The Hard Parts

        Things are hard. I can't get out of the chair and get what I want, I can't go to the store and buy my own food, I can't get out and enjoy this beautiful day and shoot I can't even take a shower. I'm not in to much more pain. It comes an goes (as long as it isn't constant i'm fine) and is still worse at night but for the most part my pain is gone. Now I should be in a good mood, right? Now I shouldn't have a short temper, right? WRONG! I'm in a position that inhibits me from doing just about anything. So me being me, I can't stand having other people help me, I can't stand being stuck and I never have been and never will be a homebody. So ask me again why I'm still frustrated and their ya have it.

        I want to be out in the sun. I want to go on a walk. I want to do ANYTHING! Yet I hate when people stair and wont even make eye contact. People look at me like I'm crazy or like I'm going to harm them. I have watched people go out of their way to avoid walking past me. And to think-- I used to be like that. People who where missing limbs freaked me out. I didn't want to talk to them in fear I would make an awkward situation even more so awkward by saying something stupid. I always wondered if it was appropriate after being caught staring at the lack of an appendage to ask what happened?Now I think I now the answer.

         I'm the same person I always have been, but now I'm forced to look at everyone’s butts. I'm missing a leg but that doesn't mean I don't want to have a conversation in line at the bank, waiting to get money. That doesn't mean I don't want to talk about the weather on a nice day with a stranger. Ask away, I'll be more than happy to share how loosing this leg was the second best thing that has ever happened to me. Ask me how I'm handling it, if I miss my leg, if it suck looking at all of your asses, and I will tell you. But don't— PLEASE don't alienate me, don't pretend like I don't exist and don't stair at my leg and when caught act like nothing happened. I'm still a person and I still have feelings and the need, the want, to be social.

        So maybe I'm being punished for my complete and blatant ignorance, but at least I can sit here and tell all of you what not to do. I was dumb and more just scared to make what could be a bad situation worse and I thought no communication would be best. Now I find out the hard way that I was so wrong. I was doing the exact opposite of what would help. If you see someone with no limb, TALK!!! If you see someone with terrible burns all over their face, TALK!!! We are all human, some of us just have way more wicked scars than the rest. And we all know “pain heals, chicks dig scars and glory lasts forever". So I maybe the only person you know who has something missing, but now you know how to act with the next guy. Love you all and hope everything is going so great in each and everyone of your lives Happy Easter!

Stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREWNUBYMO

Music is Beautiful!!!

Man, I tell you what. The people who tell me they aren't really into music make me so sad. Music is truly a language everyone can speak. And it doesn't matter if your listening to the dirtiest R&B Rap artists, the most insane Metal bands, the grimiest electronic artist, the most beautiful classical piece, blues that truly make you blue, whatever your style is, rock it. Let it bump, "The Marriage of Figaro" cranked to 11. Have you ever listen to this overture with subs, I have. Music is amazing and the most human thing on the planet. Yeah so maybe I don't like your country music, but I tell you what that Keith Urban can sure shred on the guitar. We all can appreciate a piece of each genre. I've been listening to so much music since I've been on house arrest, and it has been the best medicine. If you are having a tough time right now, throw some ear buds and toss on your favorite record and listen for 10-15 min. Tell me that doesn't do something for ya. DWAM I'm out!

Stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

Drew

P.S. If anyone can tell me when the term DWAM came from (except for Devon and or Arianna) I will be very impressed. 

P.P.S. If you can't comment on the blog comment on the facebook event page. 

On the way out

I think its coming close. My pain is slowly going away. I think another week and things will be looking really good. I can't wait for this time to pass. The human body is so amazing it's been under a month and my leg, that was hacked off, is close to being totally healed. AMAZING!!!

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW

Doctor Visit

I had an appointment with Dr. Pakzad yesterday. I officially have no more sutures or staples in my body. He said everything looks great, but due to me stretching it out so much I have two spots that are healing a little slower than the rest. So I need to take it easy for the next week and stop trying to jump right into Physical Therapy. But all is good on the nub front. I cheated yesterday and took some pain pills before my appointment. It was painful with the pills so I'm glad I took some. I have been feeling much better the last two days. Mornings and nights are hard for some reason, but I'm getting through just fine. Big thank you to Diego and Cheryl for bringing me over some aroma therapy things. Maybe its just a placebo effect but it seems to be helping. Thank you guys. All in all I'm geared up and ready to dive into this whole thing, but unfortunately more healing needs to happen before I can embark on that journey. Again thank you to all who have donated your own hard earned cash to my prosthetic fund. I'm up to about 550, You all rock my socks off. Also thank you for continuing to read my blog, in means a lot.

Stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW

Third day with no pain pills. I need comments please read to the end and comment.

No improvement. I still feel like crap and the over the counter drugs aren't touching my pain. Its seems to be getting progressively  worse. I think about the good things like: being able to eat a couple half meals a day, being able to poop on the regular, not feeling like a crack head and itching every ten seconds, being able to think without a fog clogging my thoughts. All of these things are good, but then I think about the pain-- it's not totally worth it. I love a challenge and am one of the most competitive people I know, which is why I think I haven't gone back to my crack. I look at the end result, I look at the light at the end of the tunnel; And I know it will all be worth it in the end. The consistency of my pain is making me feel like i'm going to loose my marbles. It's like you are being continually tortured, on a smaller scale, and you have nothing to tell them. You really don't know the information and they continue to torture. The end, look to the end. When I am done with all of this I will be so proud of my self for not eating every pain pill in site. I'm growing up, I'm making better decisions, and i tell you-- its about freakin time. I love you all and thank you for following along in my journey. I'm thinking about a youtube channel to start documenting all of the awesome things I will start doing, what do you think?

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW-i can't wait for no pain-ONOMO

Day two with no pain pills!

AHHH... Today has been substantially worse than yesterday. And I feel like the pain pills where my inspiration. I can't write anymore, and I can only write a small paragraph. This bothers me a little bit. A friend of mine told me, while I was on my pain meds, that there was many great authors who wrote great novels while on the crack pills. And now I am only on tylenol/ibuprofen which is giving me inspiration to write anything. This is no good for many reasons. I have this blog that many of you have been reading frequently, and if the writing starts to suck (not saying it was good to begin with, but you people were at least reading it) no one will continue to read about my nub recovery. I also am currently writing for a music web site. I write reviews on new albums which has been a ton of fun. I have listened to a ton of new music and learned to write a little better. So I have come to the conclusion that I can only write when under the influence in pers/viks/methadone/oxy. Because this is now the case I will never write again and enjoy it. So I thought that once my nub is all healed up I can take up drink alcohol everyday, and see how that works. I'm just kidding, but for a split second it was a thought in my head. Anyways we will get back to things that matter here. I hurt like crazy. The pain is a funny pain, not like the kind of pain where it almost makes me want to laugh—like the kind of pain that I have never felt before. It’s like my leg is claustrophobic and has a bunch of bruises that are constantly being tapped by little child fingers. This feels terrible and I have a mad attitude. So Arianna, I apologize for my attitude and promise it will leave with my pain. Thank you for all who have stuck with me and continue to visit the blog. Also thank you to those of you who continue to donate towards my prosthetic. I have had three of you who have donated a large amount that I don’t even know. So thank you so much it means a lot and warms my heart knowing that there are still humans out there who want to help other humans. It has given new life to my opinion of the human race. So with everything I can muster, I say thank you SO MUCH!!!

You Stay Classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW

First day without pain pills

So far this is not working out so well. I'm in so much pain and the tylenol and ibuprofen just aren't cutting it. I have a feeling this will be short lived and you will see another post next week saying something along the lines of: "First day without pain pills ROUOND TWO".

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

drew

This is awesome!

THANK YOU!!!

A couple things I wanted to talk to all of you wonderful people about. First and foremost I want to thank you for reading my blog and being a part of this time with me. Your all amazing humans. I also wanted to thank all of the people who have donated money to me to my paypal account. I'm up to $250 your all awesome and great people for donating to my cause. THANK YOU!!! and keep it up, lol. And my mom wanted to announce something so here she is...
Hello everyone, I wanted to also reiterate what Andrew already said, you all have been so wonderful and the meals have been amazingly helpful to Andrew and Arianna, you cant imagine how this has helped so much for them during this time.  There have been some of you that have wanted to make a meal but we had all nights already covered,  we now have some open nights, so if you want to make a meal for them, please let me know through facebook, under Bobina West or call me at 253 225-0734, or you can email me at inhisblessings6@comcast.net.  You can either bring the meal to them, or we can take the meal over,  either way is good with us. Again thank you for your hearts, you have done this with such a servants attitude and it has made all the difference for them, and us.  Bobby and I have felt so much love from all you during this time, we are overwhelmed with joy in our hearts for the friends that we have, that have cared so much for our son.  We love each and every one of you dearly....  :)

Blessings  :)
Bobby and Tina

I also went to the hospital today and had all of my sutures taken out and half of my staples. I'm sorry I don't have pics I totally forgot. It hurt a lot so I was preoccupied. But the Dr. Pakzad said that everything looks awesome and I'm well on my way to recovery. I get the last of my staples out this Monday and with that, it all begins. One I can finally take a shower, which will be more relaxing and gratifying than anything ever. And two, I can go in and get fitted for my prosthetic.

Its all coming so fast and I couldn't be more happy. I get to be up and walking, running, and all of the above. I'll be back to my old crazy extreme self. I'll be jumping out of plains, ballin up all you white boys and playing some softball. Going on a jog whenever I please will be one of the most rewarding things I will be able to do. Thank you for everybody who has been supporting me and walking through this with me. You all rock.

Stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

Drewonomo
 

Second little step

I'm so excited. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow that will be so awesome. I can't wait. Tomorrow I get the sutures and staples out of my leg and nub. With all of the hardware gone I will be in less pain and be able to start physical therapy. This is the second little step to my recovery, and a big step for my  mental health. I feel that once I get my dressings, sutures, and stitches out my stump will be visible. I have a feeling that once my stump is visible I will have less ghost everything. Because even ghost tickles, itches and feeling of a foot falling asleep is weird. None are beneficial. Thank you again, to all who are still following my blog-- It means a lot.

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW

Superbowl Sunday's

Thank you to the people who came over Sunday to watch football. (My friend Cameron and I decided not to let the football season die-- we watch a superbowl game every Sunday)

The newest issue to date. Apparently I gradually became allergic to my main pain killer. It causes me to itch all over the place. It's no fun.

Thoughts about the past

For the last couple of days I have had some really odd things happen. My pain has gotten much worse. I’ve been having ghost pain, and no matter how much sleep I still feel tired.  I can’t help but think about my other surgeries and the struggles I faced, and for what? A bunch of years full of pain and a leg that held me back from doing just about everything I wanted. I have missed out on so much since 2007. So many turkey bowls, concerts, camping/fishing/hunting trips and fun things that I loved. I say loved because I truly think that I tried to force myself to stop loving things that I used to be passionate about. In a way, it has stripped away some of the best parts of me. I have often wondered where I would be, if for that fateful moment, I wouldn’t have closed my eyes. If I would have had all extremities working fully for the past seven years, where would I be?

I have realized that after I get my new leg, I will be getting back all of those things that I have missed so dearly. I can play in this year’s turkey bowl, I can play on a softball league, I can go on a 15 mile hike—I get myself back again. Deciding to cut off my leg was the best decision I have ever made in my life. I would like to thank all that have supported me in this journey and walked through this with me. It has meant the world to me.

Now for something completely different. There have been many of you who have contacted my mom and brought Arianna and I dinners every night since the day I came home from the hospital. I wanted to thank you so much! It has made our lives much easier. I would also like to thank those of you who are still on the list to bring me food. You all rock.

Lastly, I would like to thank you for following my blog. I have had nearly 5000 views since the blog started. Thank you so much to those of you who have donated to my “Let’s get drew an awesome prosthetic fund”. What we need is for everyone who visits the site to donate 1 dollar (100 pennies). I will ultimately, when all is said and done, need around 4-6’000. So if you visit the blog, one dollar donations will make a huge difference (And if you wan to donate more feel free. 1,000,000 pennies will also be excepted). Shameless self promotion! : )

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW

First minor accomplishment !!!

As most of you know, I currently have a soft cast on my stump. When leaving the doctors office last Wednesday, my clinician told me I should make as many efforts as possible throughout the day to stretch and bend my leg. The doctor said it would take a little bit of time for me to be able to bend my nub down to my hamstring.

I went home and started stretching my leg out, and I tell you what, it wasn't easy nor was it pain free. I pressed through and continued to stretch out my nub. Last night, as I was doing my physical therapy, I was able to stretch my nub down to my hamstring!!! It was my first minor accomplishment. It hurt badly, it was no fun, and yet I pushed myself and got it done. I was so happy.

BOOM!

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW
 You have the heart of a CHAMPION beating inside your chest. You are a beast my son! Though this road ahead may be hard, the end result will be pain free mobility and the freedom to do the things you have been dreaming about since your accident. I can't wait to see you running around the baseball diamond, standing on a surfboard catching the perfect wave., or simply walking with a normal gait,pain free! You can do it son! You inspire me.
Dad

SHOUT OUT!!!

         

        A Massive shout out to Ben union for getting the word out about my need of a prosthetic. If your bored this weekend and need something to do click on the hyperlink above to see what times the Union is playing. I believe they play three show's over the course of the weekend. So show your pretty face's at one of the events. Thank you all

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

DREW

And it starts...

It started last night as I was getting ready for bed, all set to close my eyes for the night. I set up my pillows like I do, in the same fashion every night. I start by stacking two pillows on the reclining foot of the chair, and adding another large fluffy pillow on top— to mimic a bike jump. Throwing the covers over me in a rather chaotic mess, I felt a little twinge of pain. Felling the pain wasn't the weird part— it was feeling the pain in my left big toe…the one that isn't there.

It was the most outlandish feeling I've ever felt. The ghost tickles and ghost foot falling asleep was weird but nothing like this— it was a much more powerful feeling. The pain was there and it was real. It’s such a crazy idea to wrap my head around. My foot is gone but I still have pain. It was a little frustrating knowing there was nothing I could do about the pain. Thank God it lasted for no more than thirty seconds, but now I know what it is like—and what to expect.

You stay class Tacoma (and surrounding areas)

                              DREW

Today's Happenings

Today has been a satisfactory day. Since I was released to come home from the hospital I haven’t been able to sleep. I was waking up in the middle of the night, due to pain— so the doctor prescribed me sleeping medication. I took some last night and it didn’t help much, I still woke up plenty of times throughout the evening. So sleep was not in the cards for me.

This morning at around 9:00 Arianna woke me up to give me pain pills.  Because I didn’t get much sleep the night prior I asked for another sleeping pill so I could sleep till about 12. I did sleep for longer, but my guestimation was very off— try 3pm. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed because I had slept the day away.

Although I got a late start, I was still able to accomplish some of the activities I had lined up for the day. I grabbed my laptop off the desk and started working on a piece for a music blog— a writing position I landed this week. I felt like I had no time to catch up on the other tasks I arranged. It was kind of a stressful situation, but I hustled and completed all duties for the day.

Thank you to my grandma jan who brought me the biggest bag on peanut M&M’s I’ve ever seen in my life.  

You stay classy Tacoma (and surrounding areas),

DREW

THE BAG

                                                             A MAN BAG OF M&M's

No AK = Good Day!!!

Today was not only an eventful day, but an excellent day. My morning started with a pleasant cloth bath and some much needed tooth brushing.  Since I haven’t showered in about three days this was so refreshing. In fact, I think I’ll do it again tomorrow J.

Getting out of the house today was so awesome—even though it was for a doc appt. I rolled my chair to Arianna’s car with a bit of trepidation as to what was going to come today. My stump had been aching for three days, and I had been running a 101 temperature almost all week. My worry was a possible infection.

        We met A.J. Westford (my prosthesis clinician) in the cast room at the doctor’s office. He asked me some questions about my pain, how the cast was, and how I twisted it so bad. (I twisted my cast to the left a few days ago after falling on it).

Dr. Pakzad (my surgeon) strolled into the cast room and wasted no time cutting into my cast, up the right side—down the left. He gently removed the dressings and nonstick pads from my wound. And to my surprise, Dr. Pakzad said it looked extraordinarily clean and without infection. We celebrated a little, and a colossal weight was lifted off my shoulders.

        After they removed my plaster cast, Andrew Westford brought in another hard cast. The new hard cast is absolutely, positively, 150 percently, BETTER! It is lighter, which makes it substantially easier to move from chair to chair, couch to chair, and crutch anywhere, etcetera. I can take it off at anytime meaning: I CAN ITCH WHENEVER I FEEL NECESSARY! It is all around, from front to back, a better, top notch nub protector.

        I have a long way to go but this marks the start of physical therapy/everything. My knee won’t bend down. The muscles and tendons are tight and must be stretched out. I worked on it for about a half an hour today and it is already feeling better. I’m so ecstatic about the months to come, the challenges I will face, the pain I will break through and the successes I will seize. I didn’t even have to use my AK, Today was a good day.

                                             This is the nub. The Doctor said its looking great!

The new cast, it is SOOOOO much better!!!

First goal after I get my prosthetic, WHO'S WITH ME?

Amputation Haunting

        I guess one could say I'm lucky in that my haunting hasn't been painful. I have had no ghost pain as of yet. Though I do have ghost tickles on the regular. And the one that is most weird is when my left foot feels like its asleep. I think that because my leg is still in a cast, my brain hasn't fully accepted the fact that my foot is gone. Old relationships die hard I guess.
        I would like to address a couple things as well. I wanted to preemptively apologize for the lack of quality spelling and grammar, they have never been my strong attributes. And I'm sure over the next 3 months or so I will butcher some words and massacre some grammar. Thank you  for your understanding, and if there is constructive criticism anyone has to offer I would love to hear it.
        I also wanted to apologize for not being on to post as often as I would like. Some days are better than others and thus far, most of my days have been bad. When I'm on pain pills I find it hard to write well, if at all. But I feel like I see a light at the end of the tunnel and I will be able to blog at least once, maybe twice a day. Thank you for all of your love, support, and positive words it has meant the world to me. You stay classy Tacoma   (and surrounding areas).

DREW

Hello everyone,

Sitting here watching Andrew sleep, quite uneventful.  I am so happy to see him getting some much needed rest!!!!  Thank you all for your prayers and your love, we feel blessed.    :)

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!!!!!

Love you Drewbug

Mama  :)

There is a comment space!

I have had two people ask me if you can comment on the blog and the answer is...YES!

Under each post there is a pencil, if you click the pencil a comment space will pop up and you can comment away! In fact I would love to hear from you via the blog. 

Love you all

DREW 

Night Before/Day of Surgery

Catching up on photos!

Night before: The final hours before surgery

Morning of surgery: Saying goodbye to Lefty

Less than an hour before surgery and all smiles - fearless as usual :)

Ertl Amputation is a success!

We're so proud of you Drew :) -Arianna

Sunday Morning Update

Good Morning everyone! Just wanted to give you all an update on Drew. He seems to be doing well today. His temperature and nausea are under control. His pain level is around a 6 right now, but if you would like to come by the house and visit, he is up for some company today!
-Breezi-

No more fever!

Andrew has been feeling a bit better in the last hour. His temperature has gone down from 101 to 98.6. He has also had some chicken noodle soup and a half of a 6 inch sandwich without vomiting  We called the doctor earlier and he said that if Andrew continued to have a temperature and couldn't keep food down, we would have to go back to the hospital. So we are very happy that he hasn't been nauseated and his temperature is back to normal. There is a good possibility he will want some visitors later so we will keep you all posted!
-Breezi-

Saturday Morning Update

This morning has been a bit of a rough morning for Andrew. He has been in a bit of pain and has been feeling sick to his stomach. Due to how this morning has gone, he is asking that we have no visitors as of right now. He really appreciates the support and the company but he really needs rest right now to keep his temperature down.... And the food/medication he has been taking. We really appreciate the friends/family that have been coming by, it has made his recovery more comfortable. Continue to keep Drew in your thoughts and prayers. I will keep everyone updated on visiting and if he is feeling up to some company later. We love you!
-Breezi-

                                                                        GO HAWKS!

Leaving the hospital

Of course, we couldn't expect anything less from Drew. Lookin' like a straight up Stunna' leaving the hospital today!

Home sweet home

A lot of people have been following the blog so I wanted to give you all an update. Andrew was released to go home today at around 1:00 PM. His pain level is managed at the moment and we are hoping for it to stay that way. Keep Drew in your thoughts and prayers. We are hoping that he is able to manage the pain on his own and that he doesn't spike a fever tonight! Thank you all for the support. If you would like to help Drew with his prosthetic, remember we have a PayPal that you can donate to! Also, I know a lot of people have been wanting to bring food for Andrew and Arianna... If that is something that you are interested in, you can contact my mom and she has that calendar all set up! Thank you guys so much!
-Breezi-

The Cast Removal Video

This was the first time seeing Andrew's leg, 4 days after the surgery. Keep in mind, the video was made in several intervals. Enjoy!

Brace Yourself!

Today Andrew got to take off his cast to get his leg examined and to be checked for any infection or problems. The great news was that everything was looking great and his healing process had begun successfully according to his doctor. I stayed in the room to take some photos of Andrew while he was getting his cast taken off, Breezi however ran right out of the room! I took one for the team for you Andrew, and I am glad I did!
- Kelsey

Here are the photos!

See what encouragment can do!

This is a guest post from Drew's family and friends. Today we had a huge following on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and whatever else we could get to, in order to find some light in the dark for Andrew. So... we reached out to none other than the Seattle Seahawks! After hours of tweeting and texting and forwarding... we got an answer! It is really special that we can find such great people who really care about their fans! Awesome of Russell Wilson to reach out to one of his biggest fans in these times! Thanks for the support everyone!

Thursday: My first post

Hello Ladies and Gents:
     I'am writing to all of you beautiful people for the first time in my bed, from Allenmore Hospital room 2213. Today I get to see the wound for the first time. Somewhere in between 11:30 and 12:00 they will be cutting off my cast, examining my leg and recasting. I'm a little nervous because of the numerous complications we have been having as to the condition of the wound. If everything is A-ok I will be so happy. I'm ready to hit the ground running (literally) I just need to get out of the hospital. If you want pictures of the wound I need like 10 respond to the post comment section.

P.S. I will continue to blogg on the daily. If somethings don't make sense or I sound goofy well, I'm on a lot of pain killers. As well as I'm pretty bad at grammar and spelling so please forgive any missteps on my part. Thank You

Thursday Morning Report

Last night was a long night. Andrew had an ultrasound around 10pm. They are concerned about developing blood clots. When the tech. left the room she said we would have the results shortly. The good news is the ultrasound was negative. The bad news is we didn't find this out until 7am this morning. Andrew had a hard time sleeping not knowing the results of the test. They also ordered more blood work, chest ex ray and of coarse the hourly check of his vitals.
Andrews surgeon came in this morning for his daily check up. Dr. Pakzad has ordered his cast  to be removed so he can check the wound. This will be happening at 1pm today. The Dr. Told us to be patient. Andrew is in great care here and until we find out what is causing the fever he will stay here. Andrew felt good about this and so did we.
God heal my son today. Give the doctors wisdom to figure out the cause of the fevers.

7:30pm update 3/6/13

Andrew really appreciates all the visitors and support he's received over the last few days and thanks everyone for the support. Tonight is going to be a long night for Andrew because he will be receiving a lot of tests and antibiotics. Andrew is going to have to rest as much as possible over these next 24 hours to have the best recovery possible in order to go home. If you'd like to visit Andrew, please call Arianna, Breezi or Bob and I so that we can let you know whether Andrew is seeing visitors or not. Otherwise you can check the blog! Thank you so much for all the love you all have been giving to Andrew these last few days! He's on his way to a great future with great friends and family supporting him along the way!

6 PM Update

Today Andrew's day has been a little up and down. Earlier in the day he was doing quite well. His pain seemed to be managed and the only problem he had was itching from the pain medication. Recently his fever has spiked back up to 102 again and the doctors have not figured out why. He has to be without a fever for 24 hours in order to be able to go home. He is also getting treated for pneumonia at the moment. We are still unsure of when he will be released but they are thinking a few days. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers!

GOOD MORNING! 3-6-13

We had an uneventful night which means we were able to sleep. Andrew is doing better this morning. He spiked a temp of 101.5 at5am this morning. The nurse just checked his vitals and his temp is a steady 99.5. They are taking him off the CPA this morning. ( no more magic button) and are putting him on a regiment of oral meds. His new nurse this morning is Sam. He has established new goals today of pain management below 5 and to get Andrew out of bed other than Physical Therapy. We are grateful to all the staff here at the hospital who have been taking care of Andrew.

Night number 2

It is 1:17 am. Andrew is doing quite well. His temp is 97.6. His pain management is 6 out of 10.  Now it is time to get some shut eye. Thank you lord for my sons recovery.

5 o'clock update

Update for Andrew,

Its 5 o'clock pm on Tuesday.  Andrew is still struggling to keep his temp down, they have him packed with gel packs and a fan running on him.  He is still dealing with severe pain, and lacking a lot of sleep.  He was happy to see that they found his rod that was in his leg from his accident, he wanted it for a souvenir from his experience.  We have had lots of visitors today and that has been good, but they really didn't get to see Drew because he was either sleeping or in a lot of pain.  Drew says to tell everyone "Hello" and "Thank you for all your prayers and support."  We really could not have gone through this without knowing that there is so many praying, and so much support.

Also we have started a calendar of meals for Andrew and Arianna, if you are interested in doing a meal for them please let us know so we can mark you on the calendar, we are trying to make sure that we don't run into 2 families bringing a meal on the same night!!!!!

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!!!!

Thank you everyone!!!!

Mom and Dad

Hospital Life

It's been a few close family and friends at the hospital the last two days, only a few visits here and there because Andrew is resting. These are some photos of what's been going on while waiting for Andrew to wake up......

Arianna doing some work and Tina catching everyone up on Facebook

Breezi doesn't leave the hospital and wants to stay close to Drew

Breezi and Kelsey creating a blog for Drew, Tina being silly 

Shirts made for the coach (Arianna)

Arianna's Family stops in to visit and bring gifts

Day of surgery.

March 4th 2013 SURGERY DAY

At 8am Andrew went into surgery to have his left leg amputated below the knee. The surgery took 3 hrs. There were slight complications with removing the rod and pins, but all went well. He was moved up to his room for recovery and was in high spirits. He started to experience severe pain early evening and was placed on a morphine drip that seemed to work quite well. until later when he had a reaction to it that caused him to itch profusely all over his body.

They switched medication at about 11pm after trying to treat the itching with benadryl. About 12:30am his monitor started to beep, his heart rate rose, and the nurses came into check his vitals - he had a temperature of 102. The nurses brought in several bags of ice to place around his body to help reduce his core temperature. They then ordered an exam from the on call physician, and he determined that Atelectasis may have occurred and he ordered a CT scan. (Atelectasis is the partial collapse of the lung.) They were also searching for a blood clot.

He had a CT scan around 7am this morning (3/5/13). The scan revealed the cause of the temperature was Atelectasis. They then were able to get his temperature under control and he was given a breathing device to expand his lung capacity - which he breathes into ten times once every hour.

He is currently trying to rest and we will continue to post updates throughout the day/night. Thank you so much for all your love and support for our strong boy!

-Bob and Tina

About Andrews Blog -

Andrew West is from Gig Harbor Washington. In 2007 Andrew was in a serious car accident that almost took his life. After being in the hospital for a month he was released to go home after being told that he may never walk again. Andrew however, had different plans for himself. After a few months of physical therapy he ditched the wheelchair and started walking.

Recently he found out that, because of the accident that he was in, his bones had not completely healed in his left leg which started to cause deterioration. The doctors said that the only way he would be able to walk comfortably again was to have his leg amputated. After months of contemplation, Andrew decided that amputation was the best option for him at this time in his life, hoping that in the future he will be able to easily walk, run and do the things he was unable to do before. 

On March 4th 2013 Andrew had his official amputation surgery. This blog was created to keep everyone easily updated through Andrew's recovery.