Thursday, July 16

So tonight I am sitting here with a glass of very cheap Zinfandel, there's some silly little bicycle race on the telly (they are interviewing a "Lance" somebody) and I'm reflecting on how history has a way of repeating itself. Apparently, Jacob had a little fender bender today in the parking lot of the local market. It's just about the 3-year anniversary of Nicholas' pre-college fender bender. Apparently it is a freshman right of passage for young Hanten males; jack up your insurance rates just prior to embarking on your collegiate journey.

The good news is that Jake just backed our truck into some guy who had "parked illegally" behind him. There is supposedly no damage to our truck, which I have yet to verify. The other party has already contacted our insurance agent to repair what Nick calculates to be $22 in damages. I don't think Nick has a particularly good grasp on the state of the auto body repair market.

Anyway, small potatoes. What's another insurance bill?

Side note: Jake just told me he thought Casablanca was stupid. I'm going to hit him in the head.

More tomorrow, I have to go sulk and watch The Treasure of Sierra Madre.

Whoo-Hoo!

The "Super All-In-One Value Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Kit" that I ordered online showed up today. It's only a matter of minutes before custom printed T-shirts are rolling off our production line. For those of you who don't recall or weren't following at that time, refer to my "Off to the OR" post from June 18.

Actually, I expect that there will be considerable trial and error before we get a successful print, but whenever we get something presentable we'll post a photo.

The other thing that started showing up this weekend? The medical insurance statements. We have a sort of informal pool going, but I'm guessing a quarter of a mil before all is said and done. I'm going to try to keep a running tab, just to see how close we get.

So far...

$250 - OMS visit in the Loma Linda ER

$17,835 - ER at Inland Valley Medical Center

$180 - Additional expense from IVMC

$2,336.50 - Ambulance

$3,643 - Additional expense from IVMC

$170 - Trauma MD at LLMC

So, if my calculations are correct, $24,414.50 so far. Of course, that's the gross amount billed. Since the providers are "in plan" they get paid significantly less by our insurance carrier and our responsibility is, well, not peanuts, but way less than the $25K it works out to.

Doesn't matter, cuz I'm using the gross amount for purposes of our little pool. I'm adding this all to Jake's tab to see if he will eventually become the "$6 Million Man."

Tip for parents: You might want to consider cash incentives to encourage offspring to engage in less risky behavior. Maybe the balance of whatever you don't spend of your annual insurance deductible. "Here's 50 bucks, put on that helmet." "I'll give you $300 to NOT attempt that BMX hip transfer!"

(A hip transfer is, we think, what Jake was attempting when he cratered. Note that the rider in the video is sine galea. I believe Bell Helmets had the tag line "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet.")

Thank You!

I have been meaning for some time to post a thank you to everyone who has supported Jacob and the rest of us through this last month. I have to say it really seems like it has been a much longer process than it has, but the love and support we've received from everyone has eased the way immensely. This is long overdue, but I wanted to recognize everyone in a single post to try to convey some idea of the overwhelming level of support we've received. The problem has been that the list of contributors won't stop growing.

So here goes, thanks to...

Friends and Neighbors

Lori Matley drove us to the high school graduation ceremony and saved us a huge parking headache.

Brian, Tina, Kayla and Will for the get well wishes and welcome home banner awaiting Jake on his return from the hospital.

Becky and Rick from next door for the Jamba Juice gift card. Being a pharmacist, Rick is Denise's go to person for any prescription related Q&A.

Susan from across the street who served us a delicious chicken and pasta dinner.

Bev and Gary Voechting, another Jamba Juice gift card and the plant potted in a bicycle helmet was too funny.

Gina and Giovanna for the beautiful company and fabulous barbacoa.

Laura and Jerry for the visit and well wishes. Laura turned us on to Muscle Milk and went out of her way to deliver a batch. (We have since been able to pass that favor along to a neighbor whose brother-in-law is on a liquid diet while recovering from Guillain-Barré Syndrome.)

Mike, Jane and Michael for lunch at the Yardhouse, Jake's first venture out into public after the hospital.

Everyone who's posted well wishes to the blog especially to Lia and family for their international get well wishes.

Nick's friend Amanda for visiting and helping to entertain Jacob, including providing his first opportunity to get back behind the wheel after leaving the hospital.

Jake's buddies Pendar, Brandon, Giovanna, Ryan, JD, Keith, Mike for keeping him company and providing entertainment in the form of video games, trips to the movies, getting him out of the house and everything else they've done.

Larry and Alma Pim for everything from babysitting Leo, driving Nick to the airport, keeping an eye on our house, the occasional (OK, frequent) offering of beverage, housecleaning before Jake's return from the hospital, shopping trips, pit barbecued pork ribs and probably a dozen other things. (Of course, they owed me for surgery performed on Guns, but I think they overdid it. I probably should keep quiet about that, I could get in trouble for practicing veterinary medicine without a license!) Oh, for those who have not met him, Guns is the short one in the following picture. That's Jake on the right, his brother Nick and Nick's friend Alex prior to the Prom in 2006.

And thanks to Donovan Pim for the loaning Jake his sippy cup.

Jake's School

Jake's high school counselor, Debbie Searl, for her kind words and the entire Chaparral High School Class of 2009 for their recognition of Jacob at the graduation ceremony.

Jerry Lance and the Grad Night team for remembering Jake at the After Party, the get well card and gifts.

Our Co-Workers

All my friends and co-workers at The Toro Company both in Riverside and Minnesota and everyone who contributed to the flowers and the care package; cloths, magazines, games, snack foods, medical supplies, general anesthetic (scotch and wine), t-shirts, and Visa gift cards!

Linda and her husband Chris for a fabulous homemade Italian dinner complete right down to the bottle of red.

Barb and Jeff and Clint and Cris and Melinda and Phil and the entire GM team and everyone else who has expressed their concern and offered assistance.

Special thanks to Bill and Donna for the great support that they've given throughout this thing.

My staff, Richard and Michael, and my boss Tim for carrying the load while I have been slacking off.

Denise's co-workers at the Visiting Nurses of Inland Counties for their much appreciated gift and for their support and understanding. She is grateful as well to her patients who have all been so concerned and understanding in her absence having been through their own life altering illnesses and traumas. A big thanks to Suzanne for being her go-to nurse for all her questions about feeding syringes, narcotics, rashes and supporting her in her inevitable "melt-down."

Honorable Mention

The distillers of Glenfiddich scotch, Maker's Mark bourbon, Cazadores tequila and the Stone Brewing Company (makers of Ruination IPA) all of whom contributed an occasional opportunity to unwind. Stone in particular, brewing just down the road in Escondido, CA, allowed me to "Think Globally but Drink Locally."

Medical Staff

I tend to bitch about my little pet peeves surrounding the medical establishment, but the care that Jake receives is really excellent. Everyone has been fantastic; the doctors, nurses, technicians, aides, et al of the Loma Linda Medical Center, especially those in Neurosurgery and Trauma, intermediate care- Unit 8200. I don't know how they felt about Denise, Nick and I being around 24/7, but if we were an irritant to them they never let on.

Family

Leo for unabashed affection and the occasional comic relief.

Jake's Grandma (my Mom) for the love and support and the stuffed bear (which actually turned out to be a pretty good makeshift neck brace).

Denise's sister Pam for the visit and care package.

Nick, for being the good boy that he is, helping with shifts at the hospital, shuttling Denise and me all over the place and being there to receive my occasional email rant venting all my frustrations.

My sisters Terry, Linda, Jean, Kathy and Jackie, for the Ghost Busters video game and everything else. They have helped with everything from words of support to visiting with Jake at home and the hospital, sitting with us through the surgery, cleaning our house, caring for the garden, feeding us, keeping Mom up to date on the blog (she's not online) and staying with Jake so that Denise and I could get back to work. Terry even contacted people in her network from her career at SDSU to get us help in managing Jake's admission to Humboldt State, should it become necessary to defer his enrollment.

Special Recognition

Ryan, Brandt, Chase for getting Jake the help he needed to survive the crash.

I cannot begin to express how much all the support has been appreciated.

Thank You All So Much!

We have had so much help from so many people that I may have inadvertently missed someone and, if so, I sincerely apologize. Please feel free to remind me.

I hope you will understand when I say that my greatest wish for all of you is that I will never have the opportunity to return this particular favor.

Breakfast

So, this morning I was totally stoked, the first weekend since Jake's been cleared for soft foods. An opportunity to flex my culinary muscles (atrophied though they may be) with something like a real, sink your albeit broken teeth into, breakfast.

"So, what'll you have? Biscuits and gravy? Chili Omelet? Chile Rellenos? Multi-grain Waffles? Sourdough Pancakes? Hmm? Whatever you want!"

"I just want a smoothie."

Aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!

Tuesday, July 7

OK, quick update today. One of my co-workers has requested more pictures, so here's one of Jake taken at the orthopedic surgeon's office yesterday.

And, she also specifically requested more of Leo in the blog, so here he is, extremely unhappy about modeling one of my work shirts.

I think he thought he was being punished and admittedly he's not the first to suffer from my taste in clothes.

Tonight, following Jake's clearance for a soft food diet, I slipped the surly bonds of the blender and served a dish of lasagna. It's nice to be able to prepare "real" food again.

Jake had lost about 20 pounds, we think, but I would guess that the weight will start coming back pretty quickly now. He still can't completely taste his food though, so maybe it will still take a bit of effort. He's apparently been working hard on his bite; the range of motion in his jaw has already increased about 20% since yesterday, so he should be back up to the Double-Double in no time.

Monday, July 6

So, we had a reasonably uneventful Independence Day weekend. I had a flash of inspiration on the 4th that allowed a little barbecue fix. I figured out that Jake could probably handle some barbecue beef, based on how he'd handled some other stuff. I loaded up a crock pot with a bunch of beef and barbecue sauce and let it cook all day. Nick, Denise and I had BBQ beef sandwiches and grilled corn on the cob, while Jake had the BBQ beef (minus the bread) and mashed potatoes. I also made Jake some creamed corn soup with some of the fresh corn. He ate quite a bit of everything, so I guess he was pleased.

On Sunday we spent the afternoon at my sister Jackie's in San Diego. It was a pleasant afternoon, good food, and excellent Margaritas courtesy of Jackie's hubby, Mike.


Today, we had follow-ups with both the orthopedic and facial surgeons.


The visit with the ortho MD was pretty much uneventful, except that we showed up about 8:30AM for our 9:05 appointment and finally saw the doctor at about 10:15.


Jake had x-rays of his neck in both flexion and extension, which the doctors said would give a better picture than what they got with the MRI. The verdict was that everything looks good, "two thumbs up" per the orthopedic resident. They attributed his ongoing neck pain to soft tissue damage to the muscles of his neck. They speculated that Jake could continue to have neck pain for about 3 months and estimated about 6 months for a full recovery. They said he is clear for physical activity and suggested swimming as his best bet for staying in shape. (Unfortunately we forgot to confirm that with the facial surgeon.)


Since they were running so late at the orthopedic office we had to hustle over to the Loma Linda School of Dentistry for Jake's follow-up with the facial surgeon. We figured that was the more important appointment and were told that if we were over 15 minutes late we'd have to reschedule. (You have to love medical offices; when the doctor's an hour an a half late for your appointment it's all "Oh, please be patient, the doctors are very busy" and then you're 15 minutes late and "You inconsiderate SOB, you'll have to reschedule!" But I digress.)


As it turned out, we were just about right on time, due to my superior driving ability and my failure to yield for any pedestrians foolish enough to stray into my path.


The follow-up went well. The doctor's were all pleased with Jake's progress and he got some surprising good news; he now only has to wear the bands on his surgical braces at night and he can start eating some regular foods. He's cleared to chew as long as the foods are not too hard, so things like burgers, dogs and fries (all the major food groups) are OK, although he may need to cut them up quite a bit before he can consume them.


The doctor also wants Jake to start working on stretching out his mouth so that he can start eating normally again and gave him a sort of make shift gauge to use to measure his progress. (A big stack of tongue depressors taped together.) The doctor suggested that Jacob should work toward the target of an In-n-Out Double-Double; when he can get a Double-Double in his mouth he'll have adequately recovered his range of motion. That's cool, because it's a target that Jake can easily visualize, he's had plenty of experience.

One problem that Jake has had is that he has yet to recover his sense of smell. The one doctor was explaining that with all the facial fractures it is not uncommon to damage the fine nerves around the nose that connect to the main olfactory nerve. The doctors said that those usually recover over time. For now, that makes it hard for Jake to fully taste the flavors of his food. On the plus side, he has nothing to fear when his brother says "Pull my finger."

There was bad news from the doctors, although it was not unexpected, that Jake will need a follow-up surgery on the bones supporting his left eye. His left eye socket is larger than the right, as a result of all the fractures, and consequently the eye sits lower and is more deeply set in his face. The doctor recommended that sooner was probably better, so he has been scheduled for another visit on July 20 and then surgery on the 23rd. Unfortunately, we had originally thought that the surgery would be on an outpatient basis, but it turns out that they will want to keep him in the hospital overnight.

At least theoretically, he should be recovered from that surgery in time to head to Humboldt in August, but we'll need to keep our fingers crossed.

To celebrate the relaxation of his dietary restrictions Jake requested chili fries for lunch. Nick joined us at the Red Robin in Temecula. It was very nice to be able to sit down to lunch with Jake for a reasonably normal (at least normal for him) meal.

Thursday, July 2

It's hard to believe it's only been 3 weeks since Jake's accident. It felt like months at times. And to see his progress makes the whole thing doubly unbelievable. He's started getting out and about again, yesterday over to his friend Brandon's and the other evening out with his friend Giovanna to see "The Hangover."

The next big hurdle will probably be to get out behind the wheel. I don't think there's any reason he can't drive at this point, other than maybe a still stiff neck that might prevent him from being able to check his blind spots. But I don't see a problem; he'll be driving a truck, so anyone riding in his blind spots will do so at his or her own peril.

I am off work today (mandatory furlough day) and tomorrow is a company holiday. Under normal circumstances I would probably be planning some sort of barbeque for the 4th of July, but I think that pulled pork or baby back ribs or smoked brisket might violate Jake's rights under the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of these United States, not something to be taken lightly on Independence Day. I think I will be going with Chile Verde, which Jake should be able to handle by pushing the envelope of his liquid diet.

Over the course of the preceding weeks, people have occasionally asked about whether Jake was wearing helmet or why he wasn't wearing a helmet. One of the hospital staff asked Jake what type of helmet he was wearing and he replied "hair and flesh" or something to that effect.

Clearly he should have been wearing a helmet, but I can't say the outcome would have been significantly better. For all we know a helmet might have saved his face but broken his neck.

In any case, I was past caring about that as soon as we saw him in the ER. I mean had he broken his arm and "Oh, by the way, wasn't wearing a helmet" he still wouldn't be sitting from his ass chewing. As it was he had followed the rule that I, my friends and siblings used to espouse; "If you're going to have an accident doing something stupid, make sure you're hurt badly enough to avoid a beating."

And I am certainly not in the position to cast the first stone. I mean, who among us (all right, what MALE among us) hasn't done something that in retrospect didn't seem pretty dangerous, at best moronic and maybe completely insane.

A small example; as kids, my friends and I came up with the bright idea to simulate carrier landings with a flexi-flyer and a rope. This was a version of the Flexible Flyer sled, but with wheels - it was Southern California after all. The plan called for the pilot to ride face first down our hill while two other kids held the rope "arresting gear" across the sidewalk. As the sled approached, the rope would be raised, catching the wheels and stopping the sled. Now I can hear some of you (mostly women) saying "This sounds like a bad idea" and, sure enough, the over-zealous arresting team yanked the rope too high, up and across the pilot's neck. I don't remember the kid's name, but I pretty clearly recall the sound that escaped his throat and the resulting rope burn. If we had just had a slightly thinner rope and a slightly steeper hill we could have gone for the full decapitation.

It is a male thing; we are afflicted with testosterone; a dangerous substance which should be used wisely. The cruel joke is that it is most prevalent in young men, for whom wisdom is not frequently a strength. As males we achieve Wisdom by surviving all the testosterone induced catastrophes of our youth.

In the end I don't think I would change any of what's happened even if I could. If he'd avoided crashing that particular trick he might have killed himself on a harder one. As it is he can hope for a full recovery and a new found share of wisdom.