Aid Tessa's Journey to Recovery and Stability

Well, as most of you know, my name is Tessa. I am an extremely independent and active woman, wife, mom of 3 boys and a full time medical assitant. So, this accident has been nothing short of traumatic in so many ways and in so many levels. I am much better at caring for others then being the one who is down and am being cared for. But a little birdy (you know who you are) always tells me to be kind to myself. I am learning to be okay with asking for help as that's not easy for me. I am beyond thankful for all the love and support I have received thus far and count my blessings daily.

Here is my story:

June 30th, 2024 was our first full day in California for our one planned family vacation of the year. It was to be a very special vacation as it has been harder with a 19 year old working full time and with COVID to make these family vacations happen. And the valued time with my mom, dad and sisters spent where I grew up was so needed. And what an enjoyable day it had started to be. Day at the Lake, making memories, enjoying family time watching our boys enjoy all the beauty of how and where I grew up. A simply beautiful day that changed real quick. A simple wrong movement and just the stars not aligning, I broke my left femur wake boarding... Or trying to get uonon the wake board I should say. I only remember bits and pieces of the hours after the initial break but my husband/boys remind me how traumatic it was for not only me but them. I honestly don't remember being pulled out of the water for the most part or the helicopter ride to the nearest hospital. I have very small bits I remember. Images showed an extensive left femur fracture and surgery was planned immediately.

July 1st 2024, Surgery completed in the morning resulting in a titanium rod and 6 screws....along with 32 staples to close my incisions. I can not even begin to describe the pain of a broken femur to my extent. Within around 24-32 hours after my surgery I started realizing something was wrong with my GI track. I have Crohns Disease and instantly panicked knowing that with trauma/stress and the amount of medications pumping in me were a Crohns worst nightmare. My husband and I became more worried about that quickly changing situation then my femur. Nausea and vomiting kicked in. I stopped eating and drinking. I was alerting the medical staff something was wrong before they knew. After finally listening and watching my stomach distention rapidly get worse, I was in for another CT scan of my abdomen. Thankfully, I dodged a huge bullet and was not impacted yet and did not need abdominal surgery. However I did need a Nasal Gastric tube down my nose, into my stomach to help empty contents that had nowhere to go because my whole GI track stopped working and mt Crhons was flared. While the pain from my femur was intense having a NG tube and nothing to eat or drink our me in a dark spot. I thought it would never end. All in all, with the GI doctor working along side my Ortho team, staff and PT, family and support, I finally turned the corner and was released in Monday July 8th. My husband had already started the travel to get the boys home on July 5th. He spent everyday at the hospital with me until he had to go and my mom was there within hours of him leaving. The first car ride to my mom's house about 2 hours away I won't forget. A very surreal, exhausting, emotional ride to just get out of the hospital and to my mom and dads. I spent 3 days with the best of care from my mom and dad with the anticipation of the travel home to Washington I was facing.

July 12th I started my very long day traveling home to Washington. All in all it turned out to be a little more then I expected and by the time I got home I was an emotional mental health wreck and felt like I was falling off the edge. The next 2 days was me trying to settle in at-home and it wasn't too ling before I took a much needed breath and was happy to finally be home. I hadn't seen my bots, other then on a video call, since the day of the accident.

July 15th was my first appointment outside if the hospital and back in home state. It was a tiring day. Xrays are stable and I was freed of 32 staples. I am waiting for an appointment to follow up with my GI doctor to make a plan as well.

All in all I am looking at a lot of appointments moving forward including Physical Therapy. Prediction is 3 months before returning to work with what I am hoping is around 2 months but only time will tell. 6 months for full femur healing and 1 full year to determine how much feeling I will regain and what nerve damage I will forever face.

Anything during this time will help and we are beyond thankful to so many special people in my life. This is going far outside my comfort zone but the medical bills are going to be outrageous and even the copays for all my appointments have been adding up so fast.