Home Sweet Home-Part 1

I was just going through some of my posts from our road trip and thought it might be a good time to update.  Life has been hectic, hard, different, beautiful, full of grace, frustrating, and even downright cruddy at times...but through it all, I am still so grateful for God's grace, provision, and mercy.

When we got back from our road trip, as in about two hours after we got home, and were settling in for the night to sleep in our beds, Jonathan started screaming and crying.  We had tucked him in downstairs on the couch so he would not have to use the stairs.  We had an appointment first thing the next morning with an orthopedic doctor to find the cause of his knee pains.  After we went upstairs and were getting ready to go to bed, we heard Jonathan crying loudly for us.  Apparently, he got up on his own, tried to walk,  and moved a large stool.  It caused excruciating pain.  We gave him some Motrin and finally got him settled down and to sleep around 1:00am,  only to be awakened by his crying again around 7:00am.  We got up, got him ready, and drove to the doctor. The pain was increasing and he was extremely uncomfortable.   After x-rays of his knee (no problems were found), the doctor x-rayed his hips and that is where the  problem was discovered.  His femur had popped out :(.  It was heart-wrenching to see our boy in so much pain and to be able to do nothing to help him. 

To make a long story a little shorter, we think some issues were happening previously, hence the pain on our trip, but believe that it officially popped out that night we got home when we he moved the stool and tried to walk on his own.  But, obviously we will never know.  Apparently, this issue presents as pain in the knee and is common in teenage boys (not just kids with Ds) when they start to hit growth spurts. All we do know is that we are so, so thankful that it happened when we were home.  The discomfort he felt at times on our trip was nothing compared to the pain he was in at home.

Emergency surgery was ordered and we had to head to the hospital immediately.  Every bump in the road, every curve, every movement caused him excruciating pain as we drove. By the time we arrived to the hospital, it was bad.  I do not know how else to say it.  Jonathan has a high pain tolerance, so we knew this pain had to be worse than anything we could imagine.  By the end of it all, it would be
hours before the pain was under control.  A pastor from our church who is a former medical doctor was there with us and was so supportive and kind.  It was one of the hardest days of my life.  To run home, try to explain everything quickly to our other children, throw some things in a suitcase, and just leave to go to the hospital...after having only been home for less than 12 hours in one month?! It was a lot for this girl.  That night, just hours before his surgery was scheduled, after his pain was finally under control and visitors had gone home, as we looked out the hospital window at our NC summer night sky, I looked at Harvey and said, "How is it that we're finally home, but yet, we're still not home?"

Do you remember how I have described myself on this blog? The homebody?  The girl who is stretched a lot to go on these family trips?  The girl who cares deeply for her family and extended family? And now to be  apart from 4 of my children in a hospital room scared for my son?  Again, God was there for Harvey & I.  He was there in the middle of confusion and pain and moments of
desperation.  He carried us.  Just as He always has.  He carried me in the palm of His hand.  Just as He always has.  He was carrying our precious son and watching over Him.  Just as He always has.