Around 4:30 on Dec. 31st as I was driving home from Richmond, Ben called me asking how close to home I was. To make a very long story short, while no one was at home, Ed fell off the roof. Ben had returned from work and found him. Miraculously, he had gotten himself inside the house. He was helicoptered to Fairfax Hospital Trauma Center and 24 hours later he was released with 9 staples in his head, his memory slowly returning, a broken toe, a clear cat- scan of his brain and no broken bones-according to x rays. He was able to take baby steps.
Unfortunately, he was released on too much pain medication and we didn't realize that he was so badly hurt until Sunday morning when he could barely lift his head from the bed. He slept most of the day and began having serious spasms in his back. On Monday morning, I knew he was not getting any better. EMTs medicated him for his pain and transported to Loudoun Hospital. A scan showed a broken L1 vertebrae. The hospital would again keep him for 24 hours and get his pain under control. He was moved from ER to a room.
Driving home late that night I got a call from him.. except it was not him, it was Dr. M. using Ed's cell phone. Ed 's low oxgen level led to another scan. He had a "giant" saddle pulmonary embolism. He was moved to ICU and treatment began to thin his blood and shrink the clot.
The kids and I prayed. Now the broken vertebrae was secondary.
Two days later he was moved to a regular room, received excellent care and was released on Friday evening.. a week after the fall. I began giving him heprin shots in his stomach twice a day (he said that I lacked training )! All was progressing....
By Wednesday, he was having severe pain in his left calf and returned to Dr. M to have it checked. Another scan revealed "compartment syndrome"- where blood/fluid are trapped in a compartment in his leg. The treatment? SURGERY....but that would be complicated, very complicated not only because of the blood thinner, but mostly because of the embolism. So the alternate plan was for his body to hopefully absorb some of the trapped fluid by elevating his leg for the next several days. Ed got a great report at today's visit with Dr. M. He said for the first time, he is actually "ahead of the curve." Truly, he's a walking miracle.
There are so many, many things we are truly thankful for: excellent medical care, helicopter pilots, Dr. M, wonderful caring friends and family with phone calls, visits, texts, food, flowers, cards and PRAYER, the kids all being home and most of all God's Healing Hand. Obviously, God has big plans for keeping Ed here :)
Oh- the above picture is Ed's New Year's Eve list written on the blackboard in the kitchen.... and below- Ann.... Jack Cat also loved the flowers!
