Monday 7th February 2022
Better an oops than a what if!
Sneezing is a truly memorable experience! Well it is when you've got a couple of broken ribs anyways, I've always been a fan of a good sneeze until the last few days and now not so much!
This time last week, I woke up and the weather was a bit grim, it was wet and I remember thinking ooo we won't be able to go longboarding and I can relax all day. We'd gone to check out Dartmouth park, Wednesbury the day before and had a lovely half hour boarding on the smooth wide paths which were just the right steepness for us to play safely - HUH little did I know.
It had dried up when the man child surfaced earlier than he normally does and he was ready to go before you knew, by then I was okay with going and half hour later we're on the car park, half hour after that, I'm unconscious...
All I remember is choosing to go down the steeper path that we'd steered clear of the day before because the park was full, I felt my board getting faster and faster, then starting to wobble, me trying to get my balance back, then...... nothing until I opened my eyes to Aryn stood over me asking if I was okay. I managed to get up, apparently someone gave me a bottle of water and I made my way to a bench where I said I'd be okay in a few minutes, which then changed to 'give me half hour'. At this point Aryn didn't give up until I allowed him to call 999, they asked questions and said because I'd managed to get up and I was breathing, they wouldn't send an ambulance but would get a paramedic to call us back immediately (mmm that didn't happen!) We slowly made our way back to the car park, I was in agony, blood running down my neck, basically feeling crappy.
I struggled to get in my car just so I could sit, heck that hurt, who knew sitting down could hurt so much, I knew the A&E was only 3 minutes away because I'd joked on the way in when we passed it, that at least the hospital was close if we needed it, mmm little did I know.
Anyway we waited and no phone call, I was about to call a taxi, no way could I drive when a car with two lads pulled onto the car park so I went and asked if they'd give us a lift to the hospital which they did thankfully. As we pulled on the car park Aryn tells me the paramedics called us, I'd completely forgotten about that until he told me the next day.
Triage at noon told me that because I'd been knocked out I had to stay there otherwise they'd have sent me to minor injuries because even if I had broken my ribs there was no treatment, she said my stats were okay so she wasn't worried and they'd redo my obs in 2 hours. half hour later my head had started bleeding again so Aryn made me go tell someone, I ended up back with the triage nurse who said she wanted a doctor to look at it so she wouldn't glue it and wrapped a bandage round my head instead. It was gone 5 when I finally saw someone else, thankfully I'd managed to get Aryn taken home, I couldn't speak to anyone as my phone signal was only strong enough to send messages so now Daragh is working away in Leeds stressing because he doesn't know what's happening, he's saying 'I'll come home', I'm telling him not to there's no point, he can't do anything and my battery life on my phone is going down every time I send a message.
The doctor examines me, looks at me with that 'how old are you, you should know better woman' face and tells me I need my head gluing, maybe stitching and that he wants me xrayed because he believes I've cracked my ribs. They're crazy busy and someone is looking for a bed for a patient so I offer to sit on a chair in the corridor as I can't lie down anyway. The xray is painful, they ask me to take my bra off, it's one of those you lift over your head, not a chance, I say cut it off, they apparently can't so I ask for scissors to cut it off myself. Doctor confirms 2 of my ribs are knackered and he wants a CT scan because he's concerned they're facing my lung and he wants to make sure they're not going to puncture it and he may keep me in 1 or 2 days so wants a catheter putting in my arm.
It's gone 9 when he comes and tells me the lung is safe and I ask if I can go home to which he replies, 'only if you can cope with the pain', I'm thinking I'd rather be in pain at home than on a ward, so he agrees to let me go with a prescription for painkillers.
Vicky picked me up after ten and when we got back she helped me undress and put pjs on, I've never been so glad to be home.
The rest of the weeks been painful, the first few days was painkiller sleep induced, not much else, poor Aryn has had a cough and a cold for the last few days and I've been sneezing with a snotty nose for the last couple of days too, probably picked up at hospital although thankfully not covid. My body wants to cough but I can't bear the thought of that on top of sneezing which hurts like a bitch.
Sleeping on a settee sucks at the best of times, but in pain sitting up it's no fun at all. I didn't like what the prescribed painkillers were doing to my head, so I stopped taking them Thursday and I'm just taking paracetamol and ibuprofen, I'd rather the pain that the odd feelings in my head. My head really hurt for a good few days but the painkillers are keeping it at bay now, my whole body hurt, I must have bounced I reckon cos my face was all grazed, my left shoulder blade hurts like a bitch, doc thinks my board broke my ribs, then my right leg really hurts at the top, oh and my lower back lol, yeah the longboard has been retired for me forever!
Aryn's been golden all week asking me if I needed anything, Daragh took over when he got back Friday night, I've been truly looked after. I'm still in a lot of pain and discomfort but nothing like I was last Monday/Tuesday, so that's great.
We've also got Aryn's new school confirmed so he can make a new friend and they can use my board ;) but they'll have helmets and pads on them, I'm actually thinking body armour, I had a padded jacket on but it didn't stop the ribs breaking, having said that Aryn's more sensible than me, he did tell me not to go down that hill!
I didn't eat much last week and I didn't drink at all but I enjoyed my food again this weekend, a lovely chicken dinner yesterday and I was finally allowed a glass of red last night, he didn't think I should take drugs and drink, but I'm only on paracetamol now so that was my justification, plus it's a week since the bang on the head, I did enjoy it but it didn't really help me sleep like I'd hoped. I miss my bed, I miss lying down, but I also miss my work wife and my members.
I need to make an appointment to have the stitch removed from my head, they put one in to hold it together to glue because it wouldn't have stayed in place without. How lucky was I when you think about it... VERY... and very grateful for all the wonderful people in my life.
What a difference a year makes, this time last year mom was poorly and she was taken into hospital on Valentines day, let's hope this years is more romantic although with these ribs it ain't gonna be very sexy lol, oh well, there's the rest of the year to enjoy once I'm well. I can't wait for the sunshine, days out and weekends away, holidays, all those things I haven't done for the last decade.
I really need to renew my passport and get Aryn his first so we can all have fun together.
Right here's to a day of trying to get comfortable and taking painkillers every four hours! Leftover chicken with some salad on the menu today I think, I've not even thought about the scales, they will say whatever they do and I will get my healthy on again, but replace longboarding with walking!
Mwah, luv ya
Love me xx