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.
No comments:
Post a Comment