Home Sweet Home

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to let you know that Jamie will be coming home today, Friday August 20th!  We are very excited.  He will still have to go back to Accute Rehab in about 4 weeks time once his bones have healed more and he can then start to bear weight on his lower body and right arm.  His new room will be in the kids playroom so needless to say the last few days have been a flurry of going through toys and games.    Walker re-discovered the doll stroller and was rolling himself around in it pretending it was a wheelchair...just like dad!  Thanks to Buestad Construction we have a custom made wheelchair ramp in the front on which they posted 2 MPH max...not sure if that was for Jamie or the kids.
Just give us a call if you want to come see the patient in his new digs!
Thanks - Gail

The Beginning of the End

It is time to taper down the blog.  Right now there is a lot of repetition in Jamie's recovery and we can only tell so many fart and poop jokes. He is out of the "life threatening" stage of the incident. His vitals are normal, his body is making its own blood and he is, by all measures, very healthy, other than the fractures which just take time to heal.  Aside from not being able to walk for a couple months, he is totally fine now.

Thank you all for supporting us through this experience.  We hope that this blog proved to be both informative and humorous. We know there are a lot of others that have suffered far more severely than Jamie did, yet quietly went about their healing process without drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. Those of you who know Jamie know that quietly going about anything is not his style, for better or worse. More importantly, however, the blog started as a practical way to protect Gail from being overwhelmed with phone calls and it took on a life if its own....mostly due to Tommy's unrivaled ability to tell stories. We have been so deeply touched by the support and kindness that Jamie and his family have received from all of you that we felt that you deserved an open line of communication about his status. One of the key items that came out of this is that Jamie considers himself the luckiest man on earth to have such wonderful friends. This experience has taught him that in the end, family and friendship is the pinnacle of life.

Jamie will post one more entry to this blog to give his personal perspective on this experience.  It may take a few days as it takes him time to type and he only ponders and documents this when he is in his most clear moments....low on pain meds. 

Drum roll, please.....

CLICKETY CLACK!!

Such is my life, always a day late and a dollar short!  I passed on last night’s blog that re-capped a day in which Jamie released a little “fury” from just about every nook and cranny of both large and small intestines.  He claimed, and why wouldn’t he after four days, that said fury was the largest thing he has ever deposited!  I guess if you had to find a positive of not being very maneuverable it would be this…Jamie’s “Great Movement” was caught in his bedpan…for all to see to include his nurse who exclaimed…”Wow!”

So, with more of the old poop material, I am reminded of another great story involving Jamie and me.  It was summertime, 1981, and Jamie and I were on a vacation with my Dad and Stepmom.  The trip had been a blast thus far….but the events from this particular night would leave a lasting impression of the entire trip on both Jamie and me to this day.  We were in Spokane, Washington…my dad had a business dinner in a nice restaurant at the top floor of our hotel.  Several courses into the dinner, Jamie and I were hanging on pure boredom while everyone else slugged bottles of wine like Roman Soldiers!  Anyway, the urge hit us both around the same time…and we hustled to the restroom.  The men’s room was standard in appearance with four to five stalls on one side and a wall full of urinals on the other….ladies, don’t get jealous!  The bathroom was completely empty when we arrived and so we did as any ten and eleven year old would do…we executed the “stall in the middle is a buffer rule.”  (Bad bathroom etiquette is to sit side-by-side if not necessary).  I took the first stall….Jamie bypassed the second and took the third.  And there we sat…just jaw-jacking about anything and everything.  I am not even sure we had to do any business….but it was just nice to get away from all the grown-up discussion at the table.  What a bonus! An empty bathroom, good company, good conversation…alas!

The abrupt jolt of the door opening and slamming against the stop….caught me off guard…even startled me a bit. CLICKETY CLACK….CLICKETY CLACK….CLICKETY CLACK went the fellas loafers on the marble tiled bathroom floor. I hear the man outside my stall….I even see some movement in the break between the stall door and the frame.  I looked down as both black loafers stopped their prance long enough to present themselves at the base of my door!  The handle jiggled….the door moved slightly and in a spastic fore aft motion…but the latch kept it from opening!  What the hell was this guy doing?  “Oh shoot, ahhhhhhh” the man exclaimed…and the furious CLICKETY CLACKS picked back up.  He then broke the ”Cardinal” rule and entered the number two stall….the buffer!  Needless to say, all chit-chat between Jamie and I had stopped at the slamming of the door.  I watched the man’s loafers…now from under the adjoining stall wall.  They were still tapping…like the great Arthur Duncan used to do on the Lawrence Welk Show. (That just happened…a pull from the LWS??? Jamie, you know you love that!) We listened intently as the man frantically called out as though he was in church….”Ohhhhh, Jeeeezzzzzz…..zzzzzzzzuussss!”  The CLICKETY CLACKS had now turned into CLICK CLACKS as the guy marched in place like a Marine at the Evening Parade.  I heard the unmistakable fumbling of a now panicked man as he wrestled with the release of his belt buckle!  A couple more disclaimers…this time using Jesus’ last name...and the man’s slacks, in one motion, and his underwear in second motion ate up borrowed time.  The next thing that took place was both horrific and hilarious.  He started his volatile purge as he was still in the act of sitting down on the toilet…and it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. Man, what entertainment!  That poor bastard was in such a tight spot…he didn’t even have time to prep the seat with a cover!  Disgusting! 

Several seconds had now gone by since the last time I had heard from Jamie.  The man between us was peppering the bowl like one of those spray foam insulation guns.  So, you can probably imagine what happens next.  I remember chomping down hard on my cheeks with my teeth…and the more I got the urge to laugh….the tighter I bit.  But not old Jamie….he busted out with a cackle that could be heard clear across the state in Seattle!  Of course, the chain reaction was that I could no longer contain myself and I busted out laughing too.  And hearing me laugh made Jamie laugh even harder…..which made me laugh harder.  The man in the middle stall never acknowledged us…thank god!  We went into damage control and lifted up our legs so the guy couldn’t get a look at our shoes…and then we waited him out as he finished and left the bathroom. 

“Man, did you hear that?” That question started our conversation back up as we picked back up where we left off before the interruption.  Again, as funny today as the day it happened…oh, and yes, I am actually embarrassed that I am 41!!  So, if I am sharing funny stories than that means Jamie’s day went without a hitch, right?

Today, 12 August, was a great day!  Lots of visitors and more of the same for Jamie.  In fact, among the many visitors was Jamie and Gail's friend Beth her two daughters.  They brought Jamie a very cool gag gift that includes a different mustache for each day of the week!  See picture of Thursday's stash...

Jamie’s pain was very manageable. In fact, each day Jamie has to describe his pain level…and today he pointed to the little smiley face!  No, just funnin’ around, Jamie does describe his pain but he uses a scale from one to ten.  Today, Jamie described it as a four. This is exciting as he has never felt good enough to report lower than a six.

His morning routine was more Occupational Therapy with his therapist Carrie.  Jamie and Carrie have a great report…and yet another person that can hang with Jamie’s “in the gutter” sense of humor!  (I am just glad mine isn’t in the gutter). Jamie made the comment that since the removal of his cath…things seemed a bit more depleted…to which Carrie replied…”sounds like a personal problem!”  A thus a match made in heaven!  Jamie continued to work on the slide board, which assists movement from his bed to a wheelchair.  And, once in his wheelchair…Jamie and Carrie worked on practicing a daily routine.  This is important as you can imagine how much different your daily activities are in that capacity.  Jamie spent the better part of his day in his wheelchair and in the seated position.  Personally, I find this amazing…as it was a mere four days ago that I watched him sit up for a couple minutes before he was wiped out.  Only days later, and he is in the seated position for more than four hours. 

Jamie dresses in the morning and Gail bought him some fancy shorts to wear around the hospital.  The shorts are ideal…now that his cath is out as they have pajama style access in the front for the old pee bottle.  See Jamie below with his PT, Kay.  He is sporting the new duds.....

Jamie ate lunch with Gail and his new friends…Tony and Pat!  Beyond that, the lunchroom looks like the Early Bird Special at the Golden Corral!  “Bingo!”  After lunch, Jamie met with his Physical Therapists.  This was very productive…though, Jamie is constantly being reminded to throttle back a bit! The next few weeks will be like ground hog day.  But, Jamie is actually very excited about his new digs.  He was going crazy…being idle in his bed.  Now he is out there working hard towards recovery and getting out of acute care and back home!  So, all-in-all a great day.  Until tomorrow…

   

August 11, 2010

Okay, the sister is back on blog duty today.  Jamie and Tommy got all the humor genes in the family, but I got the short and sweet gene.  So here we go. 

All in all, today was a good day with lots of new activities for Jamie.  The day started by working out some of the kinks that came about with moving facilities.  First off, the pain medication management needed a complete rework this morning as they had Jamie on 1/3 of the proper dosages.  Doctors did solve this problem, but the error caused Jamie considerable pain.  Additionally, Jamie switched rooms which really worked out as a benefit, as his bed is on the window side of his new room so he has more privacy and a nice view now.  As a So Cal resident, I am sure the additional sunshine will help with keeping spirits up. 

In the new facility, he receives both physical therapy as well as occupational therapy and a lot of it is geared to perform activities that allow you to return home.  He enjoyed both therapies today and is learning to get himself in a wheelchair.  His occupational therapist frowned when he rolled into see her at the wheelchair they had issued him and got him an upgrade with a cushy seat.  Additionally, Jamie got dressed today for the first time since his leathers were removed. Not nearly as stylish as the fancy leathers, but exciting nonetheless.

As you can imagine, most residents are about 20 or so years older, but he had lunch with some new friends, Tony and Pat, today that are closer in age to him.  At the facility, they actually go to a dining hall and dine together. 

Two of the best physical things that happened today were the removal of the catheter and apparently, Jamie told Gail that he took one of the biggest dumps ever. 

He also had a few visitors today.  Tighe, close friend, stopped by as well as Ken Carvalho, Ken and Deanna, and Jeff all the way from Stockton!  (My apologies to anyone whose name I may have misspelled or have incorrect, Jamie is a stickler for details, but he is not available to verify them.)  Maisie and Walker stopped by with Gail and Martha.  All in all, he was wiped out by the end of the day.  Lots of new activities that are getting him closer to home in Alameda which is all the motivation that Jamie needs!  Until tomorrow....   

Ramble On...

Well I was trying to reference one of Jamie's favorite songs but upon further research realized I was mixing up Ramble On by Led Zeppelin with Mountain Jam by the Allman Brothers.  However, both are fitting...Jamie rambled on to another facility today!  He is now in the Alta Bates Accute Rehab Facility in Berkeley.  If any of you know the length of Mountain Jam it is a really long song and we are still looking at a long recovery but have made big steps in the last few days.  I am attempting to write this entire blog while I listen to Mountain Jam.  This would be a good place to insert the song, but no such luck folks - you will have to seek it on your own!
Let me start with the beginning of the day, and please know, I don't have the attention to detail that Jamie does so I may leave a few things out...by the way it is me, Gail.
Jamie had a busy morning of finding out that he was going to be moved and then us asking a lot of questions to make sure this was the best next step for him.  We even had All World Tim and Dr. Bennett (aka 'The Deez') in the room with us at the same time.  This was after Tim and myself chased Dr. Bennett down the hall and Jamie was yelling his questions from the room to persuade him to come in.  Needless to say both Tim and Dr. Bennett assured us this was the best move for Jamie.   The main difference being that he will be focused on physical therapy.  He will also be learning how to do all the things he needs to be able to do at home.
The physical therapy plan for the day was to get Jamie on a commode (aka mobile toilet) and that was not going to be put off.  While the transporters were waiting outside his room to take him to Alta Bates he was sitting on his commode trying to relax and let one go as you can see below.

This is very exciting because it is one more step towards life as usual for Jamie.  The transporters whisked him off and he was on his way.  While Jamie was en route I swung by the Verizon store to get him a prepaid Internet card.  Jarrod was helping me and had some ideas that I thought he should run by Jamie...so I called him and put Jarrod on the phone.  A few seconds into the conversation Jarrod looked at me in shock and says to Jamie "You mean you're in an ambulance right now?" - translation "What kind of wife goes shopping while her husband is in an ambulance...!!??"  I explained as best I could but I'm not sure he liked me as much as he did when I walked in.
Jamie arrived at Alta Bates and well...the accommodations are fine, but it does make the ortho ward look really good!  Tomorrow will be the real test once he gets going with the physical therapy.  He has a wonderful nurse, Carole, that was very welcoming and attentive.  He is pretty excited because they handed him a schedule of what he will be doing during the day.  The busier the better, as we all know, Jamie doesn't 'do' sitting around very well!
All in all today was a busy, exciting and bittersweet day.  Our eldest daughter, Elizabeth, came with me today so she got to see a lot of changes and was so amazingly patient.  I think she just needed a Dad fix and now that he is closer to home she will be getting a lot more! 
The song ended long ago and I need to get to sleep, until tomorrow!

Goin' Mobile

I am not sure if my face gave away my horror…at least, not to the extent that Jamie’s face betrayed his attempt to mask his outrage…how would we spare our Grandmother’s feelings?

 I knew the train was verging derailment when we departed the Beach House early that summer morning in the year of our Nation’s Bicentennial celebration. Shit, it had just started out wrong….and went worse from there.  Try to imagine the two of us digging through our suitcases chucking clothes behind like a dog would move earth in the act of burying a bone.  It had to be a near simultaneous discovery when Jamie exclaimed, ”I don’t have my bathing suit!”  “I don’t have mine, either,” I shouted.  So, off we were to go shopping for new suits with none other than my Grandmother….gulp! (Insert the part where it feels like swallowing a spoonful of peanut butter with no milk chaser!)  Man, I bet you could dress a small country with the many articles of clothing my Grandmother had bought us that sat untouched in our wardrobes at home.  Sweaters with cables, checkered pants, and shirts with epaulettes…if it wasn’t made of corduroy or didn’t say “Keep On Truckin’ “ then we didn’t wear it. And if it didn’t have a zipper or the zipper was in any other place than “hey diddle diddle straight up the middle” then it would never advance further than first -string dust collector sitting ass last in the depths of our chest-o-drawers.

There are a thousand places to take a kid to replace his swimming trunks and probably double that in a beach town like Aptos.  We just assumed we would hit Vessey’s, the local convenience store.  Vessey’s had it all, candy, kites, comic books, wiffle balls and bats…and swim trunks!  But, no we watched the fancy cursive fonted Vessey’s sign over our left shoulder as we went straight into some off-the-wall young man’s department store.  We stood there staring at each other…expecting that the other would have the courage to stop the atrocity that my Grandmother was about to commit.  Right there on the counter sat two matching burgundy colored (burgundy? I didn’t even know there was such a color until my Grandmother told us that day) polyester liner less swimsuits.  I wanted to cry but I knew if I did I would set Jamie into full fledged meltdown mode….we had to keep it together.  “Perhaps, it won’t be as bad as we think when we have them on”…I muttered.  I saw the skin between Jamie’s chin and lip start to twitch and took that as…”you can shut-up now”

So, there we stood examining the other as we inspected the swimsuits for serviceability.  It was horrifying.  The suits made us look like some cross between Pierre from South France and Mr. Furley (in reference to 70s hit show Three's Company). The polyester made the shorts tighter than the trendy loose fitting board style shorts…you know the ones…the ones that every other kid on the beach was wearing!  And, they were form fitting in the front sparing nothing to the imagination…making us appear as though we hijacked the appetizer tray of the last of the “lil smokies” and cherry tomatoes and tried to smuggle them out in our pants!  And, burgundy meant that when we did wear our Keep On Truckin” shirts it only accentuated the fish-out-of-water ensemble that was sure to make us the laughing stock on the beach.  But, the biggest faux pa was not having a liner.  This meant we had to pay particular attention to the old “no matter how much you wiggle and dance…the last drop always lands in your pants!”  Picture this…two boys in burgundy polyester trunks….pee stained and their block and tackle all out there for the world to see.  It was all wrong…horribly wrong.  So, Jamie and I faked being under the weather for the next week until my Dad arrived and made the situation all better.  When my Grandmother wasn’t paying attention…he hustled us up to Vessey’s where we got new suits.  Mine with a Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull pattern and Jamie’s with the traditional Schlitz Beer logo…cuz remember, if you’re outta Schlitz…you’re outta beer!  They were loose and lined and we were ready for the beach! Cock of the Walk, Baby!

Anyway, as I drove away from Santa Rosa Memorial yesterday for Truckee…I had lots of time to think…and man did I.  I thought about Jamie and some funny stories of our childhood.  Though, he is recovering nicely…I felt pretty bad about leaving him. That story makes me laugh as much today as ever and so I wanted to share it with all of you…and Jamie…as I know he will be laughing as he reads it.  I asked Gail if I could return for today’s blog and She obliged.

Blog Entry: 9 August 10

Each day brings with it more and more progress.  My Stepmother, Reenie, did the midmorning turnover with my Dad and will stay with Jamie for the next couple of days.  But, before anyone arrived today Jamie had his personal grooming done.  Meaning he shaved both his face and head.  This is huge and speaks volumes to Jamie’s character.  It would be easy to sit around all day and let people do things for you…but the truth is Jamie knows that by forcing himself to work his right hand through chores that require dexterity' like shaving will only help to get him back to normal.  So, he is shirking none of his responsibilities.  And, instead doing more and more each day.  He was also given two golf balls from the PT yesterday…to work in his hands like Furious Styles (Laurence Fishbourne) worked his Chinese “Boading” Balls in Boys n The Hood! Both balls are held in the hand and rotated around the other using only the movement of the fingers.  This is yet another dexterity drill to try to work his three fingers that seem to think they are on siesta.  Jamie was not too good yesterday but had them going today.  And if you know Jamie…he just wont give up until he is able to play with his balls….uhhhhh, wait…can I go to print with that?

The Diesel paid Jamie a visit today with some feedback from yesterday’s X-Rays and reported that everything looked great.  To put things a bit in perspective….Jamie asked him if he could tell whether the fractures in his pelvis looked to be mending and he told him that that kind of progress is still weeks away.  But, he did like what he saw.  Jamie finally broke the Diesel down a bit and actually got him to crack a smile.  It was only a matter of time…even for the most surly of characters.  Perhaps he made the Diesel laugh when he told him the story of when the nurses moved Jamie to X-Ray but forgot to hook his cath bag to the bed.  Aye Carumba!!! So, imagine the transporters pushing Jamie’s bed…Jamie saying, “uhhhh, fellas, is there something tugging my….” and a big long trail of tubing, piss bag, and leaking pee.  The whole X-Ray evolution yesterday is taking its toll today as Jamie is a little sore from some awkward and uncomfortable positions he was in to get the shots.  In particular, he has felt some pain in his lower back, which he suspects is his L-5 screaming!  He says it feels like laying on two bowling balls.

All the discomfort aside, today was momentous both physically and mentally.  Jamie’s PT session included the utilization of a slide board…which is a glorified piece of plywood…sanded of course so no fear of splinters!!  Anyway, the nurse sprinkles the slide board with baby powder and Jamie slides (with assistance) from the seated position on his bed to the seated position on something else…in this case a wheelchair.  Think of a flat bridge. The goal was to see if Jamie could handle the slide board and if he could to see if he could handle the wheelchair.  Jamie spent a nice portion of his afternoon being wheeled around the East Wing of the Ortho Ward…no doubt checking on the pain screamer…talking about how incredibly pain free he is…but that he wishes he could find his old bed pan!  Jamie had a much-anticipated visit from his dear friends Kevin and Meagan Nekimken....or knowing Kevin and his soft nature perhaps he went with the strategic hyphen! (Nekimken-Schumacher) or worse the hybrid (Nekumacher)…what up with that, Kevin? (Nah, just joshing my boy, Kevin, in a blog shout out).  Anyway, Kevin pushed Jamie all around the Ward.  It was a great visit.  Needless to say, Jamie was pretty tired…both physically and especially emotionally.  He finally broke down a bit as you can imagine one would when they go from being relegated to laying on their back to the freedom of sitting upright and moving about the hospital.  It was truly momentous.

See the picture below of Jamie being pushed around the hospital by his buddy Kevin….Clearly, looking at Kevin’s shirt he has trouble with his Grandmother buying him clothes as well!

 

When not entertaining visitors, Jamie is watching movies….and took in the “Hot Tub Time Machine” yesterday.  Also, I would like to make a late shout out to his buddies from Pacific Track Time….who decorated Jamie’s bed with black and white checkered racing tape…which has seriously improved the aesthetics of his room.   Awesome.

I will close with saying that any day that has the blog sharing a story from Jamie’s childhood…must mean that all is going as or better than expected.  And that is, in fact, the case.  Today was another great day that saw tremendous strides in the road to recovery.  He was able to keep up with an arduous PT regimen that had him move from his bed to a wheel chair…and in the words of Roger Daltrey and The Who…”Goin’ Mobile.”  All exciting stuff.  So, all is going very well.  To all, continue to read and post.  Until tomorrow…. 

Playing with a Full Bag of Clubs

You are stuck with the second string again, because “funny Tom” is driving his family to Truckee as I write this.  But by starting earlier, maybe we won’t be working this thing into sleep time.

So yesterday I mentioned that Jamie had found his driver, but lost his short game.  Today he has had a near-perfect round.  Every club in the bag has worked.  When I got here with Elizabeth; Tom, Paula, their children plus Maisie and Walker were all jammed into the room with Jamie and Gail and Jamie was pre-crash in appearance, energy and enthusiasm.  It was a great arrival scene.  Jamie had just sat up on the bed in his back brace with the help of his physical therapist.  His whole family and Tom's family were all present to see him upright.  And while he still has many weeks of rehab ahead of him and certainly more challenging days around the corner, sitting upright was a major milestone in Jamie's mind and he was beaming as a result.  In our pass-off, Gail made it clear that the whole day has been consistently good—over the top.  Jamie believes that his pain management regimen may have finally been figured out.  And, he tells me he now will get Valium in the evening, which will dramatically increase his sleep and prevent spasms in the morning. 

Tom and family departed and within minutes, Alameda neighbors John and Lisa arrived with their children—on their way home from Sea Ranch—to say hi.  So Gail’s departure was delayed a bit.  And as I type this, Jamie's long-time friend Tighe just walked in, so Jamie has no lack of company, and if it is tiring him, one would never know it.  I am not really exaggerating it when I say it is like the accident never happened—except of course that he is in a hospital and he is managing his own health care more or less like he was just named Surgeon General of the US.  Those of you who really know him understand exactly what I am saying and while it amuses us, we are damn grateful that he is that sharp and that engaged.

Shortly after I arrived, he did go to Xray as I told you yesterday he would.  His brace was on and he looked very comfortable.  He needed to keep it on for his Xrays.  After he got back, I helped the nurse take it off and the good news is that he just reaches up and grabs the trapeze with both hands and arms and pulls himself up nearly vertical and after we undid the straps from only one side, we just unfolded it and slid the back panel up past his shoulders.  There is no doubt I could have done that myself and maybe soon be able to position it correctly to put it back on.  Yesterday I forgot to tell you that he has nearly full use of his broken right arm.  He can pull on it all he wants and he does and it doesn’t hurt at all.  What he is not allowed to do is to push with that same arm.  He has several different therapists, one of which is for his right hand.  Three of those fingers don’t work great—especially the middle two, which results from some nerve damage at the elbow where he ground things down to the bone.  But his prognosis is very good based on what he can do as opposed to what he cannot do.  He cannot type worth a damn and he has trouble with one or two maneuvers on his Blackberry.  What seems to trouble him the most, however, is that he cannot offer the “Single Finger Salute.”  Nice to know where his priorities are!  Another thing I forgot to tell you from yesterday is that Jamie shaved himself yesterday and did so with his right hand. 

So where do we go from here?  We still need some progress on his blood.  And we still need to manage the pressure caused by the gas, which makes him truly uncomfortable considering that the gas somehow has to share the same area in the pelvis as his swollen tissue, internal bleeding and fractured bones.  Needless to say, the gas was late to the party and the others just don't want to make any room.  And most of all, it would be great if his body will mend the pelvis by itself rather than requiring more surgery.  Those are the goals.

One minor clarification I discovered yesterday is his ribs, which have been a moving information target.  I understood he had two broken ribs, then I learned it was three.  Actually, he broke four—matching pairs on both sides. 

I am not sure you will get an edition tomorrow because Reenie will be Jamie’s “family attendant.”  And then Gail will be back Tuesday.  I would be remiss if I did not follow Tom’s lead and thank each and every one of you for the enormous expressions of concern, love, thoughtfulness and humor.  Every one of you has contributed to his rapid progress.

Tom “The Hammer” Sr.  

Another Good Day!

Hi all.  The below is a sum up of jamie's previous 24 hours as written by my dad.  It is an inspiring piece
Today was uneventful...still hugely positive....  Jamie had a great day...but again he must sometimes be reminded of that fact.  Hi all--Tom passed the computer to me, Tom Sr., because I was with Jamie from yesterday around 12:30 to today at around 3:00.  I won't write with Tom's humor, but I can give you a pretty good account of the day and in my opinion, it was a great day.  Why?  Because yesterday Jamie was truly physically uncomfortable more or less all day and there are many ways to help him with that in addition to the meds--putting pillows at different places partially under his body and shifting them frequently--per his instructions.  Also, he lays on a blue pad and he is moved by pulling on the pad--from one side to the other side--sometimes only an inch helps.  The pad is also used to "roll" him for any number of processes that involve exposing his back side--you can easily guess what one of those processes is.  So today Jamie asked me for a total of two pad pulls all day.  And you could tell from his demeanor that he was way, way more comfortable today.  So in my mind, today was a great day.  But today he also felt "fluish."  He had more nausea than yesterday.  In mind it is completely expected that if a part of his game elevates noticeably in a day, another part of his game might slip some.  Kind of like finding your driver and having your short game suffer from one round to the next.

Jamie ate really good at breakfast and again at lunch.  He was focusing on eating well because protein is important to his recovery and also because his big goal for the day was a serious BM.  Mind you, Jerry the guy in the next bed who was released today went 8 days without a BM when he hit SRMemorial.  So those of you who know Jamie fully understand that he doesn't waffle much with his expectations.  In any case, his dream did come true.  And after waiting patiently all day, it came with suddenness and force.  And while some of you may think it is gross or too graphic, there was substantial accompaniment that might suggest that we will have to repaint the ceiling when Jamie checks out.  Most people don't pray for gas.  People in Jamie's condition do, so some pressure in his inflated abdomen was finally relieved if for only a short time.
The other really big news is that Jamie got his clam shell body brace today and it is pretty cool.  It is much smaller than I expected--custom-molded fiber glass with a soft lining--one for the back and the other for his front with three straps on each side that are adjustable with Velcro.  Funny, but our first reaction was identical--that Walker (his Son) will grab it the moment Jamie is done with it because it looks like armor.  It also looks a bit like a wrestler's title belt, so we are trying to think of some embellishment for it.  So I exited for some chow while he did a series of exercises with his new brace and they were astonished at his range of motion--another super sign.  Have to admit, however, that when they roll him to get the back panel in place or get his slim-line pan under him, it hurts.  However, in the same breath, he essentially rolls himself with his left arm pulling hard on the side of the bed rail, so he does have some control but just gets it done.  So the original plan for today was that with the brace on, he would "dangle."  Yeah, right ladies--not the kind of dangle you are thinking.  To dangle in the hospital means sitting on the edge of the bed with your legs hanging off the side.  The goal was for him to sit up and he would have had some xrays in that position, but it was postponed because Jamie "felt like shit."  So tomorrow we know one thing for sure that will be on the agenda.

Another big plus for the day is that Brent came up for about 3 hours, and since Brent has been through this only much, much worse, they had a good talk.  These two guys are really, really close, so Brent's visit was a huge boost.  And then, of course, Jamie gets Gail back after having dealt with the second string for 3 days in a row.  Gail and I had a really good pass-down and then I left them to have what I expect was some very much needed time together with Jamie in markedly better shape than when Gail last saw him.  Tomorrow will be huge--all the family will be there in shifts for at least a few minutes of the day as we pass through for parts elsewhere.  Most important, of course, is all 7 "cousins."  I suspect he will sleep damn well tomorrow night and maybe even tonight as he hardly dozed a bit today.

So that is my post for the day--not with Tom's humor, but at least with some detail and my impression of what was a damn good day.  Not sure what you should expect from now on--maybe Kendra will be willing to post some intermittent progress reports.  Tom Sr. Until Tomorrow...

And, BOOM There Goes The Dynamite!!!

OK, I realize that future blogs will probably have to use some more advanced attention grabbers...especially for you the advanced readers.  But I used the title again to catch you guys.  And, again, I used a pull from a video I watched that if viewed would not necessarily match Jamie's day.  But if allowed I can make a relationship to today's events.  That said, I recommend that each of you at some point in the near future do a Lou-gle (google) (Lou-gle of course is in reference to Hot Tub Time Machine...another great movie) search of the title....can you say awkward!!!

6 August 10, Jamie was down around rock bottom when I arrived today. I feel a little guilty because while I was enjoying my GrandSlam breakfast at Denny's...Jamie was not experiencing the same moment.  A recap of the atmosphere when I was finally kicked out of the hospital last night:  Jamie had just received two lax and some milk-o-mag and we were both giddy with the thought of Jamie waking from an Oxy induced stuper only to find himself pooled in a big heep of POO! “Oh, there’s that Salami sandwich!”


 Well, Jamie did have his "Morning Constitutional" but it was hardly the momentous occasion we had been excited about.  When I arrived at the room ...all Jamie could tell me was that his night was tough but Michael was the "bomb."  After some concerned questions, I got the whole story.  I found out that Michael was the nurse who helped Jamie through the BM experience.  Anybody who has ever been in the hospital and pumped full of "major league" style pain meds...or (in a plug to all my lady readers) given birth to a child...knows that the first BM is always a tough experience.  And Jamie's experience was no different.  After some coaching Jamie was able to muster a below average...but "I'll take it!" poop.  It was painful to say the least...as I am sure you could imagine for a guy who has 5 fractures to his pelvis.  The highlight of the whole experience was his nurse, Michael.  I won't try to describe Michael by personal appearance...instead I will let your mindseye build this incredible individual.  Michael and Jamie hit it off tremendously.  You can imagine a scenerio where one man is at his most vulnerable and undignified state...and there is this gift from god who is able to make the whole experience as dignified as possible.  Michael had a tremendous sense of humor and upon coaching Jamie through this whole situation...and while cleaning his backside...had the presence of mind to sing the Crystal Gale classic…“Gonna make your Brown Eye…blue!”  Jamie loved it...but I think we all agree we will not listen to that song the same again!

I can't say that Michael was perfect though.  When I arrived to the room...full from my Grand Slam breakfast...I noticed that the room was a littlle "funky."  I figured it was the result of two guys in a tight spaced recovery room...it did smell a little like poop so maybe it was just still in the air...I don't know.  Definately not too far a stretch from the smell of two stinky old men that is for sure.…the smell of man! Anyway, Jamie was nauseous and the smell was not helping him at all.  I didn't even have to say anything and Jamie volunteered after some time..."man, this room smells like shit!" I agreed and started looking for something....anything...that we could use to counter the smell.  There was nothing!  I even considered running to the local Target for a jug of "Old Spice."  Then, I noticed a small container of hand lotion on Jamie's bed side table and figured I could rub it on his face...particularly under his nose....and at a minimum mask the smell thus helping his nausea.  When I went to the bedside table I was hit immediately with a brutal gasious stench that rivalled the most potent nerve agent any terrorist could ever deliver.  Alas, Saddam's WMD???  I caught a couple loose elements of a dry heave in my mouth....but carried on.  I had found the culprit. Parked right there on the night stand was the once used and poorly rinsed bedpan...no further than 2 feet from a now agro'd Jamie.  That nasty bedpan needed an exit and fast.  No sooner than I had thrown it away...the morale in the room had improved drastically.  Through this whole thing, Jerry (Jamie's roommmate) was very gracious.  He had to be going nuts, though.   I know to many writing about this makes you think...."Man, Tommy has finally taken this thing too far!"  And, you are probably right.  But, this BM is momentous and a huge part of the road to recovery for Jamie.  It is what we dealt with today...and if you want me to describe as though you were right there with us...then you have to be with me on the description.  Plus, I would be a fool to walk away from such material!

On a side note. Jamie has a new neighbor that moved into a nearby room. OK, so I might feel a little guilty about this but... This new neighbor has not and probably will not go more than 10 minutes without yelling her discomfort out to a ward full of people in extreme measures of similar or worse levels of comfort. I heard it myself......"Owwww......owww....owww".... Well Jamie and I had the idea that if we were somehow able to slide Jamie's bedpan into her room we could at least get her to change her tune...."Owwww, ewwww....owwwww, ewwwww...owwww, ewwwww!"


When I arrived Jamie was talking to a Trauma Nurse named Tim. Tim (not the Tim from ICU) was trying to get caught up on Jamie’s case. Tim is like a mini doctor and will be Jamie's advocate from now on.  This has been the source of Jamie's frustration thus far.  Everytime he meets a new person in the recovery equation he feels that he must educate them on what has transpired between doctors.  And this was the case today.  In reliving the whole story "soup to nuts" style Jamie got down in the dumps and was at a low in confidence on the mediacal care.  Tim was potentially the straw that broke Jamie's...pelvis?  But, Tim did a great job in calming Jamie down and explained for the first time why there is so much conflciting word.  His answer is as follows: 

Jamie’s pelvis injury is right at the L-5/S-1 junction. (Where the last vertebra meets the Sacrum).  In the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital everything to include the L-5 belongs to the Neurologist and everything S-1 and below belongs to the Orthopedist...AKA "The Deez."  Up to this point, Jamie has been judging his opinion off "The Diesel's" orders.  Tim ,with no vested intrest, explained that we should not discount the Neurologist's opinion.  This is important because if you are an avid reader of the blog you will remember that the Neurologist ordered a mold be made of Jamie's torso for a brace to protect the L-5 injury.  In discussion, a constantly upbeat and "positive to this point" Jamie, had finally hit a low point.  He felt that adding anybody into the equation at this point would be counter to the road to recovery and...quite frankly...it brought him way down.  The key thing for us all to remember is that situation is unique…the injury is unique…at least for this Trauma Center…and so we just have to work through things.  Tim, who now feels Jamie’s frustration, has done wonders to re-assure Jamie that he will get some resolution. Tim has been good for Jamie's mental well-being because now Jamie doesn’t feel he will have to tell everybody what the other said.  The final decision is that Jamie will be molded for and be required to where a back brace in order to protect the L-5 vertebra through the healing process.  No big deal and the victory is that we now have an advocate and he knows and respects Jamie.  He made shit happen immediately...not least of which was getting two pig headed doctors to spare their egos long enough to pass some word to their patient!

Jamie is mentally ahead of his physical progress…I know...you are thinking..."shocker!"  Part of his low point this morning besides the issues of communication among doctors and his “Morning Constitutional” was that he was amped up for PT.  In meeting Tim, we did some side steps as Tim got comfortable with Jamie’s situation and it looked as though Jamie would not do PT.  That got in his “OODA loop” (none military types might have to look that one up on Lou-gle). Jamie and I had a good talk this AM about what I would call setbacks, pitfalls, or hiccups. He knows this but needed a reminder and will probably need a thousand more when this is all said and done. Bottomline, the positive attitude when it comes to recovery from an injury like this means sometimes finding the positives in a day that didn’t feel all that positive. But on the whole, today was again a good day. He did end up starting his PT regimen and exercised his big muscle groups....and...no ladies... the "Big Purple Satchel" is not considered a muscle group...geez get your minds out of the gutter.  He had a full check-up from Occupational Therepy and worked some issues with his right hand (they believe there is a nerve that assists with his middle, ring, and pinky fingers that has been affected making his dexterity somewhat suspect). Lastly, he had his pain meds changed…note to all he doesn’t do percocet!! (That should come as no surprise to anyone that has bellied up to the bar with him though…”I’ll have a Cranberry and…").

OK, folks so we have done another turnover and my Dad, Tom Sr, will stay with Jamie for the next couple of days.  It has been a pleasure for me...perhaps almost therapuetic for me to write these blog entries over the last few days.  Jamie is and always has been my best friend.  I don't like to see him in any physical or mental pain...and so my heart goes out to him.  I do know him well, though, after 40 years and I know this.  He is a perfectionist and has extremely high standards.  He is destined for many occasions where his mind is ahead of his body's ability to recover.  And, when things slow down he will look at that as a setback when in reality it is merely a sidestep.  It is incumbant upon all of us to remind him of the positives...even if they are modest.  Sorry, I will get off my soapbox...but today was a day when we had to recap all of the good as it was masked in the stench of one giant "And, BOOM, There Goes The Dynomite."  Until tomorrow....

The Adventures of Pussy La La

Did I hook you?  It was my goal…you know.  To suck you in with some kind of Ian Fleming like OO7 kind of hook.  But, no, Pussy La La isn’t some buxom Eastern European Bombshell that has entered the recovery process as Jamie’s sexy nemesis! No, instead, Jamie is Pussy La La...

Hi all, it is me Tom again.  I was asked back for a follow-up guest blog.  So, hope you enjoy!

On Sunday, when Jamie arrived at the ER I was fortunate enough to get to see him before he went to surgery.  In the time I was there, the Operating Room Nurse came to get him.  The ER nurse (Kim, who is “all world”) was giving the OR nurse some passdown on Jamie.  Kim, attempted to use some discretion when explaining that Jamie was not very tolerant to pain.  Jamie, hearing that, exclaimed….”are you saying I’m a pussy?”  Kim looked him straight in the eyes and said….”well, since you have your color back and I think you can handle this…yes, you’re kind of a pussy la la.” 

Today, August 5^th, has been another good day.  Again, all relative.  But in this case, we are still making small little degrees of progress.  Today’s highlights have been the removing of a drain tube in his left hip and moving to a new room in the orthopedic ward and out of the ICU.  The drain tube was not necessarily all that big a deal…but, in my simple understanding…if the tube was used to drain a wound and it is no longer needed…then perhaps the wound is mending itself…also, the tube gone means one less thing I can trip over….”Oh, my bad!”  All of that said, the wound was still draining a little which means that without a tube….more fluid is heading to his nethers and thus making him appear more like a side-show-freak…the Elephant Man perhaps!?!?

Moving rooms has been bittersweet.  In the ICU Jamie had incredible…almost one on one…care from his nurse.  Additionally, he had his own room.  When the talk of moving came around…Ole “Chatty Cathy” Keating got upset at the thought of having to share a room.  He felt slighted, what with all of the flirting he had invested…how that did nothing towards increasing him to Champagne Room status??? Welcome back to life with us scrubs beeeoootch.  Jamie’s roommate is a great guy named Jerry!  Again, moving out of the ICU is progress…even if it does feel like going from the W at Times Square to the Super 8 Motel in Flushing Meadows.  (that was my shout out to Lisa and Bobby out there on the East Coast)

The move was pretty entertaining.  Jamie, who has self-appointed himself a “Chatty Cathy” was talking to everybody he could see.  When we arrived at the same elevator with a nurse pushing a senior citizen (old lady) there was a bit of a log jam.  The senior’s nurse asked if we were going into the elevator…and before our transporter nurse (transporter is actually his title…which Jamie and I think is pretty cool) could answer...Jamie responded with…”yeah, we’re heading down to the bar for a beer!”  The dynamics at that point were fantastic….as his joke fell horribly from grace on the “no personalities” on the receiving end….crickets, crickets, crickets!  I thought it was genius…but because he is my little bro I responded with… ”perhaps it was poor delivery!” The remainder of the 5 minute trip might or might not have included talking about Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with an Indian Janitor from Mumbai…or mission statements with the FedEx delivery man!

We did receive a couple awesome pictures that I want to share with you that came from Jamie’s buddy Mike Gunderson.  Gundy is a graphic design extraordinaire…as you will see.  Another masterpiece, G!

I will close by thanking everybody for reading and posting on the blog.  Keep it up.  We are reading.  Since I have cheated you details I will give a quick rundown:  No Diesel sightings, unless he was all gilly suited up and in hiding…watching…”come on Deez…quit funnin’ around!” We did meet the ICU Duty Doc…Dr Harris who said Jamie is doing good.  He recommended we get Jamie’s “Purple Satchel” on film for the memories!  I shaved Jamie face and head…and believe me it helped his day.  You definitely look forward to the little things. We said goodbye to Valerie, Tim and all of the awesome nurses in the ICU leaving behind his drain tube.  Looking forward to tomorrow, Jamie will start his Physical Therapy plan…and in fact is talking to his therapist now.  She said he can do thigh exercises so I will recommend that Gail bring his Suzanne Somers approved Thigh Master!!! Oops, did I post that? Additionally, and perhaps the possible material for tomorrow’s blog…Jamie will receive a laxative tonight!!!  Man, no crickets on that one!  I am like a kid on Christmas Eve! Until tomorrow…

El Diablo and the Magicman!!

Hi Folks, My name is Tom and I am Jamie’s Brother.  I have been entrusted with the role of Guest Blogger for 4 Aug 10.

The good news is that things at the hospital have slowed to a manageable pace and that has allowed Gail a chance to breakaway to be with her children.  I will take over for her and spend the next couple of days keeping Jamie company.

I entitled this literary piece "El Diablo and the Magicman!!" in recognition of one of the finest pieces of cinematography ever caught on celluloid...Talladega Nights.  Beyond the race motif, I am not sure I can make a correlation between Jamie’s experience in the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and the movie.  That said, I couldn’t stop thinking about the scene when Ricky Bobby is convinced he will never walk again until his very good friends Lucius Washington and Cal Naughton, Jr intervene...

It has been a while since the last time I did this hospital gig...so it is a bit intimidating to say the least.  But, it certainly made the situation a little more uneasy when Gail’s parting shot was..."Oh, and Tommy, Jamie is due for a bath and you might have to wash his genitalia." Needless to say, I immediately started lobbying his Nurse for emancipation.  In my most desperate act, I offered my services to washing bedpans or fetching coffee... anything but washing my brothers “junk."  And if that wasn’t enough, as a result of one of Jamie’s injuries that spans his lower abdomen settling blood has found a new home in his "twig and berries" making them resemble something that belongs on Barney the big Purple Dinosaur! Jamie told me that under the circumstances…perhaps I should be El Diablo and he should be the Magicman.  I told him that perhaps under the circumstances he should be El Diablo and the Magicman!! I had zero confidence in my abilities to witness without a subsequent PROJECTILE VOMIT. We will see how this plays out!
 

So today was a good day for Jamie.  I guess going back to last night Jamie experienced his first bit of quality sleep.  Quality being a relative term.  Until mid day today, Jamie’s meds were introduced through an IV but on his command.  He had a pushbutton and when we felt pain he could release meds by activating the button.  But, when he would sleep he would not push the button so he would only sleep as long as the pain would allow.  Last night, he was able to sleep for 2-3 hours at a time.  He told me that the sleep was deep and full of drug induced "wild dreams"!! In fact, in his stoned state he was convinced that he had all the solutions to the world’s problems...and is all it required was “salad plates...my mom likes to use salad plates".  At least, that is what Reka, his nighttime Nurse, claimed he was saying!  "Yeah, Jamie, you were saying some crazy stuff!"

Around mid-day, he was given the OK for oral meds.  This is actually good because they tend to pack a little bit better punch with some longer lasting bennies on fighting pain.  He is currently on Oxycontin.  I told him he is only a Radio Talk Show away from being completely offensive! I will call him Little Rush! Additionally, Jamie ate his first solid food tonight.  It was a true hospital culinary delight of Pot Roast, Carrots, and Potatoes!

And lastly, he had a quick trip to down stairs for a cat scan.  The results were that Jamie is still looking good as far as his recovery is concerned.

Jamie has several doctors that check in on him routinely.  But, one guy in particular is Dr. Bennett who has been deemed "The Diesel" because of his none stop engine.  The Diesel is also notoriously elusive.  When he is on his rounds one might find that if they blinked their eyes at the wrong time they might miss him altogether.  I found myself very excited to meet The Diesel!  He is like an enemy sniper or something.  Always one step ahead.  Known only by his nickname...you might find a few signs of his existence; an empty C-Rat can, a few gun casings, but the man himself is that of a ghost.  Anyway, The Deez blessed us with his presence today.  Gave Jamie some quality time for Q&A...which was nice.  Jamie was on his A-game thankfully and asked all of his nagging questions.  That said, I just sat there a little awe struck with my shit eating grin!  At one moment I wanted to bust in and ask "The Deez" for his autograph.  In all seriousness, though, Jamie and "The Deez" came to the agreement that they would not pursue a surgical repair for at least 6 weeks in the hopes that the pelvis mends naturally. This has some drawbacks as it will be the more painful of the solutions.  That said, having rods placed into his hips has long term potential issues, least of which is early hip arthritis.

We look forward to tomorrow as it will include removing his tube drain from his left hip.  Additionally, at some point he will be moved out of the ICU and into a room within the hospital’s Orthopedic Ward.  Having spent one entire day with Jamie, I can tell you all that he is truly humbled at the love and support he has received by each of you monitoring his progress.  Much of his daily routine includes monitoring Facebook, the Bay Area Riders Forum, and this Blog.  He reads each of your posts and loves them all.  Jamie has maintained his great sense of humor throughout all of his dealings.  So, keep the posts coming and spare no wit!!  He can take it...and would actually appreciate it.

Lastly, Jamie would like to recognize all the riders and riding enthusiasts for your support and well wishes. He truly feels honored to call you his friends.  Until tomorrow...

August 3, 2010

Today was, all in all, a much better day for Jamie and Gail.  The testing is exhaustive and it takes forever to get results and because there are so many doctors involved, it complicates getting complete information that has taken both specialties into consideration. 

The morning began with Jamie receiving more blood and more pain meds.  Both of these totally improved his outlook.  He is still losing blood and will not be moved from ICU until that is under control.  Initially, we thought he would be out of ICU tomorrow, but that was naive.....we know that now.  The doctors got a chance to review the results of yesterday's MRI and they have determined not to do any additional surgery at this time.  All organs look good, and he farted today!  For those of you who know and love Jamie, this normally would be an awful thing, but today Gail was excited to experience that fart because it means that his systems are beginning to function again. (I wish I could upload a picture of him farting, but no such luck)

He did get fitted for a brace that will stabilize his pelvis and back, but before we have the brace constructed we need to determine that both the neurologist and the orthopaedist are in alignment that this is the correct way to stabilize both L5 and pelvis.  The picture below is Jamie being molded for his brace.

As you can see, he remains to rely on his wicked sense of humor.  The process of getting the mold done did make Jamie tired so he spent the afternoon sleeping.  Sometime during the day he was cleared to have juice so he enjoyed his first meal, a Grape Popsicle, upon arising from his nap. 

Once again, thanks to everyone for caring!

August 2, 2010

A.M.  Today has been a day of testing.  They have set the ulna and determined that the pelvis is stable.   They are trying to locate the internal bleeding and make sure that one of the broken bones didn't puncture anything serious internally.  He is a little more grouchy today as the soreness of the event is now setting in.  He continues to talk about how lucky he his, how much he loves his family and the normal things that you think about when you have such a unexpected and serious close call. 

P.M.  We learned something new about trauma patients, the first things they address are the life saving events.  This is why we keep learning new things about Jamie's injuries.  Today, we learned that Jamie's back injury and his pelvic injury may require some surgical procedure.  We originally thought that the first procedure would be sufficient.  Jamie spent most of the day in a 2 hour MRI session to give the nuerologist (L5) and the orthopaedist (pelvis) the correct information that they need to determine the next step.  We would love to give you more and should be able to, but have not heard from the doctors.

Right now, his kidneys look good, and they tested his bladder today...no puncture wounds....Yah!!  We are hoping to find out about the kidneys tomorrow.  The thought is that the internal bleeding is coming from the bones oozing, I know gross, but the only way to describe it.  He has received several pints of blood to alleviate the bleeding. We are praying that this will resolve itself as the bones begin to heal.

We truly appreciate all the calls and emails, but we won't be able to answer all of then, plus we want to leave plenty of communication for Jamie when he is flat on his ass and comsumed with boredom, so we will continue to keep posted with all information.  Jamie is unable to have visitors at this time, but we will let you know when visitation can start and at what level. 

Once again, out deep thanks go out to the everyone associated with Jamie's racing life, all of his business friends, and all of the rest of us.  Thanks so much for all the well wishing, we feel so lucky that this is just a recovery process and not something else!  Thank so much for everything!!

Let this Chapter begin

This blog was created to keep of you updated on Jamie's injuries and progress. 

For those of you who weren't there to witness the event, Jamie was racing yesterday in the Formula One race at Infineon Raceway.  It was the 7th race on turn 8 where he got a bit too aggessive and lost control of his bike.  He landed on the track where he was runover by another racer. 

A shout out to that racer (GoGo) as we know that this was unavoidable.  We are truly grateful for your adept riding abilities because we know if Jamie had been hit in any other location on his body, he would probably be dead or wish that he was.  Jamie and his family are eternally grateful to you. 

Back to the salient event, he was airlifted to the closest hospital, Santa Rosa Memorial, where his injuries were assessed. 

As we are learning, as they repair certain things they may find others.  His injuries include a pelvis, fractured in 5 places, a broken ulna, 3 broken ribs, a broken vertabrae, and two very significant wounds on his elbow and his hip.  Additionally, he has some internal bleeding, more on that later.  Initially, the main concerns were blood clots and getting enough oxygen to the lungs, so he doesn't get pnuemonia.  Last night he underwent surgery to repair the ulna, as he will need a lot of upper body strength in the near future.  Additionally, they cleaned the wounds extensively to prevent infection.

As luck would have it, Jamie was trying to get in one more race before our family reunion.  Jamie arrived to the hospital and followed shortly by his wife and 3 kids, sister and neice and brother, sister-in-law and 3 nieces and nephews.  Our kids really have no idea of the seriousness of the situation as you can see, which we feel is a good thing and were able to continue up to the family reunion location with Uncle Tommy and Aunt Paula.

We will continue to update all of you as we know more.  We cannot tell you how much we appreciate the guys in Jamie's pit, the track and medical personnel at Infineon Raceway, the helicopter team and the hospital team.  Also, most importantly all of Jamie's friends.