Feeling Liberated!

Even though today is Thursday, I'm calling it a great end to an already great week and it has me feeling liberated! 

I'll start back with Monday of this week.  I had a good day at school and to my surprise, Kermie asked if I'd like to drive Ella and myself to Girl Scouts that evening.  Of course I said, YES!  I honestly didn't know if he'd follow through as he is the one who isn't ready for me to "be on my own" yet.  He definitely enjoys knowing where we are and that he was the one to get us there most days.  I enjoy it too (most days), but sure do miss being able to pick up and go wherever I want without begging for someone to come get me!  Oh, to be able to make a spur of the moment trip to Wal-Mart  without arranging transportation.  I sure appreciate all of my many "drivers" though :)  You're probably wondering why I haven't gotten a car yet if I'm ready to drive... well, it's a bit complicated.  For the longest time, it was because I wasn't ready.  Now, it's because there is a chance I may win a contest that my aunt nominated me for that will allow me to drive a car for free... for a year!  Kermie and I both agree that if there is any chance in actually winning, it would be a waste of a car payment each month to purchase another vehicle.  So, we are waiting to see the outcome of the contest which is supposed to end in April.  But, back to driving to Girl Scouts.  Ella and I both made the journey to town and back in one piece.  With it being my first time driving without another adult in the car, I was a bit nervous at first.  We stopped at McDonald's on the way and did a quick phone check in with Kermie.  The drive home was a little scary for Ella as it was dark outside so she talked to her daddy and nana the whole way home.  The moment I stepped out of the truck, a huge smile was made pretty permanent on my face.  Talk about a liberating experience!

Tuesday was another great day.  After school, my mom took me to Dr. Patel's office for another check up on my cheek.  He was impressed and went ahead with scheduling my scar revision surgery.  He said he was able to eliminate his first two options because of the profound healing and would only have to remove the scar and pull my cheek up to cover the spot.  Of course he used more medical lingo, but I think I got the gist of it.  He sounded like it would go smoothly and there would be little to no issues at all.  I'm pretty happy with my scars as is, so I can only imagine what it will look like when the worst place is removed.  Surgery is set to take place in a little over a month!  Spring break cannot get here soon enough.

Snow days are always good days in my book, so Wednesday was great!

On to today which, in my opinion, was the icing on the cake.  I had my first appointment with the eye muscle specialist, Dr. Stevens.  She was not only very informative and extremely nice, but scheduled Strabismus surgery for the first week of May!  I will have a straight eye by summer!  I know I've mentioned it before, but the one thing I really hoped would get fixed was the placement of my eye just because it is the one thing that is very noticeable.  Seeing with one eye is getting easier by the day, but seeing myself in the mirror is still hard no matter how often I tell myself it could be much worse.  The approach she will take is different from the ones I watched on the internet, but made perfect sense after she explained it.  She will borrow some of the "power" from the muscles/nerves that work the up/down motion of my eye and move it to the right side.  So, when looking at me head on, my eye will be straight.  I will continue being able to look left, up and down, but still will not be able to look right.  Just the thought of having a straight eye is so exciting to me!!

After the appointment with Dr. Stevens, I saw Dr. Timoney.  He was very excited about the condition of my eye.  He said the dryness had improved dramatically. He also mentioned possibly jumping in on Dr. Patel's surgery if he plans to do a similar incision.  If not, he will wait until summer after the Strabismus surgery.  I guess I should hear back from him soon about the possibility of the two-in-one surgery.    He also gave me the three pictures he promised.  One was of a CT scan showing the piece of wood protruding through the eye socket and nearly touching my sinus cavity/brain.  A second was the actual piece of wood he removed from my eye that measured 6 cm!  And, the last, was my face in the ER.  You could see muscles, tissue, removed bone, the piece of wood, and lots of blood.  I honestly had prepared myself for worse, but just seeing it made me a little sad because I know what Ella saw that day was not pretty.  It also makes me so very grateful for the progress I've made!  God and those doctors are amazing!  It really is miraculous how the human body works! (I'd totally upload the photos, but I'm not so sure everyone would appreciate them!)

Other than the exciting news about surgeries, Kermie took me to Malone's for lunch.  YUMMY!  I may have been slightly stuffed and sick afterwards, but it was delicious and well worth it.  Here's a picture I took really quick just a minute ago for you to see the latest healing.  Please excuse the messy hair and lack of makeup!  I'm tired and ready for bed :)  

Recognition Deserved

Today was a big day for Ms. Ella!  She was recognized by the paramedics that responded to our accident along with other members of GSCEMS for her bravery.  It was great seeing both of the paramedics again... this time in celebration!  I didn't think I'd remember their faces, but sure enough I did.  Before going to Ella's classroom for her recognition, we talked about both the accident and recovery.  They also showed me some pictures of the van and a little yucky feeling crept up inside of me when they showed me the picture of the inside of the van.  I had no idea that crazy piece of wood made its way all the way to the back of my van!  Seeing that picture was just another reminder of how grateful I am to have my sweet baby and for her to still have her mommy! 

After one of the paramedics spoke about the accident and how Ella was able to stay brave and calm during the accident, they presented her with a framed certificate and an honorary pin.  She was in awe of both, but especially the pin that had a beautiful blue jewel in it.  :)  She's all girl!  I am thankful for both GSCEMS and Ella's teacher for allowing her to have this time of recognition.  I think she was a little nervous, but loved the extra attention.  I'm hoping that the other kids in her class will be inspired to be brave not only in times of tragedy, but in every day life as well.  There are so many times each day that we all have the chance to be courageous by standing up for what we believe, standing up for another person being bullied or abused, or even other things that seem near impossible.  The great thing is that all things are possible through Christ and all it takes is a little faith.  Had you told me I would have been in a car wreck and Ella react the way she did a week before the accident, I wouldn't have believed it.  To me, she was this tiny, worrisome little girl who would be horrified and traumatized by such an experience.  But, no, she turned out much stronger than I ever believed which makes this recovery so much easier for me.  For that, I am also grateful! 

Below are a few pictures my mom and mother-in-law snapped during Ella's recognition.  Mom also arrived a little early and sneaked in pictures of me teaching without me knowing!  SNEAKY! 

Here is a link to Ella's news debut! 

Back at it!

With all of the crazy weather we've had, my first day back at school got pushed back two days.  I didn't end up going back until Friday, but I had no complaints because anybody can handle a Friday, right?  I was super excited about returning today, but Snow Day #15 made that slightly impossible.  I am definitely not complaining about another snow day as we were gone all weekend and today has given me a chance to catch up on a lot of things that needed to get finished! 

But, back to the first day...  it was terrific!  It's kind of hard not to have a terrific day when your co-worker/third grade teacher brings you a box of chocolate, your teammate brings you a McDonald's sweet tea, your students shower you with hugs and gifts, and your school counselor sends you a sweet text along with every other friend and family member! On the other hand, being out for almost nine weeks does a number on your memory!  I completely forgot about being able to wear jeans on Fridays and even forgot part of my daily schedule!  I guess that's what happens when your only scheduling consists of doctor appointments and the Price is Right. :)  Below is a picture my mom snapped from her phone Friday morning after I dropped Grayson off. 

Tomorrow, I go back to the doctor to get the stitches out of my cheek.  Yay!  Several of my students said they thought it was a mole!  On Friday, I opened up each of my four rotations with a discussion about my accident and healing.  The students had a few minutes to write down any questions they wanted me to answer and then we spent a good 15 minutes talking about the accident, Ella, my surgeries, my feelings, and the biology of the eye!  They had some great questions and I loved getting to teach some science!  I really wish I had an appointment with my eye doctor sooner than later because my upper eyelid and skin under my eye has been swelling quite a bit the past several days.  I have been waking up and going to bed with an ice pack on my eye and started back on the Ibuprofen.  Hopefully it's just part of the healing phase and will stop soon!

Until next time, I hope everyone has a blessed day! :) 

Unwanted Culprit

Despite the terrible weather Monday morning, Kermie took me to my doctor's appointment so that I could finally get the piece of wood out of my cheek!  It didn't hurt or anything, but it was another reminder of the fence that threw me for a whirlwind and I've been ready to get it out since the day we noticed it was there (Way back before Christmas!)!

I know I've mentioned before how protective my husband is, but our car ride to UK was just another example.  He's so funny and don't get me wrong... I love that he likes taking care of me!  He kept asking if I was nervous, asked me if I had eaten breakfast, tried to find me something to eat (I guess he thought I was going to pass out or something), asked if I needed an anxiety pill, etc.  I told him maybe he should be the one to take a pill! Honestly, I wasn't nervous at all.  In fact, my mindset was: one thing down... a few more to go! 

The procedure took less than 30 minutes once we got started.  I felt nothing other than the numbing shots which definitely didn't feel good.  Dr. Patel and April are almost like family these days so I felt very comfortable.  There was a new guy who helped out, but if they like him... I guess I do too. :)  Once they sewed me up, Dr. Patel showed me the culprit which was crazy to finally see outside of my cheek!  Before they took it out, I could literally pick it up and hold it under my skin, so I knew it wasn't a small splinter or anything.  I kind of wanted to ask if I could keep it as a souvenir, but I thought they may think I was crazy or something. 

So... I return to the doctor next Tuesday afternoon to have the stitches removed.  Then, meet with my eye doctor and muscle doctor at the end of the month.  No final word on Spring Break surgery yet, but April seemed to think that we would be doing the scar revisions first.  On the other hand, if the weather cooperates, I return to work tomorrow!  I'm not nervous yet, but I'm sure it will set in soon!  I'm just thankful to be able to return!  Praise God for giving me another chance to do one of my most favorite things... teach!