The pain in my back and the mirror in front of me remind me of what happened on Friday afternoon. I was on my way to the airport, in St. Louis, MO, when the car accident took place. The driver picked me up from the hotel with a van at 2:30pm, I sat in the middle of the vehicle where there are only 2 seats and a sapce in between to allow people to go to the bench in the back. He drove within the speed limit, and reached the highway 70 west. Traffic was moving with no major issues and we were not yet far from the entrance, maybe 2-3miles or so, when I look out the window and I saw this old silver car spinning out of control.
It came in full force to my direction. Hit strongly on my side. Everything shut down and I see nothing. The impact threw me out of my seat and I opened my eyes. The car that hit us never stopped. He ran away.
The taxi cab spinned and now it faced the incoming traffic. Another car could come and hit us causing a major crash with worse consequences. Traffic was bad now and the driver called 911 immediately. Another cab from the same company was taking other passengers to the airport and the driver stopped to help his colleague and asked me if I wanted to continue the ride. I agreed to move to the other cab in the middle of all that mess but when I tried to move I realized I was hurt.
Forcing myself to get out of there and go home, I ignored the pain, the dizziness and got in the other cab right there, with cars passing by. The new driver probably could see that I wasn’t at my best and asked me if I wanted a wheelchair when we arrived at the airport. I agreed and asked for the police to report the incident. The police came but told me that the accident did not happen at the airport so they could not report it. It had to be in the jurisdiction where the accident happened and maybe I should not have left the scene.
I focused on the flight. Had to go home to see the baby. I would be ok then. The wheelchair support guy helped me in every step: through security, getting the computer in and out of the bag, passing the screening. By then I felt that my right side was huge, swollen, and I barely could touch it.
I am not a crier. I don’t do well with people crying around me for little or no reason, but now, in public, the tears were rolling down uncontrollably. I could not believe this was happening to me.
When we finally reached the gate C10, the Dallas flight was boarding, overbooked, and the next flight would be mine. The wheelchair support employee asked me to sit in one of the seats because he needed to take the wheelchair back to the company as his shift just ended. I tried to get out of the chair and at that point I no longer could move. I felt impotent. The American Airlines employee told me that since I was not in condition to move I would not be able to board and I should have the distressed area checked. He was right. As much as I hate to admit, I couldn’t move and now I felt my blood pressure hitting bottom. I was about to faint. They called the paramedics. I was put in a stretcher, taken to the emergency room, star of a show I cannot stand.
Inside the ambulance the paramedics was trying to convince me to put the IV and I strongly refused. My blood pressure was 84 by 60. Had to sign that I refused the IV. Well, I don’t do needles. Period.
When I arrived at the emergency room, by 4:30pm, I realized that I would not be able to be seen and get the flight, so I called my boss and wrote to my dear DS friend because I knew I needed help.
My boss called all over and she arranged a hotel for me to stay and rebooked my flight.
My loving DS friend WDSpirit1 called out for what I needed most: prayers and support because there wasn’t much more that could be done at that point. He started a around the time I started to feel better and a switch happened. Humor came to play.
After I returned from the bathroom, the nurse told me that I needed to have a pregnancy test. I started to laugh…
“What?”
“I’m sorry but it is hospital policy. Any women between the age of 13 to 50 needs to have a pregnancy test. “
“you have my date of birth in my bracelet” I replied. I am a month short of 49 and I can guarantee that NOTHING is happening”. “I just came back from the bathroom so I can not give you right away an urine sample”
“can we take blood?”
“no, you can give me a gallon of water and maybe a diuretic… “
“ok… but it will delay the x-ray”
I probably had 2 gallons of water but no desire to visit the bathroom again. By midnight the doctor came back to talk to me and I reasoned with her. I could not have the sample for the pregnancy test but I would sign any paper stating responsibility that I was not pregnant. OMG!!!!
She finally called the x-ray team to pick me up. It was a miracle that nothing was broken but if the impact would have been within millimeters, I could have broken some ribs, had kidney issues and more.
I was released. Went to the hotel using wheelchairs all along. Was taken to my room, in the car, at the airport. Now I am in Miami, at home, and brought back from St. Louis this souvenir: Rose, the huge temporary tattoo.
WD – thank you for being part of my life before, during and after such moment of distress. You are a wonderful man, a caring and loving friend, and you have so much to offer. I don’t know what will happen from here. There is a trip to DC scheduled for next Monday, 7/26, but not I am afraid I might not be able to make it. Today I know I cannot drive and it kills me inside.
To my dear DS friends, Geo, Dresden, Z, and all who sent me messages and hugs, prayers and good vibes, thank you so much for the strength you give me every day. I trully believe that I will feel better soon because I know, even from a distance, I am not alone.
It came in full force to my direction. Hit strongly on my side. Everything shut down and I see nothing. The impact threw me out of my seat and I opened my eyes. The car that hit us never stopped. He ran away.
The taxi cab spinned and now it faced the incoming traffic. Another car could come and hit us causing a major crash with worse consequences. Traffic was bad now and the driver called 911 immediately. Another cab from the same company was taking other passengers to the airport and the driver stopped to help his colleague and asked me if I wanted to continue the ride. I agreed to move to the other cab in the middle of all that mess but when I tried to move I realized I was hurt.
Forcing myself to get out of there and go home, I ignored the pain, the dizziness and got in the other cab right there, with cars passing by. The new driver probably could see that I wasn’t at my best and asked me if I wanted a wheelchair when we arrived at the airport. I agreed and asked for the police to report the incident. The police came but told me that the accident did not happen at the airport so they could not report it. It had to be in the jurisdiction where the accident happened and maybe I should not have left the scene.
I focused on the flight. Had to go home to see the baby. I would be ok then. The wheelchair support guy helped me in every step: through security, getting the computer in and out of the bag, passing the screening. By then I felt that my right side was huge, swollen, and I barely could touch it.
I am not a crier. I don’t do well with people crying around me for little or no reason, but now, in public, the tears were rolling down uncontrollably. I could not believe this was happening to me.
When we finally reached the gate C10, the Dallas flight was boarding, overbooked, and the next flight would be mine. The wheelchair support employee asked me to sit in one of the seats because he needed to take the wheelchair back to the company as his shift just ended. I tried to get out of the chair and at that point I no longer could move. I felt impotent. The American Airlines employee told me that since I was not in condition to move I would not be able to board and I should have the distressed area checked. He was right. As much as I hate to admit, I couldn’t move and now I felt my blood pressure hitting bottom. I was about to faint. They called the paramedics. I was put in a stretcher, taken to the emergency room, star of a show I cannot stand.
Inside the ambulance the paramedics was trying to convince me to put the IV and I strongly refused. My blood pressure was 84 by 60. Had to sign that I refused the IV. Well, I don’t do needles. Period.
When I arrived at the emergency room, by 4:30pm, I realized that I would not be able to be seen and get the flight, so I called my boss and wrote to my dear DS friend because I knew I needed help.
My boss called all over and she arranged a hotel for me to stay and rebooked my flight.
My loving DS friend WDSpirit1 called out for what I needed most: prayers and support because there wasn’t much more that could be done at that point. He started a around the time I started to feel better and a switch happened. Humor came to play.
After I returned from the bathroom, the nurse told me that I needed to have a pregnancy test. I started to laugh…
“What?”
“I’m sorry but it is hospital policy. Any women between the age of 13 to 50 needs to have a pregnancy test. “
“you have my date of birth in my bracelet” I replied. I am a month short of 49 and I can guarantee that NOTHING is happening”. “I just came back from the bathroom so I can not give you right away an urine sample”
“can we take blood?”
“no, you can give me a gallon of water and maybe a diuretic… “
“ok… but it will delay the x-ray”
I probably had 2 gallons of water but no desire to visit the bathroom again. By midnight the doctor came back to talk to me and I reasoned with her. I could not have the sample for the pregnancy test but I would sign any paper stating responsibility that I was not pregnant. OMG!!!!
She finally called the x-ray team to pick me up. It was a miracle that nothing was broken but if the impact would have been within millimeters, I could have broken some ribs, had kidney issues and more.
I was released. Went to the hotel using wheelchairs all along. Was taken to my room, in the car, at the airport. Now I am in Miami, at home, and brought back from St. Louis this souvenir: Rose, the huge temporary tattoo.
WD – thank you for being part of my life before, during and after such moment of distress. You are a wonderful man, a caring and loving friend, and you have so much to offer. I don’t know what will happen from here. There is a trip to DC scheduled for next Monday, 7/26, but not I am afraid I might not be able to make it. Today I know I cannot drive and it kills me inside.
To my dear DS friends, Geo, Dresden, Z, and all who sent me messages and hugs, prayers and good vibes, thank you so much for the strength you give me every day. I trully believe that I will feel better soon because I know, even from a distance, I am not alone.
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