quick clarification

All,

I have removed the post about the visitation rules with Melissa's permission. There was some confusion about what Melissa intended and it caused a little misunderstanding and I would like to attempt to clear it up some.

Everyone is free to visit Erik at any time during visitations are allowed. If your schedule only allows you to visit him at 2am, tell him "hi" for me. We know that everyone wants to see him and say "hi" to him and make sure he is ok. We have had a little communication breakdown between a couple nurses, doctors, and myself. We ended up having some bad timelines. Melissa wanted to limit the visitation as Erik was going to be going thru some more surgeries and basically, it was unknown how he would react when he was able to talk.

The only request, and I know this goes without saying, is please spend time with Erik, but if the medical staff or family members ask that you not visit Erik, please understand it has nothing to do with you. The medical team feels at that particular time, it is best for Erik rest. I know I have driven out to the hospital, only to not be able to see Erik when I arrive. It's frustrating, but it is only temporary. Please be patient.

For those of you who know Melissa well, you know she is a social butterfly who likes to be in control of things. She is definately "the more the merrier." Me too! She has been very brave and trusting during these hard times. She fully recognizes each and every thing that has been done to help and by whom. Sometimes, her wish to maintain structure and control leads her to try to control things that may not need to be controlled and will be better off to just let them take their course. As you can imagine, her world has been turned upside down and none of us actually know what she is going through. If she starts to stress out about something, it's okay to tell her "don't sweat the small stuff." She will know what that means and knows that will be her signal to take a deep breath, relax, let someone else deal with it, and move on.

We are trying the best we can to update everyone with the most current and accurate information as we receive it, yet maintain some sort of structure.

Please accept my apoligies for the incorrect info that I have been relaying in the morning, but I am just passing on what I am told. I am not going to be calling the hospital any more in the mornings so the posts may not be as often.

Erik is doing extremely well, talking, cracking jokes, and even feeling up his wife if he can get away with it :) Yup, same old Erik!!!! He is definately very frustrated and does not want to be there as expected and is normal. He at first thought he was there for his syatic nerve. Melissa told him that her and his mom were ok and were being taken care of. He responded by asked what happened, is everything ok with mom and if there was anything he could do to help. He is extremely upset about the amount of pain he is in. He was complaining and acting out of character. Melissa responded by telling him he was in an accident (nothing more!) and she thought he was going to die. She told him she thought she was going to be without a husband and Tanner without a father. She told him, although he is uncomfortable, we are happy he is in pain because that means he is progressing. He then responded with a typcial Erik response: "Booya." It seems as if it is the Erik of old with a cool scar to show off at the next party. Thanks again! -Rian