I feel the need to get this out of my system… I journal, and that’s incredibly therapeutic, but we have so many friends and family members all over the country who want updates, so I think this will be a better way to keep everyone up to date.
Last Wednesday, June 29th, around 6pm, my husband Mark was in a motorcycle accident not 10 minutes from home. He was forced to slam on his brakes, causing him to be thrown over the handlebars and onto the concrete. His left side took most of the impact. He was taken to the ER in an ambulance, and later admitted to the hospital where he spent 2 nights. He was released Friday, July 1st.
Thankfully, Mark sustained injuries that will heal – nothing life threatening or permanently damaging, thank God. However, he will be down and out for several weeks. He has 8 broken ribs, a badly broken left wrist, and his left leg sustained blunt force trauma causing it to be badly bruised and swollen to about twice the normal size.
I am fortunate enough to work for a company that is very sympathetic to the fact that Mark is pretty much helpless on his own right now. I’ve been able to stay home with him since the accident and work from home. This week has been incredibly busy for us, so I’m glad I can work from home.
Monday, the 4th, we went back to the ER because Mark’s left leg was really bothering him and hurting really badly. They did a scan and x-rays and saw no blood clots or breaks, so they sent him home. Tuesday, we had an appointment at the radiology department for more x-rays, this time of his chest. Wednesday, we had an appointment at Dr. Swayze’s office to check Mark’s wrist and schedule surgery. We were told that, because of his broken ribs, we have to get a letter of clearance from the chest doctor. So today, we had an appointment with him, Dr. Mayfield. The x-rays from Tuesday showed inflammation in his lungs – not terrible, but enough to warrant a prescription for an anti-inflammatory. Dr. Mayfield also told us that Mark is extremely lucky to be alive (we knew that) because one of the ribs he broke is the top rib on his left side over his heart. He said a lot of times when these ribs break, they puncture a person’s aorta and are fatal. Praise God this was not the case for Mark! We got our letter of clearance so Mark has surgery scheduled for next Wednesday on his wrist.
Tomorrow, we have yet another doctor’s appointment, this time with Dr. Schwab. This is the lung doctor, who we hope not to have to see again. He and Dr. Mayfield work together in case there is any reason to have to do surgery on Mark’s ribs or lungs. We pray that is not going to be necessary.
So, at this point, Mark is taking his Percocet and Naproxen regularly. He sleeps 4 hours at a time, waking up when the pain meds wear off. He can get up and move around when he needs to, but I try to keep him in his recliner so he can keep his leg and arm elevated, and just rest. He gets really tired of being in his chair, though, but I can’t let him overexert himself. He needs help with pretty much everything since he can’t bend over, breath deeply, raise his arms over his head, reach across his body, or any of that – and he only has use of his right arm.
Prayers are greatly needed and much appreciated. I will try to post updates as I have them. In the mean time, just keep praying for progress and rest.
On a side note, I just want to say this: I had no idea how much Mark did around the house until he can’t do it anymore. It’s very hard to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of 2 people, plus handle my normal job duties, and take care of my 230 lb. baby. Fortunately, this week my daughter has been out of town with her dad, so that has alleviated some of the work. Although when she gets back, I’ll be putting her to work!
Oh, and as for the bike – it’s not nearly as bad as Mark. The right side of the bike has a broken plate that is easily fixed, the right turn signal is broken off, the windshield is broken, and the seat is cracked. Other than that, it’s fine. And no, Mark will NOT be getting back on it. Period.
More updates later – thanks again for the prayers!
~Kirsten
