Luke Schmitz Survived Iraq

Wow, thanks for ALL the emails, I think I got like 10 about the fundraiser. Hopefully Cindy Tommervik wont mind my copywriting her information she sent. I'm too lazy to actually re-word it. All I can say is wow..thanks Cindy for the Help!

Here's where everything is at.

We chose Sunday Sept 3rd since it's a holiday weekend and most people have Monday off.

Co-Sponsored by Frazee Restaurant & Bar and Lakes Radio

A fund to deposit proceeds has already been set up at United Community Bank in Perham & Frazee

The Patriot Guard is working on getting a contingent sent to the fundraiser. Even I was surprised when I got that call.
The National Guard is sending the Hummer over to be there. There will also be some personnel there even though the guys with the 136th are pretty thin around here right now.

Pasta Feed Sunday September 3rd from 5 - 9 pm at Frazee Restaurant
This a partial proceeds part of the fundraiser. (Dion & Carey will recoup their cost only on the food, all proceeds above that will be donated)

7:30 PM Live Auction with all donated items and the auctioneer donated his time. 100% of proceeds to be donated.

The items have come in primarily from Frazee, Perham, Detroit Lakes and Fergus Falls. With some other fringe donations.
Dion Alger from the restaurant & Susan Kay from Lakes Radio have worked tirelessly to secure these items.

Here's a cool part. Dion did a live radio interview on KBRF in Fergus Falls yesterday morning. Immediately when he got off air, he got a call from Dr. Bagan's Office in Fargo. He does lasik surgery. He donated a $3,280.00 eye surgery for the auction. Brought tears to my eyes (pun intended)

We have items like:

Shooting Star Rooms Dining and Gaming
Lots of Nascar Items
Other Hotel Rooms in the area
Many Hunting Related tems
Handmade Quilt
Complete Car Detail provided by Tom and Nancy
Massages
Personal Trainer time at the PACC
A Large Blooming Tree
Jewelry
Budweiser Mirror (NASCAR)

The list goes on and we will you a provide complete list later with specific items and who donated them. We currently have over $7,000 worth of products and services and the list grows daily. Many people who Dion and Susan Kay have not managed to see in person have called and asked us to pick up items they wanted to donate.

If you have any questions you can call

Dion or Carey at 218-334-2551 Frazee Restaurant
Cindy Tommervik 218-770-4978(Cell) or 218-346-7165 (Home)

no news yet thats important. right now hes getting 2 more units of blood just to get him up to the regular dose. some MN guys stopped by today, Colonal Kerr and Sgt Major Kness, they also had another, but I feel really bad and dont remember the name. It was good to have some MN guys here, Both Kerr and Kness worked with my dad when he served in the Red Bull Division. Its been awhile since I've seen Kerr. They dropped off some awesome coins for luke.
he had his biopsy today, ouch! that was a little hard to watch, but he wanted me there. very interesting procedure..and they explained it to us and even showed us the piece of bone they took for further testing...very very small piece. they also took some blood directly from the bone (thats the painful part, but very fast)
they will know within the next two days if lukes red blood cells are being destroyed by something or if they are just not being made..which they dont think either one at this point.
of course hes a little worried at this point and is scared and needs everyones support

Also, I've gotten questions about the fundraiser on Sunday...I dont know anything really about it other than its in Frazee and there will also be a live auction. if anyone knows information..please email me so I can post this...
reth1chr@st.bemidjistate.edu

WELL...after a long night in the ER and a long day in ICU, questions are starting to get answered. Luke is hemolytic (sp) anemic. Meaning, his blood level is super super low..or it was I should say. He was down so far it was life threatening. He was given 4 units and finally got some pain medicine and we fought getting taken off. Lots of tests, all revealing nothing..which is a good sign so far. He has a bone marrow biopsy (ouch!) tomorrow to see if the reason is having to do with the body not making red blood cells or if he has a virus who is eating them up. i'll find out more tomorrow.

OK, here it goes.
Tim is doing well. he is out of the hospital and is back with us at the guest house. yes i said us, nancy and i both made it down here along with tims sister carol.
i flew in yesterday and saw luke at about 4:30..he looked super white and didnt look well at all. after about 2 hours, nancy and i took him to the ER. After some struggles we finally got him and and found out his hemocrit levels are nowhere close to where they should be. he had many tests last night and was finally admitted to the ICU this morning. he is being monitored and was given 2 units of blood so far. they dont know the reason why he is losing blood. tests indicated no internal bleeding and the medicines could be eating up the blood...if that makes sense. he will be in the ICU for a couple days it sounds. hard to me to find time to update this blog so please be patient and i'll write when i can.

All I cant think right now is God, what else?
I called Tim's phone this morning and Luke answered, obviously upset. He asked if he could call back later and I asked him what was going on.
He said that Tim is in the hospital off base. During a movie it sounds like Tim felt faint and hard to catch his breath. Not exactly sure how they got from the movie theatre to the hospital but he has been through some tests and they are keeping him over night. Nancy also told me that Luke had a panic attack in the emergancy room while they were assessing Tim. Poor guys, but tonight they will both stay in the same hospital room just to be safe.
On top of all this, a classmate and Luke and mine hanged himself this morning. This year has been a real tough one!
Please again, pray for this family!

**** Talked to Luke tonight****
He took his first shower and told me he finally smells good. His two a day PTs are going well and he is now on a Medium size shrinker..meaning his stump is well on its way to being small enough for the prosthetic. It sounds like this week a guy is coming by to measure his leg for his first fit! YES...it could be within 3 weeks that Luke will take his first steps in his new leg. He is moving along VERY fast..but you know him...very determined. Good Job Luke!

So Luke is out and enjoying life with Tim. I talked to him briefly last night, he had just gotten back from Applebees and I was at Applebees with some friends here in Bemidji. Since he is out...that means no more letters to the hospital. I'm sure he'll get the ones that were on their way, but now you can mail him at the Guest House....under Tim Schmitz Room 108. That shouldnt change for quite a while. He can now take showers..wahoo! All the stitches are out and he can get wet...after he gets a bench in the shower of course. :)
If your in Bemidji..make sure to talk to me about shirts! I have some with me, but need the money up front. Also, I will be trecking back to San Antonio in a week..haha couldnt resist! If you have anything you would like me to bring along for Luke, just let me know.
Anyway I will post more later tonight after I hopefully talk to him. But for now...my room looks like my closet burst..so I must go unpollute my room and make it all nice and immaculate!
bye for now.

AHHH, home sweet Minnesota!
Nothing like landing watching GREEN come into view. Yes, green, I have missed it. :) Anyway, I gave Luke a quick call last night, but they had given him a muscle relaxer so it was pretty hard to understand his mumbles. The Dr. went ahead and took the stitches out of his thumb and the side of his leg. He still has the stitches on the bottom. Tim said he counted about 40 stitches off the side of his leg. That was were some of the shrapnal wounds were.
This morning they looked over the guest house and had Luke trying to move around to see if he could handle it. I havent heard too much, but more than likely he will be discharged before the week is over. Before Nancy and I headed home we heard a description of all the meds and when to take them...so many! This is something Luke will need to be in charge of and they wont fully discharge him it sounds like until he understands his meds and think he can control the pain.
His ear is being looked at on Sept 15th for a pre-op appointment, so it sounds soon after that, that will be fixed too.
I went over to Becky Stolee's today to look at the shirts...they look awesome! if you would like them. Contact Becky at her home at 218-346-3440. She has voice mail and please leave your number with area code. She requests you dont just drop by because the house could be empty.
Its good to be back but hard to leave the guy! I will be seeing him hopefully during Labor Day weekend, if my tickets get all straightened out.
Well, its time for me to pack up and head to Bemidji. I will update as I talk to Luke...which of course will be EVERY day! hehe.
The thing most worth holding on to in life, is the one you love.
God Bless.

ok so I was during some searching and found some information on Luke's ear surgery if you would like to know.... check out this website for pictures. http://www.pedsent.com/surgery/tympanoplasty.htm

The more common, and more lengthy, procedure for repairing a hole in the eardrum is called a tympanoplasty (tim-PAN-o-plass-tee). In this procedure, the hole in the eardrum is patched using material that replaces the missing portion of the eardrum. Sometimes this material is cartilage taken from the outer part of the ear (don't worry, no one will ever know it's missing!) More often, the material used is a connective tissue, called fascia (FASH-ah), removed from underneath the skin behind the ear. This fascia is very similar to the material out of which the normal eardrum is made.
During the surgery, the eardrum is lifted up like a trap door and the material used to repair the hole (called a tympanic membrane graft) is slipped behind the eardrum. Then the eardrum is put back where it started and the hole is patched from behind. The graft material is supported from behind with some packing material which slowly dissolves over the next 2 to 3 months. During this time, the eardrum heals over the graft and resumes a normal appearance. When the packing is all dissolved, the hearing is restored to normal.
Sometimes a tympanoplasty can be performed completely through the ear canal without the need for a large incision in back of the ear (there is often a small incision behind the ear in order to get the fascia graft). However, many children have small ear canals that are difficult the work through. Or sometimes the hole is very large and cannot be completely seen through the ear canal. In these cases, a larger incision is made behind the ear (a postauricular incision) in order to improve the "working space". Although a larger incision involves more healing and recovery, it improves the success of the operation considerably in these more difficult cases. And best of all, when completely healed, the scar is difficult to see and is hidden from view by the outer ear!

Well there it is. Just PART of the hospital (BAMC). The fourth floor on your left is where Luke is located. Isnt it nice...and NO that green grass has never appeared, they must have dubbed that in, all I have seen is crunchy tanish brown straw looking stuff. I do beleive at one point it may have resembled grass...not sure.
Anyway...on to Luke. It has truely been night and day difference in the last 3 weeks. From a morphine induced sleep, groggy all the time, laying in bed very sick...to riding around in his wheelchair, surfing the internet in a room down the hall, eating in the cafeteria, and awake all day working hard. Thats the Luke we all know. His goals are set and he is very determined to reach those. He said each week he has a new one, getting in a wheelchair, using crutches...and NOW... he is getting released this week from the hospital. Yes now, he is able to bug his parents day and night...all day. Or the other way around! He looks very good. His big muscles have started to lessen, but with Luke, that wont take too long to build back up. His progress has been just amazing and inspiring to all of us. I'm very proud of him.

This may be my last post for a while. I am heading back to Bemidji for school tomorrow, well stopping in Perham first of course. Labor day weekend is my next visit to the south..so not too long, then again at the end of September. But after that, the visits may be less with school. Thanks for reading and I'll update and write when I actually have something to say.

Its 11:00 at night and I'm sitting here trying to figure out where the day went. Seriously...I didnt even remember it was Friday until I hit the hospital. I headed over to Luke's room at 9:00 and he was just getting up for the day. Tim said he was there starting at 8:40 and Luke was out like a light so he went down for coffee, then breakfast, then mail, and finally when he came back, Luke was up. I entered the room just as a nurse left, so I said goodmorning and asked how his night went...obviously well if he was still sleeping! They gave him Benedryl (sp) that knocked him out 'before the nurse even left the door.' He wanted to clean up so I gave him privacy and went for some breakfast. MMmmm..the french toast here isnt too bad. Anyway went back up and chilled out for a while, watched some bad tv until the Psychologist came up. He continued to ask Luke questions and I felt a little out of place to I excused myself and said I would be in the waiting room. Waited for about 10-15 minutes reading a very uninteresting magazine when the Dr. came in and wanted to chat with ME!!! ahhhh, I've never talked to one of those guys before. So we had a good little 15 minute chat about Luke's wellbeing, then our relationship and he made sure I was fine..la de dah....well it was about 10:25 and I had to go shopping with the ladies of the guest house at 10:30!!! oopsy! So I hurried back over to the guest house..and yeh, we didnt even leave until 11:15.
But the ladies and I, including Nancy of course, enjoyed lunch at Apple Annies, then moved on to shop around at these little...well gift shops like jewelry, hippy clothes (not kidding) pottery, you know...those kind of shops. Nancy and I both walked away with watches and her a beautiful peice of pottery, me a stone candle holder.
We get back to the guest house and relax for a while. Then I headed over to BAMC to catch Luke after PT. I sat in his room for about 5 minutes until he came wheeling through the doors..using one leg to move forward and the handrails with his good arm. Quite a site to see.
Now I noticed when I entered the room that there were crutches sitting against the wall. HMMM
LUKE WALKED 60FT TODAY! On crutches of course, but 60 ft!!! thats awesome. the PT guys are really excited about having a hard worker like Luke. He does exactly what they tell him to do and works super hard. But thats LUKE..of course he does.
Well blah blah blah...THEN Jim and Cathie came to visit. Cathie in tears and Jim with a big grin on his face. I think it took Luke saying OK CATHIE before she would let him go from her hug. :) You could really tell Luke was excited they are here. He did so well today, no naps! for the first day. He told more of his story and we told him some of the struggles he went through. he didnt know his knee caused all the problems with infections and him being sick.
later after everyone left he asked me if he was going to be ok...well of course, then he asked if he was over the worst of it. I said that the infection was gone, but still more PT to go and things are going to be a rollercoaster for a while. He is still thankful to be alive and not more seriously hurt. He was glad they took his knee if it caused the problem, he said hes the kinda guy thats wants things off and doesnt really care if thats what needs to be done. What a guy huh?
Lastly, Tim Nancy and I enjoyed an oversized dinner at Red Lobster, where for the first time ever, I was embarrassed at a restaurant. Some guy came over to me, apologized for interupting our meal and said some words to me and then gave me his number!!!ahhhhggggggg! thats never happened..I didnt know what to say. But the guy next to us gave a chuckle after the guy left and we all joked about ripping up the number...but Nancy said I should show Luke first! ha. what a day. Good Day.

Short post here, heading to bed with a headache. Luke had a rough night and rough day today. He was taken off morphine..which is good, but involves having to deal with the pain more than usual. He is also going through some withdrawal symptoms from having it whenever he needed it. I was the first to see it today with crying for a reason he couldn't figure out then an intense chill that had him shaking for quite a while. When the nurse came in we talked and figured it was withdrawals and gave him a muscle relaxent (sp) to last a while. I left his room tonight around 7, then called him at 9:45ish to say goodnight.
And on a sad note...I want to say goodbye to my dear friend...my phone, yes a misfortunate accident with a fruit cup and my purse sent my phone to a sticky, peach smelled coma. I may try to resuscitate with a hair dryer.
I'm off! Watchin a good TNT movie.

Ok, I'm tired so I'm not going to write much. Another day in the hospital. Although some things have changed. This morning he used the sink instead of a sponge bath...yeah for him. When I arrived in his room this morning he was sitting in his wheel chair, pretty suprised to see. He said he wanted a hair cut so I wheeled him down to the barber. That didnt take too long and an officer who was also getting his hair and eyebrows (hehe) trimmed paid for Luke's cut after hearing his story. Nice guy, the barber said it happens a lot.
Luke said he had a good PT session today and he really likes the guys down there and his PT Major Campbell. He saw a guy with the same amputee walking around really well, so I think that raised his spirits. After that he went into the clinic and talked with all his doctors. One dr. gave him the impression that he had brain damage and that really upset him, which he doesnt of course, then she apologized quite a bit. He also had his hearing checked again, so tomorrow it sounds like we hear about whats going on there. The nursing staff forgot to pick him up, so he had to pull along the handrail all the way back to his room using his good arm...grr on them.
Discharge day is coming just around the corner. Luke was taken on morphine today and any other IV pain meds. This evening was a little rough with a constant level 4 pain. As soon as he feels that is under control, he is good to go! So maybe even late this weekend or early next week. Since he is not really capable of doing everything himself, he will be staying at the Guest House with Tim and Nancy..yah! Then traveling to the hospital 2 times a day for PT and IV meds.
THE INFECTION IS COMPLETLY GONE. They had the first negative reading on the 3rd and doing well since then. His room number is changing AGAIN! yah, silly move the last one, they put him in a 4 person room all alone, then decided that was wasting space, so tomorrow he moves again to another private room, kinda sounds like back to room 455. Side note here, you dont have to include the room number on the packages and letters to Luke, he is changing so often that it really doesnt make sense.
That's all I have to say, other than Nancy and I did damage to credit cards today shopping at a cute little place called the Quarey..just filled with little shops.
Time for my workout!

An Email from Overseas. Lukes Company once again. Please pray for these guys as well.

Dear Family and Friends,
I want to let you know that last night (Aug 13th) one of our patrols hit an IED. The three soldiers in the vehicle have minor injuries and have all called their families to let them know what happened. They are currently being monitored at the medical facility to ensure they are ok. The rest of the soldiers in the patrol are fine, a little shaken up, but non the less fine. I will try to update you with any other information as soon as I have it. 1SG Jon P. Solberg

Well folks, its a quiet day here at Fort Sam Houston. The weather is inching towards 100 degrees and the sun is shining. Luke slept most of the morning until I made him get up and eat lunch before PT. Ha, I sound like a mother. Tim, Nancy and I had a tour of the Fisher House. Nice place, a lot like Ronald McDonald Houses, so they put their name on the list to get in. This way they can cook and be in a house instead of a hotel setting, much nicer! Plus, no roaches, like I guess we have here at the Powless House..ewww, I DID NOT KNOW THAT. hehe. I booked my plane ticket home today, yes my stay here is coming to an end, school is just around the corner and working for money is always a need. I will be flying home next Tuesday then back to Bemidji for CPR training and Lifeguard refresher so I can keep my job at the Rec Center. Since it is such a quiet day with no real news, I thought I would give you a before and after picture of Luke and me. The first one is one of our first outings (outside of the old Grovers in DL), the second was leave in March before he was sent over. Enjoy! Big difference..haha

Well the days just keep getting better and better. Many good things happened today that are milestones in Lukes rehab. He moved rooms, meaning no more isolation! He has a roommate who actually has been discharged but had more problems with his knee so was re-admitted. His name is Josh, and has a personality of...well, not sure. Just hard working, hard a$$ and jokes around a lot. But not with Luke, he keeps to himself a lot right now.
He also had his first day of PT downstairs in the Rehab room. Because it was his first day, we could observe, so Derrick and I sat quietly, kind of, and watched. A lot of the work right now is with trunk work and stretching out the muscles. Since he is laying in a bed all day, they want to make sure the leg isnt going to contract and stay slightly forward. Hope that makes sense. For the first time today I saw his 'stump' without the bandages on. Before they unwrapped it (the resident did a crap job on wrapping it this morning, so they wanted to re-wrap it) they asked if he was ok, and if we were ok seeing it. I was actually excited to see what his leg looked like, and suprisingly it looked good. A nice round clean stump. He has stitches rounding a little more posterior the right at the end of the leg. Also his lateral side is stitched all the way up because of shrapnal wounds. He has some open sores that the bandage stuck to and they were a little concerned about that. they said he has a good looking stump and it will heal nicely, soon he will have the sock to shrink the leg down to shape it into a prosthetic.
And here is BIG news. His infection is gone! or thats at least what they were telling us. If his pain was under control, he would be discharged on the 17th. amazing because we were told at least 6 more weeks. Right now he still has lots of phantom pain shooting down his leg (or where it used to be) and isnt off the morphine yet. When he reaches the point of being able to be off the IV pain meds, he will move either to the guest house or the barracks (which are more like one bedroom apts). Luke worked hard today and did very well at PT. Tired him out for the rest of the day, but is ready for tomorrow again! I cant remember anything else to write, plus we went out for drinks tonight at the Riverwalk!

Ok, t-shirt things are underway.Both WILL BE GREEN. Greenspire will be doing the printing with Becky Stolee as our go to gal. I think. The shirts will be $5, with 1.05 or something like that being donated to the Fisher Foundation. Gotta love them! You will need to pay before receiving the shirt, and checks being written to Greenspire Graphics. To those in Bemidji, I'll help you out and get orders when I'm back. To those overseas, dont worry you'll get em! Both designs are being made. I think they are being made towards the end of August. (WIA stands for wounded in action.)


Greenspire Graphics
802 Jenny Ave · Perham, MN 56573 218.346.6050 · (800) 699-8337 · Fax: 218.346.6053
http://www.greenspiregraphics.com/

OR EMAIL THIS..... schmitzshirts@hotmail.com. I guess I dont know any other way to do it. By the way, this is Tina...I will be checking this email.
Please Include: NAME, Sizes and Number, and which design (WIA or other). I will hand the order over, but I will not be in charge of anything else. So please dont send money to me (only if you want...haha) or make the checks out to anyone but Greenspire. If you live in Perham, just go to their shop and pick one up, no need to order because 50o will be made.

A Sunday of Relaxing
For some reason, I'm at a loss of words right now, suprising, I know. Ha. Today was, as the title refers, a relaxing day. Well for Derrick and I at least. We attending church this morning at 10, then visited with Luke pretty much the rest of the day. Tim and Nancy went to church at 11:15 and took the afternoon off. They enjoyed being down by the RiverWalk and had dinner with a chaplain with connections to General Tim McKale. (sp). After spending time with Mr. Excitement, reading a book while he slept, I decided to give the guys some 'guy time'. Yes, ladies, and soon as you figure out guys need that time, the better off you'll be! They watched a movie with Derricks ibook, I beleive it was Constant Gardener. They reported it wasnt the easiest movie to follow and with Lukes morphine enduced spaceyness (my own word) I'm not too sure if Luke really understood it. When I returned they were both awake and joking around. No wheelchair ride today, I think it was a good day to just rest for Luke, nothing too exciting, reading a little of the Star Wars magazine we bought him (yeh, thats what i thought, 'they make a star wars magazine?') picking the rocks and shrapnal out of his skin, his new favorite hobby, and watching really aweful tv shows.
Last night we went on an adventure. No, not the usual minivan adventures I've become accustomed to, we have moved on to the Escape! We got directions to a Walmart from a lady who just happen to be wearing her vest in the cafeteria. But these directions were nothing more than aweful. Not kidding, she had us going south then north on these back roads, through a place called Riddamen Creek. Now Nancy had been warned NOT to stop on Riddamen Road, so this made us a little nervous. So after about a 10-15 minute ride, we found it, sitting on top a hill, glowing in its abundance of lights, with angels awwing. WALMART. "walmart is like the american dream, packaged everything you need" derrick.
so yes, we found walmart, and it just happened to be quite close to the interstate 35, so we only took about 5 minutes to get back, Not through Riddamen. We picked up Luke some random things like t-shirts, an electric shaver (he hasnt mastered left handed shaving with cheap dull razors yet) magazines, a kitten calendar. yes kittens..arent they cute? and some other stuff i cant remember.
Well, it looks as though my loss of words didnt last long. Another day begins in a half hour and more will be written then (well sometime during the day)
take care, god bless

OK, here is the address thing. Use the below address for the people staying at the guest house, and The BAMC Room 455 for Luke. Works either way. Diane- yes, the the building first, then attn:____

LUKE TOOK A RIDE! yes, full of smiles Luke got into a wheelchair and took a ride around the floor. It was cute, the guy was smiling the whole way. We are allowed to give him rides as long as a nurse is there to help him get in the chair. Yesterday, he did so well. Sat up most of the day and was awake and not groggy. That is until the pain set in and the morphine was kicked up. But an overall successful day and now that Derrick has arrived, male bonding can occur. I know having me and Nancy is like the greatest thing ever (just kidding) but having a guy friend here, what a difference. Derrick brought with him a library of DVD's and books.
Luke likes the usual guy movies. Cathy, I would suggest Space Balls or maybe newer ones he hasn't seen like Firewall, or even better, a TV series. FAMILY GUY. That's always a funny one. Or Arrested Development. Hope those are some ideas. The tv series last longer.
Luke can get access to a CD player, and no the doctors haven't said anything about not putting earphones on or anything like that. As for candy, our craving was bite size lic. or full size flavored, but no big deal, we have lots of cravings, and it seems when we have one that gets out, we get abundance :)! Well, Derrick and I are enjoying coffee and breakfast so I shall write later.

New address..yes again. but this is for the family, or anyone you want to send something to who is staying at the Powless Guest house

Name____ (then) Attn: Tim Schmitz
Powless Guest House
3298 George C Beach
Ft. Sam Houston TX 78234- 7569

The Fergus Falls Journal did a great job with Luke's story. Pretty accurate details of the accident, however we find more information all the time. Such as....Luke WASNT in his gunnar position, he was actually sitting behind the driver at the time and Schmidt was in the turit. Also, Luke really doesnt have any burns, luckily. Yes, the shrapnal (I should learn to spell that) did sear as it hit the skin, but you should see how lucky luke really is when you see the guys coming out of the burn unit. Wow, its hard to say Luke is lucky, but he is. He isnt burned beyond almost recognizable as I have seen, he has at least one leg, and the injuries to his arm will heal nicely. Another thing, Luke doesnt actualy have any broken fingers. We have heard so many reports of different diagnosis of his arm, but he has a fracture due to the 'flying stuff' in the middle part of the lower arm. He does have a pin through his thumb, you can see the top of it when looking in his wrapping. He said he remembers it being pretty torn up.
Luke did see his leg today. The doctors came in early and changed the bandages and he got to catch a glimpse. When I talked with him, I could tell he was upset and said he was 'sad' and kept it at that. A new wheelchair arrived today that is actually fit for Luke. It looks pretty neat-o, I just might have to take a spin...just kidding. This time it has a roll bar...kind of. He wont be able to fall back, which I'm pretty sure is a good thing, so no Luke, no tricks in the chair yet.
And lastly, yes my full name is christina...but still tina! hehe.

LUKE STOOD TODAY! I missed the morning physical therapy session, but as soon as I walked into the room, he told me. He is very proud! When the PT guy came back in the afternoon, he showed me how to help Luke stand. It was pretty cool to stand right by my guy again. It didn't last long, all the blood rushing to his feet didn't leave too much for the brain, so paleness, sweating and spacing out put an end to standing for the day. Such a big step, the PT said that this usually doesn't happen for a couple more weeks, and that he is shocked at Lukes progress already. Good sign there! He also offered me a chance to observe for my PT hours in the gym, so heck yes, I'm going to take advantage of that when I can. He also talked about a really good PT school, yes through the Army, but hey, I would be paid to go to school! I got a nasty look from Luke on that one..haha.
Anyway, Luke general condition is good. He hasn't had a fever in quite a while and his heart rate is also down to about the 100s. He is moving around a lot in bed, rolling over (and now has 'stripper' boxers, they velcro off) so we don't get mooned anymore :). He is practicing sitting up and constantly doing his PT. He looks good, as always. All his color is back, and he is staring to be a little more alert. He did get some glasses so he can see, but not up to Sarah standards by any means; eventually they will have to go.
I have my camera cord on the way, so I will hopefully post some pictures during the weekend. And yes, this hospital is not short of doctors that are photo-worth, but being the good girl I am (wink) no pictures will be added of those. Sorry ladies, you'll have to see them for yourself. Although, the one Megan had her eye on isn't around anymore. He was a surgeon, and now that Luke is done with that (leg anyway) we wont see too much more of the unmarried (hehe) Dr. Feathers.
Oh yes, before I forget, his temporary wheel chair arrived today. We'll see how that goes, but I am getting up for his morning PT, in case he goes for a ride tomorrow. Yea! getting out of that room will be so nice. I told him he owes me a dinner date in the cafeteria :)
Although the gesture is nice, Luke has asked to put a pause on any food sent. He doesn't really have much of a taste right now, drugs I guess do that, and would prefer that for later. Also, the plants are lovely, however.....there isn't much room for them. Flowers may be a better idea.
I think that is all I have for tonight. Nancy and I went out for soup and cornbread, and brought pie back, dangerous!
"Happy people enjoy the scenery on detours"

I found out a couple days ago that a good family friend passed away. I want to send out my sympathies to Dorathy Johnson and family. Bill Johnson passed away this last weekend after some heart difficulties. Thanks to Rand Stolee he survived the initial attack, however his heart was damaged beyond fixable. Bill and Dorathy were one stable thing in my chaotic life during my mother's cancer battle. For that, I thank them. Bill was of course a wonderful guy and will be missed greatly.

so this thing they call exhaustion and irribility has set in. not only for luke, but for me as well. I think nancy is in the picture as well. the progress has been so good, with physical therapy starting today along with good movement and pain control. i've hit the emotional barrier having to watch my facial expressions and body language around luke. it will be great to have derrick down here for luke and us. a breath of fresh air and a familiar face.
as for the poptarts- i think we now have enough to last the rest of the hospital stay :)
the chaplain came by with a tackle box full of gummy worms, chocolate treats and other random treats along with field and stream magazine, sports illustrated and a puzzle and games book. as for things for luke, i'm really not sure what he would like. i really dont know how much of a magazine reader he is or the type of books he likes. before the deployment he liked war books and history, but im not so sure now. of course he likes star wars books and stuff, but its hard to figure out which ones he has read. the hospital does have computers and dvd players. the computers internet doesn allow too many pages, but he did read some of the caringbridge site and his emails. however those were so full of spam, he decided not to even try. .he cannot read this site at the moment, myspace and facebook as well. the base likes to keep all the good sites blocked hehe. i bought him V for Vendetta and brought my computer over so he could watch the movie. it was a little hard for him to hear, so the subtitles were used. i think its definately frustrating him not being able to hear.
nancy and i went to the PX today to get some random things, snacks, reading material and some different food than the cafeteria. the meal last night was amazing- getting filet mignon, potatoe, really great bread, salad and even dessert all for free- wow, this restuarant donates this to all of us every monday night. the food at the cafeteria is getting kinda old. there are some really good choices here, but eating healthy is hard. if nancy decides to move into the fisher house, there would be a kitchen there, but for right now, our kitchen consists of a fridge and microwave,ha nice. silly us, we craved kenny's candy today. being away from perham i guess has a toll on the little town folks. but i'm tired now, long day, and more ahead. i'm taking the morning off and just taking a breather, going for a walk and just staying away from the hospital for awhile. have a great day!

Well I just woke up after my nap..I spent the night in Luke's room last night. There isnt much news today. The physical therapist came by today at 8am, but I decided to leave before that; you really dont get much sleep in a squeaky recliner with beeps going off and Luke talking in his sleep. :) The doctor came by at about 6am and removed his drain tube, so everything is really looking up. Sounds like maybe we can get him in a wheel chair soon to get out of his room.
Yes, the poptarts have arrived; all 96 of them! What a suprise to have ALL those arrive. Dont worry, any mail reaches Luke, his new room number is 455, if I havent written that yet.
So, I do have my camera down here to take some snapshots, however, silly me forgot my cord that extends from the camera to my USB. Oopsie. I'm not sure if Luke is ready for a pic, although his upper body is virtually unharmed. I plan on taking pictures of where we are staying, the hospital and such of the base. Well, maybe its time for me to actually get ready for the day and head back to the hospital for the excitement we call LUKE. Ha, nothing more exciting than watching a guy sleep, but still, we do it.
Oh, and yes, I always have thought about going back into nursing, but I'm already 3 years into college heading into my senior year so, for right now, its too late. But that doesnt mean I cant do it later. I think Physical Therapy is more my speed, so I hope I can get finished with the prereqs soon. I've even had the thought of doing my observations down here at BAMC, and I also need an internship for my exercise science degree; which can really be anything I want it to be. Before I had looked at interning at a Cardiac Rehab Center, and I'm sure there is one down here. Oh the possibilites!

So maybe like myself, you are wondering what kind of infection Luke has in his body. Well, to your luck and curiosity I have the answer. Luke has what is called Acinetobacter. Here are some little facts about this bacteria

• common in the environment but are rarely a medical threat to healthy, uninjured persons
• can be acquired by person to person contact, contact with contaminated surfaces, or a result of wounds contaminated with dirt and debris
• some types are resistant to antibiotics and can be severe if the bloodstream becomes infected
• (a-sin-EE-toe-back-ter) found in water, soil and sewage. 25 different kinds
• symptoms are like pneumonia, wound infection- fever, redness, pain and pus
• As of mid-Nov. 2004 approximately 85 patients who served in Iraq have had the bloodstream infection

yea! they closed his wound! he was in surgery from 9-about 11:30 today..yeh we got a little worried as the time passed. but they decided to attach the mucsles so they have new insertions in the bone. they also took2 more cm off the femur. they left some drain holes of course, and also closed up his thumb and the shrapnal injuries he had on his upper thigh. after hearing all this news nancy and i had a big hug and enjoyed some lunch...while talking to a guy who grew up in little falls...small world! the top of his thumb is pretty beaten up and looks like some skin grafts will need to be placed in the future. the doctor said this could be the LAST surgery on his leg! wahoo. good day for sure. we now took some down time to get freshened up while he wakes up from the drugs. thanks for all the prayers...obviously the man upstairs is hearing the hundreds coming in. :) i dont have time to write now, but you get the gist of the day.
have a great one.

so you want to know about the girl named tina. hmm. what about me? my real name is christina rethemeier, and i grew up on the south side of paul lake, and yes the sunnies are always biting there, along with the bass, definately kept me entertained during my childhood. luke and i have been dating for a little over 4 years, high school sweethearts as they call us. our freshmen year of college i attending concordia college in moorhead while luke was at bemidji state. that was the first of our long distance relationship. he decided that winter he wanted join the national guard, so he left that summer. then again and again he was gone and we toughed it out. I transferred to BSU because I decided early early on that concordia was not for me at all. i was originally a nursing student, now i am an exercise science and pre-physical therapy major. after this year, if i decide to graduate i will apply to different physical therapy schools including UND, St. Scholastica, St. Kates and the U. not many to choose from and all a little spendy.
luke and i have a lot of the same high school friends, many of his guys i've known since i was little. i grew up in a military family..kinda. not an army brat as they say, but my father is a retired colonal. who was the past commander of the Red Bulls, the same division luke is a part of. both of my parents are teachers, however my father retired and now moved on to being an irrigation specialist.
hmm...personality, not sure there...hehe like to think i'm easy going and spontaneous. but maybe others can help me out with this part. i'm pretty shy at first then tend to warm up to people, so if i meet you, dont be insulting too much if i dont say too much. :)

update.
luke was moved from ICU today...yippee! while his mom was attending church the nurses came in and we moved to the 4th floor where most amputees go. his big brown eyes were wide as can be the whole move. After he was settled, or so i thought, i went to go get nancy from the church to tell her he was moved. we decided at that moment since we were aleady down there, we would catch some lunch at the cafeteria which is next to the chapel. when we came back the nurse told us he was asking for us and was getting worried. the move must have scared him a little because it took a while to settle him down. us not being there and the combination of bad dreams was frightening to him. when another amputee came into talk to luke, it settled him down a lot. this guy lost his left leg. BK..below the knee. he had some very encouraging words for all of us. and told luke to thank his mom and love her. :) the rest of the day went well, luke was moving around in bed, eating some food and holding little conversations. again, the hugs are good and the smiles are even better. feel free to call my cell if you would like to talk to luke.

Fort Sam Houston.
Living on base, not something I ever imagined myself doing, even for a short time, even for this guy. However, after long walks alone and short conversations with complete strangers, I may have found another way of living, not so out of the loop. No, I dont plan on living on a base, after this that is. The generosity, kindness and the common solicitousness everyone has here has us all connected in some way. Ok, Minnesotans, yes we are nice, but Texas..thats another story. From the taxi drivers to hospital staff to other soldiers, everyone offers a piece of help.
I knew going into the deployment, soldiers were being killed or seriously injured everyday. But never, never to this magnitude. It is depressing in every possible way to walk around this area of the base; from the Powless Guest House to BAMC. There isnt a walk or drive I'm on that I dont encounter a soldier or family member going through the feelings and pain no one should have to. Hundreds and hundreds of soldiers, and even more family members. The most disheartening thing is, its getting worse over seas and these hurt soldiers are being sent back. Picturing what they've been through, the trauma, pain and emotional havock I couldnt imagine having to be sent back into the shit hole. Pardon the language. The shuttle driver I had today was burned by a suicide bomber when their humvee was struck by another vehicle. Ok, so I really didnt understand the story, but the right side of his body was burned. Still in neoprene coverings, he leaves Wednesday for Afgan. Another guy, right side of his leg torn apart, muscles ripped off by a mortor leaves next month, still in a walking cast. What good does this do to our soldiers? The stories I've heard so far, the things I've seen, words just can't describe. Thank God Luke is home with us. Thank God he isnt going back.

Tina's Point of View.
Yea! Another good day on the road to recovery! I didnt head over to the hospital until around 11:30 this morning. The family and I enjoyed some Mexican food and shopping downtown last night. Right now Nancy, Megan and Sarah are down at the RiverWalk for some good ole shopping. Sounds like the credit cards have been swiped! Anyway, back to Luke. His temp is down today, when I first walked in the room he was all sweaty and at about 102, when I left at about 5, he was down to 99 ish!!!!! Yippee! hehe. AND his heart rate is down. Again this morning it was about about 120, but I left and saw about mid 90s! I also was lucky enough to get him to eat today. The lunch he had brought up..I wouldnt even eat. He ordered a chicken salad sandwhich it came up as a chicken fillet- over cooked and over spiced. So, instead he had another poptart :) and some Ensure. And no, to my suprise Ensure isnt just for older people..haha. Its actually a really good meal replacement--that and Boost. 3 of those in a day will give you enough protein and calories! Ok, thats the personal trainer in me..sorry.
For those who really want to know...luke is back on normal secretion now. just a side note.
Today Luke and I talked about the future. No, not that one. ha! We discussed his rehab and hospital future. He was super disappointed to find out he will be staying in Texas for at least 3 more months.. AT THE LEAST. It was sad to make him sad. but i didnt want him to think he would do all the rehab back in MN. although we will push for some of the out-patient in MN. This is THEE best rehab in the country..probably the world. And of course Luke only deserves the best..and even better- the Army pays. Get the BEST! Its all up in the air when he will be back in MN, but he will have breaks now and then to come home and visit. They really want to make sure he can live on his own and be mentally ok with the stares and comments he might get. Down here, everyone has something missing, burned, scarred...something medically wrong with them., but back in MN it wont be that way and he needs to learn how to deal with that.
Back to today...he was awake most of the day, at least the times I saw him. I bought him some meatballs for dinner and he had a couple with gatorade. When I left it was time for him to get some rest, so better if I bugger off during that time so he doesnt try to stay awake. And some good news for me...hehe. He now hugs with both arms..much better. Luke is starting to be Luke again. smiles, laughs...crabby at times. :)

Here is yet another website for this guy! I think hes liked?!?
http://lukeschmitzkicksass.blogspot.com/
It is posted by his one and only roomie- Drew Kriens.

Tina's Thoughts for the Day...
Well its only 12:30 and the day is long already. ha, oh well I suppose. When I arrived in Lukes room today, I noticed a very nice NEW bed. Oh my, I wish I could lay in that thing! Its air and temperature controlled, talk about being a king! We also got to see the Physical Therapy wing of the hospital; very impressive. There were about 6 soldiers in there working out and doing varies things, so we caught a glimpse of what Luke will be enduring. They concentrate on core strength first (abs, obliques, spinae--back) then on to balance, coordination and strength. It makes my dream of going to PT school pretty set in stone! Watching these guys work and try so hard is very encouraging to anyone. When we first walked in there was a country music chick signing posters and Cds..I have no idea who she was. :) There was also a guy in there, a double amputee, that had his picture on the front of USA times or something like that, running with the President. It seems these guys really bond together and push eachother along....good thing. If everything goes well with infections and healing, it may be before Thanksgiving Luke will be given a leg! Family and friends are not aloud in the PT room, other for the special day of his first walk or standing with the leg. They also mentioned home for Christmas break! Hopefully.
The realization has definately set in with seeing the PT room. Its a long road ahead, and a different future than we had pictured, but times change and so must we. Looking at the 5 stages of the grieving process I had to learn in Sociology and Psychology...I really have no idea where I am! 1) denial 2) anger 3)bargaining 4) guilt 5) depression 6)loneliness 7) acceptance and 8) hope. It was said to me that anyone going through a change or death in their life goes through these processes. However, I dont think everyone hits all these steps. When I was first told the news I guess I couldnt beleive it until I talked to Tim. So for about 10 minutes, I had denial. Or maybe more. My first thought was to stay in Bemidji and work until it was time to fly down...yeh that didnt happen! I definately hit the anger stage, didnt let anyone see, but released some fumes for sure. Thats why I love swimming! hehe. I can sprint as fast as I can and that works the same for me as hitting something. I dont bargain, this happened, and that was that. No what ifs, i'll switch ya with the guy upstairs. For guilt, I may have had a few thoughts, but lasting about 1 minute each...but anyway to sum it up...I've been with Luke for 4 years now, and he has been gone a total of 14ish months of those years....yeh when havent I been lonely! :) I know what happened, I accept that our future has changed and that I will have to deal with anger, depression, triumphs and goals.
Luke is definately a fighter, we all know that. This will be a set-back to him, but nothing he cant handle. We have our very own hero, thats pretty cool.
For an update...which I suppose i should be writing.... He had to drink some nasty stuff this morning for his can scan. It is a contrast cat scan which has been ordered before but never carried through. This will show if any of his infections have disturbed his organs and deeper tissue in his leg. He has whats called cellulitis (sp). His skin on his left hip appears red, turns white to the touch and is a little swollan...just another thing to keep an eye on. After the cat scan he will have another washout of his wounds....lots of those, so really not big deals. They are going to make sure the infection hasnt gone up his leg and see how the tissue, muscle and all that good stuff is holding up. they had talked about making a close...but very doubtful. If his blood does come back negative for bacteria, they still keep him on antibiotics for 6 more weeks...yes he may have to stay in the hospital just to get his medicine..bummer. It sounds like if he is able enough he will be given a duty at the hospital at some point. his orders are to stay in the hospital and he will more or less be stationed here. Yes, luke is getting paid for all of this! Lukes color is back and is asking a lot more questions. still likes his hugs!

This mail will go to our rooms. It hasnt worked yet..but we'll see. For Luke- same address...just dont put the room number on it.

BAMC Mailroom Powless Guest House
Attn: Tim & Nancy Schmitz
3851 Roger Brooke Dr.
Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-6200

So another day has passed. A successful day at that. Luke won the day, the game we call it. And now is in the winners bracket. That is how Tim and I see this! His fevers are still there, all vitals are the same. But just good news. Infection Identified and treated. We are heading down to the River Walk to have some dinner. I think I'm going to go stir crazy if I dont get out and see more! haha. I tried to run this morning, not really anywhere to go, you can run on the roads and my knee cant handle the all terrain yet :) So it was a short run around the huge hospital then back to the room. Yeh, I'll have to figure something else out, I will go nuts if I cant get some sort of workout in. Tomorrow should be a good day, we are celebrating SARAH's birthday with cupcakes in Lukes room tomorrow! wahoo! hehe. It sounds like Tim and Megan will be flying back to Perham this weekend, either Friday and Saturday. Make sure to keep checking out www.caringbridge.com for updates. I'm not going to go into details here. too repetitive.
And that is the rest of the story.
Good Day.

This is a verse that Luke and I thought fitting before he left for training and Iraq. It again fits the situation.
'Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight' Psalm 144

Ok, so I may have given out the wrong impression with the last post. LUKE IS STILL SERIOUS. We are by no means out of the water with this. His doctors and nurses still worry. He fights for his life. Tonight seemed better, more awake and ate a egg salad sandwich. But please still pray and know its not ok yet. after surgery tomorrow we will know more.

A breath of fresh air was given to us today. Although his fevers are still up and his heart rate is steady at 120ish, we heard some decent news today. Doctors were in and out all day today, pretty hard to keep the names straight! We heard a bit of future talk today, which is refreshing to hear. One of the doctors came and said they will take his knee tomorrow because of the icky infection they found n the knee. The knee is damaged, no cartilige behind the knee cap and missing a crucial muscle or ligament on the lateral side of his knee. They are going to cut his bone back but keep the tissue there, so it will look like a fish mouth essentially. This way, when they can close the wound, they have tissue and skin to wrap around. Again on Friday his wounds will be cleaned and check for infection. Then they are hoping on monday TO CLOSE THE WOUND! Which is a big step! The shrapnal they first thought was in the abdoman is actually in his rear end. which is a good thing, imagine that. they are not going to remove it, because it was cause more injury. It looks like his thumb will fuse without further surgery but will not have normal use of it. where the joint meets the palm may not be able to sway back and forth (thats hard to explain actually!) but he will be able to touch thumb to pinky. Some questions have come up. No, luke is not unconscious. He is awake, but just drug induced sleeping on and off. He does eat normal food, his cravings have included poptarts, fruit, cranberry juice, lemonade, bread, fruit loops. he loves his juice right now!
the purple heart has appeared! for a while we thought it was missing or stolen but he appeared along with some generals coins (they give when visiting) its nice to have some of his things back from iraq including his star wars blanket, some clothes, pictures and other misc. things. i cant think of anymore at this time. he has a cat scan yet today with dye. they want to see the contrast to be sure there is no damage to kidneys, liver, bladder and all the good stuff in the stomach and pelvis area. Luke said although he is scared, he is happy to hear the future!
we met his case worker today, she seems nice, she will help luke and the family to deal with the leg, rehab and so on. she will be with luke for the duration of his stay down here.
good day!