Our journey series: one of eight

Our journey

Read what happened following Doug's accident. These posts were originally published on Doug's CaringBridge site, https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dougbichler.

A good day

Today, June 29, has been an unexpected good day. Thank God! Doug has been sitting up multiple times, he has moved his shoulder, he has eaten more and has had great vital signs. His pain is under control today, which is truly a relief for us to see. We've had amazing updates and positive prognosis from his two doctors and have also spoke with the prosthetic team. Doug has been awake for a good portion of the day and has been talking strong and is so clear minded. He has made a few phone calls, which have helped him to "get out" of his hospital room. Back at the farm, they are half-done with baling. Now, we all need to keep praying for rain at home! Doug will be going to pre-op tomorrow at around 11 a.m. He is scheduled for his second surgery at 12:30 p.m., with the same doctor who did his first surgery. She will be opening the area to clean away any tissue that is not viable. The doctor, who is in charge of the burn unit where Doug is located, will be in on the surgery to view the muscle and tissue. Then, Doug will be having a skin graft surgery next week.

Give me the Chinese food

We had a great afternoon of visiting, strength improvement and accomplishing some urination goals (insert a high five moment from Doug to myself). Doug has had good stretches of being 100% aware and talking like himself followed by some good stretches of rest. Also a win for this evening was his ability to eat a good supper. Small portions, of course, but nutrition nonetheless. Our family ordered in Chinese food, and I snagged 5 / 76 him some goodies: white rice, chicken, veggies, beef and ... an egg roll. He followed that with a fruit bar and a small delicious chunk of dark chocolate. As I type this he is resting again, and has been for the last half hour or so. Soon he will have a wash in order to prep him for surgery tomorrow. Tonight at 11, he will be taken off his IV pain medicine. Please pray for controlled pain following that as we hope he does not have any pain spikes. He has been increasing doses of oral pain medication all day and the hope is that when they remove the IV tonight, he will still have a good basis of medicine to keep him just as comfortable. 

Big Brother, anyone?

If you didn't know this about Doug, well then, he's just hiding something from you. Doug thoroughly enjoys watching the popular TV series, Big Brother. This year's season premiered last night in a two-hour special. We were going to tune in at 7 p.m., however, we were busy talking and didn't think of it until after 8 p.m. I offered to turn it on and he could catch the second half. That wasn't quite acceptable as he wasn't going to jump in the middle and miss something. Doug and I don't have a large cable package at home. In fact, we rarely watch TV. So, last night when he realized he could watch his favorites - Animal Planet, National Geographic and the like - he was pretty OK with that. Plans for Saturday night include tuning in to our favorite veterinary show, Dr. Pol. Enough about his TV habits, Doug had a good night. I was not here (I am on strict orders from Doug to rest), but thankfully his sister stayed in the room with him. We were worried about this pain levels elevating overnight but they stayed low and comfortable. He was able to sleep from midnight until 4 a.m., was woke to have his vitals checked, and was out of the bed to sit and go to the bathroom (the only time this will ever be acceptable for me to share my husband's bathroom progress). They washed him again at this time, changed his bedding, dressing and gown, and he was back to bed around 5 a.m. Between now and then, he has had staff come in and out and hasn't slept much. In fact he was sleeping sound until I sneezed just now and startled him. But, being the polite, kind man that he is, he said, "Bless you," and went right back to sleep. His temp is slightly elevated but we are hoping a cool washcloth on his forehead and some rest will do the trick. He cannot eat or drink anything, and hasn't been able to since midnight. This is because of his upcoming surgery today, which is scheduled at 12:30 p.m. He will go to pre-op at 11 a.m. Please pray for comfort for him before, during and after his surgery. For God to guide the doctor's hands so she can help Doug to the best of her ability. For his recovery after surgery today, and for hopefully, another good day to come. 

And the dirtiest hair award goes to... 

Doug continued to snooze on and off this morning until he was woke by nursing staff to take his pain medication. Then, instead of going back to sleep he had a great morning. He got up to use the bathroom, and once he was settled back in bed we had somewhat of a make over for our handsome man. He shaved his neck himself, he brushed his teeth and we cleaned his face and beard off (not for the first time either; this rancher was still dirty). The most exciting occurrence of the morning, and most refreshing for Doug, was that his nurse was able to wash his hair. This wasn't just any hair washing. Imagine being outside for an entire day, working on farm equipment in the heat and the wind. Plus servicing a baler which hadn't been done since the fall; when the baler was in close contact with the good Earth for hours at a time. A good chunk of Bichler Simmental and Red Angus soil came along with Doug to Minnesota. Thankfully, it's now down the drain and Doug is a new man. His rehabilitation and therapy doctor stopped by this morning to talk to us about next steps, options and outlook. It is so encouraging to hear about the options for a prosthetic arm down the road. I am confident only progress lay ahead, and Doug will continue to do what he does best - care for God's creatures and advocate for the industry we love. 

From our ranch to your operating room

Doug's pre-op was scheduled at 11 a.m., with surgery to follow at 12:30 p.m. Things did get a tad behind schedule. As I type this, he is still in surgery. They estimated it would take an hour to an hour and a half. I was able to stay with him all the way through his pre-op phase. It seems that while we are here at Regions, the people continue to friendly, inviting and helpful. The pre-op room was no different. Doug and I ended up talking cattle for at least a half hour with his burly anesthesiologist. He was fascinated by learning of our purebred business. Seeing Doug's face light up because he was engaged in a conversation about cattle was great to see. Just as great to witness was seeing someone not familiar with this aspect of agriculture become educated. Thank you for all the prayers today as he approached surgery. Now, let's hope he has a comfortable recovery. There's chicken wings and salad waiting for him. And if all goes exceptional, maybe a piece of dark chocolate.

Thank God for Dr. Switzer's hands 

Doug is out of surgery and in recovery. In his orthopedic doctor's words, "It went beeeeautiful!" She did not have to remove more muscle and tissue, except for a small amount which needed to be debride. He has so much healthy tissue and tendon left that she was able to reattach the tendons to the bone, which will make his longterm outlook for a prosthetic much better. Because she was able to reattach, he will be able to better use a prosthetic in a full range of motion. His pectoral muscle was also not damaged, another great outlook for prosthetic use. He does not have any onset of infection, but this could be a possibility in the coming days. We are told the wound is 17 cm long and 15 cm wide; a decent amount of tissue for a prosthetic to attach. He was stable during the entire surgery, but did receive a blood transfusion of one unit. The transfusion will help him be stronger in the coming days. Once his orthopedic doctor relays the outcome of the surgery with his skin graft/burn unit doctor, his burn doctor will decide on the day and details of his next surgery. Tentatively, the next surgery will occur on July 5. Now, we are hoping for an evening of pain management and will be pushing fluids, breath therapy and nutrition on Doug. No rest for him here. He has been working hard!