Last Thursday Stephen woke up with his big toe hurting him. He went to bed feeling just fine, but by morning he limping around on his foot because it hurt and was really uncomfortable to walk on. He went to work and came home still limping around. We didn't really know what to think of it. We thought we'd wait to see if it fixed itself in the morning as we went to bed that night. But by about 3:00 AM Stephen got out of bed because his toe was causing excruciating pain. He tried sleeping on the couch, then on the bed in the spare bedroom, but nothing helped. He waited all morning until the kids were dropped off at school before I drove him to the ER. By the time we parked he couldn't even get out of the car or walk, but tried to anyway. I told him I'd get him a wheelchair, but another guy in the parking lot noticed us struggling, so he got a chair for Stephen and wheeled him in for me while I kept my eye on Grayson.
They took him back to take X-rays and run a few tests to confirm what their suspicions were. All night and morning Stephen was running the worst case scenarios in his head including having to amputate his foot because something serious had to be going on. But he was diagnosed with gout. As we looked up his symptoms before going to the hospital we both saw gout listed, but immediately shrugged it off because the only people who get gout are older obese men and Stephen didn't fit that description. But here we are. They gave him some pain meds and a prescription to help take care of the flare up. They also told him to go see a podiatrist for further instructions on how to manage it. They put a medical shoe on his foot and sent us home.
The next morning Stephen ended up throwing his back out as he was hunched over as he sat on the bed and coughed. He had been getting over a severe cold and still had some congestion in his chest. He said at that point his back hurt worse than his foot, and that was saying something. He was in rough shape for the rest of the day. I called Loren to come over and give him a blessing which he gladly and willingly did. I am very grateful to him and our neighbor who gave Stephen a blessing he so desperately needed even if he doesn't want to admit it.
In fact, I may have needed to hear that blessing just as much as Stephen needed it. It was wonderful, and surprisingly not so much a blessing of healing his physical pain as it was his mental state. Loren mentioned that his heart could find joy in his children and family and that the stresses of work and other things would ease up, and for Stephen to enjoy his family and take it easy so his body could heal properly. (I'm paraphrasing) This day was really hard on me mentally, and I needed to hear those things. My first thought after his blessing was how incredible it is to know how in tune Heavenly Father is to each of us. Loren said all the things that that both of us needed to hear. I am so grateful for the priesthood, and how readily available it is to me having a husband, dad, brothers, and so many neighbors who hold it around me. I am grateful to have a relationship with my Heavenly Father and to know he will always be there when I need him.
I was really impressed how concerned and loving all the kids were towards their dad. They knew he was sad and in a lot of pain. They could see it, hear it, and sense it. When we were in the emergency room I had to take Grayson with me and wait in the waiting room for a few hours for the doctors to finish tests and give Stephen a diagnosis. After we had been sitting there for a couple hours Grayson asked me where Dad was as if he had just noticed Dad was missing. I told him he was with the doctor. Grayson then asked if he could go in the room to see Dad and see if he was ok. That touched me because in Grayson's two-year-old mind he just wanted to make sure his dad was ok.
At dinner that night Zander said he wished he could feel Dad's pain. I asked what he meant by that. He said, I want to feel it so Dad doesn't have to because the pain is worse for older people." Zander felt like he could take it on himself. Probably because he's been told he has a high pain tolerance his whole life.
The next morning Lucas made breakfast for Stephen. He really wanted to make it all by himself since Dad's foot was hurting and he couldn't walk. So he made him a couple of fried eggs and toast with a glass of milk.
Hannah drew pictures for Dad to help cheer him up. All the kids did something out of love for Dad to show how much he means to them. It has been so heart warming to see how much they care about and love their dad.
Since last week Stephen has been up and about slowly and steadily getting better each day. He been walking around like an old man all hunched over and shuffling his feet, but he's been looking and feeling much better since.
