Freak Rope Swing Accident

Ahhh. Even when you've no time for blogging, some things simply must be blogged about. The following is just such an incident...

Last Wednesday, July 22, Todd was having a grand ol' time on the rope swing hanging from the trees in our front yard, when suddenly the fastener gave way, sending him careening to the ground. I was not home at the time (naturally - if you've noticed from past blogs, most injuries tend to be inflicted when I'm not home), but Wesley and Amy were here to help. Todd was completely immobile on the ground, which I don't think Amy was very comfortable with. She called an EMT from Wild Waters, which is just down the street, and at which both Amy and Wesley are employed. He came over and helped assess the damage and get Todd moved to a chair. Amy called me in a panic, asking me to try to convince Todd to go to the hospital. I can't really take credit for getting him there, though, because I think he intended to go all along, he just needed to "get ready". He just wasn't ready to hop into a car and go for a spin. I know now that he was dedicating every lost drop of his energy to the pursuit of consciousness, as he did not want to further freak the kids out by passing out. So Papa Tim brought the truck over and a bunch of Tyler's friends came, as well as Todd's brother Chad. All these various muscle-bearers carried Todd in the recliner to the truck, and tucked him somewhat comfortably inside for his trip to the ER. Did I mention he was in his underpants at this point? He'd had Wesley remove his pants to make way for an icepack, so ALL of Tyler's friends, not to mention Amy, got to see my dear hubby in his pantaloons. So I met my half-dressed man at the emergency room and began the process of ushering him inside. Apparently this was not easy for him, as consciousness finally slipped beyond his grasp as he entered the waiting room. To hear him tell it, he didn't actually pass out, but he had slipped so far away that he was incapable of responding to anything or anyone around him. At this point, there was lots of scurrying about, inserting of needles and patches and wires attached to foreign-looking equipment, and the rapid-fire shouting of words I didn't know, but understood to mean he was going into shock. I didn't like it. They took him back and made me wait with all the other sick or hurt people in the waiting room. For a split second I thought Todd was going to die of rope swing-induced shock. Hey, that could be a medical term! They got him settled and examined and then let me in. He was alive... and conscious. After a CT scan, we learned that he had broken his sacrum (the big triangular piece at the base of the spine that the tailbone connects to) and the front part of his pelvis, where it comes together to form the pubis. The worst pain was in his groin, where he felt like someone had dug their fingers in and ripped out all the tendons and ligaments. He was certain his leg was going to pop out of socket. They ended up sending him home with vicodin and a pair of crutches. The parts that he broke are non-operable, thank God, and not weight-bearing, so they said he could walk as soon as the pain allowed.

When we arrived home, Tyler, Ally and Wesley had to carry the recliner out to the truck, load Todd into it, and then carry it back into the living room, where Todd existed for that night and the next day. He worked on standing the next day (with the crutches), and by Friday headed off to work. I know. He's nuts!!! He was healing nicely until Saturday, when the bronchitis hit him with wracking coughs, sending his tailbone and internal organs into fits and spasms of pain. He has not been a happy camper, but nothing really keeps him down... He has been at work every day this week.

Though this was a difficult situation to go through, there are a few patches of light in the darkness:
1. The bones he broke are the best ones to break in that part of the body, if you insist on breaking any.
2. Todd has sworn off stupid maneuvers, even when I'm not around (we'll see how faithful he can be to this promise).
3. He drummed up some business with his ER doctor (who was a very nice man).
4. When you pass out in the emergency room, they don't make you wait as long as everyone else!