Betty-Lou underwent an additional 2-1/2 hour surgical debridement at the burn hospital today with the placement of 3 wound vacuums for the most severe burns. Her injuries are much worse than originally thought and she has several 3rd degree burns that required removal of skin and tissue down to the muscle. She will require additional surgery in 4-6 days, then will require skin grafting surgery. We expect her to be in the burn ICU for an extended period of time. Her legs got the worst of it and she is bandaged extensively on both legs.
First the good news. She is now off the ventilator and is no longer on dialysis! Her labs are now normal and her kidney/liver function has recovered. She is awake and did not appear to suffer any neuro or brain damage. She had some ICU delirium but is much better today. She passed her swallowing study and can start a liquid diet.
Now the not so great news. She will remain hospitalized for an extended period of time. Due to extent of burns and her “older” age, she is at significant risk for infection and poor wound healing. The surgeon said her burns are much worse than expected which means more surgery and time in the hospital. We are trying to give her this information very gently as she recovers. Understandably, she is in a great deal of pain. Burn injuries are one of the worst things anyone can survive but we already know she is a fighter and we have faith she will survive this horrendous nightmare. Thank you again for all the amazing love and support. Please please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
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On Thursday, June 11th, my 80-year-old mother suffered a catastrophic accident at her community swimming pool in Arizona. The temperature was over 105 degrees that day, and even though she was there for less than an hour, she passed out in a hot metal lounge chair. A bystander went to check on her and found her unresponsive, so the paramedics were called. Her core body temperature was over 104 when she arrived at the emergency room. She was severely burned and blistered on her chest, arms, legs, abdomen, hands, and feet. Initially, we thought she had second-degree burns, but it turns out she also had third-degree burns, needing surgical debridement and skin graft surgery. She was placed on a ventilator and went into septic shock. She required multiple medications to keep her alive and was started on dialysis. We did not believe she would pull through, but anyone who knows my mom knows she is a tough old bird and will not go down without a fight. She was transferred to Valleywise Burn Center in Phoenix and remains in critical condition. She is about to start one of many burn surgeries that she will need. Once she is able to leave the hospital, she will require around-the-clock nursing care. It isn’t certain she will ever be able to walk again. She will require transportation to the burn clinic, which is one hour away from her house.
Funds raised will be used for her medical bills, rehabilitation, wound care, medications, nursing care, transportation, and likely assisted living. Anything left over from her recovery will be donated to the burn center.
My mother is a giver. She has spent her entire life doing God’s work. She volunteers to help the homeless and is always giving back to her community. She is on a very small social security income and her medical expenses will be an immense burden for her. We are trying to help her financially too but these expenses will surpass anything we can give her. We are reaching out to our loving community to help her get past this horrible accident with financial support. Thank you and God Bless! ooxx