3 Months Shy

A recent picture of Troy, getting to do one of the things he loves best. Yes he is a lot on the skinny side! Must be nice!

It is 3 months shy of a year when Troy had his accident. Time is healing his wounds and Troy along with the rest of my family have faced many ups and downs. This proves that things can and will happen to you young or old. Troy has been recovering from his terrible accident and has come along way, much further than the doctors had imagined. That was such an aweful experience for a mother and I have to say my mother is a strong women but to go through this she did what she had to do during this time, but as time went on and Troy recovered her body finally said, "Rhonda you can't handle anymore!" She began suffering from symptoms that were just like Virtigo. She has been having this sypmtoms on a daily basis for several months and finally once she got into a specialist in Houston they were able to diagnose her as having Migranes of the Central Brain...all of this stress has just be way to much for her. It is incurable, but they do have 1 option of medication to try and help her. I hope and pray she can be strong enough for all of us, because we can't live without her! I love her tremendously and I don't think she realizes how much I love her and worry about her. My dad has be a trooper and has become a better man for it! He has helped take care now of not just my brother, but my mother and and my mother's mother. Dad you are awesome and I love you just as much as I love mom! Just as all of this wreck thing had happened, some of you might know that I had gone through some very trying times loosing a huge account which devistated me causing "Stress" and from this I was experiencing vision loss to one eye. The doctors after several month finally realized that I had swelling in the eye causing such problems along with a cataract! Yes, I am only 37! So I have since had the surgery which has made my life miserable...and all I can say is when an old person gets so excited cause they can see again...well it's much different for a young person that was seeing just fine and then bam you can no longer see up close anymore! Not the same! So what I am getting at...is STRESS...can do terrible things. Take it from my mother and myself. When life gives you lemons make a really strong drink and add a twist of lemon!!! Try not to stress as much as possible...it is what it is. I am so happy to have my brother today. He might not know his purpose on earth or why god spared him, but time will tell. If you happen upon this entry please leave a comment. It has been a really long time since I have posted and not even sure if anyone looks at this anymore. Thanks!

Home Recovering

Troy is doing good at home with my parents. I wish I was there enjoying all of the meals and the pampering. He has been busy playing scrabble, going to work with my dad and taking walks with my mom. They are looking into some therapy possibilities in BC, that hopefully insurance will cover. It's not as extensive as the program in Houston, but something is better than nothing. Brent Centilli is talking about a golf tournament for Troy...Brent, if your out there, I haven't forgotten about calling you...but my boys are keeping me busy and when I sit down and think about calling its too late. I promise to call you soon. I think this sounds like an awesome idea. This would help pay for some of the medical bills that have piled up that insurance is not paying or possibly better therapy. Troy is very excited about the thought of getting back to work. Like I said he is going to the office with my dad on occasion, but it is going to take time and patience...and still lots of prayers to get him in full recovery. We are so proud of him this far, he is a trouper and thankful to be alive! My mom can't believe how clean he is, he goes around the house picking things up...as long as he does this, they should be fine!

Our Gov't Stinks!!!

My question is....Why do we pay insurance? Today my parents found out that Troy's insurance will only pay for 1 week of the mentia program (brain rehabilitation therapy). The doctors say that he needs 3-4 months worth of therapy. They also say that there is nothing they can do to try and get him help for this. Troy's portion would cost approx. 10K and there is no way that he can afford this with the lawyers already hassling him about his hospital bills. I think this is terrible for Troy and the many others that can't receive the help that they so desperately need. Our visit was good. He is walking all over the place and like I've said so many times he is strong physically. He has a long way to go mentally. Our Easter holiday was like no other. My children got to see how fortunate they are to be healthy...I hope Drew realized this. There were so many adults and children at TIRR that were paralyzed from accidents and such. They had a Easter Egg hunt for all the families put on by an employee who herself was paralyzed from an accident. We had a nice time and the day turned out to be so beautiful. I hope everyone had a great day. And if anyone knows of ways to get Troy the help he needs, we'd appreciate hearing from you.

Spoke Too Soon!

Okay, plans are off for Easter at home. They have yet again changed their minds. Troy will be staying until Wednesday until further notice. He has an appointment with some brain doctors, they will be getting him into a program for mentia...spelling? working on the brain.

An Early Release

Well, as we expected Troy will be going home for Easter! The doctors said today that he should have never gone to Kindred and that he should have gone directly to TIRR for his therapy. TIRR is mainly for patients that are learning how to walk again...not so much for patients that are suffering from TBI (traumatic brain injury). He was to do some evalutations today and from what it looks like my mom will be driving him 4 times a week for therapy for his brain. So if there is anyone that had planned on going to see him, you should do so tomorrow. I have mixed emotions about all of this...I am ready for him to be out of the hospital and at home, but I am also worried about his recovery at home and what this is going to mean for my parents. He has his days and nights mixed up and I'm not sure how that will go with my parents...but I am sure they will work it all out. I know that all of the prayers have gotten Troy this far. We need more for a full recovery. I can't wait to see him on Saturday. I hope to have a special meal fixed for Sunday and glad that he will be with us on such a special day. For the Buzeck's I pray that you will have Louis home next Easter as we have Troy home this Easter. Tell Bonnie that we can't thank her enough, as I feel, for saving his life...or at least just being there for him. I may never get to see your family again, but I wish you all well and pray that Louis is back on his feet soon. I may not post as often from now on, but hope to post atleast weekly with some updates. Take Care and Happy Easter

New Hospital New Doctors

Well today was a great day. My mom was so impressed with the doctors at TIRR. They were very much wanting to meet with her whereas at the other hospital she saw the doctor one time during his whole stay there. They are evaluating Troy to see where he is at. The doctors agree that he is doing well physically...though he can't walk without help just yet, he looses his balance. They are very concerned with his memory due to the traumatic brain injury...this is definetely a factor that they will be working very hard to get him back on track. The doctors say it could be 1 year to 15 years before this all works itself out. I didn't speak to Troy today, he really wasn't up for talking, so I plan to call him tomorrow.

Moving

Moving to TIRR today. Was suppose to move yesterday and they waited and waited and never moved. Hopefully today is the day. He will be doing some extensive rehab and therapy so that he can go home soon. He should be there 2-3 weeks.

Free at Last!

Well, almost. Troy had most of the wires taken out yesterday. They left a few pieces in his mouth for 2 more weeks. He has to exercise his mouth so that it doesn't get locked shut...he's not overly thrilled about this...he says it hurts tremendously. The doctors did say he needed to see an orthopedic doctor...he has a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and his neck has a fracture or hairline fracture. He is working daily with a physical therapist on walking etc... He's doing great, but has a long way to go. I saw a picture of him today and was so glad to see the feeding tube gone! That had to bother the heck out of him...it would me! It was through his nose...couldn't they find a better place than that! I am very proud of him, he just needs to keep his chin up and thank god every day that he has made it this far. He will be moving over to TIRR soon and should be there approximately 2 weeks. Then on to the Broussard Chateaux! I wish it was me moving in and having them take care of me....I know i'd get fed really good. I may just have to go visit on a regular basis so I can get pampered too! I spoke with Troy last night and he seemed happy to get all the stuff out of his mouth...I can't wait to go see him again! I also want to thank one of his nurses Charlie for being so good to Troy, he is keeping his mind busy with things like boggle, puzzles and of course black jack... Troy when your all better we'll take a family vaca. to Vegas!

Progress

Well tomorrow is the big day! Troy's mouth will be un-wired! Yeah! He has been in such pain from all of the wiring and I can't imagine how that must feel. They have had Troy on some pretty heavy doses of morphine for the pain so today he was pretty loopy according to my mom. She said Kip (my oldest brother) has been faithfully going to see Troy every other day. I am sure this is tough, because just getting around Houston is a nightmare within itself. The hospital says Troy is recovering fairly good. He will be moved to TIRR (I think) next week and he might only have to stay there 2-3 weeks. Then he will do some sort of out patient rehabilitation therapy in Bay City and he will be staying with my parents for awhile. This is all that I know...we will be going back for Easter. Thanks for everyones continued prayers!

Friday was a Great Day!!!

Jonathan and I planned a little day trip to Houston to visit with Troy and my parents. With baseball season starting I just knew it would be a while before I could visit him and I just don't like the idea of not getting to see him on a regular basis. I was absolutely shocked when we walked through the door. He was sitting up in a chair, and not restrained at all! This to me was huge! But best of all, he talked with us, we filled him in on our kids and what had been going on, showed him pictures of Dax and Drew and he began remembering things and really responding to us being there. He and Jonathan talked sports...he told us that he had a dream about Tiger Woods and he realized that apparently he was dreaming the whole money thing. The physical therapist came and got him and we walked with him all over the hospital, outside of the hospital and then he help stretch his legs...he had help, but he did fantastic! He likes to be in a hurry, which throws him off balance, but otherwise he's doing great with walking. Blessed that there was no paralysis. Troy does realize how fortunate he was, and plans on looking at the good that has come out of this. He is alive and with time he'll be back stronger than before. It was so cute, he knew that I was trying to call and check on Drew and he immediately wanted to talk to Drew (this is his little buddy) he told Drew that he had a near death experience and that he'd be okay...he did tell Drew to not drive fast and to wear a seatbelt. Drew was so proud that he remembered him. So I must say we had a fabulous visit. He does have trouble a night...he can't sit still and he can't sleep...I hope this changes before he gets home. He actually looks forward to going home with my parents...he's ready to eat and sleep in a good bed. I truly believe that all of the prayers have gotten him this far...please continue to pray and keep him in your thoughts. Troy we love you...and can't wait for you to be able to read all of this! Also, my parents said this was the best day so far! He has had some great sitters lately...he really likes Nicki, Ty and Vivian...thanks ladies for keeping him company and taking good care of him.

Not Much Change

I speak to my mom and dad several times a day...they are probably sick of me calling, but it's just that I like to hear how Troy is doing. Friday, our plans are to get up early while the kids are at school and make it a day in Houston. It takes a couple of hours to get there, so we'll stay and visit for the day and head back that afternoon. It will be a while before I can go for a weekend. We have tons of baseball tournaments coming up. I know my Dad and Troy are so bummed to be missing Drew's games. Baseball is one of Troy's favorite sports. He and Drew are always tossing the ball to each other when we visit him. Troy would be very proud to know that Drew is pitching and doing a really good job of it (hahaha...he doesn't get his sports abilities from me...I can assure you of that!) Once he gets out of the hospital he will be recovering at my moms house and hopefully he'll be up for a game. In a couple of weeks Troy will be getting his jaw unwired and then he should be moving onto TIRR, which my family is looking forward to. It is a part of Hermann Memorial (which is where he had some fabulous doctors and nurses.) This is another rehabilitation hospital (and the food is much better too!) you know that's always important! Okay its late and I have a weird sense of humor. Continue to pray for Troy, especially for his brain, he has TBI (traumatic brain injury) and I think this is what we need to pray for...as I've said before...he's strong so physically he's going to be fine. I'll post on Saturday once I've visited with him. Take care!

Scrapbook for Troy

I decided to make a scrapbook for Troy so that he will be able to look back on this time in his life that and see that his family worked so hard to get him better. We are a small family, but it is important for us to stick together during good times and bad...that is what family is for. I just hate that I live so far away, because if I didn't, I would be by his side (he'd be sick of me) everday. I hope you enjoy the layouts that I made for him.

As far as an update, my mom went yesterday and was staying the night in his room. She is determined to speak with the doctors! My mother is a very DETERMINED lady when she wants to be...Go Rhonda!!! There are a few things that are bothering her and she wants to get to the bottom of this. I don't know what's worse... nursing homes or hospitals...they are both terrible. I lived through my grandfather in LA in a nursing home and it was the most unbelievable thing I've ever dealt with, but these hospitals are right up there. I don't understand why some nurses choose to be nurses? I could go on forever on this, so I'll stop for now. Troy has been a little aggitated, they have increase his meds. He had some pretty good days but according to my mom things might not be going so well right now. He was asking about me yesterday...so maybe he remembers me...though he wanted to know how many kids I have...so I don't think he remembers that. I saw a recent picture of Troy that Kip emailed and he's looking good! The doctors are estimating that he might be in for about 6 months and then he will have to live with my parents for awhile. That should be interesting!

Update #3

Not much to update on today. Parents were not able to go to the hospital today, they had to do some work. I did think this was cute when my mom told me, she said that Troy has a wonderful sitter with him today and she has taken such good care of him. This is the only sitter that seems to be able to let his arms go and he stays calm...he seems to like her. Anyways, my moms phone rings and she missed the call and when she got to it she noticed it was a call that came from the sitters phone. Troy wanted to call my mom and so she used her personal cell phone to call my mom so that Troy could hear her voice. The sitter said this calmed him so much...there's something about a mom that we always go to for comfort! He sat in a chair for about 5 hours (I think that is what they said.) His next surgery is scheduled for April 1st. They will be un-wiring his jaws. I am sure he will feel so much better after that is done. He was asking for eye surgery today, not sure what that is about. We are still waiting on his glasses to come in, and we are hoping that there is no vision loss. Only time will tell. I am just so proud of him and he does have the will to live!

Update #2

Well, today I guess I was feeling a little jealous of Troy getting all of the attention, so I decided to sit back and let some IDIOT hit me from behind...Just Kidding. Well, not kidding about the fender bender, but kidding about the jealousy. My neck is hurting a little but in the scheme of all things I'll be fine. All I could do was say, "What a f***ing idiot!" and then my brother's wreck immediately popped into my mind and I started to get scared. On a more positive note: Troy had another good day considering. He is a little more rested and not so aggitated. They allowed his fingers to be free from restraints, so he's back to writing a few notes. One said that Tiger Woods owes him $250,000.00 Tiger if you out there....this sure would help him out right about now. He also wrote that the nurse got his drinking water from the shower and he wanted Ozarka. So he still has a sense of humor! The walked him on a walker today about 300 feet and my mom says he is so skinny. My mom did say they had to keep reminding him to stand up straight, he has a little trouble with this. I guess as he gets stronger this will get better. As far as the skinny part, i guess I'll have to fatten him up after they unwire his mouth. He says "Thank You" after anyone helps him with anything...so he is very grateful. Thanks for your continued prayers and wow he has had a lot of visitors to the blog...thank you and I hope you like it. Joey Luder is trying to help me get a paypal account set up for any donations, so check back if you are interested in helping Troy out. God Bless and NO MORE WRECKS!

Update

After several really bad days he finally had a good day. Yesterday he had to have his trach re-inserted and put back on the ventilator. He wasn't breathing yesterday which was very scary when I spoke with my mom on the phone. I didn't quite know what to think. After seeming to find the right meds, he has settled down a bit. He is still being restrained because he keeps trying to pull the feeding tubes out and other cords. They did walk him today for the first time. He is rather strong for what he has been through. Physically I think he pull through this. Mentally I'm not sure what the outcome will be, he has had some severe brain trauma. I'm so happy that he is having a calm day today. Your continued prayers will help him pull through this. My family and I want to thank everyone for all your prayers.

Angels on Earth

I began a scrapbook to collect information for my brother about his accident. One layout that I actually put together in about 30 minutes was, "My Angel on Earth". We were lucky enough to meet the girl who witnessed Troy's car accident and it is a miracle within itself. Meet Bonnie...her father was in a hunting accident in El Campo, Texas and for many of you who are from Bay City, you know right where this is. He has been in the trauma unit at Herman for a few months. She visits her father on a very regular basis. On the night of Feb. 21st she was driving home when my brother came up onto 59 and lost control. We knew nothing of this young women until one night my mother was visiting with a lady and her daughter walked in. My mom began to tell them our story. Bonnie said, "Oh my goodness, I was the one who witnessed his accident and I stayed with him until he was life flighted to the hospital. She was able to give us so many details about the wreck, that we may never have known. It was also a complete comfort to know that he had someone at his side...and she was his angel on earth. I will forever owe her my life for staying with him. When I met her, I couldn't even talk...all I could do is cry and tell her thank you. She told us exactly how he came onto 59 and lost control of his truck. He went across five lanes of traffic, not hitting a soul. Wrecked into the median wall and then went back over the five lanes and hit the other wall. She said when he went across the first time, it was amazing how all of the cars came to a complete hault...which I can't even imagine on such a busy freeway. I do have pictures of his truck...but I'd rather not post these. I hope you enjoy knowing that there are angels that walk this Earth...and Bonnie is one of them.

The Accident

Since I am just getting this blog up and running I guess I need to start off with the story of the accident. Many of you know the whole story, but I feel the day that Troy is able to read this, I want him to be able to see it from the beginning.

7:00pm Saturday February 21, 2009
My mom was begging Troy to pack his bags and come with us skiing. Troy refused and insisted nobody could control him. He told mom that he was eating dinner at neighbors house and he was running to the grocery store.

8:30pm Saturday February 21, 2009
Wreck Happens on Hwy. 59 in Sugarland.

11:30 Saturday February 21, 2009
Mom gets a call from Hermann Memorial. Your son has been in an accident, he has been life lighted here. Mom says, "Is he okay?" They respond....can't give you anymore information...Get here fast....code is INDIA 1394. Mom and Dad frantically drive an hour and a half, worrying and crying the whole way there.

11:36 Saturday February 21, 2009
Previously finished packing for our ski trip, had just fallen asleep....phone rings...Nonie tells me that Troy has been in a terrible car accident and doesn't know what has happened. She is frantic. I call mom and dad on cell, agreed that I should call Kip (he had just gotten in from China) Kip got over to the hospital to meet them as they arrived.


Troy's Accident: He had a terrible wreck on Hwy 59 around 8:30pm. He lost control of his truck attempting to get onto 59. He went over the 5 lanes of traffic not hitting anyone...smashed into the huge median wall....went across those 5 lanes again and smashed into the other wall. All cars immediately slowed down and came to a complete stop. No other cars were involved....how unbelievable. He was life lighted to Hermann Memorial. When people arrived on the scene he was unconsious. At Hermann they put him into a drug induced coma and he was on a ventilator. At that point they knew he had broken ribs, lacerated live, every bone in his face was broken or shattered (he had a floating face...described the doctors) and brain injury. They later thought he had ruptured discs in his neck.

I will never forget this night for the rest of my life!!! I will continue to post the things that happened along the way.

Up and Running

Today, I am starting a fresh new blog for my brother, Troy. It is hard keeping my scrapbooking material and Troy's recovery all on one blog. So I am in the beginning stages of creating his Blog. I want to Thank Bonnie, for sending me her dads blog, which is given me so many ideas on how to help Troy. I hope to somehow work on a raffle and setting up a Medical Expense Account at a Bank either here or in Bay City. Not sure how to do any or all of this so any help would be greatly appreciated.