A grateful MERRY CHRISTMAS and please...A NEW YEAR!!!!

It's been a while since we updated the blog and I have had quit a few people ask, so as the year comes to an end and I have had time to reflect on everything, now seems like a great time for an update.

How is Sam?

Sam is still in PT. While he is feeling stronger there is still a long way to go, and much frustration.

He had some testing done that showed he has permanent paralysis in his right arm.

Those that know Sam, know that this is a tough one. He can't throw, raise his arm, or even open a jar easily. He is learning to use his left arm more and more.

We thought he might be able to have a surgery to use part of his bicep on his triceps. He found out that he was not a candidate for this surgery.

How is his pain?

 He still hurts ALL.THE.TIME. He will tell you his arm and chest feels like it is constantly asleep and throbbing. Sleeping is still an issue for Sam. He has come off of all his pain meds which has made sleeping harder but felt like it was time to be drug free.

His job is working out very well. He is finding his new place at his company and we are SO GRATEFUL for the extra effort they have put forward for our family.

Are we back to normal?

No, we aren't. I tell people we have a new normal. We went swimming as a family last weekend and Sam discovered he can no longer swim. This was very hard for Sam and I.

Biking, swimming, hiking and so much more is what we love to do as a family. So we are going to have find a NEW normal. He discovered he can still golf!! YAY!!!

With all the hard stuff come all the BLESSINGS.

He has a job who knows how valuable he is.  We had a chance to go to Hawaii together in May. It was our first trip just the 2 of us since our honeymoon 12 years ago. He was able to swim for miles all over the ocean. What a huge blessing he got to go do that before he lost his ability to not do it again.  We have seen the love of family and friends that we could never have imagined. Our kids have learned the value of family, time and appreciating what we have. Most of all we got our dad and husband with us on Christmas. When I think back to them "reviving" Sam in that ICU room just 3 months ago, I realize this could have been a different Christmas for us. We are SO grateful for the birth and life of our Savior and our Heavenly Father who made it possible for all things to be whole. For the fact that my family can be together.

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Eastman Kids 2013

Off to Hawaii  2013

Our first Triathlon together!!

THANK YOU TO ALL!!!!

HUGE victory this week!

Sam went back to work on Monday. Yes, went back to work.
I have to say that the company Sam has been working for has renewed my faith that there are good people out there who CARE about their employees. Sam knows he can easily be replaced and that was one of his HUGE fears through all of this.
From the first day Sam was in his accident his boss and company were right by my side. Assuring me they would do everything they can. That's not common in the construction field. They checked on Sam and I. They visited him in the hospital and they made sure he had something to come back to.
I can not begin to tell you what GLY and the benefits we have from the Carpenter's Union have meant to us through all of this.
Sam is doing a desk job as he improves health wise. It's been HARD! He was very tired after his first day as he PT on the same day. Yesterday he only lasted a few hours. Today he said he found a place he can go lay down during his breaks to give his arm some elevation. He takes no pain meds during the day so that he can be at work. He hurts, but it's what he wants to do. He is still taking meds at night to help witht he pain so that he can sleep.
He came home the first day to tell and told me that he was feeling pretty good. They had told him that they do not do this for people. But because of what an impression he has made on people and how hard of a worker he is...they needed to keep him around. This lifted Sam's spirits more than I can say. I have always known how awesome he is and how much he has to give, but what an awesome thing to have others see it too. To know that they are doing this for him...when it just doesn't happen, gives us more reason to know that we are truly blessed and that all those prayers and support for Sam are more than we can ever imagine. So again, we thank you for everything you have done for our family and especially SAM!!!!

THANK YOU!!!

Orthopedic, Sleeping and Church...

 

Sam has found with the broken ribs that the best place for him to sleep is in a hammock. Yes, a hammock. Hung in our bedroom. It's weird, but it works. We are SO excited to have that hospital bed leaving our house tomorrow. Another victory!

 

Sam was determined to get to church on Sunday. He was even able to get up and express his gratitude for God and those around us who have helped our family through all of this. He was exhausted by the time we got him home, but was a simple pleasure of being able to do one of life's simple things.

Sam saw the Orthopedic today. He said the arm looks awesome and is doing well. Looks like it is healing just the way it should. He has been cleared to use that arm to the fullest. They will have to go in and remove one of the screws that came loose but that will be pretty minor and farther down the road.

Sam saw the Orthopedic today. His arm looks AWESOME!! He actually looks like he has a real arm now. We were able to go and sit and have lunch together for the first time...well, I can't even remember!

We see the doctors at harborview in the next 2 weeks to check the progress fo the ribs, lungs and so on. Let's hope we get some more good news!

Again, thank you to everyone who has supported our family through all of this. We feel very blessed and loved!

So, how are you?

I get this question a lot and I will answer it but let's recap Sam.

We saw the Orthopedic on Monday. One of the screws had come lose in his arm but it looks to be like it won't cause any problems. Sam still can not feel a lot of his chest, right bicep and tricep and left ribs. This worries him...well, and me. Most of this is probably nerve damage that hopefully will return back to normal. The Doctor did give it to us straight that we do not know the full extent of what injuries and damage Sam has from the accident. At the 3 month mark is when we will see what should be back to normal and what is not. But he has come SO FAR, SO FAST!!
Sam started Physical Therapy on his arm yesterday. This was exciting!!!
Just a day at a time...

So to answer the question...How are you?
My husband is alive. We are so grateful for that. He can walk, and talk and that could VERY easily not have been the case. He is out of the hospital and home and moving when they told me he would probably still be in the hospital at this point. GRATEFUL...I am.

I'm tired.
I'm worried.
I am up at night with kids who are having bad dreams that something happens to their dad again. Dealing with anxiety and stomach aches about leaving their dad to go to school.
Naughty behavior from our youngest because she's not getting the attention she needs. OK...she's usually naughty, but not this bad.
What if my husband can't go back to work? This keeps me up at night.
I worry about him when he is discouraged and feeling down. I can't imagine what is going through his head.
But then this happens and I will take my victories for the day..

Allison Taking Over

Allison will be taking over the blog from now on.  She will be able to give more detailed information on Sam's recovery.  Stay tuned for more updates!

THANK YOU!

I just wanted to write a quick post to thank everyone for all of their extremely generous donations.  We were amazed that many of the donations came from people that don't even know Sam or the Eastmans- just people that heard Sam's story and wanted to help.  I know that they are incredibly grateful and that this money will help lighten their financial burden a bit. Thank you.

Here are some pictures of Sam's arm post surgery...

They are still waiting for Sam's ribs to heal. His ribs are still displaced, but they are hoping they will move back into place on their own. 

Sam got to get out of the house for a bit today to go watch some of Henry's soccer game. I'm sure Henry was pretty excited to have his dad there!

Sam in his "new" room at their house- complete with a hospital bed and Star Wars sheets. 

He's Home!

The ice is for his shoulder, not his knee. 

So, the good news is... Sam's surgery went great and the feeling in Sam's arm has been restored.  The not so great news is... with that feeling comes a lot of pain.  Sam is still in the hospital due to the level of pain he is in and also due to an unexpected fever.  It's hard for me (and probably most of us) to fully understand the amount of pain he is in because I have never injured my arm to the extent that he has.  Allison said that it is so bad that he can barely talk through it and he gets agitated very easily because of it.  Sam appreciates all the phone calls and visit offers, but is having a hard time carrying on any kind of conversation.  We're hoping his pain will soon be managed so he can be social again. :)

 

Sam is out of surgery and doing great! More info to come...

Meals

For those that have been asking about bringing more meals to the Eastmans- we have extended the sign-up sheet if you would like to bring a dinner.  The sign-up is in the link below...

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4AAEA823A0FE3-meals

Thank you!!

Sorry for the lack of updates.  Things had stayed pretty much the same until this weekend.  After Sam moved home, he started complaining about a pain in the back of his leg.  After Allison looked at it, she made a call to the doctor.  The doctor asked her to bring Sam in to have it looked at.  They think he has damage to the muscle on the back of his leg as a result of the bike seat going into his leg during his crash.  I believe they are hoping that will heal on its own.

Sam is scheduled to have surgery on his arm this Wednesday.  If I understand correctly, they are going to put a rod in his arm to realign the bone.  He still has no sensation in that arm, so they are hoping once the rod is in place the use of his arm will come back.  He is still experiencing a significant amount of pain due to his arm, shoulder, and ribs.  Although he has started to recover quickly, he still has quite a ways to go.

Thank you for your continued help.  The kind notes, meals, prayers, thoughts, and everything in between have been amazing.

Coming Home!

After only one day in the rehab facility, Sam is getting to go home today!  He will receive in-home care and will most likely have surgery on his arm in the next couple of days.  Wahoo!!!

Sam has moved!

Sam moved from Harborview to a rehab place in Redmond yesterday.  He finally got his last chest tube out yesterday morning and was cleared to be transported to the rehab facility.  Here are some pictures from his last few hours at the hospital...

One last dose of pain meds...

One last nap...

Packed and ready to go!

Ready to get outta there!

Waiting for his ride.

This is a write-up my brother Scott did about the accident:

We have had several questions about the details of Sam’s accident and decided to write it up so Sam and Allison don’t have to re-count the story several times over.  Sam isn’t excited to talk about the details so this message will hopefully answer most of the questions.

Sam was participating in the Beaver Lake Triathlon on August 17^th.  After the swim (which he says felt slower than normal) he boarded his bike and headed out through the hills of Sammamish and Issaquah.  There is a large hill that goes down the back side of Issaquah called Duthie Hill road which is where the accident took place.  Coincidentally, Sam rode the same route the week before and was a bit worried about the quality of the rode and winding parts that would be travelled at high speed.  There was only 1 witness to the accident but a few others that provided information that helped re-create the scene. 

Sam was travelling with another contestant down the hill when the accident happened and most of the details come from her account, this woman ended up being the first person to help Sam after accident.  Travelling down the hill at approximately 40 mph Sam’s bike became unstable, the woman didn’t know how but said it looked like he hit a crack or some rocks that caused him to lose some control.  The bike drifted to the right towards a guard rail that keeps cars from going down a long ravine.  Sam gained control briefly only to drift closer to the guard rail where his bike ‘rode along the rail’ for just a few seconds.  He left his bike (surprisingly his bike stayed on the road side of the guard rail) and impacted into one of the 6”x6” posts that holds the guard rail in place.  The post is roughly 3’ off the ground and he seemed to meet the post on his way down off the bike.  This also explains many of his injuries on his right side (arm, shoulder, ribs, etc.) as the woman described the impact as very violent.  Upon impact he flopped down the hill a bit until the woman could secure him and another rider arrived to insure he didn’t slide further into the ravine.  I was able to pick up his bike from the detective that covered the accident and besides having a flat tire, the handle bars slightly tweek’d and a few scratches it is in good shape. 

The woman was able to immediately get a car travelling up the hill to call 911 and get a police officer stationed at the start of the downhill to come to the scene.  The paramedics responded quite fast and he was transported to Harborview Medical center so fast that even the race officials didn’t know much about the accident or his location after the accident.

Based on the speed and how violent the impact was with the post, Sam’s progress is remarkable.  He really only remembers making the turn to head down the large hill.  He does remember travelling with the woman but not much else.  Things are starting to come back but it will take time.  Thanks for all the concern and prayers, the family can really feel the love.

Sam had a better day today.  His pain is finally somewhat under control and they have moved him to a new room where he has a view of the outside world and some peace and quiet.  He's feeling much more optimistic today.  Adam (Neilson) went down and spent some time with Sam today.  I got a text from him saying that we can now call him "Stefan the Stylist" because he successfully trimmed Sam's nose hairs, eyebrows, hair around his ears, and helped him shave.  I just wish we had a picture for documentation. ;)

Sam's new view

Lucy fanning her dad

Lastly, I want to thank everyone for EVERYTHING they have done.  From the donations, to the meals, babysitting, visits, kind words, goodies, prayers, thoughts, and on and on... Everyone has been so incredibly kind and generous.  It's in times like these that I'm reminded just how much good there is in the world.  Thank you!

Update from Allison:  Sam is not doing well.  He's in an incredible amount of pain and we're fighting to get him back to the level of pain meds he should be on.  He's really upset about not being moved.  He is not getting to look out a window or have any fresh air and he's not dealing well with that.  He's not getting very much rest due to noise and people so he's more agitated.  Tonight we talked about relying on prayer to get us through this.  He needs comfort of peace at this time.  He knows how lucky he is, but the reality is hard to deal with at the same time.

Let's start with the positives... Sam might be getting his other chest tube out tomorrow. If so, there's a chance he could be moved to Evergreen on Sunday where he will be closer to his family. 

Sam finally got shaved by his brother and dad. 

And, got Burger Master delivered to him by Burger Master themselves. 

The not so positives... Sam is having a very difficult time sleeping. It sounds like it's a result of a few things- the pain, a noisy neighbor, and thinking about the accident. Although he has made some incredible strides, I know that Sam could use continued prayers and positive thoughts. I think the reality of it all is starting to sink in a bit.

I feel like it wouldn't be right to end a post without expressing our gratitude to everyone that has helped the Eastmans this past week. It's amazing to see just how many people care for and love them.  So, thank you. 

Thursday Update

From Allison:  One of Sam's chest tubes came out today!  One is still bleeding pretty significantly, but he feels so much better with one out.  He doesn't want people to talk about the accident in front of him because thinking about it makes it difficult for him to sleep.  He's anxious to move onto the next goal- getting the other chest tube removed!  Sam's mom, dad and brother Adam came into town today to be with Sam.

Allison posted this on Facebook and I thought it was appropriate to share on the blog...
I can't begin to thank everyone for all they are doing for my family. It actually is too much for me to even process at this time. I'm truly blessed and surrounded by the most amazing people. From food, to watching my kids to angel friends who sit by my side until I fall asleep at the hospital every night. Thank you feels inadequate!! But, thank you!!!!!!!