September 4, 2014
Landon has been doing great! Our family has adapted to his needs as we continue to support him through his recovery. It has been a difficult year in many ways as we all keep hoping for the best, maybe even a miracle. Landon still struggles physically and we struggle emotionally. It is hard for us to see friendships start to fade but we try to remain positive. There are times that we get frustrated and times that Landon gets frustrated with us! But in the end, Landon has the best spirit and smile anyone could ask for. He is quick to remind us to put on his night splints or take his medicine....he always wants to be around friends and family...and has already asked his OT to start his letter to Santa asking for an XBOX! He is in the 4th grade and is doing well with the help of an aide to physically get around. This summer was packed full with a vacation to the beach, camping and then three weeks in Cleveland for some extra therapy. A scooter was donated to him and he loves the independence it gives him! We had to order new batteries as he is constantly trying to climb rock piles and go through muddy holes!! The boy is also GROWING...less than 20lbs and a couple inches away from me! We are looking towards the fall and all of the Holidays that are to follow. Blessings to you all!
Landon has been doing great! Our family has adapted to his needs as we continue to support him through his recovery. It has been a difficult year in many ways as we all keep hoping for the best, maybe even a miracle. Landon still struggles physically and we struggle emotionally. It is hard for us to see friendships start to fade but we try to remain positive. There are times that we get frustrated and times that Landon gets frustrated with us! But in the end, Landon has the best spirit and smile anyone could ask for. He is quick to remind us to put on his night splints or take his medicine....he always wants to be around friends and family...and has already asked his OT to start his letter to Santa asking for an XBOX! He is in the 4th grade and is doing well with the help of an aide to physically get around. This summer was packed full with a vacation to the beach, camping and then three weeks in Cleveland for some extra therapy. A scooter was donated to him and he loves the independence it gives him! We had to order new batteries as he is constantly trying to climb rock piles and go through muddy holes!! The boy is also GROWING...less than 20lbs and a couple inches away from me! We are looking towards the fall and all of the Holidays that are to follow. Blessings to you all!
March 28, 2014
Wow! Where has the time gone??? Landon is doing great! He is making outstanding improvements in school....especially Math, his favorite subject. He is still going to Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy three days a week at St. Rita's Pedi Rehab and is in his second session of horse therapy (which he loves). We took him back down to Georgia to the Carrick Brain Center in November and are currently seeing a Chiropractor in Columbus who specializes in neurology. Our family had a great Christmas...and with the help of some very generous friends in Cleveland....Santa brought Landon front row VIP seats to the Cleveland Cavs game! He and his dad went along with his uncle Jamie and cousin Camdyn. Our family made a long weekend out of it...having a Dr. checkup at the clinic and meeting his therapists and teacher for dinner. Landon then celebrated his 9th Birthday:)
Landon continues to work hard and is always up for a challenge. We are excited to see what this Spring and Summer brings...we have many things to look forward to and be thankful for.
Wow! Where has the time gone??? Landon is doing great! He is making outstanding improvements in school....especially Math, his favorite subject. He is still going to Physical, Occupational and Speech therapy three days a week at St. Rita's Pedi Rehab and is in his second session of horse therapy (which he loves). We took him back down to Georgia to the Carrick Brain Center in November and are currently seeing a Chiropractor in Columbus who specializes in neurology. Our family had a great Christmas...and with the help of some very generous friends in Cleveland....Santa brought Landon front row VIP seats to the Cleveland Cavs game! He and his dad went along with his uncle Jamie and cousin Camdyn. Our family made a long weekend out of it...having a Dr. checkup at the clinic and meeting his therapists and teacher for dinner. Landon then celebrated his 9th Birthday:)
Landon continues to work hard and is always up for a challenge. We are excited to see what this Spring and Summer brings...we have many things to look forward to and be thankful for.
9/11/13
Ok, this post is for Uncle Jeremy who keeps reminding Landon that his mom is slacking on updating his website! I didn't realize it had been three months:) I did however set up a Faceook page for him that I update more frequently (Landon's TBI), but I know some of you (Uncle Jeremy) are not on Facebook. Landon is doing great...he had a very busy summer and is now back in school. He goes five days a week now and leaves early three days to go to therapy for 2-3 hours. He usually asks to go to bed around 8pm and still wakes up around 5:30am! He now has a one on one aid at school that has been fantastic with him....and doesn't let him rule the roost:) he is continuing to work on his walking and is excited that we gave him a challenge...we told him once he can go all day without his wheelchair we will take him back to Kalahari! We started seeing a Chiropractor in Columbus that is specialized in Neurology. We are trying to work in eye excercises as it is suppose to help the brain. We also just booked our trip to go back down to Dr. Duffy in Atlanta at the Carrick Institute the week of Thanksgiving. Thanks everyone for your continued support!
Ok, this post is for Uncle Jeremy who keeps reminding Landon that his mom is slacking on updating his website! I didn't realize it had been three months:) I did however set up a Faceook page for him that I update more frequently (Landon's TBI), but I know some of you (Uncle Jeremy) are not on Facebook. Landon is doing great...he had a very busy summer and is now back in school. He goes five days a week now and leaves early three days to go to therapy for 2-3 hours. He usually asks to go to bed around 8pm and still wakes up around 5:30am! He now has a one on one aid at school that has been fantastic with him....and doesn't let him rule the roost:) he is continuing to work on his walking and is excited that we gave him a challenge...we told him once he can go all day without his wheelchair we will take him back to Kalahari! We started seeing a Chiropractor in Columbus that is specialized in Neurology. We are trying to work in eye excercises as it is suppose to help the brain. We also just booked our trip to go back down to Dr. Duffy in Atlanta at the Carrick Institute the week of Thanksgiving. Thanks everyone for your continued support!
6/27/13
Sorry for the delay in posts, I have been having trouble logging in to the website! What a crazy month it has been though...JC Community Days, Landon's special wish trip to Disney, Sea World and Give Kids The World Village, his celebration party, tutoring, baseball, therapy and swimming in our new pool! Thank you for all who came out for his party, we raised $250 for Dayton Children's Hospital. Jeff and I, along with his therapist and teachers are trying to step it up a notch, we are coming up with new and fun ways to challenge and educate Landon. I will post pictures as soon as I can, thanks!
Sorry for the delay in posts, I have been having trouble logging in to the website! What a crazy month it has been though...JC Community Days, Landon's special wish trip to Disney, Sea World and Give Kids The World Village, his celebration party, tutoring, baseball, therapy and swimming in our new pool! Thank you for all who came out for his party, we raised $250 for Dayton Children's Hospital. Jeff and I, along with his therapist and teachers are trying to step it up a notch, we are coming up with new and fun ways to challenge and educate Landon. I will post pictures as soon as I can, thanks!
We will be having a celebration to honor Landon's TBI journey and to THANK all of you for your prayers & support! We have talked to Landon a lot about everything he has went through as he does not remember most of it. If you have time, please leave him a message on here with your name and where you are from...feel free to let him know how you know him, met him or heard about him. Hope you all enjoy your summer! God Bless:)
5/22/13
It is hard to believe that this was our reality eleven months ago. Landon has come so far from that day, and yet is still far from where he started. When I think about the past I get emotional and the future is unknown. Many of you ask about him..."How's he doing?"..."is he going to be able to walk again?"..."will he be normal?"....
Here is the answer....there is no answer!! Landon has a brain injury, that means it is up to him and God:) Jeff and I still believe he will make a full recovery, although it is taking longer than we would like...but we continue to grow as a family and learn from his tragedy. Please remember that when you ask these questions Landon hears every word you say. He is very smart and we want to keep him thinking positively. That being said, it doesn't make it any easier to see all of his friends, cousins and siblings do all of the things he loves to do but with ease. I truly think it is much harder on Jeff and I than it is him. He just lives life the best he can and keeps smiling....when he isn't fighting with his sister:) We continue to push him and make him try to do things for himself, although it is hard when even his three year old brother jumps in to help him! I have to say though that it was cute to see him excited when they gave awards out for perfect attendance at school today...he though he was getting one...I said "No, I think the 120 days you missed this year counted against you." Although, he did have perfect attendance for the times he was able to go to school!
5/20/13
Mother's Day, Graduations, Birthday parties, baseball and many other things have kept us busy this month. We are constantly running somewhere and doing something! Landon has two new pieces of equipment....a gait trainer (metal frame with wheels that he can stand or walk in) and a Quadriciser (we can strap him in and it moves for him, hopefully to improve his mobility). He isn't really a big fan of either one of them, but we still make him do it and usually end up bribing him:) We are looking forward to the next month, more Birthday parties, Community Days and Disney!! There are only three more days of school left, but he will continue to go to therapy three days a week this summer as well as get tutored two days. I will get more pictures posted soon.
It is hard to believe that this was our reality eleven months ago. Landon has come so far from that day, and yet is still far from where he started. When I think about the past I get emotional and the future is unknown. Many of you ask about him..."How's he doing?"..."is he going to be able to walk again?"..."will he be normal?"....
Here is the answer....there is no answer!! Landon has a brain injury, that means it is up to him and God:) Jeff and I still believe he will make a full recovery, although it is taking longer than we would like...but we continue to grow as a family and learn from his tragedy. Please remember that when you ask these questions Landon hears every word you say. He is very smart and we want to keep him thinking positively. That being said, it doesn't make it any easier to see all of his friends, cousins and siblings do all of the things he loves to do but with ease. I truly think it is much harder on Jeff and I than it is him. He just lives life the best he can and keeps smiling....when he isn't fighting with his sister:) We continue to push him and make him try to do things for himself, although it is hard when even his three year old brother jumps in to help him! I have to say though that it was cute to see him excited when they gave awards out for perfect attendance at school today...he though he was getting one...I said "No, I think the 120 days you missed this year counted against you." Although, he did have perfect attendance for the times he was able to go to school!
5/20/13
Mother's Day, Graduations, Birthday parties, baseball and many other things have kept us busy this month. We are constantly running somewhere and doing something! Landon has two new pieces of equipment....a gait trainer (metal frame with wheels that he can stand or walk in) and a Quadriciser (we can strap him in and it moves for him, hopefully to improve his mobility). He isn't really a big fan of either one of them, but we still make him do it and usually end up bribing him:) We are looking forward to the next month, more Birthday parties, Community Days and Disney!! There are only three more days of school left, but he will continue to go to therapy three days a week this summer as well as get tutored two days. I will get more pictures posted soon.
4/29/13
Spring is in the air! Landon is doing great...even got some sun this weekend:) He has been working out extra hard as we have a new piece of excercise equipment for him. This means and extra hour of "work outs" on top of his already busy days. In the past month he had a field trip to the Zoo with his class, has achieved a major bathroom goal, down to one medication and got to go to a friend's house (with out mom and dad)!!
Spring is in the air! Landon is doing great...even got some sun this weekend:) He has been working out extra hard as we have a new piece of excercise equipment for him. This means and extra hour of "work outs" on top of his already busy days. In the past month he had a field trip to the Zoo with his class, has achieved a major bathroom goal, down to one medication and got to go to a friend's house (with out mom and dad)!!
4/4/13
We had an amazing trip to go see the Cleveland Cavs! Here are a few pictures of some of the players we got to meet. Every single one of them that came and talked to us were so kind and friendly! It meant a lot to Jeff and I that these guys took the time to acknowledge our family. Presley and Dane were more focused on getting something to eat, but Landon enjoyed every minute of it:)
Spring is here...so we are starting to get outside more. It is bittersweet. I love to see Landon smile, but it breaks my heart that he isn't able to do many of things he loves to do. I think that anguish drives Jeff and I to push him even harder so that he can accomplish anything he puts his mind to. It is a little mind boggling that our three year old helped me pull his eight year old brother around in the same wagon he used to try and ramp over with his scooter! But, Landon continues to do better and better with his school work and therapy...and has already asked Santa to bring him the new Air Jordan shoes!
3/24/13
March is flying by...Landon added a two hour aquatic session to his therapies, he is doing great in school (much more attentive and focused), back to fighting with his sister, wrestling on the floor with dad and spending as much time playing NBA Jams and wii as he can! Landon's speech is coming along great, it is a little slurred and slow at times, but we always know what he is saying. He continues to work on walking and getting better function in his left arm and hand. He is fighting off a little cold right now but is looking forward to going to the Cleveland Cavs game on Wednesday.
3/9/13
Yesterday was Landon's 8th Birthday! We are very thankful to be able to celebrate with him. This is a picture of him, Grant and their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Barhorst. Tonight we will be celebrating the boy's Birthday by taking them to the World's Toughest Rodeo! Landon had a great week...basketbal game, parties, school and therapy. He was also very excited when Trey, Nathan and Alex gave him a piece of the net from the tournament game. Landon loves all sports, but his favorite team and players is by far the Jackson Center Tigers. You can ask all of his therapist and doctors...they all know our school colors and mascot. All of the boys came over to give him a high five before they played Wednesday night, thank you for being such great role models!!!
Yesterday was Landon's 8th Birthday! We are very thankful to be able to celebrate with him. This is a picture of him, Grant and their homeroom teacher, Mrs. Barhorst. Tonight we will be celebrating the boy's Birthday by taking them to the World's Toughest Rodeo! Landon had a great week...basketbal game, parties, school and therapy. He was also very excited when Trey, Nathan and Alex gave him a piece of the net from the tournament game. Landon loves all sports, but his favorite team and players is by far the Jackson Center Tigers. You can ask all of his therapist and doctors...they all know our school colors and mascot. All of the boys came over to give him a high five before they played Wednesday night, thank you for being such great role models!!!
3/2/13 Home from Rehab!
Here are a few pictures of what Lando has been working on the past month.
3/1/13
Last day of outpatient rehab in Cleveland! He is doing great and we are all very proud of him. He is excited to get home to the root beer floats that are waiting for him, to see all of his friends, sleep in his own bed (first time since June2012), go to the JC game and just get back to our normal routine. He has the weekend to relax and have fun....and then it is back to therapy in Lima on Monday and school on Tuesday.
2/24/13
The weekend is coming to a close... noted by the hotel fire alarm going off...false alarm thank goodness:) I will have to check the website when I get home because it is not allowing us to post pictures, but I have put a few on Facebook. As of now, we are planning on Friday being his last day of therapy. We would love to stay longer, but feel it is time for us all to be together again and back in our normal routine. Landon has already instructed us on how he wants his face painted for the JC tournament games! So wish him luck this week as he will be put to the test and works hard for another five days of therapy!
2/20/13
Landon got his g-tube out today!!! He is taking both of his meds by mouth now:) We have a family meeting with his rehab team tomorrow to discuss how he is doing and how much longer we will stay here. He is doing great in speech and even told his therapist that he wanted to do his breathing for ten seconds instead of nine. I know this seems like a very small number, but he could only do two seconds when he got here. Everyone continues to say he is a hard worker, and they also know he can be bribed with basketball! His Birthday is coming up in March and he is getting very excited...I think he is ready for some time with his buddies!
2/17/13
Landon had a good week...he worked hard in all of his therapies, was brave during his Botox shots, getting better at eating by himself and taking his meds by mouth. We have been doing a lot of swimming both at rehab and in the hotel. The kids got to meet a national guard rep and the driver of the the spiderman monster truck at rehab, they were passing out toys. We are getting in some family time this weekend...although one hotel room just isn't big enough for the five of us!!!!
2/12/13
Landon is getting his nurse checks and breakfast, getting ready for another full day of rehab! We are all pushing him to get stronger and stronger. At this point our whole family has learning to do...we have to start NOT helping him! He is capable of doing many things himself, but it is human nature to want to help him....finish is sentences, carry him from place to place, pick things up for him, etc. The only way for him to learn is to do it himself. He had a soft cast put on his left arm yesterday and is scheduled to get Botox in that arm tomorrow due to tightness and spasms. His speech and cognition continues to improve. It's funny to think that I actually have to scold him to be quiet sometimes after wanting to hear his voice for five months!!!
2/7/13
Landon had a great day at rehab today. He has been working really hard. He got a huge smile waiting on his turn to get into the pool....and said "I am so excited!"...it was really cute. Of course it is always heartbreaking to be in a facility like this, there are kids in better shape and others that are far worse, but none of them deserve any of the hardships they are going through. Landon is having an hour each of Speech, Occupational, Physical and Recreational therapies as well as school every day. They will continue to push him and bring out the best of him!
2/5/13
Landon started outpatient "day hospital" at 9am this morning at the Cleveland Clinic
children's hospital for Rehabilitation. So far he has met up with his previous Doctors, Therapist and Nurses and has had evaluations all day long. We are staying at a local hotel and traveling back and forth every day. Everyone was happy to see how well he is doing! When Dr. Katholi asked him what cartoons he likes to watch...he responded "All kinds of crap!". So they will definitely see his ornery side in the next couple of weeks....I am just afraid of what he might say next!
2/3/2013
We are getting things packed and ready to go back to Cleveland tomorrow! He will have an evaulation and then we will have therapy for several weeks. I will try to keep everyone updated on the website! See you soon:)
We are getting things packed and ready to go back to Cleveland tomorrow! He will have an evaulation and then we will have therapy for several weeks. I will try to keep everyone updated on the website! See you soon:)
1/24/13
Landon had surgery this morning on his right middle finger (trigger finger). Everything went well, although it did take him a while to wake back up. He never cried or got upset...but he was worried about getting a sticker and going to McDonalds:) Thank you for all of the prayers!!
Landon had surgery this morning on his right middle finger (trigger finger). Everything went well, although it did take him a while to wake back up. He never cried or got upset...but he was worried about getting a sticker and going to McDonalds:) Thank you for all of the prayers!!
January 16, 2012
Landon finally got a bath chair...doesn't work real well in our bathtub at home...but works great in grandma's whirlpool tub. This was the first time he actually got to take a bath all by himself with no one helping or holding onto him in seven months! Landon continues to improve every day. We have also been talking to the rehab facility in Cleveland that he was in previously. He is scheduled to go back for an evaluation and possibly stay for several weeks. Our hope is that he will walk out of there. He is already starting to make the moves. Right now he has therapy three days a week and goes to school three full days a week.
Landon finally got a bath chair...doesn't work real well in our bathtub at home...but works great in grandma's whirlpool tub. This was the first time he actually got to take a bath all by himself with no one helping or holding onto him in seven months! Landon continues to improve every day. We have also been talking to the rehab facility in Cleveland that he was in previously. He is scheduled to go back for an evaluation and possibly stay for several weeks. Our hope is that he will walk out of there. He is already starting to make the moves. Right now he has therapy three days a week and goes to school three full days a week.
January 16, 2012
On Saturday Landon woke up at 5 in the morning all excited and saying he was going to go to his cousin Lauren's house. She lives in Columbus and I told him he was not going that we had things to do. After several hours of him laughing and continuing to say he was going.....him and I went. It has been a long time since he was able to choose something on his own and communicate it to us! They had a great time and was surprised to see how much taller he is than her!
On Saturday Landon woke up at 5 in the morning all excited and saying he was going to go to his cousin Lauren's house. She lives in Columbus and I told him he was not going that we had things to do. After several hours of him laughing and continuing to say he was going.....him and I went. It has been a long time since he was able to choose something on his own and communicate it to us! They had a great time and was surprised to see how much taller he is than her!
January 7, 2013
We purchased Landon a new bike. He rode it almost everyday over Christmas break. He is getting really good at it! We have also been going to the ymca and swimming. His legs take off as soon as he hits the water...although he wasn't happy with me after he asked if he could go off the diving board, down the slide and underwater....I said no! He continues to work hard and gets stronger every day. Tomorrow will be his first full day back to school since May!
December 2012
Landon was very excited to go sledding!
A Family That
Plays Together,
Stays Together!
Plays Together,
Stays Together!
12/26/12
Merry Christmas everyone! Our trip to Georgia went very well...Landon worked really hard and showed a lot of improvement through the week. The doctors were very pleased with his progress and felt that it was only a matter of time for him to relearn everything. His speech is becoming clearer and he is able to now communicate with us. We had a great Christmas with our family and friends and are looking forward to hanging out, playing and will continue working hard through the break off of school. This picture shows Landon with one of his favorite gifts...basketball of course! I think he played it for 8 hours straight:)
Merry Christmas everyone! Our trip to Georgia went very well...Landon worked really hard and showed a lot of improvement through the week. The doctors were very pleased with his progress and felt that it was only a matter of time for him to relearn everything. His speech is becoming clearer and he is able to now communicate with us. We had a great Christmas with our family and friends and are looking forward to hanging out, playing and will continue working hard through the break off of school. This picture shows Landon with one of his favorite gifts...basketball of course! I think he played it for 8 hours straight:)
12/19/12.....pictures from Atlanta above!
12/18/12
Landon had a great day...worked out for a couple hours and then rested for a couple hours...he did that three times. He is already showing signs of improvement! He has been exhausted by the end of the day, goes to bed early and then wakes up ready to go. We are so proud of him:)
12/17/12
Landon just finished a three hour assessment! Now it is lunch and a dr requested nap so that he is ready to go back and start working out at two! Doctor Duffy is looking forward to working with him this week at the Life Functinal Neurology Clinic!
12/16/12
We made it to Atlanta...Landon enjoyed his first plane ride! So far so good here, but it sounds like the other two caught the flu bug that is going around! We meet with the Doctor at 8 in the morning, looking forward to his first treatment.
12/9/12
Christmas has arrived! We have had several Birthday and Holiday celebrations in the last month. Now Landon is getting very excited to FLY to Georgia next week! We also got to stop by the Dayton Children's ICU and visit with some of the nurses, doctors and therapists....Landon didn't remember any of it, but they sure remembered him...a few still had his bracelet on too! Landon continues to gain strength and improve his speech. He is starting to tell us what he wants and what he doesn't want. He also got to go to a Jackson Center Basketball game. His friends sat with him and he smiled the whole time. He continues to go to school three days a week and has therapy three days a week.
Christmas has arrived! We have had several Birthday and Holiday celebrations in the last month. Now Landon is getting very excited to FLY to Georgia next week! We also got to stop by the Dayton Children's ICU and visit with some of the nurses, doctors and therapists....Landon didn't remember any of it, but they sure remembered him...a few still had his bracelet on too! Landon continues to gain strength and improve his speech. He is starting to tell us what he wants and what he doesn't want. He also got to go to a Jackson Center Basketball game. His friends sat with him and he smiled the whole time. He continues to go to school three days a week and has therapy three days a week.
11/26/12 Our family had a great Thanksgiving! Although we have made adaptations to our lives, it is still the same. We go to the games, church, school, shopping and out to dinner....just takes a little more thought and a lot of energy! I have put together a slideshow and posted it on facebook or by e-mail. (I couldn't get it to download onto this website) Our family has shared many moments with you in the past five months, but to be honest, we were very selective. This clip shows the whole story in pictures.
Landon continues to improve more and more. He can now make all of the sounds in the alphabet and is working on putting the words together. His arms and legs are getting stronger and moving more. He also just got cleared to drink thin liquids...that means no more clear gel added to his drinks to thicken it up! He is very excited about all the excitement December is brining....Birthday parties, Georgia and Christmas!
Landon continues to improve more and more. He can now make all of the sounds in the alphabet and is working on putting the words together. His arms and legs are getting stronger and moving more. He also just got cleared to drink thin liquids...that means no more clear gel added to his drinks to thicken it up! He is very excited about all the excitement December is brining....Birthday parties, Georgia and Christmas!
11/11/12 6:29pm
WOW, what a month! Landon is doing great, working hard at therapy and school, and getting used to our normal "crazy" life. He has had support from so many people...including a hand written letter from Ohio State Basketball coach Thad Matta and an invitation to a Cleveland Cavs game!!! Not to mention all of the freinds, family and even those we have never met before sending cards in the mail. Last week Landon got accepted into a program that specializes in Chiropractic Neurology. In December we will be traveling down to Life University in Marietta, Georgia. Landon gets a HUGE smile on his face whenever we mention "flying". He is also getting more vocal, yelling at us when he wants to wake up or eat something. He is still trying to make more sounds, but he did get "mom" out...so I am happy with that:)
Reading with Grandma Joyce!
11/1/12 7:44pm
Landon has been doing great the past couple of weeks! We are constantly on the move, going to therapy, school, Dr. appointments,etc....but we do enjoy our downtime at home as a family. Landon continues to gain strength, he is eating great (had a subway sub this week, non pureed!!) and is trying to make more sounds. He has been working very hard and keeps fighting to get control of his body back.
10/24/12 7:31pm
Today was Landon's first day back to school! The teachers and students made it an easy transition and he did great! He has been going to St. Rita's for Rehab and is also having local therapists that come to our house....gotta love Shelby County:)!! He has been eating great, sleeping well and enjoying these nice days on the golf cart. He is starting to make sounds and getting a little more movement in his arms and legs too.
10/16/12
10/15/12 9:23pm
Landon has been doing very well at home although we are still adjusting. He has gotten upset several times, but I also know he enjoys being home with his family. Landon, Presley and Dane all got to cuddle together watching tv in bed...I haven't seen that in a long time!
HOME SWEET HOME....
10/12/12 9:33am
Today is the day!!!!! Hoping to leave for home by 1!!!!!!!!!!
10/11/12 7:16pm
One more day!!!!!
10/10/12 7:19pm
Landon got to play the wii today and eat cookies. We are also thinking about taking him to St. Ritas for outpatient rehab, should find out by Friday. Only two days left until we get to go home! We are so thankful for all that you have done for Landon and feel so blessed that you all are as excited for Landon's return as we are. Jeff and I just ask that you give us time to adjust as a family before visiting, there will be a lot to learn in our first week home. We will have to continue to keep him healthy and strong so that he can get the most benefit from his therapy.
10/10/12 3:25pm
Landon will be mentioned on tv tonight...The show is called Mark's Madness on WOSN Lima and will air at 6:15pm and 9:15pm and will also be posted on the WOSN website!
10/9/12 8:48pm
Landon had six hours of activities today, he was so tired tonight he almost fell asleep in the bath! Our countdown in on...three days!!!!!
10/8/12 7:55pm
Landon did very well in therapy, he continues to get stronger and is able to answer questions correctly. He did wake up at 4am this morning, so he is very tired at the moment! He is eating and drinking great too. We are all looking forward to being back home...our family has not all been together for the night since June 15th!!!
10/7/12 7:09pm
Landon had a good weekend. He is ready to "work out" for five more days and then come home! Thank you to all of the family and friends who are getting our house ready for his return!
10/6/12 11:02am
Thank you for all of the offers, but have found a wheel chair that fits Landon's medical needs. As of right now, we have found/ordered all of his equipment. Thanks again!
10/5/12 7:39
We got back to rehab around 9:30am, had a full day of therapy, a bath and is now ready for bed. As of right now we will be coming home next Friday!
4:45pm-Well...Landon is doing very well, he hasn't been on a monitor since 11am...HOWEVER, our insurance took so long to approve him getting sent back to rehab that we now have to stay another night in the PICU and go back in the morning. Soooo frustrated, long day, and Landon is handling it better than his parents:)
12:50-Insurance drives me crazy...still waiting!!!
10/4/12 7:34am
Landon did great last night! Although he has been awake since 2:30 for no reason other than being in a new place. Dr. just came in and is putting in his orders to be discharged. Hoping to get back to rehab soon.
3:41pm-Landon is still doing very well, but we are still in recovery waiting on a PICU room!
12:55pm-TRACHE is OUT!!! Doing well, in recovery now!
11:27am-Surgery is going well, gtube portion is done!
10/3/12 10:39am
Getting ready to head to the OR!!!
10/2/12 4:42pm
Landon has had a GREAT day! He went swimming, talked to his classroom in JC via facetime, got to eat mac-n-cheese for the first time and best of all....he got a visit from two former Browns Football players. Robert Jackson and Doug Dieken stopped by to meet Landon and give him a mini helmet, bookbag and a signed football. Now we are gearing up for tomorrow's surgery!
10/1/12 8:52pm
Landon went swimming today, practiced rolling in PT and ate french toast in Speech. I have been on the phone between all of the therapies trying to get everything ready, ordered and in place for Landon to come home! If anyone knows of a stander, tilt table or wheel chair that we could borrow for a couple weeks please let me know.
9/30/12 9:47pm
Landon had a good weekend. He is still a little groggy from the new muscle med but he has been hanging in there, eating well and gearing up for another week of rehab!!
9/28/12 9:04pm
Landon is just now going to sleep, he has been so tired all day but his muscles have been on overload. He finally just relaxed and fell asleep, maybe it has something to do with the amount of meds he gets between 6-9 too! We also found out that we will most likely come home in about two weeks. We have a lot of planning to do to get ready, but I think he will love to be back home. He will still continue outpatient therapy in Columbus as well as at home and hopefully get him back to school some too. I can't wait to see his face and hear him laugh on his first golf cart ride!
9/27/12 8:43pm
Another good day at rehab! Got on the swing in OT, the pool in PT, had school, ate pancakes in Speech and then played cards in group. He has been eating great and sleeping well.
9/26/128:18pm
Landon did very well today. He had OT, PT, Speech, Group and got Botox injections! The Botox, combined with his current meds, are to help with his muscle spasms, hopefully it will give him more mobility and control in his arms. He has also been working very hard to shake his head yes and no, so that we can communicate with him better.
9/25/12 7:29PM
Landon is no longer on tube feeds, he is eating enough to not need them anymore. He is also scheduled to have his trache removed next Wednesday!!! They will do it in the OR so that they can do a scope as well as remove any scar tissue if needed. He will stay overnight in the ICU and then return to rehab.
9/24/12 10:03pm
Landon is just now going to sleep, his muscles keeps tightening up and tremor. They again have changed meds and are going to do botox injections later this week. He is scheduled to see the ENT tomorrow to see when he can get the trache out. Therapy went well today, he actually got to eat a mini pancake and apple juice during speech, the first time he has had solid food since June 17th!!
9/22/12 7:44am
Landon has had a good weekend! Above are a few pictures from rehab.
9/20/12 7:41pm
Landon had a good day, although we are still playing around with meds to make him comfortable. He did well in therapy and also had two hours of school. We are also talking about getting his trache out soon, so I will keep you posted!
9/19/2012
"FYI...today
is National TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY!!!" This is his speech therapist Lisa
practicing their EERRRRRRR!"
9/19/12 6:35pm
Landon slept great last night and did well in therapy today. He has been eating his entire meal three times a day and is practicing liquids and solids in speech. Pulmonary should be making rounds tomorrow night so that we can decide what the next step is in our goal of taking the trache out!
9/18/12 7:51pm
Landon had his first long (short) night in Cleveland. His muscles were tightening and he couldn't get them to relax. The Dr's reminded us that is will get worse before it gets better...meaning his muscles will continue to change and he will become more agitated the more alert he is. It is so hard to see his sad tears, but I try to tell him that we are all here with him every step of the way...and then I try to make him laugh and forget about it for a while!! He is still eating great, doing well in therapy and has stayed off the vent.
9/17/12 7:32pm
Another good day, practiced rolling over in OT, went to the pool for PT, yoga in group, computer in speech, games in another group and then the tilt table. He ate enough food for lunch and supper to not need his tube feed and remains off of the vent!
9/16/12 6:36pm
Landon had a good weekend, he got to ride one of the bikes on Saturday and he is still off the vent!!! Everyone is very pleased with the progress he has made in the last week. Tonight I sat him in front of me on a bench for about 40 minutes, he held his head up on his own the entire time, I only gave him a few 30 second breaks!
9/14/12 8:06pm
The picture above is with Landon's Physical Therapist "Naomi", it was his first time laying on his stomach since the accident. Today he continued to go strong, eating, two hours of school, OT, PT, Speech, tilt table and played the wii with mom and dad! The speaking valve worked tonight and we got to hear him laugh...a lot...Jeff and I need to work on our wii skills, but it entertained Landon!
9/14/12 7:05am
Landon just LEAPED over that hurdle...slept great all night! Dr. said he may tucker out after a couple days from working so hard, and then would be put back on periodically. All of his stats stayed right where they should be all night!
9/13/12 7:40pm
Another good day, his limbs are starting to move around and he is gaining head control. They also have a computer that can track where his eyes look, he is able to then choose options as his eyes act like a mouse click when he stares at a certain item. He was off of the vent for 15 hours yesterday...soooo....tonight we put a smaller trache in and are trying to go off the vent completely. He will of course be under close watch and if he struggles at all will just be put back on. Prayers would be great, the big steps always make Jeff and I nervous!!:)
9/12/12 8:43pm
Just settling in for the night, Landon had three great therapy sessions and acupuncture. Tonight I got to fulfill a promise, and he ate his first "meal"...a cheeseburger and mac-n-cheese (pureed of course)!!
9/11/12 7:23pm
Landon went to the pool at 9 and then to PT at 11 (he held his head up on his own for several minutes on and off, a first!), we then went to main campus to see an ENT (he has some scar tissue that will have to be adressed down the road). He then relaxed for an hour when we got back until we decided to go raid all three gardens to make fresh salsa. While I prepared it he went to another group session which consists of him and three teenage girls, he just smiles a lot:) He then stood on the tilt table and got to eat more frozen yogurt.
I now know that many people did not expect Landon to survive the first day, and yet he has taken every battle and every test and literally blew it out of the water. He has had more things done to his little body than most of us will in a lifetime, and he will continue to conquer and beat the odds!
9/10/12 7:52pm
We had a very busy day today...started with breakfast and actually getting to eat something, then OT, then to the pool for PT, then group therapy, then speech, then another group and finally the tilt table and some lemon ice! Not to mention some visitors and lots of other things in between. They are still trying to pull him off some of his meds, and he seems to be very alert and awake all day long. His fingers, hands and arms have been moving like crazy today and his head has been turning too...especially when there is food on the other side! He has been off of the vent all day long and will go to the ENT at the main campus tomorrow to have his airway checked.
9/9/12 5:10pm
Sunday is funday around here, no schedule, just on our own. So we put him on the tilt table, sat him up on the couch, walked around and gave him some yogurt and chocolate pudding. We still have another round of the table and a bath to do tonight.
9/8/12 7:11pm
Landon had a fun filled day...started with therapy and then a visit from family. He had many smiles as they played basketball, sat on the swings and joked around. We even got him to initiate a thumbs up one time today! We are allowed to feed him ten bites of soft solids twice a day and he has been doing well with it.
9/7/12 3:01pm
Wow...the Cleveland Clinic main campus is HUGE! Landon went to do his swallow test, didn't help that he got sick twice right before the test, but he did great and is clear to start eating some soft solids!! They do an x-ray as he swallows and you can see the food from the time it enters his mouth through his swallow, to make sure it all goes to the right place.
9/6/12 8:25pm
Landon got to go into the pool today and then had a good OT session. He did well in Speech and beat me in UNO. Then we visited with some company and got him on the tilt table. He is going to get his swallow test tomorrow.
9/5/12 8:55pm
Landon did well today, although he was a little sleepy most of the day. They are still changing his meds around and he hasn't adjusted to them yet. He got in tha jacuzzi tub tonight and thought it was funny that I got as wet as he did when we turned the jets on! Then we hung out in the room for a while before he went to sleep.
9/4/12 6:27pm
Busy day...acupuncture at 9, PT at 11, School at 1, Speech at 2, OT at 4, tilt table, bath, and all but 45 minutes of the day he was off of the vent! He is now cozied up in bed watching tv. He has been tracking things with his eyes very well and getting stronger in his neck, arms and hands.
9/3/12 9:55am
Sorry for not posting in a couple of days...but Landon has been doing great! It may be a Holiday weekend but Landon is still getting his therapy and working hard. Over the weekend he lost another tooth, has been getting on the tilt table, doing well in therapy and has been off of the vent most of the day. He watched the Buckeye game with dad and got a phone call from a few young JC ladies...both made him smile:)
8/30/12 7:43pm
Landon had a good day...a little sleepy for OT, went to the pool for PT, had an hour of school and then got to eat frozen yogurt and chocolate pudding in Speech. He is gaining some strength in his neck and is moving his fingers, hands and arms more. The best part of the day is when his dad got here....I wheeled him out to the hallway, we hid behind the wall and then jumped out and scared Jeff as he walked through the door...Landon thought it was really funny!
8/29/12 9:01pm
Landon had a good day...OT, then some yoga during PT, group session and then speech. He is still swallowing really well and is scheduled for a test next Friday. Then we hung out with another girl from rehab (trying to keep Landon awake), she is so cute and has an amazing story. She is getting discharged on Friday but still has to come back for 8 hours of outpatient therapy a day.
8/28/12 7:28pm
Busy day...Went to the pool for OT, did the tilt table for PT, met his teacher, did really well in speech therapy (they are sending him to do a swallow test next Friday, if it goes well they can slowly start giving him soft foods) and had an acupuncture session! Not to mention a couple of walks and some family visitors.
8/27/12 8:48pm
Landon got sick at 2am, but the rest of the day went really well. He even added an hour of recreation time...parents are not allowed, but I am told that they were doing yoga, and when the teacher bent over...Landon had help pushing his fart machine, thus making the class laugh! Tomorrow he is planning on getting in the pool and having an acupunture session.
8/26/12 9:20pm
It has been ten weeks since the accident! It still amazes me that Landon has endured all that he has in the last 2 1/2 months. I also know that he still has a long road ahead of him, but because of our faith, family and friends we will see him through it. Today was a good day, Sundays are very relaxed around here. Jeff and I tried to attempt some therapy this morning but it was too soon after he ate and it didn't go so well. He has been going to sleep for the night around 6pm and waking up by 6am. This week will challenge him a little more as we are adding a few things to his schedule. I have to admit, there is a tiny little baby in here...I don't even know what is wrong with him...but I have never seen his parents. I just want to pick him up and hold him, don't tell Jeff...but I think I might bring him home with us:) We have been told several times that a big part of recovery is a good family support system!
8/25/12 7:39pm
Landon did well in therapy today and then took a nap. He came off the vent again from 3-6 so we went for a walk, did some mom/dad pt, and I even got to hold him on my lap on the couch in the family room. Although after looking at the picture I think he will be holding me soon...I think he has grown two inches this summer! He will have a busier schedule starting Monday, but usually has down time from 4-6. If anyone would like to face time him, you are welcome to--- [email protected] ---If we do not answer, he is either sleeping or busy and you will have to try another day.
8/24/12 6:20pm
Another great day, OT went well ...but we found out that having his stomach full and then going on a swing in PT does not work out very well! He then took a nap and was ready to go for Speech at 3! He continues to improve as we have seen several purposeful movements with his left hand and arm. He just had a jacuzzi bath and is now laying in bed with dad as we are trying to keep him awake for a while.
8/23/12 6:29pm
Landon woke up in a good mood and did well in OT. Then he got to go to the pool for PT. He seemed to really like it, but it made him really tired so he wasn't really digging Speech therapy and he went back to sleep at 6! We had a team meeting today with everyone who is working with him and they all have seen progress in the last week. They are going to continue to decrease some of his meds and increase his time off of the vent. Hopefully he will become more alert and aware during this process.
8/22/12 7:42 pm
Landon slept all night and had a great day today! He did well in therapy and got to stand on the table again. He also squeezed a switch that controlled different things. We have noticed him moving his left hand and arm a lot this week and had six hours off of the vent today. Must be tired, he went to sleep at 6:30!
8/21/12 5:32pm
Landon was tired most of the day today, but he still did well in all three therapies. He even got to get on a table that gradually goes up into a semi-standing positition and he was off of the vent for 5 hours. Little brother Dane was here all day and wore both of us out....we chased and raced him through the courtyards and around the playground. Landon also got another jacuzzi bath tonight and is sleeping now. They are planning on taking him into the pool on Thursday!
8/20/12 8:22pm
Landon had another good day. I think he is becoming more alert as his medication dosages are lowered. Just like normal, he is highly amused by burps and farts, so we have an ipad app that we use during therapy that has all of the sounds. I finished my training, so I can now take him out of the room by myself. We go out to the basketball court and race around the walking path. He has been staying awake all day, if he starts to get tired in the evening we put music on and start calling people to keep him up. It breaks my heart that he will not be riding the bus to school with his sister, but he is working really hard and continues to improve!
8/19/12 7:46pm
Sunday is a day of rest in rehab...no therapy. However I think we showed him a lot of action...he was off of the vent for four hours, went outside for half an hour, played cards, listened to music and got some therapy from mom. But BEST of all...he got to take a REAL bath that even had jets in it!!!
8/18/12 8:51pm
The rest of Landon's day went well. Mostly stayed on the vent with a little bit of oxygen just in case anything went into his lungs. His sister and cousin came up to visit and got in bed with him...giving him lots of kisses and a couple of toots...making him laugh and smile! Therapy went ok, mostly just a day of rest.
8/18/12 7:31am
Our first rough night in rehab...started out well and then we found Landon had gotten sick and it was all over everything. After getting all of that cleaned up he went back to sleep until we were moving him around 6, he started coughing and his oxygen level went down while his heart rate went up. He has been suctioned several times and they added a little bit of oxygen, now his vitals are good and he is resting fine. I think he may have aspirated or gotten some of the vomit lodged somewhere. They are going to do a vibrating breathing treatment to try and push out any secretions. As for me, I am on extra bold coffee at the moment...Happy Saturday!
8/17/12 7:55pm
Had a great day...although I think he has been awake since 4am! He was off of the vent for 4 hours today. Did well during OT & PT, sat in his chair for an hour, walked down to the other room for speech...he got a light electrical stimulation on his face, pushed a button with his head to hear music and they use lemon juice with a rubber wand to practice swallowing. And best of all we got to walk around outside and go to the basketball court....where mommy schooled him and slam dunked...got a few laughs out him for that one! Now he is cleaned up and settled in for the night.
A couple people have asked, so here is Landon's new info:
Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital for Rehabilitation
Room #6
2801 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
Cleveland, Ohio 44104
8/16/12 8:02pm
Another good day of rehab. He was off of the vent for an hour this morning and then another hour this afternoon, during the last hour we got to leave the room for speech therapy...no vent...no monitors! Landon also got all of his staples out from surgery. He must be worn out because he has been asleep since 5:30. I have met a couple other families while we have been here, and I think it goes with out saying, but always count your blessings! It is hard to see these children struggle, but at the same time rewarding to see them conquer.
8/15/12 8:42pm
Most of you know I like to make friends, so it was no surprise that I got the OT and Speech therapist to sing and dance to "Sexy and I know it"! They were even doing the moves with Landon, I think he laughed just so we would stop:) He was also off of the vent for a full hour this afternoon and will be getting his staples from surgery out tomorrow. I took him right outside our room for game time, and met a very cute little seven year old girl...hhmmm...I think I will use that for motivation and smiles in the future!
8/15/12 2:14pm
Landon has done very well today...2 therapies down and 1 more to go. He also was taken off of the vent for 30 minutes this morning and will do another round this afternoon. Daddy just left for his way home so I guess I am in charge...I told Landon I was going to embarass him by dancing and singing in front of everyone:)
8/14/12 8:08pm
Landon did great today! He had Occupational, Speech and Physical Therapy and he did very well in all of them. They also took his vent completely off two times today for fifteen minutes each and he did just fine. Dad rubbed ice along his legs, arms and belly and got a lot of movements and giggles:)
8/14/12 6:47am
landon did great last night and he is still sleeping! He willl have a busy day with at least three different types of therapy...it's time to start working. He did cry a couple of times yesterday so hopefully he won't get scared today.
8/13/12 2:22pm
We are here! Getting settled in and meeting all of the new docs. So far everyone has been wonderful and full of optimism:) Landon also has a WINDOW with a view of the playground!
8/13/12 6:59am
All packed up and ready to go...Cleveland here we come!
8/12/12 1:48pm
Landon has been doing very well today and through the night. We are going to pack everything up (it is going to take a while and fill up the truck!). As of now we are planning on an early morning departure for Cleveland!
8/11/12 9:24am
Landon slept well last night and is up in his chair today. Initial readings for the CT scan look good and so far there isn't anything growing in the fluid they collected.
8/10/12 10:05pm
Just had a trache change... the cuff wasn't holding the water so it leaked causing him to still breathe through his mouth and nose...but he slept through it all! He had his CT tonight too, no results yet.
8/10/12 6:13pm
We are planning on leaving for Cleveland around 8am on Monday! Landon had a great day today, a little tired off and on. Landon has some fluid right above the new bone flap that they have been keeping an eye on. They drained some of it today to culture just to make sure it isn't something that needs more attention. They are also going to do a CT scan before we go.
8/10/12 9:46am
We have been on the go this morning...Up and dressed, PT, OT and a visit from some friends has already been done...now he is wanting to nap:) he did well last night but I think he has been awake since 4-5am!
8/9/12 1:36pm
Landon just had his bath and is still waiting on therapy (all three) to come by. He did have another first today...he started crying when he woke up from a nap today, Jeff and I were able to calm him down but that is the first time we had seen him cry with tears since the accident!
8/9/12 6:40am
Landon slept well last night and he is awake and and happy now...watching space jams! Yesterday went well, we got to go for a walk yesterday and go outside for a while. OT came in the morning and PT never showed up...so I will be asking about the therapy schedule very early this morning! Landon has been using the speaking valve almost all day long, yesterday we got some pretty loud laughs out of him:)
8/8/12 1:24pm
Landon has been doing very well. They are still changing his medications due to his neuro storming (uncontrolled body movements), but from what we know about it, it is the brain trying to heal itself, firing off many signals at once. Cleveland rehab may be ready for a transfer on Monday, we should know by Saturday if that is a go! We are hoping to go for a walk outside today:) We have became really close with most of the staff, and have already been saying some good-byes...but they are all planning on keeping updated by his website!
8/7/12 8:51am
Landon had a good night, had morphine around ten and slept the rest of the night. He is up and dressed this morning with his speaking valve in... air goes in through his trache and out through his mouth and nose. From what we understand, he is ready to go to Cleveland but they will not have a bed for him until early next week.
8/6/12 8:07am
Landon did very well last night, he did get morphine at 2:30 but slept most of the night. He is up and dressed with his Jordan's on and sitting in the wheelchair.
8/5/12 7:50pm
Landon did well last night and throughout today. He has been having the tightening episodes, but on the right side now. His head and incision look good and he was able to get the drain taken out today. He has been awake most of the day, so hopefully he will get some rest tonight. Lots of smiles and laughs today too!
8/4/12 8:04pm
Landon is still getting the morphine every four hours, he has done well all day but just got sick again...hopefully it is just from all of the meds! We also visited Cleveland clinic rehab today, so hopefully we will find something out this week.
8/4/12 10:45am
Landon had a good night and is awake and moving around this morning. He has a little bit of tightening in his right side..but is getting Morphine to help with being uncomfortable.
7:30...Landon is doing great, his head is all wrapped up with a drain, he has a couple IV's in and a few other gadgets. Vitals are perfect and he is still sleeping. Thank you for all of the thoughts and prayers and a special thank you to Dr. Kleiner for operating on Landon before he left for vacation!
5:51...all done!! Doc just came in and said that everything went well, we should be able to see him in ten minutes!
4:41...just called, procedure is done, they have to stitch him up and then to recovery.
2:54...just got our first phone call...they are just now starting his surgery!
8/3/12 1:29pm
Just took him into the OR!
8/2/12 6:56pm
We took Landon out for a walk today...he got to see some sunshine...and his NEW GOLfCART!!! Another family received it through the make a wish foundation and donated it back after their daughter passed away several months ago. She loved taking rides, as it is equipped with a handicap carseat. The staff here is getting to know Landon's boy spirit and suggested him. (I didn't tell them that he has already wrecked a couple!) We can't wait to take him for a ride! Please keep him in your prayers, surgery tomorrow at 12:30.
8/2/12 11:54am
Night went well, and Landon was in a very good mood this morning. Physical therapy was good, he was wide awake and smiling, especially when he got to shoot me with dart gun:) they just put a valve in to let him breathe out of his mouth and nose and he did very well. They put it on for a half hour today and will continue to do it on and off as well as put him on a bypass, allowing him to breathe on his own with a back up rate...all of these changes will be slow, but it is to ween him off the ventilator.
8/1/12 1:50
Surgery has been moved to Friday at 12:30!!! Nothing is wrong, just another kid with a more severe case has to go tomorrow.
7/31/12 8:36pm
Landon did well today, he was either happy or sleepy. He is still having storming episodes but they are way less severe. Cleveland was here today and things are looking good for a transfer to their rehab clinic....of course nothing is set in stone and insurance has to approve. We are going to go see their clinic this week and will know more about the final decision hopefully by the end of next week.
7/31/12 11:06am
Landon had a good night and had some of his buddies stop by for a visit this morning! Many smiles and laughs:) We are waiting for our meeting with Cleveland now...nervous and excited!!
7/30/12 5:46pm
It has been another good day with fewer episodes. He is sitting in the wheelchair with his new Air Jordan shoes that we promised him...they look pretty good! We told him during therapy that he could wear them if he turned his head, and he did! Cleveland rehab is coming tomorrow morning for an evaluation, wish us luck:) By the way, he is still awake, since 2am!!!!
7/30/12 7:51am
Landon slept until 2am...and has been awake ever since. He seems to wake up between 2-4am most days. But he is happy with lots of smiles this morning. I was showing him some pictures of him and friends playing basketball and from the state tournament...and got some more smiles. All of his muscles are very relaxed from the medication, so we will see how therapy goes today.
7/29/12 9:12pm
Landon had a good day today. He was a little groggy from the increased meds but we did get several smiles throughout the day. He is resting very well right now and his arms have finally relaxed almost all of the way. The neurosurgeon came in today and talked to us about the MRI and how the surgery will go. He will have the bone flap replaced with a bone putty, they are not going to use his skull pieces they took out because they do not want to risk him getting an infection nor would the pieces make a hard plate. He also has a little pocket of fluid in the right frontal lobe that they are going to drain while they are already in there. He will have another incision, so there will be several scars to tell his story!
This is that beautiful smile we have told you about! When he is in a good mood, he laughs at everything...so cute:) Hopefully all will go well with his meds, they are reducing the seizure medication and increasing the muscle relaxer because of the tightness in his arms. We are still talking to several rehab locations, and the doctors are making phone calls on our behalf too. They ALL agree that he needs rehab as soon as possible, so that he can continue to improve.
7/28/12 7:20am
Landon slept well last night, arms are still tight and heart rate goes up but not as high as before. By now, most of the staff know Landon's name and story...it is always nice when the doctors come into our room to let us know they saw his name on the sign along 75, or heard k99.1 give a shout out to him on the radio. They have all mentioned how amazing it is that we have so many supporters...and we couldn't agree more!
7/27/12 7:51pm
Landon did well during his MRI, and they only had to give him a little medication for it. They also started his new medication so he has been pretty drowsy this afternoon. We do not have the results back yet, but his surgery to replace the skull will be on Thursday August 2nd at noon. We did get some smiles a little bit ago, especially when we mentioned some of the JC girls (I won't mention names but I am sure his buddies know who they are)!
7/27/12 12:54pm
Landon had a good night, woke up at 3am having some of his episodes and high blood pressure. They were not as strong as they had been. They are prepping him for an MRI to make sure his skull fractures are healing so that they can do his next surgery. Physical therapy went well this morning, we got him to turn his head towards a sucker.
7/26/12 6:18pm
Landon had a good day, he had a couple hours of tightening but it wasn't as bad as it had been. We had a meeting with all of the doctors in one room to discuss Landon's care and plan. He may have is next surgery in the next couple of weeks. We are also in contact with the Cleveland clinic for a possible transport to one of their pediatric programs for coma patients and then rehab. Their staff has to accept him and then insurance has to accept the request, so we will be in contact with all of the above until we can make it happen. Neurology came in today and does not think Landon is having seizures (although some of the other docs disagree) and is going to start coming down on the seizure med and try something else. Landon is sleeping now and he has been in and out of grogginess today.
7/26/12 10:01am
Landon had a great & restful night. He woke up a little early, so I put a relaxing music video on and he seemed to like them. When we turned him over and his nurse practitioner came in he was full of smiles, I think he likes to mess with her! He was in a great mood. His heart rate just started going up right now with a little bit of muscle tightness...so we will see how the day goes.
7/25/12 5:31pm
Ahhh...Landon is finally sleeping! He has been agitated all day, he literally has been moving off and on for six hours. They tried morphine to see if that would help, and it did not. Neurology has not seen him today, but I have dragged in every NP, Resident and intensivist (not even in charge of landon) I could find to come in to see what he was doing! So hopefully we can figure out what his body is doing. He was a little groggy during therapy today as some of his meds have increased in the last couple of days.
7/24/12 9:16am
Ok, it is a good thing that the staff are nice and understanding around here, because I have been a stalker in the last day...running out to get them so that they can see everything that I am seeing. I have even been taking video so that I can show neurology when they come in instead of trying to describe it. As of now, they think he may be having little seizure movements AND muscle tightness/cramps...neuro
still has to give their opinion...but they kind of have a game plan to help, including a lot of massage and stretching from me! Today he is definitely getting a bath, teeth brushed, therapy, massage and a hair cut tonight!
7/23/12 8:27pm
Landon is settled in for the night, finally! His full body x-ray was negative for any fractures, his EEG was negative for seizures, but he still continued to have his "episodes" this afternoon. So they put another IV in and gave him more seizure meds. They are trying to figure out if he is having seizures, muscle spasms/cramps, or is in pain from something... And they have to figure that out by process of ilimination, seeing which meds help. He continued to have them until I went to talk to the resident, he ordered up morphine, and when I came back to the room we changed and repositioned Landon. His heart rate came down and he relaxed, so they are only going to use the morphine if needed tonight. Therapy went well today, mostly because we used root beer flavored suckers:) We also talked to several people today about rehab, and we are lucky to have so many people willing to help get Landon the best care possible! Thank you for all of your suggestions, referrals, support and prayers!
7/23/12 9:07am
Landon didn't get much sleep last night, still having the tightening and high heart rate...so they are going to do another EEG (just to make sure there still isn't any seizure activity), a full body x-ray (he never had the rest of his body/bones checked for fractures)...we think he may be responding to pain from somewhere do they want to make sure there are not any other injuries that we are unaware of. Jeff and I also expressed our opinion about rehab, it seems as though Columbus rehab can not take him yet based on criteria from our insurance company! So, we our going to look into other facilities as well, and look into the out of pocket costs so that we are not tied down to what our insurance ALLOWS us to do, we will do whatever it takes! We feel that he needs rehab as soon as possible verses laying around. The staff is on our side and are willing to make phone calls on our behalf. So he should have a busy day:)
7/22/12 11:24pm
I think Landon is finally going to go to sleep...he has been having episodes of high heart rate combined with tightening of his arms and neck for the past couple hours...I think it may be muscle spasms/cramps, so I talked to the resident and they gave him Tylenol, Motrin and a heating blanket. He was obviously uncomfortable but seems to have finally settled down, I am just making sure before I lay down:) I also wanted to ask if any of you have any new or lightly used baby boy clothes (3-24 months), there is a young couple who has had their baby boy here since he was delivered Easter weekend, and I would love to be able to help them out! You can
e-mail me: [email protected]
7/22/12 1:00pm
Landon had a good night and day today. His blood pressure has been kind of high so they are keeping an eye on that. He has is hand and elbow braces on, which he does NOT like, his vitals always go up when they are on and drop when we take them off. We have gotten a couple of smiles today, I also put a tiny taste of my baked fish in his mouth (he loves fish) and he started smacking his lips. His eyes opened all of the way when I told him that Dane got out his pirate ship to play with too.
7/21/12 10:36pm
Grandma Mick and Aunt Lisa took over tonight so that we could go back to JC for Landon's benefit. They said all has went well, he is relaxed, sleeping well and no fevers. We are so humbled by the amount of love and support our community, friends and family have shown us. Thank you for all of the continued thoughts and prayers! We know it is only a matter of time before we have our Landon back to being the ornery boy that he is, full of life with a great story to tell!
7/21/12 11:11am
Sitting in his wheelchair, just played "Eye of the Tiger"...his eyes opened wide and he got a big smile!
...Don't loose your grip on the dreams of the past, You must fight just to keep them alive!...
7/21/12 8:54am
Had a good night, he has been awake since about 4am, and does not have a fever this morning. They did find that he has a cold that may have been causing the fevers, but they will still keep an eye on other areas just to make sure they don't miss anything. ~~the mother part of me asks that visitors please wash their hands every time you enter his room, and refrain from coming if you have any cold or flu symptoms!!~~ Landon has been doing very well this week and we want to keep him as strong as possible.
7/20/12 8:29pm
Landon had his bath Around 4:30 and he is still sleeping! Although we did move him around to put his shirt on, he had goose bumps and did a little body shiver, smacked his lips and made a face like he was disgusted by his own breath and then smiled at us laughing at these new movements we had not seen before. He then got his energy field checked out, and now his nurse is doing her rounds (which will include a mouth washing)! Just in the last hour and a half we have seen Landon make a few movements that we have not see him do in five weeks and we are very happy about that!
7/20/12 2:43pm
Fever has gone down some and he seems to be feeling better. He had a good therapy session, he tried moving toward a dumdum sucker! We then got to go for a walk and when we got to the doors at the end of the hallway I told him we were making a run for it and went outside for a minute...his first time in almost five weeks! Next on the agenda today is a much needed bath.
7/20/12 9:27am
Landon had a good night, but he has a fever again this morning and they are still trying to figure out why. We can tell that he isn't feeling very well so he will probably get a lot of quiet and rest today when he can. We have a great nurse today, very nurturing ( which I love, and I am talking to about home health if needed for a while) so she will make sure he gets cleaned up and taken care of today!
7/19/12 3:30pm
Ok, busy day....had a temp this morning so he got a blood, urine and throat culture, so far so good. Therapy session went well, although not as fast as yesterday, but they were allowed to use a ring pop sucker...made him smack his lips! They just changed all of his vent tubing, and he breathed on his own for the whole seven minutes, so after all of that he is now resting.
7/19/12 7:30
Had a good night!
7/18/12 8:18pm
Landon is settled in for the night, has had a great evening, sleeping for the past hour. He still needs to have his breathing treatment and nurse check done. We did get a couple smiles today!
7/18/12 2:38pm
We got to take Landon for a little wheelchair walk across the hosptial and back, nice to be able to get him out of his room.
7/18/12 8:36am
Landon had a great night, was awake at 7 this morning and even gave us a smile! I think they are going to take his back up vent rate down farther today too.
7/17/12 8:40pm
Another good day...Therapy went well, he rested well and we can see little glimpses of him interacting. We have also had a GREAT nurse for three nights in a row, and have learned a lot from her! Although Jeff did grab her leg in the dark last night thinking it was a tube:) Friends brought us sushi to top off a great day! Landon is now getting a breathing treatment and then time to sleep.
7/17/12 9:47am
Sorry for the late post, Internet was down. Landon continued to have a good day yesterday and had a great therapy session. He then got a bath and a back massage from mom. He did well over night and things will continue the same with his meds today.
7/16/12 10:03am
Well, one of the doctors and I clashed on opinions this morning, this is the first time I had heard someone not be as optimistic as I....so I let him know what I thought:) yesterday we played YouTube videos of Michael Jordan for Landon and he said something in an interview that I would like to share "limitations and fear are only illusions"...I think I like that one!
7/16/12 7:16am
Landon had a good night....he seemed to be having little episodes of discomfort and sweating yesterday evening...but we finally figured out that his body was trying to tell us something...like he needed changed or rolled over. That is a very good sign that his body is recognizing that something wasn't right or comfortable.
7/15/12 6:18pm
Landon has had a good day, seems like he has been awake a lot. His hands and elbows are still a little tight and flexed. They have increased his muscle relaxer as well as his look pressure meds. He is also going to get a breathing treatment twice a day to prevent getting sickness in his lungs.
7/15/12 8:16am
Wow, I can not believe it has been four weeks since the accident! Thanks again for all of you who have helped care for our kids, house and dogs....and mostly for the prayers. It is unfortunate that this has became normal to us, but we are determined to nurse him back to the rambunctious 7 year old that he is!
Landon had a good night, slept well and no fevers! We have been talking to the doctors about his new dosage of blood pressure meds and the new relaxer, neurology will make the call on changing or keeping it the same.
7/14/12 8:08pm
Landon had a good day, they started him on another muscle relaxer and he was zonked all day, so they may need to change the dose on that. We sat him up in the wheelchair again today for over an hour, he did fine, never even woke up! He is getting his nurse check now and getting settled in for the night.
7/14/12 8:40am
Landon had a good night and fever has came down. He looks very comfy at the moment. PT and OT are off on the weekends....so that means mom and dad will be working on him today!
7/13/12 5:48pm
Landon had another EEG, results do NOT show any seziures! They wanted to make sure with some of the little changes in vitals that he has every once in a while. PT sat him up in bed again and he has been comfortable all day.
7/13/12 12:19pm
Landon had a fever, high blood pressure and increase breathing last night, so they gave him a little dose of a sedative, it calmed him down and he slept all morning. The doctors (and mom and dad) are watching his every move, reaction and behavior...the doctors analyze the info and prescribe meds as needed. Brain injuries are difficult because the littlest things can be an indicator of something else. So we get asked a lot of questions. I know several of you have asked about visiting with little ones, but we do not feel that he is ready right now. We are still trying to keep his room clean, quiet and dark at times so that he can get rest. I am sure he would love to see all of his buddies as soon as he is more responsive...they have a lot to catch up on!!
7/12/12 7:36pm
Landon had another first today...they sat him up in a reclined wheelchair (with a helmet on just in case) for almost 1 1/2 hours! Needless to say he took a nice little nap after that. We got to spend time with Presley and Dane in the last couple of days and had some interesting conversations...Dane: "first of all, Landon got kicked by a horse, Landon get better, Landon tough!"...Presley: "Landon wouldn't want everyone to be sad, he wants them to be happy, and the longer he stays in the hospital, the better he will get"...nice to get advice from our 5 and 2 year old:)
7/12/12 9:45am
Landon has been having a fever so they drew blood again this morning and may do more tests just to make sure there is not an infection that we don't know about. They want to stay ahead of the game. His eyes were open at 4 this morning and he is still awake...nevermind, we turned the lights off and tv down and he just closed his eyes again....and now they are open again...this could be a long post:) We want him to get rest when he needs it. He seems pretty comfortable, his muscles are getting a little tight, so hopefully we can work on that today.
7/11/12 8:42pm
Landon is trying to go back to sleep. He had a good day, PT sat him up again too. They did a trache change and we have to start helping and learning all of it...Jeff volunteered me for this one! It went ok, still can't believe he has a trache and feeding tube, but we will do what is necessary. We see and hear a lot about the sickness in hospitals, so we continue to keep washing our hands and trying to keep his environment clean.
7/11/12 9:17am
Night went well, I woke up to him looking around, his eyes seem to open more and more everyday. He has been getting worked over by mom and dad this morning!
7/10/12 7:02pm
I think Landon is settled in for the night, starting to close his eyes a little. We moved into our IMCU room today...we had to do a major downsize as it is about the size of Jeff's office with one rocking chair. Grandma Mick was watching him while we ate supper and noticed he was chewing around on something...and then she pulled a tooth out of his mouth, so glad it did not get lodged somewhere!! Now I have to remember to put it under his pillow for the tooth fairy:)
7/10/12 2:40pm
Landon has had a bath, OT and a massage. Pt came in this morning and sat him up again. His IV was leaking yesterday so they took it back out and are once again giving all meds through his gtube.
7/9/12 7:52pm
Landon had a good day...he had a bath (started using t-shirts instead of the gowns), OT & PT...they sat him up again and he did even better than last Friday. He seemed tired all day but did not sleep that I know of. Grandma Mick and Aunt Lisa are covering for us right now and just said that he was smiling as they played a recording of some of his friends reading books and again when grandpa Tom mentioned a new 4-wheeler (although it will be at least 40 years before I am ready for that!!!)!
7/9/12 9:19am
Landon did great last night and this morning. We put spongebob on and his eyes keep going to the tv...tried to talk to him but he looked past me, just like at home:) Hopefully OT and PT will work him over good today and get him moving some more!
7/8/12 7:36pm
The ICU is very busy tonight and we have not seen our nurse in a while...so Jeff and I decided to be proactive and help them out, we repositioned Landon, put his braces on and had to change him. Jeff had a very different approach by lifting his whole lower body up in the air...we were laughing so hard and then we looked over to see Landon with a huge smile on his face...priceless!
7/8/12 5:25pm
Landon had a great day, very relaxed. Jeff and I can tell when he is awake ( he has been opening his eyes a little more than half way and blinking) and when he is sleeping (eyes shut tight just like normal). He hasn't been moving much on his own, but we have been working his arms and legs a lot this weekend. He also got a good scrub down today, and has not had a fever since this morning!
7/8/12 7:40am
Initial test results look good, there does not seem to be any infections on his brain! They will continue to watch his cerebral spinal fluid that was collected to make sure it does not grow anything. The doctors think that he may have an infection in his throat which is not that uncommon with a trache, so he is back on antibiotics and they will keep an eye on all of his labs that they drew yesterday.
7/7/12 7:24pm
Landon had a very stressful day, he was poked and prodded over and over again. They did a CT scan and spial tap too, trying to clarify if and where any infections might be. We should have the results in the next couple of days. He has settled down and is resting now, I think he is really worn out physically and mentally from the day, the procedures and the discomfort. Hoping for a restful night for him!
7/7/12 10:52am
More tests/scans have been added for today,please pray for good results!!
7/7/12
Landon had a good night but he did get a fever again. This isn't too uncommon for his type of injury but they are taking precautions just in case there is an infection somewhere...so another IV line has been put into his hand (he wasn't a big fan), blood, urine and throat cultures have also been taken. He is on a cooling blanket too. I did notice that his eyes were opening again today and it seemed like he responded by opening them for the resident and then again when a nurse turned the light on.
7/6/12 9:48pm
Landon did great today...he tuckered out around 5pm and has been pretty relaxed ever since...he had a very busy day. We also have some very familiar faces from Shelby county in the room next to us. It brought back a lot of feelings and heartache but hopefully they will get to take their little one back home tomorrow! Praying for another great night and day!
7/6/12 10:08am
Physical therapy just sat him up along his bed and had him try to move his head back and forth...he did great! They are not going to give him any more Valium tonight, so that they can start a stimulant in the morning. Jeff got a couple more smiles out of him this morning and it seemed like he was squeezing our hands. They have started putting us to work too...changing the trache and gtube dressing, suctioning the trache and giving him baths...we also try to massage and give him our take of pt when the braces are off.
7/5/12 4:23pm
Picc line came out yesterday, so Landon does not have any IV access anymore. All of his meds are going through his gtube. He just got fitted for a helmet for physical therapy so that they can sit him up and work with him more aggressively. He may start taking a new med that will help stimulate his brain too. The vent settings are still turned down and will automatically come back on if needed.
7/5/12 10:18am
We just met with Columbus rehab rep, she said that he is doing great, but we need to keep working with him so that he can respond to commands. She is going to keep close tabs on his progress so that he can go as soon as he is ready. All of the staff have been extremely optimistic and are hoping for the best. We continue to see little tid bits of improvement every day!
7/5/12 8:25am
Cutest thing ever...landon started smiling this morning!! So now when we get in his face and talk to him he usually starts smiling really big...so cute and so funny too. Great way to start the day!
7/4/12 7:12pm
Landon got another bath today and actually got is whole head washed (it had been a while), he has a pretty cool scar going on, we think he is going to be bragging about that in the future! The incision looks great and has healed up nicely. He still seems to be trying to look around, so we hung four posters on the walls with cards that were sent to him. Today is a bittersweet day as we all know how active Landon is...we can't wait to see that fun loving boy again...but we have to wait until he is ready. Thanks again to all of you for your support and generosity, have a great 4th of July!
7/4/12 10:06am
Landon has been upgraded to IMCU, which is a step down from ICU...he has been very stable and just needs a little support from the vent. We also met with the neurologist yesterday and he said it will most likely be months down the road before he has his next surgery. He wants to make sure that the fractures all heal and that his brain does not have any swelling. He was very optimistic and again commented on the fact that kids can heal better than the rest of us...it just takes a long time with this type of injury.
7/3/12 10:10am
Landon had a bath this morning and opened his eyes for a few minutes and rocked his head back and forth...he also opened them yesterday for a minute and then turned his head away when I kissed him on the cheek...darn boys! Lots of eye blinking, mouth moving, coughing and yawning. They just did his first trache change, I think I am still sweating but we stood right there and watched....Jeff wasn't quite as close:) He will be having PT, OT and massage today. Still haven't talked to the neurosurgeon but his next surgery will most likely be down the road.
7/2/12 4:05pm
This is the last day for his antibiotics, they lowered the vent so that he had to do all of his breathing on his own with just a little help added and he has done fine all day. Although, i don't think Jeff and I took a breath for the first ten minutes as we were watching the monitor! He will have his first trache change tomorrow and the Columbus rehab will be here on Thursday for an evaluation. They plan to also lower his Valium in the morning since he has been tolerating it very well. Our family had a vacation planned and we were supposed to leave today...however we canceled it about a month ago and went to kalahari about three weeks ago...we had a great time and I talked Landon into zip lining with me...he was a little nervous when we got to the top but I told him he would be fine and that I would be waiting for him at the next post. I felt that feeling of nervousness when we watched them take the vent down...so again I told him he would be fine and we would be waiting for him when he is ready!
7/2/12 9:26am
Night went well, Landon is tolerating not having as much Valium in his system very well. We are waiting on doctor rounds right now to see if anything will change.
7/1/12 11:26am
We just read the paper, still hard to take all of this in...but as far as the rehab comment, it is all still unknown as far as when he can go and how long he would be there. There are certain requirements that he needs to meet to be able to go, and we will find that out this week. FYI...Springstein is on:)
7/1/12 11:05am
Landon did well again last night, just had doctor rounds and things will mostly stay the same. He is very stable so they are going to increase the hours between Valium to 12 from 8. There will be a lot of decisions made this week regarding his next surgery to replace the bone in his skull as well as a trache change and a visit from the Columbus inpatient rehab team. We are praying for the best outcome for all three!
6/30/12 9:39pm
Lights are out and night shift has begun, Landon is comfortable and has made. Several moves today. Seems like he is trying to defend himself when the nurses clean any tender areas. He is also blinking his eyes a lot, looks like he is trying to open them more. He also made a "mad" face today, one that I have seen often from him in the past, but not in the last two weeks! I miss seeing him do all of the things that he loves, especially on a weekend like this. I hope you all stay safe and count your blessings:)
6/30/12 11:20am
Day 14, I am going to start posting at the top to make it easier for all of you! Landon did great last night, yawning and moaning a lot...nurse said she thought he was going to open his eyes and she was prepared to jump on top of our bed to tell us:) there will be a few little changes with meds, and they are going to increase the timing of the Valium from every 6 hours to 8 hours.
The Accident:
From: Jeff and Misty
6/17/2012 10:30am:
Landon was riding a pony when another horse kicked, hitting him on the left side of the head. He has a fractured skull and it damaged his brain membrane , they removed the bone fragments and stitched him back up. Docs said surgery went well. The next several days are critical as the brain will swell. He will be in a sedative coma for several days. We are taking one step at a time.
Landon was riding a pony when another horse kicked, hitting him on the left side of the head. He has a fractured skull and it damaged his brain membrane , they removed the bone fragments and stitched him back up. Docs said surgery went well. The next several days are critical as the brain will swell. He will be in a sedative coma for several days. We are taking one step at a time.
Updates:
6/18/2012 Noon:
CT scan looked good and they are going to lower the
medication to slowly let him out of the sedation....
6/18/2012 2pm:
MRI moved to tomorrow to checking on the bruise on his spinal cord and to see if there are any tears to the ligaments or muscles in the area.
6/18/2012 2:46pm:
They moved him on his side, and he showed signs of movement on his own......
6/18/2012 5:57pm:
No new news....Landon is still stable. They have removed all sedation drugs and we now need them to wear off so he wakes up. Please pray that the drugs wear off soon and Landon wakes up.
6/18/2012 8:35pm:
Landon is wiggling his toes when he is stimulated with massage. He squeezed Jamie's fingers when they were suctioning him out. He is annoyed when they mess with him...which is Good!!!! His numbers are stable. MRI is scheduled for 6:30am tomorrow morning.....all you prayer warriors....we need you! Doctor's said that he will probably be in the MRI for 1 1/2 to 2 hours and results would follow within an hour or two. He is still doing some breathing on his own....again..good!!
6/18/12 9:00pm
Misty is bribing the trauma staff with grandma Joyce's scotcheroos, a mom has to do what a mom has to do!
6/18/2012 10:53pm
Brief, but I just grabbed his foot and said his name, and he moved all four limbs at once! That was the most movement we have seen from him so far...still not awake, but it made mom and dad smile!
6/19/2012 12:00 am
Finally a new collar was placed on, we can see his face now...the other one was way too large and in the way of tubes.
6/19/12 5:40am
Landon went all night without sedation, he was wiggling and moving all of his limbs and getting very irritated (which was a good sign), they just put him back to sleep to get him ready for the MRI. Hopefully he will open his eyes today!
6/19/12 9:30am
Good news...initial MRI results look very good! He now has his neck collar off, bandages replaced and brain pressure monitor is off. Cleaned up, suctioned out and moved to his side...he has his daddy's temper and got a little pushy with the nurses and docs...hard to watch him get frustrated but means a lot medically. Thank you for all of your continued support. We are going to take turns sitting in with him, waiting for him to open his eyes and respond, after he does that the breathing tubes can come out...so still a waiting game, but we are very positive.
6/19/2012 11:42am
The news from Misty's last post is still current. Jeff, Misty, Landon, and all of Landon's 24 hour support team want to THANK YOU for all your many words of encouragement, thoughts, deeds, and most of all... YOUR PRAYERS. As things continue to improve there is still a long road ahead. The doctors have asked that visitors be retained to immediate family members only. As we know you would all like to visit now.......Landon needs calm, quiet, and a germ free environment to get the most out of this long healing process. Again....thank you soooooo much! We love you all for all you have done!
Landon's Monitor's.....
This is only 1/2 of Landon's care equipment!!!
They are taking really good care of him!!
Landon is on his own time today, he is not ready to open his eyes yet and a feeding tube has been put in to give him more nutrition. His family are waiting by his side ( trying to be patient!)
6/19/12 9:45 pm
Well, Landon is wanting to start waking up, but his body is not. Our sweet little boy is getting feisty again, moving around and getting irritated, but it is also raising his heart rate, so he has been given some more sedation meds to calm him down. Docs say his body is not ready yet, so we are letting him rest for his next try. We have an incredible family support the past few days, today we all tag teamed and took turns sitting by his bedside holding his hand and talking to him. Our brothers, sisters and parents have been with us every step of the way and we appreciate it more than words can say. God showed up in many forms today...including a chaplan, priest, preacher and pastor! It has been so hard watching him lay there fighting, but we are hoping his body is preparing him for a big return!
6/20/12 5:00 am
Landon had a rough night, heart rate kept spiking when sedation lowered. He is coming back off of it now, so whenever his body is ready he can try, just don't know that we are there yet...
6/20/12 8:20am
Hoping for a great day of rest and healing for Landon...his " girlfriend" nurses Are back today so he is in good hands.
6/20/12 9:00 am
Docs just did rounds, head dressing was changed and they are going to change his meds. He will be getting some " chill pills" to calm him down so that his brain can hopefully heal enough to listen to commands and make the body react accordingly, and another to lower his blood pressure. He is also getting a sponge bath by his nurses, getting a little stinky:) He has received some gifts, and some of them have been put to good use, the nurses have been grabbing the stuffed animals to prop up his arms and cords ( he has over 15 items attached to his body).
**A thought to share, the neurologist just said
" there is a reason they are called "patients"!**
A note to all of Landon's buddies who have been thinking about him, I think he just smirked at all of you as his two nurses give him a sponge bath and lotion...he is liking it:)!!!
6/20/2012 3:00 pm
Landon has been spiking fevers and is still having a few episodes when he is highly stimulated. They are going to treat him for possible infections as well as give him a sedative when he gets too worked up. We are trying to keep the room dark and quiet for now with little touching. Although he did just kick at a nurse messing with his arm:)
6/20/2012 7pm
Ahhh...it is shift change, time to scope out the new nurse, they
are usually prepped about the Reese family before they walk in the door! Landon
had a picc put in, and they removed a central line and another IV. He is on
morphine and it is working very well for him. He is laying here resting very
peacefully, we all think he looks great compared to the last few days...a lot of
swelling has gone down and he is starting to look like himself
again....sidenote....when we all arrived Sunday we were put into a family
lounge, there were many of us so we just assumed it was ours...the next day
Jamie & Becky and Jeremy & Erin and Lisa brought in two wagons full of
food, drinks, supplies, etc...we have totally taken the room over by day
including computers, filled the fridge and countertops, all of the furniture,
tv, etc...it has been our hang out, chapel, study and home...we literally have
dirty clothes on the floor and Jeremy spread out on the couch....it is often a
funny stress relief!
6/21/12 6:00am
Landon had a good night, they used different drugs and he slept peacefully most of the time, he looked much more comfy, the family is hoping that it will recharge his body and brain...hoping for a good day!
6/21/12 10:45am
Busy morning...starting with checks, doc Patel yelling "LANDON...LANDON...CAN YOU OPEN YOUR EYES"...all while loudly clapping his hands with a bright light in his eyes...so much for the peace and quiet!:) next was occupational therapy (hands, arms & shoulders looked good) and now they are doing an EEG.
6/21/12 1:30pm
Landon got another nose tube taken out and the nutritionist stopped in to talk about his food...which is formula through a feeding tube...crazy to think our 70lb boy is getting formula! He also has boots on to keep his feet straight, they can go on and off. They have been messing with him since this morning, so hopefully he can get some good healing rest now.
PRAYER SERVICE TONIGHT @ 8pm, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, JC!!!!!
6/21/2012 9:50pm
Thank you to everyone for going to the prayer service tonight and for all of you who simply prayed from home, we are truly blessed. We have been on an emotional roller coaster and today is no exception. Luckily We were able to find some humor throughout the day to make us laugh! I am sitting here watching Landon sleep, moving around a little, his heart rate and breathing increased and I swear he just yawned...a movement I hadn't seen before! He hears our prayers!!!
6/22/2012 6:15am
Landon stayed pretty stable last night. Only needed one sedation from moving around. Praying for patience and healing today...
6/22/12 10:27am
I asked God for a glimmer of hope today, and I think Landon just showed me. It is still hard to see him go through this, but we will be here every step of the way.
6/22/12 5:10pm
Swelling has gone down, he got another sponge bath, catheter taken out, occupational therapy, physical therapy, digestive system and kidneys working. He is still getting his chill pills every 6 hours and that has kept him pretty calm. We now have country music playing right beside him 24/7. He also has his state basketball shirt, two balls, a monkey, teddy bear and a blanket from home around him...trying to remind his brain of everything that is familiar to him. Grandma mick has been massaging him all day and grandma diana has been reading books. We will chalk this up as another good day!
6/23/12 6:50am
Another good nights sleep, and no sedation.
6/23/12 10:05am
The plan for today will mostly stay the same. Rest, nutrition and healing. And volunteer or not...we saw a little bit of those baby blues today...the medical director just left the room and was very pleased, even smiling and laughing. Still taking baby steps, and that means progressing!
6/23/12 9:20pm
Settling down for night seven in PICU, Landon is calm and peaceful with a cross In one hand and a basketball in the other. We can not even begin to thank you all enough for the thoughts, prayers, gifts, donations, meals, etc...our friends who witnessed and protected Landon after the accident, the first response and care flight crews, all of the nurses, therapists, doctors and surgeons have taken exceptional care of him. It is because of all of you that he is still with us today. And it is the emotional and physical support from all of our friends and family
that Jeff and I are still standing.
6/24/12 8:40am
Landon had a good night, Jeff and I must have slept too because our favorite RT said he came in to check a monitor and we were snoring:) we are now waiting for doctor rounds to get today's game plan! FYI...99.1 radio station has been playing in his room for the last several days in case any of you want to join in...he wouldn't have liked the baby channel that had been on any way!
6/24/12 10:20am
Landon seems to be holding strong health wise, he still isn't responding as much as we would like, so they are going to continue to let him relax and heal. If there is no significant change they will surgically put in a feeding tube and trache on tuesday at 2:30. After healing from that he would be transported most likely to Columbus for inpatient rehab...docs say he will get worked over pretty hard, so maybe he will get excited and think he is back at basketball camp!
6/25/12 8:10am
Another restful night, waiting for doctor rounds this morning. Presley and Dane are on their way up to visit today, maybe some other voices and screaming will jog Landon's brain in motion:)!
6/25/12 4:16
Landon just got a bath and is still resting. He also got fitted for hand braces to prevent them from turning in. We had a great day with all three of our kids today.
6/25/12 9:10pm
Settling down for a good night, sweet dreams to our baby boy...he has a tiger blanket, hand cross, basketball, Michael Jordan jersey, favorite fleece blanket, angel of hope pin, cross necklace, two stuffed animals, Jc tshirt, "Landon " bracelet a prayer and a rock from the holy land...I think he covered it all!
6/26/12 7:12am
Another good night, he is scheduled for surgery at 2:30 today.
6/26/12 10:32am
Or is ahead of schedule, just took Landon to surgery!
6/26/12 11:30am....he is out of surgery and it went well! We should be able to see him in the next hour.
6/26/12 3:22pm
Landon is doing great, still hard to believe everything that he has endured in the last week...but I finally got to kiss his freckled ( he refers to them as angel kisses) cheeks! He has started to flutter his eyes more too...
6/26/12 7:27pm
I think he is settled in for the night, vitals have been great all day! Mommy is happy that he has gotten our favorite nurses for several shifts in a row now, always makes the day/night go better! (nikkia, Mallory, Ashley, heather, jenn, Brandon& Nate ) He also got some of his staples out of his head today, maybe some more tomorrow.
6/27/12 7:40am
Landon did good again last night, I think they had to adjust and suction the new trache tubing, but his vitals were great the whole time.
6/27/12 9:00am
Stitches are all out!
6/27/12 1:36pm
Watching the techs ultrasound Landon's legs to make sure there are not any blod clots.
6/27/12 5:22pm ---- no clots, everything looks good!
6/27/12 8:33pm
Landon just got cleaned up and ready for the night, I was so happy to have nurse Mallory back...Landon has secreted everything possible on her and she still comes back with a smile! Feeding tube is working great as well as the trache, I am still learning all of the new sounds, although the JC crowd will be happy to know that he growled like a tiger tonight when she was changing his trache dressing, Mallory said he was showing his school spirit:)
6/28/12 9:18am
Night was fine, still trying to adjust vent settings. Waiting on doctor rounds this morning...although one of docs heard k99.1 give a shout out to him on their way to work this morning:)
6/28/12 12:50pm
Wow...Nancy Wilson from K99.1 just stopped in to check on Landon and bring him a goodie bag, such a sweet lady. He is starting to win over all of the females around here! We are so thankful to have all of you in our lives, praying and thinking about him! Things are going to stay the same for today, still adjusting vent settings and will start giving him less of the muscle relaxers.
6/28/12 8:13pm
Starting the night shift out with another fav nurse...he started moving around a little more tonight when his cousins were visiting too. Mrs. Yinger also visited and read one of his favorite books from school. We have had several meetings and talks with many of the hospital staff trying to prepare us for what is to come physically, mentally and financially...but what they don't seem to understand is that Landon is going to exceed all of their expectations, and we will do everything in our power to make that happen! I know in my heart that it is only a matter of time before he fully opens his eyes and we will be waiting by his side for it to happen. Please keep him in your prayers!
6/29/12 8:27am
Landon had a good night, he got a little sick one time, doctor rounds should be soon. Coughing quite a bit this morning so will probably get his tube suctioned. Just to clarify a little, the hospital staff has been great...very compassionate and understanding, always making sure we do not have any questions. However, with brain injuries there are no clear answers, tests can say one thing, but we just have to wait for Landon to wake up and prove what he can do!
6/29/12 2:06pm
Things are staying the same for today, just little adjustments with his nutrition. They want to decrease his meds slowly so that he doesn't go through any withdrawal. So we are going to continue to talk to him and massage him today, he is still doing the eye flutters and little movements.
6/29/12 9:52pm
Settling in for the night, Landon is doing great. Had some great friends visit today and they assured us that everyone is praying and thinking about him nonstop! The ICU has been crazy busy today, another care flight is flying in as I type, makes my heart cringe, so many kids are hurting and it is hard to see on a daily basis:( the staff will be busy tonight!
CURRENT POSTS ARE NOW AT THE TOP FOR EASIER VIEWING!!!!!!!!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR LANDON CONSTANTLY......
GOD'S HANDS ARE HEALING HIM.
CHECK BACK FOR MORE UPDATES!
**Please leave messages for the family by clicking the link at the top right hand corner of this page...it says..
"Prayers and thoughts for Jeff, Misty, Landon, and the Family"
They are taking really good care of him!!
Landon is on his own time today, he is not ready to open his eyes yet and a feeding tube has been put in to give him more nutrition. His family are waiting by his side ( trying to be patient!)
6/19/12 9:45 pm
Well, Landon is wanting to start waking up, but his body is not. Our sweet little boy is getting feisty again, moving around and getting irritated, but it is also raising his heart rate, so he has been given some more sedation meds to calm him down. Docs say his body is not ready yet, so we are letting him rest for his next try. We have an incredible family support the past few days, today we all tag teamed and took turns sitting by his bedside holding his hand and talking to him. Our brothers, sisters and parents have been with us every step of the way and we appreciate it more than words can say. God showed up in many forms today...including a chaplan, priest, preacher and pastor! It has been so hard watching him lay there fighting, but we are hoping his body is preparing him for a big return!
6/20/12 5:00 am
Landon had a rough night, heart rate kept spiking when sedation lowered. He is coming back off of it now, so whenever his body is ready he can try, just don't know that we are there yet...
6/20/12 8:20am
Hoping for a great day of rest and healing for Landon...his " girlfriend" nurses Are back today so he is in good hands.
6/20/12 9:00 am
Docs just did rounds, head dressing was changed and they are going to change his meds. He will be getting some " chill pills" to calm him down so that his brain can hopefully heal enough to listen to commands and make the body react accordingly, and another to lower his blood pressure. He is also getting a sponge bath by his nurses, getting a little stinky:) He has received some gifts, and some of them have been put to good use, the nurses have been grabbing the stuffed animals to prop up his arms and cords ( he has over 15 items attached to his body).
**A thought to share, the neurologist just said
" there is a reason they are called "patients"!**
A note to all of Landon's buddies who have been thinking about him, I think he just smirked at all of you as his two nurses give him a sponge bath and lotion...he is liking it:)!!!
6/20/2012 3:00 pm
Landon has been spiking fevers and is still having a few episodes when he is highly stimulated. They are going to treat him for possible infections as well as give him a sedative when he gets too worked up. We are trying to keep the room dark and quiet for now with little touching. Although he did just kick at a nurse messing with his arm:)
6/20/2012 7pm
Ahhh...it is shift change, time to scope out the new nurse, they
are usually prepped about the Reese family before they walk in the door! Landon
had a picc put in, and they removed a central line and another IV. He is on
morphine and it is working very well for him. He is laying here resting very
peacefully, we all think he looks great compared to the last few days...a lot of
swelling has gone down and he is starting to look like himself
again....sidenote....when we all arrived Sunday we were put into a family
lounge, there were many of us so we just assumed it was ours...the next day
Jamie & Becky and Jeremy & Erin and Lisa brought in two wagons full of
food, drinks, supplies, etc...we have totally taken the room over by day
including computers, filled the fridge and countertops, all of the furniture,
tv, etc...it has been our hang out, chapel, study and home...we literally have
dirty clothes on the floor and Jeremy spread out on the couch....it is often a
funny stress relief!
6/21/12 6:00am
Landon had a good night, they used different drugs and he slept peacefully most of the time, he looked much more comfy, the family is hoping that it will recharge his body and brain...hoping for a good day!
6/21/12 10:45am
Busy morning...starting with checks, doc Patel yelling "LANDON...LANDON...CAN YOU OPEN YOUR EYES"...all while loudly clapping his hands with a bright light in his eyes...so much for the peace and quiet!:) next was occupational therapy (hands, arms & shoulders looked good) and now they are doing an EEG.
6/21/12 1:30pm
Landon got another nose tube taken out and the nutritionist stopped in to talk about his food...which is formula through a feeding tube...crazy to think our 70lb boy is getting formula! He also has boots on to keep his feet straight, they can go on and off. They have been messing with him since this morning, so hopefully he can get some good healing rest now.
PRAYER SERVICE TONIGHT @ 8pm, UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, JC!!!!!
6/21/2012 9:50pm
Thank you to everyone for going to the prayer service tonight and for all of you who simply prayed from home, we are truly blessed. We have been on an emotional roller coaster and today is no exception. Luckily We were able to find some humor throughout the day to make us laugh! I am sitting here watching Landon sleep, moving around a little, his heart rate and breathing increased and I swear he just yawned...a movement I hadn't seen before! He hears our prayers!!!
6/22/2012 6:15am
Landon stayed pretty stable last night. Only needed one sedation from moving around. Praying for patience and healing today...
6/22/12 10:27am
I asked God for a glimmer of hope today, and I think Landon just showed me. It is still hard to see him go through this, but we will be here every step of the way.
6/22/12 5:10pm
Swelling has gone down, he got another sponge bath, catheter taken out, occupational therapy, physical therapy, digestive system and kidneys working. He is still getting his chill pills every 6 hours and that has kept him pretty calm. We now have country music playing right beside him 24/7. He also has his state basketball shirt, two balls, a monkey, teddy bear and a blanket from home around him...trying to remind his brain of everything that is familiar to him. Grandma mick has been massaging him all day and grandma diana has been reading books. We will chalk this up as another good day!
6/23/12 6:50am
Another good nights sleep, and no sedation.
6/23/12 10:05am
The plan for today will mostly stay the same. Rest, nutrition and healing. And volunteer or not...we saw a little bit of those baby blues today...the medical director just left the room and was very pleased, even smiling and laughing. Still taking baby steps, and that means progressing!
6/23/12 9:20pm
Settling down for night seven in PICU, Landon is calm and peaceful with a cross In one hand and a basketball in the other. We can not even begin to thank you all enough for the thoughts, prayers, gifts, donations, meals, etc...our friends who witnessed and protected Landon after the accident, the first response and care flight crews, all of the nurses, therapists, doctors and surgeons have taken exceptional care of him. It is because of all of you that he is still with us today. And it is the emotional and physical support from all of our friends and family
that Jeff and I are still standing.
6/24/12 8:40am
Landon had a good night, Jeff and I must have slept too because our favorite RT said he came in to check a monitor and we were snoring:) we are now waiting for doctor rounds to get today's game plan! FYI...99.1 radio station has been playing in his room for the last several days in case any of you want to join in...he wouldn't have liked the baby channel that had been on any way!
6/24/12 10:20am
Landon seems to be holding strong health wise, he still isn't responding as much as we would like, so they are going to continue to let him relax and heal. If there is no significant change they will surgically put in a feeding tube and trache on tuesday at 2:30. After healing from that he would be transported most likely to Columbus for inpatient rehab...docs say he will get worked over pretty hard, so maybe he will get excited and think he is back at basketball camp!
6/25/12 8:10am
Another restful night, waiting for doctor rounds this morning. Presley and Dane are on their way up to visit today, maybe some other voices and screaming will jog Landon's brain in motion:)!
6/25/12 4:16
Landon just got a bath and is still resting. He also got fitted for hand braces to prevent them from turning in. We had a great day with all three of our kids today.
6/25/12 9:10pm
Settling down for a good night, sweet dreams to our baby boy...he has a tiger blanket, hand cross, basketball, Michael Jordan jersey, favorite fleece blanket, angel of hope pin, cross necklace, two stuffed animals, Jc tshirt, "Landon " bracelet a prayer and a rock from the holy land...I think he covered it all!
6/26/12 7:12am
Another good night, he is scheduled for surgery at 2:30 today.
6/26/12 10:32am
Or is ahead of schedule, just took Landon to surgery!
6/26/12 11:30am....he is out of surgery and it went well! We should be able to see him in the next hour.
6/26/12 3:22pm
Landon is doing great, still hard to believe everything that he has endured in the last week...but I finally got to kiss his freckled ( he refers to them as angel kisses) cheeks! He has started to flutter his eyes more too...
6/26/12 7:27pm
I think he is settled in for the night, vitals have been great all day! Mommy is happy that he has gotten our favorite nurses for several shifts in a row now, always makes the day/night go better! (nikkia, Mallory, Ashley, heather, jenn, Brandon& Nate ) He also got some of his staples out of his head today, maybe some more tomorrow.
6/27/12 7:40am
Landon did good again last night, I think they had to adjust and suction the new trache tubing, but his vitals were great the whole time.
6/27/12 9:00am
Stitches are all out!
6/27/12 1:36pm
Watching the techs ultrasound Landon's legs to make sure there are not any blod clots.
6/27/12 5:22pm ---- no clots, everything looks good!
6/27/12 8:33pm
Landon just got cleaned up and ready for the night, I was so happy to have nurse Mallory back...Landon has secreted everything possible on her and she still comes back with a smile! Feeding tube is working great as well as the trache, I am still learning all of the new sounds, although the JC crowd will be happy to know that he growled like a tiger tonight when she was changing his trache dressing, Mallory said he was showing his school spirit:)
6/28/12 9:18am
Night was fine, still trying to adjust vent settings. Waiting on doctor rounds this morning...although one of docs heard k99.1 give a shout out to him on their way to work this morning:)
6/28/12 12:50pm
Wow...Nancy Wilson from K99.1 just stopped in to check on Landon and bring him a goodie bag, such a sweet lady. He is starting to win over all of the females around here! We are so thankful to have all of you in our lives, praying and thinking about him! Things are going to stay the same for today, still adjusting vent settings and will start giving him less of the muscle relaxers.
6/28/12 8:13pm
Starting the night shift out with another fav nurse...he started moving around a little more tonight when his cousins were visiting too. Mrs. Yinger also visited and read one of his favorite books from school. We have had several meetings and talks with many of the hospital staff trying to prepare us for what is to come physically, mentally and financially...but what they don't seem to understand is that Landon is going to exceed all of their expectations, and we will do everything in our power to make that happen! I know in my heart that it is only a matter of time before he fully opens his eyes and we will be waiting by his side for it to happen. Please keep him in your prayers!
6/29/12 8:27am
Landon had a good night, he got a little sick one time, doctor rounds should be soon. Coughing quite a bit this morning so will probably get his tube suctioned. Just to clarify a little, the hospital staff has been great...very compassionate and understanding, always making sure we do not have any questions. However, with brain injuries there are no clear answers, tests can say one thing, but we just have to wait for Landon to wake up and prove what he can do!
6/29/12 2:06pm
Things are staying the same for today, just little adjustments with his nutrition. They want to decrease his meds slowly so that he doesn't go through any withdrawal. So we are going to continue to talk to him and massage him today, he is still doing the eye flutters and little movements.
6/29/12 9:52pm
Settling in for the night, Landon is doing great. Had some great friends visit today and they assured us that everyone is praying and thinking about him nonstop! The ICU has been crazy busy today, another care flight is flying in as I type, makes my heart cringe, so many kids are hurting and it is hard to see on a daily basis:( the staff will be busy tonight!
CURRENT POSTS ARE NOW AT THE TOP FOR EASIER VIEWING!!!!!!!!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR LANDON CONSTANTLY......
GOD'S HANDS ARE HEALING HIM.
CHECK BACK FOR MORE UPDATES!
**Please leave messages for the family by clicking the link at the top right hand corner of this page...it says..
"Prayers and thoughts for Jeff, Misty, Landon, and the Family"