Friday, October 27, 2006
Crazy Drama
Two years ago, I rode head first into a pole and sprained my neck. A few weeks later I missed the sidewalk and sprained my ankle, a year and a half later I attacked someone at Aikido, landed on their foot and sprained my ankle... every time it's very silly and every time I do it all by myself like a big girl.
Now last week was a bit different. I was doing sit-ups, finished my series and sat up to start my day. Except it pretty much sealed my day since I heard a little crunching noise and felt lots of pain... lots and lots of pain... and panicked big time!! So ER, neck brace and painkillers, diagnosis: a pinched nerve in the neck, maximum one week of pain and then it goes away. So of course that was the day I was meant to take a plane home to Paris from NY. I'm very good in choosing the right moment as you can tell! So my friend David drove me to the station and I took the train to Grand Central when I'd have taken a connection for Newark Airport. Except when I got to the station I felt dizzy, I kept saying to myself: "you're alone, you need to catch a plane, you're not allowed to feel faint"... but that probably gave me only a few minutes of respite before I passed out!
I came to with broken glasses and sweating profusely, opened my neck brace thinking maybe it's the air going missing, and passed out again! This time people woke me up and then the whole comedy show began.
About 10 bulky guys in uniform - and I didn't have my glasses anymore so I don't know how many were cops and how many were paramedics - showed up in no time, surrounded me, put me on a stretcher, asked me tons of questions I blubbered through, put an oxygen mask on my face and whisked me through the station to an ambulance. It all went so fast I suspect they always have an ambulance waiting outside of Grand Central! They even put the sirens for me and then got me to the ER again - of another hospital of course. This was the scariest bit: they transferred me from the stretcher to a bed by lifting the blanket beneath me, plugged me all over with an IV and cardio stuff (16 of them glued all over my torso) and something for pressure and another for oxygen, took God knows how many vitals, and all that with at least 7 people around me asking 4 questions at the same time. I panicked big time, and I think I would have fainted of worry if I'd known I was in "resuscitation room"!! Hardly a name that reassures!
So after 6 hours of vomiting (sorry about the details), being so cold my teeth chattered even with 6 blankets on top of me and my fleece, and feeling as though I was continually about to pass out, my saviour David came. Feels so much better when someone you trust is there and you're not all alone and abandoned in a miserable state! They released me because the crisis was over and he drove me to his place where I could get some rest while being watched over. So obviously I'd missed my flight...
I spent the next day eating very little doses of food but very frequently, sleeping and gathering a bit of strength. Then David took me to the airport and I took the plane to Paris. I tell you, it was some emotional moment to see my mum there waiting for me. She'd been panicking the whole day before because they called her at hospital to tell her I was there but never mentioned the one message I wanted them to forward, i.e. I wasn't taking the first plane! Oh and crossing the Seine and reaching the left river bank where I live brought a little tear to my eye... I really don't feel like I'm at home when I'm on the right river bank, it's crazy.
All that ado for what you'll ask?
The first hospital gave me too many painkillers and I had a slight overdose...
So I know this country does things bigger and faster and larger than we do back home, but if they could limit that to food, houses and cars and not let it affect the medical world, it would be great! At least now I know I don't take percocet well and that half a dose is all I require, not two full doses!
Ok so the silly bit after that is I thought it was just the nerve because that's what had been diagnosed and they told me the neck brace was just for comfort so as I started feeling really better very fast: as soon as the percocet had vanished from my body. I started doing things and running around seeing my boyfriend, my family, friends and my supervisor and wearing the brace less and less.. .until I started wearing it more and more again because it was getting more and more painful again... I went to the doctor's again and it's nice and sprained. Not nearly as bad as two years ago but I really can't do without the neck brace. So I don't know when that happened, if it's because of sitting up from sit-ups or falling down when I fainted at the station, or a combination of both with the stress of the pinched nerve for my neck but I'm going to have to stay away from sports for a tiny tad longer!
Let's say it's my worry for this academic year and I won't set foot in a hospital in this country again: everyone please cross fingers for me for a few seconds!
# posted by V @ 3:31 PM 
Comments:
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Hope you get better soon! I do hope you were doing sit-ups in the correct way. I.e. not with your hands behind your neck!
# posted by 
: 2:48 PM
: 2:48 PM
Hu... I though sit-ups were done with your hands behind your neck?
So yeah I was doing that, is that wrong? Anyways I was sitting back up from them, I was done. So I wasn't really careful, I was just getting back on my feet yah know.
As they say in medical terms: it's a stupid accident ;)
So yeah I was doing that, is that wrong? Anyways I was sitting back up from them, I was done. So I wasn't really careful, I was just getting back on my feet yah know.
As they say in medical terms: it's a stupid accident ;)
# posted by : 7:56 PM
: 7:56 PM
Ouch! When you didn't post for a bit I'd hoped it was because you were too busy partying, etc. I suppose I should have expected a more dramatic reason - but I'd never have guessed medivac from Grand Central! Leave your poor neck alone now, it's suffered enough :-)
# posted by : 3:15 PM
: 3:15 PM
Poor you :-(
I hope you get better soon. You do seem to have the worst luck with injuries and that must have been very scary for you at the time. At least you did manage to make it home in the end.
I hope you get better soon. You do seem to have the worst luck with injuries and that must have been very scary for you at the time. At least you did manage to make it home in the end.
# posted by : 11:04 AM
: 11:04 AM
thanks guys!
What support from the Aiki crew, it rocks!
I'm already better, I stopped taking medication! But I still need the brace. It's really not as bad as last time so it'll get better very quickly and I'll be ready to play squash and do some aikido again :)
What support from the Aiki crew, it rocks!
I'm already better, I stopped taking medication! But I still need the brace. It's really not as bad as last time so it'll get better very quickly and I'll be ready to play squash and do some aikido again :)
stop doing these things to yourself woman - scares the rest of us :-)
Good to hear from you again (despite the traumas) - I was worrying about you
LOL
xxxx
Good to hear from you again (despite the traumas) - I was worrying about you
LOL
xxxx
# posted by : 5:16 PM
: 5:16 PM
La french touch de la liste, la french copine !
Salut ma ptite choupette, je viens de lire ton dernier msg, et j'ai ri et pleuré pour toi... Vraiment pas de bol toi ! La reine des accidents !
J'espère que tu t'en remets quand même et que tes cours n'en patissent pas !
Moult bidoux fort et courage !
G.
Salut ma ptite choupette, je viens de lire ton dernier msg, et j'ai ri et pleuré pour toi... Vraiment pas de bol toi ! La reine des accidents !
J'espère que tu t'en remets quand même et que tes cours n'en patissent pas !
Moult bidoux fort et courage !
G.
you are a disaster area!!! At least you have someone to look after you now though... thank god!! LOL
Merry xmas
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Merry xmas
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