You know how things in life just get crazy? It becomes normal though...we don't realize how rushed everything is and just how crazy things really are until something stops us in our paths. I know most people live very busy lives and I know that we go through stages but from now on I'm just going to have to allow myself more time....time to just be with my kids, time to just be with myself....time to just be.
The other day I stopped at the barn to pick up my daughter. As usual she wasn't ready. No big deal these days because the barn has really become our second home. My son feels very comfortable there and usually plays with a friend while we are waiting for Lacee to finish up riding. I have become friends with the ladies and other moms so I really enjoy being there myself. I love the barn to be honest.
So the other night I was just there to pick up Lacee, we were not going to hang out because I was planning on taking the kids swimming that evening. My son was out back near the ring and pretty much all the horses and ponies were in for the night, all but one that was having a lesson in the ring and then a horse that was out grazing in the field which is right near the ring. This horse is the most gentle, loving horse you will ever meet. His personality is that of a dog, he wants to please, he wants to be around people and he just loves attention. He is huge. He is beautiful. Eastwood loves my son Richard, it's so cute, Richard jogged up to the ring (and Eastwood jogged right behind Richard) to ask the trainer (who's horse this is) if she wanted him to go into his stall. She said sure, so Richard started to lead him in. Basically he will follow, you just need to help guide him along;-) So as they go up the ramp to the barn Eastwood catches my son's foot, steps right on it and was on it for a few seconds from what I gathered. I was not out back, I was on the other side of the barn. I heard my son screaming and my heart just about stopped. Richard never, ever screams in pain. He was stung by over 20 bees last year and he didn't even cry, not one tear. When he was a baby and had four immunization shots he never cried. He has a very high threshold for pain. I knew this was bad when I heard him screaming. The things that went through my head are still with me and that is what hurts the most I think. I felt better when I came around the corner and he said "Eastwood stepped on my foot", but once I took his sock off I almost lost it. Again, terrible things went through my head. "His foot is crushed, completely crushed...will he need surgery, will he walk again, will he loose his foot (I know a bit extreme but it scared the hell out of me!) I knew he had to go to the hospital right then and there.
I'm one to handle stuff like that pretty well and I stay pretty calm, but I was so upset. A friend drove us there because I just was not in the right state myself to drive. I sat in the backseat with Richard and held him and cried. The pain that kid went through was just horrible. I will never forget it, ever.
I prayed, I prayed and prayed some more. God heard me. They splinted Richard's foot at the ER and sent us home saying "it's most likely broken but we can't tell because of the severe swelling, give him Motrin and call the Ortho tomorrow". Richard slept well that night, but the following morning he woke in pain, and the pain just got worse and worse. That poor kid was in so much pain and no one helped me. I called both my pediatrician and the orthopedic office but they just said "put ice on it and give him Motrin, the earliest we can see him is 3pm" WHAT?! Okay so basically let the kid suffer for five hours. It was so awful, not being able to help him...oh God I hope I never have to see or hear my child cry like that again. My friend (Lacee's trainer, the owner of the horse) called me right at the height of all this and said "the split is probably too tight, take him up to the ER now, forget the waiting". I started to drive up, and my son was just screaming, "mom my foot is going to explode". My daughter was in the back with him so I told her just to take the damn split off now....she did and within seconds the pain was gone. Amazing. I feel like an idiot for not knowing that, for not doing something sooner. I am so angry that not one of the nurses I talked to told me to do that and I even asked them about it. Anyway, I turned the car around, we went home and waited....without the screaming pain.
Amazingly enough his foot is not broken. Can you believe that? I can't. He will be on crutches for a few weeks but basically that's it. The swelling has finally started to go down and he is really doing well with the crutches. I know this sounds so dramatic but it just hit me so hard. My daughter was kicked on Christmas Eve, we spent the night at the ER. Her pony tripped one time and literally rolled on top of her, thank God she was inside with the softer footing so she wasn't crushed. She's fallen off many, many times. It's so dangerous I know but the way I look at it, so is football right? I don't know...do we stop living? Of course not. Do we avoid the more dangerous things in life? Well what's more dangerous? I just don't know. Nothing will change, I know that. Life goes on and we just need to be thankful for everything.
I took a photo of my son's foot (I know I'm weird!!) Actually Lacee took this shot at the doctor's office yesterday with her cell phone camera. It's not a great shot but it shows how badly bruised his foot is. The swelling has gone down so much...I still can't believe it's not broken!
Thanks for reading and if you got this far I'm sorry this was so long....I feel better now that I wrote about it! I'm gearing up for CHA....I hope to see lots of you wonderful people very soon!
Wendy:-)
