Two Weeks After the Accident...

I paid a visit to the chiropractor today. I'm still in alot of pain (head, neck and back), and have tried to make a doctors appointment to be referred to a doctor who specializes in neck and back injuries. But of course, all the doctors in town seem to have taken the rest of the year off! And if you've been reading my blog long, you know that I live in Smalltown, USA, so life can be downright difficult here sometimes! Not at all like the big cities with lots of doctors to choose from.

I have some friends who absolutely swear by chiropractors, and after discussing my pain issues with one of those friends today, I decided to give it a try! One thing about the visit that I really liked was the fact that I didn't have to have an appointment; they accept walk-ins. The down-side to today's visit: their x-ray machine was down. So we don't yet know if any vertebrae are out of alignment, but of course that's what they suspect.

So she didn't do an adjustment today, but they did start my therapy. A four-page questionnaire followed by questions from the nurse followed by evaluations. Then a TENS therapy session, followed by a hot towel massage. I must admit, that part was wonderful. I could get used to the massages!

I have to go back tomorrow for my next therapy session, and she said the x-ray machine is supposed to be working by then. So we can see the extent of my injuries.

On top of the pain I am suffering from my injuries, I am still so stressed out over the outcome of this whole situation. It is simply ludicrous and unbelievable! I went by the police station today to pick up a supposedly amended report. I was so angry when I finished reading it. I just want to ask the officer who wrote up the report if he was really the officer at the scene! I can't believe how many discrepancies are in the report. And my statement that he wrote contains very little of what I actually said, and alot of what I never said at all!

Despite having written statements from three eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident, the police report still refuses to cite the lady who ran through the red light and hit me as the cause or fault of the accident! And I spoke with an agent from her insurance company today to see if they have received the amended report along with the witness statements. The agent told me that the police report doesn't list their insured at fault, so they likely will not assume liability for the damage/injuries. Not a happy day for me...

My husband is off work tomorrow so he told me tonight that we will go together to the police station tomorrow and ask to meet with the police chief and the attending officer to discuss the report. Not sure if it will do any good, but I suppose it can't hurt to try.

I have become so depressed over this situation that seems as if it should be so cut and dry! I mean really, lady runs red light and hits my vehicle rendering it un-drivable, injuring me and my daughter. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who is at fault here! Especially when you have three other people (not counting my daughter and me) who saw what happened. And yes, I do have insurance, so if her insurance won't assume liability, mine will cover some things, but I will incur out-of-pocket expenses, mainly a very high deductible, as well as medical bills.

In the meantime, will you join me in praying that God will work all of this out? I know that He allows things to happen for a reason. I am trying to trust in Him through it all, and trying not to worry. But I think the stress of it all is making my pain worse.

~Lord Jesus... please help me to trust in You. I am Your child and You have promised to take care of my needs. I know that worry, fear and anxiety have no place in a believer's life, but Lord it is so hard not to let them in sometimes! Please, Lord, take away the worry and replace it with Your peace. Please, Lord, work all of this out for my good and Your glory.~

Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

We took a mini-vacation to the mountains in Tennessee for a few days before Christmas to experience Winterfest in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Winterfest is just what its name suggests... a winter festival. A festival of Christmas-themed shows and events. But the biggest thing about Winterfest is the lights. More than five million of them on displays located throughout the cities. Beautiful, twinkling light displays all over town. 

 Since our Explorer is still in the body shop, (and we still don't have a rental car to use) we borrowed dh's father's car. It is a Buick Sentry and seats 5. So it was close quarters all the way there and back! Although we were a bit cramped while riding, it provided us some "close to one another" time (hehe). We definitely made memories this trip!

Our hotel had an indoor pool, lazy river and hot tub, and since they were located in the basement level of the building, they didn't close until 2:00 am (compared to your typical 10:00 or 11:00 pm closing)! It was really nice to come back to the hotel and play in the pool or float in the lazy river or relax in the hot tub after being out exploring in the cold all day and half the night! 

The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas. At the front desk area, there was a gorgeous nativity scene with a beautiful backdrop depicting the village of Bethlehem. I wish I had taken a picture of it...

Here we are in the gift shop area of a local restaurant, taking pictures while waiting for our food!

Will and Kate on the escalator in the mall

Ok, we splurged a bit and went for the aqua massage while in the mall. I think it was like $10 for 7 minutes or something like that.

And here I am, having a turn. I got 5 extra minutes of massage time (without paying for it). The gentleman operating these machines looked just like Santa Claus in disguise. I think he really must be St. Nick, and since I've been such a good girl this year, he gave me some extra time!

downtown Gatlinburg

A stop at the Fudgery, where we bought 1/2 a pound of chocolate peanut butter fudge, and a 1/2 pound of chocolate and nuts fudge... mmm...mmm.

Will, standing in front of a nutcracker-themed Christmas tree. This is just one of the MANY different trees at The Incredible Christmas Place. Here they celebrate the spirit of Christmas every day of the year! This place is a Bavarian-style village of shops with anything and everything Christmas.

Here is Ryan checking out the motorized hockey players on a frozen pond in the Snow Village. This shop had nothing but village accessories. I am a Christmas village enthusiast. Each year I always add a new piece or two to my collection, so needless to say, I was in Christmas village heaven here!

Kate, standing in front of a North Pole-themed Christmas tree.

The courtyard of this Christmas village was beautifully landscaped, with lots of lighted trees and lovely Christmas decorations. 

We attended Christmas at the Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction. We really enjoyed this show.

Here is our family waiting for the show to begin.

Here we are at WonderWorks, a fun and educational experience for all ages. This place was way cool!  Here you can experience hurricane force winds and an earthquake. You can simulate flying a spacecraft. You can climb a rock wall and you can walk a ropes course three stories high. 

You can play lazer-tag, you can play in the arcade. All in all, this place has over 100 fun-filled, fascinating hands-on activities.

On Christmas Eve, our last day there, we drove through the Smoky Mountains National Park, up the winding road to the top of the snow covered mountain and down the other side.

You can see the snow-covered mountain top (our destination) in the distance.

I'm not really sure what this is that Kate is standing in front of. It looks a little like a frozen waterfall, but I don't think that's what it is. It seemed to be a large wall of icicles in front of a cave opening. Whatever it is, it was beautiful!

Will, Kate and Ryan

It was a relaxing time for our family, and so much fun. A much needed break after the wreck. I'm so thankful that we were able to go and experience this time together.

Christmas Time

My favorite Christmas decoration... it holds a prominent place on the mantle above the fireplace. I actually have several nativity scenes placed throughout my house. I am reminded that Jesus humbled Himself and came to this earth to die for my sins...

One of my very favorite Christmas stories to read aloud to my family...

making the gingerbread house... making memories...

I always love seeing how it will turn out when they are finished.

my blessings

dh and Lizzie, sporting her new winter coat (hehe)

I fill a stocking for everyone... even our furry and feathered friends...

Christmas morning

I love Christmas! I love the sights, the sounds, the smells associated with this special holiday. I love decorating my house, inside and out... stringing lights along the roof line, hanging wreaths on the doors, draping greenery around doorways, mantle and porch rails. Picking out a tree, putting the lights on it and hanging the ornaments. Hanging the stockings by the fireplace, placing the nativity scenes around the house.

I love having hot cocoa with my kids after we finish decorating the tree. I love baking cookies with my kids to share with loved ones. I love watching them make a gingerbread house each year. I love going caroling with our Awana group at church. I love that we memorize and recite, as a family, Luke chapter 2 each year. I love reading special Christmas stories with my family, celebrating the Advent, anticipating the arrival of a savior.

I love picking out gifts for friends and family, thinking about each one, and what they mean to me, how they have blessed me. I love going to celebrate Christmas with our families. I love getting together with them, I love our time together, our visits.

I love all our traditions and the special things we do to celebrate Christmas each year... but more than this... more importantly than all these... I love the WHY of our celebration. I am literally amazed anew, every year, at God's remarkable gift.

I'm amazed that He would leave glory, descend from His throne. That He would wrap Himself in human flesh. That He would choose to be born to the poorest of parents, to be born in a stable. That He would choose to announce His arrival to lowly shepherds.

I marvel that He left the glories of heaven, that He came to this earth. To make a way for sinners, to close the gap that eternally separates us from Him. That He died for the sins of mankind. For my sins. Yes, that is the marvel and miracle of Christmas. That is why we celebrate.

For unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord ~ Luke 2:11

Catching Up Again

We've had so much excitement around here, I can hardly stand it! Where to begin?

I guess I'll start with the wreck... Kate and I were involved in an auto accident last Wednesday afternoon. We are very fortunate; we sustained minor injuries. CT scans revealed slight concussions, cervical spine sprains, a sprained ankle. We are still very sore, and I continue to have headaches and neck and back pain. But, gratefully, no broken bones or more serious injuries. Unfortunately, my Explorer did not fare so well.



I don't yet have an update on the repair status of my vehicle. And unfortunately, the "at-fault" status is still up in the air as well. The lady who ran through a red light at the intersection and hit me claims to have been part of a funeral procession that was already about 350 feet down the road. The police report doesn't accurately portray my side of the story, and it doesn't include the statements made by eyewitnesses at the scene.

Today I had to go to the police station to write out my statement of what happened, and the eyewitnesses were asked to come in to write out their statements, as well. The chief of police came in to talk to me about it, but, thinking back on what he said, it all seems so absurd. He said this case might go to court, because the "code" is not clear on just how far away a car can be from the rest of the funeral procession, and still be part of the procession. If that is the case, it seems to me that the city should be required to post a police officer at the intersection to direct the traffic, and to make sure there are no stragglers racing through red lights trying to catch up with the procession.

On to the fun stuff... we traveled to Alabama over the weekend to have our Christmas celebrations with our families. Here are some pictures detailing our fun!

my parents

Nana & Papa with some of the grandkids (why can I not remember to take a picture while everyone is still there??)

Granddaddy and my kids

I had to take Will back to the doctor today *sigh*. He started feeling sick again on Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday night he had a temperature of 103.6 and was complaining of a sore throat. I wasn't sure if this was related to his previous illness, but the doctor said it's not. This time he has tonsillitis, so she called in a prescription for Augmentin.

And we are leaving tomorrow, going to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for a short vacation. We will be coming home on Christmas Eve day. It is getting late and I am still not finished packing... Judging from the lack of noise at this moment, I assume that my husband has tucked everyone into bed already, as we plan to get an early start in the morning. We are all very excited! I suppose I should log off this computer and finish packing so that I can get into bed myself.

Goodnight!

Update Pt 3

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...

Will was pretty much over whatever he had within a week of the blood work and testing. I was waiting to see what the results would be, to find out what he actually had.

We finally heard back from the doctor after two and a half weeks of waiting. The results? Inconclusive. Seriously??? She said that's what the pathologist said in the report. There is evidence that he has been exposed to/and had mono at some point, but it is inconclusive as to exactly when. I really don't understand. And the doctor told us that she has seen this kind of result twice in her years of practice.

So, that's what we're going with... that it was a combination of strep throat and mono. There is really no way of determining otherwise.

As for the rest of the family, no one else has had mono or strep, but there has definitely been some sort of bug hanging out at our house. We have all been sick... and not all at the same time. It has kind of lingered. Head and chest congestion, cough, runny nose, etc. Not the flu, but close. I thought at one point that I might have had bronchitis, my chest hurt so whenever I coughed and even when breathing! So let me tell you, if you've never tried Mucinex DM, it really works wonders! That's what we've all been taking, along with vitamin C tablets and immune support/echinacea/zinc gummies. We are on the road to recovery, but it's been a long, slow process!

Here are some pictures of our Thanksgiving celebration with our family.

my niece and my youngest son

my daughter and another of my nieces

my niece and my oldest son

my nephew and son playing the wii

two of my nieces

my daddy and me

The day after Thanksgiving is THE big game in the state of Alabama, The Iron Bowl -- Auburn University vs University of Alabama. Football is big in the south, and in this rivalry the lines are clearly drawn. It is not unusual to have divided houses when it comes to picking your team!

grandfather and granddaughter

my husband and me

ready to watch the game

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families. We are so abundantly blessed -- great food, wonderful family, good friends. I don't ever want to take this life for granted. God is so good! Even in the midst of all this sickness *smile*. I hope you had a blessed holiday as well!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34

The Saga of Continuing Sickness...

The doctor did indeed call me last night. His bloodwork came back within normal range. She said his liver enzymes were a little high, but not so much as to cause concern. We're still waiting on the results of the CBC to determine if it is actually mono. He has felt sooo much better today. Still having bouts of fatigue, but thank the Lord, no fever! So far he seems to be on the road to "normal."

And just when we thought we were over that hump... Kate was sick when she came home from school yesterday :((( Sore throat, fever, stuffy nose, runny nose... agghhhh! We have a doctor in town who has night-time hours (????) kind of like an after-hours clinic, only he doesn't open until 8:00 pm. And since we plan to travel for Thanksgiving, I thought I should find out what she has. So I took her there last night.

We had to wait an hour before we were taken back to an examining room. The waiting room was hot and stuffy. Not an empty chair in the room. Sick people coughing and sneezing all over the place. I could just feel the germs multiplying and spreading. Ick!

The diagnosis: upper respiratory infection. The prescribed treatment: amoxicillin for the infected sinuses, zyrtec for the nasal symptoms, saline nasal spray for the stuffiness, tylenol for the fever and aches, lozenges for the sore throat, sleep propped up on extra pillows to promote drainage... and a shot of decadron to reduce inflammation of the sinuses.

Just a few minutes after the shot, I was in the receptionist area, paying for the visit when all of sudden, Kate said she had to throw up. I looked at her and right before my eyes, I watched the color literally drain from her face. She told me she couldn't see clearly, that everything was blurry. Then she said she couldn't hear anything. She was frightened. Then she said everything was getting dark. Now I was frightened. We got her into a chair and she didn't faint, but she did start to vomit.

I guess one of the nurses went for the doctor, because all of sudden, he was there, telling them to get her back in the examining room onto the table. He had her elevate her feet and lie with her head lower than the rest of her body. He said she had just experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure. That she was fine. He gave her a sprite and told her to sip it slowly. He stayed with her and talked to her in a calming, reassuring way for about 5 minutes. We just love this doctor! Then we were on our way home.

Geesh, what a night! I decided to forgo any medications since her stomach might be sensitive after that little episode. I just tucked her into bed and called it a night!

She has felt okay today, not normal, but okay. Taking her medicines, and Will's still taking his.

And I'm trying very hard not to ask "What next????" But in the midst of it all, I am grateful that the Lord has given me His strength to endure these last 8 days. And I am thankful that I am able to take care of my children, to nurse them back to good health. And I am thankful that it is not something more serious that we could be going through.

Update on Will - Pt. 2

Saturday's fever ranged from 99 to 101.2 degrees. I think he felt a little better. Still lying around more than being up. Sunday was definitely his best day. No fever all day. He even felt like celebrating his birthday! We put 12 candles on a strawberry cheesecake ice cream cake (his favorite) and sang happy birthday to him.

I stayed home with him Sunday morning while Mike, Ryan and Kate went to church. No fever. And even though by Sunday evening he had been fever-free for 24 hours, Mike stayed home with him while the rest of us went to church. Just to be on the safe side.

Will felt so much better, and he wanted to go out for pizza for his birthday, so we met them after evening service. Even though he felt better, he soon realized  he still didn't have much of an appetite and he couldn't even eat one full slice of pizza. *sigh* He's so tired of this.

At bedtime, I realized he had a rash on several places on his body. And his temperature was 99.6. After having no fever for 24 hours. Will this never end???

So, guess where we went today? Yep, back to the doctor. This led the doctor to believe that he does indeed have mono. Taking a penicillin-based antibiotic while having mono can produce a rash. So many questions. Was it strep throat? Is it mono? She thinks yes to both questions.

She took some blood to have it analyzed. She told me about 4 different things, other than the epstein barr virus that causes mono, that she wanted to check for. I can't remember it all. The mono test will take a week and a half to get the results back, but she should know something on the other tests today and she will call me tonight to discuss it.

He slept most of the morning. He has felt well enough today to play the wii with his brother. Although, he has eaten very little today. And he has had no fever today. Can we be so fortunate as to continue to be fever-free tonight?

Thank you to those who have been praying. It means alot to me! It has definitely been a long week. And if it is mono, this could continue for a few more weeks! I'm praying that it is not mono, but then if it isn't, I would like to know what it is. I guess that's why she is running these other tests.

I will post more when I know more.