The ambulance called me at 1:00 PM.
"We have your wife. She fell from her horse on her hip. We will be at the hospital in 10 minutes." I got a text from Jenny and talked to her, too. Shane and I were in the car and at the hospital soon after.
We waited over an hour before we could see her.
When Carrie went to mount Pixel, Pixel didn't sit still. She stepped slightly forward at an angle. She bumped the mounting block and it startled her. Pixel shied away with Carrie half seated. The sudden move made Carrie bounce down into the saddle which spooked Pixel again. Then, Carrie said Pixel took "a rodeo hop", bounced her, panicked, and went into a full launch. Carrie's worked with much larger and aggressive horses before, but she wasn't seated and completely surprised.
Carrie fell off backwards in a seated position and landed hip first on the arena ground. The pain was instant. She could barely move. She tried to call 911, but her cell phone was on the mounting block. She couldn't reach it, so she started to scream for help instead. Jenny heard her and ran out to help.
It was a very painful ambulance trip strapped into a backboard.
Shane and I knew Mommy would need her boys. We didn't mind the wait.
Shane wanted to help however he could. I explained what I could to dispel uncertainty. He was fascinated with the concept of x-rays. He asked a doctor to see Mommy's (and the doctor showed him!).
The rest of the day became "hurry up and wait." We spent 10 hours at the hospital.
Around the 2 hour mark, we received word the x-rays were clear. We were told Carrie could go home once her pain was at a manageable level. The nurse unhooked her IV.
However, when Carrie tried to stand her face went white. Her hands clenched and she couldn't un-clench them. She swore that there had to be something more wrong.
An hour (?) later a second doctor saw something in the x-rays the first doctor missed. CT scans were ordered. We were told it would take about 15 minutes. Then Carrie got bumped back from the head of the line by a more severe injury. The scans didn't happen until almost two hours later and then we had to wait some more to hear what they showed.
Carrie had three fractures. One on each side of the hip and one in the sacrum.
Another hour passed until we talked to an orthopedic doctor. Another hour passed here, and there, and between each bit of news we received. A burn victim came in to Carrie's room and was discharged. The police brought in someone who overdosed soon after (The nurse said, "It's about to get noisy in here," so I took Shane out on a walk).
It was nearly 10:00 when we heard a doctor wanted a new set of x-rays. Then, if Carrie could walk with a walker, they would let her go home. If not, she'd be admitted.
Carrie walked.
She really, really wanted out of there.
Our night nurse, Kate, was awesome. She and Carrie bonded in those last couple of hours. Everyone else was helpful, too. It was a busy night at the ER. Nurses, students, police, you name it.
Throughout it all, Shane never slept. He missed nap and wouldn't sleep when we tried to get him to lay down.
Shane woke up at 6:45 AM and didn't fall asleep until he got in the car around 10:45 PM.
Do you know how hard it is to contain Shane for that long?
He drained our cellphone batteries early on (not that there was service anyway). Shane and I explored all over the hospital.
By the end of the day, I could tell him "Take us back to Mommy," and he'd find the way.
The cafeteria food was pretty good, too.
All things considered, Shane was awesome. I was very proud of how he handled everything. He won over a few hearts with his upbeat demeanor. The night nurse, Kate, let him shoot saline solution into the sink.
Maybe I shouldn't have posted that, but it was one of the highlights of Shane's night. He took home the syringe ("This will be a good bath toy!").
But wait! There's more!
I don't know if Shane picked it up at the hospital (he's bad about putting his hands in his mouth lately), but he was sick the next day. He tested positive for strep. He's been coughing and congested since Wednesday or Thursday, but I don't know if they're linked (He did pass the congestion on to me).
Busy times over here! Both Carrie and Shane are doing better than before.
Carrie hurts and will for a while. The orthopedic surgeon said that the fractures should heal on their own, but it would take months. She'll be walking without a walker before then, but she's off work the rest of the week.
We caught Shane's strep as it started. He took some fever meds in the morning and never slowed down. He had his amoxicillin by 11:00 AM. He'll be considered non contagious after 24 hours and I'll need to throw away his toothbrush.
I hope he doesn't share the strep with me like he did the congestion! I plan on taking him in to work for a little bit tomorrow. It will help Carrie sleep and get him out of the house for a bit. Students are off for election day and teacher workdays, so at least the timing there is convenient.
We have a lot to be thankful for. I made many a mental list and thanked God whenever I could. Prayers are still appreciated!
Bedtime for now.
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