As a result, I now have 9 pretty blue stitches in my chin (right next to my scar from a bicycle wreck 20 years ago!) and a broken jaw, along with various bruises and abrasions. Here's me the a couple of hours after discharge from the emergency room:
Broken jaw sounds pretty dramatic. It's true, but I don't look as bad as it sounds--the very top part of the lower mandible on the left side (called the condyle or condyloid process) broke clean through. But, there was no displacement, so the doctor didn't see a need to wire it shut. I can talk, but I can't open my mouth wide, and I'm not allowed to eat solid food or participate in "strenuous activities" (biking, horseback riding, walrus wrestling, etc) for 6 weeks. My main concern (after I manage to dig all the tiny pebbles out of my palms and get over feeling like I tried to lift a gorilla and was almost successful) is that I get my nice braces-produced bite back eventually. And that none of my teeth go on strike. Should find out more at my face Dr. appointment on Monday. I'm sore, but it's manageable, and I have heavy-duty pain medicine if I need it.
Matthew's parents have taken Isaac home with them, and Matthew has proven himself to be an excellent blender-cook and nurse. For now, my plan is to lay around for a couple of days and plot my strategy for world domination. Don't I look conniving?
So, of course, I'm trying to take some lessons from this experience (and a couple of have been rather unpleasantly foisted upon me).
Foisted:
1) Wear gloves when biking.
2) Stay away from wet curvy slick roads when biking.
3) Ambulance rides aren't that fun. And they don't offer mirrors for you to check to see if the bottom half of your face is still attached.
Non-foisted:
1) There's a really nice guy named John who live near a wet curvy patch of road in West Asheville. If you ever have a bike wreck, try to do so near his house when he's about to leave for work. He has a cell phone, good first aid savvy, and a cheerful willingness to lend a sweatshirt to your bleeding chin, AND a bike rack on his car, which he will use to return your bike to your house when the ambulance takes you to the ER.
2) Ugly as emergency rooms are, they make your husband and son look even more beautiful than ever.
3) X-ray techs don't know much about what to do if you faint. They called a nurse. I just thought that was funny.
4) I have the most lovely family and friends in the whole world. I expect I'm not going to have to make soup for at least a couple of weeks! My humblest thanks and love to all of you!
