Ist Trip to the Hospital

Yep, we finally passed the milestone. We had our first trip to the hospital this past weekend. Can you guess who it was for? Nope, not Tanner....or Isaac or Brynn for that matter. It wasn't even Bryce. It was clumbsy, klutzy old me! Sunday morning, Bryce and the two younger kiddos were already in the van waiting for Isaac and I to go to church. Isaac couldn't find his shoes so I went to head up the stairs to help him. I was frustrated because I knew he wasn't looking and he was dorking around and as I went to catch the FIRST STEP, I missed it and fell forward. In so doing, my left hand hit the banister. Our banister is just a wood pole with a nice angled edge. I hit the floor howling in pain. Isaac ran outside to get Bryce. I then hear Bryce running down the stairs outside to get to the house. He came in and we determined that I could move it and so we would just give me Tylenol and ice it on the way to church. I re-did my makeup in the car....three times... because I couldn't seem to stop crying from the pain. Folks, it challenged my almost natural (not by choice) birth with Tanner! It took my breath away. We got to church and determined that with the pain and swelling and the fact that I couldn't stop the crying that perhaps something had been broken in my hand and we needed to head to the hospital. I was not very comfortable with this but Bryce didn't really give me a choice. We grabbed one of the Japanese missionaries that spoke very good English. He accompanied us to the hospital. The first one we went to that is supposed to be fabulous for foreigners did not accept me because they didn't have a doctor that could treat me on duty. They sent us to another hospital just down the road. We walked in and within moments, we were getting x rays and an English speaking doctor was examining my hand and x-rays. Altogether, we were there 20 minutes and my hand is not broken thankfully. It is a contusion....fancy word for bruise, I believe. He did put on a pain relieving patch which made him my very best friend and then offered me a prescription for a pain killer. I am thinking....vicodin, demerol, codeine....but no, that was just for ibuprofen or tylenol. Yes, you have to have a prescription for those here. I wonder how much money I could get for my 500 tablets of Tylenol on the Japan black market? :0) I am feeling better this morning....other than my hand feeling like it was hit by a truck and grateful for a good first (and hopefully last) hospital trip in Japan!