Saturday, September 30, 2006

Weekend update

I was just told that Doctors have completely removed Natalie's tracea tube! This is excellent news and in my opinion will help to keep her healthy and stable by eliminating the open pathway for bacteria.

I have also been told today that while Marc was showing Natalie a photo album that Staci Cavellier had made, she was able to reach up and flip through some of the pages!

Thank you all for continuing to support the family and keeping the comments so positive. It is a huge help to everyone to be able to read such nice words.

Friday, September 29, 2006

BIG DAY!!

Today was especially important in Nat's road to improvement.

I have updated the blog recently stating that Natalie is able to move around a lot more, including her arms, legs, and head. She is also able to detect stimuli more proficiently than she has over the past month and a half. This includes tasks that we may think are simple, but are monumental improvements like wiping saliva off her face or being able to remove and replace her glasses.

Today nurses placed a cap over Natalie's tracea tube enabling her to talk if she is able. She has yet to speak but is currently able to mumble. The addition of this cap is a good sign of improvement for Natalie as well.

Doctors and nurses made the decision to move Natalie to the rehab center on Monday, October 2nd pending any further problems. The center the family has chosen, Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital, is located in Schenectady, NY and is a highly recommended hospital where Natalie will receive the care she needs and deserves.

Please allow the family some time to settle in to the hospital and I will be sure to notify you all once visitors are welcome. At this time I'd like you all to view the rehab center's website to gain a better understanding of the attention she will receive. I commend the family for making such an important decision and firmly feel they've made the right choice.

I will be moving back to Long Island, NY to be closer to both my family and the Foulger family. At this time I feel it is the right thing to do and it would make me happier to be closer to everything that is happening. I will make a brief trip up there in the beginning of October and will move towards the end of the month.

Please keep your comments coming as we will be sure to read them!

Benefit For Nat

"The meeting went very well and the flyers are ready to go out this week-end for
the Run/Walk for Natalie and her family. We have several local sponsors and
friends excited to be of help in any way they can! We expect that this will just be one of many events to come!

Flyers with registration forms can be picked up at most local schools in the area, Kinney's, Subway, Rod's, several local churches and other local businesses. Mail the registration form and entry fee to Zoe Cook, South Jefferson Central School, PO Box 10 Route 11, Adams, NY 13605. Make checks payable to Marc or Tina Foulger. Participants will be expected to sign a waiver on the day of the event. For more information or to register by phone, call Mary Porter at 788-8421.

The event will be Oct. 15th from 2:00-4:00 with new registrations beginning at
1:00. Entry fees are $20 for pre-registration and $25 for the day of the event. Donations are accepted. T-shirts will be provided to the first 100 registrants. The 3 mile event will be held at the South Jefferson Clarke Building Cross Country Course. Rain or shine. The run will begin at 2:00 with the walk commencing at 2:15.

Water and Gatorade will be available for purchase also. As always, Nat is in everyone's prayers. We know that God can provide more than we could possibly imagine and we are all counting on his blessings to be abundant for all of you."
Jill Weise

Thank you, Jill, for setting up this amazing event!

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

Benefit Run for Natalie

I received an email from Jill Weise about a benefit run for Natalie. Details are as follows:

Family friends plan to hold an organizational meeting on Thursday September 28th at 6:30PM in the South Jefferson High School study hall room (across from the auditorium). They plan to sponsor a 3 mile cross country run/walk at South Jefferson's cross country course on October 15th from 2PM - 4PM.

The details will be more concrete after the meeting and I will update you all once I hear back from Jill.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

*Tina said...

Hi all

yesterday, Monday 25th September, Natalie had to go into surgery as she had a pin sized hole in her pelvic scar. Unfortunately the doctors found the hole to go through many layers of skin. In order to rectify this an overlapping of skin layers was done and Nat was given internal "beads" of antibiotics that will slow release into the affected area over the next six weeks. Of course the down side to this is she will have to have another surgery to remove the "beads" and her pelvic plate will probably have to be replaced due to the bacteria in the area.
Nat had a very restless night last night after the surgery but she continues to try her hardest to recover. Please keep your kind thoughts and prayers coming.
A special thanks to our food/laundry and accommodation crew!
love and gratitude
Tina (Mum)

*this is a comment placed in the blog by Natalie's mother

Thanks for the update, Tina!

Sunday, September 24, 2006

*Natalie's current status

"Since Natalie’s condition has changed in many, many little ways, since she first arrived at this hospital, I thought it might be a good idea to summarize her current status. Natalie remains in a “semi-coma” or “lightened coma” and is in the long and often very slow process of “coma emergence”. She is not aware of most of what is going on around her. She breathes on her own through her trach and can cough, yawn and swallow. She originally had no muscle tone and could not move, now her muscle tone is gradually returning, but she is clearly weaker on her left side than on her right side. She can move her right arm and hand freely, although her control over it is hampered by tremors. This arm and hand is very active, and tends to pull at her various tubes a lot! Her left arm and hand can move, but the muscles pull very tight most of the time so that her arm is usually fully bent at the elbow and the fingers tightly curled in the hand, it is impossible to straighten this arm out fully. She now has a special spring loaded splint that she wears for several hours a day on this arm, which will gradually straighten the arm. Natalie recently began to move her right leg, though she mostly just bends the knee and pulls her foot up, we straighten it several times a day to try to prevent it becoming as tight as her left elbow. She cannot move her left leg. Although both feet are in casts she sometimes moves her toes. She can now also move her neck, and is beginning to hold her head up when sitting in the wheelchair. Natalie opens her eyes fully and looks around, but it is not always clear what she sees. Sometimes she will focus on specific things or on people and sometimes will track them if they move. She responds to familiar voices and at least sometimes seems to understand what is said to her or in front of her. She can open and close her mouth and make facial expressions. She likes to have her teeth cleaned and her neck massaged. She does not like any of her various tubes. Her trach has a small plastic hose that brings moistened air to keep it from drying out. She has a PICC (Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter) in her right arm, through which she receives nourishment and some medicines. She has a “J tube” in her belly for feeding, but it is not working right now because doctors have still been unable to get it correctly positioned inside her. And of course she has a catheter.


Natalie has a special wheelchair that can recline and has a head support. She sits in the chair for an hour every day, or goes downstairs for physical therapy. Natalie needs to be fully supported when being lifted in or out of the chair or when sitting on a platform for therapy. The objectives of the therapy are to increase the range of motion of her limbs and to stimulate her to help with the process of coma emergence. As soon as she is medically stable she will be transferred to a specialized rehab center where she can get more specialized and intensive therapy. She will start in a coma stimulation program, and if she emerges from the coma more she will graduate to a traumatic brain injury program. The ultimate goal is to try to get her fully aware and better enough that she can come home, for the remaining months or years of therapy."


*This update has been provided by Natalie's father.

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Natalie's day

Today proved the new feeding method unsuccessful. Doctors will continue to feed Natalie through the PICC line for the time being. Natalie has been moving around a lot more frequently, including her arms, legs and even her head. The only remaining issue is her nourishment, which will hopefully be resolved shortly.

Please continue to leave comments for Natalie!

Friday, September 22, 2006

Different feeding method

Doctors placed a smaller feeding tube directly into Natalie's intestine as a replacement to the PICC line feeding method. Natalie still has the PICC line in her arm but nurses are trying to nourish her through the smaller tube as this will make it easier for her when she is at rehab.

More updates tomorrow!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Coma continued

Based on the fact that Nat still is in the coma I will assume she is closest to level 3 of the Rancho Levels of Cognitive Functioning:

Level 3

Localized Response

Total Assistance Demonstrates withdrawal or vocalization to painful stimuli. Turns toward or away form auditory stimuli. Blinks when strong light crosses visual field. Follows moving object passed within visual field. Responds to discomfort by pulling tubes or restraints. Responds inconsistently to simple commands. Responses directly related to type of stimulus. May respond to some persons (especially family and friends) but not to others

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Coma

Actually, there is a link I used previously on this blog that describes Natalie's current state as 'coma emergence'. I feel that this page fully describes the different stages and what happens or can happen during them. The link can be found here

Update from Dad

"Nat had a good day today, after a bit of a rough night with elevated blood pressure and some signs of discomfort. This afternoon nurses put her in a wheelchair again, but this time they took her down to the rehab center on the second floor! We went with her and she had an hour of therapy down there, sitting on a platform, stretching, and slowly following a couple of commands (push up with your arm, look over at Dad, etc). After she got back to her room she was exhausted and went right to sleep!"

No new updates

No new updates for Tuesday the 19th, I will post news tonight around 8:30PM.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Today's update

Today, Natalie was moved into a larger room on the seventh floor. In solution to her nutrition problem, Doctors re-inserted a PICC line into her chest and are feeding her through a process known as Total Parenteral Nutrition or TPN for short. The PICC line will remain as Natalie's food supplier for about six weeks. Nurses are saying that this setback will delay her move to rehab but have not disclosed how long. I will most definitely update the blog once this is known.

As for the comment about the laundry, meals, and hotel expenses:
No one person is orchestrating the services. Laundry has been done by Alyssa's family and the Cavaliers among others. Meals have been provided by many including Al's mother and godparents and Michelle of the Vision Center to name a few. And the hotel expenses were assumed by Al's mother, my mother, and I believe the Hartwick Lacrosse team as well. If I am leaving anybody out I sincerely apologize, it is just that there are so many of you kind, helpful people lending a hand that it is impossible for me to remember you all!

I would like to take a brief moment to thank you all again on behalf of the Foulgers for making these difficult times a little less worrisome.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Rehab Query #2

As long as Natalie is responding to stimuli and verbal commands (which she has been) she can be transferred to a rehab center. Once the family decides on a facility I will update the blog with that information.

PEG issue

Over the past few days, Natalie has been experiencing problems with her stomach PEG. These problems peaked today when her PEG displaced itself three times. As a result Nat has not been able to receive any nutrition to her stomach. The temporary solution is to pump nutrients into her bloodstream using her IV, which doctors are doing for the time being. Doctors were unable to find any problems through x-rays and will be conducting a procedure involving dyes to locate and isolate the issue. This will place a small damper on her move to the rehab facility but I think it is better that these problems are caught and dealt with while she is still at Upstate Medical.

I will update you all as soon as I hear more news.

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Family posts

tina A.K.A. Nat's Mum said...
Mike what a wonderful job you continue to do. I am relieved to have all my children together again. We all continue to be overwhelmed by everyone's generosity toward both Nat and our family. Natalie is about to go in for her foot surgery. She has to have her tendons cut as she has dropped foot, (her feet have become angled down) the feet will be cast after the surgery and hopefully this will allow her feet to straighten in the correct manner. Keep up the blog responses as we too check them several times a day.
many thanks again.


Ann (Nat's Aunt) said...
I have been with the family for almost 2 weeks now, Nat has been here for over 4 weeks and the generosity, concern and practical help everyone has continued to give has overwhelmed me. This family would be so much worse off without the meals and amazing laundry service that has been co-ordinated by the lovely people that care so much. This will all help Nat as it helps us all to keep going by not having to worry about that side of things. Yes Nat is better than we could have expected but we have such a long road to travel and with your continued support I am sure she will make it. You know Nat she is a determined young lady. Thanks again to all of you who are too numerous to name. Thanks to Mike for this blog, you are becoming quite the journalist - love you lots xx

Ann (Nat's Aunt) said...
I fogot to mention the extreme generosity of the people who have paid for the hotel room for us in my message yesterday. Apologies for that, it is of course the most wonderful thing to have somewhere comfortable to come back to after and between our shifts at Nat's bedside. Thank you so much xxx

Friday, September 15, 2006

Foot Surgery

For those of you that haven't read Tina's comment on the message board, Natalie had to undergo surgery on her feet today. Her toes had curled downward as if one were to stand on their 'tippy toes'. Because of this surgeons had to cut her Achille's tendon to relieve the tension and correct the form of her feet. The surgery was led again by Dr. Simpson, the same surgeon who had performed her pelvic operation. The healing time for this type of procedure is similar to the time it will take Natalie's pelvis to heal (about 6 weeks). By the time her pelvis is ready to support her weight (not much to worry about!) her feet should be ready to guide her.

Natalie has been moved again, thanks to Dr. Simpson, to the 7th floor orthopedic wing where she will receive better care than the previous floor she was on. There are plans to move her to rehab once she has recovered from her latest surgery. Again, I will let you all know once the Foulger's have agreed upon a facility.

Thanks, all, for your compliments and please continue to leave comments for the Foulgers!

Rehab Query

I will not post any updates about rehab until the Foulgers have agreed upon a facility. Once we know for sure I will post the facility's address pending the allowance of visitors and gifts (I'm sure there won't be a problem).

Thursday, September 14, 2006

not much of an update

Not much of an update today - Natalie is stable and looking physically better as each day passes.

Rebecca reached Syracuse around 5:30PM today, she drove for about 12 hours straight, only stopping for gas.

Questions

Nat has been off the ventilator for a while now and is no longer receiving additional oxygen through the trach tube. She has been breathing on her own for quite some time.

The address is still the same. If you are sending something, leave off the old wing number, it should look something like this:

Natalie Foulger
University Hospital
750 East Adams Street
Syracuse, NY
13210-1834

On the right side of this blog there is a section named 'links'. Here I have placed all of the links that have appeared throughout the blog as an easy way to locate them. If you haven't done so already please take some time to browse through the links and understand a bit more of Natalie's injury and current condition. Thanks for the suggestion, Marc!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Amazing progress!

Today Natalie was moved from the stepdown ICU to the hospital's 5th floor, a general care wing. Because of her regulatory levels, nurses removed her central line, which monitored her heart rate and blood pressure among other things. Nat still has an IV in her wrist for administering medication. This obviously brings Natalie closer to the rehabilitation stage where she will hopefully regain a majority of her functions.

Rebecca is currently resting at a motel in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is about 680 miles from Syracuse which translates roughly to 10 hours at an average speed of 70mph. The weather forecast for tomorrow is thunderstorms up the east coast so she may stop to rest tomorrow night as well, pending the road conditions and her location by 5PM.

clarification

Nat pulled the drains out herself. It isn't the first time she's expressed her discomfort in that way. One time I was at her side while she still had the metal wire construction holding her pelvis together and she was squeezing the bar so tightly I had trouble prying her off. She is alert enough to know what is bothering her. There is always someone in her room whether it be a family member, nurse, or doctor so there is no need to worry that she will do herself any harm.

I hope this clarifies the previous post a bit!

Becca left Florida this morning at 6AM and I believe she will drive until 6 or 7PM and then stop to rest.

More updates around 8!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Another good day

Overall Natalie had a good day today.

Doctors had placed small drains inside Natalie's bladder after the minor surgery to prevent infection and further problems; Today Natalie pulled those drains out. After Doctors examined her bladder they realized there was no longer a need for the drains and did not replace them.

Natalie has been increasingly expressive. This story is another brief example of that. It also contributes to the belief that her coma is lightening as she is preparing to awaken herself.

Rebecca will be driving back to Syracuse tomorrow from Florida. She has a long journey ahead of her (about 24 hours) but I will keep you all updated on her status as well.

Thank you all for reading and posting your comments, keep it up, because I will make sure Nat reads them all when she is ready!

Natalie's Ankle

Today nurses removed Natalie's fabric 'boots' when they noticed sores beginning to develop. Because of this Nat was in a bit of pain today and it was made apparent due to the increase in her heart rate. Nurses are collaboratively working to keep her levels stable and have been successful thus far in doing so.

Please read the previous post titled "Special Thanks to First Responders". This was posted by Natalie's parents.

Updates to follow...

Monday, September 11, 2006

Watertown Daily Times

Today's paper included the article titled "Web site offers updates on jogger struck by car" and covers brief updates of the Foulger family. Much thanks to Norah Machia for writing the article and to Rick Pominville for providing us with downloadable copies of the story.

You can download the article here in Microsoft Word format,
or here in PDF format.

Special Thanks to First Responders

On behalf of all of us in Natalie’s family we would like to say a special thank you to all of the First Responders and others who were at the accident scene, particularly Tom Mcalleese, Steve Andrews of Unit 710th BSB, EMT Howard Reiger, Dr. Jim Willis and his stepdaughter Lisa, and the Town of Watertown Fire Department Rescue Squad led by Chief Charlie Dillon, including David Pechey and other paramedics whose names we do not yet know. Your fast response, quick thinking, expert training and courageous actions saved our beautiful daughter’s life that night. No words can express the depth of our gratitude. We hope to meet you all as soon as we can return to Watertown for a few days.

Marc & Tina

 

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Sunday night update

I picked Rebecca up at Fort Lauderdale Airport this morning. She will be here until Tuesday when she will drive her car back to Syracuse.

Not much news to report tonight... Nat's heart rate is stable and her temperature is returning to normal. She has been moving around a lot and responding sporatically to verbal commands (thumbs up, two fingers, move your arm, etc.). This is obviously a good sign and means that she is getting ready to be moved from the hospital to a rehab center where she will undergo physical therapy.

Please let me know if you have any unanswered questions and I will do my best to post the answers.

Cards

Natalie's temporary address at the hospital is:

Natalie Foulger 7C
University Hospital
750 East Adams Street
Syracuse, NY
13210-1834

You can use this address to send get well cards; I will notify you all if this changes.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Message from Mom and Dad

Natalie is slowly recovering from a severe brain injury, and is in what is called “coma emergence”. During this phase it is important that Natalie not be subject to over-stimulation. As a result, she is only allowed to see immediate family members (which includes Al of course). We really appreciate all the love and support everyone has given to Nat and to us as a family. We welcome you to visit us, but please understand that you will not be able to visit with Nat at this stage of her recovery.

Friday, September 08, 2006

New food

Doctors began administering Natalie's lactose free food today thus eliminating any threats of allergic reactions.

Physical therapy came in to see Nat and were able to support her sitting upright in order to refamiliarize her with different positions. Once she is able to succesfully sit upright (and follow verbal commands) she can be put in a wheelchair and be sent off to rehab where they will work on strengthening her muscles and motor skills.

Facial expressions continued again, today, and her heart rate has been stable and relatively low compared to the past few days.

More miracles to follow!

Article in the Watertown Daily Times

I have been in contact with Ms. Norah Machia, a reporter for the Watertown Daily Times. She contacted me via this blog and will be writing an article about Natalie and the family.

The story will be featured in Saturday or Sunday's paper. Once the article hits I will also place a link to it on this blog for those of you in another area.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Monetary Fund

Many of you have asked about a monetary fund for Natalie. At this time the Foulgers are unable to set up anything in her name because she is over 18 and would need to be present to 'sign off' on the account. Because of this, Marc and Tina have opened an account especially for Nat. If you so wish to contribute to this account please send a check to The Foulgers at their home address:


Marc and Tina Foulger
16731 County Route 155
Watertown, NY 13601


Thank you again for all your support.

Minor Surgery Results

Natalie's surgery, scheduled for 8AM started a half hour early this morning. Doctor's found a small hole in her bladder that they said will heal on its own in a few weeks. Other than that, the surgery was a success, eliminating the risk of infection in that area.

Natalie's facial expressions continued today as doctors raised her morphine drip to calm her down and ease the pain.

Doctors also put an air cast on Natalie's left ankle as a precaution. This is the ankle that Orthopedists repaired during the pelvic surgery.

Keep your comments coming as we know Nat will surely read them when she is able!

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

After speaking with Becca today, here is the update:

Natalie is still experiencing persistent problems with her high heart rate and temperature but nurses and doctors are working together to try and isolate and resolve the issue.

She is becoming increasingly more alert, resulting in minor facial expressions! The hospital's on staff physical therapist came by to review her improvement and was again pleased at her current status.

Natalie will undergo a quick surgery on her bladder where doctors will drain out an infection to prevent any further complications - The infection partially developed from the pelvic surgery on August 29. When the orthopedist, Dr. Simpson, saw Natalie today he commented on her wonderful progress in the week since he last saw her and confirmed that he believes she is nearing the end of her coma.

We all know how persistent Nat can be, lets keep praying that she follows this same remarkable path!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Update!

Today Natalie was moved from the Intensive Care Unit to 'step down' ICU - Wing 7C. This is for patients that still need much attention but are well enough to be out of the actual ICU. Good news all around!!

The family had help from the Cappons moving three weeks worth of accumulated gifts, food, and cards to the hotel room.

Kyle, Nat's brother headed back to school today. He is at Hartwick College, about two hours away, and will be there whenever he is needed. You're a great brother, Kyle.

Keep up the good work Nat, we're all pulling for you!

Monday, September 04, 2006

The Family

Some of you have asked about Nat's family as well.

Marc and Tina are currently at the hospital with Rebecca, Kyle, and Nat's boyfriend Al - and a myriad of visitors. They have been taking turns staying overnight in the sixth floor ICU waiting room or at the Sheraton Hotel on Syracuse's campus. The only times Nat is ever without visitors is at night - the nurses had decided it would be better if we gave her quiet time to rest - and also to help Natalie differentiate as best as she can between the times of day.

There have been several visitors, each bringing their own gifts (foods, games, even an air mattress which Tina uses nightly!) and helping however they can. The amount of love the Foulger's have been shown is tremendous and it touches me to know that they have so much great support.

I flew with Rebecca to Syracuse once we heard about Nat's accident and stayed there for about two weeks. I am now in Florida and am writing all updates upon talking with the family, primarily Becca.

Aunt Ann had just arrived around 10PM today, September 4, and immediately went into Nat's room to check on her condition.

I haven't talked to Becs much today because I want her to have time to catch her Aunt up with everything thats been happening but if there are any updates, I will do my best to post them as soon as possible.

I appreciate all the comments you're all leaving, please feel free to let me know if there is anything you think I should include on the blog. Thanks all!

Slow and Steady wins the race

Natalie's progress has been remarkable. She is currently under care of nurses that are focusing on her moving forward and are working together to try and wake Nat out of her coma. If they are successful Natalie will be moved out of the Intensive Care Unit and down to the Neurology floor - a great sign! Lets all keep praying that she does as well as she has been and please feel free to leave comments.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

High heart rates

Today nurses focused primarily on regulating Natalie's increased heart rates. Ideally they would like her between 80 and 100 beats per minute but her rate averaged 140bpm today. They also finally found a solution for her dietary problem.

Because of Natalie's intolerance to lactose, they will order a soy based meal replacement this Tuesday as opposed to the dairy one she is currently receiving.

More updates to come...

Friday, September 01, 2006

no news is good news

Not much news to report today...
Nurses and respiratory specialists worked together to maintain Natalie's breathing and heart rates.