Auburn Annie
05-21-2016, 07:36 PM
On May 5th my husband Rich slipped and fell and was seriously injured. No one is sure exactly what happened as he was working alone, but he landed on a slate patio, possibly striking his head on a corner of a stone step. I'd post a photo but it's gruesome, even after 20 sutures.
Ambulance took him to Upstate Trauma unit in Syracuse for 3-4 hours and innumerable tests, then the general ER for another 9 hours, and transfer to Surgical ICU. Fortunately he did not need neurosurgery but he did break the skull in at least 3 places, have sub-arachnoid hemorrhaging, and fractured his spine at L4. After moving from intensive care to a general floor he finally was moved to 2 North, their rehabilitation unit, on May 9 to begin occupational, physical and speech therapy. He was discharged home on the 17th and will have in-house therapy for the next nine weeks.
He has problems with short term memory and balance, gets lightheaded when walking. Most alarming to me was his near refusal to eat anything. Back at the end of March he weighed 223; last Wednesday he weighed 201. Most bothersome to him in particular is hearing loss - he was hard enough of hearing before to need aids (which he seldom wore) but there was damage to both ears internally as well. At this point we wait for swelling and bruising to subside. I've bought new mobile phones that can amplify incoming sounds.
And in the midst of all this, we had our hardwood floors refinished this past 5 days. Basically for a few days we lived upstairs while the polyurethane was applied downstairs. Fortunately our son had a spare small refrigerator we stocked with foods and water, juice, soda - and I set up a small buffet in a back bedroom. We managed, the floors look beautiful, and our son and a couple of nephews are coming tomorrow to set up the furniture that has been stored everywhere from garage to back shed to upstairs bedrooms to the front porch (an oak hutch that, as Kyle put it, "weighs more than my car.") Rich, of course, has been trying to move things when I'm not looking - had to read him the riot act.
Now we go hither and yon with one appointment after another, likely for months. Our planned trip to the Soo this summer is not happening. I am hopeful he will be recovered enough by late September/early October when our second granddaughter is due to be born to our daughter Rachel. Her Natalie will be 22 months when she becomes a big sister.
Anyway, if you haven't seen any posts from me lately, that's why. I do pop in to read from time to time.
Ambulance took him to Upstate Trauma unit in Syracuse for 3-4 hours and innumerable tests, then the general ER for another 9 hours, and transfer to Surgical ICU. Fortunately he did not need neurosurgery but he did break the skull in at least 3 places, have sub-arachnoid hemorrhaging, and fractured his spine at L4. After moving from intensive care to a general floor he finally was moved to 2 North, their rehabilitation unit, on May 9 to begin occupational, physical and speech therapy. He was discharged home on the 17th and will have in-house therapy for the next nine weeks.
He has problems with short term memory and balance, gets lightheaded when walking. Most alarming to me was his near refusal to eat anything. Back at the end of March he weighed 223; last Wednesday he weighed 201. Most bothersome to him in particular is hearing loss - he was hard enough of hearing before to need aids (which he seldom wore) but there was damage to both ears internally as well. At this point we wait for swelling and bruising to subside. I've bought new mobile phones that can amplify incoming sounds.
And in the midst of all this, we had our hardwood floors refinished this past 5 days. Basically for a few days we lived upstairs while the polyurethane was applied downstairs. Fortunately our son had a spare small refrigerator we stocked with foods and water, juice, soda - and I set up a small buffet in a back bedroom. We managed, the floors look beautiful, and our son and a couple of nephews are coming tomorrow to set up the furniture that has been stored everywhere from garage to back shed to upstairs bedrooms to the front porch (an oak hutch that, as Kyle put it, "weighs more than my car.") Rich, of course, has been trying to move things when I'm not looking - had to read him the riot act.
Now we go hither and yon with one appointment after another, likely for months. Our planned trip to the Soo this summer is not happening. I am hopeful he will be recovered enough by late September/early October when our second granddaughter is due to be born to our daughter Rachel. Her Natalie will be 22 months when she becomes a big sister.
Anyway, if you haven't seen any posts from me lately, that's why. I do pop in to read from time to time.