I’m getting ready to write the last entry on Kevin’s CaringBride page. I’ll likely leave it live for another two months and then delete it off the web. I plan on converting his journey into a softback book as a keepsake. Hopefully, I’ll never have to use the CaringBridge page again. (Though it’s been an awesome tool).
We went to the bone doctor yesterday. They took fresh x-rays of Kevin’s pelvis and knee. Kevin said it was interesting because when they positioned him on the table (they had to remove his shorts because he was wearing cargo shorts and the metal would mess up the x-rays – he was pretty embarrassed about that), he made it a point of lying straight. However, the x-ray of his pelvis was clearly NOT straight. His right hip is higher than his left (which would also explain the fact that his belly button is off kilter – his entire pelvis has shifted position). The physical therapist said that that should work itself out as he heals and his bones and muscles heal.
And the bones are definitely healing. The doctor showed us where his fractures were and the white lines, that indicate new bone is growing, were indeed thicker and more pronounced when compared to his last series of x-rays.
His knee has healed. He no longer has to wear the leg brace (he hadn’t been wearing it for a few weeks anyway), so we don’t have to worry about that anymore. Kevin was concerned because he still can’t bend over enough to reach his feet (he has to twist his body into a pretzel to put his shoes and socks on – he hates asking me for help), but again, the doctor said that that would come with time. He just needed to be patient and continue stretching and exercising. The doctor said his pelvis will likely never be where it was before his accident, but over time, he should regain most of his mobility and flexibility back.
Kevin was also concerned about the continued swelling in his right leg. Some days are worse than others and his right leg swells to nearly twice it’s normal size. But since he sustained nerve damage in his right leg, the nurse told us that it takes a lot longer to heal than bone does. In fact, she said one inch of nerve usually takes about one month to heal and considering his entire leg was damaged, it could take up to a year or longer for that to completely heal, or at least heal as much as it’s going to. We were a bit discouraged to hear that part, but neither of us were surprised. He was involved in a pretty serious accident so OF COURSE it will take time for him to recover.
I think we’ve been so encouraged by his walking that we just thought he would continue to heal as quickly. But the doctor said no – generally speaking, the body heals quickly the first three months after an accident, and then the healing process slows down after that three months have passed. It’s like the body heals the most important parts first to get the body functional, and then concentrates on fine tuning the smaller areas later.
He no longer has to take Coumadin (blood thinner). Thank God for that. I was never too happy about him being on that to begin with, but it was necessary given the injuries he sustained. They stopped prescribing the narcotic he was taking for pain and have prescribed a less powerful pain killer for him. Which is fine because Kevin usually only ends up taking two pain killers a day – one shortly after lunch and then again at bedtime. He says he’s not really in any pain anymore, he’s just really sore at the end of the day. Other than the pain killer, he’s not on any more drugs. He’s continuing to take calcium and vitamin D every day, just to build up his bone mass.
He now needs to concentrate on straightening his left knee out (it still wants to bend and that affects his walking), and to lie on hard surfaces to stretch his lower back out. This will help him walk straighter.
He still walks like a toddler (especially when he’s tired), but his gait is definitely getting better. We’re honestly just happy he’s walking at all. With God’s help, he’ll return to a normal walking pattern over time.
He doesn’t have to go back to the doctor until October. It’ll be interesting to see how much improvement he’s made by then.
The woman who hit Kevin was scheduled to appear in court on the 23rd. We haven’t been going to court (this was the third time the woman was supposed to be in court) but have been keeping track of what’s been happening through a court website. She was supposed to appear with her lawyer, but according to the website, she never showed up. (Probably because she couldn’t find a lawyer dumb enough to take her case).
A warrant has now been issued for her arrest.
This is both satisfying and frustrating. I mean, the only way they’re really going to catch her is if she breaks another law and they pull her over for that. It’s maddening to think she’s STILL out on the streets, living her life, probably driving around, and endangering those around her. She’s a menace and needs to have her license revoked and probably some jail time.
I’m not holding my breath.
Honestly, I could say so much more about this … person …, but I’ll just leave it at that.
Jazz got his PE grade in the mail yesterday – an A. (I didn’t expect anything less). I’m glad we received something, I was beginning to wonder if he was going to get credit for it.
He also got a mailing from his band director about the band program this year. The show sounds like it’s going to be AMAZING. I can not WAIT to view it on August 17th. I’m also looking forward to playing around with my Canon Rebel zoom lens that Kevin gave me for Christmas specifically so I could take some pictures of Jazz on the field. Since we can’t take video, this is an acceptable second option.
His schedule is going to be insane, which means OUR schedule will be insane. In addition to band camp, Tuesday night practices and (nearly every) Friday night football games, his band will be competing every weekend in October. It looks like we’ll be going to Tulsa, OK one weekend, Broken Arrow, OK another weekend and St. Louis two weekends in a row. (They might possibly be going to Columbia, MO the last weekend).
I can not wait!! I get pretty excited about marching season – if you couldn’t tell. 😀
I made a decision.
I’m going to pursue yet another dream of mine.
The first was to graduate from college.
I did that in 2003.
Next? Pursue a career as a law clerk and/or a paralegal.
I know. Call me crazy. But this is something I’ve wanted to do since … forever, but Kevin talked me out of it.
“You really want to work for a bunch of *bleeps*?” he asked.
Well ….. yeah.
I love to research. And that legal mumbo-jumbo is interesting to me.
Like I said, call me crazy.
(I had originally thought I would pursue nursing, but after researching it? I simply don’t have the stomach for it).
But here’s the deal: the kids? Don’t really need me anymore. Dude is driving. Jazz will be driving soon. They can take care of themselves. They will be living their own lives in a few (very few) years.
It’s time for me to focus on my career.
I’ve been researching what I need to do. Since I already have a Bachelor’s of Science in Professional Writing, all I really need to do to get started is take some classes. Then, I can get a clerical job in a law firm and work toward my certificate and become a full-fledged paralegal.
Easy, right? Well, no. But I’m up to the challenge.
And I’ve already taken the first step. I registered to take the first class at Ozarks Technical College. It’s an online class and they “meet” twice a week. The classes are only six weeks long and there are a total of six classes that I would need to take before I could really look for a clerical job.
I start September 15th. (I would have started sooner, but August 1st is when I will be BOMBARDED by emails from schools wanting me to update their websites and I know, from past experience, that August and September are the busiest months for me when it comes to my website work).
In between my website work and my classes, I’ll most likely get a part-time job somewhere, though I’m not sure where. Kevin is pretty adamant about me not working for a retail store (though Kohl’s has a “Now Hiring” banner up at their store and HELLO, discounts!!) because he doesn’t want me working nights and weekends, but honestly, I don’t see how I can get out of NOT working those hours and be part time. Part time people always get the crappy hours – that’s just how it works.
So, we’ll see. My options are wide open and … I love that.
Though Kevin talks about getting a job, I’ve been discouraging him. I mean … why? The man has worked his ass off for twenty some-odd years to support me and the boys, now it’s my turn. I’m willing, I’m able and I’m ready to take on that role. I think he should just take it easy and try to work out some sort of deal where he works freelance and out of our home.
It really would be the perfect option for him. Since he’s an accountant, I’m pretty sure he could make that happen.
But again, we’ll see.
I just thank God, every day, that we’re in a position where we have options. Not a lot of people do at this point.
Write From Karen 