Mark's Shocking Experience

Is that title tasteless? It has been twenty-four hours and I still feel so anxious about yesterday so I figured I could just blog about it. And maybe you're curious, I don't know. At 2:45 on Thursday the 19th, I got a phone call. Unfortunately I was having a hard time understanding who it was because I have a rough time with accents over the phone. But it turns out it was Alice, the mine nurse at Mark's work. She said there was an accident at the mine and Mark was hurt. He's being loaded into the ambulance, but he's walking and talking. I need to meet him at the main hospital. Of course, my defense mechanism of pretending everything was fine kicked in full force and I calmly told Alice thanks and I'd be there. I of course didn't even think to ask what happened, which seems obvious now but she didn't seem to want to be forthcoming with information anyways. So as soon as I hung up my phone I started gathering things for Evelyn. Also some snacks. You're always hungry at the hospital, right? Evelyn was sleeping and I really didn't want to wake her up, but I did as I buckled her in. She hates being buckled. Luckily she went right back to sleep. We loaded into the jeep and headed for the hospital that I'd never been to. I knew where it was because we pass it on the way to church. So I somehow navigated that maze and found a place to park. I may have cried a little bit on the drive over. But I was calm as I asked the information desk lady to point me to where my husband was. He hadn't arrived yet, so they said I should go down to the er and wait for him there. The lady found a gift shop worker/hospital volunteer to walk with me. Of course then she said wow you're so calm! And I started bawling. I had no idea what to expect from Mark. Walking and talking? Did he loose an arm? Is his head split open? Oh nerves. They are so fun. So Bobbie was my companion walking to the er which was pretty far away since that hospital is gigantic. I found out that her son in law is boss big honcho #2 at the mine. She found out my mom was flying in that night and arranged for someone to pick her up if I needed them to. Crazy nice, these Southern people. She really wanted me to call someone to come help me, but that just seemed so overwhelming to me so I didn't. When we got to the er Mark still hadn't arrived yet, so I waited in the lobby. Evelyn woke up and I fed her, she was so good and happy. About twenty minutes in, i got a phone call from Bobbie's daughter. She found out from her husband that Mark had been electrocuted and wanted to know if i wanted her to come down and help me and was super nice. I felt so much better knowing what happened. I mean if hes walking around after being shocked, it cant even be bad! An hour into it, someone from the mine came out and found me. Mark had been there for about an hour so I assume after I stopped asking that he got there. I was busy with the baby I guess. I wanted to go back and see him but they said I couldn't bring Evelyn back there. I guess there was some yucky sickness. So the nurse convinced me to let her watch Evelyn while I saw Mark. Of course that made me bawl, but I felt alright since there were a couple nurses and security guys there. So then I saw that Mark laying on a stretcher in the hallway, covered in coal with an IV and blood. I guess the IV poker had a rough time sticking him. The mine manager was there hanging out with Mark so I didn't feel bad just saying hi and see ya later. When I got back to the lobby Evelyn was screaming her head off. She didn't calm down for a long time. Several old ladies tried to help and I kept trying different things. People kept asking if she was sick. I kept telling them she has colic, or maybe she misses her daddy. About an hour later they called me back to fill out some paperwork. Apparently everything was safe for baby and they let me bring her back. As soon as I got to the desk Evelyn went to sleep. Thankfully, I had my stroller with me and I set her in there. after that was finished I was able to stand by Mark who was still in the hallway on the stretcher, shirtless and covered in coal. They were still monitoring his heart and checking his blood pressure and running other tests. We just stood there and talked with the mine manager and Mark. They told me Mark had flipped a switch to turn a pump on, one that they had been using all day that had been turned on and off like twenty times. For some reason a wire had been stripped and touched the circuit breaker and Mark flipping it on made it arc. It threw him back and the pain or shock of it made him puke a lot. His arm was stuck curled up to his chest, but relaxed within two hours. It didn't stop his heart or anything, despite being a wonky 480 volts. He was so lucky. The boss kept saying it must not have gone through Mark. It must have grounded some other way, because it could have gone through his arm through his body to the ground, cooking his organs and stopping his heart. What I found out later was that Mark felt the electricity travel up his arm and stop halfway up to his shoulder, then the pain started again at his right knee and down through his foot. It is such a miracle that he was protected. It makes me feel sick and grateful and anxious and overwhelmed to think about. Eventually they moved mark into a room and continued to test and wait on results. There were a lot of miscommunications with the hospital staff or something, because they kept needing more urine samples. Lucky for the saline IV setup, I guess. We were trying to figure out how to get mark home without ruining my car seats. That coal is cakey and nasty and black and was getting all over the hospital floors. The nurse was saying usually they dont remove the boots before they bring them to the hospital and the mess is way worse. But mark had his taken off before being loaded into the ambulance. I can't describe how dirty and nasty coal is. You'd have to come to my house and see the way it ruins all the things even after showers and clothes changes have taken place. While we were sitting and waiting, I did a quick google search on my phone about electrocution which was a mistake. I saw a lot of articles about dead guys in similar situations as mark. Oh boy. Evelyn woke up happy and avoided looking at Mark's scary black face at first. I think she figured out it was her daddy pretty quick though. It's hilarious to have a baby with you sometimes. So many people stop and talk to you or her. So much gushing and baby talk and compliments. Evelyn seems to eat it up and smiles back which is super precious. Other interesting things we whitnessed included hearing a lady react to being told she had cervical cancer, and a poor lady with some sort of memory loss yelling about things and being confused. The nurse found a paper suit for mark to wear, and he gladly switched out his nasty pants which we sacked. Sometime after Marks tests had come back saying everything was perfect except for slight muscle tissue breakdown, they said they'd discharge him. About an hour later, they said they'd need to do breathalyzer and drug testing for work's sake and THEN they'd do paperwork. When things were looking nearly done, Evelyn decided she had had enough of the hospital and was grouchy. That nice mine boss who had been there the whole seven hours said that he would be happy to bring mark home if it would be easier for us. It was okay with mark so I gratefully took the baby home. Mark was home twenty minutes later and Evelyn was happy again the second we got home. Mark's arm didn't hurt anymore, and the pins and needles feeling was gone too. He doesnt even have burns, or any marks! He had a follow up appointment today, but everything is perfect. I have listened to so many people tell him how truly lucky he was. I feel so blessed and grateful. I can't imagine what I would do without him. Now I'm just awake. My family is flying in tonight, since I postponed my mom flying out yesterday. They were planning on coming in shifts, but now they'll arrive together. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe in miracles. I am so grateful for my testimony. Now I just have to figure if I should post this or not. If I do, I'm sorry if it's not especially well written. Just the rambles of a stress-addled mind who wishes for sleep.