Elias Nutting

If you would like to help provide Elias some entertainment once he is out of the ICU, the Nuttings have suggested audio CD books. If you have audio CD books that you think he might enjoy, please bring them with you when you visit. Also, you can send a gift certificate to Amazon or Barnes and Noble where the Nuttings can purchase additional books that will be helpful over the coming weeks of bed rest.

Amazon Gift Card

Barnes and Noble gift card

You can send them to

I just got off the phone with Kelly and she gave me an update on Elias. He had a high fever overnight which has started to subside and broke out in a rash until they gave him some benadryl which helped immensely. Kelly stayed with him and held his hand all night (she is now home going to bed and Jon is at the hospital).  Jon just let her know that they have taken out his catheter and have started giving him chicken broth, which is huge progress. It is likely that he will be moved from the ICU to the floor later this afternoon.

Kelly also related a couple stories about his recovery. One of the interns came in this morning and shared more about the surgery. Apparently when they were getting close to the end of the surgery they were getting the halo prepared to put on. But Dr. Gupta said, “Let’s wait on that, perhaps there is something more we can do to stabilize his neck”. He worked his magic for a while and figured out a way to keep Elias’ neck stable enough to make the neck brace possible. The staff in the operating room cheered when they realized what had happened because they all know just how challenging a halo is for patients.  They were so caught off-guard that they realized they did not even have a brace small enough for him! They changed him into a better brace this morning.

Elias has been aware and conversing since the operation. Although he is on morphine he is very aware of his surroundings and has been surprising the nurses with his progress. I think ICU nurses are not used to having to actually converse much with their patients: most spend their time in ICU unconscious. Elias has been his usual polite self, asking questions like, “are there stitches or staples in my neck? Because I think that if it is staples, that is what is causing the pain…”. The nurses have been truly amazed.

Dr. Gupta came in this morning to talk to Kelly and he said, “Elias was a miracle before the surgery, during the surgery, and now after the surgery”. Kelly replied, “Dr. Gupta, you probably say that to all your patients”. For those of you who have met Dr. Gupta, you know just how unlikely that is.

Elias is still in a great deal of pain, a 9 on a scale of 10 when he was last asked. He is also very tired. He was asked about whether he wanted visits from his friends and he said, “Well, maybe tomorrow”, so don’t expect to be able to see him if you go into the hospital.

Overall his progress is nothing short of phenomenal. Every estimate that the family had heard before the operation (halo, 4-5 days in ICU, unconsious for days, etc..) has been broken, and the staff at the hospital can’t believe just how far he has come.

Kelly also wanted to thank everyone for their phenomenal support.

For those of you that have signed up to bring meals to the the Nuttings over the next few weeks (and months), you can expect a call from Mary Summers. But don’t hold your breath: she will be scheduling meals for every other night one or two weeks ahead of time. With so many people on the list to bring meals that means it may be several weeks before you get the call. Plenty of time to plan just the right thing for when its your turn. Mary will fill you in on any dietary restrictions when she calls.

Here is a photo of Elias resting while in ICU. Right now, he can’t have anything to eat or drink while they wait to see if nausea sets in or not. Poor guy can only have a couple tiny sips of water, ice chips, or have his mouth swabbed with a mouth sponge. He is really tired, but in great spirits. His voice is weak, but he still manages to bust out in several jokes. He said his neck was hurting a #6 on a scale from 1-10. He also said that the last thing he remembers was playing Mario Brothers and then waking up after the surgery. Phew! He doesn’t remember me giving him a wet willy and a noogie — just kidding of course Keep holding him in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery and quick adjustment to the neck brace he will have to wear for awhile. We are so excited that he doesn’t have to wear a halo

Jon

Some pictures of the folks gathered waiting for the news…

Elias finished surgery at around 2PM today, pretty much right on schedule. Dr. Gupta updated the crowd and told us that he came through with flying colors. He won’t even require a halo (just a neck brace) which is fantastic news. The family and visitors were relieved and I will post a video of Dr. Gupta’s statement later today, along with photos of the group in the waiting room.

Jon

These are the x-ray photos which show how hypermobile Elias’ Head is when he bends his head forward and back. This extra movement is what causes the risk of his spinal cord being severed and thus the reason for the surgery. He already has his C7-C2 neck vertabraes fused together from birth and so now the doctors need to fuse the remaining C2, C1, and Skull for stability.

We are so fortunate to have Shriners and Dr. Gupta, M.C. (one of the best pediatric orthopaedic spine surgeons):

http://www.shrinershq.org/files/hospitals/Northern_California/pdf/GuptaMunish_cv.pdf

Also, we are fortunate that Peter O. Newton, MD was able to evaluate Elias’ condition as well. He is the brother/brother-in-law of Craig and Kim Newton (parents of Emma in Ame’s class 4th grade class)…it’s a small world. He is one of the best orthopaedic surgeons as well: http://orthodoc.aaos.org/PeterNewton/about.cfm

Okay, that is all I have for tonight.

Later,

Jon

Welcome to Elias Nutting’s page. If you would like to subscribe to posts, enter your email address in the box to the left. You will recieve a confirmation email for your subscription and will then get all new posts via email as soon as they are published.

For information on visiting Elias, see the “Hospital Visits” link above.

The schedule for the surgery looks like this:

5:30 AM - Arrive Hospital

7:30 AM - Pre-op

8:15 AM - Surgery

5+ Hours of Surger

1 Hour of Revovery