This post is going to be quite a mish mash. First I tried to just copy and paste some e-mails that I sent to my family, but I couldn't get it to work, so I began writing out our story from the beginning. Then I had a friend tell me how to make the e-mail work. I am including both what I started writing, and the e-mails. Sorry about the overlap, and sorry about how incredibly long it's going to be.
Here's what I started writing this morning:
I was trying to avoid having to write this post. I tried to copy and paste some e-mails that I sent to my family so I wouldn't have to re-tell everything, but it won't let me do that. So, as a warning, this post is going to be extremely long and detailed for record keeping purposes, I'm sure I will forget a lot of it very quickly. I will post pictures next.
Saturday evening Joel went to the Priesthood Session of General Conference and while he was gone we decided to make some donuts. They were tasty and the kids enjoyed them. After they were done it was time for baths so I unplugged the deep fryer, pushed it back on the counter, and went upstairs with Will to give him a bath.
When I was just finishing up giving Will a bath- he was out of the tub with his towel on- I heard Adam scream. I knew right away that something was seriously wrong, because he wasn't just crying. I could hear that he was definitely hurt, and he was also panicked. I ran downstairs, and about halfway down I just knew that it had to be the oil. I ran into the kitchen at top speed (and of course fell because the floor was covered in oil). Adam was stading there, clothes soaked in hot oil, screaming. I immediately pulled his clothes off and put him in the kitchen sink because I was going to spray him with cool water. I thought at first that maybe it wasn't too bad, the oil had been off for at least ten minutes. and Adam's skin just looked red. But then I saw that his skin started to slough off, spots of blood were appearing on his torso, and over his rubs were strange dark purple marks. I didn't put any water on him because I was afraid that his skin would just come right off and he'd have no defense against the open air. I grabbed my phone and for one split second I thought "Joel, or 911?". Obviously it didn't take me long to make that decision and I called 911 right away.
By this time Jenna had come out of my bedroom where she was watching T.V. She was really worried and sort of freaking out, partially because she could see that Adam was in a lot of pain, and partially because I was freaking out. I was trying to hold it together on the phone with the dispatcher, but Adam's skin was starting to blister and look worse. After I gave her the info and she said an ambulance was on the way I hung up with her and called Joel. Eventually he answered (he had to get to a place where he could answer) and he came home quickly. He got here less than a minute after the paramedics.
They had me wrap Adam in large sterile pads and carry him out to the ambulance. I was still trying to hold things together. It was hard to see my baby in so much pain, and once the paramedics got there and they were supposed to take care of things it's hard to stay strong. I'm not sure if any of you have experienced something similar, but it feels like you should be able to put some of the burden on them, and that's when the tears start flowing. At least for me.
Anyway, we rode to the hospital in the ambulance, and in the E.R. they put in an I.V. and started giving him fluids as well as morphine. The E.R. doctor looked at him and told us that they would most likely be sending him to Greeley (where they have a burn center) or Denver Children's Hospital. They estimated that the burn covered 20% of his body.
Joel got to the E.R. shortly after we did, thanks to some neighbors of our that saw the ambulance and came to take care of Jenna and Will. We are so grateful to them for their help in our time of need. Joel called a man from our ward and as soon as we got a chance they gave Adam a preisthood blessing.
We got many calls and texts while we were in the E.R. from people who had found out about what happened and offered their support. It meant so much to us to see what great freinds and family we have. I called my friend Sarah to tell her what happened and she immediately came over from Cheyenne to get my kids. I knew they would be in good hands with her family, and that they would be comfortable with them. We have wonderful friends.
After the doctor made some phone calls we found out that we were going to Denver Children's. We found out later that it was because the burn center in Greeley didn't have a pediatric anesthesiologist on hand and they weren't sure if Adam would need surgery. Adam's pediatrician happened to be in the hospital at the time so she came down to see us. She figured that they would fly us, either helicopter or fixed wing. When we found out that we would be going down in the ambulance she was pretty surprised. I didn't know enough to be surprised, I just wasn't looking forward to Adam having to make that long trip.
We decided that I would ride down with him; he was still on my lap and he didn't want to move at all. I did have to hand him off to Joel for a minute while I used the bathroom before the trip, and that was hard for all of us. Of course, any movement at all was quite painful to him, even with the morphine.
So I rode in the ambulance and Joel drove down after packing a few things that we might need while we were down there, since we didn't know how long we would need to stay. The ride in the ambulance wasn't fun at all. The I.V. pump stopped working and the EMT didn't know how to fix it because they don't use IV pumps. After some phone calls he eventually just set the pump aside and did it himself, trying to keep a steady drip at the right speed while in the back of a moving vehicle. The temp in the back of the ambulance was a little crazy, up and down. This was furstrating to me since burn victims have a difficult time regulating body temp and Adam was going back and forth between cold and clammy and sweating heavily.
Eventually we made it to Denver where we were admitted through the Emergency Room. They gave him more morphine and put on a temporary saline gauze dressing.
Here is where the e-mails begin:
Instead of writing about what has been our life for the last three days I am just copying some e-mails that I sent to my family:
So you may all have heard by now that our little Adam had a bit of an accident. Last night (Saturday night) he knocked over some hot oil on himself and was burned pretty bad. Joel was gone to the priesthood session, so the first thing I did was take off Adam's clothes and call 911. I thought for a moment that he might be alright because he was just red, but then I saw his skin begin to slough off. Joel rushed home when I called him and he got there shortly after the paramedics.
Adam and I rode to the hospital. When we got there they put in an I.V. and gave him fluids and some morphine. He was sitting/laying on my lap and he didn't want to go anywhere. I didn't want him to go anywhere, either, of course. It hurt him very much just to move, so we did as little jostling as possible. He is burned over the right side of his torso and about half of his right thigh and up his hip is also pretty badly burned. Luckily he isn't burned on his face, hands, or genitals, so we dodged a lot of bullets right there. Joel called a guy from our ward and he came so they could give Adam a blessing.
The E.R. doctor looked at him and decided that they needed to send him either to Greeley or Denver because they couldn't quite deal with this kind of burn on someone so small. After calling Greeley, where there is a burn center, they decided to send him to Denver Children's because Greeley didn't have a pediatric anesthesiologist on hand and they didn't know if he would need surgery.
They sent us in the ambulance, and our pediatrician who happened to be in the hospital at the time was pretty surprised. She thought they would fly him, either helicopter or plane, but they didn't. Even the EMT in the back of the ambulance said he was surprised they didn't just fly him. It was a long ride down to Denver for Adam and I. Joel went home to pack some things and came down in the car.
Jenna and Will were well taken care of after this all happened. Some neighbors of mine that are also in the ward saw me walking out to the ambulance with Adam and they came over to take care of the older two kids. When I was waiting in the E.R. I called my friend Sarah and she immediately drove over from Cheyenne (they were there with her family for Easter weekend) and picked up my kids. She took them back to Cheyenne and as far as I know they have participated in the Easter activities that Sarah's family does. Brenda is on her way down right now, in fact she should be getting close to Cheyenne now. She's going to take care of the kids while Joel and I are down here.
When Adam and I got here to the Children's Hospital they fixed his I.V. that had a clot in it and they put a saline gauze dressing on it for a temporary dressing. They gave him some more morphine, but he really wasn't complaining too much.If he wasn't having to move then he was fine, but with any adjusting it was obvious that he was in pain.
In Denver the blisters looked horrible. I've never seen blisters so big; I thought they would burst before holding that much liquid. Joel took a picture of a blister on his leg in Laramie, and looking at it now it doesn't seem so bad compared to what it looked like when we got here to Denver.
Two surgeons came to see him and they told me that it is all first and second degree burns. Those usually heal very well and he might not even have any scarring. They thought he probably wouldn't need any skin grafts, but they said they wouldn't know that for sure until the head burn guy came and saw him
on Monday. They said he would certainly be here until Monday or Tuesday. I can't imagine going home tomorrow because I wouldn't know what to do with him. The physical therapists will come in tomorrow and get him walking around. He wants to get up today, and they said we could let him, but every time we move him he whimpers.
Last night at about 1:30 they put a real dressing on it that included about 20 tubes of antibiotic ointment and petroleum gauze, then wrapped with coban. After he got that dressing I was able to get off the gurney and lay him on it, so then I was able to drink some water (I'd turned down all water before that so I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom when he was on me). They won't change that dressing until tomorrow.
Right now Adam is eating and drinking normally. He's watching movies and he's even joked around with us some today. The first time we had to change his sheet and diaper today he was in a lot of pain and he outright cried for the first time since the accident actually happened. After that they gave him some Oxycontin for the pain.He did much better the next time we had to change things.
We have really seen how blessed we are and how many people we have in our lives that care about us. Last night our phones were ringing or beeping constantly with people asking if we were okay and if there was anything they could do to help. It has been wonderful to have that support, even if there is nothing that people can actually do.
I've sent some pictures that Joel took on his phone, but I'm not really sure what they are of. :) I haven't looked at them.
Joel and I are holding up. Joel slept a lot yesterday, so he actually wasn't too tired last night. We got 2-3 hours of sleep last night after Adam was admitted, so I'm sort of running on fumes right now.
Well, I can't think of anything else to say. Thanks for any prayers you can send our way. We love you all.
Sarah
Hey. I have some time so I thought I would update you all.
We are just hanging out at the hospital right now. Adam did pretty well through the night. He did have some low blood pressure but it wasn't something they worried about, they just checked him more often. He also didn't urinate at all through the night, so by the morning they were talking about possibly using a catheter to drain his bladder. He'd had a lot to drink and his IV was still running, but no pee. However, after he was up and awake for awhile he did urinate. A lot. Joel and I changed many wet diapers (which is a bit of a process; one that Adam doesn't like).
Anyway, a doctor came in this morning and said that as far as she could tell there was no reason to keep him here after the burn team changed his dressings. I was a little surprised about that, and worried also. I wasn't sure I would know what to do with him at home or how he would handle things. A few hours later physical therapy came in and she had Adam throwing balls and sitting on the edge of the bed. Then she had him walk across the room and play with more toys over on a bed that Joel and I are using. He was throwing without any problems or complaints of pain. He could bend to pick up a toy, and he even climbed onto the bed (it's really low). She was really happy and impressed with how he was moving and she said he didn't seem to have any limitations with mobility, besides the bulky dressings. None of his burns are over joints, so we don't have to worry about the bending and stretching that would happen with that. It was scary watching him be so active; I was really worried about the blisters and the sensitive skin under the dressings. But I trust that the therapist knew what she was doing, and it was a relief to see Adam moving around so normally. He was really enjoying being able to play after being trapped in bed all day yesterday.
I was getting my hopes up that we would be able to go home today; seeing him move around reassured me that he would be okay at home. Not long after the physical therapist left our nurse came in and told us that she'd heard from the burn team and they wouldn't be changing his dressings until tomorrow. Bummer! So we are definitely here for one more night, but we should pretty definitely be able to go home tomorrow. About 45 minutes ago the "head burn guy" came in to talk to us a little about what the plan is. They will change his dressing in the afternoon, and we'll need to come back
on Friday to get it changed again. He said that after that, if we feel comfortable, we can probably just change the dressings at home twice a week. He said that they like the entire burn to be healed in 21 days, and if there are parts that aren't healed after that time they will possibly do
skin grafts or things like that. When he sees the burn tomorrow he will be able to tell us whether he thinks it will heal on it's own, how long it might take, the risk of scarring, etc. I am really looking forward to the dressing change tomorrow. I want to see if his burns have improved at all, I'm anxious for his dressing to be on a little more securely and with better coverage, and I want to know what the doctor has to say about it. I'm dreading how it will hurt Adam, but he's really been hanging tough for the last few days. The morphine that they are going to give him beforehand will surely help, as well.
They hep locked his IV a few hours ago so it's nice that he's not tied down as much. He still hates having the IV in his arm, though.
Jenna and Will are at our house with Brenda. I don't remember if I said in my first e-mail, but it's been great not having to worry about them. Knowing they are in great hands is such a huge comfort. I miss them both a lot, and I can't wait to get home to see them. I was hoping that they might be able to come visit us today, but children under 12 aren't aloud to visit on this floor. Adam is also on contact isolation, so he's not aloud the leave the room at all. The people that come in; doctors, nurses, therapist, etc. have to put on a gown and gloves to come in. Joel and I don't, which is nice. They do it with all burn patients because of the risk of infection.
Adam is about to take a nap now, and we are just going to have to hang out for the rest of the day. We are in good hands here, so it's really great to know that Adam is well taken care of and in the best place possible.
We appreciate your love and support.
Love!
Sarah
Last night was a better night than the previous one. Adam slept very well and the nurse didn't interupt us much. We were expecting to see the burn team in the afternoon, so we were quite surprised when the burn nurse came in at 9 and told us that she was preping everything for the dressing change and they would get us in there at 9:15. Our nurse gave him some morphine so it would help durring the change.
Joel and I put on gowns and I sat on the table with Adam while they changed it. The nurse is the one who did all of the changing, there was a PA in there also who documented where the burns were, color, area, severity, etc. but he didn't do anything with the changing itself. The nurse cut off the first dressing and Adam didn't like that so much. After that she cleaned it, and he really didn't like that. Some of the large blisteres on his leg were still intact, though somewhat deflated. The went ahead and took all of the skin off of those, and also a lot of the dead skin from the torso. That was really hard for me to watch, but she did a great job and worked quickly. After she got it cleaned she paged the doctor and he came in to look at it. He said that from what he could see he guessed that it would heal completely on its own, but he'd have a better idea as time went by. He pointed out the areas that were the worst, and areas that weren't so bad. To the lay person (me) the worst parts didn't look so bad; it had a whitish color, which meant it was deeper, but to me it didn't look as horrible as the red inflamed aread. Yeah, I was wrong. He has two main spots that have the write color, on on the front of his ribcage, and one on his back.
The nurse finished the dressing, but in the middle she asked if we could stand him up because that's how she'd be able to do it most effectively. It hurt Adam a lot to stand up. As he stood up Joel was in front of him and Adam cried, "Dad, help me!" It was completely heartbreaking. But he made it through it and didn't do bad at all.
As they were changing the dressings we had the chance to ask questions. The said that he might scar, but the more artificial areas would probably just end up being a pigment discoloration that would be nearly impossible to see as he got older. As for the deeper areas they really couldn't say; it was too early to tell. I asked if we should try to limit his movement or activity at all, and they said definitely not; he needs to be as mobile as possible. I said I wasn't sure they knew who they were talking about.
We have an appointment Friday morning to get the dressing changed again. On Friday we will see how it's healing and decide if we will go back on Tuesday to change the dressing again, or if we'll just do the dressing changes at home after that.
It was great to get home, but we've run into a new obstacle. Adam is SOOOO active. It's making Joel and I crazy, and I'm definitely paranoid about it. I'm finally convinced that if it doesn't hurt for him to do it, he won't do it. However, he is wreaking havoc on his dressings! I'm not sure they're going to make it to Friday! Joel and I will definitely be doing some patch jobs to keep things covered.
Sarah
This was not long after we got home on Tuesday.
