I DON'T HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM RIGHT NOW...SORRY.
A major election is over (thank God) and maybe now I can wean myself off the cable news channels.
Let's see, for the last eight months I have been concentrating on The Woodbridge Building, keeping it rented and all to cover the bills. I have had five weddings, lots of birthday parties, graduations, baby and wedding showers, and an assortment of other events. A few weeks ago, some workmen were doing some digging in my little town and accidently cut the gas lines, so the gas company rented it for their headquarters so they could work through the day and night. It gave them a place to work on their computers, use the bathrooms, and have a place to eat, and was located conveniently right next to the worksite. I had about twenty utility trucks in the parking lot.
That has been my saving grace to go into my office there, turn on the stereo, do bookwork, or clean and clear my mind. It's my happy place, don't ya know?
A bit of news for you all. I tripped on a curb and fell on October 17th, and, well . . . I broke my left leg! Crap! Almost two years to the date since I broke my right femur. Can you believe that? My femur snapped into even before I hit the ground. Hubby had just dropped my off so I wouldn't have to walk across the parking lot (don't tell anyone, but we were going into a casino), For some reason, I stubbed my left foot right into a parking lot curb and fell. As soon as I hit the ground, I started screaming for him to stop and come back, that I had broke my leg, again. He slammed on the breaks and got out. He had the most sick look on his face, like "Here we go again!!!!!". Management from the casino came out and got a bunch of info from us before the EMTs came and loaded my on a rack and put me on a stretcher. Please take note of the term "rack" because I will get back to that later.
Incredibly enough, I was not in horrible, screaming-my-head off pain. I just laid there and let them run me up to the local hospital. (Did I mention that said casino was a two hour drive from my home, and was in another state altogether?)
Okay, now I'm in the emergency room. They cut my clothes off and slipped my arms into a hospital gown to cover my front up. I had to ask them for a catheter, since I had learned from past experience, there was going to be little getting up and goin' on my own. They acted puzzled that I had even mentioned getting one, but they obliged. Hmmm Then the ER doctor came in, chatted, then informed me that there was no surgeon (Saturday) on duty. I would have to wait until the next morning. This is like six PM now. Okaaaay. Ewwww.
They took me to a room and dumped my into a bed. Yes, dumped! For some reason, I realized that I was kinda laying on a tilt, with my right side lower than my left. Whatever. They gave me a pain pill, a single glass of water and let me be. Sometime in the middle of the night (I wasn't able to sleep because of the pain now) when it occurred to me that I was laying on a steel rod which ran across my lower back. Reaching around, I realized that the EMTs had not taken myeoff the "rack", and I was velcroed to it by wide straps around each of my legs. Since I was kinda hanging there, the straps were cutting into my legs. The steel bar was crushing against my backside. I kept thinking that if it was cutting off the circulation back there, I might end up with some dead skin. I know, gross thought.
In the middle of the night, two young people who worked there, came in to check on me. I begged them for more water and then asked what they could do about the rack. Neither one knew anything about it. I also had to ask them to please cover my feet because they were freezing and bring me more water. Then they left. GRRR About eight AM, two more workers came in and I insisted that they get me off that darn thing. One girl commented that EMTs always took that contraption when they left. Well, between the two of them, they unlashed me and lifted me and my completely broken-in-two-pieces leg up and pulled it out from under me. I remember hollering "Oh Jesus!!" several times, but they got the job done. After wearing that thing for fourteen hours, I was finally free. I had the most horrific huge bruise on the inside on my left leg.
Then, some good news. They decided to take me into surgery around 10:30. All I wanted was for them to knock me out and shove that titanium rod in my leg and get it over with! Fortunately, the surgeon did a wonderful job, glued the deep incisions shut (last time I had big staples), and put me in my room bed while I was still knocked out, so I wouldn't have to feel the pain of being transferred again.. This is Sunday.
Sunday through Monday morning, I am doing fine. The pain pills are keeping me from hurting too much. I still had to keep asking for water. Then, as I am laying there, I realize that I have been wearing the same hospital gown for almost three days. And no one has offered to bring me a pan of water to wash my face and hands. No sponge baths, either. The gown smelled. When I asked, they got me fresh one. Then physical therapy wanted to see if I could walk down the hall with a walker. I asked for a bathrobe, since my whole backside was showing. They dug around until they finally found me another gown and just put it on me backwards.
Don't get me wrong, most of these people were very friendly. However, Hubby and I both noticed that, other than the surgical team, they all looked like they were seventeen years old. Two of them told me that they had just graduated. Anyway, the last day, a nurse named Amanda came in and took charge. Without asking, she grabbed a pair of hospital socks and put them on my freezing feet. Ya think? She was very thorough and helpful, but by that time, it was early evening, and they were discharging me.
I am doing much better now and will begin therapy soon.
So my tip to you, Dear Peeps, is this. If you decide to go to the casino, don't trip over the curb. It's not fun.
I will check back with you all soon.
NOTE: To sister Karen, I did put fall flowers quite a while ago on Mother and Dad's grave, and took a picture, but I can't locate my camera right now. Will publish it later. Come to think of it, I'll be needing to change them out for winter/Christmas flowers very soon.
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