The day after Christmas, at 3:00 pm, after finishing up a solo fishing trip, my husband was in an awful car accident. He was hurt and hospitalized for five days, but he survived. I blogged a little about it on New Year's Day. Here is the link for anyone who missed it, entitled GRATITUDE IS MEDICINE.
This morning my husband wrote an update about his recovery which we posted on Facebook for friends and family. I'm sharing it here with his permission:
Hours Short of One Month
This is
Larry. It's hard for me to believe I've
been sitting in this Big Blue Lazy Boy for 26 days. Some days seem longer, and other days seem
shorter. But 24 hours still make a day.
Not a lot
to say on my progress. As February 4th
grows nearer, so does the front edge of my chair. February 4th is the day I return
to the neurosurgeon to see how well the Lazy Boy has taken care of me. I have been to all the doctors in town. My family doctor says I’m doing good—that I
need to wean myself from the O2 I use. He says
I will have to come in and retest at some point to get cleared from the oxygen
machine and O2
tanks. I parted ways with my stitches
and staples after 10 short days. I feel
like the pain killers made the days shorter.
As I’m now down to two pain killers a day, I find the days are longer
and the naps fewer.
Being a
man of few words, I may now be a man of even fewer words. The reattachment of my chin hasn’t gone as
well as I would’ve liked. It hurts somewhat
and swells when I talk. It seems to me
that S’s are harder to say the tighter my chin gets. I went to the eye doctor, and he said he
could see no long term problems from the accident. The tooth doctor cleared me—said I have no
broken teeth, and I should keep them all.
Once in a
while Richelle will take me out on her leash when I’m in my turtle shell brace;
she lets me walk around the store for exercise.
I made my first run in Walmart to sporting goods to look for 22
shells. A guy has to live for something.
As most of
you saw from posted pictures, I lost Big Red (my truck.) I tried to assemble a Dream Team to fix him
up, but no takers. It looks like the
insurance will give me enough to buy a used Ford that at some point I can roam
the Basin in again and glean produce. That
is something I love to do. (P.S. maybe a
Chevy or Dodge or GMC pickup will work.)
I do think if I can get back to work I will make it.
All in
all, I want everyone to know that I know how lucky I am to be here today. I love to serve others, and I know my drive
to serve will again put me back in the saddle and allow me to be whole. I am doing well, and I’m on the edge of my
seat in wait of the day that Richelle and the doctors let me drive again and
serve you all. God bless each and every
one of us.
P.S. Last weekend I was able to have my kids
at home with me and four grandkids. I cannot remember the last time we were
together. I thank them all for what they
did and do.
P.S.S. Does anyone want to go fishing with me? And can I drive your truck?