As I quietly sit... I know that today is about to become a whorl of activity in my home... Silent night will come... but only after the buzz of family surrounding us... The garland is hung, the tree dressed... presents for babes nestled , snug and bright under the tree. The kitchen looks like a bomb has been set off in it... cookies baked, or in process of being finished... pies will be baked this morn... salads and sides prepped on dropped into crock pots... turkey gently baking in the roaster. There is a quiet sadness too...
As I make every piece of the feast... I am remembering all the men and women that will not be at their tables tonight... All the empty chairs around the world. It is the price of freedom... New flags were raised in my front yard last night... the old ones will go to the scouts in our town for respectful destruction.
Virgil is having a hard time this Christmas. He is in such pain, and nothing really can fix it that I am able to offer. Pills fuzz the pain for a bit. Massages are temporary relief. He has a compression fracture in the middle of his back. He says he did not fall. That is very possible. The medications that he is on makes the bones brittle. Things can break just by sitting at this time for him. The medications are necessary for life... and they make life miserable. He never really complains... I can see the pain in the way he walks... the furrow in his brow... it haunts his eyes. I am in awe everyday at the strength he quietly shows. He tries to do all the things he loves... like helping to hang the garland... he just can't. I made the decision to not string garland down the center of the room. To do so... I have to climb a ladder and literally balance on the very top platform... not the safest thing to do. It is just too iffy. If something happens, were I fall... who is there that can take care of him... Quietly I explained my decision. He nodded... yet I still see the desire in his eyes... daughters are coming early to help with the feast for tonight... maybe then, when I have a spotter.
The fracture can be stabilized. Vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, or spinal fusion are all possible. The pain level right now with any movement is extreme. The general practionor greatly upped both muscle relaxers and pain pills. He spends his days in a fog. We have to wait to get into the spinal surgeon. He only takes referrals from other doctors... but the one I found is awesome... never, ever been sued. In practice for 15 years... that is unbelievable... but I did my research. January 12th is the soonest at this time that he has an openning. And so, once again... we wait... that is the one thing we are really good at... tons of practice... So we will spend this holiday in a fog... I am simply grateful that I still have him... I know how blessed I am... I am thankful everyday...
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