12 Nov Kimberly: Looking back

On May 14, Mychal, the kids and I, along with a few crew members, loaded up and headed south. The kids missed the last two days of school, but we wanted to make sure we arrived in time to attend the USCHI safety day in Wichita Falls, Texas. Even though the kids missed two days of school, they learned basic first aid, how to be safe around equipment and got to hang out with some friends!  

As always, our first stop is a bit overwhelming for everyone, and it takes a few days to get the kinks worked out. We didn’t have a great start in our season as it rained for a few days after we arrived, so we didn’t get in the fields for about a week or so. The guys kept busy making sure all the equipment was ready to hit the field, and we spent some time getting to know each other.

As I look back to the beginning of our season, all I can say is that I am super thankful for our family and harvest friends we have met. What started as an exciting new season quickly got a little scary for me.  I was out in the field getting ready to run the combine while Mychal helped show the employees what to do, since it was our second day in the field, and we had another storm heading our way. The storm got closer, and I never got the chance to start cutting, so we all headed back to Vernon in a good downfall of rain and hail. Mychal and I decided to head west to check the fields over there to see if they got rain, and of course we grabbed Braum’s before heading over. That night, I started to feel off and pretty sick to my stomach. I spent all night in pain and nausea, so I thought food poisoning or the flu.  After spending the next day in bed, I finally called Danica and asked if she wanted to go on a road trip. I’ll never forget her answer. “Sure. Where are we going?” I laughed and said, “The emergency room. I think I have appendicitis.” She got me to the door, and they called me back right away.  After many scans, labs and doctor visits, they said I needed my appendix out. “Well, great. What is Mychal going to say about this?” was my only thought at that moment. We finally got in the field, and the weather was looking great.  At this point I only thought Danica, Karlie and my mom knew what was going on. I guess Danica and Karlie both had called and told Mychal he needed to get back to town. That was about 40 minutes from where he was, but he was about to move the equipment 15 miles the other way.  

The doctor came in and said, “Well, unfortunately, the surgeon that was on call is heading to Wichita Falls because his wife went into labor, so you are going to need to go to Wichita Falls to have this surgery done.” They told me I could go private via vehicle or ambulance, and since my appendix hadn’t ruptured, they were OK with me going on my own. I got back to camp, packed a bag and talked with Danica and Emma for roughly two hours before Mychal made it back.  We finally got to Wichita Falls for surgery, but someone got there before me whose appendix had ruptured, so I had to wait. I finally headed into surgery around 11 and was in a room by 1 a.m. Mychal was going stir crazy and was very thankful for PIPEAG so he could keep an eye on all of the combines. Once word got around the campground on what had happened, everyone was very kind and helpful, and I am truly grateful for everyone.  Payzlee just happened to be with Renee in the next town over for the night, and Bentley was out in the field with Logan and stayed with Karlie that night.