Saturday, February 28, 2009

Mom spent 9 hours today on a trach mask. This means that she breathed on her own without the assistance of the ventilator (breathing machine) for 9 hours. At about 10 pm she grew fatigued and her trach was reattached to the ventilator so she could rest overnight.

She seems most awake in the evening. When I went back to the hospital after dinner, her eyes were wide open and she tried to mouth words. When I held to phone to her ear for Kimberly to say goodnight, she mouthed the words "I love you." Then when I held the phone to her ear for Shawn and his girls to sign to her, mom really brightened up and got very animated. She tried to say "thank you."

Overall she is still quite sleepy most of the day, but these episodes are encouraging. It will continue to be a long and gradual process for her to recover. It is possible that she will be well enough to transfer to a hospital closer to their home in the next week or so.

My wife Andrea purchased a CD player and some CDs to play in mom's room. Mom got particularly animated during "Clare de Lune" by Debussy. This is evidently a song that anyone who plays the piano knows well. I guess I did not make in far enough in my lessons to learn it. Nevertheless, mom seemed to smile and move her extremities more each time we played this song.

Bob is now back in Idaho and is staying with Anita in Pocatello. She has been quite helpful during this entire saga.

Lastly we got mom to smile on command while taking her photo. When we return to Boise, we will place it on the blog.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Mom had an eventful day. She had her chest tube removed. This was the tube that drained the space between her left lung and chest wall. She is no longer on the sedative (propofol) or the pain reliever (fentanyl).

She is not yet strong enough to breathe on her own so she had a tracheostomy tube (trach) placed today. The breathing tube that entered her mouth was removed and now one is placed through her neck. This may sound like a set back but it is not. This trach allows us to see her face and she can try to mouth words. The trach also will allow her to be more mobile and to do more things as she gets stronger. I have several patients with trachs who go about their daily activities at home.

Kimberly left today and I arrived at mom's bedside late tonight. She looked much better than when I last saw her on Monday the 23rd. The swelling is dramatically decreased. The bruising on her face has resolved. Most surprising to me was that she opened her eyes and smiled. She then started to mouth words. I think she said "thank you." I nearly broke down in tears--I was so happy and grateful. I called Shawn and Kim who spoke to her on the telephone. During these conversations mom smiled and tried to mouth words. I tried to call Bob but he was already asleep. It must be torture for mom not to be able to speak. We will take her photo tomorrow then post in on Monday night when we return to Boise.

The next step will probably be to place a PEG. I will speak to her caregivers tomorrow to see when and if they plan to do this. A PEG is a feeding tube placed across the skin directly into the stomach. After placement of the PEG she will no longer need her current feeding tube which enters her nose and ends in her intestines. It will take some time before she is strong enough to eat on her own.

What a great day!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mom is more awake today. She nearly had her breathing tube removed. There is a test that the nurses perform that indicates that the patient is ready for extubation. Mom did not pass so they will try tomorrow. They are almost ready to remove the chest tube from her left chest. Kimberly reports that her eyes have been more open today.

Shawn received a copy of the accident report and spoke to a witness today. Evidently this witness was traveling in the opposite direction and saw everything. She remembers that the front wheels seemed to come off the van. Then the van spun and flipped about 3 times before landing in the median. This witness said debris was flying everywhere. The front wheels were evidently still on the interstate. Lastly she said the van was so smashed that it resembled a car rather than a van.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Mom had another day of being challenged off some of her sedation. She also was put in some sort of chair for awhile. Each day brings slow gradual improvement.

Kim decided to stay 2 extra days. She went to a basketball game with Portia and Michelle Loosli. They watched Mark Loosli's North Fremont team.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Mom's physicians are trying a new plan. During the day she is off one of her sedatives (propofol). This will challenge her body to work harder on its own. Then during the night they resume this sedative to let her rest. During both times she continues on the IV pain medication (fentanyl).

She had a central line on the left (think of this as a big IV). This IV site was beginning to look infected so a new central line was started on the right.

Kimberly decided to stay until Friday. I will return to Idaho Falls that day. Curtis and Marina have been kind and generous to let us stay at their lovely home and all they ask is that I bring back a pound of anise seed from the Boise Co-op so Curtis can make some of his famous Biscotti. Curtis has been giving us a lot of family history--many stories that we never heard from Grandma Doty. This has been a real treat. Who knew that Uncle Donald invented the machine that makes tater tots and that his son Todd continues to manufacture the machine that make tots and the hash browns you get at fast food restaurants.

Curtis' sister Carol has been quite attentive to us as well. She checks in nearly every day. We are grateful to be related to the Loosli clan--or better said, we are glad to be Loosli related. Finally it seems that Stuart's son has discovered what happened to Ulrich Loosli's long lost brother. He went to Chile. There is evidently a thriving Loosli clan still living there.

Bob's children have also been great. Anita took great care of Bob while he was in Pocatello and has visited Ann Marie in Idaho Falls. Jonathon and his family spent three days visiting. Marketta (I hope I spelled this correctly) will come tomorrow to take Bob to Orem so he can take care of some business and get some clothes. I think either Katya or Dimitri will bring him back on Saturday.

Lastly, my sister tells be that the Stake Presidency and high counsel from the BYU First Stake called tonight. They sang to mom. We appreciate all the kind thoughts and prayers.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Mom had an eventful day. Overall she continues to improve slowly and gradually. A repeat CT of her head showed that her subdural hematoma (bleeding in the brain) is slightly smaller. The amount of support she gets with each breath is decreasing. Her sedation is also being decreased. This afternoon all sedation was stopped for a short time. During this "vacation" mom responded to verbal commands from her physician. For example she wiggled her toes, blinked her eyes and tried to stick out her tongue. While these are encouraging signs, we won't know how her head injury affected her until she is off sedation.

Bob is healing well. His abrasions and lacerations (cuts and scrapes) are healing well. He says that his head now looks like a road map instead of a train map. His leg is still quite swollen and his shoulder is still quite sore. However, both problems are slowly improving.


This is a photo from the Pocatello paper showing Bob and Mom's van. Bob is on the stretcher.
I need to clarify my entry from Saturday. Mom is initiating her own breaths but the ventilator needs to augment her breathing because Mom is not breathing deeply enough on her own. As such she will need the breathing tube for a while longer.

When she came into the hospital Mom required 90% oxygen but now only requires 40%. Room air is 21% oxygen. This indicates that her lungs are healing.

When the sedation was decrease, Mom became irritable and fought the ventilator. This is actually a good sign indicating that she is responding to pain.

We were worried that Mom's leg was swollen but an x-ray showed that it was not broken.

I had a great time Saturday night and Sunday with Portia and Michelle Loosli. I also enjoyed spending time with Brian's family and seeing his kids for the first time in years.

Saturday, February 21, 2009


Ben, Bob, Jonathon, Kim and Shawn with mom. Jonathon's family also visited as did Portia and Michelle Loosli. We enjoyed a trip to Curtis' shop. Carol checks in daily.
Mom has had a good day. She has opened her eyes several times. Her sedation was decreased by 50 %. She has been initiating her own breaths but is still on the ventilator. She now has a splint on her right hand. Overall she is improving slowly.

Bob has also had a good day. His stritches were taken out. He discovered why his ankle is so swollen--he has a small fibula fracture (non weight bearing bone in the lower leg). This will not require casting and should heal nicely.

Friday, February 20, 2009


Mom had an eventful day. This morning we found out she has 3 fractures in her right hand. These will either be splinted or casted. She had her left upper arm fracture repaired with metal plates and screws. This fracture had multiple fragments and took several hours to repair. Postoperatively, Mom looks much better with respect to swelling. We don't yet know the results of todays head CT.

Thursday, February 19, 2009



Here's Bob. We are grateful Bob is recovering from his injuries.
We learned more about mom's injuries today. She evidently has 6 rib fractures and several vertebral (backbone) fractures. These are quite painful but should heal over time.

When patients are immobile they can develop clots in their legs. These clots can dislodge and travel through the veins. Occassionally they can enter the lungs which is a serious problem. Because of Mom's immobility she is at risk for this to occur. As a result a filter was placed in her inferior vena cava (the vein that enters the heart from the lower body) to prevent this potential complication.

Kim is now in Idaho Falls to help. Mom had several other visitors today. Portia Loosli, Michelle Loosli, Norma Andrus and Todd Loosli all visited. Jonathan and Jenny Lawton along with their children arrived tonight.


Mom with her kids in Glenwood Springs during the summer of 2008.



Mom with Shawn's daughter Hailey.

Mom getting her first physical therapy.
Bob forwarded the following for me to post. "Another miracle was to have Anita and her family so close. Anita was able to be at the emergency department in Pocatello soon after Bob and Ann Marie arrived there. She has been great with helping Bob and getting personal items out of the van and coordinating things. She has been an angel. Also thanks to Alex for his help in getting Bob his new glasses and for transporting Bob from Pocatello to Idaho Falls."
Mom did well overnight. She has no new issues. We won't know how the head injury has truly affected her until she is well enough to come of the ventilator (breathing machine). She will have a repeat head CT tomorrow. Also tomorrow, she will have orthopedic surgery to repair her humerus (upper arm) fracture. She will likely get a new cental line (think of this as a big IV) today or tomorrow. IV sites are hard to find on her arms because of the swelling.

This weekend they will begin passive physical therapy to help her range of motion.

Earlier today the nurse weaned her sedation for a brief time and mom was able to move her right arm and both legs. This is a good sign. However, as mentioned above we will have to wait for awhile to see how she will do neurologically.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Mom had a good day today. Her head CT showed no new bleeding so the subdural hematoma is stable. It will slowly resolve over time. The neurosurgeon was able to repair her two scalp lacerations (cuts) with staples. One was small over the top of her head and required only 3 staples. The other was on the back of her head and required about 20 staples.

She now has a feeding tube. It will be good for her to get the nutrition she needs to heal.

She required two more units of red blood cells today to correct some anemia. She is anemic due to blood loss from her lung and arm fractures.

Bob was discharged and arrived at mom's bedside around 1 or 2 o'clock this afternoon. He is getting around slowly due to a sore ankle. He is in a sling due to his shoulder injury. He has multiple cuts and abrasions (scrapes) on his head and hands. His spirits seem to be good. We were able to give both mom and Bob priesthood blessings today.

I have returned to Boise for a few days. Shawn and Bob are staying with Curtis and Marina Loosli who live just a short drive from the hospital. Kimberly will arrive tomorrow evening.

Carol Jensen again visited today as did Brian Loosli. Mel, Jayne (Loosli), Olivia and Annika Henderson visited on their way back to Colorado. Todd Loosli visited this evening.

Shawn received a call from the women who was first to arrive at the accident scene. Her name is Laurie Bolander. She is a former EMT and lives in Cedar City, Utah. She not only provided first aid but had the presence of mind to ask if there were any priesthood holders present. There were and they gave both mom and Bob blessings at the scene. We are grateful for her selfless service.

Overall, mom's condition has stabilized. We now need to wait for her body to heal the fractures, cuts, bruises and other injuries. Her orthopedic surgeon plans to repair her humerus (left upper arm) fracture on Friday 2/20. The ICU physician is encouraged by her progress and thinks we may be able to remove the breathing tube sometime next week.

This is a picture of Bob and Ann while serving their 2nd mission in Finland.


This is a photo of Mom on 2-17. Hopefull she will forgive us for posting this picture on the blog with her hair messed up. :)
On February 16, 2009 Ann Marie and Bob Lawton were involved in a roll over accident on I-15 near Pocatello, Idaho. They were traveling to attend the funeral of Ann Marie's first cousin Lynn Loosli. Ann Marie was driving and it is unclear what caused the accident. They were taken to the Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello. Bob sustained some lacerations around his right eye, right side of this head, and both hands which required stitches. He also sustained multiple bruises. He dislocated his right shoulder. The physicians were able to relocate his shoulder without surgery. He will likely be discharge on the 18th.

Ann Marie's injuries were more serious. She was evidently unconscious at the scene. She was intubated (breathing tube was placed) and was taken to Portneuf Medical Center. A head CT showed that she had a subdural hematoma which is bleeding between the skull and brain. Because there is no neurosurgical coverage in Pocatello, Ann Marie was flown by helicopter to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. This subdural hematoma seems to be stable and she did not require surgical intervention to drain it.

She was found to have multiple other injuries, which include the following:

  • She has a stable fracture of her second cervical vertebra (neck) which does not appear to have affected her spinal cord. For this injury she is wearing a neck collar.
  • She had multiple fractures to her left arm. Her left ulna (forearm) was fractured twice and the left radius (the other forearm bone) was fractured several time. These two injuries were repaired with metal plates and screws on the 16th. The orthopedic surgeon left the incision partly open so that she would not get a compartment syndrome which can occur with excessive swelling.
  • She sustained an open fracture to her left humerus which is the bone between the elbow and shoulder. An open fracture means that the broken bone opened the skin. Because the forearm surgery took a long time and she was somewhat unstable, the orthopedic surgeon stabilized this fracture externally (metal rods on the outside of her arm). He plans to repair this fracture on the 20th in the operating room. During this surgery the other orthopedic surgeon will close the incision he left open during her forearm surgery.
  • She has a stable pelvic fracture (where the sacrum or lower back joins the hip bones) which should heal without surgical intervention.
  • She broke several ribs. This caused her to bleed into the space between her left lung and chest wall (hemothorax). This bleeding caused her left lung to collapse. This problem is being treated with a chest tube which is evacuating the blood thus allowing the lung to re-expand. This tube is placed between her ribs into this space. In addition she has a pulmonary contusion which is a significant bruise to the left lung.
  • She has several other minor injuries including bruising and lacerations (cuts).
During resuscitation, she receive 7 units of red blood cells and 4 units of plasma. The plasma contains proteins which are important for clotting. To provide these blood products and to receive the medications she requires, a central line was placed. Due to her injuries, she had consumed much of her own clotting factors.

She is heavily sedated for pain. As such she cannot communicate with us but can probably hear us when we speak to her.

She will be on a ventilator (breathing machine) for some time.

She is currently in stable but critical condition.

We appreciate every one's thoughts and prayers. Her cousins Carol Jensen, Stuart Loosli (and his wife) and Curtus Loosli (and his wife) have all visited. Curtis and Marina have graciously opened their home to us while Ann Marie remains in Idaho Falls. Carol has also kindly offered us a place to stay.

We will update her condition on this blog as we get new information.

From Ben and Shawn Godfrey