Wednesday~October 12th, 2011

.....A day I will never soon forget!!

My sister Joy and Jayla were home for the weekend and came early on Tuesday night. We(including my mom) made plans to eat up at Five Loaves Cafe on Wednesday for lunch. Wednesday morning Liam kept saying Jayla's name so I decided we might as well head over to my mom's house early and let the kids play a bit before meeting uptown to eat at 11:30. We arrived at my mom's at 11am and when we got there Joy, Jayla and Mom were getting ready to walk up to the cafe because it was just SO BEAUTIFUL out!! What a great idea, we were in! So away we went with the kids on the laps of my mom and joy and I walking. We crossed over 421 and were just chatting away when..........thats pretty much all I remember........so let me tell you what I have heard from Mom and Joy! "when all of a sudden a truck came out of nowwhere(noone heard it) and hit me from behind, causeing me to lurch forward with my feet flipping up over my head and me coming down onto my head on the road. I guess I went somewhere arounnd 15 to 20 ft forward flying thru the air landing on the back and left side of my head. I was out if it. I didn't respond to my mom, but I did move my legs and I did tell my mom to get off of me, although she was NOT on me. My sister Joy instantly went running for a cell phone because neither of them had one on them(I did in my butt pocket, but they didn't know that). Joy was able to find a cell phone from a guy driving on a different road in francesville and called 911. Ambulance arrived, taking care of me, then the EMT arrived taking care of me. Police took a report and all the while I lay there unaware of what happened. Joy thankfully got my cellphone eventually and had all the numbers she needed to get a hold of nick at work, family, friends, etc to start praying. I came around for a moment and remember them saying "do we pick her up by helicopter at the West Central School parking lot, or do we go to the parking lot behind Parkview Haven?" Then I was out again. I guess it was at least an hour before the helicopter arrived and once again I came around and opened my eyes and for the first time recognized that I was awake. I saw Joey Schlatter on my left and then I looked right and saw Alex Leman and I placed my hand on his arm. I was being carried....to the helicopter at this point(I only know this because of pictures my dear grandma took....thanks:)). I remember them putting me in the helicopter and I remember the guy sitting beside me wearing a blue outfit and a white helmet. I also remember them asking me at one point if I was pregnant(and I didnt' know the answer then). But while in the helicopter I remembered that I was indeed pregnant and I reached over and tapped the "blue" guy on his shoulder and told him I was indeed 11 weeks pregnant to which he responded, yes I know!! I also remember them asking if they could cut off my clothes. Then I was OUT again. Don't remember a single bit of the flight, and I don't remember going into the hosptials trauma unit at South Bend having a CAT scan done, and a chest x ray done.

....now to what I do remember and the rest of my recovery....

I dont' know how long I was at the hosptial before I came around, but I asked the nurse, can I please just move my head a little(I was strapped to a backboard and my neck was in a brace where I could NOT move it even an inch). the back of my head was in so much pain and I wanted to get off the back of my head. The nurse told me "I am sorry, but we can NOT move you until the results of your CAT scan come back with no trauma to your skull or neck". I just layed there praying and pleading with God to please let them be ok so I can move my neck. Not long later the nurse came in and said "would you like to get off that board now". I instantly said "did my CAT scan come back negative?" To which she replied "yes, it did". I know I smiled from ear to ear and I remember getting a bit choked up in my throat. I was so thankful I could move my head and get off that tender spot on the back of my head. I was diagnosed with a severe concussion, sheering of the brain(meaning the two hemisphere's in your brain shift and slide against each other), a hematoma, a small laseration on the back of my head, and some cuts and scraps. Soon nick arrived and boy was I thrilled to see him. Tears whelled up. I dont' know why but in my mind I wasn't sure if he would come or not? Silly I know, but its what I thought, so when he walked in I was so glad to see him. We huged awhile and talked some and soon my mom came in. Tears filling my eyes again(I cry now just typing it!), she soon left and my sister Joy came in and once again tears filled my eyes. I was so thankful to see them and to know I wasn't seriously seriously injured in the neck or skull, that I was indeed able to move!!! Soon I had word that my inlaws and sister in law where on their way bringing the two oldest boys with them. They had picked them up from school. It was also really nice to see Aaron Zellers(who is a doctor at Memorial) stop in and give me some hope. Then my boys came into the unit with my in laws and man...it was hard to see their sad little faces. Elijah just wept and layed his head on nick's shoulder. I could barely take it. Caden just looked at me. I kept reassuring them that mommy was ok and they would be ok too. Oh its sure not how I ever invisioned having to have my kids see me. That was hard!!

I was eventually moved up to a different floor and off the trauma unit where I stayed for the next three days. When I got to my room I don't remember how I got to my bed, but before long I had a roomful of people who loved me and who cared and wanted to see me. My brother in law Austin and his wife arrived, I saw Kelli my sister in law then too. Jacki Huber and Rachel(my best friend from when I was just a little girl) arrived and even though I was so grateful for everyone who came, I was thankful that they all talked amoung themselves. It was hard to take it all in, but I'll NEVER forget Rachel who sat by my bed, leaning over the bed rail and just sitting there, talking every once in awhile, but it was so nice to have one face to concentrate on and not a lot to concentrate on because it hurt my head to look around the room and focus on so much. Oh I was so grateful they were all there, but with the head trauma I had, it was hard to focus. I don't know how long Rachel sat there, but she didn't move until it was time to go home with her mom Jacki. Soon the room was quiet and everyone had gone home except nick of course who never once left my side except to go get me some clothes to leave the hospital in. The next three days were filled with medications, and trying to eat, and trying to get up enough to sit on a camode right next to my bed to go to the bathroom. Life seemed so hard, and I was so dizzy that I could not stand up alone without falling over. Every up and down motion of that bed made me sick. I would try to eat, but it would come back out. I usually just had nick order whatever he wanted and I would take a few bites here and there. I think cream of wheat became my best friend food wise. After the first day a doctor came in(whom I did NOT like) and told me I could go home. I was so confused?? How in the world would I go home like this? I couldn't even stand up alone? Thankfully I didn't go home that day. Instead a PT was ordered and he came up finding out very quickly that I couldn't even get myself out of bed, dress myself, or walk to the bathroom that was 5 steps away. So PT didn't come back for another two days. My dizziness was not letting up on the second day so they decided to have an MRI done to check the inner ear. Inner ear supposedly was fine, but they did find a small Fracture in my skull on the right side along with a small outward bleed. Meaning it wasn't bleeding into my brain which was a good thing. So they added that to my diagnosis. The next day PT arrived and began working with me, helping me to the bathroom, getting dressed, etc. By the afternoon I was being discharged. We made it to the truck and all the way home without me puking!! I started out in the front seat of nick's truck but by the time we were home I was in the back seat laying down. It was a rough ride home!

For the next week I lay around and I'll be honest, depression, sadness, loneliness set in. The weather was cold and windy out and I couldn't open my blinds because the light was so bothersome. I sat in my dark room what seemed like for way to long. I had to have constant help to the bathroom, I had my food brought into me in my room, I felt so helpless!!! It was so hard. Nick needed to go back to work(they were so gracious enough to let him have it off to help me) but he needed to go back. So then I needed someone to come in and help me. My sister joy came in several mornings and my dear cousin Alisha came in every morning I think for a week to get liam out of bed, and ready for my mom to pick up every morning by 9:30am. I was given orders to not read, do computer, watch tv for at least a week. Nick was trying to be so sweet by turning on some soft music for me, but man...I had to have it shut off quickly. The boys were so well taken care of. On weekends they were with nick's parents and on weekdays they were with my parents. At one point I remember nick coming into our room, flopping down on the bed and sighing. I lay there so helpless, so sad, feeling so sorry for him. He was so exhausted, he was doing so much, he was taking care of the house, the kids, me(who was very needy) and yet he did it because he knew he had to. Man, I love my husband and it sure showed me how much he loves me(us)!! I am SO blessed to have Nick in my life!!!

Anyway, PT started coming to my house, and I was able to finally get into a chiropractor for an adjustment and things started looking up!! My neck was so badly jammed into my skull that the first two vertebra's nerves were so pinched and the one deals with the inner ear(your equalibrium) and the other nerve with sinuses. After several adjustments, and the PT doing a Inner Ear Crystal test and finding out that the crystals in my inner ear had moved and displaced to the canals of my ear. So they did this thing where I layed down on my bed with my head hanging upside down over the side of my bed and checked dizziness then rotated me ever so slightly and let me there awhile, then rotated me again, leaving me there in that position for a bit and finally sitting me back up. I guess they were moving the crystals thru the canals and trying to put them back into the inner ear? I was not to lay down at all that day until bedtime, nor move my head side to side rapidly, or bend over at the waist. That day my sciatic nerve started bothering me and by the end of the day I could not walk across the room by myself. I was in some pretty severe pain and I couldn't get comfortable. I just wanted to lay down so I decided to go to bed early. So yeah, that ear stuff, it all sounded pretty fishy and I was so skeptical!! But I tell you what.....its amazing how God made our intricate bodies and he allows us to learn about them to the point of knowing about crystals in our inner ear and how to correct them if they get displaced because for the first time since my accident that night when I went to lay down the room did NOT SPIN!!! I even got up twice that night to use the bathroom and the room NEVER SPUN!!! This all took place last tuesday!! Less than a week ago! I have not had the room spin since, I have been up feeling good. I continue to have chiropractic care and the PT is still coming into my home now for my sciatic nerve and the spinning issue they have decided is good and no longer needs their attention(but if for some reason those crystals come undone again I am to let them know if I ever feel dizzy again). I am currently still bothered by the sciatic nerve but am doing daily exercises and stretches for that. I am going to be cooking my own meals this week for the first time, and I drove our van on Friday night (nick was with me) for the first time. I am actually almost 100% myself!!

I am so TRULY blessed!! God has done so much for our family! He spared me from death, he preformed miracles after miracles on me. I realize I could have had broken bones, paralasis, brain damage, my 11 week baby could have died, and you name it....but I don't!! God is not thru with me yet. He obviously has something more for me to do, and perhaps that is just to be a mother to my boys, or a mommy to the new little one in April, but whatever it is, I am so grateful and so thankful that I am doing well. It is so humbling to have meals brought into you week after week after week, to get cards every day in the mail, flowers sent to your home, prayers being poured out on your behalf, friends offering to watch children, drive you places, come clean your house...oh the list goes on. It truly brings tears to my eyes!!

THANK YOU GOD ~ WE ARE SO VERY BLESSED!!!!