But frankly, at that point I really didn't give a damn about dignity. I just wanted them to make all the aches and pains and such go away. Exact timeline of events at this point may be a bit garbled, my brain was not fully functioning and recording properly for obvious reason.
My time in the emergency room was about as pleasant as could be expected considering I just had a close encounter with my car and I was now flat on my back with a cervical collar and wanting to roll over onto my side to be more comfortable. But alas, until they could determine my condition, the collar stayed on, no pain meds and definitely staying on my back.
My hubby had been sent to a separate room, where he was evaluated and sent for CT. While he was doing that I was getting IVs adjusted and a going over as best they could without moving me much.
I was sent off to get my CTs done. The ride there wasn't terribly pleasant, things were getting dizzy by then. The nice folk there made sure I knew what was going on, explained things simply and did their best to get the best scans with minimal amount of pain and discomfort for me.
Back to the emergency room where that blasted cervical collar was finally removed (I guess the CT scans said things were fine) and I was able to start wiggling around to find a more comfortable position as best I could. Those beds are not the most comfortable in the world. But I managed to get into a position I could live with.
At this point my clothes were cut off (I think, may have been earlier, that is a fuzzy area now), at least most of them. I am so glad all my leggings had been in the laundry and I was wearing a pair of slacks that, while I liked them, did not break my heart having them cut off. Tho granted, at that point I most likely would not have had the broken heart over my leggings until much later. The nurses did manage to eventually wiggle me out of my bra without cutting it off. I did tell them it was okay to cut it, but as it is one of my better bras, glad it was saved. Besides that, the only other clothing not cut off were my socks LOL!
Hubby was finally able to come in. I think they were just getting ready to start stitching up my head. Ended up with on big stitch and at least 12 staples. Gonna be a kick ass scar, but it is well hidden in my hair now.
Hubby did get pics of assorted injuries, tho those are not for public consumption. The head wound was pretty gory even after cleaning and staples. The bruises were looking pretty spectacular even then and the scrapes on my right shoulder were impressive. Thankfully they weren't too terribly deep, just hurt like hell.
One of the things they were worried about after the CT was my right kidney which had a pretty good sized hematoma around it. But a check by the surgeon didn't turn up any blood where it shouldn't have been if my kidney was injured badly. But just in case, I got sent to the unit just below ICU to keep an eye on things.
First night in hospital was definitely not a vacation. Was in a double room and it was busy all night between the two of us. Hubby had called a friend who eventually came down after swinging by our place and grabbing hubby's CPAP instead of mine (no problem, same pressures as mine, just the nasal mask was a bit big) and drove him home where he picked up my CPAP and the truck. While he was gone the night staff were busy getting me settled in and vitals and checks frequently.
I was in and out of sleeping, esp once hubby brought down my CPAP. Hubby slept in a chair by my bed the first night. I did get some liquid dinner at some point earlier, never has chicken bullion tasted so good (as did the jello).
After making it thru the first night, they decided I didn't need the extra care, so I was moved to another section where I had a room to myself. Didn't have to move out of my bed, they took me and it to the new room. Which was fine with me due to the fact that shortly after I was able to start moving around and sitting up in the emergency room, the concussion side effect of extreme dizzies and nausea went into overtime.
I hate throwing up.
Thankfully they had anti-nausea meds they gave me via my IV, along with wonderful pain meds.
Definitely nicer in my own room, once I got settled in I made hubby go home to get some proper sleep. Sleeping in an uncomfortable chair is not good. Was also able to have solid food for dinner that night, tho I was only able to eat a couple bites of ham (it being Easter Sunday by then), all the mashed potatoes and the dessert (either fruit or jello, that detail is hazy now).
Went longer between being checked on and was in and out of sleep all night. Hubby, before he'd gone back home the night before to grab the car, had set up my phone so I had speed dial to call or text him. Kept my phone plugged in all night (LOVE extra long power cables) so whenever he was gone I knew he was just on the other end of my phone.
Did manage a bit of Facebooking, just to let people know what was happening, but not much.
Met so many wonderful people there, all the staff were kind, efficient and took their time to explain a lot of what was going on.
Monday morning the surgeon from the emergency room came in and said that since my kidney was still doing nicely he saw no reason I needed to stay another night. I agreed. As grateful as I was for all the wonderful care and attention I was getting in the hospital, I really, REALLY wanted to get home to my own bed. And my kitties, I was so missing my kitties. So I texted hubby to let him know I was getting sprung later in the day.
One of his first stops back down in the valley was the yard where the car had gotten towed to pull everything of ours left in it. Not too mention getting pictures. Oh my!
I was able to have breakfast and lunch before he came to get me. I'd finished going over all my release stuff by then. He brought me down clean clothes since I didn't have any left in wearable condition LOL!
Managed to get into the wheelchair with not too much problems, my day nurse Esther had gotten me some anti-nausea pills earlier when I went down to X-ray and those were still working.
The trip home was nice and uneventful. Hubby had called some friends to meet us there, I needed some help getting into the house. Other friends loaned me a walker so I could get around the house easier. Napoleon thinks my cane is a toy and likes to attack the end. Not good when your can't walk straight and are dizzy as all get out.
So the recuperation at home had begun.
My time in the emergency room was about as pleasant as could be expected considering I just had a close encounter with my car and I was now flat on my back with a cervical collar and wanting to roll over onto my side to be more comfortable. But alas, until they could determine my condition, the collar stayed on, no pain meds and definitely staying on my back.
My hubby had been sent to a separate room, where he was evaluated and sent for CT. While he was doing that I was getting IVs adjusted and a going over as best they could without moving me much.
I was sent off to get my CTs done. The ride there wasn't terribly pleasant, things were getting dizzy by then. The nice folk there made sure I knew what was going on, explained things simply and did their best to get the best scans with minimal amount of pain and discomfort for me.
Back to the emergency room where that blasted cervical collar was finally removed (I guess the CT scans said things were fine) and I was able to start wiggling around to find a more comfortable position as best I could. Those beds are not the most comfortable in the world. But I managed to get into a position I could live with.
At this point my clothes were cut off (I think, may have been earlier, that is a fuzzy area now), at least most of them. I am so glad all my leggings had been in the laundry and I was wearing a pair of slacks that, while I liked them, did not break my heart having them cut off. Tho granted, at that point I most likely would not have had the broken heart over my leggings until much later. The nurses did manage to eventually wiggle me out of my bra without cutting it off. I did tell them it was okay to cut it, but as it is one of my better bras, glad it was saved. Besides that, the only other clothing not cut off were my socks LOL!
Hubby was finally able to come in. I think they were just getting ready to start stitching up my head. Ended up with on big stitch and at least 12 staples. Gonna be a kick ass scar, but it is well hidden in my hair now.
Hubby did get pics of assorted injuries, tho those are not for public consumption. The head wound was pretty gory even after cleaning and staples. The bruises were looking pretty spectacular even then and the scrapes on my right shoulder were impressive. Thankfully they weren't too terribly deep, just hurt like hell.
One of the things they were worried about after the CT was my right kidney which had a pretty good sized hematoma around it. But a check by the surgeon didn't turn up any blood where it shouldn't have been if my kidney was injured badly. But just in case, I got sent to the unit just below ICU to keep an eye on things.
First night in hospital was definitely not a vacation. Was in a double room and it was busy all night between the two of us. Hubby had called a friend who eventually came down after swinging by our place and grabbing hubby's CPAP instead of mine (no problem, same pressures as mine, just the nasal mask was a bit big) and drove him home where he picked up my CPAP and the truck. While he was gone the night staff were busy getting me settled in and vitals and checks frequently.
I was in and out of sleeping, esp once hubby brought down my CPAP. Hubby slept in a chair by my bed the first night. I did get some liquid dinner at some point earlier, never has chicken bullion tasted so good (as did the jello).
After making it thru the first night, they decided I didn't need the extra care, so I was moved to another section where I had a room to myself. Didn't have to move out of my bed, they took me and it to the new room. Which was fine with me due to the fact that shortly after I was able to start moving around and sitting up in the emergency room, the concussion side effect of extreme dizzies and nausea went into overtime.
I hate throwing up.
Thankfully they had anti-nausea meds they gave me via my IV, along with wonderful pain meds.
Definitely nicer in my own room, once I got settled in I made hubby go home to get some proper sleep. Sleeping in an uncomfortable chair is not good. Was also able to have solid food for dinner that night, tho I was only able to eat a couple bites of ham (it being Easter Sunday by then), all the mashed potatoes and the dessert (either fruit or jello, that detail is hazy now).
Went longer between being checked on and was in and out of sleep all night. Hubby, before he'd gone back home the night before to grab the car, had set up my phone so I had speed dial to call or text him. Kept my phone plugged in all night (LOVE extra long power cables) so whenever he was gone I knew he was just on the other end of my phone.
Did manage a bit of Facebooking, just to let people know what was happening, but not much.
Met so many wonderful people there, all the staff were kind, efficient and took their time to explain a lot of what was going on.
Monday morning the surgeon from the emergency room came in and said that since my kidney was still doing nicely he saw no reason I needed to stay another night. I agreed. As grateful as I was for all the wonderful care and attention I was getting in the hospital, I really, REALLY wanted to get home to my own bed. And my kitties, I was so missing my kitties. So I texted hubby to let him know I was getting sprung later in the day.
One of his first stops back down in the valley was the yard where the car had gotten towed to pull everything of ours left in it. Not too mention getting pictures. Oh my!
I was able to have breakfast and lunch before he came to get me. I'd finished going over all my release stuff by then. He brought me down clean clothes since I didn't have any left in wearable condition LOL!
Managed to get into the wheelchair with not too much problems, my day nurse Esther had gotten me some anti-nausea pills earlier when I went down to X-ray and those were still working.
The trip home was nice and uneventful. Hubby had called some friends to meet us there, I needed some help getting into the house. Other friends loaned me a walker so I could get around the house easier. Napoleon thinks my cane is a toy and likes to attack the end. Not good when your can't walk straight and are dizzy as all get out.
So the recuperation at home had begun.
Comments