Well, let's start from the beginning.
Two years ago, when Jillian was about the age David is now, Phil bent down to get her out of the swing we have. When he did that, he heard a big "pop" in his right knee. It hurt pretty good, but he was able to work it out. From then on, his knee would give him trouble from time to time. Times like when he ran a 5K last year, kneeling to bathe Jillian, etc.
On Sunday, after we got a little rain from the storms, I had an idea. We have this bush in the front yard that looks dead, and I thought we could get it out. The next morning was trash day, and the ground would be soft because of the rain we just had. I thought it was perfect timing!
Well, this "dead" bush is not dead at all. It looks like it, but the root system is pretty strong. So strong, in fact, that it broke our shovel. {That's right.} So Phil had the idea that he would get a board from our garage, and pivot it on a rock to get this plant out of the ground. He got on ok, but then he stepped back onto his right leg. That's when it happened.
He yelled in pain, hopped over to the grass where I was, and laid down. He told me he couldn't straighten his leg at all. We ended up going to the emergency room to make sure he didn't break anything. The good news was that he didn't have any broken bones. The bad news? We would have to take him to an orthopedic doctor.
{At home after the ER trip}
Fortunately, there is an orthopedic doctor at our church who squeezed us in on Tuesday. The only issue we had to confront early on was the fact that Phil couldn't drive because it was his right leg. He wore a brace all week, and even bought crutches on Amazon to help him get around.
{He still did things like read to the kids. This just warms my heart :)}
After an exam, and an MRI, we found out Thursday morning that he would have to have surgery to remove a piece of his meniscus that was stuck in his joint. {This is why he couldn't straighten his leg}
We somehow made it through Holy Week with one car, and an injured leg. I still don't know how we got everywhere, and on time. It was truly God's grace. Fortunately for us, the doctor could fit him in on Monday morning for the surgery. It was nice to know Phil would get relief soon!
{Phil's main mode of transportation}
He got pretty good at maneuvering around with his crutches. He was even able to play with Jillian in the playground at church!
{Cuties}
Sunday night, Phil's dad drove down to sleep on our couch. Then at 4:30 am Monday, the three of us got up and headed to Phil's surgery. We had some lovely people at church volunteer to sit at our house while the kids slept so I could be there.
After about 40 minutes, Phil's surgery was over! They worked on the best case scenario, and he should back to his old self in the next 2 weeks or so. He was a little cranky when he woke up, but that's ok ;)
{Resting at home after surgery}
I'm so thankful we were able to get him fixed up as quickly as we did. I'm also so thankful to have the support system that we do. I honestly would not have made it through Holy Week if I didn't.
If anything, having one of the hardest weeks of my life coinciding with Holy Week and Easter Sunday was such an eye opener to me. It showed me not only do I need a little more work to have a servant's heart, but it showed me just how amazing grace truly is. Giving it, receiving it; all of that is a blessing. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, I would not be granted grace so freely. I don't deserve it, but it is given to me as a gift. How beautiful love is when you see it through the eyes of God. I may have not been the perfect wife and mother that week, but I definitely see love, and Easter, in a whole different light. Thanks be to God!
Phil has some physical therapy to go to, but overall he is healing well. The doctor did explain that this is a chronic thing and we would have had to do surgery at some point soon. At least it's over and done with!
No comments:
Post a Comment