Time for healing

Hello everyone!

I am happy to report I am back in the welcoming arms of North Valley Hospital, here in Whitefish Montana. For those of you who are close and would like to visit, then come and see me sometime in room #120.  I am pretty much just lying around for most of the day.  Occasionally I'll have to do some work related stuff, but I generally have large portions of the day where I am able to complete whatever is necessary.  I also have a Scrabble board on hand; so if time allows, we can even battle.


There is a large sense of relief with me, particularly with regards to being back in North Valley Hospital.  I finally feel like I can actually begin healing.  My body, of course, has been busy healing for some time now, yet my mind also suffered a decent amount of trauma.  Most of this mental trauma likely occurred during the multiple methods of transport I endured between Whitefish and Spokane.  The story of the plane ride from WF to Spokane has been revealed on a previous blog post.  What I am about to tell you is the details from the four and one-half hour ambulance ride from Spokane to Whitefish.

My trip began with the thoughtful and considerate notification that I would be leaving in less than 15 minutes for Whitefish.  I hadn't even gotten full confirmation that it was going to happen that day.  The last I heard is that I had been cleared to be transported back and someone would be in touch to coordinate my departure.  Next thing I know a nurse is walking into the room and packing my stuff.  I had a few bags of things, mostly foods and teas, computer, books, etc., so it took all the 15 minutes to get everything packed and accounted for.  It was 1:45pm on Saturday afternoon and I had yet to eat anything substantial up to that point.  I was in no condition to travel at that moment, as I wanted to eat food, hydrate, and execute a few other necessary functions.  The ambulance drivers were ready to hit the road immediately upon arrival.  And just like that, I was placed into their padded ambulance bed and wheeled downstairs and outside.

I was very happy to leave Sacred Heart.  I knew that once I made it back to Whitefish, I would be in better spirits and much happier overall.  When we exited the hospital it was the first time I had been outside since my brief transfer on the way over.  I noticed how the air felt crisp and cool, as if the air tasted like a freshly picked, early morning cucumber.  I reveled in the way my skin felt familiar and at home with the cool air caressing my pores.  The color in the sky allowed my eyes to daze in wonder at the brilliant blue that painted the view.  This moment was brief, yet unforgettable.  I was cast quickly back to reality and the increasing disparity of the situation, when I began to inquire about my access to pain medication and the plan to deal with it while traveling.  My main concern was my level of comfort throughout the journey.  I had been assured, prior to leaving, by the hospital staff that I would be taken care of and would likely be bringing oral medication (i.e. Norcos) to help alleviate the pain and that IV medicine would be on board to assist with immediate comfort, if needed.  The ambulance crew explained they had fentanyl (similar to morphine), but they did not have very much of it and that it wouldn't really last that long.  They then proceeded to tell me that most people are pretty weak in general, so that if I could stay strong and only ask for the medicine if I really needed it, that it would help us get there quicker and the whole situation in general.  You can imagine my confusion at this point.  I explained my situation with the hospital and asked if we could go back in and grab a Norco for the ride, because it had been a few hours since the one before.  The crew mentioned that I was already discharged, so that might be more trouble than its worth.

I was a little surprised at this, albeit slightly ticked off, yet I wanted to get going.  So I chose not to push the issue any further.  Come to find out only one of the EMT's could actually administer the medicine, because of the different levels of being an EMT or whatever that means.  That may have been the reason they wanted to limit the pain medication, because the only guy who could give it wanted to drive.  I was also eager to hit the road, so they got me strapped in and we were about to leave when some people arrived at the back door of the ambulance.  It was two of my former culinary arts students, Melanie Chapel and Sean Mazur!!  They had been living in Spokane and heard about the accident and wanted to visit.  It was great to see them and start my journey that way :)  I was really happy to chat with them, if only for a few minutes, and see how well they were doing.  They brought me a croissant and a salted caramel margeline from the place where Melanie works, "Madelines".  How nice it was to eat such wonderful treats!  I saved them for my return, when I had time to savor each bite.  I said goodbye to Melanie and Sean as the door closed and the ambulance drove away.

I knew right away it was going to be a long haul.  The two main reasons, each standing out like normally dressed people at a costume party, were: the ambulance was already bumping (we were still in Spokane), and the EMT riding in the back with me was cuckoo.  I still remained optimistic about the journey at this point, even though said EMT was annoying me with his pestering questions and pointless stories.  The sunlight was beautiful and I loved the idea of moving after being laid up in a room for so long.  But that damn nuisance was right there, grabbing my arm and placing in on his leg while checking my blood pressure.  WTF is up with that?  I kept trying to keep my arm at my side, like I normally do when nurses are checking blood pressure, but this guy would grab my arm.  I thought he was hitting on me.  I think I might have confirmed he was hitting on me when we stopped, at Lookout pass, so I could pee in the "don't drink that" water bottle.  When the EMT just sat there, next to me, I made sure I covered up good and just did what I could to release 600 cc (20oz) from my bladder and handed it to him.

I was in fairly significant pain at this point and asked for the pain medication.  My IV receptacle that I had in my arm was no longer able to receive fluids, which we soon discovered, so instead of replacing that IV base, they decided to just shoot the fentanyl in my shoulder.  So now I am getting a shot of pain medication and my shoulder begins to convulse, the muscles freak out at this new substance and immediately dance, the EMT administering the shot began massage the muscles until they relaxed.  Thankfully it wasn't the cuckoo EMT, although I am sure he was a little jealous at that point.  Most of my pain was coming from my sit bones, my ass, and my lower back.  The ambulance bed was not extremely comfortable, it reminded me more of an amusement park seat than a patient care type vessel.  If the ambulance was a theme park ride, then the thrill was to endure the experience.  I discovered a great way to endure this challenge, I fell asleep.

Gone was the EMT while I was asleep.  I was free to dream and relax until being jolted awake and reminded that I am in a uncomfortable ambulance ride with a nutcase next to me.  The guy had good intentions, he just wanted them to be known a little too much- by any means necessary.  I remember when I had just about fallen asleep and he was busy talking.  Then he says "Are you sleeping?  Oh wait, I think you might be sleeping.  Well, I'll just ask you later then."

By the time we made it back to North Valley, I was once again totally scarred from a traumatic transportation trip.  As soon as we walked in I was greeted with familiar faces, smiles, and warm regards.  It was good to be back!  I laughed when North Valley said "We were expecting you tomorrow!"  'Of course, you were, of course, I mean, its not like the hospital was going to call you and inform you I left today, why would they do that?'  Typical, typical of my experience in Spokane.  Thankfully North Valley has their stuff together and was quickly able to accommodate the ball dropping by Sacred Heart.  When I saw the walls, the trim, the carpet, the hardwood floors, the paintings, and the content staff all around me, I smiled and realized I can begin healing now.

My first night back was great, I was so tired from the journey I didn't spend too much time awake.  I did enjoy seeing Carmen (one of the nurses) again and was so excited to know I was in good hands.  Saturday night and Sunday night have been my two best nights of rest since the accident!  I can actually sleep for more than 3 hours at a time now :)  I am confident I will get plenty of rest tonight too.  Yesterday (Sunday) was a wonderful day, beginning with a colorful sunrise over the Columbia Mtn Range and a morning visit from my friend Stephenie.  Later that day my family also came by and visited for a while.  We all agreed how much we appreciate being at North Valley.

My movement is tremendous now.  I can sit up in bed by myself, boost up to standing in a walker, pivot on my left leg and transfer to a wheelchair (yippee!), and then from there can actually find really cool places- like the bathroom for instance.  Its a pretty big deal, getting up and moving around, and its something I am doing a couple times a day for some movement.  But to have a good range of movement with a decent amount of upper body strength has helped my progress immensely.  The biggest issue I have right now is intense pain in my sit bones, my ass, my lower back, and my hips.  I keep trying to pinpoint the problem and why that its happening, saying things such as:  'oh it must be from the ambulance ride, i am just sore from laying in bed, maybe its the way I slept last night, or all that time I spent in the wheelchair'.  What is really hilarious is what others will say when they here this, "or its because you just fractured both pelvis and several vertebrae".  Oh yeah, I guess it could come from that also :)

The news came by today to film a small segment on my recovery process.  It was the local NBC affiliate and the piece aired on the 5pm news.  I actually wanted the interview to happen tomorrow, as I was hoping to "bulk" up a little more.  Two of my favorite nurses both mentioned, as soon as I got back to North Valley, "wow you have lost some weight!  What did they do to you in Spokane?"  I actually have been eating a lot since being back in Whitefish, it makes me feel like myself again.  Anyway here is a link to the story that aired tonight:

http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/26945839/detail.html

Here is the video:

http://www.nbcmontana.com/video/26945728/index.html

Today was a great day.  Full of visits with friends and families, a couple games of Scrabble, some tasty dinner, all in all a way to celebrate President's day in style (does anyone actually celebrate this holiday?).  My room is full of flowers again, colorful tulips, orchids, blends, and lilies.  Its good to be back here.  I'm not sure how long I'll remain, but I do know that I am happy to be here.  I believe in the healing process and can't wait to learn more about myself.

Thanks for staying connected :)  Here are a few photos from the penguin plunge from Whitefish Winter Carnival in early February

(first pic looks like I am having second thoughts..)

 By the way, the penguin plunge was awesome!  I would definitely do again!  It might have to be a sunny day, however, as I can't even imagine a windy, cold, overcast day..  Yikes!

Enjoy, with love,
andouille