The long and winding road

Daniel is on the next part of the long and winding road of recovery.  It will be a long (and lifelong) path towards the healing of body, mind, and spirit.  It is certainly winding. He has limited ability to see what is just around the bend in the path.

The last couple days and evenings have been pretty rough.  But, he has some periods of relative comfort and has enjoyed some visitors.  These visitors have lifted his spirits and helped him not feel isolated.

But, there is a contant battle against pain.  The pain management is the biggest immediate issue.  While "surgical" and wound pains are generally kept in check, the Phantom Limb Pain is the most significant concern.  He describes this pain as being the feeling of someone putting burning coals on his feet or someone smashing his knees with a sledge hammer.  This is very real pain and not unexpected. It will be a while before these subside.  At the moment they are primarily handling it with drugs.  They are moving forward on other drug free methods of helping ease that pain.  The goal is comfort and sleep.

Every day brings a series of good and bad news.  Yesterday we were happy to hear that they have basically closed up all the wounds and he will not need to go back in to surgery until Monday.  We were sad to see and hear about the wounds to his left hand.  While the index finger and thumb work fine (very good and miraculous) they had to reconstruct his hand and that he has lost the lowest knuckles of his other three fingers. If you were to look at the palm of your own left hand, his ends at the top large crease.

The long road.  Daniel will likely spend the next 3-4 weeks here at Bethesda Naval Hospital.  He then chooses the next location for his rehabilitation (Walter Reed hospital here in Bethesda, MD; San Antonio, TX; or San Diego, CA).  This is a very difficult decision.  There are many factors to weigh (the facilities and what they offer, access for family and friends over a long period of time, places to go when he is an outpatient, even the weather and climate,  etc. etc.); and all of these are important to his recovery.  He will be an inpatient at that facility for 4-6 weeks.  The goal of this time is to enable him to be confident and mainly independant in a wheelchair.  He then continues his rehab and work with a prothestics team at the facility as an outpatient for 15-18 months.  During this time he will continue as a US Marine, report Monday to Friday to the base and his Wounded Warior Regiment, and live on or near the base.  The goal of this time is to have him ready to continue active duty or be able to have a full life as a civilian (school, work, or whatever).

The winding road. There are still many many unknowns.  The timeline above has too many variables to be very accurate.  While he is still a US Marine and he could continue, by Commandants Orders, in the marine corps it is unsure what that looks like.  Decisions on what type and timing of rehab are a ways away. The kind of prosthetics that he will choose or be available to him are unknown. At the moment, he is thinking that he will likely choose to leave the marines and seek to complete his education.  But, that is a year to 18 months away.

The last couple days have been active as well.  Some highlights ....
- he was able to get himself sitting up in his bed.  This took a great deal of energy and was tricky (his left hand is still bandaged and has a couple fractures).
- Congressman Mike Coffman (CO - 6th district) came by to visit.  Daniel and I really enjoyed that visit.  He has sinced called again to check in on Daniel, is bringing some books for him, plans to visit every week, and has breakfast scheduled with me next week.  He is former Army and then saw the light and became a US Marine.  He took leave from elected office to do a tour in Iraq as a marine.  Daniel says he has "good cred".
- Daniel got out of his bed and did a couple circles around the ward in his powered wheelchair.  He wishes his brothers were around so they could "pimp out" is ride.
- We have discovered that Daniel's refined culinary tastes are not compatable with the offerings of the food services of this establishment.  (read - the food sucks!)  When asked by the nurse, "have you had any bouts of nausia?" Daniel responded, "Only when they take the cover off the meals."
- Chipotle!  "awesome"

Daniel continues to be focussed, working hard to "get the &%$@# out of here", hopeful, planning for the future, and very thankful for all the prayers and support.  God is good!

I am at the hospital from first thing in the morning until he settles to sleep.  I am around as much, or as little, as he wants for his support.  I have found myself being his personal assistant (a role i think i am gifted to be able to do) - keeping all the many details organized, helping to coordinate his care, a repository of all the information that he is bombarded with, keeper of the plethora of business cards, helping to comunicate between him and the medical staff (and vice-versa), being a guard-dog at his door when he needs rest, supplying him with "real" food, helping to arrange his room and bed (he likes his room tidy), .......   This is a full-time job!  But, I am pleased to be here and be able to help out!  I am very grateful for the support of Bishop O'Neill, the Rev. Carl Andrews, the staff at the Diocese of Colorado, and the great team members at Cathedral Ridge - all of whom have allowed me the time, space, and priviledge to care for this brave young man!

I am also thankful for all the prayers and support that has been received and/or offered.  We do not fuly know or understand his or our family's future needs.  But, we are confident that through God, His people, and the wider community of caring people surrounding us we will be cared for and get through this.  We know that God will not put anything in our path that we will not be able to handle!

Dad