December 7th

The Cabinet!

The day started as so many had since we moved to Gilbert.  I had a few projects to do.  I was excited when a package arrived with a new cabinet I had ordered and after dinner I opened up the box and began putting it together.  Unfortunately, I forgot the "cardinal rule"-- Clean as you Go!  I was in the last part of the building project when Grandpa made a panicked plea that he had to go to the bathroom.  I got right up and went around to get him to take him to the bathroom.  As I lead the way I stepped on a piece of packing material and in a quick second I hit the ground and heard a bone break.  Then the 2 hour nightmare began.  Grandpa was soaking wet, I couldn't get up, and he couldn't bring the phone to me.  In one of the irony's of life a commercial came on the TV with a feeble older woman crying out "Help!  I've fallen and I can't get up."  Next the announcer says, "Don't let an accident turn into a tragedy."  For the next hour I tried to get Grandpa to bring me the phone which was sitting on the kitchen counter to no avail.  I kept praying that someone would come by.  I knew that I wouldn't see Amy until the next day because they went to Ruth and Lincoln's band concert.  The thought of laying there for hours was absolutely overwhelming to me.  I prayed that Heavenly Father would help me know what to do and after a number of times making that request I knew the only thing that would work was for me to sit up.  I then began to pray that He would give me the strength to sit up and not faint.  After making the request for help I received an impression that I should sit up now.  I asked Grandpa to help and he came over and did exactly what I told him to do.  I sat up on the first try and then I began to shake uncontrollably for a few minutes.  Once my body relaxed I gave Gpa directions to the counter by describing what was on it.  Before he had kept saying, "I don't know what a counter is!"  Once he got to there I then asked him if he saw the phone.  He said he didn't.  My next idea was for him to bring me what he saw sitting on the counter.  First came a almost empty Diet Coke cup!  Next was my wallet and then finally he brought me my phone!  At that time I was able to call 911 and within minutes our house was filled with firemen, police, paramedics, and ambulance drivers. After a ride in the ambulance to the hospital I realized that my battery was almost dead on my phone so I called Andy in California and told him what had happened and asked him to please keep trying to reach Amy for us.  She had turned her phone off during the concert.  When it was over she received a text from one of the firemen that I was in the hospital and then Andy called her.  Once X-rays were taken and read I was sent home with a sling on my arm and an appointment to see the orthopedic surgeon on Monday morning.  The recovery time is 6 to 8 weeks and I am now beginning week five.  The first two weeks my pain on a scale of 1-10 (10 is the worst) was a solid 8 to 10.  Now it is holding steady at a 2 unless I do something stupid!  I started physical therapy on Wednesday and it went well.  I will have 9 more weeks of that and I have another Doctor's appointment on the 15th with the orthopedic surgeon.  He told me I would probably not get full use of my arm back but I will do all I can to prove that wrong!  Stay posted for more updates on what has been happening since that fateful day!