Pages

Sunday, September 06, 2020

This Is Not the Post I'd Planned

 


John Lennon once sang, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." That is indeed what happened here this weekend. Even though I didn't have a three-day holiday weekend to look forward to, I was at least expecting this weekend to be the usual mix of chores and fun. The weather was predicted to be nice, so I figured I'd be able to go for at least one run and one long walk, and I had a book to finish and plenty of knitting and spinning to do. And I'd hoped that by the time I sat down to write this post, I'd at least have finished spinning my purple Rambouillet singles and maybe even have started plying. But none of that happened.

Before I tell you the story of the last few days, let me start out by reassuring you that everyone is okay, so you don't have to get too stressed out. But it was an eventful weekend.

On Friday, the Mister decided to take the day off from work to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take a long bike ride around the city. Rainbow was at school as usual, and after I got back from my run, I settled in for a quiet afternoon, as it was the first time in a long time I'd had the house entirely to myself. Just as I was sitting down after lunch, though, I got a text message from the Mister asking if it was an okay time to call me -- his way of preparing me for a serious phone call. The short of it is that he'd gotten into a bit of a bike accident. As he came to a trail switchback, the gravel making up the trail caused him to lose his balance a bit, and though he stayed upright on the bike, a branch from a nearby bush poked him in the cheek, just below the eye, and had punctured the skin. Luckily someone who lived nearby saw him and gave him a bag of ice, and he was also very close to a riverside restaurant, so he was able to stop the bleeding with some napkins and even get some lunch while he waited for me to come get him (he wasn't that far away, but it would have been a long and painful bike ride back home).

We are very lucky to live pretty much around the corner from an excellent hospital, so I dropped him off at the ER on the way home; he thought he might need a stitch or two. I then picked Rainbow up at school, and when he still wasn't done by dinnertime, we went to parents' as we usually do on Friday nights, figuring when he finished he'd walk home and drive over to meet us.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Not long after we finished, I got a call from him saying that I needed to come get him and take him to another hospital, because they'd done a CT scan and discovered that he had pieces of the branch embedded in his sinus cavity. He ended up spending the night in another ER before finally being moved to a room at the hospital, and when I woke up yesterday morning, he still hadn't been told when the surgery would happen. But he was allowed to have one visitor/support person with him while he waited, so I went over shortly after.

He finally ended up being taken into the OR yesterday afternoon and was discharged yesterday evening. The surgeon, who came out to talk to me after the procedure was complete, described the injury as "one in a million" -- the branch had managed to hit the one section of sinus bone that is eggshell thin. But the removal went perfectly, and the important thing is that the Mister is now home and slept in his own bed (well, on the sofa bed in the den, so that neither of us would disturb the other last night). He's swollen and a bit numb on that side of his face, and he has to take various medications for a week or so, but all things considered, he was pretty lucky, and he'll make a full recovery. I am so very grateful for that.

So I didn't really get the relaxing weekend I'd hoped for, but at least with all the sitting around at the hospital, I was able to finish my 50th book for bingo, completing my second card, and I finished knitting a sock, so it was not a total waste. Plus, I wouldn't have been anywhere else, especially considering that he's been there for me the two times I was in the hospital. COVID certainly made it an unusual experience, but as everything had a good outcome, I am not complaining, and I am so, so grateful for the amazing doctors and nurses who helped to make him whole again.

The photo at the top of the post is all the fiber I have left to spin for this project, and I'll be chipping away at it this week. By next week, I am confident, you will see it in yarn form!

10 comments:

  1. Oh my - happy to hear all is well now but what a time! My husband told me this afternoon that he took a tumble after his ride yesterday. He didn’t want to tell me but I noticed that his leg was banged up. So far, none of his bike mishaps have landed him in the ER. Kind of scary for you. Hope your Monday is uneventful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for starting your story by saying that everyone is okay! That really helps!!

    And I am also glad that your husband is okay. Wow! What a scary accident. Who knew that a branch could cause so much damage?! I wish you had today off to recover because I'd be totally drained after such a thing.

    But congratulations on finishing your second bingo card!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At least because I'm working from home, it feels a bit like I have the day off! I expect it will be a quiet day anyway, as most people in my office are taking the day off.

      Delete
  3. I'm very glad that your husband is okay. When I hear about things like this, my mind tends to go to "It could have been so much worse." I'm sorry that his one in a million chance resulted in an injury requiring surgery and not a lottery win, but glad that his eye was not involved. I'm still a bit irritated on your behalf that you're not off today, but I hope it's a light day, that your husband is comfortable and healing well, and you enjoy Thanksgiving Monday when it rolls around.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh my God ... wow. Here, we would say you could fill out a lottery ticket now ... I'm glad that the branch didn't hit THE EYE, although this is horrible enough. Ihope he gets well soon! It's good that the operation was small, even though he had to wait for it. PHEW. A lot of luck in a bad situation.
    I hope this is Your Event for the fall and the rest is quiet and pleasant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I very much hope that this is the only excitement we have this year!

      Delete
  5. What a truly scary thing, but I am so glad it was not a more serious injury (although, I think anything that requires surgery is serious, but I am echoing other comments that I am glad his eye was not involved!)

    Boo for having to work today but at least it was from home!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh my gosh! I've been away from my computer for a couple of days--and, whoa, I'm catching up. And also catching my breath! What a time your family has had :( I was anticipating a broken limb or some such thing as your telling began. Who ever woulda thought?! May you have a restful, uneventful week ahead of you.
    (And--hot damn to *50* books!! A big Cheers to that!). Take good care. xo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the third sports-related injury he's had in as many years -- my mother joked that we should get him a Peloton to keep him in the house!

      Delete
  7. Oh goodness. I am glad you husband is home safe and sound. I am also thankful his eye wasn't injured. Being moved from hospital to hospital must have been a little stressful. I am glad you were able to be with him at some point.

    ReplyDelete