The phone call.... yes the dreaded phone call that we all know could possibly happen but never want to be on the receiving end of it. Last night we partook of that call. 1:30am the phone rang. Since I was beside the phone I quickly answered it. My sister in law Catherine was on the other end. “Mom has been taken to the hospital via an ambulance. She fell down a flight of stairs and it doesn’t look good.” They were taking her in and were going to do Xrays to see why she was in so much pain. She then told me that she would call back as soon as she found anything out.
That sounded serious, but really a fall down the stairs isn’t life threatening and I’m sure she will be OK. We all tend to over react when someone is on their way to a hospital. We tried to go back to sleep but with not much luck. alot of tossing and turning trying to get comfortable and feeling a little uneasy about the next call. 3:30 am the phone rings again. Its Catherine. She begins to tell me the findings from the Xray but it seemed ridiculous. Mom broke her neck, broke 4 ribs, had a brain bleed and cracked a vertibrae (not sure of the spelling but you get the pointe) We were in shock and not really knowing what to do next.
So today was day 1 of my Mother in laws terrible accident. She has full movement and feeling but has a broken neck. She is one lucky lady. It seems silly to be able to actually say she is lucky but she is. They attached a cage to her head this morning and drilled it into her skull. She will be wearing this cage for at least 4 months. She is a trooper. Although she is terribly uncomfortable, wants to move her head or have a pillow, she still told us all a long joke.!! Perhaps the morphine was doing its job. We will take one day at a time. At this pointe someone from the family will be at her bedside at all times. When she feels more stable perhaps some breaks will be taken.
Tonight my prayers will be more thoughtful, personal and sincere. Why does it take these kind of experiences for us to appreciate, to love more, to be more kind, grateful, to be thankful.
I’m exhausted...goodnight Lillian, I pray you will rest well tonight.