Broken Arm Awaiting Diagnosis

Bob got his car repaired the June 28th  and was happy to have that issue resolved rather simply. Our repairman towed the car from the hospital parking lot. He had difficulty finding a new starter for Bob's Mazda, but installed a rebuilt starter. Something was actually resolved!

Some of you might have read my blog June 16 about our "Shed Project." Here we were just days away from that project and my arm is encased in sugar tongs splint, 5 ace bandages and I am back on lots of pain pills! The clock was ticking louder and louder as the Homeless Shelter Shed Project drew near.

Thank goodness I had gotten most of the supplies in on Tuesday June 26th after I saw my dentist! We had soda and water bottles for 60,  about 25 plastic tubs, bread and chips, etc. There were still plenty of things for Bob to do and for me to delegate though!

The hand surgeon saw us on Friday morning, June 29. He told us that if the wrist plates were "buckled" or "indented" I would need surgery to insert a steel plate and screws in my wrist.  He told us this was a very serious break and I would have to be careful with it throughout my recovery.  He ordered a CT Scan to see if the wrist bones were in tact. I asked him to draw on this picture where the breaks are. See the two red lines below.

They were able to take me fairly rapidly at Clermont Mercy the next morning for the scan. THEN I had to lift my arm like the photo from yesterday, over my head and flat and on the bed! By then my fingers were turning purple and green.

We went home to await the results on my return appointment to the surgeon on Monday. I had been praying that the Lord would help me find people to help Bob with everything I would have been doing at the shelter. I was so light headed on pain pills and unsteady on my feet that I knew I would be useless at the project! We had almost everything assigned except my job as "Sorter organizer."

June 30 we had a kitchen team to lay out all the fixings for lunch. We had a construction team to empty and build the shelves inside the shed. We had a signs team to write out signs to go inside the plastic tubs. I found a friend from church who was willing to come over and do last minute typing for me! We created signs to go on the tables so the sorters would know where to pile the different categories.  And my prayers were answered one evening when I remembered a conversation on the phone with one volunteer. She had even used some of my favorite phrases. She said she liked to "bring order out of chaos." Her basement was organized in plastic tubs. She understood the concept I was going for. I emailed and maybe even called (I do not remember) asking if she would consider taking my place as sorting coordinator? Praise God she said YES! That was the final piece to find.

Bob worked HARD all day Friday, getting the lunch meat, ice bags, and coolers arranged. It was a sweltering hot day and the volunteers even thought to bring themselves frozen iced bandanas. These folks KNOW how to stay cool! They worked and worked all morning and into the afternoon. The results were stunning and the staff found the shed amazing and the workers unbelievable!   I hope to post a video to the blog soon so you can see the volunteers at work! Our Pastor photographed the event as well as helping out in many ways that day.