This Angel is Missing His Halo

After 64 days, a little over two months, Jordan's halo was taken off today!! It was earlier than originally planned, but his jaw moved into place quicker than anticipated and we are all overjoyed!!

We drove clear down to Provo for Jordan's first appointment of the day, with Dr. M this morning. Dr. M isn't usually in Provo, but after being in China most of May, he was in Provo doing another clinic and this is the only time we could get our two docs lined up and Dr. M didn't want Jordan to have to deal with the halo longer than necessary.

We had no idea what to expect with the removal of the halo, after all it required a surgery to attach to his head....we followed the instructions given at Jordan's last appointment. We got his prescription for the numbing cream, slathered it on where the screws went into his head and covered it with saran wrap before leaving the house.

It really turned out to be nothing at all in removing the halo. It was probably worse for Matt and I as we sat there watching the doc unscrew these incredibly long screws from his head. We both looked at each other at one point, cringing while remarking at "HOW LONG THOSE SCREWS ARE!"

We got to bring home his halo as a souvenir. Not quite sure what to do with it, but cool...I guess! Matt and Jordan want to sell it on ebay, after all it's titanium! We also learned Jordan isn't quite in the land of freedom, yet. Jordan still has restrictions with food, just not as strict. Mainly, no hard stuff like peanuts, apples, carrots, etc.. Jordan also has to be careful not to get hit in the face, and basically needs to avoid being a rambunctious boy for awhile longer because his bones are still healing and setting. Dr. M also told us that Jordan could have the reconstruction done on his nose in a year/year and a half, and then Jordan would be finished with these surgeries!

Dr. Y was appointment #2 today. This visit was even more surprising because all along Matt and I were under the assumption that the night mask he would be getting was some kind of panty-hose type ski mask (yeah, we're obviously not doctors and misunderstood the doctors when they explained it at the beginning.) It turns out the doc left in the mouth part of the halo, so Jordan has the two prongs still sticking out of his mouth and then some gadget type rubber bands/face plates with hooks attach to the prongs. The good news this is in the wee hours of night that he wears the attachment, so all anyone is going to see is the two prongs. This is for another 6 weeks and then another 6 weeks after that depending on the progress and healing of the bones.

Jordan chose iHop as his first meal! He loved eating bacon, and sausage for the first time in 64 days! He has chosen Dominos Pizza for dinner. He has been craving pizza the most, I think. *Update* Jordan has just informed me that he is still full from iHop and wants his pizza tomorrow!

I am kicking my self for not getting pictures of the halo being removed and THOSE SCREWS, but Matt & I were both sitting with our mouths open watching and didn't think to capture that kodak moment. I did convince Jordan to let me post some picts with his halo on and now with his halo off.
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Still an Angel!




MAY 25th

May 25th is our family's new favorite day! After scheduling, then rescheduling because Dr. M is going to China in May, Jordan is finally getting his halo off on this day!!

Jordan is happy, because when we first heard about Dr. M's China trip, we had to reschedule back to June and Jordan wouldn't have been able to return to school for the last little bit. After seeing Dr. M on Wednesday he said Jordan is healing very quickly and that Jordan has been through so much he shouldn't have to wait any longer than necessary and to work it out with his scheduler for the week of the 25th no matter what. Turns out we're driving clear to Provo cause that's where Dr. M is that week, then driving clear back to Primary Children's for the second part with Dr.Y that same day!

Happy news! We are all happy, and Jordan is doubly happy that he gets to return for the last week of the school year! Other happy news, Jordan got the ok from Dr. M to eat a cheeseburger, as long as he cuts it into teeny, tiny bites. So, Jordan had his first cheeseburger from Wendy's on Wednesday! It's the little things like this that make this boy HaPpY!!

Three Weeks Down.....Nine More to Go!

Actually, we can shave some weeks off our countdown! Jordan saw the Doctor this morning and received some AwEsOmE news.....He is getting the halo off on May 18th!!!!

We were totally shocked, surprised, and floored by this news. Dr."M" is pleased with the progress Jordan has been making and everything is moving into place much quicker than anticipated.

Jordan is beyond ecstatic that when he gets the halo off he gets to eat "REAL FOOD" again, and return to school for the last two weeks of the school year!!

We attribute this progress in his recovery to the many prayers that have been offered on Jordan's behalf and we are so thankful to each every one. We are also very thankful to our loving Heavenly Father, who has given Jordan the strength to go through this journey. And we are thankful for all the love, support, and comfort our Heavenly Father has given Matt and I during this time. The power of prayer is AMAZING!!

Two Weeks Down....Ten More to Go!

Another week has passed. Just in case you forgot what we were counting down, Jordan has ten more weeks until the halo comes off. In the last week we've seen good things happening. And also had a few bumps in his recovery this week. We turned Jordan's "key" for the last time on his halo. HOORAY!! Now we are waiting for the bones in his jaw to re-grow and set. Every time I say that sentence it makes me think of Harry Potter and how he had to drink the "Skele-gro" when the spell to fix his broken arm goes awry and he has to re-grow the bones. If only it was that simple of a recovery for Jordan. The bumps in his recovery start with Jordan deciding to stick his fingers in his mouth Sunday night. He was convinced he had a loose tooth. The second Matt and I saw his fingers in his mouth we both exclaimed in terror, "GET YOUR FINGERS OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" Of course, two minutes later he was crying of pain. We had to give him some pain medication and he still didn't get to sleep until 3 AM. Then by Monday afternoon he had a low-grade fever. He was still complaining of pain and his right cheek was a little more red compared to his left cheek. I have to admit I had a little bit of panic going on inside of me because one of my best friend's sister-in-law got an infection after having a baby and she lost both legs and parts of her hands. Although Jen is an incredible story of survival and strength, knowing what some of her symptoms were made me a little paranoid for Jordan. We put a call into Jordan's doctor, but of course he is on vacation this week. Luckily, he left us in good hands with a fellow doctor. She had Jordan come in first thing Tuesday morning warning us of three possibilities: infection, food caught up in the surgery site, or Jordan could just be getting "plain ol' sick." After doing a thorough check she found no infection and no food!! WHEW!! Turns out Jordan is just getting "plain ol' sick." The doctor told us not to worry about his temperature, unless it spiked past 101. She also told us Jordan would be having his ups and downs with pain for the next ten weeks and the redness is attributed to the swelling that comes and goes. She was very reassuring and said we could call her at any time with any concerns until our regular doctor returns next Tuesday. We actually have an appointment to see him the following morning. Obviously there is some kind of "sick bug" in our home because in the past two days not only has Jordan not been feeling well, but Matt has been coughing and sneezing non-stop. Poor Chloe came home from school not feeling well (we know it's bad if she misses Young Women's!) I don't have "sick bug" symptoms, but I tweaked my neck and it has been annoying me the past week and a half. We're just a sorry bunch right now! Glad we can mark another week off!

Rough Day

Jordan had a rough day. The moment he woke up this morning he was complaining of pain. We gave him some pain medication, and it seemed to help. It was basically a mellow day of watching some Veronica Mars on Netflix and playing Mario on the Wii while he laid on the couch. He said that when he stands up the pain is 10x worse. We're pretty sure the pain is from the adjustment/tightening the Doctor did at the appointment yesterday. He is now off to slumber land thanks to more pain medication. Hoping he wakes up tomorrow without this pain and discomfort......