Self-Proclaimed Nurse (but not aspiring)

I'm not sure how to begin this post. We are having a mini-crisis at our house.....well, a little bit more than mini.....here's the story.

Several months ago, Todd started training for the Wasatch Back Relay. (Like way back around Christmas). It was scheduled for June 18th and 19th. He worked hard to build up his strength and stamina for this race. He looked forward to it immensely. He was careful and listened to his body when he thought he had overdone it. Things were going well.....until about a month before the race.

It started with low back pain. He went to see a chiropractor for a couple of visits and then decided to see a physical therapist a week later. The visits were going well and his back pain was improving. But he stopped running and unfortunately felt that he had to drop out a week before the race. It was very sad and depressing. But he was improving, so that was encouraging.

On July 1st, he had his last visit with the physical therapist. During the visit he mentioned that his hip was bothering him slightly. And here's the part where it gets really frustrating. The physical therapist put Todd in some sort of traction and while it hurt at the time, it wasn't extremely painful. But the next morning he woke up at around 5 am and could hardly walk. He struggled to get ready for work, and somehow made it in. By 11:00, he could no longer stand the pain, and he came home. This was on Friday (July 2nd).....and 4th of July weekend.

At the time, we figured the physical therapist did a number on his hip and that probably it would heal in the next few days. But because the pain was so bad, we took him into our regular doctor to get some medication to help through the weekend.

All through the next few days, he was in excruciating, agonizing pain. His hip was killing him and any movement just about put him over the edge. By Monday it wasn't much better, but we were able to attend a get-together with his family, where he literally just sat himself down in the recliner the entire time.

We knew something was terribly wrong and on Tuesday we went to see an orthopedic surgeon. Todd was very uncomfortable on the examing table and would hardly let the doctor do an exam.....it was too painful. So they took x-rays and the doctor thought that he had a labral tear in his right hip, but felt that an MRI was necessary to confirm it.

On Thursday afternoon he had an MRI with Arthrogram, which is when they inject a bunch of dye directly into the hip before they do the actual test. It was very painful for Todd and his back started to cramp up and he couldn't lay flat. They had to give him valium to ease the pain enough for the MRI.

Late Thursday afternoon, we got a call from the orthopedic doctor. He said the radiology report said that he did not have a labral tear.....but instead a fractured sacrum. The sacrum is the bone that connects to the pelvis, in the middle. We were all shocked, even the doctor.

We asked ourselves many questions surrounding this injury. Was his running the cause? Did the physical therapist literally break his bone when she pulled on his leg? These are still unanswered questions. The orthopedist said that he's calling this a stress fracture, which was most-likely caused by the running. But we think it was probably a combination of the two.....the running AND the physical therapist. Either way, it's very frustrating! And we'll probably never really know for sure what caused the actual fracture.

So, this is where we are. This is the diagnosis. Recovery time is 6 to 8 weeks of non-bearing weight. It is a bone that fortunately has a good healing success rate on its own. We have been grateful that it wasn't something that required surgery or that he hasn't been hospital bound.

However, the past couple of days, we think he has been having an allergic reaction to one of his medications. He has had a fever off and on for several days, a rash here and there, total stiffness in his upper body, and now last night, his hands and ankles are swollen. And all we can do is wait to see if it gets better......hopefully not worse. He also had a severe sore throat on Monday, so we took him to the doctor to see if he had Strep, but it came back negative. So we continue to wait....and wait.....and wait. (not one of my strengths.....)

The positive? His hip pain is lessening and he's finally to the point where he can lay in one position comfortably.....and that is HUGE! Also, so far his drug reaction (or whatever weird thing is going on) is not effecting his breathing or his mouth......hopefully it will not reach to that point. Or we will be heading to the ER. Today his throat feels much better, (which is why we think he's having a drug reaction now).

Last Friday we gathered our children together for a family council. We explained Dad's injury and the effects it would have on us this summer. There would be no hikes, no Lagoon, no Fathers and Sons, and various other outdoor activities that we had planned. A couple of the kids asked about Dad's job and what would happen with that. We took this great opportunity to explain that luckily Dad has a good job and good benefits and it will be okay for him to take some time off to heal and recover. We also talked about the importance of getting a good education and that some people aren't as fortunate as we are. Some people have to quit their jobs or they get fired because they can't go in. We talked about the importance of preparing fincancially for emergencies and that we have done that for our family. It was a really good conversation and one I will always remember.

While things seem bleak at the moment, I am grateful that it's not worse. I'm thankful we're not facing surgery and that for now, at least, Todd is home. It has been so hard to watch him day in and day out suffer and be in pain, but I have felt the wonderful peace from the Spirit and I have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives. I know the power of the priesthood is real and I am thankful for the blessings that Todd has received. I am forever grateful for the outpouring of love and support from family and friends who have reached out and who are praying for us in our behalf. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

We will take this one day at a time for now. Please keep us in your prayers.