Get well Scott
Scott Lawson, 42 years old, 1 child named Seth, married last summer to Julie, living in Warwick Neck, Warwick, Rhode Island, was seriously injured after being hit by a car on December 10, 2002 in Wellesley MA.
The following article appeared in the Boston Globe:
Date: December 11, 2002 Page: B2 Section: Metro/Region
A man delivering Hood Inc. dairy products to a Wellesley Star Market was critically injured yesterday morning when a car struck him as he was crossing Washington Street, authorities said. Scott Lawson, of Warwick, R.I., was returning to his parked delivery truck when a car driven by Todd Hoffman, of Wellesley, hit him around 5:30 a.m., according to Wellesley police. Lawson was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, where he was listed in critical condition, said Wellesley Police Chief Kevin Cunningham. Fire Chief Kevin Rooney said the large number of delivery trucks gathered in the supermarket's parking lot may have prevented Lawson from parking closer to the store. No charges have been filed against Hoffman, Cunningham said.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company
Updates on Scott's physical condition
(December 18, 2002)
He has two broken shins,
two crushed vertebrae in his neck and internal bleedings. His
condition is critical but stable. The Doctors operated to stop
internal bleedings and his spleen also had to be removed. His
legs were both operated on and two pins were placed in both legs.
He had two operations on his neck. The first was from the front
in which the doctors removed fragments of vertebrae. The second
operation was to fuse together two good vertebrae to the damaged
ones. At this time he is on a ventilator to help with his
breathing because he has a Halo which is supported by a heavy
plate across his chest. The Halo is to support his neck. He has a
nurse with him 24 hours a day. Scott is alert and responds to
family and his wife Julie. At the moment only immediate
family is allowed to visit him. He is receiving physical therapy
on the upper part of his body.
(December 20, 2002)
Scott has been running a fever for the past few days. Blood cultures are being done to determine the cause so appropriate antibiotics can be administered. He is being slowly weaned off the respirator and hopefully will be completely off within a few days. He had a pretty good day today, Dec. 19, and was quite responsive. Since he can't talk with the respirator we are getting pretty good at reading lips. He has certainly made it very clear that he wants to go home. They have also started doing physical therapy on his legs today.
(December 21, 2002)
Scott has been diagnosed with pneumonia which is a slight setback in his recovery. The respirator will have to remain in place until the pneumonia can be treated. He had a bonchoscopy,a scope put into the lungs, and mucus was taken from the lower lungs for culturing. He is still running a fever, however, his temperature was down to 100.8 tonight. Hopefully, the doctors will know better what antibiotic will help once the culture results are back. We have also been informed that Scott will need to wear the Halo for at least 2 or 3 months. Scott has indicated that he is feeling pain in his legs during physical therapy, although he still cannot move his legs on his own yet, this has given us at least something to be optimistic about.
(December 22, 2002)
Scott had a pretty good night. Scott's temperature is normal as of now and his oxygen level is 100%. It's a very good sign. The physical therapist said today that Scott was definitly feeling pain in his legs which is another good sign.
(December 24, 2002)
Scott is currently being fed with a feeding tube that is inserted into his stomach via the nose. Because of the neck injuries and swelling that occurred immediately after the accident he also has some weakening of the chest and diaphragm muscles which aid in breathing, along with some weakening of the muscles in his hands and wrists. The doctors are very optimistic that with rehabilitation Scott with be able to strengthen the muscles and will be able to come off the respirator. Unfortunately, since this is going to take time they want to put in a temporary tracheotomy, which is a breathing tube inserted at the base of the throat below the vocal cords. They also are going to put in a feeding tube directly into the stomach through the abdominal wall. We are hoping to get Scott transferred to a Spinal Rehabilitation Center within the next two weeks. The Doctors are working with us on getting Scott into the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia - which is one of the best Spinal Rehab Centers in the US.
(December 26, 2002)
Scott had a pretty good day today and is doing a bit better than a couple of days ago. They closed the incision on his leg yesterday and it looks good. They plan to remove a filter in his artery tomorrow, that they had put in to stop any blood clots from getting to his lungs from his legs. Which is good news since we were told that if it doesn't come out within 2 weeks it would have to stay in permanently. He is still running a low grade fever from the pneumonia and an ultrasound showed some fluid on the outside of the lungs. The doctors feel this will clear up without the aid of a drainage tube. They did the tracheotomy today. Scott tolerated the procedure well, he still needs a ventilator to assist his breathing, only now it's attached to the trach rather than through his mouth. All the paperwork is being completed to get Scott into The Shepherd Rehabilitation Center. If all goes well, he may be transferred there as early as next week.
(December 28, 2002)
Scott had a pretty rough day yesterday and was complaining of difficulty breathing. Another CAT scan was done of his lungs and everything looked OK, other than still having the pneumonia. The filter in his artery was removed yesterday and that went well. Today Scott had a much better day, was much more responsive and doing much better with his breathing.
(December 31, 2002)
Scott and Julie left for Atlanta today. They went by ambulance to Logan Airport and were transported by a Medical Airlift Flight to Georgia. Scott has been doing pretty good for the past 3 days with the trach and doesn't seem quite as congested as he was on Friday. He will still start out in ICU once he arrives at The Shepherd Center because of the Tracheotomy and the pnemonia. The doctors anticipate approximately 6 to 8 weeks in rehab.
(January 02, 2003)
Scott had a great day in the Rehab Center. X-rays showed his lungs to be clear of the pneumonia. They started to wean him off the respirator. As of early evening, he was breathing on his own for 5 hours. The doctor said if he went through the night without the respirator, they would put in a smaller trach tube and continue to watch him for a few days before removing the trach tube completely. Tomorrow they plan to get him up in a wheelchair and Scott said "I'm ready to roll".
(January 04, 2003)
Scott is still breathing on his own without the respirator. He still has the trach and has an oxygen mask. Until he can strengthen the muscles that control the diaphragm, the therapist has to push on his chest to make him cough so that he doesn't develop the pneumonia again. Yesterday they had him up in a wheel chair for 2 hours. He gets uncomfortable and tires easily, but it's a start. Progress is slow, but he will be starting rehab and physical therapy on Monday (January 6).
(January 08, 2003)
Scott was up in his wheelchair today for about 3 hours. He has an electric wheelchair and was able to maneuve it some by himself. He still has some weakness in his hands and wrists, but is receiving physical therapy to strengthen them. His rehab is slow going and is somewhat hindered by the Halo, as it restricts his movement. The oxygen was discontinued today although the trach is still in, but hopefully not for much longer.
Julie has been wonderful 'nurse'. She is helping with Scott's suctioning and daily care. Something that is hard to believe since the first day in Boston when she turned green and almost passed out (Ha).
(January 12, 2003)
Scott's Halo loosend and they had to readjust it and repositioned the front screws. The doctor said he will have to wear the Halo for about another 4 weeks. He is still being fed by a naso-gastric tube, but will be going for a barium swallow Monday to determine if he can swallow without aspirating into his lungs. This is sometimes a problem with a trach. They get him dressed and up in his wheelchair everyday now and he goes to physical therapy and occupational therapy. He is only able to tolerate sitting for a few hours at a time because of the Halo. Scott seems to have a possitive attitude and is in pretty good spirits.
(January 18, 2003)
Scott had a high fever of 105 last Thursday and Friday. De doctors found that he had a yeast infection which was caused by the I.V. They have now gotten his fever down and Scott is being treated with the proper antibiotics. If the fever is totally gone he is scheduled for surgery on Thursday for his neck. They will place a plate in his neck between two of the vertibrae. If this goes well they can remove the Halo.
(January 19, 2003)
No good day for Scott. His kidneys suddenly stopped working and his blood pressure dropped to a dangerous level. He was rushed to ICU where he had emergengy treatment. They did get his blood pressure back up to 104 over 40. He is back on the respirator. His kidneys are at the moment just producing a few drops of urine.
(January 22, 2003)
Scott is still weak but stable. They are reducing his blood thinners to give him a dialysis as soon as possible. His kidneys are producing more liquid than before but it's not enough. The doctors are positive but expect that he has to stay in ICU for a few weeks.
(January 23, 2003)
Scott's condition improved today. His blood pressure and heart rate are alot better. He is more alert than the last few days. His kidneys are producing more liquid but are not cleaning the toxic in his blood yet. The specialist has to decide when he can have a dialysis.
(January 25, 2003)
Scott had his first dialysis yesterday in which he also received two pints of blood. He had his second one late today. Next week he will have a few more. By then his kidneys should take over. His recovery is slow but there is little improvement every day. The doctors think that the earlier yeast infection might have settled in another part of his body. By Monday they will get back the results of some tests they did. He is getting antibiotics to keep down a slight fever.
(January 26, 2003)
Another little step forwards for Scott today. He is still weak and tired but his face looks much better than the last few days. His kidneys seem to work better as his urine looks darker.
(January 28, 2003)
Yesterday Scott felt really dragged out from the dialysis. He slept most of the day. Today he is feeling better. His body is still fighting a infection but according to the doctors the worst should be over. His kidneys are partly cleaning his blood again. The doctors will wait a few days to decide if he needs another dialysis.
(January 31, 2003)
Last few days Scott's condition is about the same. Still struggling to get his kidneys back to functioning normal and to get rid of that tough infection. He might still need dialysis.
(February 1, 2003)
Scott received dialysis today and yesterday. His blood pressure is still at a steady rate. Today he is sleeping most of the day like usual after a dialysis.
(February 4, 2003)
Scott has had a couple of good days! His kidneys function has improved. Scott has also been maintaining his blood pressure without the help of medicine. Scott has been alert today.
(February 6, 2003)
Scott had dialysis today. His creatinine level (kidney function) is kept stable through the dialysis. They moved the pic-line in his neck to his arm and the shunt for dialysis from his arm to his leg. They did a test on his blood and there is no new yeast infection developing, what is a very good sign.
(February 10, 2003)
After a few good days today was a step backwards for Scott. His lungs collapsed. The doctors had to remove air from around Scott's lungs. That got him back on track. His condition is stable.
(February 12, 2003)
Scott is not doing well. He had strong seizures. The doctors are keeping him sedated. All is in God's hands right now!
(February 13, 2003)
No improvement in Scott's (critical) condition.
(February 14, 2003)
Scott is still having the life threatning seizures. Good signs are that the oxygen level in his blood is normal, he is upholding the creatinine level without dialysis, his blood does not show any signs of an infection.
(February 15, 2003)
The doctors have given Scott a combination of very strong medicines to keep him from having more seizures. His condition is critical but stable.
(February 18, 2003)
The last few days Scott's blood pressure was very low. They could not give him another dialysis. The brain scan showed there was no activity. In the evening Scott slowly passed away surrounded by his wife Julie, his mother and all his sisters. He's in God's care now!
Scott's family
Scott's family
thanks everybody for the overwhelming concerns over Scott's
condition and the support for Julie and his family.
You can view all the messages send to Scott over the last two months.
