I feel so in over my head. How am I ever going to do this?

Update: 11/10/10 10:30pm

Collection of updates from today....

(9am) "Ronnie ran a fever over 103 last night. They changed his central line and use the tip to culture. He threw up again at 6:00, but it was not as much as last night. ( it wasn't contents from his feeding tube!) Unfortunately his oxygen levels dropped so they increased his levels! We love you all and thank you for caring for Ronnie and us!"

(1pm) "After looking at Ronnie's chest x-rays, they do feel like he aspirated last night. They are watching this but feel like the antibiotics he is on have it under control; will know for sure in about 24 hours. His stats are not quite as good and he is back on oxygen, but overall he is still doing well. They believe the nausea is due to some of the antibiotics he is on and will be changing some of those today to help alleviate the nausea. He is scheduled for surgery on Friday for more grafting."

(9pm) Ronnie is winding down after a long day. They have cut back on all but two of his medications to see if it helps his nausea. Only time will tell. They also changed out his nasogastric tube for a smaller one that the dr hopes will cause less nausea and irritation. Pray for a good night's rest so he can master tomorrow.

Update: 11/9/10 late!

Just got home back in indy. But somehow, I left half of my heart in Texas. How am I going to do this?

Ronnie started eating real food today! He was really excited but felt a little too full from all the other stuff to eat a lot of it at once. Next step is getting that tube out! Pray he is able to sustain a 10,000 calorie diet by himself ...so the tube is not needed. Also, as stated yesterday, his pneumonia has cleared up! It was verified this afternoon! PTL! We were so encouraged by his progress this past weekend. He is no longer heavily sedated, is completely coherent, pneumonia free, talking, eating, and doing incredible with his therapy despite little set backs here and there. So proud of him.

From Ronnie's mom a little bit ago: Ronnie had another set back tonight. He was nauseous and threw up. They think he may have aspirated and did a chest x-ray immediately. However, they will not be able to determine anything until they x-ray him tomorrow. We will keep you posted! Thanks for your prayers for Ronnie and us!!

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Praying for Ronnie McCulley, wounded in Afghanistan

Update: 11/8/10 10:30pm

Today was a day filled with milestones. Ronnie passed his swallow test and is able to have high protein drinks as well as ice. Tube should be coming out next! He was also taken off his oxygen and his levels are staying at 100% with normal air! He was able to sit up in his chair even after a nauseating first try. They were also able to remove all his staples and burn coverings so he is ready for new grafts. He is exhausted tonight but satisfied with the day. Pray he sleeps well b/c they are changing his "sleepy-med" dosage so it wont lower his bp. Thank you all for your prayers, notes, and constant encouragement. We couldn't do it without you!

Update: 11/7/10 9pm

It was a rough day for him. He had a fever twice and a blood transfusion to help him feel a little stronger. His burns are looking "perfect," though there is concern that he may loose all or part of one or two fingers on his right hand. Pray for the fear that is bound to come with the waiting. Also, there are numerous decisions to be made, so pray for wisdom and peace.

Update: 11/6/10 11:30am (TX time)

bear with me, my thoughts are kind of everywhere today....

yesterday was quite an emotional day. Mom and I flew standby to San Antonio to be with Ronnie. We made it in around 2pm and were able to get our rental car and hotel with no problems.

Before we knew it we were in the burn ward gowning up from head to toe to go see Ronnie. He was very excited to see us and smiled and held my hand. The combination of emotions, sweltering heat, mask, and not eating made me have my first true moment of "I'm going to pass out..." My vision blurred, my legs went weak, and my hearing went hollow and I had to step out and sit down. Within a few minutes the nurses said I was getting my color back and let me talk to him from the door. then, when I proved I was able, they let me gown up and go back in for a couple minutes.

It was good to be able to talk with the doctors and therapists too. They asked me questions about his deployment and medical history and seemed excited that I understood most of the medical terminology and diagnosis. The assured us that there was a long recovery road ahead of us, but that he is strong and doing well. We know he will have good days and bad, but we have to just look at today. They also discussed some of the possibilities for Ronnie including a medical extension that could allow him to stay in Brooke Army Med Center and get the therapy he needs for an extended period of time.

After getting a quick dinner, Mom and I headed back to the hospital. I felt a lot better the next time around and was able to stay in the room without feeling faint. Ronnie's fever broke and we were able to talk to him for quite a while. His voice is soft and raspy and hard to understand. The poor boy would do anything for a glass of water too but is not able to swallow well enough to have one. Also, he seems to be confusing/blending event from his deployment, imagination, and hospital all into one big story and is frustrated that no one "understands" or believes him. We assured him that though things hurt, he is safe and very loved.

All to soon, we were saying goodnight and promising to return tomorrow. Which we plan to do in just a couple hours. Today Ronnie is supposed to get a bath, a little bit of physical and speech therapy, and hopefully will be sat up in his chair to make him more alert and help his lungs. Needless to say, Ronnie will probably be exhausted and could end the day with a fever, but will hopefully be all the better for it.

Thank you all for your prayers and for bearing with me in this scatterbrained update... it's kind of just where my head is at today.

Update: 11/4/10 8pm

Brenda just called has several items for prayer. Ronnie has water on his right lung which they don't want to drain because they would have to go through the burn area and that could cause infection. Please pray that the fluid will go... away naturally. Second item of prayer: Ronnie is having alot of agitation . They are not sure what is causing this--possibly nightmares or post traumatic stress - he will be having some testing to help them select the drugs he will need. Learning to swallow is a big deal - pray that this will go well. He has had a speech therapist to help today. ROn and Brenda appreciate you all and your prayers.

Update: 11/2/10 10:30pm

Ronnie was doing really well today. He is off the vents and talking in a raspy voice. I was able to talk to him for a minute of the phone when he first had the tubes removed. I cried for joy. Please pray that his body will be able to fight off the infections that are likely to attack. After his long day, he was worn out and running a 103 fever. Pray for continued strength.

Update: 11/2/10 3:30pm

Ronnie's tubes are about to be taken out because he has been uncomfortable and moving around a lot. Sounds like he is a little more coherent but still quite sedated. They checked his grafts today and everything looked good. They were able to cover 25-27% of his burns with his own skin (this is a correction from earlier posts). Cant wait to see him on Friday!