By Jesse
Some of you know the short of how I
earned my crutches, but this the long firsthand version with 1351 words and 7
paragraph. So after reading this you
will know the long and short of the whole story.
We were on vacation last week 5/26-30 in
Alabama, camping at Desoto State Park.
Monday we set up camp. Tuesday we
hiked and did some rock climbing (we use ropes and harnesses for safety). Wednesday we went to Cherokee Rock Village
and did some more rock climbing. After
that we went to Blue Hole, a very clear swimming hole along a river down there,
and swam a while. Thursday we went to
Desoto Falls where we tried fishing and ate lunch; then we headed back to camp and
dad and the three oldest went mountain biking; when we got back we went
swimming at the pool. Friday we went
back to Cherokee Rock Village to do some more rock climbing, then it happened…
A little before one o’clock PM I
had made it to the top of a 40’ to 50’ climb and was being let down by someone
I’ll call “J” (because his/her name starts with J) at approx. 15’ from the
ground J lost control and I dropped the remaining distance to the ground. I don’t remember the fall but the next thing
I remember is lying on the ground in excruciating pain gasping for air. Dad and Mom ran over and helped me up, still
gasping I asked for a chair which was immediately brought and with the help of
Mom and Dad I sat down. The pain level
was 8 to 9 (on a scale of 0 to 10) my chest, hip, and ankle all hurt on my
right side. I sat in pain until
everything was cleaned up, then Dad and Mom carried me to the van. When we came to the first hospital we didn’t
see an emergency room so we asked someone if it was a hospital, it was a mental
hospital, OOPS!!! The guy told us of a
different hospital.
One hour after the accident we
arrived at the Gadsden Regional Medical Center ER. Dad went in and got a wheelchair for me and
after helping me into it he brought me in.
We waited I don’t know how long until they called my name and we went
back to a small room where they asked a few questions, then we went back to the
waiting room. Awhile later we went back
to the small room where a nurse got me a gown then went out while I changed. A little bit later she came back in to
examine me, thankfully my ankle was just scraped, and my chest was just
bruised. After the examination another
woman came in and asked about insurance for a little bit. Then I went back to get x-rays after they got
the x-rays they put me in a hospital bed and brought me back to the small
room. A little while later some nurses
came in and told us the room we were in was a short time room and they were
going to move me to hall F, where I was right across from a door that was
labeled nourishment, my belly told me I was at the right place but the nurses
said I couldn’t eat because I might need surgery.
I don’t know how many hour(s) later
they took me upstairs for a C.A.T. scan.
They diagnosed me with a broken pelvis.
After the scan I was taken back to the hall where all was good until I
had to use the restroom. Two problems,
one, I couldn’t get up (they weren’t going to let me get up either), and two I
was in a hall where there were people constantly walking by. I don’t think you’re supposed to improvise in
a hospital but we did it anyway. They
put a curtain thingy at the side of my bed opposite the wall and two people
held sheets at the head and foot of my bed while I did my business. At about eleven o’clock PM they told us I
needed to go to a different hospital where there was a doctor who could work on
pelvises. Then for the journey they gave
me an IV. A little after midnight the
ambulance arrived to take me to the other hospital I was put in the back, and
mom got to ride in the front by the driver (where I wanted to be). After I got settled I prayed until I fell
asleep.
We arrived at the University of Alabama Trauma center in
Birmingham at one o’clock AM where they put me in a sterile looking room, on a
sterile board that was supposed to be a bed.
Where they took blood samples, my watch, and my socks, and if that
wasn’t bad enough they put this uncomfortable neck brace on me “just in case I
had hurt my neck in the fall” (it was twelve hours after the fall). They got more x-rays, then took me upstairs
for more C.A.T. scans. When we got back
down stairs they gave me some medicine that would relax me. Several hours later they finally got the
results from the C.A.T. scans which proved I didn’t need the neck brace so they
took the brace off and removed the board from underneath me which allowed me to
settle down into a soft bed. Then a
nurse came over and asked me “what year is it?” I joked “2017” She said “guess
again” I gave her the correct answer then she asked me what my name was, who
the president was, etc. just to see if I was in my right mind. A little while later they came in and told me
they were going to take me upstairs to a private room where I would wait to
find out if I needed surgery.
When we got up to the room the transport wished me good luck
on getting a cute nurse (it didn’t happen).
When the nurse came in she asked me the usual questions (whether I have
had drugs, or smoked etc.). Somehow a
rumor had gotten around that I had walked into the emergency room so several
nurses came in asking whether I had really walked into the ER with a broken
pelvic bone. In a little bit mom came up
and got settled on the window seat then took a nap while I watched TV shows
like Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. The
nurse came in after a while to tell me that I could finally eat and to give me
a menu. Several hours after I had
breakfast a physical therapist came in with a walker to teach me how to
walk. I walked about fifty feet down the
hall then turned around and walked back.
I did well with the walker so he told me he would get me crutches and
they would be up in a half hour. An hour
or so later I was being taken to get x-rays when we met Alisa McCool (my mom’s
cousin who lives in Birmingham) at the door.
I went to get the x-rays (to make sure everything was OK for me to get
discharged). When we got back Alisa said
hi to me and gave me her condolences then Alisa and mom talked for several
hours. During that time the doctor came
in and told us I was going to be discharged so we told them we haven’t got the
crutches yet. A little bit later they
brought a pair of crutches in and set them by the wall. I don’t know when Alisa left but a little
while after she left I fell asleep. When
I woke up dad and the rest of my siblings were there making themselves at home. In a little bit the physical therapist came
in and taught me how to use the crutches with that done they were ready to
evict me. The nurse brought the eviction
papers and gave me some pain killer for the trip home. At four o’clock PM we were finally discharged
so we high tailed it home. Around
midnight we stopped at a Walmart parking lot for a few hours then hit the road
again to arrive home at seven o’clock.
