A Change of Plans

Emma has spent the last several months training for an upcoming triathlon later this month.   She was working hard and getting her mileage to where it needed to be, when about 10 days ago, we received a phone call from Emma while we were on our morning walk.   She very calmly explained that she  had gotten in a bike crash about half-way between our home and Provo and that she needed medical attention.  We knew it was something because she's not one to ask for help often, but she was so calm, we honestly didn't think it was that bad.   We were about a mile and a half from home when the phone call came in, so we immediately turned around and booked it as fast as we could back to home.   Once there, we grabbed the car keys and took off for Pleasant Grove, where we frustratingly hit road construction along the way.    

We felt badly about how long it took us to get there (probably 45ish minutes from the time she called), and, looking back, we wish we had asked a friend to come pick us up from our walk, so we could have at least gotten home faster, but that's only in hindsight we thought of that.   When we finally arrived to the site of the crash, we were grateful to find a kind lady, that had happened across her on the trail, had waited with her until we arrived.  She had even gotten a blanket for Emma when she had started shivering...I think at least  partially from shock. 

Long story short, I took her to the hospital where we learned that she had broken her collarbone in two places!   They called it a Z shaped displaced fracture, which means that the two ends were displaced  with a small fragment of bone lying loose in between.

They don't operate on collarbones very often, but Emma's break was severe enough that they recommended surgery for a (likely) quicker and less complicated healing process.  In the meantime, they put her in a sling, with orders to wear it day and night, only taking it off to bathe. 

Thankfully, other than the banged up collarbone and a few minor scrapes, she was totally fine.  Her collarbone bruise, though, was pretty epic as far as bruises go. 

She stayed at home with us for a couple days while she figured out how to live one-armed.  Some of the most difficult tasks included getting dressed, putting her hair up, and taking her sling on and off, but, with practice and a few adjustments, she figured out how to do everything other than putting her hair up on her own.   She is also not allowed to drive.   After she was a bit more independent, we brought her back to her apartment, so she could be more active in the social life of her ward.   

 

 Her surgery was scheduled for Wednesday, so Tuesday night, we headed to Provo to pick her up after she finished up a temple trip with her ward. 

 

But because she can't drive and they picked the Payson Temple to attend, rather than the Provo City Center, we ended up waiting longer than we expected for her.   So we made sure to impress all the young students as thoroughly as possible, and walked around BYU campus at 10:30pm in our pajamas!   Yes, we are cool like that. 

Eventually her and her friends returned to Provo, then we headed home and got some fitful sleep, then we brought her in for surgery on Wednesday morning...

During pre-op, the anesthesiologist commented on her red hair and said he'd take that into account when administering the anesthesia.   We laughed, because, while we still think of her as  having "reddish" hair, it's much less red than it was when she was young!   

Wasn't she the cutest?!

We had always heard about redheads possibly needing more anesthesia during surgery, but didn't know that was something actually backed by research and science until the anesthesiologist mentioned it.   We were impressed at the anesthesiologist's attention to detail and were only disappointed that we didn't hear a report back as to whether she actually did require more than a non-redhead of her size would have required. 

The surgeon said the surgery went smoothly and she now pretty much has a bionic shoulder.   I have no idea what kind of imaging this is, since it doesn't seem to show bone, but this is what the surgeon showed me when reporting to me about how it had gone.   He said that the plate goes along the top of the clavicle and the screws are holding the two displaced pieces in  place.  The area in the center of the plate without screws is where the loose bone fragment is.  It was too small for screws, so that's wrapped into place with some kind of surgical string (if I understood that correctly). 

She still wears the sling full-time for two weeks, but she should regain her mobility more quickly with the surgery and she already has pretty significantly reduced pain than when everything was all disjointed in there.    She stayed at home with us for a few days, which is something we (and the dogs) very much enjoyed...

And now (five days post-surgery), she is in California!   It is a graduation trip she planned with her friends long before this accident happened.   We were a little unsure as to whether the doctor would clear her for air travel so soon after surgery, but he gave it the thumb's up!   I probably warned her a few too many times about how she needs to take it easy, not push things, and to listen to her body, but I have confidence that it will be the fun celebratory experience she helped plan.    She's a little sad that her trip, especially her day at Disneyland will be a much different day than she'd envisioned, but she is happy to be there!   And that's a gift she's embracing-- all things considered. 

Maybe I can talk her into doing a write-up on her trip when she gets back!    Have a great week, friends!

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Self-Care and Losing a Body Part

WARNING:  This post is a little more vulnerable than usual and may contain TMI. 

 I'll be totally honest here, watching my Dad's health decline over the last few years before his death was really hard on me!   I struggled watching him suffer and I worried....A LOT...about what I could do to prevent some of the lifestyle related health issues in my life that plagued him.   In reflection, I think it might have even sparked a bit of a mid-life crisis in me (still ongoing).   

I've worked really hard over the last several years to make exercise a daily part of my life and to make most of what I eat nutritionally dense and minimally processed.   I'm not perfect at it, but I've come a long way and think that, for the most part, I'm doing my part to keep my health in check.  

Having said that though, I'm one who knows all too well that, despite all of our efforts,  health is often something out of our control.    I really dislike going to the doctor , but have been trying to make sure I'm covering my preventative health bases with a colonoscopy last year, regular teeth cleaning, doctor checkups, and yearly mammograms.   I haven't found a new dermatologist yet, but that's also on my list of doctors to find here in Utah soon.    

This past summer I started experiencing some unpleasant "female issues", which went beyond the normal issues that were inconvenient, but could be ignored.   A 9-centimeter fibroid was discovered, and,  as the summer progressed, my symptoms worsened (landing me twice in the ER) and it soon became clear that, there was no amount of healthy living that would make an ounce of difference in this case, and it was time for my uterus to be evicted for good.   

After a lot of back and forth, we settled on December 7th for the surgery date.   It was after my Christmas RS activity, after Cami's graduation, before Christmas enough that I'd have time to get over the worst part of my recovery before Christmas, and the timing gave me lots of happy distractions to keep me engaged while I was laid up.  

But, first, I had to squeeze in my yearly mammogram, which did not go as smoothly as planned.   I've been told that I have "dense breasts" ever since I started having mammograms, but the past few years, they've also become "cystic".    A couple years ago, they had to do a bunch of follow-up testing on the left side and that's what happened again this time.    Two days before my surgery, I had to go in for further imaging--including ultrasounds on the left side.   Once again, I was told that they were harmless cysts, but I'm glad it's been looked at and declared innocent.   Afterwards, I met Ellie and Emma at BYU and walked around in the snow with them.  

In the weeks leading up to my surgery, I experienced some pretty high anxiety and had to talk myself down from several "worst case scenario" trains of thought.   My state of mind was overwhelmed and scared, however,  the day before the surgery, I felt peace.   I'm sure that part of it  was just having the RS activity and the follow-up mammogram (both high stress things in and of themselves) out of the way, but it went beyond just that.   I definitely felt a peace beyond understanding that calmed my fears and helped me to go into the surgery with an overarching sense of  "everything will be okay".   

So I went in for my surgery at Riverton Hospital at 5:45am on December 7th.   Everything went more smoothly than even the doctor expected (meaning it was the least invasive form of the surgery possible) and I was pleasantly  surprised when I was cleared to go home the same day.  I ended up staying overnight because of some nausea, but it was nice to know that I could have gone home.  The doctor ended up telling me that I had a very "cooperative" uterus (at least that's what my post-surgery brain heard) and that it was unusual to be able to remove that enlarged of a uterus without making any abdominal incisions.  The pathology report said my uterus ended up  weighing about 500 grams and was 16 x 12 x 7 centimeters large.  

Glen has been in the middle of a very stressful season at work, so he headed home after I got settled in for the evening.  I didn't expect to stay long the next day, but we woke up  to several inches of snow that had fallen overnight and I-15 Northbound being totally closed for a oil tanker crash that had occurred overnight.   Eventually, Spence got off work and was able to circumnavigate around the closed freeway to come pick me up.   

It was nice to be home and to have an excuse to lay low for a while.  I finished up my Christmas cards and did a whole lot of online Christmas shopping.  

Kind people from the ward brought me meals for a few days and the kids have been knocking themselves out to be helpful ....

I was grateful for Zoom church on Sunday...

I enjoyed  texts with sweet pictures from Cami...

I always get a little giddy about fun mail, especially at Christmas time, but I  have to admit that my excitement level since my surgery has risen to the point that it could almost be considered an obsession....  

I smiled and laughed at some funny (and practical) gifts from my mom / sisters...

And one of my favorite parts of all were some  visits from old friends, especially since I am still searching for my people here in Utah and it felt good to feel loved and remembered....

It's been just over two weeks from my surgery now and my recovery has been surprisingly smooth.  My pain is lessening every day and I am happy to be able to walk a few miles every day now.  I'm definitely moving slowly and have to be cognizant of how my body is feeling, but overall I am pleased with how it's going.     

Only about four more weeks until I can lift heavy things and exercise more intensely again.  IN the meantime, I'm excited to have Emma home and for Cami, Garrett, and Lucie to arrive later this week.   It's nice to have lots of helpers in the house and to have a good excuse to let the little things go and just be.   

Merry Christmas my friends!