There are no "coincidences"

I went to see a neurologist Friday and just by "coincidence" I saw a doctor who specialized in concussions and had been a Dr. for the Carolina Hurricanes a few years ago.  Knowing how hard the pucks are hit, and not to mention they are frozen, he was concerned with my injury. He conducted a series of neurological tests and evaluated symptoms of Post Concussion Symptoms.  He said I had a level 3 concussion.  Just to put in perspective, if a professional athlete had a level 3 concussion they would most likely be out for the season if not the remainder of their professional career. He believes it will at least be 4-6 more weeks before I will be totally back on my feet as "normal". I gave him a list of my symptoms during the appointment and needless to say it ended up being a check off sheet for PCS

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue focusing on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
• Irritability focusing on Galatians 5:22
• ringing in the ears
• Anxiety  focusing on Philippians 4:6-9, Joshua 1:9
• Insomnia
• Loss of concentration and memory
• Noise and light sensitivity

The Doctor ordered an MRI Friday evening.  Again, just by "coincidence" the radiologist, Jennifer and I hit it off when she told me she had been hit by a puck 5 years ago at a Hurricanes' game.   I am assured by the doctor who believes that I will have a full recovery due to steady improvement over the last few weeks and I will get the MRI results in a few days.

As the Doctor was leaving the room he made one last statement before he left, "You do realize that the outcome could have been different right?"  This is something that I have thought about over the past few weeks and have praised the Lord for each new morning. Having a deeper perspective for life as a gift which I too often take for granted, which is demonstrated by my complaining and grumbling about the small things in my life. 

I had a Birthday a few days after the accident and I found myself not grumbling about getting older but thankful to be older celebrating another Birthday. Although my life came to a screeching halt and my to-do-list remained on the counter, which didn't seem so important any longer. I am thankful for rest, comfort and peace. Also for my servant husband who held me while I cried in pain, gave me company in the middle of sleepless nights and cared in a unselfish way. I am thankful for the each of the kids who rotated in my bed throughout the day to talk and cuddle.  My sweet Logan who brought me to tears many times with hugging me and asking if he could pray with me and doing so.  During the days of being in bed, witnessing Logan giving his heart to the Lord was truly a privilege. The kids stepped up in ways that would bless any mothers heart. I am thankful for all the phone calls. emails, texts, visits, help with the kids and your prayers that have been heard and God's faithfulness is evident. Although my chances of getting hit with a puck that night was about one in about 22,000 people, I know that God is sovereign over all and I continue to grow in this circumstance. My heart aches for you to know your Creator, to know His Word, to know His promises, to know Him in an intimate way that you will have freedom and eternal life. If you ever experience an accident that results in physical pain,  not being able to read, think or organize your thoughts you may experience a depth of Love, comfort and peace that only comes from the Lord.

Update #2 on Recovery

Thank you for your sweet words of encouragement and prayers over the past week. I have been able to sleep the past 2 nights which is a HUGE blessing.   I am thankful that each day the headaches and other symptoms are easing up. Usually when I wake up my head does not hurt as bad, at the very least its a tollerable pain.  As the day progresses and I'm doing things I tend to feel a little worse in the evenings.   I have a hard time processing more than one thing at a time.  Its frustrating to forget words and to have a hard time expressing my thoughts.  If I have to read or think for an extended period it literally hurts.  I will  be following up with a Neurology specialist next week to monitor the symptoms of Post Concussion Syndrome. Although the symptoms are annoying and uncomfortable, I am so thankful that they are improving.  Its definitely been a slower process than I had imagined but things are getting better and will continue to do so.
Thank you all again for your prayers and support.  I will continue to keep you updated as we go along.  I hope to get back to some more upbeat posts soon!

Update on Recovery

Hey Everyone, Billy here!  I've taken over the blog at least for one post to update you on Michelle's progress over the past few days.
First of all let me say thank you to all of you who have e-mailed, called and checked on her.   We appreciate you all very much.  Thank you also to those folks who have taken our kids while I was working so Michelle could rest.  Getting them to school, taking them to the movies and just helping out has been a tremendous blessing to our family.
Ok, here's the latest.  Michelle went back to the Dr. this morning to get the staples removed.  They ended up only taking out 2 of the 4 because it has not completely healed yet.  She will have to go back in 4-5 days to get the other 2 out.  Its been a long 5 days since Wednesday but she is slowly getting better.  Each day she feels a little better but as the day wears on the headaches and pain comes back.  This has been hard because when she wakes up ok its that much harder when she starts to feel bad again.  Everyday is literally a roller coaster ride of emotion, pain and being uncomfortable.  She has not been able to sleep very well because the headaches are keeping her up and its difficult to get comfortable because she can only sleep on one side.  Even when the headaches subside its still hard to rest because it hurts to put her head against the pilllow because its sore from getting whacked with a hockey puck.  With all that said, she is improving, its just a slower process that we imagined.
 
Some ways you can pray are:
healing from the pain and the site of the wound
headaches to go away
rest
not to be anxious or worried
me and the kids to love and serve her well

Thank you all again for your prayers and support.

This picture has nothing to do with the post

but I really like it and I wanted to keep up

with Michelle's great blogs!

Date Night, Dollar Dogs and Staples!

After a long week, Billy asked me to go with him and some friends to the Hurricanes game rather than taking Logan.  It was dollar hot dog night which was a bonus and we had great seats right on the glass.  Neither one of us had ever sat that close and we were enjoying the game until 4 minutes left in the 3rd period when a flying puck hit me in the head. Initially I had no idea what happened, I just held the side of my head trying to gather my thoughts and figure out what just hit me. As I sat there I started to feel the blood running down the side of my head. 
I'm certain that I was in shock as I walked up the steps of the arena to be check out by the medical staff. They asked me a few questions that I didn't know the answer to, really hard questions like "where are you from" and "who is the president."  After a short stay in the First Aid Station we headed off to the ER.  After a couple hours I came out diagnosed with a concussion and 4 staples in the side of my head.
As I sit here typing with a headache and my brain feeling larger than my head I am thankful it was me and not Logan who was originally going to the game.  So, currently I don't have a desire to attend another game however in the future I might just make iton ESPN because I will be the lady wearing a helmet.

 Waiting on the opening Face-off

 Face-off in our defensive zone

Eric Staal just scored the game tying Goal!

Alex Ovechkin just before he assisted with the winning goal

The after party!  I think this was rag number 4 to stop the bleeding.

                                                         Yes I did get the puck