Important and wonderful update I had to post!!!

T-Rex is baaaack!! Terry has made unbelieveably amazing progress in the past few days. He is cleared to leave the ICU but there are no available beds in the neuro unit on the first floor. He is aware of his surroundings and is responding well. Instead of sticking his tongue out, he is now shaking his head yes and no. He knows that he isn't able to talk now b/c of the tracheostomy, but when I walked up to his bed and told him I loved him, he took in a deep breath and said "I Love You." (with a bit of tone from his throat). The pharmacist who sits outside at a desk heard him too! He smirked at some of the things I said to him (too much to type) and shook his head when I told him a broke my hand. It is apparent that Terry remembers both long and short term events. I actually apologized for something I did the Wednesday night before the accident and he made his usual "no big deal" face. His Aunt Kathleen talked about their whitewater rafting trip from a couple of years ago and he smiled. He is supposed to get another cat scan today but we don't know when. This will help Dr. Grollmus (neuro doc) determine when they will put his lid back on :) Due to the number of fractures to his skull, they may need to add a plate. Dr. Warner (infectious disease) said she is taking him off the antibiotics tomorrow and his blood infection seems to be better, and that she will continue to bug Dr. Grollmus about the collar (David wrote a more descript update about that a day ago) and how soon they can take it off. Terry is trying to pull it off himself. Anne and I were able to sit in on his physical therapy session this morning. With the assistance of the lift team (2 men plus the therapist), Terry was able to sit off the side to the bed and respond to the commands of the PT. Moving his toes, feet, legs, squeezing hands, etc. Thank you for your love and support through this overwhelmingly difficult ordeal. Our road is still long, but we can now see a light at the end of the road. Continue to pray for Terry! Love, Staci

We have successfully been able to make the transition...thank you all!

This Blog will only be updated sporadically as the Carepages Website for Terry has turned out to be a wonderful success and the best way for all of you to stay updated. We appreciate all of your support for Terry and ask for you to keep updated on him at the new site. If you haven't done so already, go to

www.carepages.com

Login and search for Terence O'Prey.

The site is wonderful and will be the main source for updates instead of this blog site.

Lots of love and prayers to Terry for now and in the future!

Jason

update

Terry had a fantastic day. He was successfully removed from the respirator and is breathing on his own through the trach. All of his vitals are right on target. Terry was responsive to Dr. Steele by sqeezing his hand and he can cough on his own. A staff member from Kentfield Rehabilitation Center named Dot, visited with Terry today and shared with us that he is an ideal patient to benefit from their type of care. At Santa Rosa Memorial, Terry is receiving acute care from the nurses. They are not trained in rehab care. Once he is in a facility like Kentfield, he would have access to an occupational therapist, dietician, physical therapist and many other specialists to assist with his recovery. Terry still has many more milestones to reach before moving into that phase, but we are excited by the prospect of the future. We won't know officially until next week if Kentfield will accept Terry but the signs are good. Terry continues to be very active in his bed. He moves his legs and arms frequently and is still receiving some medicine for pain. Staci has been wonderful in making sure that Terry's lips are moisturized with chap stick. Tonight, when Anne put some chapstick on his lips, she mentioned that this chapstick had been on Staci's lips - Terry smiled. He has some new blue boots to aid in healing some bed sores that formed on his heels. Not the shoes he would sport on the golf course, but they are quite a hit in the North wing of Santa Rosa. The shoes do match his upside down hospital gown. We are so thankful for the prayers around the world being said on behalf of Terry. Faith in God's plan for Terry remains a staple for each of us. We are so appreciative to you all for your support. Much love to everyone. David Quilleon

update

Terry was active in his room tonight and was moving his arms and legs quite a bit. His oxygen percentage is at 45%, which is very good. As we left tonight, his blood pressure was 160/90. Terry was given a diaretic to reduce some of the fluid he has been retaining in his body. He is on very little sedation medicine this evening.During a visit with Staci, she asked Terry to lift his legs and he responded twice for her. This is a testament that love is powerful.The nurses did give Terry a bit of a make over as his mustache was gone and his face was freshly shaved. We have so much to be thankful for and I know Terry would be so touched by the thoughts and messages shared on this site. Thank you all so much for sharing this journey with Terry and may God bless all of us with strength, health, and love as we travel together on this road to recovery. David Quilleon

Updates

This morning we met with Dr. Steele and he shared with us the dynamics that took place yesterday regarding the discovery of many large blood clots in Terry's system. Yesterday during the morning rounds the nurses noticed a significant increase in Terry's oxygen levels. Apparently, this is one sign of potential clotting taking place. Terry was taken down for a spiral CT scan and they were able to confirm the large blood clots. This type of situation can happen when a patient is immobile for a long period of time. At any moment, one of the large clots could have flowed through the blood system and caused cardiac arrest.The typical treatment for blood clots is a medicine known as Cumiden, an anticoagulant that thins the blood. Due to Terry's head trauma, this treatment is not available. So, during the early evening, Terry was sent down to have a mesh filter inserted through his groin and up through his body to serve as a protective layer to the heart and prevent any clots from moving directly to the heart. The mesh filter procedure was successful and Terry is stabilized but he continues to be at risk for more clots. There are also some risks in that the mesh filter can become backed up with blood clots and prevent blood from traveling to other areas of the body. The nurses will be monitoring this very carefully.The mesh filter could be removed in about 5 - 6 months. The doctor said Terry should survive any future clotting issues. We are very blessed that the medical team caught this situation. Today, Terry has been active, moving his legs, opening his eyes, etc. The doctors will continue to monitor oxygen levels, they want him to be at 40% and currently, he is at 55%. He is slowly being removed from the Versed and morphine so that he can be evaluated for the extent of his head injuries. The cat scan revealed yesterday that some of the swelling had gone down. However, the surgeon, Dr. Grollmus does still see a significant amount of damage to the frontal and temporal lobes. The good news is that the ICP bolt was removed along with the head drain yesterday. Terry also has no tubes going into his mouth at this point. If you would like more information about brain injuiry, please visit this site: www.tbiguide.com It provides a lot of information that you all might find helpful. The situation yesterday was extremely scary and we are all so fortunate to have the blessings of so many friends and family. Please continue to keep Terry in your prayers. David Quilleon

Important update

We need everyone's prayers loud and strong right now. Terry's ct scan on his lungs just came back. (about 4pm PDT 8/8/06). They found several blood clots in them. They can't use blood thinner to get rid of them because of his head injury. Terry just got out of surgery where they put some kind of rod up his groin artery to prevent more clots. They think the clots came from his leg. Doctors are hoping the clots will dissolve on their own. Please help the O'Preys.. Pauls..Quilleons through this time. Amy Paul

Update

Terry has had a very restful and stable weekend. His blood pressure was between 130 and 140 and his cranium pressure was at a 2. He is back on the sedation medicine in order to make him more comfortable. Since Terry has a feeding tube as well as a tube to remove bile in his stomach going through his mouth, it causes him to gag. This makes Terry uncomfortable and causes his blood pressure to rise. He will have the new feeding tube inserted on Monday. Even under the sedation, Terry does hear commands such as open your eyes. He has been responsive to the nurses. Terry continues to fight off the pneumonia and is responding well to the medicine. They will slowly start to ween him off of the respirator today into tomorrow. Overall, it has been a great weekend for Terry. He has grown some facial hair including a trendy mustache and his hair is beginning to grow back. We all continue to focus on each day and celebrate Terry's recovery milestones. Thanks again to all of you for your prayers and support. David Quilleon

update

Hi all, Never a dull moment at Santa Rosa Memorial. I was admitted into the emergency room around 6:30 p.m. I've been having a lot of strange symptoms (very bad stomach and back pains, but the scariest were the lack of balance, focus problems, and dizziness --no blond jokes please. They are telling me it may be due to stress but to watch for symptoms if they should continue and the proper tests will then be ordered. Met a nice homeless man, Ken, in the "room" next to me. I won't discuss why he was there. He was pretty chatty- I was so bored it was better than talking to the man who was drunk in the bed next to me. I was so thankful when he finally passed out. After that I went up to the ICU in the room with Debbie to see T-rex. His cranial pressure was nice and low. He needs a good nights sleep so we quietly left. No feeding tube today. They are thinking about doing that procedure on Monday. Both the trach and feeding tubes are reversible so once he can do things on his own they will be removed. Please continue to pray, chant, (whatever you believe in)and send your positive thoughts. I do believe Terry can hear us. All of our friends, family, and acquaintances have been AMAZING. No words can express our appreciation. Best wishes, Staci

Update from Staci #2

Hello again, Well Terry's procedure went well - "uneventful" as the doctors put it. We were happy to see more of his face and newly-grown mustache. His pressure looks great from 7-14 (only when being worked on did it increase). His nurse told me that they are planning to insert the feeding tube today, but of course, no definite time was given. Still trying to take this day by day and remain positive. A message to Father Brenden (our friend from Ireland, Uganda, and Ballena Bay - ha!): I have a sort of "trade" for you - you speak with God directly about getting Terry back to 100% (or 99% - I'd prefer him to come back as a non-snorer) and I'll get you a nice, BIG glass of Tinker Dave's Egg Nog. Deal? Best wishes, Staci

an Update from Staci

Hi everyone, It's Staci. I've been trying to communicate via the message board, but David has given me his password so that I can update you as well. I left an update yesterday on the message board so please check it out. Terry was quite active yesterday, at times moving both sides of his body, fully opening his eyes, blinking, coughing, and biting down on the suction tube that the nurse stuck too far down his throat. Good job Terry, I don't blame you! Terry, Ann, and I just got back from the hospital after meeting with Dr. White, a trauma surgeon. He will be performing Terry's tracheostomy today around noon at his bedside. The procedure should take no more than an hour. This will allow them to remove all the tubes in his mouth, prevent problems in the event Terry were to vomit, and eventually allow him to breath on his own. The feeding tube will come later today or tomorrow. David is now over at our apartment trying to fix our garbage disposal. Apparently the concierge is unavailable to get service over to us right now. We have a very active apt. complex, which is why it took us a bit to realize we were feeling an earthquake, not the children running around in the apt. above us. We will update you later this afternoon after Terry's procedure. Thank you to everyone for your continued support and encouragement. My best, Staci

update

This morning at 9:00 am,we met with Dr. Grollmas regarding Terry's CAT scan yesterday. Anne had us all up and to the hospital by 6:00 am to wait for the doctor. There are no changes on the scan and the swelling and bruising is still readily seen. Terry will be receiving the tracheostomy and feeding tube line directly to the small intestine on Friday. The doctor feels like Terry is at a much better spot for these procedures. The infection of pneumonia that Terry is fighting is causing lots of mucous in the chest. Once the trach is put in, the chance for future infections are reduced. Terry will slowly be removed off of the sedative medication starting today. The doctor anticipates that the sedative, Verset will be out of his system by the weekend. It will be a very slow process and there are no predictions from the doctor about a response. The doctor did suggest that Terry will most likely not remember the past 10 days or the next couple of weeks. Terry's cranium pressure was stable at 12-15 and he continues to have a low grade fever. There are no plans at this time to take Terry off of the morphine drip. We were able to ask a number of questions to the doctor this morning. He said that it would be at least a year before we fully understood the damages that have been done to Terry's brain. He also reiterated that this will be a long journey and that we all need to take things day by day. While Staci visited with Terry this morning, she was able to see his eyes open slightly. Around 12:30, Terry squeezed the hands of both Debbie and Staci. The hospital hosted a mass today for Terry. There is most definitely power in prayer and we continue to pray for Terry's recovery each day. We also must remember that with all of the news from the doctor, good and bad, the one thing that never changes is that Terry is still a son, husband, brother, relative, and friend to us all. David Quilleon

update

18 August 02, 2006 at 08:14 PM PDT
Terry had a CAT scan this afternoon and we will meet with the doctor for the results sometime tomorrow morning. His pressure has remained stable all day long between 11 and 19. He continues to have a low grade fever. During our visit tonight, we noticed Terry flinching his eyes. Not sure what this means but we were excited to see this movement. We so appreciated spending time tonight with Terry's friends. Jason, Meredith, Noelle, Todd, Jim, Megan, and Nate. Our friend Joy had made a lasagna and we were able to eat a great hearty meal. And, now we just felt an earthquake in the waiting room - that was interesting.We are all OK - my first quake. Terry is really shaking things up here in Santa Rosa. David Quilleon
The Editor would also like to make a note:
This earthquake was a 4.4 and the epicenter was close or in Santa Rosa. It was a pretty strong one, but most importantly it was the first time that David and Staci's mom had felt an earthquake. Please keep this confidential but I could've sworn David had almost urinated on himself...!
Anyhow, it was a wonderful visit for everyone and the earthquake was a sign...I think Trex was pounding his feet nearby and letting everyone know that he's going to make it through this.
I ended up leaving the hospital around 930 and had a chance to have a wonderful conversation with Debbie and David outside the hospital. We (all of us) are so fortunate to have each other as close of friends and family, its almost one in the same.
It's tough keeping a level head and maintaining our patience. I do feel that with the support from God and from each other, we will take a slow and steady stride and see Terry through this!
Lots of love to you all!

Jason

post from David

17 August 02, 2006 at 09:52 AM PDT
Terry had a great night. His numbers look great including his cranium pressure which is at an 11 this morning. The nurse on duty last night was giving Terry a sponge bath. He is laying at a 12 degree angle and seems to be very comfortable. I will update further later this evening. We had a bit of a laugh this morning as we read the The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa. Just so happens that the Sonoma County Fair is taking place here in Santa Rosa and there was big news yesterday. A 10 month old heifer broke loose from her paddock and tore through the fairgrounds in the afternoon. The cow's owner and a group of livestock competition entrants chased her past an outdoor sports bar and the grandstand. "They tried to head her off but the more they chased her, the more the cow wanted to get away."exhibits coordinator Sheila Quince said. "She was heading straight for Bubba's BBQ." All was fine and the calf won a blue ribbon later in the day for a beef project. Terry would have a great laugh about this news going on. We continue to be very positive focused and appreciate all of your prayers for Terry. David Quilleon

words of encouragement

Jason,

I heard tonight about your friend Terry from my brother, Warren Vest. I am Brian Vest's uncle living in Denver. I assume you know Brian, since Terry is a good friend of Brian's too.

I'm writing to offer you and your friends some words of encouragement. Nearly 20 years ago, my son Patrick had a very similiar accident from falling off the back of a moving car. Patrick was in a coma for 30 days and we were told that he would not make it through the night on several occasions.

Eventually he came out of the coma and began a journey of several months through rehabilitation. The part of Patrick's brain that was impacted was similiar to what I read about Terry on your blog. Patrick's personality did change - from being shy to being very outgoing. He also had partial paralysis on his left side, but gets around fine on his own.

Today, Patrick lives in an apartment in Denver, has several friends and has a good outlook on life. This is someone that was in terrible condition and according to his doctors, if he did survive, would be a vegetable needing total care the rest of his life.

So, stay encouraged that Terry's body and all the prayers and support of his family and friends will result in a recovery and outcome beyond everyone's expectations. We all face bends in the road of life, and this is a big one. With strong faith and a positive attitude from his family and friends, Terry will experience wonderful new scenes and experiences and bright tomorrows around this bend.

Prayers and Best of Luck to you all - Especially Terry

Len Vest

update

16 August 01, 2006 at 04:47 PM PDT
This afternoon, we had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Grollmas regarding Terry’s CAT scan. Unfortunately, the news is not the greatest. The doctor discovered that 3 – 4 strokes had taken place in the brain over the past week. The CAT scan revealed significant damage to both the frontal lobe and temporal lobe parts of the brain. With this type of injury, the doctor expressed that it is common for patients to experience significant changes in personality. Terry’s care will continue to remain the same. The doctor anticipates Terry will receive a tracheotomy within the next two days. We also spoke with the nurse on duty, Liz. She shared with me that Terry has a low grade fever. After taking a sample of the bacteria in Terry’s chest earlier this week, the doctors were able to develop an effective antibiotic to beat the infection. Terry started to receive the new antibiotic today. His chest x-ray is good. Terry is no longer on medication for his blood pressure. Currently, he remains on insulin to control his blood sugar and prevent infection as well as a heavy sedative and morphine. The cheeseburger shake is also still pumping nutrients into his system. He received one dose of Mannitol today and his pressure at lunch time was between 15 and 19. The flood gates have also been unleashed. This news has been very difficult for all of us. However, we must remember that this journey is one in which we need to take day by day. The doctors will not know further details about the injuries to the brain until the swelling is reduced. They also need to conduct an MRI at some point in order to have more comprehensive information on this type of injury. Time is our best friend. Please continue to pray for Terry to have a full recovery. David Quilleon

Update

15 July 31, 2006 at 11:24 PM PDT
Terry continues to remain stable in the critical care unit. Early this morning, they began the process of removing the paralytic and he was completely off of it by mid morning. Terry is still receiving a very heavy sedative and morphine. The neurosurgeon, Dr. John Grollmus met with Terry Sr. and Anne today. He shared that all of Terry’s numbers look great. He was hoping to have a more immediate response in body movements from the removal of the paralytic but explained that everyone is different in the reaction. As we all know, the brain is our most complex organ and the one in which we know the least about. Although there has not been any specific movements, the nurse did share tonight that Terry has been coughing and she did notice that he was biting the suction tube during the removal of his mucous in the lungs. As time progresses, they will work to identify other movements. As we left tonight, Terry’s cranium pressure hovered between 16 and 19. He received one dose of Manidol this morning to further control these numbers. Over the weekend, one of the drains attached to Terry’s head was removed. The medical team continues to monitor the swelling in the brain. He is also still receiving the nutrients of what I like to call the cheeseburger shake. Terry must be enjoying it as he did release his bowels early today. The nurse explained that this is very good and also let me know that it is only a matter of time before, as she describes, “the flood gates are open.” God bless them all for sure. Terry continues to retain fluid throughout his system but the nurse explained this is typical for patients in the critical care unit. It appears that Terry prefers to be on his left side rather then the right. His bed rolls and he experiences frequent movements in the bed to assist with circulation and help with his breathing. About every hour, Terry has large amounts of mucous suctioned from his lungs. He also continues to be on an antibiotic to fight off the pneumonia and has a slight fever. Terry went down for a cat scan this evening around 6:00 p.m. and we expect Dr. Grollmas to share the results with us tomorrow. It is a great sign that Terry’s cranium pressure did not dramatically increase after the scan was completed. We continue to be touched by the sentiments and messages shared on this site. The outpouring of support and prayers from friends and family is incredible. We all look forward to reading messages each evening. There is no doubt that with patience, time, positive energy and a strong faith that our Terry will be sailing again on the Sea Rex kissing Staci under the moonlight in the San Francisco Bay. David Quilleon