Gary's accident update

Friday, June 19 - @5:30 pm

Gary was unloading bales of hay onto the hay conveyor when the chain broke at the top of the conveyor. He pulled the conveyor out of the barn to lower it and fix/replace the broken links at the top of the conveyor by lowering that end to the ground. In the middle of the process, something broke and the entire conveyor collapsed on top of him. I heard the crash and went outside to see what happened. I found him laying under the conveyor, picked it up a few inches and told him to get out from under it. It had knocked him unconscious, so he doesn't remember some of the events. After calling 9-1-1, the first responders and ambulance crews arrived and they decided to air lift him by Mayo One to Rochester. Being it had knocked him unconscious, I was concerned about head injury, it also lacerated his right ear, seriously bruised his right shoulder and upper arm, collapsed a lung and broke 4 ribs.


Saturday, June 20-Tuesday, June 23

Gary spent Father's Day weekend in ICU at St. Mary's with a chest tube in his right side. He was moved to a general surgery/trauma unit room for Sunday afternoon, Monday and Tuesday. His chest X-ray Tuesday a.m. was satisfactory enough for them to discharge him that evening. He came home with prescription Oxycodone and to pick up some Tylenol and Ibuprophen for pain. He's one lucky man...God wasn't quite ready for this tough German just yet!! Thank goodness, because I wasn't ready for him to be gone yet either,...so God answered my prayer!

Sunday, June 27

Gary takes last dose (not all gone in the prescription) Oxycodone...doesn't like the strange feeling it gives him. He'll see if he can tolerate the pain without it for now. Will just continue the Tylenol and Ibuprophen, some ice packs on his shoulder and back.


Sunday, July 5, 2009

Gary's incision site is healing and we return to Rochester on 7/7/09 for a two week checkup X-ray and consult with his Trauma Doctor. We are concerned about his shoulder so we'll be inquiring about that then. He's doing things that I'd prefer he not do, but he's doing them knowing that the more he keeps that up the longer it will take for the ribs to heal properly! He is just not a sit-around and watch TV kind of patient! Although he did mention how nice the chauffering service is that he's getting!

He's received many nice cards, emails, visits, phone calls and much concern about his accident. It's given him an eye-opening experience to remember for a while! He really appreciates everyone's concern about him.