Better Days

Well, our Justin is proving you can't keep a good kid down for long!  The doctors have taken out the ICP monitor and are letting him wake up a little.  He opens his eyes and seems to know his mom.  He even grabbed the breathing tube with his left hand.  Thankfully, nurse Cody was there to keep Justin from pulling it out.  Justin wiggles his toes and opens his eyes a little.  We are all so glad to see those baby blues!  He even had some special company:

#PrayersForJustin

Justin's big sis Ashley had bracelets made so that everyone can show their support for him, and to use as a fundraiser to help with medical expenses.  If you are interested in donating for a bracelet, please email me elizabeth.ericksen@yahoo.com

Days of Waiting

So, Tuesday and Wednesday were very hard days on Justin and his family, watching his ICP creeping up, and not seeing a lot of progress.  We are all so hopeful, but we just want him to wake up RIGHT NOW and be our Justin.  It is so hard to be patient, but Karen and Darren are so grateful for all the support and well-wishes they have felt from family, friends, their ward family, neighbors, and coworkers.   We know that Heavenly Father is blessing the Mower family directly, and through the kindness of others, and Karen and Darren are so appreciative of everyone's prayers and acts of love and service.

Thursday and Friday have been better.  The doctors switched Justin from propofol (a sedative) to pentobarbital (another sedative).  Pentobarbital is heavy-duty, and has been much more effective at keeping Justin's ICP down where it needs to be.  The doctors are hoping that the increase in his ICP was just a result of his surgery, and that things will improve as the swelling goes down.  As his ICP stabilizes they will try to wean off of the pentobarbital and go from there.

In the meantime, Karen and Darren stay by his side almost around the clock.  Mom (Ericksen) has taken several turns so that they could go home, shower, sleep, and attend to a few other responsibilities.  Bethany, Natalie, and Roxie the dog have been amazing and happily gone from one relative's house to another over the last week.  They have had a blast hanging out with all of their cousins, but they never forget about Justin, and ask Heavenly Father to bless him in all of their prayers.  Bethany says he has to get better soon so that she'll have someone to fight with.  :)

And Justin used his Jedi mind powers to win a Lego!

Tuesday, July 22.

Today was so tough.  The nurses had been trying to wean Justin's sedation.  Karen said it was great to see him become more responsive.  However, his ICP started to go back up into the high 20s and 30s, so they had to turn his propofol (sedative) back up to allow his brain to rest and heal.  Today was very discouraging, but we know Justin is a fighter.

This is Deana, Justin's nurse over the weekend.  Karen and Darren loved her and are so grateful for everything she did for Justin.

Monday, July 21. Surgery!

Justin had surgery today to repair the compression fracture on the left side of his head.  The doctors also fixed a tear in the dura, the tough membrane that covers and protects the brain.  He is the owner of an awesome Harry Potterish lightning scar:

Surgery went well, and the waiting game continued to see if his ICP would normalize.  As his ICP comes down, the nurses will start weaning his sedation and pain medicine so that he can get off of the ventilator.

This is an image of Justin's skull, seen from the left side.  Justin's mom and dad spent the weekend watching his vital signs, especially his ICP.  Normal ICP is 5-15, and the number indicates the pressure inside the skull.  There are many things that can cause the pressures to go up to unhealthy levels, including swelling, pain, high carbon dioxide levels in the blood, shivering, and seizures.  There are also things they can do to help reduce ICP such as sedatives, pain medicine, reducing CO2 with the ventilator, positioning, and reducing stimulation.  It is important for Justin's ICP to stay below 20, so the nurses worked hard to balance his pain medicine and sedation.  We learned Justin does not like to be turned to the left side (because it hurts!)  and his ICP would go up.  Also, the nurses and the family tried to reduce stimulation by keeping his room quiet and visiting outside.   He also got a feeding tube placed, and a groovy pair of Converse sneakers to help prevent foot drop.

Justin and his many Tubes

The rest of Thursday was watching and waiting.  And an endless stream of doctors, nurses, residents, respiratory therapists, this team to do the intubation, that team to do the ICP monitor, etc.  Family and  friends also stopped by to show their support for Justin and his family.  The Mowers are so grateful for the staff at PCH that have been working so hard for Justin, and for all the love they have been shown during this difficult time. 

Thursday, July 17, 2014

The Mowers arrived at Primary Children's Hospital at 1:45 am and were taken to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) to see Justin.  He had received a CT scan and the doctors told Karen and Darren that Justin had a severe concussion, with a compression fracture on the left side of his head, and a fracture that extended from the left side of his head and around his forehead.  There were some areas of bleeding and bruising on his brain and a possible cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak.  Despite that, our fighter boy was responsive to verbal and and physical stimulus.

Darren had been showing more signs of concussion, as well, since the jet ski collision.  His headache was getting worse, and he had been getting sillier and weirder all night.  It made the long car ride somewhat entertaining for Karen, Ashley, and Derek, but Karen wisely insisted that Elliot take him to LDS to be seen in the ER.  Darren was diagnosed with a concussion, but was deemed safe enough to go home.  For those of you who have talked to Darren in the last few days, please keep in mind that he is not himself and may not be responsible for anything he says. :)

As the night went on, Justin became increasingly lethargic, and a repeat CT Scan showed more bleeding and swelling in his brain.  He was less responsive with his right side and stopped making purposeful movement with his right hand.  Justin's doctors felt like he was no longer safe unless they could monitor his Intracranial Pressures (ICP).  Knowing that his ICPS were probably climbing, they sedated him, put in a breathing tube, and then put in an ICP monitor in his head.  They put in a large, multi-port IV called a central line so they could give him 3% saline, sedatives, and pain medicine to help bring his ICP down, and medication to keep his blood pressure up where it needs to be.

This is Justin prior to intubation.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014. The Day of the Accident.

We love Lake Powell!  But not today.  Darren, Justin, and Derek were out riding jet skis when there was an accident.  Two of the jet skis collided, and Justin hit his head on the left side and was thrown into the water.  Darren pulled him out, still unconscious, and headed for the houseboat as quickly as possible.  Karen and the girls were not at the houseboat...they had gone looking for Darren and the boys.  Darren went to a nearby houseboat for help.  911 was called, and an ambulance met Justin and Darren at Bullfrog Marina to take Justin to the clinic.  At the clinic, they found that just had a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and would need to be LifeFlighted to a trauma center.  Justin "woke" enough to move and cry out when he heard his mom's voice at the clinic, but didn't really regain full consciousness before he was helicoptered to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Karen called her siblings, who were all in Manti for a funeral, and told us the horrible news.  We sent Diane and Elliot (Justin's aunt and uncle) to meet Justin at Primary, since we were so much closer than Karen and Darren.  The rest of us (Steve, Elizabeth, Mom, Marie, Blake, and Ben) piled into vehicles and headed down to Hanksville to meet the Mowers.  In Hanksville we collected jet skis, the boat, a truck, and assorted dogs and kids from Karen and the Darren, and sent them on their way (with Ashley and Derek) to Primary, with instructions to NOT let Darren drive.  He also was strongly suspected of having a concussion.

As a mom, I can only imagine the terror and heartbreak Karen and Darren were going through.  I am sure there were hundreds of prayers from every family member offered that night as we all sped through the dark.  Karen says "I was in a panic.  I felt like I couldn't get to my son fast enough and it felt like forever to get off the water and on our way.  We knew we didn't have cell service until Hanksville, so it was a long drive to find out more information."

Once in Hanksville, the Mowers were able to talk to the doctors at the hospital and get an update on Justin's condition.  Diane and Elliot had arrived at PCH and stayed by Justin through the night.  Justin was responding to their voices, which the doctors said was a good sign.  He was also protecting his own airway, so they did not intubation him, and his vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, etc) were also stable.

To be continued...

We love Justin!