As my sister shared on Facebook, Katie & I had to take a trip to the Hospital on Monday. Two hospitals, actually.
We’re okay. Katie, in particular, is okay.
It might have been the first day working towards an anticipated late-August due date for an event we hope to announce in March.
There might have been a newly-detected leak in the roof.
It might have ended for me not unlike Paul George’s August 2014 FIBA tune-up game.
Reeves & Simmons with Tillamook County Sheriffs were the first on the scene after neighbor Bud’s 911 call. Garibaldi Fire & Rescue Chief Jay Marugg & Training Officer Blake were right behind, clearing the way for the ambulance. By happenchance, Rocha was driving by and watched me get lifted into the back and off to Adventist.
Thank you, Mike & Jay & Blake & crew!
And thank you, Bud, for the call.
Rocha, I’m gonna need some more Ribeyes soon 😊
The Tillamook Adventist ER Docs, Nurses, and staff lined up to look at the “Open Fracture” on my left foot / ankle area before “reducing” my ankle back in and shipping me off to specialists at OHSU. Full disclosure, the Adventist team did nick a vein during the procedure, but quickly repaired it.
Thank you, Adventist!
Sorry about those shoes.
PS: To see what the ER staff lined up to see, click this link to the image of my foot before reduction. Warning: not for the queasy.
After an overnight stay in the OHSU OR – because they’re running at capacity due to COVID (including a night in a scavenged recliner for Katie) – the orthopedic chair at the center, along with his team, finished cleaning out anything that could lead to infection, which is the biggest fear in an open fracture. Then they took a deep dive and found two stress cracks in a bone. They suspect if those cracks don’t heal, they’ll fade away.
Most amazing, they found my ankle, tendons, and ligaments were okay.
They found what blew out was a smaller joint in the foot. In aggregate, they said it’s essentially a weighted coin toss that I get arthritis in that “sub”-joint, and if I do, they’ll quickly fuse it together if I can’t handle the pain.
They also noted that if one had to pick a joint where they were to have arthritis, it would be in this joint.
All in all, it looks to be 6 weeks off my feet, and 10 weeks out of my Rogue RM 4 Monster Rack.
I had to stay in the hospital for 48 hours to take a series of broad-spectrum antibiotics. The second night, we got a nice interior room. Katie got another reclining chair. My feet weren’t falling off the back of this bed.
Once again, amazing what they were able to do with the times being what they are.
I kept telling myself, “It’s not Lupus.”
Thank you, Nurses Tom 1, Tom 3, & Tom Angie, Petr in PT and Harry Potter (Chair of Orthopaedics Dr. Friess) & Ron Weasley (who’s name I’ll need to look up later but, congrats on the new family!).
We got back over the mountain just after the end of the IU / Rutgers game, so I was spared that indignity.
PS: I miss you, Tom Crean.
I asked Katie where she felt was the best place to take care of me, so we’re staying a couple days at the mother-in-law’s.
“Ohana means Family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
– Lilo & Stitch
Speaking of which, I need to crash out.
Bud’s making sure we’re on a strict schedule to still hit our due dates despite this setback, so I still have a 7am coffee to be up for. Marines never retire. They’re just removed from the battlefield.
And thank you to my trainer Carlo, Rogue Fitness, X-Mark Fitness, the Athlean-X YouTube Channel, and Barbell Medicine’s the Bridge.
Docs were pretty confident that the only reason I only damaged a small joint on the foot after a 1-story fall was because of the improved core strength due to y’alls knowledge and equipment – along with the falling training back in the Valpo basketball days.
RM4 Monster rack is the only cage I’ve felt comfortable in.
Somehow, my claustrophobia was minimal during this adventure. I’m guessing Katie had a bit to do with it.
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