Hey Guys,

Back from the hospital earlier than planned. Mike is doing okay. He was in surgery for 7 hours because of the Venus statis (he bled a lot from his leg) but they finally got it under control. They ended up taking the leg mid-calf and he has a nice stomping cast on now so they can get him out of bed. He is on some pretty heavy pain meds and has a pain button he can push when things get a bit out of control for him. He kept saying his toes were cold, but the doctor this is “phantom pain” the brain hasn’t reconciled that some of the leg is missing and I guess in time, it does pass. They have a catheter going into his hip which is where the pain meds are being shot into. (Dilaudid and Morphine) he was a happy loopy boy when I left him. The doctor told me they weighed his foot after they took it and it weighed 80 pounds! Said it was from all the fluid retention and blood.

I had a bit of a problem this morning on the way to the hospital. I didn’t get much sleep the night before. The hospital kept calling and changing the time of his surgery. Their last call was at 11:00 p.m. so I was a bit stressed. Tossed and turned most of the night and couldn’t sleep- I ended up maybe getting two hours sleep max.

I decided NOT to take the freeway (thank God for that decision) I also dropped Brandy off at a friend’s house. Usually she goes with me but not this time. I was driving on a back road between Silverton and Mt. Angel and my head felt funny. Next thing I knew, I had drifted off the road- I had fallen asleep while driving something that has NEVER happened to me before. All I remember is waking up screaming because I was off the road and in a ditch still going forward. Thankfully, I wasn’t going fast- maybe 20 mph? It was farmland and there was a really stout fence that some rancher had put up for his horses. I think the cops told me I hit 10 of those posts and they didn’t break. But my driver window broke, the passenger window on the driver’s side broke. I was pumping the brakes but my car wasn’t responding. The fence kept me going straight in the ditch and ahead of me, I could see this massive stop sign and I knew I was going to hit it. But my car stopped just inches from slamming into that stop sign. I tried to get out but my door wouldn’t open. I hit the OnStar Emergency Roadside button and this really nice lady came on and calmed me down and call the rescue squad. They couldn’t get my door open and they were afraid to ask me to climb over the console and exit the passenger front door, so they just heaved on the sucker until it finally opened. They wouldn’t let me get out. I wanted to just get away. My shoulder was throbbing but I had my seatbelt on and I was going slow enough my airbags did not deploy. Had I hit the stop sign, they would have probably gone off. The cops were so nice so were the paramedics- they finally let me get out of the car and stand up with help. My God I was shaking. My blood pressure was 160/119 which they said later was pretty normal under the circumstances. My car had 3 flats and it was basically totaled. I had hit a large boulder and that crumpled the top of the wheel well of the car down into the rear tire causing that tire to go flat. The ONLY thing that saved me was God and that fence. It kept me going straight instead of shooting  me either into the field and possibly hitting the livestock there. Or sending me back into the highway. I declined to get into the ambulance, I told them I was going to a hospital anyway and the ER was just a few steps away should something happen. They examined and said that I proabably will have some massive bruising on my arm my left arm hit the side of the door and the window sometime in the chaos. They all hugged me and told I was lucky to escape with such minor injuries. Wish my car could say the same thing.

There was a lady behind me who saw the whole thing and stopped. She had just dropped her kids off at the school that I had just passed. Another blessing this didn’t happen so near the school. When she heard where I was going- she drove me to the hospital going 2.5 hours out of her way to do so! I tried to give her gas money, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She was an angel. No police report was taken, no tickets issued- everybody was just concerned for me and said if my shoulder swells up more than it is now, or my fingers start to tingle, I was to seek ER help immediately. But again, I just have a lot of bruising on my arm and shoulder nothing broke or even got cut on the glass. I got to the hospital 15 minutes before they came to take Mike to surgery. I was late and he wanted to know why and I told him. He was just grateful that I was okay-

I talked to our insurance company I am covered on all aspects. I can get a rental car for $35.00 a day not to exceed $2,500.00 for the time I drive it. Right now, I don’t want to drive anything. We still have Mike’s truck so I do have access to transportation if something should happen and I need to get to the hospital, but other than that, I think I am going to stay home for a few days. I keep having flashbacks of the accident. Two of Mike’s doctors kept a close eye on me this morning and the nurses kept coming in to take my vitals. When I left the hospital (a friend came to pick me up) my BP was 140/90  The doctors said that proabably for the next few days, my BP will be a bit erratic and my heart will make itself known by pounding a bit. It’s just what happens when you are in an accident. I told Mike I was sorry for falling asleep at the wheel. It’s weird though, because I didn’t even feel that sleepy and all of a sudden I am ditch bound. The tow truck driver said my car is pretty much totaled even though it does start.

But I am OKAY just a bit sore. Mike is OKAY if just a bit loopy. I don’t even know if he remembers that I came to see him after the surgery.But now I am home and not anxious to go anywhere. I have 5 akitties leaving for adoptions tomorrow-  I called one of my volunteers to come and pick up the kittens and do the trip for me. I just don’t feel like driving. I do feel, very lucky. I was leaning against one of the those stout fenceposts waiting for the paramedics to fill out the right of refusal for medical care- and I feel this hot breath on my neck. I slowly turned around and here is this beautiful Bay looking at me like “Are you okay?”  I scratched her head and she bent her head and put it on my right shoulder which didn’t get injured and gave me a horse hug. I needed that-

Mike will be in the hospital for awhile. I will let you know how he is doing in a few days.

Right now I am headed for a hot shower and a couple of Tylenol. God Bless George, he came and picked me up and drove me home.  Then he went over and got Brandy for me.