When It Rains, It Pours...My Many WTF Moments in the Past Nine Days

 

Let me summarize the past nine days of my life:

• Last week on Wednesday, I just had a generally horrible night. The hubs was gone, James was being a turd, and my dogs were at each other's throats. It just put me in a pissy mood to the point I wanted to give up. (I would soon find out this was all minor and the least of my concerns for the week)
• I woke up the following morning, Thursday, determined to have a better day with a better attitude. As I was going downstairs to start my day, I slipped down EVERY SINGLE STEP. In case you missed it, I'm pregnant. Seven steps of hard floor later, I was in a pissy mood again. I was sore the rest of the day, had a headache, etc. It was just stupid.
• Thursday late afternoon/evening, we get home and noticed our beagle, Angel, wasn't able to walk using her back legs. They were limp. We were very concerned, and Jimmy decided to bring her to the vet. Long story short, she ended up being paralyzed due to a herniated disc in her back. She ended up at OSU Vet Hospital and had surgery the next morning. This was a very scary situation for us considering we just lost our Aussie unexpectedly in January and simply weren't mentally ready to lose our other precious, young doggy. (side note: surgery went well and Angel continues to heal as expected...she's just very high maintenance right now requiring a lot of assistance)
• I spent Friday through Sunday being concerned about Angel and annoyed by what seemed to be the beginning of Achilles tendonitis for me. I appropriately rested Sunday and Monday and had a pain free run on Tuesday.
• When we got home from work on Tuesday, our electricity was out. It seems like no big deal until it's off for a total of 36 hours! This really was inconvenient with all of the other events happening in my household. It was off until this morning (Thursday) at 2:45 a.m.
• Just when I thought my dog having back surgery and the electricity being out that long was the icing on the cake, Wednesday morning happened which is really why I'm typing this post.

 

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I WAS HIT BY A VEHICLE WHILE RUNNING AND HAVE FRACTURED METATARSALS.

 

Now that I have that out there, I can give you the experience from my perspective. I was supposed to wake up at 4 a.m. and meet my friends Marion and Jackie for a run. Because the power went out, I wasn't able to charge my phone enough to make it through the night. Therefore, I had no functioning alarm clock. I woke up in the 6 o'clock hour being pissed that I missed that run. I blame the power outage for what happened to me. If I had been able to meet my friends, I wouldn't have had to run on my own.

 

I set out from my house around 7:30 a.m. or so for an easy 6 miles before work. Let's set the mood and scene: broad daylight, sun was beautifully shining, I had a bright blue headband on, and I was running on the sidewalks the entire time. I was 1.25 miles into my run when it happened.

I was on one of the main roads (McCutcheon) and approaching the crosswalk, going east, at Woodmark Run (See map above if you are a visual person). There is a stop sign on Woodmark Run for those wanting to  turn onto McCutcheon. As I approached the intersection, I stopped and jogged in place at the end of the sidewalk just before the slight ramp/decline that leads into the crosswalk. This is something I always do when crossing over a street. You can't trust drivers (obviously).

 

As I was jogging in place, I noticed a small black SUV approaching the stop sign. The vehicle was decelerating as it approached McCutcheon so I made the decision that he was stopping. That's when I decided to go down the ramp and across the crosswalk. I always keep my eyes on the drivers as I'm starting to cross. I noticed that the gentleman looked left to check for approaching vehicles. About that time is when I was exiting the ramp onto the crosswalk. After the gentleman looked left, he started accelerating and turning his wheel to the right. At this point, I had already entered the crosswalk and wasn't able to stop myself before the inevitable happened.

 

The gentleman turned right and I tried to stop my legs from going further. My right leg got out of the way, but my left did not. I watched his front passenger tire crush my foot. My left leg then hit the vehicle. All I was thinking about at the time was not allowing my belly to hit the vehicle. I was so worried about my baby. I was able to extend my arms out and push the rest of my body away from the vehicle. After that, I quickly lowered myself to the sidewalk and ended up on the ramp. I pulled myself up to the level sidewalk for more comfort.

 

The gentleman got out and I screamed for him to call 911. The kind gentleman behind him stopped immediately and came to me with his business coat to use as a pillow. He also dialed my husband's number so that I could tell him to come quickly.  I then had two women stop. I remember them covering me with towels and blankets to make sure I was warm. They were rubbing my arms and back for comfort. One lady was even praying for me. So very thankful for these people.

 

You guys, I was so scared and in so much pain. This pain was so much worse than my unmedicated child birth. I remembered from birth class that you must relax to help control the pain...so that's what I tried to do. I started pursed lip breathing while letting out the occasional moan and groan. In true Lisa fashion, I kept thanking everyone around me and referring to them as "ma'am" or "sir." My labor nurse made fun of me after I had James and said I was the nicest person during labor that she'd ever met! LOL! If only I was that nice all the time. I just wanted to make sure of two things in this moment: 1) that baby was ok. 2) that those helping me knew I appreciated them in that moment.

 

I remember seeing an officer approach the scene. He came to me and asked if I was ok, how I was feeling, etc. When I told him I was struck by the vehicle, he asked me if the gentleman stopped completely. My answer was "No, sir." After he obtained my name and phone number, I asked if he would contact my husband since I was unable to get in touch with him earlier. That was about all I heard from the officer because the squad had arrived to assess my condition. At that point, we were headed to the ER and the rest is history.

 

I updated you guys on Facebook and Instagram about my exact injuries. I fractured metatarsals 2, 3, and 4 of my left foot. They splinted me at the hospital and sent me home with crutches telling me I'm non weight bearing until I see the ortho the next day.

 

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The ortho appointment:

 

I went in hoping to be given permission to wear a boot and walk with a limp. NOT SO MUCH. I received what I felt was the worst news possible. Because of the location of the fractures (they were closer to my arch than my toes), the doc felt it necessary for me to be resplinted for a week and remain non weight bearing. He said I would return in one week for an x-ray to ensure that my foot is healing properly. If all looks well, the likely scenario is that he will put me in a boot. He did state that, whether in a boot or splint, I will be non weight bearing 4-6 weeks. He stated my good health status MIGHT allow me just to be that way for 4 weeks but it is likely I'll have to go the full 6 weeks. At that point, I'll go to a walking boot and begin weight bearing as tolerated. He also stated running won't happen for 2-3 months. I'm guessing 3 months sounds more appropriate.

 

You would think that the running part would have been devastating to me, but that wasn't the first thing on my mind. I was just thinking about the difficulty of life in general while not being able to bear weight. With our dog being restricted at this time, I won't be able to help Jimmy with that. How can I appropriately care for James with one leg and crutches?! I am going to be the worst wife and mother ever for 6 weeks.

 

After this, I had to go to the police station. I received a call from the officer to come and fill out my report. After doing so, I asked him if the gentleman who ran over me was ticketed. His answer was the most devastating news of the day. He stated he chose not to ticket the gentleman because we had "opposing stories and no eyewitnesses." WTF. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Since when is running over a pedestrian who is using a crosswalk a justifiable situation? I'm not a lawyer or a police officer so I'm sure there are laws I'm unaware of BUT I do know that I stopped before crossing and the gentleman driving did not completely stop at his stop sign. Although I can't obtain the report until Monday and don't know exactly what the man reported, it is obvious that he claims he stopped and is not at fault. I can't wait to read what he said.

 

Needless to say, I am very sad and angry at the situation. I have been told many things by many people...most of them encouraging. Nothing really matters at this point until I get in touch with a lawyer. I'm hoping I can get a consult tomorrow so I can learn more about this type of situation.

 

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I can't thank you guys enough for your sweet messages. I have so many people checking in on me, sending flowers/gifts, offering to bring dinner, etc. The kindness is overwhelming and seems undeserving. I keep trying to remind myself that I would do the same thing for all of you.

 

I have three main prayer requests at this moment:

1. Appropriate healing of my foot. I vow to be a good patient and listen to my doctor so hopefully the healing responds to my commitment.
2. My work situation. I am still unsure if I can perform my job duties and what that will all look like for me.
3. That justice will be served. I'm not wanting this guy to go down, but, if he lied in his report, I hope that this lie is revealed. I am only seeking that medical expenses and hopefully any lost wages from work be covered. I feel strongly that I did all I could to prevent this from happening, and I'm not the one at fault. I have been running 19 years and have never been in this situation. I am a very safe and aware runner. I have lived in my current neighborhood for almost 6 years and run by that very spot weekly. This guy simply was not doing his part.