Great News Today!!!! With slight change

A True Red Letter Day!!!

Diana was just in and she said the they are meeting today to discuss Nathan's (get this...) discharge date!

Guess when it is..... Come on you can do it!

December 9th. That is only one week from this Saturday!!!!!!

Nathan provided his usual excited look when she told him. We all know what that is now don't we? That Nathan Mellon look!

Will keep you posted as the day progresses.

Have a wonderful, wonderful day! Love to all, The Mellon's

P.S. It's been snowing since yesterday afternoon and is still snowing. I stayed in with Nathan last night. I just heard that Golden (where I'm staying) got 7.5". There is about 5" here. Glad I decided to stay.

Another Good Day! 11/28/06

Great day today. Today is the second day in a row that Nathan has been able to sit in a chair for six hours. That is such an incredible accomplishment! He had his two sessions of PT today. He's working hard to get through it. He's anxious to come home. I thought I'd include a photo of the bed. Notice that it's empty! Yippie!





Here are some photos of Nathan working hard to come home.




This is Diana his therapist. She's been really great and she can take it from him as well as dish it out. She's been really good for him and keeps him moving forward.

See how good he is looking? He's getting better everyday. Still a ways to go, but at this rate he'll be there before we know it.

We are expecting some snow soon. Our days of 70 degrees and sunny appear to be over for a little while.

Hope you all are having a wonderful day. If you are in the Seattle area, be safe and stay warm. Love to you all, The Mellon's.

Monday 11/27/06

Once again, I'm sorry that I didn't get this updated yesterday. Not quite sure what happened to the day. It was a quiet day and pretty uneventful. Which isn't always a bad thing. Nathan has had a devil of a time getting comfortable the last few days. Not sure if it is due to lack of PT as that didn't happen much over the holiday or what it might have been from.

Today when I got here he was off to PT. When they brought him back they had him transfer to another chair and then back again to see if he could do it and he did! It definitely needs a pad on it as he has zero fat and it really hurts his butt and legs to sit on anything hard. Heard back from the Drs. that there is no weight bearing limit on the elbow. As pain will allow. That will really help his PT progression a good deal.

So now he is wheeling himself up and down the hallways. Glad to be out of this room. Or so it would appear.

I let Diana the Physical Therapist take Nathans x-rays to have a look at them. She was just in and said that her hands flew to her mouth when she saw how damaged his pelvis was. She said she hadn't seen one that bad before and now she understood why he was having the difficulties he was/is. She said it brought tears to her eyes. Told her I could relate to that..... She needs better photos of the elbow. I'll get those this week when he goes in for his ortho check up.

But everyday is better and we are surely going to make it home soon.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Thank you for all your love and support. As I will say forever, we couldn't have gotten through this without you. We love you all. The Mellon's

Birthdays! Birthdays! Birthdays!

Today is Steve's birthday. Happy Birthday Honey. Wish I could be with you to help you celebrate. We'll make up for it when we get home. Which could be soon!!!!! Love you lots! Have a great day!

Happy birthday to my father in law Jim and my brother in law Les. Hope you two have a wonderful birthday. We love you!

So far today is a quiet day for Nathan. No PT on Saturday. He's really sleepy this morning and hasn't stirred much. Brought him coffee but he hasn't even looked at it yet. Didn't sound like he slept very well last night.

He is really doing great. He can pick his legs up and put them on the bed without help. He's able to lay on his side which is really a big thing. He hasn't been able to do that since the accident. Can't imagine not being able to lay on my side. No wonder his back hurts so much.

Katy came to visit last night so I headed out and gave them some space. Thanks for coming by Katy, it's appreciated and really great to see you.

Tara and I watched The Lake House last night. It was a happy/sad love story. Good chick flick. Was a surprise to see Sandra and Keanu in something besides a Speed movie....

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and for you shoppers out there, have fun.

When I took Carla to the airport yesterday morning, we passed Walmart at about 4 minutes to 5:00 and the parking lot was full. Yuck! But I'm not a big shopper. Can't begin to imagine....

Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving. We love you all. The Mellon's

Turkey Day and the day after

Happy Turkey Day!

Sorry this is late but I was hoping that everyone was out enjoying their Turkey Day rather than messing with their computers.

I'm happy to say that we had a really good day yesterday. I spent the day with Nathan and my sister Carla, niece Tara and nephew Kyle were home slaving away making a yummy dinner. It was all spectacular! Kyle made the turkey and he did something I've never heard of before. He punched a hole in a can of Code Red Mountain Dew (can use Dr. Pepper too) and placed it in the cavity of the turkey (not stuffed) and it steamed inside the turkey while it was cooking. It didn't taste like cherry for which I was glad but it was so incredibly moist. I didn't tell Carla it was a cherry soda as I was afraid I'd wreck it for her (she doesn't like cherry). I'm looking forward to trying that some time soon. Tara made this delicious Cranberry Casserole. Who needs dessert after that! I definitely need that recipe.

Carla and Tara brought us dinner. It was really great. Thanks so much!

Nathan got himself in and out of bed. He's doing really well with that. We are still waiting to hear from the Ortho Drs. about how much he can or cannot use his arm. He's doing really well with it so I imagine they'll probably say to use it without pain.

We watched Click yesterday. That was a really cute but kind of sad movie with Adam Sandler.

This morning I took Carla to the airport. We had to get up at 3:45 am. Ouch! It wasn't so bad once I was up. It's almost 45 minutes to the airport from Tara's but at that time of the morning there wasn't much traffic. I dropped her off and rushed back to Tara's and threw myself back in bed for a few more hours.

When I got here today, Nathan was up and roaming the halls. It is so good to see him up and out and about. They removed the wrap from his arm and he will have another shower today as well as PT.

He is working hard to get home soon.

Thanks to everyone for being such a special part of our lives.

Thanks for being part of what we have so much to be thankful for. We love you all.
The Mellon's

WHAT A DAY!!!!!

What an awesome day!!!

When we got here he was sitting in the wheelchair. He said that he transition from the bed to the chair by himself! That was a first. Not only did he do it once but he did it twice.

He had PT twice today and did really well.

Right now he is getting his haircut at the salon down the hall. That will probably feel so good to get a good hair washing and a cut.

Today we received the most wonderful Thanksgiving basket from some of my work friends. Thanks you guys. What a really wonderful thing to do. We will certainly enjoy that for many, many days.

Just another example of all the wonderful things you have all done for us during this difficult time.

We have so much to be thankful for this year! Isn't it GREAT!!!!

Hope you all have the most wonderful Thanksgiving ever. We'll miss being home but this will certainly be a holiday for celebrating and we are being well taken care of here.

Love to you all,

11/21/06

Today Nathan had PT in the gym. I didn't get to see it but they had him on the mat doing stomach exercises and stuff like that. He said it hurt. Guess that is to be expected since his stomach muscles haven't been stretched out much in a while.

He is eating much better. Brought him chicken fettuccini last night for dinner and he ate all of it. Today we brought him a big french dip w/fries. He ate half of it. That was pretty good.

He's really tired this afternoon. Guess PT/OT wore him out.

By the way, it's 70 degrees here today. Probably snow tomorrow.... Just kidding, well kind of
%-}.

Hugs to all, The Mellon's

Out of recovery

Got to go back and see Nathan about noon. He looked so great! He was bright eyed and smiling. He looked like he was feeling pretty darn good!

He told me that on the way to the hospital this morning he was even thinking he might be hungry. How cool is that!!!

Anyway, transport was called to bring him back to Monaco so, I grabbed Carla and we went to the mall again as my phone was still acting up. That took about an hour and then we ran by McDonald's and grabbed some lunch as everybody was hungry. When we finally got back to the facility Nathan said he'd only been back about 15 minutes. Said that the ambulance people needed some kind of release that the nurses weren't familiar with so they had to call the Dr. back down to provide it. Needless to say he wasn't terribly happy. He is a really great guy. He apologized to Nathan for keeping him waiting. Hated to see him have to wait around but, was glad he didn't have to wait long for lunch.

He seems to be resting comfortably. I'm so glad this is behind him. I'm sure he is too!

Thanks for all your love and support!!! Love & Hugs, Bev

Elbow Surgery Successful

Just talked to the Doc and the surgery to remove the pins went well. He also manipulated his arm and extended it and bend it quite a ways. He said that he may not be able to do that when he is away as it may be painful but he was encouraged with the range of motion. They did say that he will need to have the hardware in the elbow removed in about 3 months or so once the bone has stabilized.

He also mentioned that they are going to have the therapist kick up the therapy on the elbow. Sounds like Nathan will be getting very busy.

We will come back next week for a follow up on the pelvis and most likely the arm.

He is currently in recovery. Don't know much more than that at this time. I'll let you know as I learn more.

Love & hugs to all, Bev

Sunday 11/19/06 Quiet day

Today has been a quiet day. He was pretty sleepy today. Not sure if its due to being tired or just plain boredom. Maybe both.

Today Katy and Krystal came to visit. Was great to see them. So, while they were visiting, Carla and I went back to the accident site and were able to meet the Doctor and his family who were with Nathan the night of the accident. What a great family. It was so nice to meet one of the professionals responsible for helping to save his life. I know that Mark (that is the Doctor) had a great deal to do with his survival. Thank you Mark and everyone else that were there for him. Thanks for being part of our many guardian angels who have been with us during this difficult time.

The good news is that they have put reflectors up at the corner as well as a sign indicating the turn. It sounded like Mark, his wife and the neighbors were instrumental in getting that done. There were other areas in the neighborhood that have corners just like this one and they aren't signed. Thank you to all involved in getting that corner fixed. I hope you are able to get the other areas done as well.

Nathan did all his exercises tonight. He isn't crazy about it but knows that it is the quickest way to get home. So far, he hasn't thrown anything at me.... %-} I know this is really tough but he is working toward making his goal as well as working on setting a few more. I'm so proud of him.

Tomorrow is a big day. It is the day he gets the pins out of his arm. That should be really something. He'll be transported to Denver Health at 5:30 AM and the surgery is scheduled for 8:00 AM. Not sure how long it will take but don't imagine it will take long to remove the pins. Probably longer to get ready to do it. At least that is what I'm hoping.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thanks for all your love and support. The Mellon's

Saturday 11/18/06 Great day!

Today my sister Carla came to visit from Seattle. I know she was relieve to see how well Nathan is doing. It's always hard to not get to see it first hand. It will be fun having her here for a few days.

Last night Derrick and his fiance' Rebecca came to visit. Was glad they came when they did as my cell phone decided not to charge anymore so I had to find a Verizon store to see if I could get a new phone. After 3 hours and having to write down every number in my phone I was headed to get pizza.

Nathan told me that Derrick & Rebecca were there and they were hungry too so I picked up an extra large pizza. Wow was I surprised to see Nathan eat. He ate 4 or 5 pieces. It was so cool! Haven't seen him eat that much since I can't remember when. WooHoo!!!

Had a great visit with Derrick & Rebecca. It was great to get to meet her. I've heard lots about her. What a sweetheart.

Today on the way back from the airport, Nathan sent me a text asking for FOOD. Talk about surprised. It does my heart good to see some appetite come back. He did say that lunch was gross but usually he doesn't care. Hehe....

Quiet day so far.

Will keep you posted. Love to all of you. The Mellon's

Shower Boy!!!

SHOWER BOY!!!! Feels like a new man!

Red Letter Day

Red Letter Day!!!

Nathan got to take a shower. He's in there right now. I can only imagine how good that must feel. Yippie!

It's days like today that really make up for the hard ones.

Love to all, The Mellon's

11/17/06 Friday

I woke up this morning wondering just what day of the week is it really? Once I settled on Friday, I was able to get my day started.

Today is a good day. He did lots of therapy and sat on the edge of the bed for more than an hour. He played cards with the therapist. Lunch arrived about the time she finished so he picked at his lunch while sitting on the edge of the bed. Then we played rummy. He was able to sit on the edge of the bed for more than an hour. That is really great! He put his sweats on today! That was really great too!!!

I have to say that even though he's lost more games than I have, he's beating the socks off me! It's been really fun.

Seems like the day immediately following a ER visit just wipe him out. So, always glad for the second day to come.

My Sister Carla is going to join me for a few days. Will be great to see her. Can't believe it's been since 10/2/06 that I've seen her. Her husband surprised her with it.

Also, Nathan's buddy Derrick and his fiance' Rebecca are in town to scout out apartments and spend the holiday with family. They are moving here after the first of the year. I hope they like it as much as I have. Will be nice to see Derrick and meet Rebecca.

We did find out that he'll be transported at 5:30 AM on Monday for 8:00 surgery at Denver Health for the pin removal.

Should be an interesting day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

We love you all, The Mellon's

11/15/06 on 11/16/06

Sorry I missed posting yesterday. It was quite a day.

I spoke with Nathan about 9:30 yesterday morning and he told me that his catheter had quit working and that they were going to transport him to Denver Health ER. So off I went to Denver Health. Figured I'd get there before he did. I got there about 10:30. Checked in and asked them to let me know when he arrived. About 11:30 I went to the desk and they had no record of him showing up yet. So, I called back to Monaco Parkway and was told he'd left about 10:30 and should be there. He was supposedly taken to urology where he was schedule to go to today 11/16. So, off I went over there, only to be treated rudely by a receptionist. I asked her if she had any record of Nathan being there and she told me no. I tried to explain what was going on and she informed me that this was the breast clinic. I said I thought it was urology and she said it is but they are out today. I know that this explanation doesn't sound so bad but her tone and body language spoke volumes. I was on the phone with JJ at the facility and she said they'd taken him to Adult Urgent Care which happened to be next door. Needless to say that I'm beginning to get a little freaked out. I get to Urgent Care asked if Nathan was there and the guy doesn't appear to even look and says "no"..... He's at the ER. I'd just come from there, he told me they just moved him... At that point I'm beginning to get really irritated. I went back to ER who checked again and still didn't show him. So I went out to the main desk and a security guard called someone and they told her he was at ER. Back I went to ER. I approached the desk and asked them to check again. There was a nurse or someone there that started to get in my face about how they were just doing their job. I hadn't even raised my voice at this point. So, I decided it was time. I said that my son was in this hospital somewhere and had been for the past 2 hours and I want to know where he is RIGHT NOW! The kind security guard that had been trying to help me for the past hour said he thought he'd seen him in 6B and would go check and come back and let me know. Well he found him and he'd just gotten there. Still not sure where he'd been, when exactly he'd arrived, etc., etc. I was exhausted at this point.

So after finally finding him about noon or shortly there after, things began to slowly happen. They did all the usual stuff, vitals, blood draw, blah, blah, blah. Finally got around to calling Urology to find out what they wanted to do.... This was about 1:30. Finally they took him for the scan of the bladder to see if he could get the catheter out or not. They brought him back shortly after 3:00, then we had to wait for them to look at the scan results and let us know what they were going to do. Dr. Favis showed up about 2 1/2 hours later explaining that they'd been in surgery all day and he was sorry for the wait. He was very nice and said that they'd looked at the scan and everything looked good and they were going to remove the catheter. But wait there's more.... first they want to fill his bladder, then remove the catheter and make sure he can pee. Well, that didn't workout as the catheter decided to fail again and they couldn't flush it. So, they just decided to remove it and basically hope for the best. Out it came, it was horribly painful for him. I felt so bad. And on top of that his back is killing him from being back on the gurney for 9 hours. Poor guy just can catch a break.

They gave him a liter of fluid and waited for him to pee. Let me tell you that was awful for him (peeing that is). He was so worried that the pain was something that would last for a long time. Pretty hard to pee when you know it's going to hurt so bad.

Finally they released him and he was transported back to Monaco and was back in his more comfortable bed about 10:45 PM. So another long day in the ER but the good thing is he didn't have to go back today.

He is feeling much better today and is finding that peeing is getting much better. I know that may sound weird to some but unless you've experienced it, you can even begin to imagine.

He had therapy today and they left him sitting on the edge of the bed for awhile. It got a little hard as he had no back support so I sat behind him. That worked for awhile and then he laid on his side. That was the first time I'd seen him do that. He actually looked fairly comfortable. Took a short nap while he was waiting to get back in his own bed.

Monday we see the ortho guys and they'll take the pins out of his arm.

Hopefully last night was our last visit to the ER. Can't really think of anything else that might come up that would send him back. Hopefully that is.

Sorry that I didn't get the blog updated last night, it was late and I was tired when I finally landed.

We are looking forward to being home soon. Don't know when yet but setting some great goals to get there.

Thanks so much to all for your love and support. We love you, Bev

11/14/06 Happy Birthday Dad!

I know this blog is about Nathan but as I mentioned yesterday, today is my Dad's birthday. Hope you had a great one Dad and we wish we were home to help you celebrate. Thank you for everything you've done for us. You mean the world to us. We Love You!!!

Today we were hoping that Nathan would get to have a shower but, they put in him the shower chair which is made of hard plastic and he just wasn't able to tolerate it. He looked pretty miserable until they were able to get him moved to his wheel chair. He was really zonked today. Really tired and said he just didn't feel good. Slept late and took a couple of naps. Hoping he will sleep okay tonight.

Still having trouble with his appetite but I was able to tempt him with a Whopper w/cheese, fries and a chocolate milkshake. I think he finished everything but the fries. Was really glad to see that.

He's lost about 20 pounds since the accident. Which he really didn't have to lose. We will get him on some protein shakes and see if we can't get some weight back on him. I know he tries, he just isn't hungry. He has my Mom's metabolism and eating habits. As I've said before, he eats to live....

We played Gin again today and I beat the socks off him. Then we moved on to Scramble (Scrabble, but this is what the activity person called it %-} ) I beat him in that too. I forgot how fun that game is. Really makes you think. I need a dictionary. I kept telling Nathan, I can look it up on the computer. It was fun and I imagine we'll be playing more often.

I've been doing some knitting. Lindsie, our neighbor is having a baby girl in January so I've been knitting a few things for her. Sure haven't had time to do that in a long time. I've actually finished 3 things and am working on a 4th. I can't tell you what as I think she reads this on occasion.

A couple of the CNA's have made a big deal about the knitting so we're going to go across to the craft store and they'll pick out yarn for a scarf. They're really good to us (granted it's their job but we all know how that goes) so I figure it's the least I can do. Besides it keeps me occupied when we aren't doing therapy, going to Dr. appts. or the ER...

I'm also reading the Harry Potter books. I'm on the first one and am really enjoying it. Wish I could get Nathan to read them or anything for that matter. He's a good reader, it just isn't at the top of his to do list. Maybe he just hasn't gotten bored enough yet.

Hopefully tomorrow he will have gotten a good nights sleep and will feel good. We've had a few good days in a row so I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. He's really doing great and I'm proud of him for all that he has to do and endure. He'll get through this eventually. Especially with all of you out there. We love you all.

Thank you all for your continued support both spiritually and financially. We are truly blessed to have people like you in our lives. What a miracle. Thanks for being part of our miracle. We love you all, The Mellon's

1 month since elbow surgery!

Today is one month since his elbow surgery! Where does the time go? On 11/20/06 he'll get the pins out of his arm.

Hard to believe that his pelvic surgery was a month ago on the 9th. Means that much closer to being weight bearing. That will be an exciting day.

Wish I could say he had a good night last night. He didn't sleep well even with the Lunesta. Hopefully tonight will be better for him. He seems to be pretty tired.

Today was a good day. He had PT/OT and did really well. He even put his own socks on with a sock device. It was pretty cool. Today they used a machine to stimulate the muscle in his left thigh and then he was to kick his leg out. That was pretty tough but he did it. Then they came back later and work on the right shin. They were pretty happy with the progress.

He might even get to take a shower tomorrow. Believe me, if that happens that will be the highlite of his month.

On Thursday 11/16/06 he goes back into Denver Health to have the test on his bladder to see if he can have the catheter removed. Everybody, say a prayer. I know that would help him a great deal. He also has a stitch in his belly that they're going to look at. It's an internal stitch that is working it's way up. It might not be a big deal but they don't want to pull it here at the facility in case it unravels something.... I think they're finally figuring it out. What do you think?

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Dad! Wish we were with you to help you celebrate. We love you very much. Hoping to see you soon.

Love and hugs to all. The Mellon's

11/12/06 Got a good nights sleep

When I got here today, Nathan had had a good nights sleep. Said he got about 12 hours which I do believe is a first in a long time. He was smiling, laughing and making jokes. It was really great.

He had PT and they worked on his range of motion. Then he sat up in the chair for a couple of hours.

They brought him vegi lasagna for dinner. For those who know him, know that it didn't go over well. It wasn't what he ordered. His appetite is getting better. He had ice cream and chocolate covered oreos. It was great to see him snacking.

By the way, I had a great time last night with my grand nephew. What a kick. He was so good. Thanks Kyle & Tara for sharing him with me.

Hope you all have the most wonderful week. We love you all, The Mellon's

Saturday 11/11/06 Almost forgot to post

Sorry about that! I almost forgot to post today. Guess that should be a clue about the type of day we had today. It was quiet.

He's still having trouble sleeping so, when I got there this morning he was still sleeping and slept for quite a while. Once he woke up he was up for the day. Seems to be eating a little better.

We did some PT on our own. The therapist gave us a sheet of exercises we're suppose to do everyday. He doesn't like doing them and I hate making him but it is a necessary evil.

I left early today as I got to babysit my grand nephew Ethan. We had a great time. He's a great little guy. What a pleasure to get to spend time with him and get to know him. But I really, really, really like 3 year olds. I could have a whole house full. I'm sure there'd be a few objections from my Men....

Caitlin and Katy visited with Nathan tonight. Thanks for being there for us you two. I hated to leave him alone. Heaven forbid he should have a moment to himself... %-}

That's about it for tonight! Love & Hugs to all, The Mellon's

Friday 10/10/06 Good Progress

Today Nathan had some great PT/OT. Not to hear Nathan tell it though.... %-}

They moved him to the other bed in the room and had him doing all sorts of different exercises. He's increasing his range of motion all over the place. His low back has been giving him fits and they think all the stretching will help that out. He was able to sit up 90 degrees on the edge of the bed which is a really great thing. He was able to lean back and then forward without help a couple times. He can twist and lean both left and right. He's working on moving his feet and lifting his legs. I know that you are probably thinking, "yeah, so?" But this is big stuff for him. I couldn't be prouder. It hurts but he keeps on going. Wow!

I only wish he was able to sleep at night. He's really having trouble getting to sleep so it makes for some pretty short nights.

He is able to skip pain meds on occasion which is really awesome!

Tomorrow I get to babysit for my niece and her husband. They have the most adorable 3 year old little boy named Ethan. I'm excited to spend time with him. I may have to take him home with me... Just kidding, I think I'll be pretty busy when I do get home. But I do love 3 year olds...

So for all you Denverites, Nathan will be free of Mom on Saturday afternoon and evening if you're available to stop in for a visit.

Thanks so much to all for all your love and support. We really couldn't do this without you all. We love you! The Mellon's

11/9/06

Wow! It's Thursday already. How'd that happen? Amazing how fast it goes but yet it seems so slow sometimes....

Lots of therapy today. Back up in the chair for the first time since the last ER visit.

Today we are playing Gin. Haven't played in ages so, Nathan has had to teach me. It's a pretty close game.

We found out from his Dr. at home that his normal resting heart rate is 88. So it runs pretty high anyway. Which makes me feels a little better about it being in the 90's +.

Still having trouble getting him to eat. However, he is getting down some eggnog and at least that has a high caloric content.

Well, he's just about done with OT, so I have to get back to beating (or trying to) him at Gin.

11/7/06 Quiet day today!

Well, I'm happy to report that today was a relatively quiet day! No trips to the ER. No fights with the night nurses. Gross food but hey, you can't have everything...

I went grocery shopping for him today and got some fruit cups & pudding cups that don't require refrigeration. Picked up a potpie and some spaghetti dinners that I think he'll like. Hopefully they won't disappear from the freezer. Also picked up some yogurt. It's really hard finding something that actually sounds good to him to eat. Unfortunately, it almost all sounds good to me...

I went over to the craft store and got him a paint by numbers of a wolf. Thought that might help take his mind of being so bored.

Speaking of bored, he is about to go out of his mind. Really getting tired of laying in bed. Which is certainly understandable after all this time. He doesn't really want to be entertained but wants to do something. Hard to figure out what exactly. But, I'll take that as a good sign. Might make him work a little harder toward coming home. I know he's anxious for that.

Thanks so much for all you love and support. It is greatly appreciated. Love to all, The Mellon's

Pain is gone

They did the scan of Nathan's abdomen and could tell there had been a lot going on with the accident and all but couldn't find anything to explain the pain. They kept him pretty medicated and he was able to sleep through the worst of it finally. They thought that maybe he had a blockage that passed. We got back to Monaco about 10:00 and we both took a good long nap.

They brought lunch but it left much to be desired. Right about that time, Ms. Katy called to find out how things were as she was with him originally last night when this all started. She was at work today which just happens to be not to far away. She works at a meat market (Sir Loin, if you live in Denver you MUST try it) that does sandwiches and soups and all kinds of yummy stuff. So I got Nathan an Italian Roast Beef (one of his favorites) and Katy fixed me a wonderful spicy chicken w/blue cheese sauce sandwich. They were great! They also had eggnog. So, I did my little eggnog dance (which is what I do when it first comes out in the stores for the season) scooped up a bottle as that is usually one thing I can get Nathan to drink if I can't get him to drink or eat anything else. I also got him some of Katy's homemade chicken soup. That way when he doesn't like what they serve for dinner tonight I can heat some of that up for him. It looks yummy. When I tried to pay, her wonderful boss Jason wouldn't let me pay. Another amazing example of someone doing something so incredibly kind for a perfect stranger. Okay, so I'm not perfect but you know what I mean.... %-} and I guess I am a little strange. Jason, if by chance you read this, your kindness touched my heart. Thank you.

Well, Michelle the Director of Nurses was just in to visit and talk about what's been happening. What a neat person. When I told her I was considering moving Nathan, she told us oh you can't move. Then she proceeded to tell us why. She said when she first heard about Nathan coming here she thought oh, he can't come here, it isn't age appropriate and he won't be comfortable here. But then she learned he'd been injured in a motorcycle accident and she rides the most powerful bike on the road. It is a Suzuki Hayabusa. She said it is a rocket. She really wants Nathan here and is excited to be part of his recovery. She is going to provide both Nathan and myself with her phone numbers and should we ever have anything remotely close to what has happened, we are to call her and she will have it taken care of. As we explained to her, we couldn't be happier with the other shifts but that graveyard shift really sucks. So we've decided to stay at least for now. She'll take care of the guy nurse problem.

So we'll see how tonight goes. Hopefully, it will be one of the better ones.

Thanks for all the love and prayers. Love to all, The Mellon's

11/7/06 Back in ER

Tonight 11/6/06 at about 9:30 Nathan's abdomen started just killing him. He called the nurse and she blew him off. Told him that it was probably just organ trauma. Said that she'd had an accident once and hers didn't show up for 2 months. She's the nurse that told him to go without pain meds for 2 to 3 hours and let his endorphins kick in and see if they took the pain away. She also has been know to withhold them. Needless to say, he called me about 10:45 really upset about the pain. I called the nurses station and she told me he told her the pain was better. Hm... I'd just hung up with him. He also told me she said she'd check back in 15 minutes and then call the Dr. I asked her about that and she told me she never said she'd call the Dr. and basically they would watch him through the night. I told her I was on my way since it was fairly obvious they didn't care. She said "okay". I got there and he was resting. Not so comfortably but resting all the same. So, I laid down and about 1 hour later 12:40 he was crying out in pain and pleading for them to do something. So they brought him more pain medication, which he told them wouldn't touch it and that this pain was unlike anything he'd been experiencing. She told him he'd just have to wait. Finally at 1:10 the jerk of a nurse, who just happened to be the supervisor tonight and the same one who took the catheter out came in. He said to wait 10 minutes for the pain meds to kick in. Nathan then asked him what would happen in 10 minutes if that didn't work. The guy just walked off. Couldn't believe it! So, I let that go and when 10 minutes passed I was out at the desk informing him it had been 10 minutes so he came back in and took his vitals. Which all seemed normal. He also took his own and told us what those were. Nathan says to him, "Yeah, and that helps me how? What are you going to do?" He finally broke down and said he'd call the Doc. So of course we had to wait for him to call back which ended up only being a few minutes. Then he came back and told us that he would call for transport back to Denver Health. He hadn't bothered to call yet, he just had to tell us he was going to.

So we waited until about 2:20 until they showed up. The paramedics were great. It was interesting that they said when they walked in, the guy nurse basically handed him the paperwork and left it at that. Except to say that they thought Nathan was going through drug withdrawals. Which is really ironic since they are the ones who prescribe it and dole it out. And they've changed it but Nathan said he actually thought he was getting more. Beside the fact that yesterday he was actually able to skip a dosing. Which to me doesn't indicate an addiction....

So, I guess I will be doing some additional "Skilled" nursing facility research and we will most likely be leaving Monaco. I feel so bad for Nathan. The day crew is wonderful. And if we have Julie in the evenings it's great too. She would never have left him in this state.

I figure that Blessed (his nurse this evening) was getting close to being off shift and she just didn't want to deal with it. Sad, but most likely true.

Now in the ER and they are having him drink 3 450ml. of Readi-cat Barium Sulfate so they can scan his digestive track. That will be about a 3 hour process to get all that down. That should be fun, since I can hardly get him to eat things he likes.

So, it looks like they'll do the scan around 7:00 AM MST.

I'll let you know more as soon as I can.

Keep those prayers coming. Thanks again for everything. Love to all, The Mellon's

Monday 11/6/06

Today was a good day for the most part. I think the antibiotic that he's been taking makes him not feel good the first part of the day and then he isn't hungry. It's been tough getting him to eat. Determined today he's lost about 5 lbs. since last Wednesday. Unfortunately, he doesn't have an extra 5 to lose.

Today, after much effort he got into a wheelchair. Whew! That was really hard. Sometimes I have to wonder if PT/OT know what they're doing when it comes to transferring him. Seems like they totally wear him out and really don't teach him how to do it. However, I will say Thank God for that right arm. He'd never get anywhere if it weren't for that and I'm sure it will get better.

He got his hair washed for the first time in two weeks. I'm sure that had to feel terrific.

Of course tonight they brought him tuna salad for dinner. You can imagine how well that went over.... So he had microwave mac & cheese. Which surprisingly he ate all of.

Katy came to visit tonight. Was great to see her. Haven't seen her or many of the other kids for quite a few days. I know they're all super busy with school but we miss them.

Thanks to all for all your love and support. We love you all! The Mellon's

Sunday 11/5/06

Nathan seemed to have had a pretty good day today. He had some PT this morning and seemed to have pretty good range of motion in his legs. Was glad to see that.

Seemed like he had the pain under control for the most part. He even complained of being bored. We tried to figure out how to play backgammon but that didn't work. So we played a couple of games of checkers. He beat the socks off me the first round but I was holding my own on the second. Unfortunately he'd skipped a pain med dosing earlier so when it hit, he'd had enough. I'm sure it was because I was going to beat him.... %-}

Pain now seems to be under control again. We had a little Chinese take out for dinner,it was tough to get him to eat much today. So we tried a little egg drop soup and sesame chicken. He got some of it down.

He's resting as comfortably as can be expected tonight.

Tomorrow the vigorous PT/OT starts. Might not be the greatest day after they are finished with him.

Today was a beautiful day here in the 60's. Sounds like it's been much nicer than at home. Sounds like fall has blown in at home. Lots of rain. Try not to get washed away up there!

Love to all, Bev & Nathan

Saturday 11/4/06 Quiet day

Today is a quiet day. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Think he could really do with a quiet day after the week he's had.

They've changed his medication so he's dealing with more pain than he's used too. I feel bad for him. Don't really know what I can do to help other than try to help him be comfortable as much as I can.

Nathan is struggling with a good deal of pain in his right foot. The Dr. says it is due to nerve regeneration which is a good thing but hurts a lot. You can't even just touch it without it really hurting. Of course I keep forgetting and patting his foot which just about undoes him.... Yikes!

As always, your love and support are what keeps us going. We love you all. The Mellon's.

Friday 11/3/06 Wow it's been a month

Hard to believe it's been a month since we first got here. Amazing how much has happened in that amount of time. Whew! Where has all the time gone. Makes me dizzy to think about it. So, I won't... %-}

Had a little better night last night. Thanks to Julie at the care facility who takes such good care of him. It helps that she has a 25 year old son and twin 23 year old sons.

Not that Nathan has much of an appetite but he ate a 6" meatball/bmt Subway sandwich last night. That was really cool.

This morning he had his first ortho follow up appt. Just getting there is an ordeal in itself. The appointment was for 10:45. The paramedics picked him up about 9:30 and took him to Denver Health Ortho Clinic. It was odd when we checked in and they had us take a place in the waiting room which Nathan laying on a gurney. Then one of the gals who works there came and took us to the casting room so he wouldn't have to lay out in the clinic waiting room. It just happened that Dr. Osborn came in just a few minutes later. He told him he needed to get x-rays done. So we waited and waited and waited and waited.... The paramedics are waiting. He's still on the ambulance gurney. It is dragging on and on. Finally they take him to x-ray which he was dreading as the table is so hard it really hurts his back. So they finally bring him back and it is now 1 hour past time for his pain medication and the only thing they can offer him is something orally which takes another 30 minutes to start working. Now we're waiting for the Dr's to review the x-rays and come tell us what's up. In the middle of all this, chinese food is delivered.... So are they in eating lunch and letting us cool our heels or are they really looking at the film? So I went back out and ask them if they can find out how much longer it would be as Nathan has just about reached the breaking point. It was about 2 minutes later and here came the Dr's. They decided that the pins in his arm need to stay another 2 weeks. The femur and pelvis are healing as expected.

So they sent him on his way back to the facility and I stayed to get the surgery scheduled only for them to tell me there is a problem with the insurance and they aren't finding coverage. Arrggg.... I can't figure out why this is so darn difficult! This is on the part of Aetna not Denver Health but even still they (Denver Health Ortho) didn't have the insurance info even though they are in the same building as the hospital and have been treating him for over a month now. Bureaucratic B.S. is everywhere.

Thanks to all for all your cards, letters, emails, well wishes love and prayers.
Love to all of you! The Mellon's

We're back at Monaco

Sorry I didn't get back to you all yesterday. After all was said and done, I really needed a nap!

We got back to the facility about 3:00 and the fight was on. Nathan got here before I did. So went I walked into the room and found all the stuff they tried to use on him the night that he ended up in the hospital and the room was a mess AND still no trapize. As it turned out they'd canceled the order for the trapize as they didn't know when he'd be returning so it would be here tomorrow. That was when I said that it's been tomorrow since we got here! So they reordered it. I had my tantrum and told them how it was inexcusable that the catheter was removed since they were obviously unaware of his injuries and why did they think he had a catheter in the first place? Nathan told us of the whole agonizing experience and I just cried. He said that a male nurse came in about midnight on the 30th, or would that be the 31st? He had an assistant and he said they were going to remove the cathe. She told him she didn't think that was a good idea and that maybe they should wait. He didn't want to wait and made her remove it. So, it was removed. Because of the type of injury he has it wasn't possible for them to insert the tube as the internal tubes hadn't healed and didn't match up. Nathan said the guy kept yelling at him that it was his fault because he wouldn't relax. Nathan said it was worse than any pain he's experiences so far. That just tore my heart out. I was mad before but then I was really mad. Absolutely inexcusable! I yelled and they are doing what they can to make it right. He won't ever have that nurse again or so they promised. Well, after my fit, we laid down for a nap. That seemed to help my attitude.

They also brought in the bed with the trapize. I'm really hoping that will help Nathan move around more.

I got in this morning and they had him moved over to the chair and he seems to be doing a little better.

The doctor was in just now and we had a good conversation. Discussed why the cathe was removed and he said he would have removed it too because of the infection. I explained what the injuries were and he said that was never explained to them by the hospital. He was sorry that it happened. I asked him not to do anything like that without first contacting me. He told me it would be Denver Health that he would be talking too. I've asked Nathan to call me at anytime should there be a question about anything.

So I feel like we are back on track. Like I've said two steps forward three steps back. Thankfully not quite that far back.

Thanks for all your encouragement to get through this rough spot.

We love you all. The Mellon's

Wednesday Update

All the doc's just came by for rounds and feel he is fit to return to the facility. I know he'll be glad to be back in his airbed. It will probably be a while before we get there but rest assured we will be there soon.

YIPPIE!!!

More later, Bev

Wednesday 11/1/06

The good news is that Nathan's heart rate is down to about 105. The bad news is that after 29 hours in the emergency room board, I mean bed, they finally moved him to observation which has a decent bed. Rob (the keeper of the room) even brought me breakfast. Which was cold, scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, orange juice, milk and hot coffee. Tasted fabulous since I realized I hadn't eaten since the evening of the 30th.(I may just lose a few pounds yet %-} )

The staff as usual has been great except for the fact that for 4 hours they kept telling us they were getting him a bed. By 7:30 this morning, I'd had it. Inexcusable! I know they're busy but give me a break. Don't tell me you're going to have a bed for us when you aren't. Then you are expecting it soon.Someone with Nathan's injuries stuck on that bed. They were thinking that his heart rate may be due to pain. Gee, I wonder why he might be in pain.

They moved us to a trauma room so it would be quiet. It was amazing the people who came through the ER last night. Many of whom were handcuffed to the bed. Lots of mean drunks who aren't allowed to leave until they are sobered up. Very interesting but was glad to get away from the noise.

Sorry, I don't mean to be a bi_ _ _ but I really feel like one today. If, it weren't for the "Skilled" Care Facility, we probably wouldn't be here at all. Believe me, they are going to hear about it when we get back there.

Have considered moving him however, they had the lowest complaints against them. So moving scares the hell out of me.

Well, I'll close for now, until I get my attitude adjusted and can put my happy face back on. More to come later.

Thanks for letting me vent. Yesterday and at least this morning are just those few bad days we can expect to have. I must learn to deal with them better. %-}

My sister Pam is going home on the train today. As you might remember she dropped everything and has been dog and house sitting. Pam, I can't tell you how much that helped us. I thought of you and the dogs often but never worried about a thing. I knew the dogs were being spoiled rotten and the house would be standing. We love you very much and thanks again for EVERYTHING!!!! Safe travels!

Love to all, Bev