Maybe Too Much Fun?

August 30, 2008
Day 21

Back On My Feet Countdown: 86 days

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I have been home 5 days now and we are beginning to get a routine in place on living in a wheelchair. I have found that you can do pretty much anything you want in a wheelchair. There some limitations and plenty of frustrations. Two notable frustrations:

• First, having to ask for assistance with tasks I have never needed assistance before. For example, I can't reach the plates in our kitchen cabinets or I can get to my huge spice rack in my pantry. So frustrating, yet so surreal....it causes me to think about people who are in wheelchairs forever.
• Second, it takes a long time to get simple things done. Taking a bath, going to the restroom, making dinner....all of these simple tasks (simple for those who can walk) take a lot of time and energy to complete.

Well today, I believe I went a little over-board on activities. This morning, we went for a walk around the block. I knew it would be difficult, but a good work out for my arms. Wow...I was right...very hard and I was dead tired when I got back. But it was so much fun to be out with my family and hearing Collier squeal all around the block....he loves to ride in his car outside...so the squeals were happy ones!

In the afternoon, we made a trip to Wal-Mart. We had a long list of things to get. We left soon after Collier woke up from his afternoon nap....but as we began our Wal-Mart tour, we soon realized that it was Collier's snack time...and boy did he remind us of it. So we went to the baby food isle first....grabbed a bag of whole wheat cookies and opened them up. This is not one of our preferred snacks, but sometimes, you just have to go with the flow. Our Wal-Mart trip took forever....we sat in check-out lane #7 for the longest. Our cashier was being extra slow at a time when we needed her to be a little more efficient. Collier was starting to melt down...time to exit!!!

I just started laughing...here Robbie was with a cart full of stuff, a screaming baby and a disabled husband in a wheelchair. She was just taking it all in stride...not letting it affect her at all. I was doing all kinds of stupid tricks to keep Collier entertained while Ms. SLOW Wal-Mart #7 continued at a snail's pace. All you could do was laugh and pray!

We got home....Robbie unloaded Collier and I. She brought in the supplies and I did my best to put them up. I then started dinner. I made home-made calzones. Yum! Yum!

By the end of the day, I quickly realized that me feet were swollen and I was exhausted. I had engaged in a little too much activity......but let me tell you, it was well worth it....I will take exhaustion from being at home with my family, than another day of sitting in a bed at the hospital.

Needless to say, I had no trouble sleeping last night!!

Full Day With My Family

August 29, 2008
Day 20

What A Wonderful Day!

I had the privilege of spending the day with Robbie and Collier. Actually, this day was the beginning of 5 days of Robbie being home. We spent the morning at home and the afternoon running errands. One of our stops was the DMV (for Arkansans, the Revenue Office) to get a temporary disability tag for our car. I had forgotten it was the end of the month and that the following Monday was a holiday. We walked into a room of people waiting to be served. They were serving customer number 82 and my number was 5. Robbie took Collier out for a spin in the car while I awaited my turn. While sitting there, I saw 2 nurses that cared for me while I was in the hospital. It was good to see them again.

I was able to transfer from my wheelchair to the sofa, then to the floor to play with Collier. What a treat to be on the floor with him.

Later on in the evening, after we put Collier down for night-night, I transferred to the sofa and elevated my feet on the ottoman. Robbie and I ate popcorn and watched some shows we had DVR'd. What a great way to end the day!
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My feet are getting better and better with each passing day. I can move them more and more without pain. It is a great feeling to be able to lie on my side. It is the little things in life we take for granted and then realize how precious they are when they are taken away!

Lessons Learned Today

1. Just because a building has a handicap parking spot does not mean the entrance to the building is easily accessible to wheelchairs. We went to pick up some pictures of Collier from the photographer and yes, his building had a handicap parking spot, but steps up to the front door. Needless to say, I had to stay in the car. Bummer! I bet people with disabilities have to deal with this everyday.
2. 99% of all people will get the door for you when they see you coming in a wheelchair. Most of them will tell you of a time when they were disabled and they were always thankful when others showed them kindness. I will never forget this!

Day 19--First Doctor Appt

August 28, 2008
Day 19

Back on my Feet Countdown: 88 days

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Strengthening Feet--Family Visits--Awesome Friends--Great News!

I am sleeping better and better each night. I believe the reason for this is that my feet are not hurting or as uncomfortable as they have been. I also noticed this morning while doing my physical therapy exercises that I can move my toes and my ankles more and more without any discomfort. This is very exciting!! The swelling is much improved as well!

My dad and mom came in around 1pm today. They are on their way to Branson, MO and decided to come and spend the night with us. It was so good to see them. This is the first time I have seen my dad since my accident. My mother came the day after my accident and spent a week with us. She was so helpful! She took care of Collier and many of the household chores. I wish to take this moment to thank my mom for all of her care, love and help. You are a huge blessing to me and my family. So, my day was great....I spent the morning with my Mom-In-Law and Collier and then spent the afternoon with my Dad, Mom and Collier. It made the day go by fast and it was purely enjoyable!

My first doctor's appointment since leaving the hospital was this afternoon at 4:30pm. Since Robbie was working, my friend Liz volunteered to take me to my appointment. So we loaded up in the car, and took off. I began to tell Liz where we were going. She turned to me and said, I know where I am going! LOL Of course, she has lived here all of her life!

We got to the doctor's office at 4:20 and the waiting room was full. Liz laughed and said, "I bet we don't get out of here by 6!" Sometime around 5:30pm, I was called back. They began by removing the splints I had on. From there, we went to another room to conduct x-rays. The x-rays were completed and they decided to leave me on this very hard table, saying this would be the best place to remove my stitches and to put casts back on.

While lying on the table, Dr. Lorio comes in and hold the x-rays up to the light where he can show me what was going on. I have to admit, this is my first time to see x-rays of my feet after surgery. All I could see was pins and screws. Funny, was there in bone in there at all? Dr. Lorio begins to speak. We start with the left foot. He is very pleased with the healing process so far. And the wounds on that foot are looking good...no infection and no drainage. Then we move to the right foot, the one with the most damage. He gets this huge smile on his face and then then turns to me, smiling, and says; "I could not be any more excited about how this looks! You know as I told you after surgery, I did the best I could do rebuilding this foot. See the bone putty? See where we tried to use pins on the top to repair the damage!" He then pointed to the curvature of the bone and again was smiling....he continue to tell me how happy he was with the healing so far. No infections on the right. The wounds are looking good. There is still a little drainage, yet, all is just awesome. I looked him in the eye and said; "This is the hand of God, this is the hand of God!" He agreed with me! He left the room and all I could do was point to the ceiling and say; "You God, this news is all YOU! Thank you and praise you!"

From there, my big smile when to a squinting face and saying ouch! The stitches were coming out and boy, did they hurt. Big, big, ouch! But, it was temporary and it passed.

I left the office with a boot on the left foot (no cast, just a sock covered foot in a walking boot to keep it in place as it continues to heal) and a cast on the right one. They cut a hole in the cast so that I could clean my wound every day for the next 2 weeks. I go back in 2 weeks for another follow-up appointment. At that time, the wounds on the right will be healed enough for a boot covering as well. I am able to move my left foot back and forth to give my ankle some exercise.

So you see, God really does answer prayer. I am so thankful for this wonderful report and I praise Him and give him all the credit for this awesome news!

Day 18--First Day Alone at Home

August 27, 2008
Day 18

Back On My Feet Countdown: 90 days


Getting into the swing of things!

I fell asleep in my bed at 9:30pm last night. I had not planned on going to sleep that early, yet, I was exhausted from the day's activities. I woke up at 11:30 in a complete sweat. Not sure why, but I was soaked and so were the sheets. I had the feeling of wet sheets. YUCK! So I pealed off some of the covers and let the ceiling fan cool me down. Then back off to sleep I went. I woke up at 6:30am just in time to get dressed and feed Collier. Robbie had everything ready for me to feed him this morning. She got him up and I was at his high chair with his food and milk. We got him into his high chair. We prayed to say thanks for our food and I began to feed him. It was then that I began to sing the song that I always sing to him when I feed him: This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day (YEAH) this is the day, that the Lord has made!

Of course it took me must longer than normal to sing it as I was crying my eyes out, trying to get through the song. My tears were tears of joy....I was finally back home, singing to my son as I always did each morning I fed him. I was so thankful that I was there and had the ability to sing and interact with him. There are so many other scenarios that could have played out from my fall.....and that is why I am so thankful that I was here, singing this song and feeding my son. Oh Praise YOU GOD! Only YOU can do the impossible, the most miraculous!

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Robbie's Mom came and took Collier for the day. Robbie then got me setup for my day and she kissed me goodbye and off she went to work. Now, it was just me, God, my cats and this house. I was being overwhelmed with emotions of loneliness and wondering how I was going to make it through the next 90 days. You see, my doc and I have a goal for me to get back on my feet (or at least begin to get back on my feet) in 90 days. It was then that I spent the next hour in prayer and reading my Bible. God took away these negative feelings and I began my day in pure joy!

I went all over the house today in my wheelchair. I even ventured out to the garage. I have spent the majority of my day here in my recliner, in the living room, talking on the phone and working on my computer. It has been and great day and I look forward to Robbie and Collier's return this evening.

Day 17--At Last, Going Home!

August 26, 2008
Day 17

Home or Bust!

In my Day 16 post, the last thing I talked about was being awake at 6:30am and deciding to start my day. I could not sleep any more. I wanted out of my bed. I wanted to pack everything up....I was ready to go home! I paged my friendly, sadistic nurses! They came and bagged my legs for my shower. They brought in all of my towels and supplies. I grabbed my clothes, got into my wheelchair and into the the shower I went. It was great to sit under the jet spray of warm water and think about going home. I just sat there and praised God for His blessings! I got dressed, brushed my teeth, did all the normal morning things. I left my bathroom ready to GO!!!
Breakfast came and my doctor stopped by to cover any last minute things and to tell me they were working on my departure paperwork.

Soon after this, Robbie showed up and started packing my stuff. Some of our friends also showed up to help take home my rehab equipment. What a blessing to have friends and for them to come when you call for help!

Finally, my nurse come in at 9:30 with papers to sign. I signed them and at that point, I was a free man! Yee Haa! Hurray! Go! Go! Go! It is Home or Bust!

Home At Last!

I wheeled into my house with such delight, joy and a wee bit anxiety. What? Anxiety? You have got to be kidding. How in the world do you have anxiety when all you could think about was coming home. Well, it was there, in the pit of my stomach, anxiety! Questions starting going through my head:

• Who will help us with Collier if Robbie is called to the hospital on call night?
• How will I get around a house in a wheelchair when the house was not built with a wheelchair in mind?
• How am I going to be able to help around the house to keep my wife from being overwhelmed by all the added responsibilities?
• How in the world will I be able to take a shower since my wheelchair will not fit into any of the bathroom doorways?
• How will I keep from getting lonely sitting in an empty house each day for 10 or more hours?

It was then that I was reminded of the verse in Philippians 4:6: "Do not be anxious about anything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I just let those thoughts drift away and I continued to soak up all of the excitement of being home.

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We hung around the house for a little time and then decided we needed to get my prescription filled and go to Wal-Mart to get some supplies to help me with my new environment, home! So we took off, had lunch and ran our errands. We headed home, stopped by to pick up Collier and back to the house we went. We were all home...just the 3 of us! I was back home with my family. Temporarily disabled, but home nonetheless here at home, with my family!!!!

We spent the afternoon together. We setup my portable potty. Tested my ability to get from the wheelchair to the bed. Wheeled around the house to see where I could and could not go. I have to admit, it was a tad bit frustrating. Everything did not work as easily as I had hoped for, but I had to keep reminding myself, I am home...who cares if there are small little difficulties...I am home! My feet were swelling from all of the day's activities. Therefore, I got up on my bed (oh! It felt so good!), elevated my feet and just laid there for a several minutes.

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Around 5:30pm, people started showing up at my house. Robbie and our friends planned a coming home party and they were arriving with food, drinks, and their wonderful kids. So I got into my chair in the living room and spent several hours with friends and family and playing with the kids. It was pure joy! Everyone left and it was time for our nightly cuddle time with Collier. You see, Collier typically goes to bed around 8pm each night. Just after he has his last bottle of milk for the evening, he will cuddle with us until we put him into his bed. So Robbie, Collier and I sat in the big, over sized chair and ottoman....and we just snuggled for several minutes. Again, it was PURE JOY!

Day 16--Last day of PT; Waiting for Tomorrow

August 25, 2008
Day 16


Tough Workout!

My therapists worked my tail off today. We went outside and I went up and down a steep ramp in my wheelchair. Then we came back to lift weights and stretch. Thank you Michael, Fredrick, Holly, Cherry and Marcus for your outstanding help in getting me ready to go home and take care of myself. I have the confidence necessary to go home and know that I can do my daily life activities.

Wonderful Nurses!

Lora and Janice have been my night nurses for the past 3 nights. They are full of energy, fun, smiles and laughter. We cut up all night long. I will miss them. Last night, my dinner meal from the cafeteria was pretty bad. I did not eat much. I was craving a pizza. So, when Lora and Janice came on at 7pm, they came to my room to get my vital signs. I asked them what food they brought to celebrate my last night in the hospital. I was giving them a hard time and they told me I wasn't getting anything because I was a bad patient! Joking of course! Next thing I know, Lora comes back into my room with a pizza! She wouldn't let me pay her for it...she said it was her treat for my last night! This is the kind of treatment I have received during my 17 day stay! When I get home, I am going to write a letter to the CEO praising all these people by name.

Can't Sleep; Too Excited!!!

I was up until 1am because I just could not go to sleep. All I could think about was going home and how wonderful that would be. I finally dozed off. I woke up at 3:30 am and it took another 30 minutes to get back to sleep. Then I was back up again at 5:30am. I dozed back off again and woke up at 6:30am. I decided to start the day.

Today's Humor

I know I have made a lot of humor out of body parts and body waste products, but for some strange reason, this is where I am finding my humor these days.

During the night, I woke to a full bladder screaming at me to do something. So, I raised my bed, grabbed my portable urinal and proceeded to take care of business. Now, one very important thing you have to learn about portable urinals is that you have to keep the angle just right or it will overflow on to you, your clothes and your bed linens. You see by now where this story line is going! ;) While taking care of business, I drifted off to sleep and yep, you guessed it, I did not keep the angle right. So I quickly woke back up to urine soaked clothes and bed sheets!

So I page my fun-loving nurses to lend me a hand. Of course, they get a great laugh out of it....you know, they have nothing better to do than to take care of me! LOL They make everything right again, and back off to sleep I went. The whole time, all I could think about was going home in just a few hours!!!

Day 15--One Day Left!

August 24, 2008
Day 15

24 Hours And Counting!

In 24 hours, I will be leaving the hospital and going home! A friend of mine asked me if I was nervous about going home. I can answer with an absolute, NO! I am so thrilled and happy to be leaving the hospital that there is no room for nervousness. I am so thankful for the surgeon, the hospital staff, nurses, therapists, house keeping, etc. They have been so good to me. My healing had greatly benefited from their care and I am so grateful to them!

I am looking forward to finally being in the same room as my wife. I have missed her greatly. It has been very painful not having her near me. It will be great to have my son next to me again. I have missed his jabber, squeals and laughs. I am looking forward to being in my own bed. Not just the comforts of my bed, but having my wife there next to me. Very lonely without her for these past 17 days! I can do nothing but praise God for His blessings!

Suprise Field Trip!

I learned at the last minute that I could have a day trip away from the hospital. Instead of going home for the day (since I am going home on Tuesday), I asked Robbie to come and get me and take me out to eat. So we went to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch. It was so good to be out, with my wife and to eat some real food. We had a great time together and the food was just awesome. We were out for 2 1/2 hours. Robbie spent the rest of the afternoon with me playing board games and napping. It was fun!

Day 14--Rehab & Some More Rehab

August 23, 2008
Day 14

Physical Therapy Turns Into A Field Trip

My PT session today turned into a field trip outside. My Therapist strapped 35 lbs of weights to the bottom of my wheelchair and said, "Lets Go!" We went outside and he made me go up and down this ramp. Now, I have to tell you that this was the first time I had been outside of the hospital since checking in; 14 days. It felt so good to breath fresh air, feel the wind and sun on my skin. I was in heaven! I have to laugh as I write this because it seems that all of the basic things of life that I take for granted every day, are fresh and new to me again and I am writing about them as if I had just experienced them for the very first time....yet that is exactly how I am feeling when these things happen.

It is a great feeling to be able to take care of myself. As I complete each new day of PT, my skills of moving around, grooming; the daily life activities that I need to do to survive are getting easier and easier. Again, there is nothing like bathing yourself or wiping your own bottom! These are the things that make me happy today!! LOL! Laugh all you want, but if the day comes, and I pray it doesn't, where you are unable to wipe your own bottom, you will fully understand what I am telling you and why I am feeling the way that I do. You will also find that it doesn't take much to make me happy! :)

Today's Humor

1. For the past 2 evenings, I have been transferring from my wheelchair to my shower bench. From there, I shower (of course), dry, put on clean clothes and then transfer back to the wheelchair. Today, my Therapist said that for him to check off his list that I am able to do this life task, he must observe me doing it. I asked him how much my showering did he need to see...what he going to sit there and watch me or what? He laughed and said, "WHAT?" I asked if he was come kind of pervert! Of course, I was just kidding him and he knew that...but it was funny how serious he was when he was telling me that he had to observe my shower routine; as if he was going to stand there and watch me do everything...ok Mr. Fredrick (his name), here I am moving over to the bench....here I am stripping off my clothes...ok, now here is how I soap up the wash cloth to clean my arm pits....etc! He's like, DUDE! No, I am just going to be there to see you go in and come out; just so I can say that I observed your ability to do this! I was like, OK! I just wanted to make sure I understood what was going to happen. It was sooooooo funny to see his facial reactions to my inquiries of his actions. He could have killed me at this point!
2. Late this afternoon, housekeeping came in to clean my room. Housekeeping consisted of 1 guy. He came in and asked if it was OK to clean. I told him yes. So he proceeds to clean. He asked me if I liked football....and I do, a little and in trying to be nice and polite, I told him yes. He got the biggest grin on his face and began to spout out statistics and teams and players and stats and I was just pretending like I understood everything he was saying. Again, I was being nice in the hopes he would get done and move on. So I picked up my computer to do some work and he is just chatting away about football. He said he has never found anyone here that likes to talk about football until now. He was all excited about my interest in football. So he is talking, cleaning and I am stuck. He finishes his noble attempt at cleaning and then sat down in a chair and continued his football chat. Here I am, trying to look disinterested and busy and he wants to talk to his new best friend who appears to love football. Finally, he says goodbye and that he will see me tomorrow. OH NO, I HAVE A NEW FRIEND!

Day 13--2nd Full day of Rehab

August 22, 2008
Day 13

Great Workout -- Great Family & Friends -- Great Motivation

Another great workout in PT! We did lots of weight training on my arms and legs. We also worked on transferring from wheel chair to bath chair. We also did something today that brought a huge smile to my face and great joy to my heart. Drum roll please.......

We raised my hospital bed to the height of my bed at home (29.5 inches). We then practiced transferring from bed to wheel chair and wheel chair to bed. And guess what, I DID IT!!!! So what does that mean, you may ask. That means that I don't need a hospital bed at my house. I can sleep in my own bed next to my wonderful wife. I was going to jump up and do the victory dance....oh, right, my dance card is full for the next few months! LOL! So as you can see, today was a GREAT WORKOUT!

There is no way in the world Robbie, Collier and I could make it through this ordeal without the awesome help of our family and friends. Everyday, I am reminded of how great and blessed I am to have such a wonderful caring family and friends of the same caliper. They continue to step in and meet our needs...hugging and loving us along the way. I will never forget what they have done for my family! So as you can see, I have GREAT FAMILY & FRIENDS!

My verse today during my meditation time comes from James 1:2-4; "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever your face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." So as you can see , yesterday, today and every day after, I am GREATLY MOTIVATED!

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Today's Humor

While I was in PT today, the CEO of the hospital walked into the room and asked to see Mr. Russell Rhodes. They directed him over to me. He introduced himself and he mentioned his title, but I did not hear it. He told me that some friends of my had called him and asked him to stop by and meet me. While he spoke to me, I noticed how quiet the room had gotten. I then glanced at his name tag and saw the letters CEO, but it did not logged into my brain what this meant. He asked me how the hospital was treating me and if I needed anything. He then gave me his number and told me to call him if I needed anything. I thanked him and we shook hands and left. He left the room and I thank asked my Physical Therapist who he was. He laughed and said, "Are you kidding?" I shrugged my shoulders...he said, "That was the CEO of this hospital!" I said, COOL! You could tell all the workers were wondering how I knew the CEO. It was funny to watch their faces as I was finally getting a clue as to who I had just met. I felt all big inside! LOL

A Note to My Son---Collier

Collier---

I miss being with you and your mom on a daily basis. I am so thankful that I can and have given you both to the Lord. He will always sustain and keep you. I can always trust Him for keeping you! I am so thankful for this.

I love you Collier. I love your smiles. I love it when you say, 'daddy'. I love your energy and the way you examine everything that is in your world. I love your happy squeals. I love it when you crawl into my lap with a book so we can read together. I love you. I can't wait until the day I can come back home and be with you!

I can't wait to teach you the great things God has taught me through this accident. Our God is truly amazing and I can't wait for you to see this!

I love you

Daddy

A Note To My Wonderful Wife, Robbie

Robbie,

You are my soul-mate, the one God created for me to spend the rest of my life with. I am so thankful for you. So thankful you said yes to my marriage proposal some 14+ years ago. During the good times and the bad, you have been there. I could not get through my life without you and your love for me. Thank you for being my biggest fan, my cheerleader. Thank you for being my rock when I am at my weakest point. Thank you for allowing me to cry on your shoulder when I am sad. I adore you. I respect you. I need you. I want you. I love you!

You are my dearest and my treasured friend.
Russ

Day 12--First Full Day of Rehab

August 21, 2008
Day 12

Pain, Pain, Go Away...Don't Come Back Another Day!

Unfortunately, I began my evening with pain! Here at Saline, they constantly ask if you are in pain and if so, where on the scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the worst pain you could have). At around 9pm, I was at 8-9 level. I had taken my pain meds an hour before and still no relief. The nurse was knocking his brain trying to figure out what to do next. So, he unwrapped my legs and pulled my casts apart, thinking there was swelling and the pressure was causing the pain. Praise God! Within 15 minutes I was down to a pain level of 3. We left my legs unwrapped for the rest of the evening. I did not sleep very well, but was not in a lot of pain either. There is always something good in the midst of bad!!

Physical Therapy is Fantastic!!

I was so pumped by the end of this day. The Physical Therapy (PT) group worked me over hard, but it was just a fantastic day. I was totally worn out but so pumped and excited for learning how to do things for myself. I was able to take my first shower since checking in to hotel Saline Memorial. I just sat under the jets of warm water and all I could do was Praise God. It is funny how we take the simple pleasures of life for granted....when you lose them, you appreciate them so much more when you get them back!!!

Robbie spent the night with me tonight. It was great to have her here. I will never be able to put into words what a wonderful woman she is. I know she is overwhelmed by my accident. She has been a trooper....taking on additional responsibilities even though her plate is already full. Baby, I love you with all of my heart. You have and will continue to be the Wind Beneath My Wings!

Today's Humor

1. Warning: This section talks about poop! You know, I never thought must about the importance of pooping. I went 4 1/2 days without doing it and was so miserable. And when I started back up, I had to do it in my bed, with a bed pan and then call for some stranger to come and wipe me. TODAY, I transferred from my bed to my wheelchair, from my wheelchair to my toilet and well, you know the rest of the story. I sat there, doing my business, laughing because pooping is important, BUT, pooping and wiping on your own is FANTASTIC!! By the time I got back to my bed, I had burned 1000 calories and I was drenched in sweat! But life was great!
2. My nurse today was a guy from the Twilight Zone. I am serious.....he did a fantastic job, but had the strangest since of humor. He would come in my room and chat with me and get so cracked up over his own jokes that he would just ball over in laughter. His jokes weren't too funny, but watching him was amusing to me! You had to be here to get the full effect.

Day 11--Going to Rehab

August 20, 2008
Day 11

3 Cheers For Rehab

You know you are getting close to going home when you get transferred to the Rehab floor. I got moved at 10:30 am and went through some evaluations. They said I would begin tomorrow morning. Full steam ahead!

I will be working on strengthening my upper and lower body. I will also work on transferring from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to toilet, wheelchair to shower bench, etc.

For most of this day, I just laid in bed in my new room with a great window view on the 6th floor (tallest building in Benton). I can see the entire city. Pretty cool!

It is so cool to be up here on this floor with no IVs and no other equipment connected to me. There are fewer people coming in and out and it is much quieter. Hopefully, I will sleep better!

I had to battle feelings of loneliness again today. It was difficult to see Robbie leave this morning. But God's grace is so sufficient.

Day 10--Lonlieness Rears It's Ugly Head

August 18, 2008
Day 10

Woke Up With The Devil Whispering Sour Nothings In My Ear!

I was awakened on Day 10 with the Devil whispering to me....telling me to look at the calendar...reminding me that I had been in the hospital for 10 days. Not only that but he had the audacity to tell me my friends and family were calling less, emailing less, visiting less and the cards were coming less frequently. He also wanted me to know that I was never going home. I just brushed him off and nothing really hit me until my wife packed up her stuff to go home, so that she could get ready for work. When the door closed behind her, I started crying. Another one of those cries where you can't talk...all you can do is cry. Here comes the pity party and of course, I am the only one that showed up to party! I rolled over, grabbed my Bible and found one of my favorite verses: Romans 8:38-39; "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons; neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." I laid there reading my Bible and praying until God capture my negative thoughts and took them away. I was left with a smile and peace.

You see, no matter what we are feeling, no matter the circumstances, no matter how bad things feel or look....the Bible is always true...nothing can separate us from God!

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I had already written this item down on my notebook of things to be done soon, but after the events of this morning and after reading a friend's email that confirmed my next action, I called on 3 of my dearest friends to be my mental health guardians. I need people other than Robbie and I to look after my mental health. Nothing slows down the healing process more than depression. Anyone can slip into depression and not know they are on the slippery slope. These friends are to check on my frequently, ask me the questions no one else will ask and to be very blunt with me if necessary...if they believe they see a change in my attitude or my direction of hope. I know they will be faithful and I am so grateful to them for taking on this project of love!

Great Events of the Day

1. I learned that I will be going to the Rehab floor tomorrow. This is awesome! I will be working on skills that will be necessary for my survival at home.
2. I was taken off all IV pain meds. We are down to pills only and only when needed. Praise God, no more WEIRD dreams at night! I dreamed the curtains in my room were trying to eat me one night. Morphine = wack-o dreams!
3. My Foley catheter was removed. OK, have any of you out there had a catheter? You know, they drug you to insert it, but then you are awake, un-drugged to pull out this 2 foot snake? You have got to be kidding!?!?! :( But yes, that is what happened. The nurse told me to take a deep breath and she then pulled it out. All I could think was where in the world is the end of this hose? It felt like my insides were coming out of my privates! Praise God, it is gone!!!!!

Today's Humor

1. My crazy neighbor lady escaped from her bed last night around 2am. There is just something about 2 am for this lady. She is up at this time every night. Anyway, she is in the hall screaming, "HELP!" The nurses come running to her assistance. They get her back in her bed and ask her, "What's wrong?" She yells, "NOTHING!" So the nurses tell her some things and leave. Not 5 minutes later, she is again yelling, "HELP!" The nurses come back to her room and her response to their inquiries was, "nothing!" The nurses kind of snicker at this under their breath (I was doing the same thing). She snaps up in her bed and tells them, "You just wait, you will be 90 one day soon!" OK, that is all it took for me to belt out a big belly laugh...and then her next words were, "shut up!" LOL! You can't make this stuff up!
2. The manager of food services came to see me today. Oh yes, the manager. I guess my name is dirt in the kitchen. Anyway, he is allowing me to choose my menu each day. It seems they actually cook more than just the 7-day cycle of food. So things are a little better on the food front!
3. WARNING!! The next item discusses male private parts (i.e. testicles) OK, well I am in the middle of my PT, moving from the bed to a chair. I am so proud and doing so well with this. Well, on my way over from the bed to the chair, I got my testicles caught in the space between the bed and the arm of the chair. I am pulling away at my body trying to get into the chair, and my testicles are getting pulled in the opposite direction. So I quickly moved back over just enough to get my boys un-hung (really, no pun here) and I had to sit there with one check on the bed and one on the arm of the chair and I laughed. My PT guy, who, finds little humor in anything, gave me this dumb look and asked what was wrong. I told him what was going on and just shrugged his shoulders and said, "OK!" I then proceed to move over into the chair. Success on the move, yet stressful on the boys!

A Little Internet and Some Sonic Diet Coke, Please!

August 17, 2008
Day 9

God grants our small requests just so we can praise Him MORE!
Phil 4:6-7; "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding; will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus"

For those of you who know me, you know I am a computer/Internet junkie. My world connects to me and I connect to my world via email and the Internet. Needless to say, I can't go long without connecting online or at least reading my emails. Since my arrival to the hospital, I have been seeking a way to get on the Internet. Each attempt was either a failure OR didn't quite meet the minimum standards I needed to be met. I begged God to help me. I had to get re-connected so that I could continue work and my connection to friends around the world. My heart longed to be connected to my world.

Some of you may be thinking, you must be crazy....you really missed or needed the Internet that bad? YES!! Just ask my friends or family. I email everyone and google anything I can.

So God hears my cry and comes to my rescue. On Day 9, a friend of mine who knows people in the Saline Memorial IT department was able to get me access to their private wireless network.

If I could have danced, I would have been dancing in my bed; jumping, leaping, rejoicing, overflowing with gratitude. I was doing all of these things in my heart and then all of the sudden, I began to cry....I was unable to speak....all I could do was cry. Why cry? I was overwhelm! I was deeply moved by the kindness of my friend, who probably had to call in some favors to make my request a reality AND I was amazed at how my God listened and granted my simple request...He didn't have to do that! But he did. It was simple to Him, yet devastating and impossible for me. How great it is to have a father in heaven who listens to our cries and answers our prayers!

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Today's Highlights

I had a great day in physical therapy. I was able to transfer, using only my hands, to move from my bed to a chair and back. It was so cool to leave the confines of that bed!

The nurses promised me a night of uninterrupted sleep, yet, every machine in my room that had an alarm sounded it's alarm ALL night long! So, there was very little sleep going on!!

I had some great friends bring me a Sonic Drive In Diet Coke and food for Olive Garden.

Speaking of food, I have discontinued my Russ Food Critic section because, we have gone through the 7 day cycle of food and since they repeat all foods every 7 days, there is nothing more that can be said!

Today's Humor
WARNING: The following is a discussion of male private parts (i.e. penis).

The Patient Care Tech who is responsible for caring of my non-medical needs was non-existent today. Therefore, my room was a dump! After my PT session, I had to re-arrange my night stand and other items around my bed. I also had to reposition my sheets and blanket. While doing that, I grabbed my blanket and jerked it hard to get it to cover my feet.....but little did I know, I had a grip on my catheter tube and when I jerk, I jerked the tube that was deeply attached to my bladder through my penis. I made a loud whooping sound and sat in a moment of silence, praying everything was still attached. It took 30 minutes for me to get brave enough to look and see that all was well. Shew! Praise God, no damage!! ROFLOL!

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That is it for Day 9. I look forward to Day 1 at home!!!!!

Side Notes

I have been moved to the rehab floor, room 621. You are welcome to come by, email and or call me on my cell ANYTIME!!

Days 4 - 8

Aug 12-16, 2008
Days 4 - 8

I am going to make 1 posts concerning days 4 through 8 because as each day goes by, I forget more and more. The reason I began this blog was to give others the opportunity to see my God at work during this most difficult time of my life.

Should I Ask Why?
This is the most difficult test I have had to endure! It would be so easy to lie here in my bed, in this hospital and feel sorry for myself; continually asking the question, "why?" I mean, is there anyone out there who wishes they had an injury that kept them off their feet for 3 to 4 months; with a 1 year healing time and the possibility off never being able to walk normally, do normal things, no sports, not being able to run with your kids? No one would sign up for this! Yet, God has allowed this to come to my life. Since I gain nothing from self pity and asking "why", then I must do the complete opposite...I must give all the glory to God!

During days 4-8, I spent a lot of time in God's word and praying to Him seeking His peace. This is what puts a smile on my face, a pep in my step (no pun intended, well, maybe it was), gives me joy and hope during a most stressful time! I am so thankful to be alive!

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What Is This?
The food test

During days 4-8, I got to see the complete weekly food line-up. Boy, I feel so sorry for anyone that has to stay here longer than 7 days. Each 7 days, the menu repeats. I had to find a way to get a better selection.

RFCS: 1.5 out of 5

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Do You Hear What I Hear?
The night sounds of Saline Memorial

As long as the crazy lady continues to live next door to me, I have plenty of reasons to laugh! During days 4-8, she continued to yell at those imaginary rabbits. One of my personal favs was a 2am scream for help. The nurses came to her room. They asked what was wrong. She said, "nothing!" As soon as they left the room, she screamed again. Again, they came and asked what was wrong, are you in any pain. Again, her answer was, "nothing!" So the nurses were laughing under their breaths as much as I was and the lady sat up in the bed and said, "just you wait, you will be 90 one day!" OK, at this point, I was having a deep belly laugh! She then yelled, "shut up!" Great late-night entertainment and all of it for FREE! Just can't make this stuff up! :)

Manage Pain; Reduce Swelling

Sunday, August 10, 2008
Day 2

The Surgeon on call came by to tell me that my situation was bad...so bad that he was going to refer me on to another surgeon....that he could not perform surgery because the damage was so great! This news left me very discouraged. He told us that my right foot may not be fixable. He wanted his partner to look over my x-rays and notes to get his opinion. Therefore, I would see his partner in the morning. I was left with a feeling of despair.

The Orthopedic Surgeon wanted nothing more than to control the swelling and the pain the day after my accident. My feet are elevated and packed down with ice. We spent the previous night working to keep the pain in control and failed terribly!


We tried several methodologies to conquer the pain, yet we failed on every front. All I could do was lie in bed, hold Robbie's hand and cry through each wave of pain. It was intense! I could think of nothing else than the pain signals pulsing through my body. After speaking with my doctors, we came up with a plan that brought relief and by 11pm, we were chatting and smiling again. I was surrounded by so many friends and family.


The world was spinning in my head and every now and then, the words I spoke did not make sense. I am sure it was funny to watch and hear!!


Even more humorous was my first attempts at the use of a portable urinal. You might say, "what is the big deal...point, aim, shoot!" Right? Well, pain + elevated bed + people in your room watching + numb feeling from pain drugs = dribbles, leaks and all out missing the urinal. Needless to say, I had a lot to learn about the use of hospital equipment and doing it on my back at a strange angle! LOL!!

On a more serious note, it is amazing to see God at work throughout my ordeal. People are coming out of the wood-work asking to help, praying for me, sending me cards and emails. I am overwhelmed and humbled by the kindness of all of my friends and family!

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What Is This?
The Food Test

Sunday seem to bring out the better side of the lunch crew in the hospital cafeteria. Lunch was pretty good. Yet, breakfast and dinner (I skipped dinner), left little to be desired.
RFCS: 2 out of 5

Do You Hear What I Hear?
The night sounds of Saline Memorial

During the night, I was awakened by screams! It was like the screams you hear from a sci-fi flick where crazy people are locked up at this condemned hospital. The screams were followed by coughing...coughing like that of a person who was trying to cough up a donut filled with sand and grit. I mean, this lady was hacking up not just one lung, but both!

I later learned that lady was in for a broken arm and dementia. Her screaming and coughing was an attempt to get rabbits out of her room! Hospital newbie here (me) no longer had to worry about a leaking portable urinal...I had wet the bed from fright!

Crushed Heels

August 9, 2008


..and here is how this crazy story begins...

It was Saturday morning and I was working hard to get our house ready for a Birthday Celebration for Robbie. It was going to be a BIG night! New grill, new deck, new deck furniture and great food! The only thing misssing was great music to eat and celebrate by. It was then that I remembered the BOSE speakers I had purchased. A HA! I will go up into the attic and install the cables. Working in the attic is really no big deal...I had done it many times and I was very familar with the layout of our attic. I had cleared a path to where I needed to be...all rafters where I needed to step were easy to see and convenient to get to.
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Holding on for dear life, I proceeded to trek across the attic rafters until I hit a loose board. My foot twisted and headed down-ward towards to the sheetrock. At this point, I knew I was headed down through the ceiling. I frantically started reaching for anything I could get my hands on to keep me from falling. I remember thinking, I am about to fall to my death!
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As my body began to fall through the ceiling, I was seeing each layer of the attic blurr past my eyes...insulation, rafters & sheetrock....and I remember thinking this must be what people see who are in a clasping building. I was jarred out of this daze as my body hit the hard-wood dinning room floor. I asked God if I was dead! "Am I dead, God?" I was in shock!
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Robbie came running into the room and I know based on her reaction that she thought I was dead. It was frightening! All I could say was, "Oh My God!" Again, shock! I was lying on my side and began to push myself up to determine what was broken. I belived my arms, head, shoulders and back were ok. I was not sure about my legs, but my heels were completely numb! Based on a previous bruised heel expierience, I knew something was wrong with my heels.
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Robbie was scrambling to assess the situation. She was talking; maybe asking me questions, but in my mind, all her words were mumbled...I was still dealing with the fact that I had fallen 14 feet and I was not dead. So now some of the shock was wearing off and reality was setting in. I was not hearing Robbie's words and realized that she was in the middle of getting ready for the day when I fell. She was asking me what was hurting and if we need to go to the ER. I told her my heels were damaged and yes, we need to get to the ER. She ran to our room to get some clothes....I laid back down on the floor, continuing to suck loose insulation down my throat! I began to cry, really sab like a baby. I was overcome with the sadness of ruining Robbie's party plans. Robbie returned to the room to see this sabbing mess and asked me to talk to her...tell her what was wrong, what I was crying about. I kept asking her forgiveness for ruining her party!
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Now, how to get to the car to get to the ER. Why we never thought to call for an ambulance...I will never know, but I told Robbie I could crawl. So, I began to slowly crawl to the garage. Stopping to deal with pain, I finally made it to the car. Now, how to get up into the car without the use of my feet? At this point, I accidentally twisted my ankle and screamed out in pain. Robbie is begging me to stop and asking how she can help. I asked her to go check on Collier. She was confused by my request, but I needed her to go check on Collier and allow me to painfully get myself into the car. I did it...I dont remember doing it, but I got myself in the car seat and seatbelt buckled.
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Robbie comes out into the garage with Collier. She tells me that our friends are coming over to watch Collier so that we can get to the ER. Our friends came and we left for the ER. On the way to the ER, we are praying and thanking God for sparing my life.
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We got to the ER and they brought out a big male nurse and a wheelchair. Both were very helpful in getting me into the hospital. I got checked in and was immediately put into a room. The pain was really setting in and I knew my feet were in bad shape. The doctors and staff put in IVs and bring in portable x-ray equipment. Taking the x-rays was a very painful event. The x-rays revealed severe damage in both heels with the right on getting the most damage. This lead to a CT scan. The CT results revealed that I would not be able to walk again without extensive surgery to repair or attempt to repair the damage.

I am checked into the hospital and the pain is increasing!

We spent the rest of the night trying to keep swelling to a minimum and managing pain.

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What Is That?
The Food Test

My first dinner was a mix of yesterday's chicken, last week's corn bread and a salad. It gets a 2 out of 5 on the Russ' Food Critique scoring system (RFCS)

Do You Hear What I Hear?
Boogie Man under my bed test

During this night, I constantly heard what I thought was thunder. I woke up the next day thinking it has rained all night long...big thunderstorms. I later learned it was the elevator.