So...here's how my morning was supposed to go: wake up, get kids ready for school, eat breakfast, pack bag for the gym, grab stuff for Cameron's playgroup Easter get-together and head out.
Instead.....woke up to a wet bed because one of my kids peed it, was late getting moving, threw all three kids in the shower to get the pee smell off of them, threw together lunch for Alexander & Bella and got them out the door. Got Cameron dressed and stepped out into the garage to grab a dozen Easter Eggs.....
So, in the garage I have this old breakfast stool. It's in the garage because it's broken. It still swivels, but some of the bolts came out and it tips if you lean over in it. This is what I used to stand on (can you see where this is going?).
I stood on the stool (like I have before) and reached the top shelf to get eggs out of the box. I put them in the bag. I squatted on the stool and held on with the other hand for balance and leaned over so I could jump off. The stool instead completely tilted over and catapaulted me face-first onto the concrete of the garage. Holy Crap it hurt worse than it sounds.
I stood up and had blood gushing out of my nose and mouth and my head was killing me. I was pretty sure my brain was expanding against my fractured skull as I was standing there. But, I have Cameron in the house and I'm only wearing a nightgown and have to get inside to be with him.
I somehow stagger up and wander into the house holding my hand over my face to catch as much blood as I can and get to the kitchen. I grab an ice pack and hold it over my face and then sit on the couch to assess what's happening. Cameron climbs onto the couch and just sits there looking at me. My face is hurting soooo badly and I'm pretty sure it's broken. Yes, my whole face is broken - I can feel it. My teeth hurt, my nose hurt and there is a LOT of blood.
So, I call the gym to cancel my appointment. Don't ask. I just knew I was supposed to be there at 8:30 and was clearly not making it. I think my message to the desk was, "tell Doug I won't be there I hurt myself. I really hurt."
Then, I called my mother-in-law and asked where she was and if she could come. I think I started babbling incoherently because she was getting a little nervous on the phone. I also think the ice pack was laying against my nose and mouth and my lips were swelling so that didn't help either.
I kept saying I hurt, there's lots of blood. She asked if she needed to call 911 and I said I didn't think so but when can she be there it really hurts and I"m so tired.
She said Ray (my father-in-law) is on his way. Then she said to hang up so she can call 911. About 3 minutes went by and I called her again. I needed to talk to someone so I wouldn't pass out I think. I felt woozy and I hurt and I was really freaking out.
Before I called her I had to go to the laundry room and hold the ice pack over my face with one hand and put underwear on with the other because there is no way the paramedics are coming in and seeing me without it on. It's bad enough I'm wearing a nightgown I wouldn't normally wear that I'm practically falling out of the top of. Which I'm pretty sure is now ruined with all the blood that's dripped onto it.
I went back to the couch and the paramedics arrived and I started babbling and crying and being a mess. They really hold it together well. I kept try to look through my blood-spattered glasses to see if I recognized any of them. I kept thinking, "please don't let any of them be a husband of someone I know..." There were so many of them. I swear it had to be about 8.
They checked me out and it of course freaked me out more. One asked me to wipe my tongue in my mouth to make sure my teeth were all there. Oh My God - I might have lost a tooth?? Breathe, feel with tongue, breathe. I'm okay.
Wiggle your toes. Oh My God...I might have done something to my back? Breathe, wiggle, breathe. I'm okay.
They squeezed my head and said they didn't feel swelling or divots or whatever. I was pretty sure it's because it was internal bleeding and they couldn't tell.
They felt up my spine and kept asking if anything hurt. No - that was good.
I kept babbling that I was either going to throw up or I was hungry, I wasn't sure. No, really I think I"m going to throw up. Wait, I'm really hungry. I couldn't even figure out what my body was feeling I was so out of it.
I noticed my leg was bleeding and started to feel pain in my legs and it appears I took out a small chunk on one shin and have a few scrapes on the other.
Then, he checked my face. My lips are really swollen and it looks like they cushioned my teeth nicely. I can't sip water because they are swollen and raw and I can't use a straw because I can't move my mouth that small.
He pushed my nose a little and that REALLY hurt. Pretty sure that's broken, but it could just be bruised.
Then, they put a collar on me and completely strapped me down to a board. Not comfortable. My head was killing me and I just felt so dang stupid for doing it in the first place. I think I babbled about someone needing to tell Jill that I can't get the kids today and they told me that was 6 hours from now and we'll deal with that later.
They started to wheel me out and decided to pull the blankets all the way over my head so the rain would stay off me. All I could think is that if anyone drives by, I look like a dead body being wheeled out of the house. Oh my goodness.
Meanwhile my father-in-law had arrived and was watching Cameron so they could take me to the hospital.
My mother in law was going to meet me there and she had contacted my mom at school and told her that I took a bad fall and was heading to the hospital in the ambulance and was incoherent. My mom got a little freaked, told her class to say the Hail Mary and the Principal told her to head to the hospital for as long as she needed.
We eventually got to the hospital and I got seen rather quickly, as opposed to walking into the ER and waiting for 5 hours. So, that was good.
However, before I left the paramedic mentioned that I might just have a bloody nose and could be fine. Which got me more upset that I did something so dang stupid, caused all this worry, had 8 paramedics and firefighters at my house and was taken to the ER in an ambulance because of a bloody nose. Can you imagine?
They did an xray on my chest and neck to check for broken bones and then they did a cat scan on my face and head.
They came back and told me I have a non-displaced broken nose. So...I look like I was hit by a truck or in a bar fight, but at least it's not as bad as it could be. Trust me, I ran through the scenarios...
What if I passed out in a pool of blood on my garage floor and Cameron got into gosh knows what before being discovered?
What if I landed on any one of the millions of things in the garage like the band saw, metal rake or whatever?
What if I cracked my skull and had a swollen brain?
But no...just a broken nose, fat lip, sore teeth, contusions up and down my legs, chunk of skin missing from my shin, horrible headache, sore shoulders, achy neck and feeling of stupidity mixed with relief.
My mom stayed with me at the hospital and my mother in law stayed at the house to clean up the blood and watch Cameron.
Mom took me home and headed back to work and my mother in law is with me until she comes back to stay overnight.
So much for the rest of my day...no gym, no playgroup easter get together, Alexander will need to find another way to get to soccer practice, Cameron will need to find another way to gymnastics in the morning and on and on.
I'm taking a break, a breath and saying a prayer it wasn't so much worse.
One of my neighbors (Melissa M) brought by a lasagna, salad, bread and cookies for dinner tonight and I've gotten lots of calls/emails/messages of concern so that's wonderful. I'm very grateful I have such wonderful friends and family that live nearby to help take care of me in my lapses of judgement.
My friend Denise said I should've taken a picture when my face was all bloody and messed up. I didn't. I could attach one now, but I'm not sure how it would come across? Alright, I took one of myself and I must say....I've had better days!
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