AV 08/10/10

All,

A little over three weeks after her accident, Cyn is recovering at our place.  Her wounds are healing, she is getting stronger, and she is starting to deal with the next phase of her recovery.

Monday Cyn saw a pulmonary doctor who tested, x-rayed, listened, talked and discussed.  She is finished with the O2 concentrator, has a set of exercises she is to do, and unless she starts having difficulty, she doesn't need a return visit.  Tomorrow she has an appointment with our GP to check breaks, stitches and staples.  Cyn is able to sleep much better and more deeply now that we are at a fixed location instead of being on the road.  She's getting a lot of sleep.  At some time in the future she is looking forward to returning to SC.

One of the things that will come back is her phone number, but not her phone.  I was able to recover both phone numbers and photos from her mostly dead phone.  We have to make a trip to Verizon to see if one of our old phones has enough functionality to take over for her old phone.  Her computer seems to be fully functional, but email is slow - the effect of one hand typing.

At this point, it has been nice meeting with you all, some for the first time via this email list, and fulfilling the role of scribe in this adventure.

On behalf of Cyn and the rest of the family, I would like to thank everyone for their prayers, their help, their emails, their cards, their wishes, their support and their offers of help.  While the Flagstaff medical staff gave Cyn all the physical and health related support she needed, you have given her the necessary emotional support she needed.  Thank you so much.

This email will end the series.  The next phase will likely be via Cyn's Facebook page
(http://www.facebook.com/people/Cynthia-Hanenberger/100000676913261 , I think - I'm not a Facebook person), or possibly a blog.

Take care.

AV 08/06/10

We are home eating spaghetti.

Bethany, MO 08/05/10

Toto, I don't think we're in Oklahoma any more.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more.

Well we must be in the pet friendly (most are) Comfort Inn in Bethany, MO, just over the MO / IA border.  We made good time today in the balmy mid-eighties temperatures.

After a bit of a rough night, Cyn had a very good day. Ride, walk, drink, ride, walk, eat, ride, potty stop, ride, walk, ...  Not exciting, but effective.  If we reproduce the same travel schedule tomorrow, we should get arrive home sometime later in the day tomorrow.

Cyn's breathing is much better, but we aren't letting her off the O2 concentrator until the pulmonary doctor says so.  Jan spent time on the phone during today's ride making appointments with our local doctors to follow up on the Flagstaff Medical care.  So far, Cyn has two appointments next week, and the local pulmonary department will be contacting Flagstaff for her case information.  Jan will also carry the information and images we were given to the appointments.

The journey continues ...

Blackwell, OK, 08/04/10

Greetings from Blackwell, OK!

Last night we swapped out the O2 concentrator that threw the error code with the replacement delivered to Santa Rosa.  We'll ship the one needing service back when we get to MN.  The replacement unit is working just fine.

We made the drive today from Amarillo, TX, to Blackwell, OK.  It was a warm drive through OK.  We passed the 100 degree mark not far from OK City, and drove through consistently warmer temperatures of 104 through 107 degrees for much of the drive.  Whoever says "It isn't the heat, it's the humidity" is full of so much BS.  That kind of heat can be one heck of a drag on you, too.  One advantage of low humidity is you aren't drenched in sweat.  Pour in the liquids, and they disappear into the atmosphere.

At the same time, the temperature went up, the altitude went down.  We are now sitting at an altitude of about 1000 feet above sea level, swimming in a sea of rich oxygen.  Our lowlanders' lungs really like that.  Flagstaff was beautiful, but physical exertion was noticeably more difficult at altitude.  By the end of our stay, however, both Jan and I found it much easier to get around than the first few days.

Cyn is doing well, but the heat during the walks taxed her quite a bit today.  She's holding her own, starting to put things back together that slipped while she was in the hospital.  Even though her phone died a few days after the accident, both Jan and I have cell phones she can use.  Hopefully, the Verizon techs will be able to capture the information from her old phone.

The plans for tomorrow are to head for northern MO.  The temperatures should be lower, but the further north we get, the more the humidity will increase.  We'll take it, because that means we'll be getting closer to home.

That's about it for today, tomorrow is another travel day.

Take care.

Amarillo,TX 08/04/10j

Good Morning from Amarillo, TX,

The O2 concentrator showed up a little later than planned, but we left Santa Rosa, NM, yesterday and headed east.  We dropped below 4000 feet in altitude, which really helps all of us.  It isn't nearly as taxing as it was in Flagstaff.  It is nice to be swimming in denser oxygen again.

Cyn is doing better, getting stronger.  While it is frustrating for her at times, she's adapting and her spirits remain good.  The girls are working pain control and have developed a pattern to stay ahead of the pain.  Cyn slept on her side last night which felt good, but her ribs are complaining this morning.  Drugs are a good thing at times like that.  The combination of drugs the doctors prescribed is working well, but at a reduced level now.  It is true that pain is your body's way of letting you know you are still alive.

We've pretty much fallen into our roles.  Cyn is the patient; Jan is head nurse, drug dispenser, cook, and co-pilot; Prancer is chief explorer, excellent traveler and therapy cat; and I am driver, bellboy, scribe and whatever else needs to be done.  Both Jan and I nag Cyn when she needs to do her exercises and when we need to stop and walk.

We don't have to wait on anything today, so it will likely be more of a driving day.  That will give Cyn a chance to relax, but will require disciplined stop and walk, rather than all the up and down we've been doing.  While we were waiting on the package yesterday we took a side trip down to Ft. Sumner, NM, to see the Billy the Kid Museum.  It was a fun trip.

With the heat, the fashion statement of the day is shorts and white (surgical) stockings.  Gee, you could make some song lyrics out of that "Shorts and White Stockings" to the tune of "Knights in White Satin."  No, I haven't been sampling Cyn's drugs.

Time to get packing and on the road.

Take care.

In Santa Rosa 08/02/10

All,

We are checked in for the day at the Comfort Inn, Santa Rosa, NM.  The drive through Albuquerque was uneventful, and the short mileage (200 mi.) was a relatively quick drive.

Cyn has crashed and is sleeping soundly.  Her O2 concentrator is holding in there providing all the oxygen she needs.  The collarbone is causing a little pain.  The ribs are still a problem, but she can find comfortable sitting positions.  The replacement concentrator should be here about noon tomorrow. After we pick it up, we'll head east for OK City. That route will be a bit longer, but will keep us near populated areas if the need arises.

Take care all.

Rest day 08/01/10

Today we decided to extend our stay at the motel in Grants, NM. This the third day after collarbone surgery which is usually the toughest. Cyn is very tired, as are we, so a day of rest is warranted. As I write this, everyone else is napping. Prancer has adjusted well to the travel.

Take care.

On the road again 07/31/10

Cyn was discharged late am, we picked up prancer, have plenty of meds and pillows and we are on the road home. Will try to make it to Gallup, NM tonight for a well earned rest.

Cyn discharge 07/30/10

We just learned Cyn will be discharged tomorrow morning. We should be headed home by tomorrow afternoon. Will see MN about mid to latter part of next week.

Take care.

Cyn recovery 07/30/10

All,

The results of the operation were good. Cyn's ortho doc stopped by to say things went well, no complications. She's feeling good which means pain meds are working.

If the lungs are good, she may be released tomorrow. We have to get the word back from the rest of the docs on their thoughts on where they want her to be before release. If that happens, we'll drive her back due to no AmTrak availability unless the docs disagree.

Take care.

Cyn operation 07/29/10

Good Morning All!

Cyn's collarbone operation is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. today, but we've been informed that time is a general guideline. The operation may start before or after that depending on the availability of an operating room and the doctor.  There is a lot of emergency traffic into the hospital by ambulance and helicopter, so it would not be unusual for her surgery to be pushed back due to more pressing issues.

We will pass along word as things progress, but don't be concerned by delays.  They don't mean something unexpected has happened.

We stopped by for a few minutes last night and Cyn is in the best condition we've seen her.  She said the pulmonary doctor was satisfied with her progress and has given a go ahead for today's surgery.  She said to tell everyone she appreciates all the good wishes and inclusion in your prayers.

Also, Cyn's cell phone is no longer functional.  It was damaged during the accident and last night decided to come apart.  She'll be off the air until we can get another phone on her number after we get home.

Take care.

Cyn surgery 07/28

Good Morning,

Not much is new today, so this will be a summary of the operation information.

Cyn's collarbone hasn't started to heal as hoped.  As a result, it makes recovery more difficult and travel much more difficult.  To fix this situation, her orthopedist recommended surgery where he will make about a 12" incision, find the pieces of the collarbone, put them together and fix them in place with a metal plate and screws.  Normal recovery from such surgery is hospitalization for three to four days before discharge.

Unfortunately, due to her lung situation, this surgery won't be normal.  Her pulmonary doctor has cleared her for surgery, but wants to optimize her lung function prior to the surgery.  He has ordered a significant step up in her respiratory therapy to clear and open her lungs to the extent possible.  She will be deep breathing more, walking more, and spending more of her time vertical.  The goal is to get her through surgery and recovery without pneumonia.

We won't see her today other than a short visit some time this afternoon.  She has work to do.  If the weather holds, we will go through the stuff we got from the truck, and see what there is.

So, as it stands now, surgery is scheduled for Thursday afternoon and we'll go from there.

Take care.

Cyn in training 07/27/10

Before we left today, the pulmonary specialist stopped by for a consult & an exam prior to surgery.

The long & short of it is, so far they have been able to prevent pneumonia. Surgery, by its nature will stress the lungs increasing the risk of pneumonia. They want to get Cyn's lungs as good as they possibly can for the surgery. So, until surgery Cyn is in around the clock training - either training, eating, or sleeping. Therefore, please hold the phone calls until further notice & don't expect any calls.

Jan & I won't be at the hospital tomorrow except maybe a short standing visit.

The situation isn't dire, they are just trying to increase the odds. If you need to reach her, please contact me & I'll relay the message.

Take care.

Thanks.

Cyn progress 07/27/10

Greetings all,

Today has been a good news, not so good news day.  A lot of ground has been covered, so here goes...

Well, not quite yet
Our Thursday plan on AmTrak is going to pass with no travel.  Cyn is not yet strong enough to be ready for travel.  The problem with fluid is resolving, but still causing some difficulties.  The doctors have decided that even though there is some fluid remaining on her lungs, it is not enough to be a major concern.

The collarbone has come into play again.  Even though the break isn't a compound fracture, it is bad with significant separation.  It hadn't been considered serious enough for surgery because the risks with the amount of lung and rib damage.  They took new x-rays to see the current state of the break.  An orthopedist will read them and is going to speak with Cyn tomorrow and make a recommendation.  If she has surgery to repair the collarbone, the level of uncertainty on a return date will increase significantly.

Truck visit is complete
Today Jan and I spent about four hours at the impound lot cleaning out the truck.  We started with additional photos outside and inside, then worked our way through the parts of the truck where Cyn's personal effects were stored.  You've seen a picture of the front of the truck, attached to this email is a shot of where she was sitting.  Now that I've seen and been in the cab, I'm not quite sure how they got her out.  My best description is that her truck was squeezed from front and back, then shaken violently.  There was glass, jagged metal and plastic all over the place.  A number of places were oil and liquid soaked.  Cyn was carrying drinking water and Mt. Dew Red, which didn't survive the crash.  I found small water bottles from a flat of bottles that had been in the bunk area, some full, some not, between the top the dash and the windshield, in compartments, everywhere. 

We have a pretty good idea how fast Cyn was going when she hit the other truck.  The speedometer was frozen at 55 mph.  The instrument cluster was intact, but pretty well disconnected from the dash.  I had to remove it while searching for Cyn's glasses between the dash and front windshield where we guessed they might be.  According to the impound lot manager, new speedometers are designed to freeze in place in an accident.

In spite of the condition of the inside of the cab, we were able to retrieve a number of items.  Before going out, we made a list with Cyn of items to look for and where they had been relative to the driver's seat.  Some stuff was where it had been, some wasn't.  I worked the inside of the cab gathering anything that appeared of value, and putting it on the driver's seat while Jan did some preliminary sorting - clothing here, tools there, paperwork somewhere else.  A number of the items we'll have to have Cyn interpret when she see it.

Our search was cut short by the weather.  A thunderstorm blew in from the mountains and drenched the area.  Toward the end, it was a rush to bag stuff and get it to the van before the downpour arrived.  The truck will be salvaged so what we have is what we have.

Question of Mercury answered
Unfortunately, we are pretty sure Mercury, one of Cyn's cats, died in the accident.  While examining one of the outboard compartments behind the sleeper area, I encountered the odor of death.  That section was very badly damaged and unreachable.

Where from here
We are to spend today with the various therapists as they work with Cyn.  We will have a discussion with the orthopedist about her collarbone and the nurse in charge of her recovery to determine what a plan of action to follow.

Two surprises
After working inside Cyn's cab, I was surprised the engine was not in the cab.  Based on the outside picture, I expected to find it up between the seats, but it wasn't.  I suspect it was actually forced under the cab, because the floor and instrument panel were both raised and pushed toward the doors.

We had guessed Cyn's glasses had been thrown to the windshield on impact and where somewhere between the windshield and the dash.  I was surprised we found Cyn's glasses, temples closed, on the floor between the driver's seat and the door.  They were covered with debris and well oiled, but Jan was able to clean them and bend them into a usable form.  Cyn can now read your emails, and see the pictures we took of the truck.

Have to run.

Take care.

Cyn's recovery 07/25/10

Good Morning All,

Hello from Cyn!

Jan and I arrived in Flagstaff yesterday, found the hospital and Cyn.  She is in good spirits and is generally doing well.

Overall condition
Considering everything, Cyn is making good progress.  Yesterday started a bit of a set back with her retaining fluids.  The gave her some medication to counteract that, which was working well within a couple of hours.  They are also seeing some fluid around the lungs in her most recent x-rays, so they are attending to that, too.

Pain in the ribs and collarbone is a problem when she coughs, which is something she has to do. They are adjusting meds to see if they can find a combination that gives the desired effects.  We got a rib count yesterday, and the current number is ten to a dozen broken ribs, front and back.  The collarbone fracture is a simple one, so won't need to be set.

The ribs and lungs are the major issues, but she has some pretty healthy bruises and a decent sized cut and deep bruise on her left lower leg.  It seems they are watching the cut / bruise as a potential source of blood clots.

She is working on stamina with physical therapy.  Just getting up and down is an effort with the ribs.  So far, trips to and from the nurses' station is about the extent of what she can handle.

This morning is test morning.  Cyn will be having chest x-rays and maybe a CAT scan to examine her lungs.  She'll also be getting a shower, which will help her feel better and will also test her stamina.

Today
We will see her this afternoon and evening.  We are staying at the Taylor House which is connected with the hospital.  They house out patients who are in for chemo or radiation treatments and families of hospital patients.  The house is within walking distance of the hospital, so we can use it as a home base without doing a lot of driving.  At elevation (about 7200 feet), walking can be an interesting experience.  We can feel the three block walk to the hospital, and have been warned about going slow until our bodies acclimatized to the altitude.  That altitude is giving Cyn some difficulty.  With the lung injury and the altitude, her oxygen level is difficult to maintain.  In talking with the supervisor here, the hospital takes in a lot of tourists who have difficulty with the altitude that progress to heart problems.

Future plans
Assuming all progresses somewhat on plan, Jan and Cyn will leave on AmTrak Thursday morning.  I'll head north with Prancer.  We should all be back to our place in about a week.  As we've done since the beginning of this adventure, we are making things up as we go, so everything is fluid.

Communication
Cyn's cellphone is recharged and working again.  She can also take calls on her room phone.  Dial the hospital number 928-779-3366, ask for room 30XX, and you are there.  Remember that Flagstaff time is the equivalent of Pacific Daily Time (the are Mountain Standard, no Daylight Savings here) - two hours behind MN time.

Appreciation
On behalf of all of us, I would like to thank everyone for all their help, their prayers, their wishes, emails, cards and everything else.  The hospital email form works well.  Since we haven't found her glasses yet (truck trip is tomorrow), someone will read the email messages to her when they arrive.  Even short ones are real spirit lifters.

That is all for now.

Take care.

Cyn recovery 07/23/10

Cyn recovery continues. Her spinal catheter is out, her chest tube was replaced, and they transitioned her from morphine to oxycodone (we think). She's a little drifty on that.

Both respiration & physical therapists have been working with her. They are trying to reduce the amount of oxygen assist and increase the level of exercise. So far, so good.

With her progress, we are headed southwest with 600 miles behind us & 900 miles to go.

Take care.

Cyn out of ICU 07/22/10

Late breaking news:

Cyn is now in Room 30XX bed #1 telemetry floor.

Cyn visit 07/21/10 evening

Tonight’s offering will be shorter but with good news.

Today was a good / bad day.  Cyn has been able to cough a lot of stuff up, but it hurts a lot to do so.  Her pain receptors have been resting with Mr. Morphine, but awake with a vengeance when allowed.  She was visited by both the respiratory therapist and the physical therapist today.  She not only had the opportunity to practice her hacking and coughing, but she also took a major hike – to the nurses’ station and back.  Put those two together and she was beat by the time everything was over.

Today was also removal time.  The catheter in her back came out which means no more happy juice to her spine.  The good news is she’s healing, but on the other hand they can leave those in place for so long before they have to be removed.  Tomorrow, they will likely remove her chest tube.

Cyn had some visitors today.  A couple came in to see her and she didn’t recognize them until they introduced themselves.  They were a Quest Global team whose turbocharger was being repaired in Flagstaff.  Sandy from the office directed them over to the hospital to visit with Cyn and see how she was doing.  It turned out they had some long past connections – no strangers in the trucking business – and they had a very good visit.

The other visitor was much smaller and had a black coat.  No one would ever admit it, but somehow someone may have been sneaked in for a short visit. (Cat!!)

Food today was good and stayed where it was supposed to.  It never hurts to have an appetite on Mac & Cheese Day.

When her oxygen utilization gets better and more stable (more hacking and coughing practice), she’ll be able to exit the ICU and think about a regular room.  Until then, the oxygen police will be monitoring her and getting on her case to keep that oxygen mask on and breathe.

You’ve likely seen the truck picture by now.  The only thing I’ll say is that when I saw the picture I added a crowbar to my list of tools to take when I explore the cab.

Take care

Cyn's accident 07/21/10 morning

All,

I have some updated information on how Cyn is doing.  For some will be too much, some will be repeated, hopefully it will be close enough.

Current condition
Cyn is currently in the ICU at Flagstaff Medical Center (https://www.myhospitalwebsite.com/library/webdav/view/Flagstaff/default ), the regional AZ trauma center.  If there is good fortune, she had her accident in a pretty good location.  She broke “nearly every” rib, broke her collarbone, bruised one lung, and has a small lung puncture.  With all the broken bones she is in significant pain, so has been receiving pain medication since being admitted.  They inserted an epidural catheter to put drugs into her spinal area to help control the pain (same theory as a spinal block).  They also inserted a chest tube in one lung to drain fluid and to allow the lung to re-inflate itself.

She has been breathing on her own, but they are working her hard to keep her lungs clear  to prevent pneumonia.  Her nurse described her lung condition as fragile.  She is on an oxygen mask to keep her oxygen level up.  Visiting and the consistent drugs tire her quickly, and since she’s still in the ICU calls are limited.  They have been able to get her into a chair to work on breathing which involves someone in front and someone behind, each pushing while she tries to cough out the junk in her lungs.  When the lungs clear more, she’ll be able to move from the ICU to a regular room.

She is in good spirits, and realizes she has a lot of work and healing to do.  She also realizes that she is extremely lucky to still be around and that “God isn’t quite done with her yet.”  Since pain is the body’s way of letting you know you are still alive, she’s decided she is really alive right now.  She has also decided that drugs are good when you really need them.  For now she’s switched from caffeine and nicotine to morphine.

The cats
We know that one cat (Prancer) survived the crash and was found uninjured at the truck by the impound lot manager.  We may find Mercury during our salvage efforts; we’ll see.  The manager is a cat person and is caring for Prancer and left food and water out for Mercury if he’s still somewhere in the truck.

Future plans
We are currently making it up as we go, but once Cyn transitions from the ICU to a general room we will head toward Flagstaff to get her when she’s released from the hospital.  We are driving down to collect both her, her cat(s), and whatever personal effects we can salvage from her truck.  We aren’t quite sure now how we are going to get her back, up here, but somehow after she’s released, she’ll be recuperating with us.  Right now the option may be the train.

Communications
Until she is released from the ICU, phone calls are probably not a good idea.  If you call the hospital, I’m not sure if they would let you through.  She still has her cell phone, but the battery is pretty well dead.  After the accident, she called 911 to report the accident, then called her dispatcher, and called us from the Emergency Room while she was waiting to be moved to ICU. We don’t know how long she’ll be in the hospital, so if you want to send a card, feel free to send it to our home address:

XXXXXXX

I noticed the hospital does support incoming only patient email (https://www.myhospitalwebsite.com/library/webdav/view/Flagstaff/PatientsAndVisitors/EmailAPatient/default.aspx ), so that might be a good option.

The truck
We haven’t seen any pictures yet, but from what we’ve heard, her former long nose tractor is a now a cabover.   The windshield is gone and the engine block is up in the passenger compartment.  We will be taking our cameras and will distribute some pictures when we get them.  The load was picked up by another team and continued its journey.  The other driver was not injured, and was able to pull his rig away from the wreck.  Apparently the other truck was heavily loaded and Cyn’s wasn’t.   Given that, it’s all physics in determining what happens.

The people
First, I would like to thank you for all your help, encouragement, wishes and prayers.  Everyone in Flagstaff from the State Troopers, the impound lot manager, the nurses and the hospital staff have been exceptionally helpful.  Everyone we’ve been in contact at Cyn’s employer have also been great.  Bernard, one of the dispatchers stayed on the phone with Cyn while she was trapped in the truck  waiting for the emergency vehicles to arrive.  The people from Safety are working to please the paperwork gods who must be fed & satisfied.

Bed
When I get tired, I tend to ramble.  Sorry about that.  It’s bedtime. 

Good night

Cyn accident 07/18/10

All,

We received a call from my sister Cyn this morning that she was in an accident in AZ.  Doing about 65, her semi rear-ended another semi on the freeway from what we gather so far.  Her seatbelt saved her life, but she has a number of broken ribs, a broken collarbone and a bruised lung.  According to the State Patrolman I spoke with, everything from the front bumper back to the cab was in the cab area when they cut her out.

She is currently in the ICU for observation due to the type of accident.  Sometime within the week we’ll be going down to pick her up following her release, help settle her affairs down there and bring her back for recovery.

I wanted to let you know in advance what was happening.

Recent Journey Recounted

Over the next few installments, I will be recounting a journey we took to Flagstaff, AZ, to retrieve my sister Cynthia (aka Cyn, Cindy, Cyndi, ...), an over-the-road truck driver following a rather serious accident near Flagstaff, AZ.  This was her truck following the accident -

The accident converted her longnosed KW into a cabover.  She survived the accident with a dozen broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a bruised lung and a punctured, partially collapsed lung.  During the following weeks, I emailed relatives, friends and acquaintances during the journey we undertook to bring her back from Flagstaff, AZ, to our home in MN.

What follows is a recounting of that journey as retold in those (edited) emails.

Copyright Notification - Copyright (c) 2010 Rights to all material, written and photographic are retained by the author of this blog and may not be used without permission.