Life Doesn't Always Make Sense
Lexi and I had the wonderful opportunity to be featured on a show called "Random Acts". In short the show finds random people and does something nice for them, and then they film it and share it for the whole world to see. Lexi and I were chosen to be on the show and it caught us by surprise. We had a blast as the show hosted a wonderful Bavarian themed evening for us and then surprised us with a trip to Leavenworth, Washington for some more fun adventures. That was such a blast and if you want to see the whole episode I believe they are still showing it on BYU TV. We also got to be on a couple of different podcasts that were super fun and exciting. We always love sharing our story, and it helps us feel loved when other people care about our story. I was also lucky enough to coach a High School basketball season with the girls at Cyprus Highschool, and I also got a new job that I absolutely love. Don't ask me what I do though because I'm still figuring that out.
On the flip side of things, Lexi's health has been a bit rough too. She continues to amaze everyone around her, but people don't really recognize the struggle that she endures daily just to live. We have had to rely more frequently on the help of her wheelchair when she gets weak, and that frustrates her at times. In addition to that we have had a whole slew of Emergency Room visits and Urgent Care visits with Inpatient stays Sprinkled in the mix.
The most recent stay was just this last Sunday. We were at home as a family enjoying our Conference Sunday, and Lexi came to me and mentioned how badly her head was hurting. She's been having some sever migraines the last couple of months and we haven't been able to get a good grip on them yet. After a quick conversation we decided that it would be best that we go back to the ER. That would be our third visit to either the ER or urgent care in 4 days. I wasn't thrilled by the thought of having to go back but knew that it was what we needed to do.
As we got there I had some hope in my heart because the ER was pretty empty given it was a Sunday. Usually the waiting room is filled with families and individuals who are all anxiously waiting to get seen. They took Lexi back to do a quick initial assessment and then put us back in the waiting room and said they would call us back when a room opened up. I was a bit shocked to hear that because it really did seem like a slow day, and I feel like I am a pro "situation judger" by now haha. If that is even a thing. It didn't stress my mind to long, and we sat down and Lexi crashed hard. It was the first time she had slept in days so I was so happy to see her getting caught up on rest. We waited, waited, and waited some more. I made two trips to the cafeteria because I got hungry and they still hadn't called us back.
Then finally two and a half hours later they called her name and we were taken back to a room. Lexi slept through almost everything and at that point I was still happy for her but also a little caught off guard by how out of it she was. They had nurses come in and poke her with needles and such and she slept through everything. Even after the first IV placement went bad, and I could tell it would hurt she still was out like a light. She was even SNORING!
We waited a while and when the labs finally came back the doctor came in to give us the news. "Well Alexis, your potassium levels are among the lowest I have ever seen, if not the lowest." Jokingly I replied that Lexi kind of has a tendency to do the impossible by being the rarest or weirdest case doctors usually see. But I didn't know what that actually meant. They said they would give her some potassium fluids to up the numbers and they would admit us. I didn't mind that at all because I knew there was more going on than just her headaches and I was hoping to get some answers. They continued giving her the potassium fluids and just regular fluids throughout the course of the night, and that was about it.
The morning came around and the doctors came in around 11 AM. We were used to the doctors making their rounds around that time and sat up to prepare for their big long explanation of what the day would look like. Boy was I in for a surprise! The very first words out of the doctors mouth were this, "Good to see that you aren't in Critical Condition anymore Alexis!"......................
IM SORRY WHAT?!?!........ But wait there's more! *queue Flex Seal commercial*
He then continues by saying, "You were at extremely high risk for a heart attack all night long, so we are grateful that your levels have evened out". I wanted to jump up and throat chop karate kick the dude in the nose. How in the world did he not tell us that it was so serious from the get go? He then followed that up by saying that if the other results from the day looked good that they would send us home. A very unhappy Ricky didn't agree with anything that was said, but Lexi seemed on board. All of the tests that they ran ended up being satisfactory to the doctors so they discharged us later that Monday.
Lexi and I had a good chat on the way home about how we didn't realize how serious that stay was and it really put into perspective for me that life really just does not make sense sometimes.
I have had some moments of serious concern and stress because it was very obvious that lexis health wasn't looking good. I've had similar moments when the doctors have told me Lexi wouldn't make it through the night. But for some reason, this time really just messed with my brain, and I think that's because I didn't realize how severe things really were. I didn't have that time I usually do to get my mind, my heart, and my spirit prepared for the worst. And to be honest, that really scared me pretty badly. It still does as I'm writing this. It put into perspective how sensitive and fragile life is once again and how we never really know what lies ahead.
All that being said I am extremely grateful for those experiences. They continue to shape me into the man that I need to be even if I may not be ready for it at times. Lexi continues to do a great job of just making the most of our situation and she makes me proud. Life continues to be stressful and challenging. But that is all a part of our life's journey here. What a blessing!
If there is one thing that I can say to each of you, its this. Appreciate the little moments. Appreciate the fact that you don't always know what's going on. Because it helps you live in the moments, and you don't want to miss those moments by stressing about what could be coming ahead. I love all of you, and I am grateful for the ongoing support for Lexi and I. It is a true blessing. We got to go watch the sunset at the Great Salt Lake last night, and let me just say, moments like that are worth living for.
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