What happened...

There has been so many people who have called and stopped by to support our family with everything that has happened. It means the world to me and it is what is getting us through this experience. In an effort to keep people posted on what is going on with Nate, I have created this blog. I will do my best to update when we know more. For now, I will start from the beginning of how all this started since there are several that don't know.

Sunday was a normal day for us. We attended church like normal and everything seemed fine. My mom and sister were in town (which was a HUGE blessing). My mom had fixed lunch and we all sat at the table and ate. Nate ate normal amounts and ate ice cream after dinner. He was supposed to do the dishes but told me he needed an "ice cream" break and then he would do them. Sneaky guy...he never ended up doing the dishes.

We watched a little tv and then went to bed around 9:00. Around 9:30 Nate told me that he felt dizzy and lightheaded. Within a minute he grabbed his head and said he had the worst headache ever. He kept holding his head and telling me it was the worst headache he has felt. He then started to lose feeling in his right arm and leg. He was extremely pale and clamy. He was unable to get up from the bed so we called 911. The paramedics showed up soon after that. His vitals were fine and everything looked good when they checked him. He was still saying his head hurt but he was aware and was moving. He did not want to go in the ambulance and signed the refusal to take the ride. They thought that maybe he was having a migraine and encouraged us to go in that night. Soon after they left, he started to vomit. We knew he needed to go in. Bless my sweet mother who insisted that we go and would not let us stay home. We put Nate in the car and we left. He was conscious but was still in extreme pain.

We arrived at the Centennial Hills hospital at 11 and checked in. He threw up 6 more times in the ER. The wait was very long and we did not get in to see the doctor until 2:10am. Once I told the ER doctor what had happened, he immediately sent Nate for a CT scan. I knew the results were bad when they came back and shut the door to talk to me.

They told me that Nate has blood on his brain and that he would be transferred to Valley hospital because they have a neurology center. By 5:00am, he had be transferred via ambulance to Valley ER.  They kept him in the ER for a couple hours until the neurologist could see him. That gave us enough time for his 2 brother in laws, Tyler and Kevin, to give him a priesthood blessing. I know Tyler was inspired to say what he did and it brought great comfort to us.

The neurologist saw him around 7:00 and gave us the report. He told us that he had all the signs of an aneurysm and wanted to do an angiogram. The radiologist talked with us about risks that could happen during the angiogram and he went in for the test around 8:30. He was done at 10:00. We were then given the news that he did have an aneurysm and that he was not a candidate for coiling as the doctor had hoped. At that point, we discussed surgery and were told about the procedure and what could happen. We chose to go forward with it and he was taken in for surgery at 11:25am.

The next 5 hours were the longest hours of my life. We were told the surgery would be 3 hours but it ended up being 5 hours. Doctor Douds (the surgeon) came in and gave us the report. He was able to get to the aneurysm and clip it. He did have to move some vessels which could affect his short term memory and his personality. They also had to remove a small part of his brain but luckily it was considered a silent part which mean it was not necessary. He has several staples in his head and drainage tubes coming out of his head.

I was able to see Nate in recovery for a few short minutes. He was still under sedation and didn't even notice I was there. He did open his eyes and look at me but there was no recognition. It broke my heart to see my husband like that.

A few hours later, he was moved to a room in the ICU where he will stay for next 2 weeks. He was awake and talking last night but did not have any idea of what had happened. He didn't not know the severity of what was going on.

He is doing better today (Tuesday) and the doctor is pleased with his progress. We are not out of the woods yet and continue to rely on faith and trust that the Lord will make him whole again.

I am humbled by how many people have called, texted, stopped by and helped. Thank you all so much for your support.

Stacy