August 13, 2008
I’m Not Here… *Updated
I’ll be spending my day at the hospital. My father was injured in a minor accident, but it’s scary just the same. He was changing a tire on his truck when the jack slipped, causing the vehicle to fall on his face. After being transferred from our local hospital to St. Joseph’s in Marshfield, doctors say he’ll need reconstructive surgery after the swelling goes down. I’m hysterical. I keep imagining things turning out worse and I can’t bear the thought of losing my father.
And I’m angry because the accident happened last night, and my mother wouldn’t let my sister call me until this morning, because she claims she didn’t want me to worry. Yeah, that really makes me feel better.
I’ll give updates as soon as I know more, but in the meantime, please head over to the Imperfect Parent. I’m talking about work flexibility in scheduling. Now that the kids will be off to school, many parents are looking for work hours that accomodate their child’s school schedules. Have any ideas on this subject? Please leave a comment. I love to see all the great suggestions you all come up with.
And if you’ve been dying to read The White Trash Mom Handbook by Michelle Lamar, the White Trash Mom, head over to Dana Reviews to see what I have to say about it. Believe me, it’s good.
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My sister and I have been at the hospital since a little before 11 a.m. It was a 45-minute drive to Marshfield and we couldn’t find Dad’s “room” in the ICU because they moved him. Once we got there, I broke down into tears upon seeing him.
Dad is in a neck brace to keep from moving and causing more fracturing and he is so uncomfortable. For so many hours the doctors wouldn’t allow him to drink anything, and he is so thirsty. He can’t breathe out of his nose because of the swelling and his mouth was drying out from breathing through it.
He doesn’t look so good. Which I expected, but actually seeing the extent of his injuries and realizing how much pain he is in, I started to cry. Then I frantically tried to regain my composure. The last thing I needed was to scare Dawson.
Doug thinks I’m traumatizing our son by allowing him to see his Papa in this condition. I don’t know what to think. I would have taken him to daycare this morning, but after I freaked out when I found out what happened, there was no way Dawson would go to Renee’s willingly. Leaving me to worry about another thing in this difficult time.
Dad’s doctors say that he has a fractured eye socket, a broken nose, fractured cheek bone and his sinus cavity is caved in. The neurologist says there’s no brain swelling, which is a blessing, and his eye is fine. Once the swelling is relieved, he should be seeing normally again.
The scariest part of this is that he can’t have surgery until the swelling is reduced and this could take 7-10 days — and they’ll have to do a craniotomy. Part of his skull will be cut and removed to correct his injuries from the inside out. I nearly lost my mind when I heard that. It sounds risky and for the first time I saw the fear in my dad’s eyes. It breaks my heart.
The hardest part for me is not showing how freaked out I am. My dad is my rock and I can’t bear to let him worry about me worrying.
Dad’s got a great neuro-surgeon and oral-maxillofacial surgeon. Think McDreamy and McSteamy but not dreamy and steamy at all. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to watch that damn show again after this.
Now that they won’t be performing any surgery for awhile, they are finally feeding him soft foods like mashed potatoes, and he might be able to go home in a couple days to rest until the surgery.
My mind is racing, but I’m trying to hold myself together. Lots of things to do on Dad’s behalf. I’ll update that later. We helped him fill out disability forms from his job, but we’re waiting for the doctor to complete his portion.
Thankfully, Marshfield Hospital has computer I can use to check e-mails and file his insurance claims online.
I’ll try to update later, but right now I’m fuzzy as I try to navigate all of this information.
Thank you all for keeping my father, my family and me in your thoughts and prayers. It means the world to me. I can’t express the gratitude I am feeling, but I love you all so much.
Posted by Dana 2:15 am • Dana Reviews, Relative Chaos, The Imperfect Parent - Home/Office • 11 comments
