Connor was a good sport about waking up early this morning so we could take our annual "Back to School" pic of the kids. Connor actually completed his summer semester at FSU over the summer, and will be heading back to Tallahassee this weekend to move in for the Fall semester.
Paige was up, bright and shiny, this morning and ready for school. Her friend picked her up so she wouldn't have to ride the bus today, and I took a short video of her leaving the house.
It's hard to believe that it's school time again! The summer went fast and we all enjoyed ourselves, other than Shawn's bump on the head.
We've been super impressed with the 2023 white Model Y that we purchased recently and we need another car for the family once Andrea's Model X has to be returned at lease end. We have been shopping for different options and Andrea found a well priced option at a local Honda dealership. It was painful dealing with car dealers, especially since they were unfamiliar with Teslas. Andrea did the negotiating ahead of going to the dealership and Connor took her out two different times over the weekend since they hadn't charged it before she showed up on Saturday. Sunday she got it finished and brought home the car in a yucky rainstorm. We got one quick picture with Paige and Millie, and I drove it briefly around the neighborhood to try it out. So far we love it, hopefully it is a wonderful lucky car for us.
On Wednesday, July 30th, 2025, Shawn had surgery to repair his fractured skull and broken nose.
In the week and half after my fall, leading up to the surgery, I actually felt better every day and the unsightly dent wasn't noticeable after the first night in the hospital. We were worried there may have been some issues missed with the first CT scan, so on Monday before the surgery I got an additional scan done to check for any bleeding or other problems. The scan looked good (as good as a busted head can look), and I was cleared for surgery.
For the day of surgery, I wasn't scheduled until the afternoon, and I was a little worried I'd be starving or feeling terrible by the time we started. The anxiety staved off the hunger, and I actually felt wonderful. I told Andrea that it was the best I'd felt since the accident, and I felt energetic and like I should be going out for a jog on the beach.
I was prepped for surgery, although the surgeon was running a little behind schedule. Andrea was allowed back in to the pre-operative room so she could wait with me and we watched some basketball to pass the time. The surgeon, Dr. Yang, checked in eventually and marked up my head a little with her pen. We briefly discussed what was going to happen and she offhandedly mentioned that they'd printed 3d models of my skull to visualize the operation. I was thrilled when she said that I could have the models after the procedure. Andrea gave me a kiss for good luck and they wheeled me back to the operating room. It was quite the production, in a large room, with lots of people. I remember moving over to the official table, the anesthesiologist talking to me, and then I was gone.
After surgery was a bit of a blur for me, but I was rolled in to the recovery room and I got to have some visitors. Andrea, Grandma Alice, Grandpa Rick, Abby, and Paige all came to check on me. Surprisingly, as complex as the surgery was, there was a possibility they would send the patient home on the same day. Since my surgery didn't start until late in the afternoon, I was expecting to stay the night. Andrea was willing to stay with me, but my mom volunteered and it was nice to have nurse Alice overnight.
Night one was terrible. Skip this paragraph unless you're interested in gory details. I had nothing to eat before surgery, and afterwards I was not hungry, but very thirsty. I chugged down a bunch of apple juice and cranberry juice, which tasted amazing. Unfortunately, I started feeling nauseous some time after midnight. I was given zofran, but it did nothing for me. Thankfully I'd asked for a barf bag, and I nearly filled the entire thing. The strain of the vomiting busted something in my head and blood was dripping freely. After I got cleaned up, I tried to get some sleep, but the pain was terrible. I had been trying to urinate for hours and finally I had to ask for help. I had a straight catheter inserted and while it was awful, it was a relief. Mom and I finally got about an hour or two of sleep in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Thursday started off rough, I was exhausted from the long night, and Alice ordered breakfast. I was thinking it sounded like a terrible idea and I wasn't hungry at all. Thinking that, I was surprised to find that the breakfast sandwich smelled good. My mom fed me some teeny tiny bites, and it as amazing how rejuvenating just a few bites could be.
I slowly felt better throughout the day, and some of the surgical residents and students stopped by to check on me and change my dressings. Family came to visit and eventually the case managers and nurses, asking if we were ready for discharge. I talked it over with the physicians and as poorly as the night has gone, we decided I'd be better off staying one more night.
The second night was much better, and I was able to get up out of bed to use the restroom, walk around the unit, and be more mobile. On Friday morning, I was discharged fairly early and Andrea picked me up with Abby. It was good to get home, Paige was waiting for me with Millie Mae, and the pupper dawg was very happy to see me. I took a long shower once I got inside, and Andrea helped me to shave the last bit of hair on the back of my head that the surgical team hadn't been able to reach during surgery.
Since getting home, I've had ups and downs. It's been mostly up, but the pain has been constant and annoying. Millie Mae has kept me company constantly throughout the process, and everyone's been good helping me out so I don't have to lift anything or stress.
Andrea helped me to take a few before/after pics, which I'll eventually update down the road once things heal more and I get the splint and stitches off. I've also downloaded some of the Mayo Clinic images from my chart, and combined a few to make animated GIFs. I've also tried to take some pics of my skulls, but the clear plastic they're made from is hard to photograph.
Hopefully will have some good updates in the future. I definitely want to thank everyone for all the help, Andrea has been my strongest advocate, my mother was an angel staying the nights with me, and thanks to my father for driving to pick up Connor from Tallahassee.
Video of my drain removal is private, because it's gross and awful.
Abby came in town on July 26th to help us out with things while I went through surgery and we had a really nice time together. While there is never a good time to crack one's skull, we were in the middle of a busy summer and there are a lot of things that had to be canceled after my accident. Some things, like Connor moving back from FSU and our upcoming move, could not be postponed, and it was extremely helpful to have Abby around to help keep things going. Abby helped to drive Paige around to appointments and to run errands for us when Andrea and I went to doctor's appointments prior to surgery.
We still had some time to relax together and we swam with Millie Mae in the pool on one especially hot day. It was actually so hot that the pool water was not refreshing at all. It was the first time I'd been in a pool in the summer and still hot after being in the water. With my upcoming surgery and recovery, and then our move, it may have been the last time we swim in the pool!
Paige, Andrea, and I worked a lot around the house in preparation for the move. We cleaned out all the closets, storage areas, dressers, side boards, boxes, and old junk. We sold a few things on Facebook Marketplace, including our potted plants, garage refrigerator, garage freezer, outdoor umbrella, family room chair, etc. The hardest job of all was the garage, and it was also a hot and uncomfortable chore. Thankfully I got the last closet done on the day before my surgery, so hopefully the movers can do the rest and I won't have to hurt my back or hurt myself in general during the move.
