Insert around January 20

Since some of you haven't heard, a little background...My dad, Donald Nelson, went into the hospital the day after Christmas and died on January 6. We buried him on January 9. It was a beautiful service, very simple like he would have wanted, and we were surrounded by friends and family. I was prepared, even if not ready.

This next part is long. Skip to the bottom paragraph for the Reader's Digest version!

Wednesday morning, after Daddy's funeral Friday and the kids had gone back to school in Arkansas, Scott and I were trying to get back into the work routine. He leaves at 3:30 in the morning, I sleep in until 5:30. Like she does every morning, the dog barked a few times when Scott left and I rolled over and went back to sleep. Almost immediately, the phone rang. It was Scott telling me to come outside. That isn't that unusual, but he did sound cold. I believe it was eleven degrees at the time. I grabbed my robe and slippers and headed outside to see whatever it was to see. What I found, was Scott in a heap at the bottom of our back steps, lying on the brick walk, phone in hand. He had stepped off the top step and gone to the bottom and could not move. By the time I ran in to get blankets and pillows, he had called the ambulance and work to say he didn't think he'd be in that day! Amazing.

Eleven hours in the ER, traditional x-rays, 1 1/2 hour MRIs, and a CT scan (which required a field trip across town via ambulance to another hospital) later, he was admitted to the hospital. This was after the doctor got so tickled at his Sherpa hat that she almost couldn't do the exam. This was also after they put him in knee immobilizers and tried to get him to stand to release him. That didn't work, which actually was what told them what all the tests didn't show. His quadraceps were completely detached from both knee caps. (That would actually show up later in surgery. More about that later.)

Neither Scott's usual orthopedist nor the one the hospital has practicing there could fit him in to surgery until Friday, so we spent the rest of Wednesday and Thursday and Friday until noon looking at the walls and eachother. Honestly, I did go to school on Thursday for most of the day. I had to get stuff ready for my second graders. He had company and lots of drugs, so he made it. I had intestinal distress due to stress.

Come Friday morning, we went from thinking his surgeries were at 4:00 to 10:00, and then 2:00. So, they came to get him at noon. Four hours later the doctor told me both surgeries had gone well, but that his injuries were much more severe than he originally thought. He removed lots of clotted blood and clumps of stuff that forms when you swell somewhere due to injury and said had that been the only thing he did, Scott would have felt better. But, since the damage was so complete, he was able to basically use God's parts and pattern and sew his muscles back to his knee caps with a miracle substance known as fiber wire. I must admit, as a former computer teacher, I thought he said fire wire. Thought I was going to get to plug Scott in somewhere in the system! According to Dr. Stacy Dinkins, local healer and self proclaimed "dumb bone guy," this fiber wire is stronger than rope, will not disolve and will support the muscles and knees the rest of Scott's life. The fact that the damage was complete actually made the repairs better.

He enjoyed being asleep under anesthesia a bit more than he should have so they had to wake him up with more drugs and some oxygen. When he finally got back to me, he was in a good mood, remembered asking the nurses if they would pray and then he remembered waking up. He had two femoral nerve blocks which lasted into Saturday. That was a blessing. The pain was different, but it was still severe. We were both flabergasted when his favorite nurse turned Nazi and made him stand up. She was sweet about it the next day and he was able to walk about 20 steps. Monday, he managed about forty feet. No walking Tuesday. We had to get ready to go home.

Arranging for home health, hospital beds and wheelchairs, checking out of the hospital, and ambulance rides with Frick the flirt and a one-armed Frack should not be attempted by the weak of heart. Home health was a breeze. Hospital bed is too short. Checking out of the hospital was a breeze. Frick and Frack were not only separate pieces of work for different reasons, they couldn't get him in the house. Did I mention it was snowing and 27 degrees and Scott had on a tee shirt and his drawers besides the immobilizers? (Oh, and the funny Sherpa hat.) Thank goodness for exceptional neighbors who are able to provide a fourth and fifth arm. (You thought I was kidding that the other guy only had one arm, didn't you?) Know what's funny? They knew how big Scott is before they got there.

He has to keep his knees perfectly straight for a month. Then, we will see if he gets a slight bend for another month. Then, we start rehab.

So now it is nearly nine pm and he is doped to the gills and we will make it till tomorrow. We are both glad to be home. It has been a long six days.

READER'S DIGEST VERSION

Scott had a really bad fall early Wednesday morning. Detached both knee caps. He wore a funny hat to the ER. Put him back together on Friday. Came home from hospital Tuesday. Eight weeks in a hospital bed. We are both pooped, but he gets drugs.