The hospital has requested that only immediate family visit Darrin in his room now. That includes Darrin's parents and siblings, and Clare's parents and siblings. He is moving around quite a bit pretty regularly now, and they would like to avoid any mishaps or scares of any kind. Reducing the number of visitors makes that a lot easier. We hope this doesn't make you stay away. You are still welcome to come to the hospital and visit with Clare and anyone else that may be there.
Clare told me last night that two of Darrin's chest tubes have been removed. He had one on the right and two on the left, and now only has one on the left. And it's on what's called "water seal" which means it's not actively vacuuming anything out, but still allows drainage.
Darrin is scheduled for hand surgery on Tuesday. Tomorrow he will have the breathing tube removed and they will do a tracheotomy. At the same time they are sending a scope down, I think to check out his lungs. I'm told some fluid has built up, and they'd like to know if they need to drain it, or let the body handle it naturally.
I received an email from the people that own the house Darrin fell from. They have shared their story, and Clare wanted a few of the details shared here also. Darrin has put up their lights for 6 or 7 years now, so he's quite familiar with their house. He fell 25 feet onto a cement patio, at about 3:15 PM. The paramedics arrived and immediately knew he needed a helicopter. They put him in the ambulance and drove him a very short distance to a cul de sac where the helicopter landed.
The family said that Darrin's coworker was very concerned and helpful throughout the experience. He was pretty shaken up, but remained calm and responsive to the many questions the paramedics and police officers asked.
Quoted from their letter: "There are many people in our neighborhood that have used Moon Light for years. They all care a great deal for Nephi. He is as much a friend as he is “the guy who puts up our lights”. We are all praying and fasting for him."
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Clare's loving touch
Clare sent me this story last night. She says she won't be writing much at this point, but just had to share this story because she was the only one there.
"During my nightly before-bedtime visit I was in with Nephi and got to talking about him with his night nurse, Dave. I was enjoying letting someone so responsible for his care get to know him better, and enjoying remembering lots of little aspects of his personality. While speaking I looked over and saw (what was in all actuality probably just from his eye drops that they give him) what looked like a tear right at the corner of his bruised left eye. I was in a sentimental mood, so I reached up my finger to wipe it off his eye--in what I imagined was a romantic, loving way--but somehow just poked him a little. Yes, I poked him in his eye. His bruised eye. And he flinched. A real flinch, just like he would under any other circumstance in which I would have poked him in the eye. Dave politely told me that in the future he would take care of keeping him clean. I will try and obey."
"During my nightly before-bedtime visit I was in with Nephi and got to talking about him with his night nurse, Dave. I was enjoying letting someone so responsible for his care get to know him better, and enjoying remembering lots of little aspects of his personality. While speaking I looked over and saw (what was in all actuality probably just from his eye drops that they give him) what looked like a tear right at the corner of his bruised left eye. I was in a sentimental mood, so I reached up my finger to wipe it off his eye--in what I imagined was a romantic, loving way--but somehow just poked him a little. Yes, I poked him in his eye. His bruised eye. And he flinched. A real flinch, just like he would under any other circumstance in which I would have poked him in the eye. Dave politely told me that in the future he would take care of keeping him clean. I will try and obey."
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Day 5 - Saturday 2/27/2010
Bitty tells me that last night Darrin moved his mouth. It was just grimaces, but still Clare said that was a first for him. It verifies that his facial nerves are OK. There was a concern about his nerves being damaged by temporal bone fractures on both sides when he first came to the hospital.
Today my dad says they are taking scans of Darrin's lung periodically, to watch for bruising and swelling. I think it was Tuesday night, that first night, that they talked a little about his lungs and said that lung damage takes time to show up. I remember the doctor used the term "blossom". So they're still finding out the extent of his lung damage. There is some worry there, as there is with any unknown, but his blood oxygen levels are still OK with the breathing tube.
I think I'm a bit late in reporting this, but as of yesterday two of the three chest tubes had been turned off. They weren't removed, but the machine hooked up to them was turned off. I'm pretty sure it's a vacuum of some kind, to suck out the extra stuff between his lungs and chest wall.
This morning Clare said Darrin tried to flop out of his bed. He was literally half out of the bed before the nurse could catch him and put him back. Now they have a sheet wrapped around his chest, strapping him to the bed, along with the arm and leg restraints. He's just too strong. Throughout this whole experience, the term I've used is "built like a tank." He's a tough kid, very fit and healthy.
There was a little discussion yesterday about the doctors wanting to change Darrin's sedation medication, so that they could lower his overall sedation level, have him more alert, but keep him a bit more calm at the same time. I don't know if anything has come of that, but I'm sure it's a tough problem.
I was only at the hospital a short time this evening, so I may have missed some things, but I'll probably pick them up later.
I also wanted to thank everyone for their support. I have also received many emails, almost all asking how to help. Your prayers are much appreciated. And, if you are able, donating blood is always a good idea. I still don't have any more details about the organized blood drive, but hopefully I'll learn something soon.
Today my dad says they are taking scans of Darrin's lung periodically, to watch for bruising and swelling. I think it was Tuesday night, that first night, that they talked a little about his lungs and said that lung damage takes time to show up. I remember the doctor used the term "blossom". So they're still finding out the extent of his lung damage. There is some worry there, as there is with any unknown, but his blood oxygen levels are still OK with the breathing tube.
I think I'm a bit late in reporting this, but as of yesterday two of the three chest tubes had been turned off. They weren't removed, but the machine hooked up to them was turned off. I'm pretty sure it's a vacuum of some kind, to suck out the extra stuff between his lungs and chest wall.
This morning Clare said Darrin tried to flop out of his bed. He was literally half out of the bed before the nurse could catch him and put him back. Now they have a sheet wrapped around his chest, strapping him to the bed, along with the arm and leg restraints. He's just too strong. Throughout this whole experience, the term I've used is "built like a tank." He's a tough kid, very fit and healthy.
There was a little discussion yesterday about the doctors wanting to change Darrin's sedation medication, so that they could lower his overall sedation level, have him more alert, but keep him a bit more calm at the same time. I don't know if anything has come of that, but I'm sure it's a tough problem.
I was only at the hospital a short time this evening, so I may have missed some things, but I'll probably pick them up later.
I also wanted to thank everyone for their support. I have also received many emails, almost all asking how to help. Your prayers are much appreciated. And, if you are able, donating blood is always a good idea. I still don't have any more details about the organized blood drive, but hopefully I'll learn something soon.
From Clare, via Danielle
Clare asked me (Danielle, her sister) to write a post on her behalf for the blog. She wanted to thank everyone for their support and prayers and offers of assistance. She says that she is immeasurably grateful and amazed at the outpouring of love from her friends, Nephi’s friends, friends of the Moons and friends of the Engstroms. And, of course, that includes members of Nephi’s family that have been so vigilant at the hospital to help and keep company and spirits up. She wanted me to say that she has been receiving many emails, calls, and text messages of support and that as she receives them on an individual basis, she feels gratitude for each of those individuals and appreciates each and every gesture of kindness. Clare asked me to specifically thank Nephi’s brother, Justin, for setting up this blog and keeping it up-to-date. She also wanted me to assure everyone that she and their kids are holding up well and that we are all feeling very optimistic. Thank you everyone.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Day 4 - Friday 2/26/2010
My mom says the ophthalmologist came (last night?) to look at Darrin's eyes. He looked at the optical nerve and blood vessels in his eyes and said they look good. Darrin opened his right eye yesterday by himself and moved it a little, then closed it again. His left eye is swollen shut still.
My cousin James who has had some medical training (I'm not clear what kind) stopped by also and said Darrin's hand is probably broken. He most likely put his hand out to stop himself, of course. That makes sense to me. Nobody has said anything about arms and legs though, so I'm amazed there are no breaks there. Unless I just haven't heard about them. When I went over during lunch today, a plastic surgeon came in to put splints on Darrin's hands. He says his specialty is face and hands. Darrin has many fractures in his face bones, but nothing is out of place, so they're just going to let those heal naturally. He said both of Darrin's hands have broken metacarpals (one in the left, two in the right), and the fractures are at the base, near the wrist. Darrin broke his left pinky a while ago and has around 7 pins in there already, and that's the bad hand right now. The surgeon said his right hand will heal by itself, with just a cast, but they will have to do surgery on his left hand to line things up right before they put a cast on.
My mom also says Darrin is moving around a fair bit now. They use the term "thrashing around", but Clare prefers "wild man". I believe it was yesterday, but they reduced Darrin's sedation so a neuro-something guy could check his responses. He came off the sedation a bit faster than they expected, and Clare says the nurse had to practically lay on him to keep him down while they waited for the doctor to show up. When he's not so heavily sedated, he's very agitated. He seems uncomfortable, and wants to move around a lot, and sit up. Clare says he's tall enough that his feet reach the base of the bed, and he pushes against it, arching his back and tensing up. While I was there today, the nurse was suctioning out the back of Darrin's throat. Yes, that sounds as bad in person as it does in print. Darrin didn't like it at all. He had moved his leg a little before then, when the nurse was moving around doing things with the machines, but when she suctioned his throat he really tensed up, picked up his legs and moved his arms around.
Darrin's arms and legs have restraining straps on them, because he fights so hard. He's very strong, and he could really mess up his tubes and such if he were allowed to move around much. When the nurse was holding him down, Ryan (the one with medical experience) was also there holding one arm. Ryan was very excited that Darrin was fighting so hard. It's a good sign. The nurse was more worried than that, and Clare tried to tell Ryan to wipe the grin off his face. After the splints today, he had to have new restraining straps, because his forearms are very thick now and the old ones wouldn't reach all the way around. I can just imagine him clubbing some poor nurse over the head with his huge splinted hand.
Today some of the swelling all over is going down, and he's starting to look a little more like the Darrin we're used to seeing. He still doesn't look very pretty, but for one thing his left eye is not as purple as it used to be. And his characteristic nose looks good too. I overheard Clare saying that in every situation the doctors have given her a best case and worst case outcome, and it has always turned out as the best case. There is still a long way to go, but there are also a lot of good signs.
My cousin James who has had some medical training (I'm not clear what kind) stopped by also and said Darrin's hand is probably broken. He most likely put his hand out to stop himself, of course. That makes sense to me. Nobody has said anything about arms and legs though, so I'm amazed there are no breaks there. Unless I just haven't heard about them. When I went over during lunch today, a plastic surgeon came in to put splints on Darrin's hands. He says his specialty is face and hands. Darrin has many fractures in his face bones, but nothing is out of place, so they're just going to let those heal naturally. He said both of Darrin's hands have broken metacarpals (one in the left, two in the right), and the fractures are at the base, near the wrist. Darrin broke his left pinky a while ago and has around 7 pins in there already, and that's the bad hand right now. The surgeon said his right hand will heal by itself, with just a cast, but they will have to do surgery on his left hand to line things up right before they put a cast on.
My mom also says Darrin is moving around a fair bit now. They use the term "thrashing around", but Clare prefers "wild man". I believe it was yesterday, but they reduced Darrin's sedation so a neuro-something guy could check his responses. He came off the sedation a bit faster than they expected, and Clare says the nurse had to practically lay on him to keep him down while they waited for the doctor to show up. When he's not so heavily sedated, he's very agitated. He seems uncomfortable, and wants to move around a lot, and sit up. Clare says he's tall enough that his feet reach the base of the bed, and he pushes against it, arching his back and tensing up. While I was there today, the nurse was suctioning out the back of Darrin's throat. Yes, that sounds as bad in person as it does in print. Darrin didn't like it at all. He had moved his leg a little before then, when the nurse was moving around doing things with the machines, but when she suctioned his throat he really tensed up, picked up his legs and moved his arms around.
Darrin's arms and legs have restraining straps on them, because he fights so hard. He's very strong, and he could really mess up his tubes and such if he were allowed to move around much. When the nurse was holding him down, Ryan (the one with medical experience) was also there holding one arm. Ryan was very excited that Darrin was fighting so hard. It's a good sign. The nurse was more worried than that, and Clare tried to tell Ryan to wipe the grin off his face. After the splints today, he had to have new restraining straps, because his forearms are very thick now and the old ones wouldn't reach all the way around. I can just imagine him clubbing some poor nurse over the head with his huge splinted hand.
Today some of the swelling all over is going down, and he's starting to look a little more like the Darrin we're used to seeing. He still doesn't look very pretty, but for one thing his left eye is not as purple as it used to be. And his characteristic nose looks good too. I overheard Clare saying that in every situation the doctors have given her a best case and worst case outcome, and it has always turned out as the best case. There is still a long way to go, but there are also a lot of good signs.
No Pictures of Darrin
Clare and many in the family feel strongly that we should not share pictures of Darrin in the hospital. I will be taking the picture site down later today. I'm sorry if that's disappointing, but the general consensus is that we would like to preserve Darrin's dignity and privacy that way. You are welcome to visit him in the hospital if you can. I know there are some close family and others that are unable to come see him. If you want to request pictures from someone who has them, that will be between you and them. Thank you for your sensitivity and consideration.
I will still be posting updates and information here. We do still need your thoughts and prayers. Thank you again for all your support.
I will still be posting updates and information here. We do still need your thoughts and prayers. Thank you again for all your support.
Blood donation
Dayna has suggested that since Darrin has received several units of blood (my wife says 10, I don't remember the number), we could organize a blood drive to help replenish that. She was given some information from the hospital about it, but we need 35 committed donors. I don't have any more details than that. I think if we come up with 35 or more people willing to donate, we can talk to the hospital about time and place. I assume the hospital wants us all on one day, during a certain time period. So, if you're willing to donate blood under such fuzzy details, leave a comment here, or let me know somehow, and we'll start counting. Darrin would not be receiving the blood you donate. We just want to raise the blood bank levels. So if you are able to donate, regardless of your blood type, we would love to have you come. If you are not in the area, please consider donating at your local Red Cross, ARUP, or blood drive of any kind.
I have heard from several in my family already. You don't need to tell me again. I donated a couple weeks ago at a local blood drive, so I won't be able to participate. I feel bad for that, but I'm doing what I can. Thank you all for your prayers and offers to help. And thank you in advance for your blood donations. Let's see if we can pull this off.
I have heard from several in my family already. You don't need to tell me again. I donated a couple weeks ago at a local blood drive, so I won't be able to participate. I feel bad for that, but I'm doing what I can. Thank you all for your prayers and offers to help. And thank you in advance for your blood donations. Let's see if we can pull this off.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Day 3 - Thursday 2/25/2010
I will be posting additions to this as the day goes on. Shanna is at the hospital all day, and is my source of information for the day. Clare gets the afternoon off to spend time with the kids, and last I heard is coming back in the evening.
11:20 - Shanna says there was no change overnight last night. They're going to take the right chest tube out today and put a filter in a main artery to catch any possible blood clots from the legs.
12:30 - I went over on my lunch hour, and Darrin was gone somewhere for the tube removal and filter placement (or so I thought, see below). He came back a little before I had to leave, and Clare went in to see him again. Clare mentioned she thought they brought him back fast. I didn't see him today. The people at the hospital were my mom, Shanna, Clare's mom, Bitty came for her lunch break, and I think Clare's sister Danielle (sorry, I still don't recognize everyone in the family. Someone correct me? Especially the spelling, since I seem to always get that wrong.)
15:00 - Shanna says they took Darrin off sedation for a bit, and tested his responsiveness. He responded well so far. They pinched him and he moved his hand to brush it away. He also tried to sit up.
20:15 - Shanna says they didn't need to put the filter in, and they haven't taken the chest tube out quite yet.
11:20 - Shanna says there was no change overnight last night. They're going to take the right chest tube out today and put a filter in a main artery to catch any possible blood clots from the legs.
12:30 - I went over on my lunch hour, and Darrin was gone somewhere for the tube removal and filter placement (or so I thought, see below). He came back a little before I had to leave, and Clare went in to see him again. Clare mentioned she thought they brought him back fast. I didn't see him today. The people at the hospital were my mom, Shanna, Clare's mom, Bitty came for her lunch break, and I think Clare's sister Danielle (sorry, I still don't recognize everyone in the family. Someone correct me? Especially the spelling, since I seem to always get that wrong.)
15:00 - Shanna says they took Darrin off sedation for a bit, and tested his responsiveness. He responded well so far. They pinched him and he moved his hand to brush it away. He also tried to sit up.
20:15 - Shanna says they didn't need to put the filter in, and they haven't taken the chest tube out quite yet.
Day 2 - Wednesday 2/24/2010
I heard in the morning from my Dad about the surgery results from the previous night. He said they were doing some more scans of Darrin's head that morning. I drove to work as normal, and went over to the hospital just before noon. Darrin was back from the scans, and the neurosurgeon that was also present when Darrin came in was going to look at them and then give a report.
When I arrived my parents were there, Jared and Jessica, Nathan and Mary, Bitty, Dayna (Clare's sister), and my parents' neighbor. After I got there, another couple showed up that is a close friend of Darrin and Clare, and my sister Shanna came in. She flew in from Texas in the morning, and was just walking back from seeing Darrin. Clare came in for a little bit, then went over to Primary Childrens. There was another couple, close friends of Darrin and Clare, that had a daughter scheduled for surgery at Primary Childrens sometime near today (I don't really know when), and one or the other of them would visit every so often. Clare also went over there to see them a few times. My parents went in to see Darrin, and were gone a long time.
Just before 1:00 my parents came back, and said the neurosurgeon talked to them. They asked her to come talk to the family and she said no. She wanted just one spokesperson. So my dad took notes.
She said she was very pleased with the latest scan of Darrin's head. My dad pressed her about what that meant, but she wouldn't say a lot more. She said his brain had swollen a little more than she would like, but it was not a major concern. From the neck up, his spine looks perfect. There may be tendon and other tissue injuries, but they won't know about that until Darrin wakes up and can tell them what hurts. The neurosurgeon's comments were only about Darrin's head and spine. My dad asked how many fractures were in his skull, and she said there were "a lot of them." There are fractures all over his head, but the impression is that they're mostly just cracks. She also mentioned the fracture near the artery at the base of his skull, that it looks good.
I heard that Darrin had received several units of blood since coming in, but none since Wednesday morning. They have stopped his sedation a couple times until he started wiggling all his extremities. So they know he's not paralyzed. But we don't know much about any other brain function yet. They did try to get him to squeeze someone's hand, or open his eyes, but he didn't respond. They're not worried about that just yet because they haven't really tried to wake him up. They don't want to wake him up with the breathing tube still in, because he'd panic. And they want to leave the tube in until they know he can get enough oxygen on his own. They're feeding him super-oxygenated air to make sure his brain gets enough oxygen, which as a side effect also helps reduce swelling in the brain. So they're happy to leave the tube in for a while. To me it sounds like they want to try taking it out Thursday and getting him to wake up, but I'm not sure.
I went back to work without going in to see Darrin, and returned to the hospital after work. Melissa (my wife) came up with the kids then also. We went to see him then. His blanket was not pulled up so far this time, so we could see the PICC (or PICCs?). The left side of his head was fully shaved, and the right side not all the way back, after the bone flap removal. He had an 8.5"x11" piece of paper taped above the head of his bed with a large "Caution: No bone flap on left side" on it. He still had the pressure monitor, the breathing tube, and they had added a feeding tube in his nose.
I didn't hear very much about the rest of his body Wednesday.
When I arrived my parents were there, Jared and Jessica, Nathan and Mary, Bitty, Dayna (Clare's sister), and my parents' neighbor. After I got there, another couple showed up that is a close friend of Darrin and Clare, and my sister Shanna came in. She flew in from Texas in the morning, and was just walking back from seeing Darrin. Clare came in for a little bit, then went over to Primary Childrens. There was another couple, close friends of Darrin and Clare, that had a daughter scheduled for surgery at Primary Childrens sometime near today (I don't really know when), and one or the other of them would visit every so often. Clare also went over there to see them a few times. My parents went in to see Darrin, and were gone a long time.
Just before 1:00 my parents came back, and said the neurosurgeon talked to them. They asked her to come talk to the family and she said no. She wanted just one spokesperson. So my dad took notes.
She said she was very pleased with the latest scan of Darrin's head. My dad pressed her about what that meant, but she wouldn't say a lot more. She said his brain had swollen a little more than she would like, but it was not a major concern. From the neck up, his spine looks perfect. There may be tendon and other tissue injuries, but they won't know about that until Darrin wakes up and can tell them what hurts. The neurosurgeon's comments were only about Darrin's head and spine. My dad asked how many fractures were in his skull, and she said there were "a lot of them." There are fractures all over his head, but the impression is that they're mostly just cracks. She also mentioned the fracture near the artery at the base of his skull, that it looks good.
I heard that Darrin had received several units of blood since coming in, but none since Wednesday morning. They have stopped his sedation a couple times until he started wiggling all his extremities. So they know he's not paralyzed. But we don't know much about any other brain function yet. They did try to get him to squeeze someone's hand, or open his eyes, but he didn't respond. They're not worried about that just yet because they haven't really tried to wake him up. They don't want to wake him up with the breathing tube still in, because he'd panic. And they want to leave the tube in until they know he can get enough oxygen on his own. They're feeding him super-oxygenated air to make sure his brain gets enough oxygen, which as a side effect also helps reduce swelling in the brain. So they're happy to leave the tube in for a while. To me it sounds like they want to try taking it out Thursday and getting him to wake up, but I'm not sure.
I went back to work without going in to see Darrin, and returned to the hospital after work. Melissa (my wife) came up with the kids then also. We went to see him then. His blanket was not pulled up so far this time, so we could see the PICC (or PICCs?). The left side of his head was fully shaved, and the right side not all the way back, after the bone flap removal. He had an 8.5"x11" piece of paper taped above the head of his bed with a large "Caution: No bone flap on left side" on it. He still had the pressure monitor, the breathing tube, and they had added a feeding tube in his nose.
I didn't hear very much about the rest of his body Wednesday.
Day 1 - Tuesday 2/23/2010
This blog is about my brother Darrin Nephi's fall from a roof. I wanted to put information here because there are too many concerned people to keep updated. I grew up with him as Darrin, so that's how I'll refer to him, for the most part. Easier for me right now.
Also, this is information that I may not have remembered correctly. You're getting what's in my head right now. If you know things I don't, or if I got something wrong, feel free to let me know and I'll fix it. I want to have the most accurate information here for people to see. Email me at justinmoon - at - gmail - dot - com. Or text or call if you have my number.
Darrin owns a Christmas light installation and removal company, called Moon Light Holiday Lighting. Right now he's in the process of taking lights down for his customers. He was on a roof taking lights down when he fell. It was probably around 3:00 PM, or maybe 3:30. I heard he fell about 20 feet, and I haven't heard whether he fell on grass or cement. He was working with an employee that day, who didn't see him fall but came around the house and found him. I assume he heard something or somehow knew Darrin fell, because he was there quickly. He saw Darrin on his knees, I guess trying to get up. Then Darrin passed out. I don't know a lot of details except that someone called 911, and he was sent by life flight to the University of Utah Hospital. Clare says an EMT gave him a blessing right before he went into surgery.
I heard a report from one of the surgeons that operated on him when he first came in. The doctor said he had severe abdominal bleeding caused by a shattered spleen, which they removed. He had air and blood in his chest cavity, so they inserted ventilation tubes into both sides of his chest. The doctor says air gets in there through small tears or holes in the lungs that leak air out between the wall of the chest cavity and the lungs. He also said those generally close up by themselves, so they just needed to keep the air and blood out of the chest cavity and wait to see if anything else was needed.
Darrin's skull had fractures around his eyes, but the surgeon said his eyes look good. He does have a really nice black eye. He has a fracture at the base of his skull that worried them because it's right next to a main artery that feeds the brain. They have since stopped worrying about that fracture, and say it's not as much a concern as they thought. He had a pool of blood under his skull that was putting pressure on his brain, but they were monitoring it and it was still at an OK level.
Clare also said an ENT (ear, nose, throat) came to check the bleeding around his ear, and said his temporal bones on both sides have fractures and he was concerned about nerve damage to the face, so he asked if anyone had seen him move his face, and no one had. UPDATE 2/27 - Since then we have seen his face move.
The surgeon said after the surgery Darrin's blood pressure came back up, and his heart rate looked good. His vitals were doing much better than when he came in. The surgeon said he was very encouraged by that.
That's about all I remember the surgeon saying. He answered some questions about what could go wrong from here, and what they would do if different things happened. He wouldn't answer questions about much other than immediate life-threatening concerns, and said their focus was on the life-threatening issues only at this point.
Darrin was still in surgery when I arrived at the hospital around 5:30. My parents were there, Nathan (brother), Andrea (sister), Clare (wife) and Bitty (Clare's sister). Jared (brother) arrived after me. We were in the Surgical Waiting room, just outside the OR. At about 5:45 we got a call from the OR saying they were still working on him, and things were going OK. We had a family prayer and Clare asked my dad for a blessing, which all of us boys assisted.
Just after 7:00 Darrin came out of surgery and was moved to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), and we were taken to the nearby waiting room. At about 7:15 the surgeon I mentioned before came and talked to us, telling us all the stuff I mentioned above. We had another family prayer. Then we waited more for them to get Darrin set up in the SICU so we could come in and see him. They initially told us we could go in 2 at a time, which was standard SICU policy. But around 7:45 they let us all come in together. I guess they decided to just let us all in and get that over with instead of having 2 at a time drag out for a long time. While we were in the SICU with Darrin my dad's Stake Presidency came, and one of his Bishopric counselors with his wife. My dad and all of Darrin's brothers present gave him a blessing.
Darrin had a shaved spot on his head, about 4 inches in diameter, with a pressure monitor sticking straight out of the middle. That was to monitor the pressure on his brain. He had a breathing tube in, which they said he'd had since the helicopter. He had a couple other tubes in his mouth, and several IVs. He had a blanket pulled up to his chin so I couldn't see much other than the breathing tube, the pressure monitor, and a neck brace. He was very swollen all over, and his left eyelid was purple and bruised. I was told he also had one or more PICCs in his chest (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) for administering "blood products" like clotting factors and other medications. He just looked like he was in bad shape, but breathing and good vital signs. His heart rate was in the 90s, and his blood pressure was around 130/80. I don't know what the other numbers on the monitor meant, but they were measuring the oxygen flow to his brain by some means. They said all those numbers were pretty good.
Jared and I left just before 9:00, and my parents, Andrea and Nathan stayed for quite a bit longer. 1:00 or 2:00 AM, I think.
I got a text message from Bitty at 10:30 saying the pressure in Darrin's brain was going up, and there was more blood under his skull. He was going back into surgery. He was in surgery until about 1:00 AM. They removed a flap of his skull to relieve the pressure. They said the bone was bleeding, so I assume by removing that flap of skull they stopped the bleeding and also relieved pressure. They said the brain swells for about 48 hours after trauma, and the hole in his skull would relieve that pressure. My dad says they put the piece of bone in the freezer to replace later.
More on Day 2.
Also, this is information that I may not have remembered correctly. You're getting what's in my head right now. If you know things I don't, or if I got something wrong, feel free to let me know and I'll fix it. I want to have the most accurate information here for people to see. Email me at justinmoon - at - gmail - dot - com. Or text or call if you have my number.
Darrin owns a Christmas light installation and removal company, called Moon Light Holiday Lighting. Right now he's in the process of taking lights down for his customers. He was on a roof taking lights down when he fell. It was probably around 3:00 PM, or maybe 3:30. I heard he fell about 20 feet, and I haven't heard whether he fell on grass or cement. He was working with an employee that day, who didn't see him fall but came around the house and found him. I assume he heard something or somehow knew Darrin fell, because he was there quickly. He saw Darrin on his knees, I guess trying to get up. Then Darrin passed out. I don't know a lot of details except that someone called 911, and he was sent by life flight to the University of Utah Hospital. Clare says an EMT gave him a blessing right before he went into surgery.
I heard a report from one of the surgeons that operated on him when he first came in. The doctor said he had severe abdominal bleeding caused by a shattered spleen, which they removed. He had air and blood in his chest cavity, so they inserted ventilation tubes into both sides of his chest. The doctor says air gets in there through small tears or holes in the lungs that leak air out between the wall of the chest cavity and the lungs. He also said those generally close up by themselves, so they just needed to keep the air and blood out of the chest cavity and wait to see if anything else was needed.
Darrin's skull had fractures around his eyes, but the surgeon said his eyes look good. He does have a really nice black eye. He has a fracture at the base of his skull that worried them because it's right next to a main artery that feeds the brain. They have since stopped worrying about that fracture, and say it's not as much a concern as they thought. He had a pool of blood under his skull that was putting pressure on his brain, but they were monitoring it and it was still at an OK level.
Clare also said an ENT (ear, nose, throat) came to check the bleeding around his ear, and said his temporal bones on both sides have fractures and he was concerned about nerve damage to the face, so he asked if anyone had seen him move his face, and no one had. UPDATE 2/27 - Since then we have seen his face move.
The surgeon said after the surgery Darrin's blood pressure came back up, and his heart rate looked good. His vitals were doing much better than when he came in. The surgeon said he was very encouraged by that.
That's about all I remember the surgeon saying. He answered some questions about what could go wrong from here, and what they would do if different things happened. He wouldn't answer questions about much other than immediate life-threatening concerns, and said their focus was on the life-threatening issues only at this point.
Darrin was still in surgery when I arrived at the hospital around 5:30. My parents were there, Nathan (brother), Andrea (sister), Clare (wife) and Bitty (Clare's sister). Jared (brother) arrived after me. We were in the Surgical Waiting room, just outside the OR. At about 5:45 we got a call from the OR saying they were still working on him, and things were going OK. We had a family prayer and Clare asked my dad for a blessing, which all of us boys assisted.
Just after 7:00 Darrin came out of surgery and was moved to the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), and we were taken to the nearby waiting room. At about 7:15 the surgeon I mentioned before came and talked to us, telling us all the stuff I mentioned above. We had another family prayer. Then we waited more for them to get Darrin set up in the SICU so we could come in and see him. They initially told us we could go in 2 at a time, which was standard SICU policy. But around 7:45 they let us all come in together. I guess they decided to just let us all in and get that over with instead of having 2 at a time drag out for a long time. While we were in the SICU with Darrin my dad's Stake Presidency came, and one of his Bishopric counselors with his wife. My dad and all of Darrin's brothers present gave him a blessing.
Darrin had a shaved spot on his head, about 4 inches in diameter, with a pressure monitor sticking straight out of the middle. That was to monitor the pressure on his brain. He had a breathing tube in, which they said he'd had since the helicopter. He had a couple other tubes in his mouth, and several IVs. He had a blanket pulled up to his chin so I couldn't see much other than the breathing tube, the pressure monitor, and a neck brace. He was very swollen all over, and his left eyelid was purple and bruised. I was told he also had one or more PICCs in his chest (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) for administering "blood products" like clotting factors and other medications. He just looked like he was in bad shape, but breathing and good vital signs. His heart rate was in the 90s, and his blood pressure was around 130/80. I don't know what the other numbers on the monitor meant, but they were measuring the oxygen flow to his brain by some means. They said all those numbers were pretty good.
Jared and I left just before 9:00, and my parents, Andrea and Nathan stayed for quite a bit longer. 1:00 or 2:00 AM, I think.
I got a text message from Bitty at 10:30 saying the pressure in Darrin's brain was going up, and there was more blood under his skull. He was going back into surgery. He was in surgery until about 1:00 AM. They removed a flap of his skull to relieve the pressure. They said the bone was bleeding, so I assume by removing that flap of skull they stopped the bleeding and also relieved pressure. They said the brain swells for about 48 hours after trauma, and the hole in his skull would relieve that pressure. My dad says they put the piece of bone in the freezer to replace later.
More on Day 2.
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