Archive
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
July 19 Scootlanta > Johnson Family Benefit
We are still having Scootlanta this week.
We're going to give the hospital staff a break and commiserate at Thinking Man Tavern. Please take this opportunity to talk to each other, lean on each other, love each other, have a drink and donante the balance of your beer money (and then some) to the raffle. We have prizes this week, and all proceeds from the raffle to to the Johnsons.
As we continue to watch Zac's progress, all of us in Scootlanta can get together and talk it all through, as a sort of group therapy.
Thinking Man Tavern
Located at : 537 W. Howard Avenue Decatur, GA.
The phone number is : 404-370-1717
Time : 7:30 p.m. until ??
If you can come, please see an Imperial for raffle tickets or to donate. This will not be our usual 50/50 raffle, but we will have prizes.
Also, don't forget that it's Ride to Work Day. Many of us haven't ridden since Sunday - maybe we should make a point of doing it...
Thank you - sadie
We're going to give the hospital staff a break and commiserate at Thinking Man Tavern. Please take this opportunity to talk to each other, lean on each other, love each other, have a drink and donante the balance of your beer money (and then some) to the raffle. We have prizes this week, and all proceeds from the raffle to to the Johnsons.
As we continue to watch Zac's progress, all of us in Scootlanta can get together and talk it all through, as a sort of group therapy.
Thinking Man Tavern
Located at : 537 W. Howard Avenue Decatur, GA.
The phone number is : 404-370-1717
Time : 7:30 p.m. until ??
If you can come, please see an Imperial for raffle tickets or to donate. This will not be our usual 50/50 raffle, but we will have prizes.
Also, don't forget that it's Ride to Work Day. Many of us haven't ridden since Sunday - maybe we should make a point of doing it...
Thank you - sadie
posted by Update at 6:56 PM 3 comments
Tuesday evening
I learned a bit more about what exactly is going on. Zac's vitals are strong. They started feeding him some sort of glutemate substance through a tube. He is breathing a little bit on his own, but the machine is still doing most of the work. This allows the body to concentrate on rest and repair instead of focusing its energy on maintaining stability. He is moving his left side more and more. He has also moved his right leg some. His right arm is still immobile, but with the large abrasion on his right shoulder, I can understand why. We played some Desmond Dekker softly in his room and he moved his hand during "Israelites". He is surely skanking his heart out.
According to the nurse on duty, the third and fourth days are sort of hump days as far as swelling goes. They are planning to keep him drugged until after his plastic surgery on Thursday. They don't want to take him off and, two days later, put him right back under. Plus, with being so combative every time they drop his dosage, they don't want to risk further damage in this crucial period. Zac? Combative? I don't believe it. He's more like a pissed off tiger who's been eating gasoline and gunpowder for breakfast.
His temperature is continually fluctuating, but isn't of much concern to the staff. The nurse explained that in this time period, the part of the brain that regulates the body's temperature doesn't know exactly what it is supposed to do. The leakage from his nostrils is continuing. The nurse reiterated that they don't know if it is his sinuses or spine leaking, and they won't know for sure until after Thursday's surgery. She is just glad it is coming out his nose instead of draining into his brain and increasing the chance of swelling.
Dennis and I are still here and Chris is on his way. Cathy is heading home and Yvette is soon to follow. Zac's mom, Julie, left earlier today for the first time. She is due back this evening.
If you are planning on returning this evening, please note that the nurses have requested that we stick to the 2 person limit on Zac's in room visitation.
Love,
Tricia
According to the nurse on duty, the third and fourth days are sort of hump days as far as swelling goes. They are planning to keep him drugged until after his plastic surgery on Thursday. They don't want to take him off and, two days later, put him right back under. Plus, with being so combative every time they drop his dosage, they don't want to risk further damage in this crucial period. Zac? Combative? I don't believe it. He's more like a pissed off tiger who's been eating gasoline and gunpowder for breakfast.
His temperature is continually fluctuating, but isn't of much concern to the staff. The nurse explained that in this time period, the part of the brain that regulates the body's temperature doesn't know exactly what it is supposed to do. The leakage from his nostrils is continuing. The nurse reiterated that they don't know if it is his sinuses or spine leaking, and they won't know for sure until after Thursday's surgery. She is just glad it is coming out his nose instead of draining into his brain and increasing the chance of swelling.
Dennis and I are still here and Chris is on his way. Cathy is heading home and Yvette is soon to follow. Zac's mom, Julie, left earlier today for the first time. She is due back this evening.
If you are planning on returning this evening, please note that the nurses have requested that we stick to the 2 person limit on Zac's in room visitation.
Love,
Tricia
posted by Update at 5:35 PM 7 comments
Keep It Coming!
We want to thank everyone who has given so far to the Zac Johnson fund, but we need to keep this coming. Zac has NO long term disability plan, so not a penny is coming in from his job, nor will it be. His wife, who is being so strong through this, is out on maternity leave from having their first child less than two weeks ago. As a result she is getting only about 50% of her regular pacycheck, and that is only for a few more weeks. After that....well, you can see why we all need to pitch in right now.
Also, as someone who has been in motorcycle accidents, I can tell you that anyone on two wheels gets screwed when it comes to insurance. After my motorcycle insurance and health inurance paid all that they would pay, I still got stuck with over $40,000 in medical bills. And my wreck wasn't 1/10th as bad as Zac's. Also in GA you cannot sue the insurance company for more than the policy was for, and that can be as small as sometimes $20,000.
Please, help. Zac's family has the same concern that all of us as friends have more than anything else - for him to get better. But I know if it was me laying there, my only concern would be "who is taking care of my family?" We've all got to step in and take care of his family right now. All of us. Please give anything you can, every little bit counts.
Also, as someone who has been in motorcycle accidents, I can tell you that anyone on two wheels gets screwed when it comes to insurance. After my motorcycle insurance and health inurance paid all that they would pay, I still got stuck with over $40,000 in medical bills. And my wreck wasn't 1/10th as bad as Zac's. Also in GA you cannot sue the insurance company for more than the policy was for, and that can be as small as sometimes $20,000.
Please, help. Zac's family has the same concern that all of us as friends have more than anything else - for him to get better. But I know if it was me laying there, my only concern would be "who is taking care of my family?" We've all got to step in and take care of his family right now. All of us. Please give anything you can, every little bit counts.
posted by Update at 2:31 PM 0 comments
Tuesday's update
Dennis and I arrived at the hospital at 1:00 in the afternoon to be welcomed by the weary but hopeful family. Zac's condition hadn't changed too much since yesterday evening. His temperature had risen to 101 degrees during the night but is now at 99 degrees. This morning they noticed fluid leaking from his tubeless nostril. The nurse wasn't sure if it was spinal fluid or normal leakage from his sinuses. They turned him more to the side and the leakage has subsided. Zac's scheduled with an excellent plastic surgeon for Thursday at 1:00pm, who will address the issue of the facial fractures by inserting plates. If the leakage stops after the surgery, we know that the leakage is indeed from his sinuses. If the leakage continues, the neurosurgeon will drain his spinal fluid. We don't really know what that means. The neurosurgeon stopped by this morning and reiterated that there is no swelling in his brain and that it very, very good.
As far as appearances, his swelling is continuing to recede. He is still occasionally moving his left arm and has started moving his left leg. It is good that he is moving, but all the movement is on the left side, which is not normally the dominant side. We are still hoping that the right side will catch up soon.
Thanks to all who stopped by last night. I'm sure filling the waiting room with loving friends was wonderful for Zac's mother in this trying time. Thanks to Lindsey and Officer Colthorp for stopping by this afternoon. The hospital has wireless and I have my laptop so I will keep rolling out updates.
Yvette says, "Thanks for the thoughts, prayers, and support. Zac will appreciate it."
Love and Hope,
Tricia
As far as appearances, his swelling is continuing to recede. He is still occasionally moving his left arm and has started moving his left leg. It is good that he is moving, but all the movement is on the left side, which is not normally the dominant side. We are still hoping that the right side will catch up soon.
Thanks to all who stopped by last night. I'm sure filling the waiting room with loving friends was wonderful for Zac's mother in this trying time. Thanks to Lindsey and Officer Colthorp for stopping by this afternoon. The hospital has wireless and I have my laptop so I will keep rolling out updates.
Yvette says, "Thanks for the thoughts, prayers, and support. Zac will appreciate it."
Love and Hope,
Tricia
posted by Update at 1:32 PM 6 comments
Sending Thoughts or Donations
In case you're new to PayPal - Just log in with your info, click on the Send Money tab, and use zacsfund@yahoo.com as the PayPal address/account.
If you don't do PayPal, or if you'd like to send cards or other items to Zac's family, the address is:
Yvette & Zac Johnson
1365 Lywellen Court
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
Many thanks to those who have already donated and forwarded the information on to others. Thank you for taking care of Yvette and Reagan.
If you don't do PayPal, or if you'd like to send cards or other items to Zac's family, the address is:
Yvette & Zac Johnson
1365 Lywellen Court
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
Many thanks to those who have already donated and forwarded the information on to others. Thank you for taking care of Yvette and Reagan.
posted by Update at 11:07 AM 2 comments
Monday, July 17, 2006
Gwinnett Medical Center Details
Zac is in Neuroscience/ICU room 1 at Gwinnett Medical Center . Visiting is restricted between 6am- 8am and 6pm-8pm; otherwise you are free to visit at any time, though they encourage patient rest between 10pm-6am.
posted by Update at 4:38 PM 3 comments
Monday Afternoon Update
Yvette shared:
12:52 p.m.
"His dad said they tried twice to take him off the paralyzing drugs. He started to move but couldn't respond to questions so they put him back on the drugs. He looks relaxed today."
3:28 p.m.
"He looks much better today. The swelling above his eye is way down, as is the swelling all over his head. He moves his arms periodically but no other movement besides that. They will try to ween him again tomorrow and want him to rest today."
12:52 p.m.
"His dad said they tried twice to take him off the paralyzing drugs. He started to move but couldn't respond to questions so they put him back on the drugs. He looks relaxed today."
3:28 p.m.
"He looks much better today. The swelling above his eye is way down, as is the swelling all over his head. He moves his arms periodically but no other movement besides that. They will try to ween him again tomorrow and want him to rest today."
posted by Update at 3:40 PM 0 comments
PayPal Account Info
Kirk posted:
"Now I know Yvette or Zac both wouldn't want to take anything from anyone...we all know how much they give to us without asking anything in return. But I can tell you from experience, that financial problems follow very shortly after medical ones. I have posted on a few other boards, but please - Yvette has so much to worry about right now, the last thing she needs to worry about is money.
Please donate whatever you can via paypal to zacsfund@yahoo.com
Thanks, everyone."
"Now I know Yvette or Zac both wouldn't want to take anything from anyone...we all know how much they give to us without asking anything in return. But I can tell you from experience, that financial problems follow very shortly after medical ones. I have posted on a few other boards, but please - Yvette has so much to worry about right now, the last thing she needs to worry about is money.
Please donate whatever you can via paypal to zacsfund@yahoo.com
Thanks, everyone."
posted by Update at 2:57 PM 0 comments
July 16, 2006 - Info from Kirk
Here's what's going on, and a little more detail on what happened. I'll start with what happened. Zac and New Orleans Steve (aka sleazy Steve - he's on Stellaspeed) were riding in Stone Mountain, GA riding to meet Jeff Hyatt (The Jeff from CA that used to work at SPD out there but lives here now) at CycleGear, where Jeff works. They were riding when a woman coming the opposite way made a left in front of Zac. She had never stopped, and gave no indication she was turning, so Zac had no time to react. He hit her passenger side very hard, and being a kind of large SUV, he didn't get to fly over it, he slammed into it very hard, damaging the car badly and destroying the bike in the process.
Him and the bike flew off to the left. Sleazy Steve was about two car lengths behind and had little time to react himself, he had to lay the bike down to not hit the SUV or Zac. He is OK, but did receive an injured wrist and leg, and his bike is also messed up.
Zac had been wearing full gear, armored jacket, gloves, pants, boots, and he had the best helmet he could get. If not for that he wouldn't have even made it until the paramedics showed up. Behind the lady that hit Zac was a motorcyclist who saw the whole thing. He had honked his horn because he saw the bikes coming and was trying to warn the lady, but to no avail. Before Sleazy had even finished sliding, he said he saw the motorcyclist on top of Zac with his cell phone dialing 911.
Zac was unconscious for a full 15 minutes. When the paramedics arrived, Zac was moving and moaning some but was mostly just thrashing around, he was not at all able to talk or communicate.
He was that way all the way in to the ER, where they gave him medication to paralize him, so that the breathing machines could breathe for him. By the time I got there my first impression was that he was in a drug-induced coma, but the doctor said that no, he was in a coma from the head trama. He would still like, twitch his arm when you touch it, and twitch his chest when I put my hand on him, so there is something going on there.
He has some pretty bad facial fractures and a lot of swelling. He has a skull fracture at the bottom left rear of his skull that extends two directions, one of them to the base of the skull and up to the part of the skull that the brain rests on. They gave him a lot of sedatives just in case he could feel stuff, so the twitching stopped and he is just kinda laying there now.
We've been waiting all day for a nuerologist - but this hospital had none on call today, and the hospitals that did have one on call were COMPLETELY full...as in emergency surgeries at these hospitals were literally sitting in the hallways for hours waiting to even be seen by a doctor. Just bad timing.
I am home now, but heading back - the good news is we have a scooterist doctor who started raising hell and managed to get a bed and a nuerologist at Gwinette Medical Center, so they are transferring him now, and that's where I am going.
It may be tonight or tomorrow that the nuerologist will do the tests to see how bad it is. They will ween him off the sedatives and check pupilary response, stuff like that. They are only able to check in one eye since the other is swollen shut from the facial fractures.
I'll report as soon as I know something. Thanks for all the well wishes, we are passing them on to Zac and hoping he can hear us, that he wakes up soon, and that when he wakes up we have the same old Zac we all know and love.
Him and the bike flew off to the left. Sleazy Steve was about two car lengths behind and had little time to react himself, he had to lay the bike down to not hit the SUV or Zac. He is OK, but did receive an injured wrist and leg, and his bike is also messed up.
Zac had been wearing full gear, armored jacket, gloves, pants, boots, and he had the best helmet he could get. If not for that he wouldn't have even made it until the paramedics showed up. Behind the lady that hit Zac was a motorcyclist who saw the whole thing. He had honked his horn because he saw the bikes coming and was trying to warn the lady, but to no avail. Before Sleazy had even finished sliding, he said he saw the motorcyclist on top of Zac with his cell phone dialing 911.
Zac was unconscious for a full 15 minutes. When the paramedics arrived, Zac was moving and moaning some but was mostly just thrashing around, he was not at all able to talk or communicate.
He was that way all the way in to the ER, where they gave him medication to paralize him, so that the breathing machines could breathe for him. By the time I got there my first impression was that he was in a drug-induced coma, but the doctor said that no, he was in a coma from the head trama. He would still like, twitch his arm when you touch it, and twitch his chest when I put my hand on him, so there is something going on there.
He has some pretty bad facial fractures and a lot of swelling. He has a skull fracture at the bottom left rear of his skull that extends two directions, one of them to the base of the skull and up to the part of the skull that the brain rests on. They gave him a lot of sedatives just in case he could feel stuff, so the twitching stopped and he is just kinda laying there now.
We've been waiting all day for a nuerologist - but this hospital had none on call today, and the hospitals that did have one on call were COMPLETELY full...as in emergency surgeries at these hospitals were literally sitting in the hallways for hours waiting to even be seen by a doctor. Just bad timing.
I am home now, but heading back - the good news is we have a scooterist doctor who started raising hell and managed to get a bed and a nuerologist at Gwinette Medical Center, so they are transferring him now, and that's where I am going.
It may be tonight or tomorrow that the nuerologist will do the tests to see how bad it is. They will ween him off the sedatives and check pupilary response, stuff like that. They are only able to check in one eye since the other is swollen shut from the facial fractures.
I'll report as soon as I know something. Thanks for all the well wishes, we are passing them on to Zac and hoping he can hear us, that he wakes up soon, and that when he wakes up we have the same old Zac we all know and love.
posted by Update at 2:56 PM 0 comments
posted by Zac at 2:56 PM
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