Please let me explain.

I haven't posted because I have been occupied.

Wednesday night Krl fell. I could tell from looking, it was bad. She didn't want to go to the hospital, although she told me, "I think I broke my right leg or hip".

I called the family MRO and she explained, if Krl is flat on ther back and the foot is rotated fully in or out, it is broken at the hip or near the hip. I was encouraged to take Krl to the hospital. Krl refused, saying I will feel batter in a while or I will feel better in the morning. Pat told me to check for a pulse on top of her foot, and to be sure her foot was warm, indicating circulation.

Thursday morning began early with the stark realization that I was not going to be able to transport Krl to the doctor or hospital. I called the orthopedic doctor she has used in the past, Trc called our family doctor and requested a cardiologist consult while in the hospital, and then we went to work on the transport problem.

We learned that in Abilene, you cannot request a "non-life threatening" transfer from a residence to a ER. You are going to get the 911 treatment complete with three EMT's and six firemen. What a waste. We didn't need the jaws of life. We just needed a backboard and a stretcher to haul Krl to the ER.

In a city facing budget shortfalls, that sure seems like over kill from the fire department.

Krl and sat in the ER for about six hours, waiting for a room to open upstairs. We were there when the ambulance brought in the motorcycle policeman who had wrecked. When they brought him in it looked bad, they were doing chest compressions as they came through and into a room. It was only a short time until it circulated through the ER that he had died.

You can't believe how many policemen and women were in the emergency room.

Finally Dr. Meriweather came by and confirmed my diagnosis. A broken hip. Requiring surgery to repair. 9:30 Friday morning.

The x-ray shows a break resembling when you pull a green tree limb from a tree, it doesn't break straight across. It tears, length wise.

Dr. Meriweather suggested possibly a rod with a screw through an "eye" hole, but decided on a screw with a barrel plate with more screws.

They had a great deal of difficulty in managing Krl's pain and controlling her blood pressure. In fact, they did not manage her pain until Saturday afternoon. Her blood pressure was through the roof until they put her to sleep.

Now they are trying to increase her blood pressure. They have given her two units of blood today, and they are pumping her full of fluids, trying to get her BP up. When I left, it was 78 over 51. That isn't great but it is better than taking ten off both numbers like last night.

The Physical therapists came in this afternoon and got Krl up! Wow.

Krl's prognosis is Hendricks until Wednesday or Thursday then transferring to a rehab hospital for possibly a week.

I am so tired. And the houndgirls are so tired of me!

Have a day!

FATHER, I lift up Krl to YOU for YOUR gifts of healing and care.