Great news! That is so good to hear.
Update Wed. Sep. 30: Zac continues to do well weaning off the vent. Today he was able to be completely disconnected from the vent for 2 hours!! They put him back on so that he could rest for the night. Can't wait to see how he does tomorrow. Earlier in the day his heart rate went up, but they decided he might be dehydrated, so they pushed some fluids and that did the trick. He is now wearing a softer, and more comfortable neck support. Tomorrow he is to get a new (longer) bed and a new mattress. I tell them, "he is a long, tall Texan". There are still 2 more Dr's to meet, maybe that will happen tomorrow as well. With all the sickness going around we are going to be very picky about visitors coming to see Zac. He has battled so many infections, and currently has pneumonia again we found out yesterday, that we will ask everyone who is not 100% healthy to not come until they are. We feel that everyone would understand, and agree, that we only want what is best for Zac. Keep the prayers coming for a complete and total recovery! May God receive all the glory and praise!!!
Location, location, location. I'm sure he is much happier to be back in Texas. We even got some warmer weather back just for him. We enjoyed some cooler days right before he got here though. The pics on the New River site are great. I'm sure Fred is also happy to be home. Thank God for the flight. The prayers continue.
Update Thursday Oct. 1 Zac has had a very busy day. When I got there this morning they were doing an echocardiogram because of his increased heart rate yesterday. Before that person had left his room, the man arrived to put in a midline in Zac's left arm so that he won't have to worry with I.V. lines now. Then the infectious disease Dr. came, then the pulmonary Dr. came, then Zac got his new bed, then Zac got his trach replaced (they have to be replaced once a month), and he also got a bath and shave. He was taken off the vent at 10:30 this morning, and when I left he was still off the vent and they were planning on leaving him off throughout the night unless he started having problems!! They got Zac a special chair to sit up in, but when it was delivered it was for an obese person. Zac is weighing somewhere around 130-135# now, so needless to say it was too wide for him. They are giving Zac medications to help him "emerge" from his coma. His primary Dr. also came by today and said "We just have to wait and see". Boy, have we heard that all along this journey! Zac continued to move his head today, but he didn't crack his eyes open. We were happy that the Dr's said that Zac can have his neck brace off when he is in bed. The CT scan showed no fractures, so his skull fracture has healed. They are doing his feedings differently now. Instead of constant feeding throughout the day, they are giving him a feeding every 6 hours. He is tolerating this well so far. Thank you all for your prayers and words of encouragement. This will be a long journey for all of us. We don't know what the future holds for us, but we continue to ask God for a complete healing and full restoration for Zac. I just feel that God has much more work for him and many lives to touch through his testimony.
Update from Friday Oct. 2 Well, God answered the prayer fast that Zac would wean off the vent easily. He has now been off the vent for over 33 hours!! This afternoon when i got to his room, I was told by the director of respiratory that he was not even rec'g the oxygen through his trach anymore. The correct size Barton chair was delivered tonight, and hopefully Zac will be transferred into it tomorrow so that he can sit up for a while. His primary Dr. came and we discussed chosing a neurosurgeon when it is time for Zac's surgery to have the bone flap put back in. Fred and I have one in mind and he and Zac's primary Dr. are personal friends. Again, this proves to me how God is in control of this whole situation and continues to answer our prayers for guidance every step of the way. Zac did crack his eyes open tonight, the right one more than the left. He had 3 more visitors today. We are gradually allowing people to come and see Zac, but if you are not 100% healthy, you won't be allowed near him. Remember, only what's best for Zac
Update Sat. Oct. 3 Zac is still off the vent! He is getting 1 liter of oxygen through his trach today because his heart rate is above 100. The nursing staff got him from his bed into his Barton chair and he was able to sit up for about an hour and a half. Then, Zac had another bout of vomiting and was returned to bed. They do not believe this had any thing to do with his feeding, but maybe over-stimulation. The cardiologist came in and said that Zac had some fluid around his heart, but it was a small amount, and no treatment was necessary. The respiratory therapist said that tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. Zac will have been off the vent for 72 hours. At that point they officially can say that someone is weaned off the vent. If his blood gases are good in the morning, they will even remove the ventilator machine from his room. I would say that God answered that prayer pretty fast!! Zac barely cracked his right eye open before I left tonight. Can't remember if we were talking about his Dad's new iPhone or ordering pizza! LOL
Sunday 10/4/09 8:42pm Zac is officially off the vent as of 11:00 this morning!! The machine has even been removed from his room. Around 1:15 today they put Zac in his barton chair for about an hour. His heart rate went up to 130 while he was in the chair. They decided to put him back in bed to get his heart rate back down. After a while, his heart rate went down to 119. Then around 6:30 he had a visitor and his heart rate went back up to 126. His eyes were open as much as they were the day he arrived to Texas; however, his heart rate went up to 129. The staff then decided it was best for Zac not to have any stimulation for a while and we were all asked to step out. We must all realize that his body may react in ways we do not understand and at times it is best for him to have rest and zero stimulation. There may be days ahead when it will not be appropriate for any visitors, and even family may be asked to allow Zac to rest. We need to respect this and remember that we only want what is best for Zac!! "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him..."
Monday 10/5/09 Day 59 Yesterday at 9:32pm Zac's heart rate has been better today. They got him up in his chair from 1:45-4:00 and his heart rate went up to 110. That is much better than what it did last night. Later in the evening, his heart rate stayed around 91-95. Zac was moving his head some, but did not crack open his eyes before I left his room. I told him it was o.k., i know he had a rough night last night. Keep those prayers coming! "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Matt. 21:22
Tuesday 10/6/09 DAY 60 Today at 9:23pm Not much change or excitement today. When I called this morning around 9:00 to see how he was doing, his heart rate was 114. Zac did sit up again in his chair from around 11:00 until after 2:00. His heart rate was around 111. Having to work and miss all the Dr's when they come to see Zac is frustrating. Zac's dad said the neurologist finally came around 10:00 or 10:30 last night. If I want to catch him I will have to be at the hospital late on the day(s) he comes. This may not be one of the Dr's that we look forward to talking to." That's all I have to say about that" as Forrest Gump would say. Keep the prayer flood gates open, we must not lose our hope or our faith!!! God can change His mind Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wednesday 10/7/09 DAY 61 Yesterday at 9:22pm Zac's heart rate has stayed around 100-105 all day. Zac was up in his chair from 2:00-4:20. He tolerated this well. I did range of motion on his arms while he was up in the chair. When we transferred him back to bed, I did range of motion on his legs and ankles. I'm sure Zac is so happy that his mom is a therapist at times...not! It makes me feel good to fuss over him and make sure that he is positioned well in the bed. I was telling the nurse tonight that I'm glad there is not a pillow shortage. Zac did crack his eyes open whenever we were moving him around this afternoon and tonight.
Thursday 10/8/09 DAY 62 Yesterday at 9:21pm No significant change in Zac's condition. I did get to talk to his physical medicine Dr. on the phone today. She believes that Zac is experiencing "storms". This is when his sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. Zac shows signs of this when his heart rate increases and he starts to sweat. When this happens we must make sure that he is comfortable by seeing if his position needs changing, turning the fan on, and decreasing his stimulation. I tell you all this so that if you are wanting to visit Zac you will understand why there may be times when no visitors are allowed in his room, even family. Sometimes this all seems overwhelming, but I know that nothing is too big for God. My human nature is experiencing many emotions through this. I am trying to take it one day at a time. My human nature wants me to worry about what is to be, but I am fighting this so that I may rest in the Lord and His promises. Thank all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. I can honestly say that this is the hardest thing I have had to go through in my life; even harder than the death of my parents. Your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated.
Saturday 10/10/09 DAY 64 Today at 12:24pm Got a text message from Zac's dad at 11:45 pm last night that the nurses had called him to report that Zac had moaned, a real moan. When I was with him today, I heard him make a long sigh after a period of coughing. I feel that this may be a sign, along with the fact that he is keeping his eyes cracked open more, that he is trying to emerge from his coma. Unfortunately, Zac has a sore on his tailbone area that has gotten a little worse. There have been strict orders written that Zac is to be kept on his side and not flat on his back because of this. He is so thin because of the weight loss that I was afraid this would happen. This has also affected how long he can sit up in his chair. He cannot sit up for much more than an hour because of the pressure that is put on that area when you sit up. Zac's heart rate is also going up whenever they get him up in the chair. Today, his heart rate went up to 130, which is not good. They are giving him medicine to lower his heart rate. There are so many factors in this whole situation. It is hard because one thing affects another. I'm always praying that the Lord would take care of everything so that we could continue to move forward and not backward. I'm not too proud to ask for prayer, and I am asking for prayer!! I realize we may be approaching the point soon when it will be revealed what God's plan is for Zac. Will he answer our prayers for a complete restoration? I'm trying to hold on to my faith tightly and wait for the miracle. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Phil 4:6-7
Yuliya, thanks for keeping us in the loop. I check newriver all the time but don't seem to get much info. How is Fred? I hesitate to call. Maybe I just should. Joe B.
Joe, give him a call, if he can't talk he can't talk. Or send him an email, it's good to let him know you're there and thinking about them.
Monday 10/12/09 DAY 66 Yesterday at 10:43pm They still have Zac's trach capped off and when I arrived to see him around 2:00 he was sitting up in his chair. His eyes were closed, but it seemed as if he were really trying to say something. He was making a lot of sounds, and this went on the entire time he was sitting up which was around 2 hours! When they got him back in bed he seemed exhausted from all the effort and became still and quiet. His heart rate was pretty good considering how much he was vocalizing; it stayed around 120. It really seemed as if he were trying his hardest to say something, but it just wouldn't come out. I would ask for special prayer that God would allow Zac to form the words. I pray that God would allow total healing so that Zac can be a great witness for Him and His greatness! May God receive all the glory and honor
Wednesday 10/14/09 DAY 68 Yesterday at 9:37pm Zacs temperature was up this morning to 100.4. They are going to do a chest X-ray tomorrow to see if he has bronchitis or maybe pneumonia. The nurse told me that Zac sat up in his barton chair from about 1:30-4:30 today. His heart rate went up to 130 which they really don't like, but after they turned the fan on him and put some soothing music on, his heart rate went down. We found out that whoever thought his bed could weigh him was mistaken. The nurses' aide weighed him today and he weighs 128.5. As you can imagine, being 6'1", he should weigh much more than this. Plus, as I told Zac, he cannot weigh less than his mother!! Zac continues to crack his eyes open for longer periods of time, and is continuing with the head movements and vocalizing. I was told that he responded to everything that the speech therapist did today. (That means with either eye movement or head movement) It does appear that he is trying to emerge from the coma and now his physical medicine Dr. feels the same way. I am anxiously awaiting the miracle to happen!
Thursday 10/15/09 DAY 69 Yesterday at 9:56pm The results of Zac's chest X-ray this morning showed that once again he has pneumonia. They are not keeping his trach capped off, but rather have an attachment on it that gives Zac oxygen through his trach. Because of this, we are not hearing as much vocalizing. He is still making noise, just not as much. The nurse told me that when they were putting him back to bed after sitting up 2 hours that his eyes opened up more than they have and it looked like he was trying to focus on her!! They have started a 3rd medication today to help him emerge from the coma. He was also started on an antibiotic for the pneumonia. Immediate prayer needs are for the resolving of the pneumonia and that the "bedsore" on his tailbone area would heal. Thank you to all the prayer warriors out there!!!
I'm still praying and thanking God for the healing he has already given to all involved. I am still in awe about how God brought the transport to bring Zac home. Keep fighting Zac. The white flag is up now.
Saturday 10/17/09 DAY 71 No real change in Zac's condition. He is still battling the pneumonia; maybe this is why he wasn't vocalizing today while i was there. (Well, other than snoring!) They did get him up in his chair today. The new "high tech" bed that Zac is in is the top of the line for relief of pressure on a person's body. Hopefully that wound on his tailbone area will heal soon. Now, if we could just fatten that boy up!! Please continue to pray for the pneumonia to be resolved, and for the healing of the bedsore. Of course we continue to pray that the Lord will completely heal Zac and bring him back to us soon
Monday 10/19/09 DAY 73 Yesterday at 10:14pm Zac has pneumonia in both lungs I found out tonight from his primary Dr. I also found out that his culture from his sputum came back positive for MRSA. Zac was coughing a lot this evening and has been coughing a lot lately with the pneumonia. This coughing caused him to vomit on Saturday. Tonight they put a different trach in Zac; one that has a "cuff" on it to prevent any vomitus from going into Zac's lungs. Zac's heart rate is still an issue at times. His heart rate went up to 125 when he was coughing tonight. Zac also has a fungus on his tongue now. As you can see, right now there are several things that we need prayer for. There is still the open wound on his tailbone area as well as his weight loss that are areas of concern as well. I did talk with the dietician over the phone today and she told me they are giving Zac 2400 calories a day. He is not able to tolerate an increase in the volume of the feedings as he does not digest the current amount well all the time. There is so much involved with a head injury! Just please keep Zac in your prayers so that he may overcome all these obstacles and continue to progress so that he can go to Baylor rehab in the future!!
10/21 8am Zac had a bad night last night. His temp went up to 102.6 and his heart rate was between 140-150. This was scarey to me. I just happened to call up to the hospital around 9:00 last night and found out from nursing. They took off his gown, took off his compression devices on his legs, turned the fan on, and gave him Tylenol to bring his fever down. In 45 min. his temp was down to 100 and his heart rate was 117. We must keep praying that Zac will become infection free so that we won't have any more scarey nights. I did not post this last night because I was busy contacting people for prayer and giving them updates. Thank you all for your continued prayer for Zac's healing!!!
Wednesday 10/21/09 DAY 75 Yesterday at 9:44pm Zac continues to battle pneumonia in both lungs. His pulmonary Dr. performed a bronchoscopy on him today, which is a term to say that they irrigated his lungs with sterile saline and then suctioned it all out. The Dr. also put back in a larger trach so that Zac can breath easier while he is fighting the pneumonia. When my sister and I were there tonight, he did not cough one time. The therapists have put a gel pad in his barton chair so that he can sit up longer with decreased pressure on his wound that has not healed completely yet. There has been introduced a GI Dr. because Zac's feeding tube was a concern as far as placement. This Dr. has changed Zac's feedings back to continuously and also changed the formula that he is getting. The nurses are seeing good "residuals" ( amount of content in Zac's stomach) with this method so far. This is a good thing. I'm not happy that the formula was changed to one that is giving him less calories at this point. Zac has lost more weight and now weighs 126#. The enemy is battling on all fronts. Keep up the prayers!! Thank you all and may God have the victory!!!
Sunday 10/25/09 SAY 79 It seems Zac had periods of apnea last night that required Zac to be placed on a BiPAP machine that assists with breathing in and breathing out. There was concern that he might have a collapsed lung so an xray was ordered. The xray showed his lungs were fine. His primary Dr. ordered a CT scan today of his head to make sure his shunt is working properly and that there has been no increase in swelling that might have caused this. The results of that will not come back until tomorrow. Zac's dad stated today that Zac has done this in the past in his presence and feels it is nothing serious. The staff at Kindred reacted quickly, not knowing this, and I am grateful. Hopefully, this will be nothing serious and some way of monitoring this will be figured out if there is concern that this might happen again. Zac got hand and foot care by his aunt Janet today. After she massaged his hands with lotion, they were very relaxed when i performed range of motion on them. One of Zac's friends was there for a visit and said, "Man Zac, you really are being waited on hand and foot!" Keep praying for our dear Zac who is derserving of a miraculous healing Saturday 10/24/09 DAY 78 I'm sorry it's been a few days, life is busy and hectic at times. Zac remains on continuous feedings and is tolerating them well so far. He is back on the higher calorie formula as of Thursday. I was told on Friday that the wound on his tailbone area is decreasing in size, so that is good. They got him a gel cushion pad for when he is sitting up in his barton chair. (Becky, the very same day I asked for it! We think alike ) This relieves some of the pressure in that area when he is sitting up. His vital signs overall have been good. His pulmonary Dr. came in this morning and said an x-ray that was taken earlier this morning showed that the pneumonia is gone!! Thank you so much for your prayers in that area. Zac seems to be showing a gradual increase in his level of alertness. The nursing staff is reporting that Zac appears to be tracking with his eyes at times when they are open. I witnessed that today twice while i was there. I told Zac today that i was listening to KCBI on the radio and the person who created "Veggie Tales" was speaking. He said that if you have been given something precious from the Lord, you should be thankful for it. If it is a talent, like story telling is for him, or if it is something else, you should give it completely to the Lord and He will bless your faithfulness. I told Zac that he was a gift fom God at the moment of his birth. I told Zac that I am giving him completely to the Lord and trusting to obtain that blessing for being faithful. Becoming a christian did not mean life would always be easy from that moment. Instead, we were promised that we would never walk alone in the midst of a trial, or on any day for that matter. I know that Zac is touching lives from his hospital bed; even being in a coma. I also know that the Lord is at work in this situation. I told Zac that there were friends,family, and even strangers praying for him all over the U.S. "Pray without ceasing" 1Thess. 5:17
Sorry all for a gap in posting, I've been out of the country and internet was spotty. Wednesday 10/28/09 DAY 82 Yesterday at 8:38pm The BiPAP machine was removed from Zac's room as he has not had a period of apnea since Sunday night. Nursing reports that the wound on his tailbone area has almost completely healed (answer to prayer!) Zac had another bout of vomiting yesterday. They are working on decreasing the amount of water that he gets a day that is not absolutely necessary. Every time he gets medication through his feeding tube, it is mixed with water. They have to flush(clear out with water) his feeding tube with water, and he gets a bolus of water throughout the day because his body needs the fluid. The are consolidating his medications as much as possible to decease the amount of water he gets a day that is not necessary. Zac sat up in his chair today for 21/2 hours. He sat up for almost 4 hours yesterday. Zac is still in a coma. He has been in a coma for 82 days now. He is starting to keep his eyes almost completely open for longer periods throughout the day. He does appear to focus on the person talking to him for a little while. Today, when getting him back in bed, Zac started coughing. He has always had a strong cough from the beginning. His arms and legs drew up while he was coughing, and he turned from his back to his right side by himself. Was this purposeful movement? No Has he ever drawn up his arms AND legs when coughing? No Has he ever turned from his back to his side by himself? No This is something that is new that has not happened before. What will we see next that he has not done before?? I was asked to provide the address for Zac Zac Chapman Kindred Hospital SCU#1 7800 Oakmont Blvd Fort Worth, TX 76132 Monday 10/26/09 DAY 80 Mon at 7:04pm Zac had another episode of apnea last night and was on the BiPAP machine from 10:00pm-7:20am this morning. It sounds like this may be just another thing that is occuring because of the brain injury. Zac was sitting up in his chair when I arrived and stayed up close to 3 hours. There's not a lot to report tonight. He did open his eyes almost completely a few times and looked as if he was trying to focus on whoever it was that was talking to him at the time. Thank you all for your continued love, support, and prayers!!
