Shawn's Skull Fracture - Serious Syncopy Episode #2 - The Sequel Nobody Wanted

Early in the morning, Shawn got up from bed to use the restroom and turned out to be a terrible decision. I was lying in bed, half awake, debating whether to get up and use the restroom or just go back to sleep. I finally decided to get up and I was barely awake as I walked around the bed and to the bathroom door. The next thing I knew, I felt a painful crunch on my face and I was screaming in surprise and agony. It took me a moment to realize that I was sprawled out face down on the tile floor. I clutched at my face I could tell that I was hurt badly. Things were broken. My teeth were not lining up, blood was dripping from somewhere, and everything hurt.

I woke Andrea up and she called 911. We eventually decided that it would be faster to just drive me to the Emergency Room. I hadn't thought that I could get to the car on my own, but Andrea suggested I crawl and that worked. We were leaving the house just as the ambulance and fire truck arrived, and since we drove ourselves we could be sure we would end up at the Mayo Clinic.

The check in at Mayo was a bit of a blur for me as I was in a lot of pain and was happier to keep my eyes closed. I could feel that the left side of my head was injured, and my left eye didn't always seem to cooperate or focus like I would expect. I was taken for a CAT scan and put in a very uncomfortable neck brace for a while. Eventually they decided that my neck was sprained and nothing was broken in there so I was able to remove the brace. After being brought to a room in the ER, I was finally given a sufficient amount of pain medication so that I wasn't in agony and could start to think straight. 

The doctors discussed what they saw in the images and from my blood tests. It seemed like the issue wasn't heart related or anything that would put my life in immediate danger. Although the damage to my face was a bit gruesome, it was not life threatening, and did not require surgery at that time. A plastic surgeon came to speak with us, and we scheduled to have the surgery in a bit under two weeks on the 30th. She described what would need to be done, and although it sounds horrible, I would rather get it over with than live with a dent in my head and a possible weak spot on my skull. The surgery would require them to cut the skin from one ear, over the top of my head, to the other ear. They will need to peel the skin down over my face to repair the cracked skull, and small break at the bridge of my nose.

With the plan in place, the next step was to get me well enough to go home. I was apprehensive about internal damage, and I was still in a terrible amount of pain by the afternoon, so we all agreed I should stay the night at the hospital. I was moved to a hybrid care unit, which was only a few doors down from my ER room. It was a tiny little room, without much space, but at least it was private.

Grandpa Rick, Grandma Alice, Paige, and of course Andrea came to visit me and keep me company throughout the day. I was super groggy from the pain and medication, but I was thankful for my nice family to be with me. Unfortunately, Millie Mae wasn't allowed to visit. 

In the evening, everyone went home and I insisted that Andrea go as well. I would have liked to have her with me, however it had been a long and uncomfortable day for her. She'd been woken up early in the morning and hadn't had a comfortable place to rest or sit all day. She brought me a bunch of stuff from home for me and I spent the night in restless sleep. I was woken up a bunch of times to have my vital signs taken, blood sample taken, and medication. I was also woken up multiple times as I thought I was falling again, and I'd snap out of sleep with my heart racing. Definitely not a good feeling.

In the morning, the pain had subsided significantly and I was happy that I no longer needed opioids. I had planned to stop taking them as soon as possible, and was relieved that I could tolerate the pain. Andrea came in the morning and I was discharged after a brief review with the staff. It was good to be home, and together again with my family and Millie Mae. I spent the weekend mostly laying in my room, trying not to think very hard and being very careful whenever I stood up. 

It is still a long way to go for me to be back to normal, and I am dreading the upcoming surgery and recovery, however I know I am lucky that things are not much worse. I will never forget the moments of terror I felt, clutching my face on the cold tile floor, feeling blood on my fingers, wondering how badly I was hurt and whether I was going to die.

I've titled this post "Shawn's Skull Fracture - Serious Syncopy Episode #2 - The Sequel Nobody Wanted", because unfortunately this wasn't the first time something like this has happened. I've experienced lightheadedness for years whenever I stand up from a sitting or supine position. Back in our old house on Dumont Place, I had a serious incident overnight which was very similar to my 2025 disaster. I was out of bed in the middle of the night to use the restroom and was walking to the bathroom door, which was next to the staircase. I lost consciousness and the next thing I remember I was tumbling down the stairs. It was a terrifying moment, I hit the back of my head, managed to sprawl out and stop myself from going down all the stairs, but it hurt. Thankfully nothing was seriously injured, and ever since then I've taken it very seriously when I start to feel light headed. Unfortunately for my 2025 incident, I was half asleep with my eyes partially closed, and didn't feel it at all. Going forward, I am planning to take things much slower and force myself in to a routine to make sure I'm steady before I start moving.

Camp Pinnacle - Paige in Session Two - Wolfpack Year 1

Paige had a fun experience at Camp Pinnacle summer 2025. This was Paige's sixth year going to Camp Pinnacle. It was different than previous years since she is now in the "Wolfpack" leadership program and also because she went to session two this year instead of session one. She had a couple girls that she knew and enjoyed hanging out with from previous years and she had a good time with them and meeting new people. This is the third year that Paige and Kahla have been together and Paige became closer with Brady. In the Wolfpack they interacted with the boys that are also in the leadership program and she had a fun group of boys and girls during her summer adventures.

One of her favorite parts this years was the cabin of ten year old youngsters that she mentored and helped out with. Paige took our old Canon camera with her, and although it didn't survive the trip, she got a few pictures and videos before it broke. 

July 4th Lunch - Connor with Grandma and Grandpa

Connor came home for a short visit over the Fourth of July holiday. Shawn went to lunch with Connor and met Grandma and Grandpa at Tijuana Flats. It was a pretty chill weekend for the most part, but Connor did get out and party with some of his high school friends.

Shawn Home Alone - Millie on the Beach - Connor's First Visit Home

With Connor at FSU, Andrea in KC, and Paige at Camp Pinnacle, Shawn was home alone for the first time in a long time. I had planned to do all kinds of fun things on Sunday after Paige flew to Camp Pinnacle, but spent the day driving instead. This put me in a pretty exhausted state going in to my week, but I recovered eventually and still made the most of it. 

I worked, of course, and also did quite a few things around the house. I got the new Model Y set up, insurance set up, the neighborhood access configured, and put a sunshade up over the massive sunroof. I did quite a bit around the house in preparation for the house's inspection on Tuesday, and also went over to Grandpa Rick and Grandma Alice's house during the inspection so I'd be out of the way. 

Thankfully, I still had plenty of time to do whatever I wanted. I went to the beach a couple of times with Millie, spent time writing my book and working on my new macbook, and of course I played PUBG a bit. Eventually, as the week was winding down, I was lonely. 

The best part of my week was seeing Connor. He came home for the first time on July 3rd, and although he went out with friends in the evening, it was nice to catch up with him and have someone else around the house with me.

Camp Pinnacle Dropoff 2025 - Paige's Flight Problems

For camp this year, we planned for Paige to fly on a Delta flight to Ashville, going through Atlanta. Andrea was away in Kansas City, so it was just Shawn and Paige along with pupper dawg, to get her to the airport on time. Paige was up bright and early, ready and raring to go at 4:15 for her journey to camp. We packed up the car, along with Millie, and set off for the airport. On the way there, I made sure that Paige had the Delta app on her phone, her boarding passes downloaded, and checked in for the flights.

I dropped Paige off at the departures area, and we put her two huge duffel bags on a hand cart, so she could wheel them to the bag check-in area. I parked the car in the hourly parking, turned on "dog mode" for Millie, and then walked to find Paige and give her a hug and kiss goodbye before she went through security. I was surprised to find that Paige was still at the ticketing counter, and her bags were still on the hand cart. I could tell Paige was near tears, and the lady working was not very empathetic and said that Paige would be unable to fly. Her explanation was poor, and at first I thought that it was because Paige was too young to fly alone, but in fact it was because her connecting flight went through Atlanta and it was going to be problematic due to weather issues and delayed flights. The day before, the control tower in Atlanta was struck by lightning and many planes were hit with hail. It was probable that if Paige flew to Atlanta, she would be stuck there indefinitely. 

We asked the agent for help and solutions, but she shrugged her shoulders and said that there were no other options to Ashville, and that our best bet was to try again the next day. This was a horrible idea, and Paige was very upset that she would miss the first day of camp. We took her bags to a bench and started working to find better solutions. I found a flight option on American Airlines that would get her to Asheville in the late afternoon, but it wasn't a wonderful solution for a number of reasons. First, it was expensive at over $2000 for the seat available which was first class. Second, the route took Paige through DC and then NY before going to Asheville. We looked for other options, but there was nothing available that day that we could find. We rushed to the American Airlines desk, booked the ticket, and sent Paige through security. 

I went back to the Delta desk to cancel Paige's flight and as I was standing there, I got to thinking about the multiple connections and the problems it could create if Paige ended up stranded in DC and NY. I was getting more and more uncomfortable with the plan when I realized I could probably driver her to camp and get her there sooner than the multiple flights would. I went back to the American counter, canceled her flight and had them pull her bags, then I told Paige to come back through security. It would be a long day of driving for me, but it was the safest and surest option to get her to camp.

We set off before the sun had risen, and drove all morning. As we hadn't planned to drive, the car wasn't fully charged, so we had to stop a bit more for charging than we would have if we'd planned for it. We were thankful that we'd brought Millie to the airport with us, because we were able to set off directly from the airport and didn't have to worry about Millie being alone all day, or going back to get her.

Paige drove for an hour during the drive, and I managed to sleep for ten minutes or so. By 1:30pm, we arrived at camp, and I was happy that we made it in time for Paige to join her cabin on their planned hike. I think they held up the departure for Paige, but we were a little rushed trying to dig her swimsuit and towel out of her bag while were dropped everything off. I snapped a quick pic of Paige with Millie, and then got back on the road. 

When I was about 15 minutes down the road, Andrea called me to tell me that Paige's phone appeared to still be in the car. Thankfully I wasn't too far along, but going back to drop that off meant that I spent even more time driving on a long day. 

I was a little worried about the drive home, especially because I was exhausted already and hadn't slept much the night before. I decided to purchase a one-month subscription for the Tesla Full Self Driving system, and told it to take me home. We hadn't had very good experiences with it previously when we'd tried it out, but I do believe it was a lifesaver for me on my trip home. I kept an eye on its decision making, and had to disengage it a couple of times, but for most of the drive it did a great job changing lanes, taking exits, and driving naturally. 

I made it home after 10pm, and it was a long day for me, but I'm thankful we were able to make it work and Paige made it to camp safely.

Andrea's Summer Visit to KC 2025 - Current River with Genie

Andrea visited KC on her own this summer, and made a special trip out to the Current River with her mother.  They rented a 2 bedroom cabin at Echo Bluff State Park. Genie loves to go to the river, and although the weather was a little cloudy and cool, they had a nice time together. 

On the way back to Kansas City, they stopped by to visit Renie. 

Andrea visited with both her sisters and they all got together for some pickleball at an indoor facility where Graydon does pickleball camp. They had fun playing with family, and Andrea played a few tough matches against a couple young guys with Amanda and then with Ryan.

On July 4th, Andrea watched the neighborhood parade. It was a fun visit to Kansas City, and she enjoyed seeing everyone and especially spending some time with Genie.