Excuse Me Doctor…What’s in My Head Again?

This coming Sunday (August 25th) makes 9 months since our terrible awful day– the car accident. Many of you know about this, and if you don’t you can read old blogs to find out more. Here’s a quick recap:

• November 25 Mr W and I were hit by a truck traveling 75 mph while in stand still traffic
• I was in critical condition and life-flighted to a Trauma 1 hospital
• I had bleeding in my brain, a collapsed lung, 5 broken ribs, fractured vertebrae, dislocated elbow and damaged to my carotid artery in various locations
• I was kept in ICU for two weeks and released to start a long healing journey, including living in a back brace for six weeks

This morning Mr W went with me to a follow up with my neurologist. I’ve always said when I go back to the hospital where we “lived” during this time…it feels like a different world with different characters. When I say characters, I really mean the super interesting and ridiculously smart doctors who take care of me.

They are so smart you find yourself thinking about how their brains must work. In fact it comes up in conversations like this…

“I mean, he’s just a really smart guy. Think about the things he has to think about during the day. And how many brains he has seen or intense issues he has had to fix.”

You really do find yourself fixating on what this man or woman’s life must be like. You notice things like their wedding rings and say “oh he’s married!”

Okay I digress. Doctors are a very personal thing in our lives. They fixed things that meant so much to us…they hold a special place in our lives. And just like a really great teacher makes you feel like you’re their favorite student…a good doctor makes you feel like you are their most important patient. Okay fine, maybe I’m lying to myself. But you know the feeling. You see a doctor and you know you’re way more excited to see them than they probably are to see you. But hey…these guys had an integral part of saving my life!

Back to the title of this blog. I was given a notecard this morning to ask my doctor questions. Mr W laughed at what I wrote down. I don’t know why?

1. What’s inside my head? 
   
2. What symptoms should I pay attention to as the years go on?
3. Your nurse didn’t call me back :( Okay this one was a statement, not exactly a question. But I made it into a legitimate “who do I call” question!
4. How are Dr G and Dr S?!

Numbers 1 and 4 were the most important questions to me. I don’t remember the majority of my time in the ICU (which is weird…reminds me of Men in Black. You know, when Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones erase your memories?!) but I know there were multiple procedures to fix my carotid arteries. When I went to get an MRI a few weeks ago, the technician asked me if I had any metal in my head and what kind. Ummmmm…..I told her I don’t know, but I’ve been through some metal detectors lately and they didn’t go off?

Not helpful. But my questions today were answered. Once again the Lord has reminded me of his amazing healing power. The doctors themselves are amazing and encouraged to see me doing so well and living my normal life. The MRI was normal. The tissues in the carotid artery have grown around the stent so it’s now a cozy little piece of me that won’t move {which we don’t want it to} and once again I have been released out of that “world” to head back home. All the others things in life that make me feel a little nervous fall away remembering how protected I am with my God. Once again, my very favorite verse is written on my heart…

He hems me in, behind and before, and lays his hand upon me.