This past week, we were scheduled to go to a dinner on Thursday night. My mom called me that afternoon and asked if I could come help Kayla (my sister) finish up some cattle stuff because Mom was sick and things still needed done.
I headed down, took Mom’s dog (Bella) to the vet that was sick and then dropped Bella back off at the house after the vet visit. Then I headed down to the cattle pen to help Kayla finish up. I remember talking to My Forever on the way down there, still on schedule to meet him at the dinner we were going to, though running a little late.
When I got to the pen with Kayla, I remember doctoring two calves. I can distinctly see her and I standing side by side with two calves pushed into a corner and I gave each of them their medicine.
That is the last thing I remember until the ER room and seeing Margaret.
Apparently, Garett (Kayla’s husband) showed up before the accident happened, but I don’t remember him being there. A calf kicked both back feet up, bucking bull style and caught me in the jaw. It was with enough force that it gave my brain a good shaking up.
Kayla and Garett called Matt to come get me. They took me to my parents. Matt met them there and got me in the pickup to go to ER. Apparently, he was trying to help me put my seatbelt on and I told him I wasn’t an invalid.
On the ride into the hospital, I apparently kept asking Matt the same questions over and over about every mile. Apparently, I was shocked every mile that my oldest sister, Kristen, is pregnant again. (She told us in July at the kids’ birthday party so I definitely knew that for over a month). I forgot that Matt’s sister delivered her newest baby a month ago. (Apparently I asked this of Margaret, Matt’s mom, again in the ER and she told me the baby was born the 27th which I told her was also Autumn’s, my niece, birthday).
They moved me into a room to watch overnight. I don’t remember moving to the room. I remember who came to see me that night, but not the conversation. I remember washing my hair in the shower at the hospital, but not drying off and putting on my pajamas. (Matt was there to help me.) I remember the nurse waking me up 3 or 4 times in the night. I remember who was there the next morning, but no conversation. I remember the doctor coming in to see me, but not what he asked. I remember talking to one of my best friends from high school (she was a nurse on duty) the next morning as she released me, but not all of the conversation. (She was also there when I arrived at the ER, but I don’t remember her at all from that night). I remember people calling me the next day, but only snippets of what we talked about. I remember checking cows on the way home from hospital, but not remembering how we got to each pasture. I had to go back through calls and texts from the previous couple days because I didn’t remember doing some things and agreeing to other stuff.
This is the second time that I’ve had a concussion. (I was a lot younger when the first one happened). The brain is a very funny thing and something we don’t take nearly good enough care of. I have been around cattle almost everyday of my life. I was literally raised around cattle. My mom taught us how to act and behave around cattle at a very, very young age. We were taught how to avoid injuries and stupid things happening because we were doing stupid things.
Here’s the takeaway…the calf that kicked me was almost blind. They said I didn’t do anything wrong, it was just a fluke incident that the calf got spooked, kicked both back feet up and my head happened to be in the way. It wasn’t the calf’s fault and it wasn’t mine and it wasn’t Kayla or Garett’s. It was simply a matter of an individual being reacting to something and causing something else to happen.
While they have told me that it was scary for a few hours while I kept repeating questions over and over again, I never forgot who anybody was. I knew I was married to Matt and who all my family/friends were. I am recovering amazingly well. We’re having fall babies and Matt checked them on the way home from the hospital while I sat in the pickup, but I went on the four wheeler that night with him and checked them on my own the next morning. We have caught up on the lost sleep at the hospital. We’re thankful for the calls, texts and food drop offs. We’re thankful we have so many people that love and care about us.
I’m still taking it a little easier and avoiding electronics as much as I can, but am doing great. I have a little bump and bruise under my jaw where the calf kicked me and a little spot on my arm that is raw from where I might have tried to catch myself on the way down. Other than that, I have no bruises, marks or hurts.
This will not keep me away from cattle or doing this same thing again. Accidents happen. While I love the idea of wrapping all my loved ones up in bubble wrap and preventing anything from happening to them, that’s not how life is meant to be. Accidents are going to happen while living life. We can’t live scared and miss out on the most amazing experiences. Again, thank you all for the thoughts, calls, texts and food! You are amazing people and we’re blessed to have you around us!