Staff Sgt Jason Ross - Marine

Happy Easter. Jason tried to get with the girls but they were not allowed to come see him, and only tonight did he get to talk with them on the phone. We will be so glad to get some arbitration worked out next week, and a schedule of when the girls will be staying with us vs. not. It is hard to believe that there could be someone so self centered and just plain mean, but there she is, and Jason is still being patient. He is a better man than I. We went over to our friend, Bob Hamer's house, for Easter. Bob had invited us and a few other Wounded EOD guys and their families. We arrived at almost 13:30 (1:30pm) and then stayed most of the rest of the day, and it was a great opportunity for Jason to be around the other guys, to talk "their" talk. Because Jason was up so much today they set up an area where he could go lay down and take some of the pressure off. I was happy to see him take a little bit of a nap and feel better once he was back up. We stayed until about 18:...

Another wonderful day, sort of.. Jason went out and bought himself a new pet. Smaller than Boomer (the dog), that he had before. I haven't taken a picture of the new pet yet, but will probably do so tomorrow. That's okay because David, Jason's brother, did take a picture and is actually thinking about getting a similar pet for his son Dylan. A pet relatively easy to take care of and fun to have around. For those who just caught it, yep, David came down for a visit. Actually David left his house just as Mom was leaving Livermore. Linda stopped at David's earlier and visited for a short while with Miriam and the boys, then headed on down here, but I'm getting ahead of myself. David joined Jason and I, as we went over to Anthony Netto's for an early dinner. He invited us over to grill some steaks and sausages, and we had a great time. We drank Squirt, as no one wanted a beer, and it was a nice cool drink. It was nice just the four of us sitting around having a gr...

Really good day today. The weather was quite nice and sunny, and traffic wasn't bad anywhere we went. Jason had an appointment at about 10:00 this morning and when we go there we were told that we would have to wait a few minutes because new forms had to be filled out. That was about the extent of all the bad things that happened. Those forms took Jason about 15 - 20 minutes to complete and then he was taken in to get ready to meet with the Plastics Dr. (Dr. Salt). I am impressed with the doctor and found that he was very approachable and open. We discussed why Jason went back to Bethesda, and why he was now back in Balboa. Neither Jason or I held anything back and let him know exactly why decisions were made, for both directions of travel. He was probably the best doctor Jason could have come across for needs to happen for Jason, so I'm glad God led us to this meeting place at this time. Today is the beginning of a 96 break for the military (that means they get 96 hours of t...

We actually had a pretty productive day, even if it was basically over by noon/noon-thirty. Jason had to take care of an early morning meeting with the Wounded Warrior Battalion, and it was good to get with the Marines that he is a part of, once again. We met the CO and the First Sergeant, and it was all very good. After that we went around a couple of places at the hospital and took care of an appointment; setting up of more appointments; and, just taking a few minutes to see some of the folks we hadn't seen in several months. It was good to get a chance to speak with some of them, and there were several. The down side was that it almost made him late for his off campus appointment. He is attempting to workout an arrangement to have a regular sharing of the time with the girls and it seems like it is not as easy as one might think to put together a schedule. At this point he simply wants to have equal time with the girls, so that they can get to know him better, especially since...

Jason and I spent the morning, and into the afternoon, taking care of some of the pressing issues, such as the vehicle registration, and getting the mail package deliveries corrected. The registration late fees were all but completely waived, so that was good. Apparently there was a parking ticket given to the truck (expired registration) as it was sitting in front of the house. Actually, it was just a little ways down the street from the house, yet close enough that it could be watched. I need to get back to Livermore to take care of that ticket, as the DMV is unable to collect the funds and act as the agent. What happened was that when we started, the clerk brought up the information and it showed the ticket, and it matched a copy that Jason had received in the mail, yesterday. When we paid the registration for the truck the ticket disappeared and as a result the DMV can no longer collect on it - I have to go to Livermore to get it taken care of. After spending a little over an hou...

Jason and I made it all the way down to San Diego today, and we're happy about being here. When we arrived we found that there were a number of things we need to focus on, and that despite the change of address that was submitted, there was a pile of mail waiting some of it kind of important, and probably going to cost a few dollars to correct. (i.e. $500 to get the truck registered because the registration sat here for about six months and picked up late fees). We don't have to be back at the hospital until Thursday, so that gives us a day, tomorrow, to take care of a few things, and that it very much needed. Linda will be down this weekend, and that is something else that is very much needed, and I'll be a lot happier. The ride from Travis was relatively uneventful, and Jason slept most of the way. I got a few good pictures of Jason in the plane and will have them posted tomorrow. I also got a few good shots from the cockpit, as I was invited to ride up with the pilots....

Not sure if/when I'll be able to provide another update tonight, so I wanted to let everyone know that we are SUPPOSED to be leaving out of the hospital, tonight at about 17:30 (5:30pm). Other than that I really don't have much more information. I need to finish checking out of the Fisher House (they have been wonderfully flexible with my non-schedule), and then I need to get back over to the hospital to do Jason's dressing change. One of the positives for today is that the antibiotic treatment he has been on is ending today, one way or another, so we don't have to worry about it any further. I'm hoping that our next stop is San Diego, but no confirmation on that yet. Take care and stay positive and thank you, all for all your continued prayers and support.

We are not sure what is going on right now, with the medevac flight. All we know is that we are still here in Washington, and there is no update on any travel. First thing tomorrow I will be over trying to get some answers about what is to be done, and when. Not sure if I'll get any answers, but I'll be asking the questions of any and everyone who will sit still long enough to be asked. I have been doing just about everything, as far as the care of Jason, though the hospital staff still does bring in his water and food, and they do check his vital signs from time to time. I change the dressings; I changed the bed linen; and I spend the time with him in his room. On the bright side, I'm seeing significant progress with the healing of the wounds, and I am very pleased with the progress of one particular area that seemed to not move for the longest time. We watched From Paris With Love, with John Travolta, and I have to admit that it was better than I thought it was going to...

Jason and I are still up in the Seattle/Tacoma, Washington area. The plane that was to take us down to Travis never made it out of Europe. Apparently there was something that happened (they told us "bird strike" but I don't think we'll ever know for sure), and it prevented the plane from taking off. I was disappointed that there was no back up air craft, or that another one wasn't made ready in an hour or two. To cancel the flight completely just seemed a bit over the top to me. Then again, we're really anxious to get back down to San Diego. We both have things we need to take care of, and these extra delays are really causing us some concern. We would both really like to see the girls, and see how they are. Jason told me they were sick right now, so maybe it would be better to minimize the interface, but I know he wants to see them. I was completely packed and ready to go, even had the room readied with the sheets off the bed. I ended up just tossing them i...

Today was another day that started one way and ended a little different from what I expected. We are still leaving tomorrow, though not until tomorrow late afternoon (sometime after 15:30, or 3:30 pm). I thought I was going to be just sleeping in Jason's room, but because of the later departure I can spend another night sleeping at the Fisher House. The House is close enough to the hospital that I can walk, or I can take the shuttle if the weather isn't too friendly. We won't be getting all the way down to San Diego, tomorrow, and will be spending the night at Travis AFB, just a short way out of Sacramento, CA (actually closer to Vacaville, for those that want to be more specific). We will leave on Sunday, for San Diego, and arrive there at some undetermined time, but I'm hoping for a late morning arrival. One of the other things I found out today was that Jason's visitors, the base commander, and vice commander, and chief of medical services don't frequent th...

The good thing about today was that it brought us one day closer to Saturday, and it looks a little more like we are, in fact, going to leave on Saturday. The Air Force has asked some information about Jason's wheelchair, and how it is powered, and I took that as a good sign, since it wasn't asked the previous Monday or Tuesday, when we thought we were leaving on Wednesday. Jason and I talked, and I will check out of the Fisher House tomorrow evening, if I know we are leaving on Saturday, and spend the evening in Jason's room. Of course there are things that could happen that might change this, but for now that is our plan, and I'm sticking to it. Over the past few days the Infectious Disease team has been testing and checking Jason for any kind of "bug" they don't want to let get started. What they determined was that he could go out and visit the other areas of the hospital and so we have been going down to the cafeteria for lunch, over these past two ...

We didn't have much of an exciting day today, as it started out raining, but then a little later in the day it rained even harder. Finally, after a few hours it started to let up some, but didn't stop, and then finally after most of the day was over it was down to a drizzle. That's about when I walked back to the Fisher House, from the Hospital. That's right, I am now in the Fisher House, and it is within walking distance of the hospital. It is about 3/4 mile away, but that really isn't too bad, as long as it isn't raining too much. The room is as nice as the hotel, maybe even a little nicer, and I have the rest of the "house" to use, if I feel like going out and just sitting down for awhile. Best of all, there is a laundry room where I did my laundry, and they have all the needed detergent already here. Actually, that was one of my concerns, that I was going to have to unpack more clothes, but now I don't have to. Jason took a shower today, and ...

Wow! There have been more than 600 posts now to this blog, and I just noticed it today. One of these days I plan on going back over all these posts and seeing if I can actually put together a book of some sort, but that is way down the line from now. Anyway, on to today's entry... I got up and going a little earlier today, than yesterday, and I stayed a little later than I did yesterday. I might do the same again tomorrow. Oh, wait, some of you are thinking, "Hey, they're supposed to be traveling tomorrow, and heading back down to California, ultimately San Diego." And, you'd be right in thinking that. We are SUPPOSED to be headed down, but due to a scheduling issue, it was decided that Jason and I will be here at least until Saturday. The problem arose from the fact that there were four patients scheduled to get on the plane and fly down. Three of them were not ready/able to do so, so Jason and I are stuck here for another few days. Neither of us are happy abou...

Today I learned a great deal about the difference of how the Navy runs their operations and how the Army runs their operations. There are some challenges associated with both, and both have areas where improvements can be made. Having said that, the Navy support operations is far superior to that of the Army. The medical staff and doctors here seem to be focused and ready to provide the level of support and service that I would expect, so I have not problems with that. I will even go so far as to say that they are on a par with what we've seen at Bethesda and Balboa. However, the other support operations, such as the so called shuttle service, really sucks big time, and the hospital food staff can't seem to get Jason's meal requests right. He fills out a menu in the morning for the next day and so far they have not gotten any of his meals correct. Today I went down to their cafeteria and purchased what he wanted and that was his lunch. It is really amazing how simple...

Today was a lay around and do nothing much kinda day. I went over to see Jason early this morning, as he needed his dressings changed, and as it stands, right now, the good people in the hospital don't have the needed supplies to get the job done. Jason called me early and asked me to bring some things over, so I called a taxi (no shuttle service on weekends) and headed over. Unfortunately, the hospital and the hotel that I am staying at are about 3 miles apart, and that is a little farther than I'd care to walk, especially with it raining, and me having a cold (yes, I seem to have caught a cold). After the dressings were taken care of I spoke with the Charge Nurse and another RN and identified what it is they need to have ready by tomorrow. They seemed pretty confident that they would be able to address the needs. The folks there are very much wanting to do whatever it takes to make Jason's stay a good one, and for them this is an opportunity to work with a patient they ...

Since there was no post last night, I figured I'd at least put a quick note to everyone... Jason and I are up in Fort Lewis, Washington right now, as the flight we were on was diverted. We were supposed to get over to Whidbey Island and then head on down to Travis, but Jason spiked a high fever on the flight and so we are now at an Army Hospital, Madigan Medical Center. They primarily deal with PTSD and gun shot type injuries, so they were actually kind of excited to see Jason... something different. We were here for about two hours when they determined that Jason was still okay to travel, but the plane had finished refueling and was well on its way to the island. Because of that, we are going to be here for a few days,  and the next available flight is Wednesday. This time Jason will be traveling in-patient to in-patient, instead of out-patient. Anyway, Happy St. Patty's Day, and I need to get over to see Jason. I have to call a taxi in order to get there. Housing isn...

Just a quick post and then I need to get to bed. Jason and I found out that we are to leave Bethesda at 05:30 tomorrow, or at least be at the ER so that we can leave. We finished up a few last minute issues and items and then went to dinner with SSgt Tim Brown and his mom Barbara. We have been with them for more time than anyone else, and so we know each other's story probably better than most. As I said, Jason and I will be heading to the ER at a little before 05:30 so I need to get some sleep and then I'll be getting up at about 04:00. I have arranged for a vehicle to help us get our stuff to the ER area so I won't be too bad. What I'm concerned about is what few things we leave behind that will still need to be shipped back to San Diego - like his specialized bed. Couldn't ship it earlier because he was using it, now we have to depend on others to get it done. There won't be another entry for the blog for a couple of days, or until we get back to San Di...

Well we're still here in Bethesda and still no travel set up yet. What we do know is that our names are on the list for the next flight out, whenever that might be. My guess is that we will here for tomorrow and then about noon o'clock we'll be notified that we're leaving early Saturday morning...FINALLY! Of course it could also be delayed until Monday, next week, but we won't go there. Tonight Jason and I decided to head out to dinner, and fast food was not an option. We ended up going to The Cheese Cake Factory, as Jason had never been there before. It was actually kind of a last minute selection, since we were already at the mall, and there it was. We had a nice dinner and got a chance to talk about whatever we wanted to talk about and then we went off to the movies (er go the late blog post) and saw the Great and Powerful OZ. It was an entertaining movie, but I could have waited for the DVD to come out. I didn't think there was too much that had to be seen...

Jason and I spent the day finishing up on the sign out requirements, and that did take a few hours to accomplish - and it is accomplished. We also took a couple pictures, in frames, down to be packaged up and shipped back to the house, so all we have left to do is finish packing up our stuff in the room  and then we'll be on our way. Actually I have my bags just about packed, and much of Jason's stuff in his bags, so that the final packing won't take more than maybe an hour or so, and that's if I take my time. It is really kind of strange about just waiting, but there is only the medevac flight arrangements to be set and we can go. We even had lunch with the EOD Warrior Foundation (used to be Wounded EOD Warriors but they merged with another group and they now have the new name) and it was good getting a chance to at least say good bye to Sherri and the rest. There is a care giver meeting tomorrow (it used to be called the NMA meeting, but that changed recently, too),...

Today was one of those days that feel good, because you feel like you got things done, but it was also kind of rough, in that both of us went most of the day without eating. Not sure why, but we were both very tired when we finally got to bed last night, and as a result we both woke up a bit later than either of us had planned. Jason had an early appointment (09:00) so we really didn't have time to have breakfast. There is no dry cereal in the place, and there wasn't time to cook up some oatmeal (like was planned). As the day got going it turned into one meeting after another and then we had to get back over to building 62 to go see the Gunny. He had a sign off sheet for us, and then Ms Willett came by with an update. Before we knew it, it was almost 14:00 (2pm) and we were both getting hungry, and we needed to get back over to the hospital to turn in some of Jason's equipment. As it turned out, I did have some time to throw something together for Jason and I to at least ...

No official appointments today, though we did head over to the folks at OT/PT and spent some time there. We also said our good-byes to some of the people, as we are not sure if we'll be around to say it later. After that we went over to Wound Care and had the dressings changed, and again, said good bye to the folks there. Then we went to get our hair cut... and I mean our. Both of us were getting our hair cuts right next to each other, and I think this is the first time this has happened. As you can see from the postings, we got a couple of pictures taken and it was kind of fun. The barbers were enjoying it as well. We're almost out of food, so tonight we had Taco Bell, though I still have some Oatmeal and Cream of Wheat for breakfasts, but only a couple. Tomorrow is going to be spent packing up a bunch of the stuff, though not all of it. I need to do a load of laundry or two, and then that will be the last of that, I think. If we are able to we might be able to get out to go...

Today was a good and laid back day for Jason and I. We were invited to the VFW for breakfast, and it was quite good. I had walked out to the front of building 62 when I was stopped by one of the VFW members and he asked if we would like breakfast. Since I had not fixed anything yet I said I would go check to see if Jason was up to getting out for a little while. I went back out and let him know, and also told him it was going to take a little time before we could leave, since I needed to change his dressings first. He was okay with that and so we were on our way a short while later. We got back to the room and Jason got back to the bed and pretty much stayed there the rest of the day. I, on the other hand had an exciting day of going to the grocery store and picking up some apples. Since we were getting low on food, and I had a bad case of the munchies (happens sometimes), I wanted to get some snack food that was at least a little healthier. I bought apples, and I think they'll l...

Kind of a laid back day here, with about the only thing that Jason did was to take a shower and I changed his wound dressings. Most of the wounds are looking good, and it has changed in that we used to tell him to stay in the prone position (laying face down) as much as he can, and now we need to tell him that he can lay on his back as much as he wants. The challenge is that he sometimes enjoys being in the prone position, and that actually irritates one of the wound areas. Sometimes if feels like we're a dog chasing our tail and it just keeps getting away from us. Meals were cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and lasagna for dinner - its the same lasagna that Laura brought over a couple of days ago, and its still very good. I think we can get one more meal out of it... But then, I like lasagna (just call me Garfield). About the only other thing that was accomplished was that I finished packing up some things and all the boxes are now sealed and just about ready to g...

Some packing has been accomplished, and tomorrow we'll probably get some things shipped off. Fortunately Semper Fi Fund is going to help us with the shipping of those boxes, and the rest of this stuff is simply going to be going with us when we return to California. No, we haven't been given a specific date yet, for our return, but were told it could be a matter of just a couple of days, or maybe a week - I'm pulling for a couple of days... ;-) Today was good for Jason, as he had only a few appointments - one of them really surprised me, in that he was finally getting his flu shot, but that's okay, at least he has it now. We went to Wound Care and they were very pleased with how things have been going. I guess I must be doing something right since they were very pleased with the progress. We did get to go out for dinner tonight, as guests of the New Zealand Embassy. We had a great time, and a great meal. They really know how to host the Wounded Warriors and their re...

Good day for us, today. We were able to get some information for our travel plans, and it looks like things are really starting to come together. We have begun our "final" packing of boxes, and will probably be packing of the clothes over the next couple of days. I guess what I'm saying is that the departure date could be as soon as, in a couple of days, or maybe as much as a week, either way it feels like it isn't going to be too much longer. Laura K. came by for a short visit, and she brought us a very nice "gift." she brought Lasagna and a couple of salads, and a nice soup (Crab bisque) and some bread. It could possibly be enough food to hold us until we leave. Of course we are also going to be going to dinner tomorrow at the New Zealand embassy, so that is going to help as well. Tomorrow, Jason has one appointment, and that is for Wound Care, and I believe it may be the last appointment he has, while at Bethesda. I could be wrong, but I can dream... ...

Well, we're back in the apartment, and Jason is feeling fine. It was an interesting journey that left a few questions dangling out there. When in the ER, they stated that there was an indication of infection AND he had an elevated white blood cell count. Today, they say there is no indication of any infection and that the blood is perfectly fine as well. They don't know what happened and that he was free to head back over here (to the apartment/building 62) this afternoon or tomorrow. It took Jason about 1/2 second to decide...maybe not that long. The major snow storm that we were expecting, and the entire base was just about shut down, as a result of, never materialized. About the only real positive that came of Jason going back into the hospital was getting to see the President again. We didn't know he was coming, but the timing couldn't have been any better. Oh well, strange things do happen. Anyway, we're back in the apartment and tomorrow we will be taking ...

Jason is still in at the hospital with an infection. When he will be coming out again I don't know just yet, nor do we know what the infection is. I didn't sleep much last night, and still got up a bit on the early side, then went over to see Jason. We were sitting there and talking about getting things together for our trip back to San Diego, when we were visited by a small group (three) of doctors. That's when we found out that there was still no final on the culture they were running on his urine and blood. They do know there is an infection somewhere, as Jason has an elevated white blood cell number (they didn't tell me the number, so for all those wondering, I don't know). There should be an answer tomorrow and then there will be a better starting place for the treatment to begin. Right now they are treating him with an antibiotic for sudemonis (sp) because that is what he had last time. Overall Jason is doing well and comfortable, it is just that he would rath...

Sorry for the late post - Jason is back in the hospital with another infection. We just spent the last 6 hours in the ER and for whatever reason, it took them two hours to go from deciding to admit Jason, to actually doing it. Anyway, he is feeling fine right now, but wasn't earlier (obviously, that's why we went to the ER in the first place). It looks like he won't be there more than a couple of days at the most, and we were told it probably won't have a negative affect on the travel plans... we'll see. The funny thing is that we both felt that it had been a productive day and we were able to get several thinkgs accomplished. We had a great visit from Shauna, who stopped by on her way to dance practice. It is always great to see her, she and Jason get along so well you'd almost think they were brother and sister. We ended up heading over to the ER about an hour after she left. That's all the update for now, as it is getting late and I am tired. Thank you,...

A day spent pretty much just at the apartment. It actually got a little cool last night and into this morning, but not too bad, and it didn't snow (or if it did I didn't see it). I went over to the gym early this morning, well not too early, it was just after 08:15 and it didn't open until 09:00. I still got in about an hour of a cardio workout, and then came back. We were out of milk, so I walked over to the quickie mart, about a 1/4 mile away, and it wouldn't have been too bad, if it had been just a little warmer. I think the milk got colder on the walk home. Jason spent the day watching some of the videos he has and I worked on some data clean up issues with my laptop and old BlackBerry. I fixed dinner (rice, corn and chicken - yeah, we eat a lot of chicken) and then cleaned up. Finally, I got a chance to speak with Linda, since it is getting a little late around here, and now I'm updating the blog. Tomorrow is going to be a big day for us, I hope, with the ide...

Relaxed day for Jason and I as we had a visit from an old friend Dave the Cookie Guy, and his daughter. We hadn't seen them in quite a while, or at least I hadn't. They did get to visit with Jason while he was still in the hospital. They brought by some berries, and sense Jason doesn't like berries I'm going to have to eat all of them... oh darn... ;-). We did start the day with a breakfast at the Original Pancake House, and it was nice just relaxing and talking with Jason about what he wants to do when he finally gets out to California. He really misses his girls and hopes that he can spend more time with them, especially now that his wounds are healing up so much better. We had a late breakfast, so we didn't do much for lunch, but then had Mexican food for dinner, though that was even pretty lite. He talked about the different places he might end up, and the different possible paths he can take, and it felt like it was one of the best conversations I've had ...

Just want to do a quick update tonight as it is getting late and I'm tired. Jason had a very good day today, and it started with a quick breakfast and then off to the OT and PT treatments at the MATC. Max set him up on the electrical stimulus device that he has put on Jason's arm several times now, and Jason's arm was shocked for about 45minutes - this is to help with the "rewiring" of the nerves in Jason's right arm with the muscle functions. It seems to be working well, though we're not sure when Jason will be back to 100% - or even if he will be able to get there. He has already made greater strides with this than first thought was going to happen. Afterward, he went over to see Mike at the PT table and he had Jason work on his cardio exercises. Jason basically lays on his back for about 20 minutes turning the hand crank for this machine, and that gets his heart and full respiratory system moving. The one thing is that once he is done with this, he is...