do it again.

Dad has a plugged artery in the lower part of his heart. They will be doing an angiogram or angioplasty where they go through the femoral artery in the leg with a camera etc. and try to push it out and/or put a stent in. RX for nitroglycerin but pharmacy is closed so they will mail it. GET REST AND RELAXATION. NO STRESS.

The good news is that he checked out good on everything else. I am really glad that he did not get the surgery on his shoulder. All of his other tests were good, but the Dr. still thought that things were not right. I am glad that he has a good Dr. that made him take this test.

Going Home

The equipment got to SLC last night. This means that Blake should be released today and will be headed back to Ely. Everyone is excited for his return. Yesterday they got to take him outside. He hasn't been able to enjoy the outside air for a very long time.

Still No News

I tried calling them in SLC and no answer. They are still waiting for the equipment to get there before they will let them go home. Here are some pics from the past two days.

Blake is still doing well. The hold up right now is getting the respirator machine to SLC so they can have it for the trip to Ely. I guess they will more today. Nothing ever happens on a weekend. Here are some pictures and videos of the happy boy.

Another Good Day!

It sounds like things are still good. Becky did her "rooming in" last night. He seems pretty happy. I only have a second but wanted to do a quick update and post some pictures.

Mom, Chad, and Aleah made it home to Ely OK. They stopped in Tooele to put some flowers on Grammie and Grandpa Floyd's grave.

Good News!

Katie should be posting this because she got the news. Blake is getting his ventilator. They have been trying like mad to find someone that would service Ely. As of a few hours ago it was looking like Becky was going to have to make SLC or Elko her permanent residence. I don't know all of the details other than things worked out, Becky is very grateful and happy, and Blake is too.

It sounds like he is doing very well and the the doctors and therapist are very impressed with his progress. The PT said that Blake is doing very well, especially since he has been down for months and not able to do much. He responds well and is able to do everything they want him to. It sounds like he will still be in there for a little bit. I believe that the machine will be shipped to SLC so they have it with them as the drive home.

Mom, Chad, and Aleah were in for a couple days this week for training on the machine. I really didn't get a lot of information during that time to post. I hope it is because things were going so well with Blake that everyone was able visit and have an enjoyable time.

I hope they are able to get him home very soon. My grandpa Fred has been in the hospital in Hawthorn, NV for almost a week. We only found out about it a couple days ago because they didn't want us to worry. Grandma Margie says that he has been doing better, but he is not in good enough shape for her to take care of him on her own at home. They had to give him two units of blood and have been messing with his meds. He had been hallucinating and was really tired out. I know that it is really hard for dad right now because he knows he is where he needs to be helping Becky and Blake, but I am sure that he wants to be with his dad as well.

Field Trip

Well, I keep not getting any news so I take that as good news. Things seemed pretty good yesterday. The main thing they are working on now is getting the equipment set up in Ely. Here is a pic of the little guy ready to go on a field trip. Looks like a lot of equipment that he is hooked up to there. I am not sure how much of that he will need when he is out of the hospital.

No News...

I haven't heard anything. I think they were going to be doing some training today on the ventilator machine. He seemed to be doing pretty well yesterday though. Here are some pics that dad sent from today. He looks to be pretty happy.

Winna Winna Chicken Dinna

I really need to take this girl in to buy a power ball ticket... About a week ago I was in Rexburg looking in on my friend Randy's business while he was out of town. I had herd and ad on the radio about a new gun shop in Rexburg and thought I would stop in and check it out. They told me that they were having their Grand Opening on the 15th, and that every day last week that you stop in you can put your name in for a drawing, and for ever ten bucks you spend you can put your name in as well. I told Katie to stop in while she was up for work last week. She put her name in three times without buying anything. Saturday, while I was watching a hen pheasant try to find her way out of our yard, Katie got a call saying she was the winner. There where three different prizes, and she got the one she wanted. It is a Springfield XD 9mm. Lucky gal.

Just A Reminder

I don't know if everyone looks at the comments on each post so I decided to take this one from Tiffany and give it it's own post.

Yay! Hopefully the family can leave after the three day training! No more shenanigans Mr. Blake! ;0)

Just a reminder that a savings account has been opened in Blake's name to help assist with some of the medical and travel expenses. If you are interested, please mail any donations to: Blake Smith c/o State Farm 900 Avenue H Ely, NV 89301.

Thanks to everyone who has already made a contribution to the Smith family!

-Tiffany

Monday Morning

I don't have much time to report. Aaron and Jacob were in for the weekend to see the eye Dr. and to get some trees. I think they had a good visit with dad and Becky.

Blake seems to be doing OK I guess. They put him back onto the floor and said that he was ready to go home. Before they can take him home they will need to receive training on how to use the breathing machine that Blake will use at night. They will also have to have that equipment in place at their home in Ely. Mom said maybe Wed. would be the day that they go home. Who really knows.

New Video

I just got this video while I was writing my last post. Becky wrote: -crazy about the syringe stopper. lung is more collapsed today and they think he could be aspirating his saliva or oral secretions so we will see. he looks LOTS stronger and happier today. also changing his feeds so that he gets them slower to avoid vomiting.

Back To PICU and Wisdom Teeth

I don’t have much time so I am going to put a lot of things together on one post.

First off, Blake’s numbers got really bad yesterday (Friday) so they did some more tests and found that he now has a Rhino Virus, (the same virus that his roommate the other day had???) his lung is collapsed, and he is having a really hard time breathing. So, they decided that it was back to the PICU for Blake. It will be more of the same as the other times. Ventilator/CPAP help for breathing and trying to give him stuff to get rid of the virus. It also sounds like they will be sending Becky home with a ventilator for Blake and he will be using it when he sleeps. I do not have the slightest idea of when they will be going home. It is supposed to be a linear process. Sick-PICU-On the Floor-Check-out of hospital-Go home… He is making a circle from PICU to the floor. Poor guy shouldn’t have to go through this.



Dad was feeling pretty bad because he thought he may have gotten Blake sick. He was feeling something in his throat and his eyes have been burning like crazy. He saw a Dr. and they said that it was allergies and acid reflux. He has never really had allergies in Nevada, but I guess that he has never spent three weeks in SLC either…

As for our family we had a little surgery yesterday. Katie got her wisdom teeth pulled. Everything went well and the Dr. seemed like a good guy. Mindy brought over some treats and dinner for me last night, so I had her look and she said that it looked like he did a really good job (she is a dental hygienist). She has not puffed up much and is dealing pretty well with the pain, only taking one pill every four hours when she could take up to two every four to six hours. Tomorrow is when the swelling will come on. She has been icing it pretty well. We found that frozen peas work better than ice, but our supply is becoming mushy from over uses. That is why I am in town now, to get more peas, and more movies. Katie was pretty funny after the surgery. They said that she would wake up laughing every once in a while. I was so concerned about asking care questions that I forgot to ask them if they would give us the teeth. Well, about 8 o’clock last night I heard Katie say “O NO!” I came rushing in thinking she was bleeding bad or something. She was fine. She was a little caught off guard though when she found one of her bloody teeth stuck in her hair… I hid all of the pillows in the house because I was nervous about what the Tooth Fairy payout would be for a wisdom tooth…

Happy Boy

I just got this picture and a short message from Becky that said "feeling a little better today."

Better Numbers This Morning

His numbers are the best since they have been there. They did a chest x-ray and it looks like the lung is open. Not sure how it happened so quickly. Want a Broncio Scope after Blake needs a little less O2 support. Great Nurse and Great Dr. The nurse is doing a very good job of advocating for Blake. They did all the screenings on his viruses and he is virus free, as far as they know. He got to go out and look at the fish in the hall and take a trip and he LOVE IT. It was his first field trip in quite a while. He is still pretty tired and warn out. He isn’t at his happiest, but seems content and calm.

Fred found a room that they can get away and watch movies while Blake is resting.

Thursday Morning Blake Update

I haven't heard anything this morning. I talked to Chad last night and he said that they did not take him up to the PICU and that his numbers were not peaking like before.

Same Old Story

They did an x-ray and found that Blake’s upper right lobe of his lung has a significant collapse. It is pretty tough for him to breath, and he may have to go back into PICU if they decide they need to put him on the CPAP. Becky said the Dr. told them that if they go in they need to request a Bronco Scope to see WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. Becky said that this is the most collapse she has seen on any of his x-rays, and the Dr. used the word significant. Early this afternoon they will know if they will keep him on the 4th floor or send him back down to the PICU. DR. Dickerson is the Dr. and he is VERY good. He is “right on the money and provides lots of information.” They did test his blood gasses and they are good. Blake is tiring out quite a bit, but he does look better than he did yesterday. He is pretty tired. It seems like his breathing is worse when he is sleeping or lying down.

Blake is able to play some games with grandpa. When grandpa isn’t looking he will throw a toy on the floor. Grandpa picks it up, sanitizes it, and put it back in Blake’s bed. I guess he keeps doing this and grandpa hasn’t quite caught onto his game.

It sounds like today is a better day for dad and Becky. Better spirits today. Yesterday was kind of gloomy, and they were tired and warn out and had all that other stuff going on with the roommate etc.

I asked Becky if she was going to get another degree while she is in there. She said she is looking into getting her associates degree in nursing since she has already done a semester so far.

Another Wed. Update

Just got this text from Becky:
-going 2 be here a while longer. sadly taking another bad turn and now back to extra oxygen and really high respiratory rates. doing lots of tests today too see what is going on or if they can do something to make it better. still not an ICU candidate just yet

Wed. Update

I just talked to Becky for a little bit. She said that Blake’s repertory numbers were up again last night, in the e 80’s which is pretty high. Becky said that she could tell that he had taken a step back yesterday. He was just not himself. They were testing his blood gasses. Becky said something about Blake having a difficult time with converting O2 from in his blood. Becky doesn’t see them going home tomorrow. Becky said that she was very grateful that dad has been there with her; otherwise she would have crashed by now. Yesterday was not a very good day for Becky. They had poor help, and then they got a bad neighbor. The kid next to them would not stop screaming and he had a different virus than Blake so Becky stayed on them until they put the kid in a different room. The screaming was so rough on Blake that he was covering his ears with his hands.

Becky is more charged up today. I guess with all the ups and downs you are going to have a bad day here and there. She is very grateful for all of the support everyone has shown and the love she has felt for her and her family.


Hopefully they will be able to talk to a Dr. today and get more answers so I can have a better update this afternoon.

Numbers

Blake's numbers were bad again today. This RSV is just not letting go... Everyone seems to be doing well. Becky had to take a call from Chad so I didn't get much of an update. I should have something better tomorrow.

This is from an email that my dad sent me today, and above is the most recent picture I have of Blake. Looks like he is doing pretty well.


Blake’s respiratory rate is finally back down now where it needs to be. I hope it lasts this time. He is also responding to the treatment for the infection around the stoma. Basically he drew a bad weekend nurse, and it cost him some recovery time and he is making up for it today. It looks promising that we may be able to go home tomorrow or the next day if all continues well( how many time have I thought that in the past 15 days).

Becky is doing well considering all. It was a great weekend for her to spend with her husband and daughter for Mother’s Day. Maurine came to and we had an enjoyable time as well. Blake was very happy overall, BUT we kind of lost track of who was doing what and after everyone had left yesterday afternoon, things began to go wrong with some of his numbers, probably from the previous poor attention and lack of experience by the nurses Blake drew.

Alas, live and learn and gratefully get a chance to do better. He is more excited and lively than Becky has EVER seen him at home. It goes to show that being able to breathe well is not overrated, eh. He is so precious and hard to believe the love he can demonstrate in just his eyes alone, then that famous smile comes along melts everyone, even some of the hard-line custodians, ha. Nurses come from far and wide to get a peek at him, and some that have worked with him previously also manage to get an excuse to come see him again. Over all the care has been outstanding and we are all so grateful for that and the many many prayers on his and his families behalf. (keep them coming, ha)

It is kind of scary in a way to think of leaving as a reality is so very near. Although it is long awaited, I am a bit nervous of what we may have to handle once we get home. We are probably now about as ready as we can ever be and I hope that we do not have to be back in here under these circumstances again.

Hope all is well with all of you.

-Fred

Our Project

One day it will be nice to go home, sit out in my yard, enjoy a glass of lemonade, and relax knowing that I don't have any projects to do on the house.

We got a lot done this weekend. My friend (old boss) Randy let me barrow his skid steer to get some junk moved. We have 95% of the junk left around the property cleaned up and hauled off. We trimmed up the bushes and most of the trees with loppers and a chain saw my boss Dave let me use. We also were able to dump the trash about 500 yards away at our neighbor's burn pit. That saved us a lot of time not having to take so many trips to the dump.


I guess that we must be doing a good job, or have really nice neighbors and family, because everyone talks about how nice the place is looking and how fast we are getting it done. I hope that we can have it looking pretty good next month when family comes to visit.
We are trying to still find some more used deals on some yard items. We need a shed, spreader, wheelbarrow, and lawn furniture. Katie doesn't think that I really need a wheelbarrow since I was able to make such good use of the trailer as a make-shift wheelbarrow over the weekend.

I will have to get some more pictures tonight of the property. This is the view from our backyard.

Monday Blake Update

Sounds like things have been going really well for Blake. The only issue is the amount of suction they are doing is still quite a bit more than where the Dr. wants it to be. Mom, Chad, and Aleah went in to visit for the weekend. Blake was really excited to see them. It was a good Mother's Day weekend for mom and Becky to be able to be together with everyone. Blake was able to get down on the floor and play with is toys. He seems to be recovering quite well. I think if the suction thing was under control.

I am on the phone with Becky right now and it sounds like he will be in at least another day. His trach wound is kind of gross so they are working on getting that cleaned up. No suction yet today and he has been coughing everything up himself. He has been really cute and is a celebrity there. All of the nurses end up in his room to see him. I guess he is quite the charmer and flirts with all of the nurses.

No News Is Good News...

I guess if I don't hear anything that it is good news. I have not heard anything since yesterday afternoon. All was good other than his amount of suctions. Here are some pics that show a pretty happy boy.

Blake Mid-Thursday Update

I talked to Becky around 11. She said that he looks good and had a good night. They are weening him off of the oxygen and he is doing well with that. They have been doing a lot of suctioning and the Dr. wants them to not do it so frequently. Becky said that he slept all night and even had a nap this morning. He seems to have more endurance and was having a good time "playing, smiling, dancing, and just doing his thing." Still not sure what day they will send them home.

Will It Ever Stop Snowing???

This is what I woke up to this morning.

Things are still coming along at the house, but quite a bit slower than I would like. I have been working outside this week. Getting some mowing and burning done, and eliminating the occasional skunk... FYI, if you "have to" get rid of a skunk, it is probably not a good idea to shoot it in the head. I hope that the weather is good this weekend so I can get a lot of the junk cleaned up. I don't think we will have as many unwelcome guest if we get rid of their homes.

We are really enjoying our home and have been so blessed in so many ways; Free appliances (the dryer has been working great), lots of people have come and helped out in so many little and big ways, great neighbors, and it is just nice to be in OUR own home. I am excited to get the lawn thatched and aerated so we can see if we might get some decent grass growing this summer.

Thursday Report

Not much new. I guess yesterday was a good day. He still has his ups and downs, but seems to be doing well outside of the PICU. They gave him a bath yesterday and got him all cleaned up. Becky told me this morning that the could be released as early as tomorrow, but who really knows. I will let you know once they are on the road... They hadn't been up to the hospital yet, so maybe Becky will have more for me later. I am sure people are getting bored with my lame posts.

Movin On Up...

Blake has moved up to the fourth floor. I was in a meeting all morning so I have yet to talk to Becky, but she did send me some messages. He seems to be doing well and sure does look a lot better. I will try to get more info by the end of the day.


Katie was supposed to get her wisdom teeth pulled on Friday, but found out that the dentist would only do two of them. She decided that she would go for the Oral Surgeon option and will have them done on the 14th. I think this should be a good option especially since I have that day off already.

FREE MOWER

I was going to have Dad and Becky look into a mower I had seen on KSL, but the guy never called them back. I guess that is ok since he wanted 150 for it and I found this one on Craigslist today for FREE 99! The guy told Katie that someone left it at a rental and that is was burning oil/smoking... I put some fuel in it and it started right up and I didn't see any significant smoke and seemed to run well and the self propel worked too. It is not in great shape, but it should work good for free...

Quick Update

I just talked to Becky for a min. She said that they keep having to put him on the assist. She did get to hold him today. It sounds like he gets spurts of energy, then wares himself out. She has found that if she stays in the room that Blake wont sleep, so she had just left so he could get some rest. I guess he feels like he needs to entertain her...:)

I am sure that it is getting tough for Becky to be away from her home and her family so much. I am glad that dad has been in there and has been doing such a good job of supporting and helping out. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers as well.

Starting A New Week In Primary Children's

It has been a week since they went BACK into Utah. As of yesterday afternoon Blake was still in ICU. It seems like a bit of a roller coaster on his numbers. Just as I am typing this I got a message from Becky: -Blakey went back on the c pap for more pressure support at 4:30 am because he started breathing hard again. So still in ICU for a bit ... no clue when he will be ready for a regular room.

Poor guy. You just can't count on anything until it happens.

Another Setback

I really do not know what any of this means as far as his recovery, but Blake's numbers have gone up unexpectedly and they have had to put him back on the ventilator for assistance. It was kind of weird because things were looking so well and they had been talking about releasing him soon, then this happened.

Here is the text that I got from Becky this morning.
-Here is the latest and greatest. Blake was about to leave ICU this morning when his numbers started going crazy like when we came in Monday. So now he is on the ventilator getting something called c-pap and he seems to be lots better and loves hearing himself babble with it on. So now this for maybe a couple of days and then 24 of observation in ICU to see if he is strong enough to breathe on his own before he can move onto a regular room. What a rocky road but he is a champ!

Love you all...

Here are a bunch of pictures that I got from Becky and Fred yesterday. I think that they have been taken over the past week so I don't know what is most up-to-date.