It's been almost three months since my last post here. I'm sure some that are subscribers to my blog thought that I may never write again. Some probably haven't even realized that I have not added new content since March 8th, 2013 and that's OK too. The truth is that since my last post, I've experienced some life changing moments in my life.
On March 22nd, I woke up and headed to my office just like I would any other normal day. I was a little extra tired this morning from driving back from Georgia less than 36 hours ago. I had gone to Columbus, GA for a social media speaker event where I was sharing on how to integrate video into real estate better. Since Columbus, GA is so close to Atlanta, my wife and the kids went along on this trip and visited her family while I went to the conference.
Back to Friday. As I had entered my office this morning to start working, my wife mentioned to me she was going to take the kids and go run some errands so that I would have a quiet house that morning to catch up on work. I had gone into my office and cranked up my music like I normally do to drown out the sounds of the kids in the house. After about 30 minutes into work, my daughter (almost 5) come barging into my office and screams: "Daddy, you MUST come right now! Jeremiah has fallen and is crying very badly"
I jumped from my chair and headed down the hallway to find my son (2.5 yrs old) standing in the kitchen screaming. As any normal parent would do, I quickly picked him up and did a full body scan looking for broken bones, bumps, bruises, or bleeding. I didn't really see any and by this time I'm beginning to wonder where my wife is. It is not like her to let either of the kids cry without running to their rescue. At that moment my peripheral vision saw her laying on the floor leaned up against the door frame of the door to my garage coated in blood.
As she was getting ready to leave the house she noticed the suitcases sitting in the way in the garage and wanted to quickly put them away in the attic while the kids were inside playing. All of a sudden she heard our adventurous Jeremiah say: "Hi Mommy!" as he had climbed up the pull down stairs and was standing at the top. To try & keep him from falling, she went over and tried to pick him up (all 42lbs of him) and was going to start down the ladder first with arms around him for safety.
As she picked him up, she lost her balance from standing on rafters instead of plywood and both of them broke through the drywall and fell straight down approximately 9 feet onto the concrete garage floor. I took them both to the hospital, Jeremiah checked out fine (angels were definitely watching him). Katherine on the other hand wasn't quite as lucky. She fractured her back in two places (t12 & L4). The L4 break they said would heal on it's own, but the other fracture needed surgery. She also had a bad cut on her head which caused all the bleeding.
On Tuesday March 26th, she underwent two major surgeries. Because of the fracture of bone going forward, they had to first go in through her left side, deflate her lung and remove the piece of bone that was floating only millimeters from her spinal chord. Then, after that, they inflated the lung and inserted two chest tubes into her side. After this surgery was completed, they then made 4 incisions on her back and inserted a column implant to replace the missing bone in her spine. That is held in place by 4 titanium screws.
She spent the next several days in PCU (progressive care unit) recovering. During the first surgery she also got a corneal abrasion on her right eye. This caused her more discomfort than the incisions on her side and back. Every time she blinked, it caused extreme pain in her eye. Luckily this only last lasted about 36 hours, but those 36 hours felt like a lifetime.
She started healing, but it seemed to be going much slower than they imagined. They originally said surgery would happen beginning of the week and she would go home by the weekend. Well, after an additional week of being in there, they removed the second chest tube and we thought she would get to come home soon. All the doctors & nurses said that most patients go home within 24 hours of having the last chest tube removed.
However, when they ran some final bloodwork they found her white cell count up over 22,000. They said normally it's between 5-10k for healthy people. Katherine had mentioned to me the night before this that she just felt like she had no energy and was fevered. As I left to go home that evening she started running a 103 temp. That fever continued all through the night.
The scans then started showing fluids building up in her lungs and chest cavity. So, on Saturday April 6th they did a thoracentesis to try & drain the fluids. Basically they took an extra long needle and stuck it in through her back above the shoulder blade into the lung and tried to drain out any excess fluid. Unfortunately this didn't work. Her trauma surgeon then consulted with a cardiothoracic surgeon who said she would need more surgery to remove the fluid buildup immediately.
On Tuesday April 9th, early in the morning, Katherine headed back to the operating room. This time they made more incisions on her side, deflated the lung, went in and scraped out as much of the infection. What they found is that the buildup was more in her chest cavity than in her lung and all this buildup was making it almost impossible for her lung to fully inflate.
This time Katherine was given three chest tubes and spent the next several days in CVICU (cardio-vascular Intensive Care Unit.) This floor only handles heart and lung patients. It was kind of interesting because the nurses there say they rarely have patients under the age of 50. They also looked at me funny when I brought her Mc'Donalds milkshakes because her Dr said she needed to consume anywhere from 5,000-6,000 calories/day while her body was fighting the infection so that it would use the food for energy source instead of her tissue. After CVICU, it was another trip back to PCU.
Because of the amount of infection that was found in her body, she then was given her 5th Doctor. He was a Doctor of Infectious disease. After several days of cultures, they discovered the infection was a staph infection. He began aggressively treating it with some of the most powerful antibiotics known to man. At one point we thought she may have to stay in the hospital another several weeks to treat the infection, but luckily they were able to diagnose it and send her home with a PICC line. Finally, around 8:30PM on April 18th, she was discharged from the hospital. I then gave her daily an IV bag of antibiotics through her PICC line for another 12 days.
Monday April 22nd we took a trip to the suture clinic where they removed the rest of her staples from her side. Between all the surgeries she had well over 85 staples in her side (50+), back (35+) & head (2). May 1st was the first time in almost 6 weeks that she has no sort of needle in her arms or neck for an IV.
Even though she spent 27 days in the hospital, had 5 rather in depth procedures/surgeries, an ambulance ride, some of the strongest antibiotics known to man, probably over 100 x-rays/CT scans, 4 blood transfusions, 50-60 tubes of bloodwork taken, 5 chest tubes, and a giant black back brace that she's been sporting, she is still smiling and bringing joy to the whole house. All her nurses commented on how sweet and pleasant she was and how much they enjoyed having her as a patient. It just goes to show that her little light of joy shines bright and touches more lives than she realizes.
The house is starting to get back to normal, the kids are adjusting, and I'm slowly getting back into a work groove. As her pain levels continue to decrease she has been able to slowly deal with discomfort with just Tylenol which has allowed her to begin driving again and become more mobile. Still she cannot bend, twist, turn, or lift anything over 10lbs. Hopefully in another few weeks she be able to take off the back brace and return to normal living.
Also, while Katherine was in the hospital, both children had been sick with Fifth disease, my mother-in-law who came and stayed for almost 8 weeks to help out had a major sinus infection, our dog ripped one of her claws completely off while in the back yard, and my grandfather was in ICU after having another heart attack. Needless to say the month of April was complete chaos around my home.
How Are Things Now?
With two children under the age of five, my time has been pretty well tied up the past few months with parenting, having to do extra work around the house that my wife would normally handle, and taking care of her more than normal. This continues to be the case, but I've began to learn better how to manage all of this. I've designated Saturdays as days off of work to spend on projects around the house.
Business on the other hand has been rather hectic lately. One of the main reasons I haven't blogged in almost three months is that in addition to all that has happened in my personal life, I have been extremely busy building custom WordPress sites for clients to help cover the extra expenses. But, things are almost caught back up, so I am hoping that will allow me to get back to more of the things I love doing like blogging and spending time communicating on the social networks. Just this week I've booked two more speaking engagements and several new clients for sites.
Thank you to everyone who has offered help to my family during the past few months. The meals, monetary donations, lawn service, cleaning the house, child care, and prayers have been truly overwhelming to both my and my wife. You have all truly blessed our family greatly with the outpouring of love. We hope that one day we will be able to return the favor.
Now it's time to break the silence and get things back to normal!
Originally Posted at: 210 Consulting- Social Media Advisors
I'm a full time Myrtle Beach Real Estate Agent that focuses on homes for sale in Myrtle Beach and Carolina Forest Real Estate.
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Jeremy, what an adventure! Glad all is getting back to normal---kids---what can I say. They can be such a joy and so expensive in so many ways :) That is a pretty amazing hole in the ceiling! Hope your wife continues to recover well---our bodies can be pretty amazing.
OMG Jeremy I had no idea all of this was going on for your family. Thank God Katherine is doing so much better now - my goodness. There is so much to be grateful for and your family certainly has so much to be grateful for. Bless you all! We all care about all of you - welcome back!
Featured in Bananatude
Thanks Charles & Anna! It definitely feels good to be getting back to a level of normal finally.
Jeremy- I too had no idea that you and your family were going through all of this. I'm glad life is getting back to normal for you and Katherine and the rest of your family.
I followed most of it on facebook. But so glad to hear she is continuing to improve and things are getting closer to back to normal for your family.
OMG Jeremy, what an adventure. I did notice you weren't around, but I had no idea what what going on. Wow. I'm so glad your wife is doing better now. How scary and how stressful and painful. I'm so glad she is smiling. And, I'm sure your kids are thrilled too.
Who would have thought that a fall could cause such damage and mayhem in your life. But then I remembered that falls are a primary reason for hospital visits - althought your poor wife really outstayed her welcome! Glad to hear she's back home and everyone is recovering.
I am so sorry to hear what you and your family are going through. I am glad to hear that things are getting getter. Welcome back!
Welcome back, and I'm happy to hear that your family is beginning to heal. Phew, that was a close one, eh?
Oh my goodness, Jeremy. we had no idea. God bless you and your family. So glad Katherine is doing better. Hugs to all of you, my friend.
Whew! I hope writing about it was therapeutic. Sometimes you have to look back and put everything down in words to even deal with what you've been through.
Wow, Jeremy, life REALLY took you and your whole family on an amazing journey. Thank you for sharing your story - perhaps it felt good to do so?
And yes, we WERE wondering.
So glad to hear your wife is recovering well.
Jeff
Jeremy: Welcome back and it is good to hear your wife is on the mend and life is slowly getting back to normal for your family.
Glad to know life is slowly returning Jeremy. I know from keeping up with FB that it's been a difficult journey.
Jeremy, sounds like you would like "do over" for the month April, but very glad to hear your wife is on the men. No more surgery! Hope you and your household returns to normal very soon.
awelcome back Jeremy and so glad to hear that things are finally returning to a semblance of normal. My best wishses to you, Katherine and the rest of the family for continued good luck. This is just another one of lifes lessons in that you never know what it is you need to be thankful for.
That is an unbelievable story. I compliment you for being able to deal with all of that at one time. I wish your wife a speedy recovery.
Hey Jeremy,
I am so sorry that all of this happened but am equally grateful that your wife pulled through and that Jeremiah was okay. I am glad you are back. I've been able to learn a lot from you at several social media classes and look forward to learning much more. Best wishes to you, your family and thank for letting all of us here in the community know.
Jeremy: Dude, what a heart attack! Glad everyone is now okay and things are returning to normal (whatever that is these days). I've been wondering where you've been but figured you were crazy busy... well you are crazy busy + family etc. I'm glad to see you back.
What an ordeal! And she does smile sweetly as she hold her potted Hydrangeas. I am so sorry this had to happen to your family. We will keep you in our prayers so that she continues to heal rapidly.
Welcome back. I followed some of it on FB and am very happy that your wife is on the mend. You've done an amazing job.
Wow! What a time you have had. It is hard to believe that something like this can happen and what a surprise it must have. been. your wife radiates a beautiful glow about herself which says she is full of the spirit and the hospital recognized it. Best of Luck, Jim
Welcome back to Activerain and a little normalcy. What a saga, and what trauma you all had to go through. Makes you really want to be extra careful with just ordinary chores that could turn into a nightmare. My best to your wife for a speedy continued recovery.
That is an April that you would want to forget but will be haunted by it for years to come. Hope all is back to normal for you and the family soon
Jeremy, so glad that things are beginning to be back to normal and that Katherine is doing so well.
Thanks for the update and so glad that things have begun to turn around for your entire family. I wish you a very easy road ahead. You deserve it.
Welcome back Jeremy. Add me to the list of people who hope Kathleen is on the road to recovery.
Wow Jeremy what trauma for you and your wife and your kids. Life changes so fast with an accident, but glad things are looking up JUST A LITTLE, and thanks for letting us all know. I hope it gets nothing but better from here on out. Sometimes BTW they say hospitals are places to GET SICK, like the staph infection and I always think the faster you can get out of there the better.
Jeremy it sounds like you have your hands full. Thanks for taking the time to update us, I wish you and your family well.
Jeremy, will say a prayer for continued healing for Katherine. That was quite an ordeal. It's easy to see why blogging was put aside.
Quite a story. About 14 years ago I developed viral pneumonia. Called empyema. Had the lung operation after the needle in the back part. That hurt right down to the top of my feet. The good news is you all will get ahead of it. Unfortunately I still feel issues from the operation but better then the alternative.
Jeremy, will keep you and your family in my prayers. Your story of your month of March and April seems so unbelievable and yet, seems to show a FAMILY with a lot of love, strength, and Spirit. You are a good writer, Jeremy.
Glad to hear that things are getting back to normal and things went well. I was unaware that anything had happened but glad it all worked out.
JB, welcome back - I know it's been a tough time for you - but we all know tough time does not last long, tough people do!
Of course this isn't good news, but it's not the worst. The Angels were watching over your little guy AND your wife, as hard as it might be to understand that. She's not paralyzed. Take care my friend.
Good lord. Anything can happen at any minute of a regular mundane day. You have to think that someone was watching over your son with your wife taking the brunt of the misfortune. Pray on that. Well wishes to your family.
It Looks like a big hole. I guess your injuries could have been worse. Hope all is well now.
Looks like you made it through the month and all is moving in the right direction Jeremy. Kudos to you for your efforts and best to your wife as she heals and hopefully fully recovers.
Jeremey- I am so sorry. I wish you and your wife the best
Hi Jeremy-truly a lot to handle and your wife is a lucky girl. I had a friend from high school that unfortunatly did not survive a fall through the attic a few years ago.
All I can say is WOW - it is scary how your life changes in an instant and suddenly you have a whole new reality- I am glad you are all recovering.
Wow! You have had your challenges lately. Sounds like all is going to be well...thankfully! Juggling a lot of balls there and doing well...a great example for all!
Jeremy - Sorry to hear of your family's hardship. Glad to know that after a long ordeal that things are on the mend. I wish you the best as y'all continue through the recovery.
Jeremy, I am new since you left, but I just read your story - how terrifying. Glad things are looking up for you and your family.
Jeremy, that is quite a story. I'm so glad to hear your Wife is much better and on the road to a full recovery. Glad to see you are back.
Jeremy, I'm sure this was very stressing for you and your whole family. .wishing for her a full recovery. .welcome back
Glad to see you back, Jeremy. So sorry for all that has happened to your family.
Wow, that is some story. I'm glad that things are looking better.
Jeremy, so sorry to hear of your troubles. I will keep your family in my prayers and hope that life gets back to normal soon!
I'm sorry all of that happened to you Jeremy. It was truly a test of your strength. Your wife is a lucky woman to have a husband like you. I'm glad things are getting back to normal!
Not an easy 4 months. Puts things in perspective though. Blogging - schmogging.
That's quite an eventful Spring, Jeremy. I'm glad things weren't worse for your son and wife and that better times are on the horizon. Thanks for sharing and good luck for a 'quieter' Summer!
Bruce
Thanks everyone for the kind words. We really appreciate it!
Hoping for you that things will be calm and uneventful from here on in. Your whole family has been through the wringer but thankfully, emerged relatively whole.
Jeremy, you have had more than your share and you deserve a break. Thank God your wife has pulled through this all in one piece-stapled but one piece-and the kids are fine. To have survived this, you are stronger and better than ever and there is definitely a lot of love in the air at your house!
Wow Jeremy. That's some scary stuff there! I'm glad to hear that your wife is on the mend and the kids are doing well. Thanks for sharing this with us and yes, time to get back to normal!
Jeremy, Great that everything is getting back to normal, and the flexibility of our jobs really is appreciated during times like this when a normal 9-5 workday just wouldn't fit the needs of the moment.
Boy the boat was rocking and that is quite a tale. Whoa. Any thing involving kids, loved ones, medical facilities can always be nerve wracking.
Thanks for sharing the story. It shows we are all human and life witll happen to us at times. Be prepared
Jeremy...living life, helping others and getting it all done...good post and host here...thank you and carry on
I was mesmerized by your story. My tooth ache that I've had for a few days miraculously went away after having read what your wife has/is going through. Prayers are being sent to you and your family.
Jeremy, My prayers are with you and your family. As I read your blog, I realized that you are so right. A big change in our lives can be created in an instant. I am going to put you and your family on our Team Honeycutt Prayer List and we will be thinking about you as continue on your journey.
Betty
Jeremy, I am glad to hear things are getting back to normal. I know your life has been turned upside down. So glad Kathrine is doing well and her healing is progressing. I am sure everyone in the family especially the kids are excited to be able to see their mom return to normal.
Kim
Jeremy, just saw your post on the main feed and noticed the title was very similar to my post from yesterday, so I thought I would check out yours. Holy cow! I am glad things seem to be getting back to normal for you. One of my greatest fears is an accident like that involving my wife or kids. Best of luck to you guys.
Steven
Wow Jeremy, you and your wife have been through a ton!! So glad that things are getting somewhat back to normal and Praise God that she will be alright!
Wow, quite a story. Sppedy recovery to your wife, and normal is a great place to be.
Lord, please bless and heal this family, and continue providing for all of their needs.
Jeremy, I am so sorry to hear of everything that has happened to your family over the past few months, and am sending prayers to heal your way. In late February I joined AR, cruised around and read, with great interest, some of your blogs, and began "following" you only to find you seemed to have disappeared. Glad you are back!
Wow, what an ordeal. You are a good husband, and you have an exceptional wife! it's amazing how fast peopel can rearrage and determinw what their priorites are, nad find ways to handle tough situations and keep moving forward.
I'm sending good, positive vibes your way. You've had it rough is an understatement. But you have your AR community virtually by your side!
Dude.
What an ordeal. I am glad everyone is getting better. Ugh, Jeremy, like life isn't challenging enough!
Jeremy, I found myself reading quickly and praying that your story had a happy ending. I cannot imagine going through all the things you have been through. You and your wife are amazing. I wish you all the best and a complete recovery for your wife. I'm glad you are back!
I'm glad to hear she is finally home, and our prayers are with you all!
What can be said? Your family is certainly blessed that your wife's recovery, albeit quite prolonged, is almost complete. I am sure that the events have create stronger bonds for all of you. Keep your faith and the blessings will follow.
What an ordeal you all have been through! Your family is in my prayers for your wife's continued recovery. My, how life can change in an instant.
What a story! You are all so courageous. Good vibes to you and yours - welcome back!
So glad your story had a happy ending. Thanks for sharing.
When things like this happen, it really puts a lot of the daily "BS" into perspective. Thanks for sharing. I'm sure writing this was a bit of a catharsis for you.
Great post. Gives us all something to think about for sure. Lest we ever take life for granted.
Thanks, Jeremy - and continued best to you and yours. That was the craziest story to read through, and I am so glad it ended well. WOW! I guess we will all tread carefully and think of your huge journey as we go through our days. So glad all is going well.
I was so glad to get to the end of your story and find the happy ending. You have made me give thanks for my day!!
Oh wow! I am truly speechless at what you've gone through and very happy to hear you've come out the other end!
I was in the hospital for fourteen days in 2011; Eleven of those days in a medical coma in ICU following chest surgery.
It took me another week of rest at home to get back to 80% of my stamina.
I thank God that I have a team. My team kept the business going, and the checks coming in while I was out of commission.
Erick
WOW - I thought MY last few months were bad - lost great Mother-in-law, my father had stroke, in & out of hospital/rehab, my mother to ER from stress dealing with him, both on walkers, twisted MY knee last night - now I'm gonna be on a walker as well....walker races anyone.....
I haven't been around AR much myself the past few weeks so I hadn't noticed you were MIA, but I did notice your absence from the Facebooks! So glad to hear that Katherine is on the mend, here's hoping she'll be back to normal real soon!
I'm so sorry that your family had to go through this experience, it does show how a moment or mistep can change everything. So grateful that your story turned out well in the end. All my best wishes for continued progress and healing.
Wow. Very inspirational post especially for the many who haven't endured any personal or adverse challenges. We should all give thanks for our Blessings and pray for those who are are having challenges. Keep your Faith and Family in focus and you shall prevail, I pray.
God bless you all!
Wow, better cross April off the calender for next year just to be sure. Actually, it sounds alot like my house. Hopefully your wife will be back in the swing soon.
wow. one for the record books! Best wishes to you all.
Jeremy I am glad everything is getting back to normal. I am so sorry for what you have been through. Thank God, they are all OK.
Hi Jeremy welcome back! That was quite some ordeal. Hope everyone continues to heal and do better.
Hope things are getting better for you. So sorry this had to happen.
Holy cow!! Guess I better quit complaining about the callous on my foot and get to work!! Thanks for sharing a story that actually is inspiring!!
Jeremy,
I am so sorry to hear what has been happening in your life. I hope all goes better...
Ann Hayden in Wildwood, MO
Y'all been through so much. I'm praying for you and your sweet wife.
MY GOODNESS JEREMY !!! I just came across your post. BLESS "ALL YALL" I can't even imagine what a WHIRLWIND that day (and the last few months have been to your family.) Hoping all are safe and recovering. We can't put a "lockbox" on our children. Your wife will forever have "stars in her crown"..... How in the WORLD you even have time to be #1 is still mind blowing to me with all that you have going on. Please share your discipline and time organization skills. Whewww !!