Road Trip West Day 2
On the Porch
Onisha Ellis
Our perfect ending of day 1, rapidly slid into a nightmare once we returned to our hotel. My husband had been experiencing intermittent pain during our day one drive but it blossomed into full agony as evening approached. Our first thought was his chronic back pain was flaring and we tried the usual remedies, tens unit and medicated patches. By evening we were sure he was experiencing a kidney stone on the move. He had a stone once before and ironically it was during a vacation.
I spent a large portion of the night praying over my husband and thanking my Lord that in Him, we were not alone in this distant city. Just as I prayed in the months before the trip, I prayed now and thanked God for the peace and the provision He would make for us.
By mid-morning day 2 the pain deescalated to a manageable level. We knew we would need to stay put an extra day and thankfully the hotel was able to give us the room for another night and we settled in to heal.
Mid afternoon my husband’s pain spiked again. He had experienced nausea and vomiting during the night and was barely drinking. We made the decision an emergency room visit at the local hospital was indicated. I am so thankful if this had to happen, that it happened in Georegtown, Kentucky. Unlike other hospitals, at Georgetown Community Hospital, I was allowed to be with my husband in the Emergency room.
The ER doctor was certain my husband was experiencing a kidney stone and ordered labs as well as a CT scan. After the scan, he came to the room with the results. He said there is bad news and worse news and unfortunately you have the worse news. My husband not only had a kidney stone, but multiple stones and each kidney was partially obstructed . We were not expecting that. He was admitted and would be having stents put in the following day.
By now we were both hungry. I tried ordering delivery from Panera but was informed I was five minutes past their last delivery time. I asked the staff for directions to nearby fast food. I was terrified to drive my husband’s large truck and the idea of trying to find food and drive sent shivers through me.
With trepidation I took possession of my husband’s keys and walked to the parking lot. “Lord, I prayed, I am scared. You know I don’t drive this truck but with you I can be confident and skillful.”
I backed the truck without incident or crash. To my delight, directly across the street from the entrance was a Bojangles Fried Chicken. My husband loves fried chicken, so the choice of food was made.
I made it through the drive-through, albeit the poor cashier had to lean way out to take my money. All good…except I became confused about where the hospital was and managed to get totally turned around. Thank you Lord for phone GPS.
The chicken wasn’t fresh but it came with two biscuits and I kicked low carb to the curb and ate both of them.
The pain medicine the ER had given my husband had taken effect. He was ready to settle down for the night and it was time for me to leave before darkness fell. Except, when I walked outside, it already had. The hotel was less than 5 miles from the hospital, but in the dark, it was daunting. At one point, I had the GPS so confused it was instructing, turn right, turn left, turn right. I had turned at the wrong traffic signal and was turning around in a parking lot.
Back at the hotel ( I parked the truck in a space I am sure my husband would not have approved of, but at least I parked it without hitting anything.) Stephanie at the front desk asked how my husband was. I had told her about my husband being unwell when I asked for another night. After a stressful day, feeling a little lost and alone, her concern comforted me.
Alone in our room, I felt the emptiness as I prepared for sleep. Our five week road trip had definitely hit a pause and possibly come to a sudden stop.
After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience. Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites, Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix
In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.
My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.
Old Things R New 
Oh so good.
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I’m obviously so sorry to hear that, Onisha, as I know how painful stones can be. I hope your husband has made a full recovery by the time you read this. You were brave to drive that car, it’s big, to say the least. I expect you might be required to drive home but by then you should be more confident, so no great deal. I wish you both well with a pleasant drive home to look forward to.
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