If all things go well, Mark should be on his way home by tomorrow afternoon. His therapy is progressing and we both feel confident (in a very relative, shakey, insecure way) that we can handle things on our own. Of course, there is a bit of anxiety, but overwhelmingly we feel relieved to be out of the hospital setting. I spent the day picking up medical equipment and rearranging our bedroom to squeeze in his hospital rent-a-bed. Remember those Craftmatic adjustable bed commercials? Yeah, it's . . .
FAQ’s
How did Mark get hit?Mark pulled over when we saw an accident happen in front of us on the 55N. He pulled off the Del Mar/Fair exit, and was standing in the shoulder of the exit ramp trying to calm down one of the drivers, when another approaching car braked and skidded into him. We think that Mark was hit from behind, which broke his leg and ankle, and then thrown, which caused the breaks to his pelvis and injuries to his head and lungs. How much do you remember?Mark remembers hearing the . . .
A Constipated Request
Mark is on his way down to get another abdominal x-ray. There have been some symptoms that have concerned the doctors about the chance of an abdominal injury they may have missed. He is still nauseous and vomiting, overly fatigued, and has some other digestive symptoms I won’t mention (TMI) that should have cleared up by now. Of course, these symptoms could just be a result of the medications he is on, but they want to rule out anything more serious. Please pray specifically that internally . . .
Good Friday, Good Friday
Mark was given a release date - April 9th (Good Friday). He has been doing so well with his physical therapy that they are letting him out a week earlier than anticipated. He is thrlled that he won't have to miss Easter services. We are really excited, but also a little anxious since they will be sendng him home in his brace that keeps him locked from bending fully at the waist. I'm not gonna lie - we are both going to miss that "call nurse" button by Mark's bed. So this will be an interesting . . .
Doin’ Time in Rehab
Mark has had a great week since my last post. As I mentioned, he’s been locked at the hip so that he can only bend at a 0-30 degree angle. We were bummed to find that out, but his physical therapists have been very creative in helping him gain mobility despite this. He has a reclining wheelchair that can accommodate his brace, and he is able to remain straight so they have been working him on walking on his left leg. His right leg will not be weight-bearing for several weeks, but with the cast . . .
A Bad Day
I'm once again petitioning for prayer for Mark. He had a rough day today, with some discouraging news. Apparently, a mistake was made when he was fitted for the brace, and he managed to go for a week without the brace "locked", meaning he was able to sit in a wheelchair, sit up in bed, etc. We had assumed that this was the normal functioning, (as had his physical therapists) but today his orthopedic doctor became aware of the "oversight" and informed us that Mark's brace, spanning from his hips . . .
The College Park Posse . . .
https://rageagainsttheminivan.com/2004/03/college-park-posse.html
Graduation Day from ICU
Today was an exciting day for Mark, with some huge milestones that we have been praying for. He started the day with physical therapy, and was able to sit in his wheelchair for two hours! He was begging us to wheel him around, of course, but several IV chords were standing between Mark and the open road. They removed his stomach tube, which was a huge relief, and started him on clear fluids – his first meal since Friday night.. The big news today was that Mark graduated out of Intensive . . .
The Accident
What happened to Mark:Mark Howerton was in an accident late Friday night, March 12. He and his wife Kristen were driving home with friends when they witnessed a two-car collision. Mark pulled over to the side of the road to offer assistance. The cars were in the right lane of the road. Mark was standing in the shoulder trying to calm the driver when a third car came speeding by and did not see the cars in the road. This car braked quickly and fishtailed into the shoulder, hitting Mark and . . .
Like father, like son . . .
https://rageagainsttheminivan.com/2004/03/like-father-like-son.html
