Day 4

June 14th, 2017

Just the air on my exposed flesh made it hard to breathe. The doctors and nurses weren’t lying when they said it gets worse before it gets better. June 14th was the day I experienced my first REAL debridement. Once a day, my bandages would be removed, and my skin would be “cleaned” (scraped, peeled, blisters cut off…you get the picture). Keep in mind all the nerve endings are exposed, causing them to be overly sensitive. There is no way to numb the pain other than putting a person under. An extra dose or two of morphine just made my head heavy. For the first time, I experienced pain so overwhelming that I got sick. Violently sick.

My mom became my coach through these daily debridements. She would play worship music, walk around my room, and pray aloud. She filled my room with praise and thanksgiving. That was the greatest resource and weapon we had. I will never be able to thank my mom enough for being there for me. She made it possible to look past the pain and focus on healing.

On top of the pain I was experiencing, this was the day that Jason contracted a severe blood infection. He also had an ample amount of fluid removed from his lungs. It was a rough day for all of us. One that required blinders. Blinders from the “what if” that the enemy kept knocking at the door with. “Don’t answer…don’t buy-in. It is God’s report that I will listen to. On His promises, I will stand.” My mom played the worship song “Do it Again” when I was struggling the previous evening. This was the first time I had heard the song. I laid there weeping in my bed while soaking up the anointing it instantly brought into the room. So when they came to us with the news of Jay’s blood infection and how serious it was…I knew God made a way where there was no way…and He would DO IT AGAIN.

A medical photographer at the U of A hospital came to take photos of Jason and me after our debridement and scans were done. After two years of contemplating if I wanted to see them, I finally decided to send in the request. My file was not difficult to see. I saw and felt in real-time the progress of my burns. However I had not seen Jason without bandages until his final surgery, a month and a half into the process. I had no idea what to expect…

Nothing pains me more than for the flesh of my flesh to hurt. I mean that physically, emotionally…in every way. When Jason is wounded, so am I. When I saw the photos of him, I immediately became sick. Even now, just recalling that moment, my heart rate is accelerating. I cannot describe how much it grieves me to know what he went through. But looking back, and facing the reality of life in those moments, builds my faith. Before my eyes, I saw my husband be woven back together, with the skilled care and hands of his medical staff, and by the divine intervention of God Almighty. The God of ALL flesh, whom nothing is too difficult for.

Sharing these photos with you is to reveal another layer and aid in a greater understanding of our miracle.

After this significant debridement, I was downgraded to under 10%TBSA because the wounds on my back had healed relatively fast. Gowns and masks were no longer necessary for visitors in my room unless they were present during my dressing change in the morning.

I suffered 1st, and deep 2nd (partial thickness) burns.

You will notice major swelling due to injury inflammation and IV treatment.

Jason:

-medically induced comma.

-Major welling due to injury inflammation and IV treatment

-both arms manually "released" due to swelling

-partial and full thickness 2nd and 3rd degree burns to 90% TBSA (very small spot of 4th degree)

(more information to come)

To this day, Jason is grafted (meek and full thickness grafts) over 83% of his body, from his neck down to his knees. His subcutaneous tissue was destroyed from his neck to his waist, meaning that he only has fat cells and sweat glands in few places now. He is only able to sweat from his head, mid-buttocks, back of his thighs, calves and feet. As you can imagine, this poses a challenge in regulating body temperature.

Very few people survive such an injury...