An Anniversary of a Different Sort

Usually anniversaries are remembrances of happy occasions. Today marks the 1 year anniversary of a different kind. Last year on this date, it was a Friday. It was very much like any other Friday. I woke at 4:45 am to get ready for work. I was nauseous since I was still having morning sickness at 9 months pregnant. There was only 2 weeks left until my scheduled induction. I was glad that the end was near.

I got to work, received report on my patients, looked up their scheduled medications, got up to get started with my assessments when my phone rang. I looked at my phone to see who it was. My phone said "Mark." Mark is my husband's business partner. My 1st thought was "Oh, it's Ryan...he must have forgot his phone and was calling to let me know to call Mark's phone if by chance I went in labor." I answered it and heard this, "Shannon, this is Mark. I thought I would let you know there has been an accident. Ryan fell and... well... we think he broke his leg... it looks pretty bad." I could feel my body start to shake and asked, "Is he okay?" Mark replied, "He's in a lot of pain, but the ambulance is here and taking him to the hospital. I'll call you when we get there."

I got on the phone with my charge nurse telling her that I was gonna need to leave due to my husband's accident and asked if she could find me a replacement. I had to walk off my unit for a minute to gather myself together because I was so frightened that I started to cry. I knew I would feel better if I could just talk to Ryan.

Mark called back and said that Ryan's ankle is dislocated and that they will have to put it back in place and get some xrays. I asked to speak to Ryan, but when Mark asked him, Ryan refused. Later, Ryan told me he was in so much pain that he couldn't talk or even think straight. After a couple hours at work on and off the phone and feeling guilty that my patients weren't getting all of my time, I called my charge nurse again. "Have they found a replacement for me yet?" To which she replied, "Oh I was waiting for you to get back to me." I don't know what in the heck happened there, but my charge nurse finally came and relieved me so I could go. I actually think maybe she didn't believe me. I don't know why. I have never given them a reason not to trust me, but what made me think that she didn't believe me is when she asked what hospital they brought him to and what his name was. Yes, she called to make sure he was there. Urghh! **rolling eyes**

By the time, I finally got out of work, Ryan was released from the ER and on his way back home. Mark was driving him home. So, I just went straight home. I beat Ryan to the house. With phone in hand (my Palm Treo), I walked into the door and was greeted by Brandy, our very large basset hound. She jumped on me causing my phone to slip out of my hands. It hit the floor the battery popped out and the phone landed in her water dish. Oh great! What next? (The phone did finally dry out and start working again, but only lasted approximately another 6 months before it finally had it.) When Ryan got home, I held Brandy back so she wouldn't try to jump on him.

Ryan's foot had a splint on it and was wrapped in gauze and an ace bandage. "So what exactly happened?" I had asked. Then they explained, they were coming out of the house they were working on, and Mark got on a board that they used when entering and leaving the house. This house didn't have the stairs built yet that would lead up to the house, so a board was used instead. Mark was at the end of the board, so Ryan stepped up onto the board to go next. Only when Mark reached the bottom, he hit some ice, slipped and fell backwards onto the board. The board broke sending Ryan down 5 feet onto unlevel ground. Ryan showed me a picture he took with his camera phone while waiting for his xrays to come back. Oh it was disgusting! It was twisted in a very un-natural position. Don't worry! Not only will I spare you the picture, but I can't even find it anymore.

Let me interrupt this story to say that just 1 week prior to this, Ryan took me to this same house so I could see the work they were doing there. That same board that broke causing Ryan's injury, is the same one I had to go on to enter the house. After much hesitation and Ryan's insistence that the board was fine, I went up that board, but only if Ryan held my hand all the way up.

The ER doctor said the xrays looked good and there was no break, but she wanted him to follow up with an orthopaedic surgeon. I told Ryan, "I find it hard to believe that with a fall like that and a dislocation, that there was no break." I forgot to mention that Ryan was incredibly moody after all of this. I know it was the pain, but man, it made it real hard to hand and foot him with his bad attitude.

I grabbed Ryan's phone to start calling orthopaedic surgeon's in our area. I knew he needed to be seen ASAP. Wow! Most doctor's office would have been glad to see him... in January!!! Some even said February and March! I even had some refuse to see him because he wasn't seen in a Norton ER or referred by a Norton physician, and it didn't matter that I was a nurse for Norton's hospital. What ever happened to professional courtesy? If I had made it to the ER before he had been released, I would have demanded that an orthopaedic surgeon see him before he left. I finally called our PCP to explain the situation. I asked if she could maybe recommend somebody from the Indiana side since I had exhausted our Louisville resources. One of the doctors she recommended agreed to see us on Tuesday.

Not only was I having trouble taking care of myself at that point when I was big and uncomfortable, but now I had to help Ryan to get in and out of the bathtub among helping him dress and serve him, and I had ALL the responsibilities on my shoulders. The kids, the driving, the shopping, the cooking, the cleaning, the everything! If he had his ankle in a dependant position the pain was worse and so was the swelling. so he kept it up and elevated all the time.

Tuesday, rolls around and we loved the doctor! He did more xrays in his office and came into our room. He asked Ryan about how it happened, and Ryan explained it. It was their own business and it was a fairly new business. There was no workman's comp insurance, yet. He looked at me who was very pregnant and asked with a sullen look "When are you due?" I explained that I was getting induced on the 22nd and start maternity leave next week. Then, he took a deep breath and said to Ryan, "You not only have a bad injury, but you have multiple fractures in your ankle. The one that concerns me the most is this one (as he points to his xrays). You don't need surgery yet, but you may need it soon depending on how this heals. I am gonna have you fitted for a cam walker boot, but I don't want you to put any weight on that leg for 6 weeks. I am sorry, I know this will put a big strain on your finances. I think maybe you better start applying for some financial assistance. I'll sign any papers that might help with you getting it. We'll get a CT scan in 6 weeks to see how it's healing."

We left that doctor's office never saying a word until we reached our car. We sat there for a few minutes talking. How were we going to make it when our only income was going to be my short term disability check (75% of my regular pay)? So, we decided to do the only thing we could do at that time and prayed. We asked God to help Ryan's ankle to heal, and we told Him that we were going to trust in Him to provide for us during this time.

Let me make this long story short in saying that instead of me being out for 6 weeks after Preston's birth, I was out 8 weeks because I had an unexpected c-section. Ryan had multiple xrays, CT scans, an MRI, 2 orthopaedic surgeons, multiple Physical Therapy sessions, and was out of work for 4 months!!! To this day, he still hasn't had surgery. The doctors say it is inevitable in the future, but he doesn't need it yet. One year later, he still limps on occasion (usually after working all day). If you go back to this post and watch the video, you will see Ryan limping in the background. That video was taken this week!

How did we fare in the finance department? Well, let me tell you an awesome story of God's promise to provide and bless us for trusting in Him. On the day of Preston's birth, one of our visitors was John, our Bible Fellowship instructor. He brought with him a card containing a large sum of money collected by our Bible Fellowship class. Between that money and other money sent to us, we received $1700.00! Plus, they provided us with Christmas dinner with all the fixings and dinners 3 times a week for the next three weeks! And it didn't stop there. When, they found out we weren't going to class because there was no elevators to get to the second floor, they carried Ryan up the stairs, and they did every week until he was allowed to bear weight on his right ankle.

O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you. - Psalm 84:12, NIV

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. - Psalm 112:7, NIV

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. - Jeremiah 17:7, NIV

The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him - Nahum 1:7, NIV

These pictures were taken 1 week after Ryan's injury. You can see all of the bruising and swelling he had.

And this picture was taken December 21st on our way to the hospital, they decided to do my induction one day early. Preston was born the next day though.