Roaming Rays

After an almost 4 month hiatus, we’re back baby!
On November 3rd, I (Ryan) attempted to install an awning to replace the one that was broken off the side of our RV by a low hanging branch while driving to our site in Roswell, NM. I was able to get the part that connects to the RV roof/wall installed, but when I was prepping to connect it to the awning arms, I lost my balance and fell off the ladder. I broke my tibia, fibula, and ankle in the fall. Lorri saw it happen and told me not to get up. I later found out that my right foot looked like a flipper as it was bent to the side. She called 911 and soon after an ambulance and fire truck showed up. The staff at the RV park we were staying at (Trailer Village RV Park) escorted the emergency vehicles to our site as they came by while we were waiting on the vehicles to show up. They also adjusted the reservations so we could stay a few extra days while I was in the hospital and to plan on what we were going to do next. They were very kind to Lorri while I was in the hospital and assisted where they could. (Definitely recommend this RV park). I was taken to one of the local hospitals in Roswell where they took Xrays, gave me ketamine, adjusted my foot/ankle into the correct position, and put a splint on. The hospital wasn’t equipped to handle my injury, so they had me airlifted to the University Hospital of El Paso where I underwent an emergency surgery to have an external fixator “installed” to keep my bones in the correct position while we waited for the swelling to go down. The surgeon (Dr. Yong) with the Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso wanted to wait until the swelling to go down before doing any reconstructive surgery so no further damage to the soft tissue would be done. My original date for surgery was the Monday of the week of Thanksgiving 2022, but an opening became available the Tuesday of the week prior, so we took it and he operated. Evidently while we were waiting for the swelling to go down, my body got to work depositing calcium to heal the fractures, so the 4 hour surgery took 8 hours as he had to cut away a lot of the new growth so he could put the bones in the exact correct position. He wasn’t able to finish the surgery on that day due to the extra work that needed to be done, so I went back under the knife the Monday before Thanksgiving 2022 (my original surgery date) and Dr. Yong and his team were able to finish the surgery. I was in a splint/cast for around a month post surgery, then I was put into a boot. I had to spend 2 weeks using the boot and 2 crutches, then 2 weeks using the boot and 1 crutch, then 2 weeks using just the boot. On February 20th 2023, I had a follow-up visit and Dr. Yong gave us the OK to travel again and said I didn’t need the boot anymore, but I still had to be very careful with my leg/ankle as it was still healing. So for 4 months, we’ve been staying in Anthony, TX (right at the TX/NM border on I-10). We’ve enjoyed our stay here and would definitely visit again. Our RV Park (Road Host RV Park of El Paso) has great views of the Franklin Mountains (Anthony’s Nose is a prominent feature) and gorgeous desert sunsets. We’ve stayed in the monthly area and this park was a God-send when we needed to quickly find a place to stay near the hospital after I fell. The monthly fee is a good price and you get two RV sites for the price of one for monthly stays, so we have plenty of parking next to our rig. We’ve also been able to visit the Valley of Fires lava flows as well as the White Sands National Park with friends while I was recovering. These visits will be the subject of other blog posts. I’ve been doing physical therapy at Spectrum Therapy Consultants and have actually enjoyed my sessions as the staff is very friendly and make the sessions fun. They also care about their patients and make sure they’re well taken care of.

While this whole experience was traumatic, especially at the beginning, it has actually been a very positive one:
◼ My parents endured a grueling 42 hour travel from NC to El Paso so they could spend the first week with us after I was released from the hospital the first time, to help us move from Roswell to El Paso and make sure we were settled in and ready for my recovery. One positive thing about their trip is they were able to see and stay with my cousin and his family in Houston as they had to stay in Houston overnight due to a late flight in making them miss their connection.
◼ A couple of our neighbors at Trailer Village RV Park came to our RV and finished installing the awning while I was in the hospital. This is just one of many examples of how the RV community Rocks!
◼ The staff at University Hospital of El Paso gave great care and were very friendly. It made what could have been a very bad experience a good one.
◼ The same goes with the staff with Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso. Dr. Yong did a great job “patching me back up” and was great to work with. He even remembered me telling him about my dad having the same injury every time saw him on follow ups. The rest of the staff was so friendly and helpful.
◼ As previously stated, the staff at Spectrum Therapy Consultants has been a pleasure to work with.
◼ My cousin and his wife came and visited us during the Martin Luther King Day weekend. It was so good to see them again.
◼ Some RVing friends we made at Echo Basin in Colorado, came in to town. They wound up having to stay at a different RV park because ours filled up, but hanging out with them has been awesome. They also helped us fix several things on our rig that needed to be worked on but I couldn’t due to my injuries.

I could go on and on and on, but I’ll stop here.

We’re looking forward to getting back on the road starting on March 4th!