The Fall
For those of you expecting a theological treatise on 'The Fall', this is not the place. For those of you looking for information about my accident, this is the place. Rather than take up space on Facebook, I'll blog here and post links as my status updates.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, Gena and I had returned home from a lunch out together. I had a list of several home projects I had been working completing & looked forward to finishing several others throughout the day. The weather was nice (45 degrees and cloudy), making for an opportunity to finish up a few outdoor tasks. We had decorated the house for Christmas lights with wreaths on several windows. This required removing screens. While the wreaths were long since gone, the screens had not been put back up due to weather. Having just hung up the phone from the ER (regarding an admission to the hospital), I re-hung all of the first floor screen without difficulty. I had a phone call from our pastor & was going to his house after hanging of the remaining screens. Gena came out to help hold the ladder, but I asked her to go back inside to the second floor to help me hold the screens from the inside. While she was on the way upstairs, I lost my balance and fell from the second story, initially landing on my ankle, then my face. I remember screaming all the way down (for what seemed like 20 minutes). Last year, a friend of ours from church fell off his porch and died from his injuries a couple of days later. I thought of Brian on the way down.
At first, my ankle didn't hurt. My face struck the sidewalk (aggregate concrete) and broke my glasses. I had on a hat and it took the brunt of the facial lick, but I still have quite an abrasion to my forehead (5x5 cm). Thankfully, I don't have to worry about hair growth. After some yelling and screaming, Gena came to the porch and was obviously upset. I tried to stand, but my left leg was at a 75 degree angle about 4 inches above the ankle. Giving up, we decided to call the paramedics.
Gena stayed with me, comforting me, making several phone calls. The first responders arrive (first, of course). They (as well as the paramedics) all know me. They were very professional, treating me with great compassion and care. Of course, we joked and discussed what had happened, but they did a great job. We went to the Harrison County Hospital ER. Gena had called Dr. Estill before we left and he had talked to Dr. Conner. Dr. Cobel was in the ER. Once again, the ER staff are people I routinely wok with and they really took good care of me.
X-rays were not pretty. Multiple fragments of both bones in the lower leg, along with an open wound, made in necessary to transfer me to Floyd Memorial Hospital for surgery to stabilize the fracture. Surgery was about 7PM with plates and screws placed as well as an external fixation device. The pain is tolerable with morphine, but I'm not sure about the thought process.
There really is no telling what I am writing. Mostly, I'm putting down facts. I'll probably have some insights later. I had started a second blog that was an accountability journal of my training for the Triple Crown Race. I have no use for that now, so I may convert it to a recovery journey. It sounds as though I will have a lengthy recovery.
Morphine kicking in.... off to sleep.........
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, Gena and I had returned home from a lunch out together. I had a list of several home projects I had been working completing & looked forward to finishing several others throughout the day. The weather was nice (45 degrees and cloudy), making for an opportunity to finish up a few outdoor tasks. We had decorated the house for Christmas lights with wreaths on several windows. This required removing screens. While the wreaths were long since gone, the screens had not been put back up due to weather. Having just hung up the phone from the ER (regarding an admission to the hospital), I re-hung all of the first floor screen without difficulty. I had a phone call from our pastor & was going to his house after hanging of the remaining screens. Gena came out to help hold the ladder, but I asked her to go back inside to the second floor to help me hold the screens from the inside. While she was on the way upstairs, I lost my balance and fell from the second story, initially landing on my ankle, then my face. I remember screaming all the way down (for what seemed like 20 minutes). Last year, a friend of ours from church fell off his porch and died from his injuries a couple of days later. I thought of Brian on the way down.
At first, my ankle didn't hurt. My face struck the sidewalk (aggregate concrete) and broke my glasses. I had on a hat and it took the brunt of the facial lick, but I still have quite an abrasion to my forehead (5x5 cm). Thankfully, I don't have to worry about hair growth. After some yelling and screaming, Gena came to the porch and was obviously upset. I tried to stand, but my left leg was at a 75 degree angle about 4 inches above the ankle. Giving up, we decided to call the paramedics.
Gena stayed with me, comforting me, making several phone calls. The first responders arrive (first, of course). They (as well as the paramedics) all know me. They were very professional, treating me with great compassion and care. Of course, we joked and discussed what had happened, but they did a great job. We went to the Harrison County Hospital ER. Gena had called Dr. Estill before we left and he had talked to Dr. Conner. Dr. Cobel was in the ER. Once again, the ER staff are people I routinely wok with and they really took good care of me.
X-rays were not pretty. Multiple fragments of both bones in the lower leg, along with an open wound, made in necessary to transfer me to Floyd Memorial Hospital for surgery to stabilize the fracture. Surgery was about 7PM with plates and screws placed as well as an external fixation device. The pain is tolerable with morphine, but I'm not sure about the thought process.
There really is no telling what I am writing. Mostly, I'm putting down facts. I'll probably have some insights later. I had started a second blog that was an accountability journal of my training for the Triple Crown Race. I have no use for that now, so I may convert it to a recovery journey. It sounds as though I will have a lengthy recovery.
Morphine kicking in.... off to sleep.........
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