The Accident
The Accident
Around 12:30pm on Friday, June 22nd, my dad, Gilbert, fell from a tree while on a tree-cutting job. We were told he was at a height of greater than 50 feet, but it’s unclear at this time where that number came from or how accurate it is.
Dad landed on his feet, most likely blacked out, but came to pretty quickly. He tried to sit up immediately afterward but those with him told him to lay down and stay still. He was wearing a helmet and it is broken.
The Injuries
Dad shattered his L1 vertebrae, which he had surgery to replace last night.
He broke his tibia in both legs toward the ankles, broke both ankles, and has multiple fractures in both feet.
His sternum is fractured.
He has a broken rib.
Cognitively he seems to be pretty much fine. He’s a little loopy from the pain medications he’s on, and we’ve all already had a few laughs thanks to his healthy sense of humor. When a monitor was beeping to tell the nurse his BP was a bit high, he said, “Maybe my truck has high blood pressure, too. It’s always beeping.”
The Treatments
He had a CT scan of his back yesterday afternoon to assess the damage and plan for surgery.
Last night Dad underwent a 4.5 hour back surgery to clean out and essentially replace his first lumbar vertebrae. He has an expandable metal cage in place of his L1, metal rods connecting his vertebra above and below that, and 8 screws. This was the most critical injury, so it was treated first. The rest were put on hold to assess after they could see how the surgery went. There is currently a spinal fluid leak that was not attempted to repair lest it be torn further. The surgeon believes it will heal on its own, but they’re keeping an eye on it. This puts him at higher risk for infection.
This morning he had a CT of his legs and feet done, and we’re waiting to hear whether they will operate on his feet today or not. They’re monitoring the circulation in his feet periodically with a Doppler, and it seems like that is one way they’re gauging how quickly they need to act on that front.
He’ll have a heart echo done at some point today to determine whether the fractured sternum is causing any problems.
Right now it’s a “wait and see” game for all the most pressing questions like what kind of leg functions he’ll have or whether there’s any nerve damage.
Prayer items
Pray for obvious things like healing, for surgeries to be uncomplicated and achieve their goals, for both my dad and my mom (Denise) to be able to rest. Pray for protection against infection; Dad is at high risk for infection post-back-surgery because of the open wound and fluid leak.
Pray for good pain-control, for wise decision making for treatment, for Dad to be encouraged in the Lord throughout what will be a lengthy recovery process, for God to be glorified in this trial.
Pray for everything you can think of to pray for.
Around 12:30pm on Friday, June 22nd, my dad, Gilbert, fell from a tree while on a tree-cutting job. We were told he was at a height of greater than 50 feet, but it’s unclear at this time where that number came from or how accurate it is.
Dad landed on his feet, most likely blacked out, but came to pretty quickly. He tried to sit up immediately afterward but those with him told him to lay down and stay still. He was wearing a helmet and it is broken.
The Injuries
Dad shattered his L1 vertebrae, which he had surgery to replace last night.
He broke his tibia in both legs toward the ankles, broke both ankles, and has multiple fractures in both feet.
His sternum is fractured.
He has a broken rib.
Cognitively he seems to be pretty much fine. He’s a little loopy from the pain medications he’s on, and we’ve all already had a few laughs thanks to his healthy sense of humor. When a monitor was beeping to tell the nurse his BP was a bit high, he said, “Maybe my truck has high blood pressure, too. It’s always beeping.”
The Treatments
He had a CT scan of his back yesterday afternoon to assess the damage and plan for surgery.
Last night Dad underwent a 4.5 hour back surgery to clean out and essentially replace his first lumbar vertebrae. He has an expandable metal cage in place of his L1, metal rods connecting his vertebra above and below that, and 8 screws. This was the most critical injury, so it was treated first. The rest were put on hold to assess after they could see how the surgery went. There is currently a spinal fluid leak that was not attempted to repair lest it be torn further. The surgeon believes it will heal on its own, but they’re keeping an eye on it. This puts him at higher risk for infection.
This morning he had a CT of his legs and feet done, and we’re waiting to hear whether they will operate on his feet today or not. They’re monitoring the circulation in his feet periodically with a Doppler, and it seems like that is one way they’re gauging how quickly they need to act on that front.
He’ll have a heart echo done at some point today to determine whether the fractured sternum is causing any problems.
Right now it’s a “wait and see” game for all the most pressing questions like what kind of leg functions he’ll have or whether there’s any nerve damage.
Prayer items
Pray for obvious things like healing, for surgeries to be uncomplicated and achieve their goals, for both my dad and my mom (Denise) to be able to rest. Pray for protection against infection; Dad is at high risk for infection post-back-surgery because of the open wound and fluid leak.
Pray for good pain-control, for wise decision making for treatment, for Dad to be encouraged in the Lord throughout what will be a lengthy recovery process, for God to be glorified in this trial.
Pray for everything you can think of to pray for.
Thank you for keeping us updated. We will be praying everyday for your dad and all of your family. We pray for healing, encouragement, peace, and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteSeth and I are praying for your Dad and your entire family. May the Lord comfort and strengthen you through this journey.
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ReplyDeleteSaying prayers and sending positive thoughts out to the universe. There is one thing for sure, you can't keep a Good Man down for long.... Stay Strong.... Peace and Love to all.
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