The Grueling Days Ahead

 It was VERY difficult to get comfortable, and I had a ton of pillows behind me in my hospital bed to help keep everything broken in a comfortable position. The Doctors made a special brace for my right shoulder that was broken that wrapped around my waist and then there were two straps that held my arm in place where it needed to be to keep everything stable. My left arm was in a sling for my broken left clavicle         [ collar bone ]. I had a golf ball size lump because of how my collar bone was broken. They had to let it heal in the shape of an X because my ribs were broken on the right side and I had a chest tube in for my collapsed lung. They were afraid that if they messed with it, my left lung would collapse as well. So, my arms were pinned to my body and having just had surgery on my right knee, plus three pelvic fractures, trying to get up to do any kind of walking was ridiculously difficult. They didn't get me up much and I was stuck in bed for the most part. I was still, at this point, pulling shards of glass out of my hair. 

New Year's Eve was right around the corner and I lay there thinking about that and all the plans we had. We rarely drank, and what we really enjoyed doing was having Brian over, Will's cousin Ben, and a few other close friends to play Euchre. We were simple and it didn't take much to make us all happy. We were like one big happy family. We'd make a big pot of spaghetti or chili and play cards for hours laughing and just enjoying life. Everything was going to be different now and I felt lost and overwhelmed. The only thing I was sure of is that God would get me through this, and I had my family and a few close friends. 

I was a smoker at the time of my accident, so I of course, requested a nicotine patch. Well, that same day, which I believe was day 4 or 5, my chest tube was removed. The nicotine patch was a little too much and I kept telling the nurse that I felt like I was going to throw up. Well, they didn't get anti-nausea meds to me in time and I threw up. Well, when I did, it sounded like I was farting out the side of my body, and blood started to run down my right side where the chest tube had been. My lung had collapsed again and it was definitely getting hard to breathe after a bit which was very unsettling. They told me that I was going to have to be taken downstairs to have another chest tube put in. I was terrified because they can't sedate you for that! They gave me a lidocaine shot, but I still felt them cut through with the scalpel. Then, the Doctor had to use her body weight to shove the tube in between my ribs and it hurt so bad I could tell I'd turned white and was sweating. The Doctor went out to talk to my mother and said, " I have had 350 lb men up here screaming and she didn't make a peep! " Let me tell you, I was praying the whole way down to get this tube put back in. I know God was with me and I definitely could have screamed but I was too focused on following her directions so that we wouldn't have any problems. I was too scared to scream. 

Someone came to visit and showed me a picture of my car and clippings from the news and I lost it and I'm pretty sure I threw the camera, but I don't remember for sure, I was just really really upset. My family wasn't happy, I can tell you that much. Speaking of family, my amazing step-dad who I don't even refer to him as step anymore and haven't for a while......we just call him dad because that's exactly what he's been to us and for us all these years. I feel it's important to note before going any further, my real dad and I were very close but we didn't become a close until I was about 15 and he was more like a best friend that a father figure after I got older. Despite that, he too was a great man whom I loved dearly. Back to Les          [ step-dad ].......That man took care of ALLLLLL the leg work planning the funeral, asking me what I wanted, providing options for me and making it as easy as possible. He was absolutely phenomenal!! He took my dad with him for all of it and included him in everything. That's the kind of man Les is......he would even extend invitations to my dad for holidays! My whole family was and is pretty amazing!! 

The whole thing was just extremely painful mentally, emotionally, and physically. The nurses were amazing and would cry with me, and they were giving me lotions from Bath and Body Works. I had a whole lotta love and comfort pouring in. We didn't know if I would be able to get out of the hospital in time for the funeral, so the head EMT in Decatur [ Ed Ford ] and the flight nurse from the Samaratin teamed up and were going to take me in an ambulance down to Decatur to the funeral and take me back to the hospital free of charge!! After 9 days in the hospital, they let me out a little early so that I could attend the funeral. I had to be in a wheelchair as I couldn't stand for very long at all. They needed to have the funeral soon and I am so glad that I didn't have to miss it. They can only keep a body for so long before it has to be buried. I knew how hard it was on everyone, especially Will's family having to wait and had I not been able to be released in time or get to the funeral, I gave the go ahead especially because I knew that's what Will would have wanted and no one else needed tortured any more than we already had been. Praise Jesus I was able to make it, but it was one of the hardest t things I have ever had to go through. So much lay ahead and I knew it was going to be rough, but I also knew I wasn't alone.

Tomorrow we will begin my journey to recovery and there are so many powerful things I have to share with you. Until then, hug the ones you love and tell them often! Love and blessings to all.