Tuesday 8 April 2014

I broke my pretty face!

So I have been out of action for a few weeks and as many of you may already know, I severely broke my jaw. I want to give you some insight into what I've been through because it has been pretty traumatic but I don't want to lose focus. This is a blog about one of the most joyful activities humans can do - running!
Two weeks ago I was letting my dog outside at around midnight. I had been asleep so when I stood up quickly I felt a little dizzy. I walked to the back door in a bit of a haze and as I opened the door everything went black. I woke up with my face on the cold concrete and in lots of pain and confusion with my two front teeth broken off and lodged in the concrete, a huge gash on the underside of my chin (the source of oh so much blood) and my jawbone broken in three places. I am not going to lie, it was the most scared I have ever been in my 34 years on this planet. My daughter (not quite 2 years old) was asleep in her cot and my wife was working late at the hospital so it was up to me to pull myself together and make a call for help.
The human brain does some funny things when it is in shock. I eventually got through to my wife who came home as soon as she humanly could but it was going to take a while. After getting hold of my sister in law, who in turn called an ambulance for me, I deemed it necessary to crawl (it was all I could do at this point) up our long hallway and turn the front light on because I was certain that the Ambulance wouldn't be able to find me. In the process, I left a trail of blood all through the house. I then crawled back to the living room, laid myself in the 'recovery position' (in case I lost consciousness again) and then watched the minute hand on our living room clock meander through 60 slow, painful, impossible minutes of waiting and trying to stay awake.
Just after 1 am the ambulance arrived and 5 minutes later my wife and sister-in-law arrived too. Relief. I knew at this point I was going to be okay.
After being filled with morphine I was whisked away to hospital in the back of an ambulance and spent the next 5 days and nights having scans of my heart and brain (to figure out why I fainted), being operated on (twice in 24hours) and feeling miserable. Hospital is a pretty depressing place to be so I was so excited to be sent home on the 6th day. The nursing staff and surgical team were amazing and so encouraging while I was under their care but nothing and nobody can care for me like the two most amazing people I know. My wife and my mother. My step-father and mother jumped on a plane from Sydney and were here within days to help take care of me and my wife has been my emotional support/live in nurse/friend and more. I am truly blessed to have these people in my life and I could not have got through the past two weeks without them.
To put it bluntly, 'shit happens'. Just grateful that are people to help me get through the shit.
So that's it. The next post will be about running, I assure you. I am not running yet (too painful) and I really miss the freedom but hopefully soon I will be back to my best.
Peace, love and happy running
Runner Dan

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