Black (our security guard who was in the moto accident yesterday) is doing a bit better tonight. He had a bad day but seems to be a bit better tonight now that we got him some pain meds.
He only has a really small fracture in his wrist so it's definitely concerning us how much pain he's still in. I am pretty sure there's something going on with the nerves because his fingers are getting numb and he has to hold all his fingers back to not be in extreme pain. Though we went to the hospital again today and we were AGAIN told to wrap his wrist, he simply cannot tolerate it. Any time it's wrapped, within minutes he's writing around screaming in pain. So there's obviously something else going on.
He looks like crap, as you can see. But he never complains that his face hurts. So looking at the picture below, and seeing how horrid that looks, I am pretty sure he's not exaggerating on how bad the hand hurts (as Nick asserts.)
But my main concern today was that he started to get a fever. It climbed all day in spite of already being on antibiotics, ibuprofen and Tylenol with codeine. Around 2 this afternoon it was up to 102 and I was worried about infection. I called a doctor friend who recommended I take him to the hospital for further evaluation and he also recommended starting another antibiotic alongside what he was already taking.
I did just that. I started the new antibiotic and brought him to the hospital. This was another hospital, not the one we went to yesterday. They looked at him and were more concerned that he had a facial fracture because of the swelling in his face. So they did an x-ray, which turned out totally normal. (Thankfully.) They also looked at the x-ray of his wrist from yesterday and said that he thought the pain he was feeling was being a bit exaggerated. (I stand by FIRMLY and say he's not exaggerating. For Pete sake... look at the guy!)
She didn't think the fever was related to infection. But I didn't believe her. So I decided to go with the other doctors advice and start him on the second antibiotic. I saw how they stitched him up. They cleaned him up and stitched him with the same two bloody pieces of gauze for all 25 or so stitches. They didn't irrigate any of the wounds or properly clean them. So infection is not only likely, but very probable.
Well, later on this afternoon, Black said that his eye (the really puffy one he can't open) was starting to drain a little bit of water and he wanted me to clean it for him. I soaked some clean washcloths in (clean) warm water and just laid it over his eye for a few minutes. I tried (in vain) to get inside the swelling to clean inside (as it was really icky) but I couldn't because it was SO swollen. I had some sterile irrigation syringes and tried to get in there with those, but really had no luck. After a while I asked him if he'd like to try to put some ice on his eye to see if it would help with the swelling. He said yes, and I laid it on there and went away for about a minute to get something and I came back and (gross alert!) he was laying there with a HUGE puddle of pus and blood running down his face and all onto the towel below him (which he was unaware of thanks to the make-you-loopy pain pills.)
I asked him if he was pressing on the swollen eye and he said no, that he was just trying to force himself to open his eye. I told him to do it again and it was like a freakin' geyser. I know gross. But also kind of cool-- come on, admit it, it's KIND of cool. He worked on that for a little bit, just trying to open his eye, and I just kept irrigating it as it drained for the next 10 minutes or so. By the time that was all over the "swelling" (ie abscess) had drained so much he could almost open his eye again. Very, VERY much reduced in size.
I don't know if it was the draining of the infection, the addition of the new meds, God's mercy or a combination of it all, but just right now before hitting the hay, Black was no longer running a fever. At all.
I am so glad he and Kati are staying with us. My kids (while I am trying to get them to leave him alone) are just being so sweet and endearing and kind to him. And I can't help but think about how I have been praying for ways to better love and appreciate our staff and forge more meaningful relationships with them and their families. Didn't expect it quite like this, but hey... this is the way that's been provided--- so I take great joy in getting to walk in it.
Thanks for everyone that supports us. You may have literally saved Black's life. I am sure his pregnant wife, Kati, appreciates that too!
