08/22/2023
22/8/23 journal I was doing great until Fri 18 and the jaw pain was overwhelming. I had hit it with all the drugs I could when suddenly it hit like a taser. I jumped up ( leaving my phone behind) to get to the freezer for an ice pack. I have square tea bottles that I keep frozen for my face. Sat in the kitchen by the frig with ice pack freezing my jaw as I ate cottage cheese that I had mix in peanut butter powder. Surprised it not only went down easily but it tasted like candy. Had some 2% milk and decided my jaw was frozen enough that I could go check for packages at the door.
No packages however I became weak and my knees bent straight down as I all most fell out the door ( a four foot drop) so as I fell I pushed back on the door frame. Now I was flat in the floor, a position I have not been able change without help for over 20 years due to the MS. I was not sure of the time just late Friday/early Saturday morning.
I tried everything to get my phone to call for help. Had a new pack of clothes pins and duct tape with in reach but no reacher. Duct taped clothes pin top sticks I was saving to use in garden. Now I could ”reach” the charger cord for the phone. Got the cord but the phone was trapped beside a 3 drawer plastic stand. I tore out a protein drink box for the phone to fall in. Found another stick to tape a clothes pin too to knock it in the box and folded six foot of duct tape to pull the box to me. I have been called Mrs . MacGyver at work, this was bringing back a lot of memories, I felt like Mrs MacGyver. Had to get myself out of this. Jon had no reason to be back until I called him with a work request! The phone was working so he would know the WiFi wasn’t the problem. No reason to show up. No one else has been here in years except DHHR, home health people etc and all those cases are now closed. CCIL was on monthly calls to see how I was doing lol if it got any worse I would have to be dead. Almost got there but God performed another medical miracle. So I had to get me out of this fall and I didn’t have all the supplies I had with the last fall. This box trick had to work! I was so sure it would. Threw the box several times to get it into position. Yes right under the phone. Took a long stick and knocked it off the drawer. Instead of going in the box it bounced off into the floor where I couldn’t see it! I was totally devastated! I dropped into total depression. I was banging SOS out in Morse Code ( the only thing I can do with Morse Code, three short ones for S and three long ones for O then three short ones for s again. Only one person might know Morse Code, the guy who lives down the hill from me was in the Navy. The knocking sounded so muted, thought it was my hearing which gets bad with the jaw pain. Later as I was being loaded into the ambulance I would see why. Four large boxes were stacked against the door! Medical supplies that would muffle my knocking out SOS. I took a stick to my outside light switch which could be moved up and down quickly. Didn’t think to try to send an SOS. Duh! A man below me is deaf so I tired the light off and on at a rapid rate, an emergency call for the deaf! But no results. I have my windows blacked out due to photophobia and neighbors on hill with the higher elevation could see in. I didn’t know if it was day or night. No clock insight, become dependent on my phone! No phone, no light from the outside, no way of knowing how many days had past. TV had shut it’s self off I assume when I didn’t respond to the question “Are you still watching?”or maybe it is ”Are you still there”?.
I kept switching the outside light off and on even though my shoulders were hurting. Bad when you live at the top & end of access road! One house beyond me and he doesn’t have much traffic.
Then suddenly I heard voices outside but couldn’t understand a word they were saying! I couldn’t yell my usual volume. Managed to get out I had fallen, couldn’t get up, my head was against the door, could you try to come in the back door! Had no ideal who it was & didn’t care, things couldn’t get much worse.
Jon had put up a shower curtain in the hallway to help keep the a/c in the area I stay in. I saw a head peep through the curtain then a body, big dude but I couldn’t tell who he was so far away. So I was blunt and asked with my jaw open “Who are you?” He told me James Blackburn (a neighbor with a house in between us). House here are far apart. I mean you can’t hear the neighbors unless it is real loud.
I asked him to call Jon and give me my phone as I gathered up my charger. He said my phone was still charged! He asked if I would call him. And he would call an ambulance because he thought I had a stroke. I said no stroke it was my jaw pain. He said you would know your a RN. I shook my head yes. I also knew I didn’t stroke out due to fact I was on Plavix, Maloxicam and Aspirin! Had massive hematomas anywhere I had came into contact with a blunt object with any force!
Couldn’t get Jon by phone, first time ever! Couldn’t get him on Facebook right away but minutes later he answered and said he could be here before the ambulance, not knowing what all happened. I told him I hear the back up beeping of the ambulance, stay put!
Low and behold it was an EMT that I knew and had a lot of history. And she was Jon’s neighbor. Plus she was the one who picked me up the last time! Thank God for small towns. You don’t have to tell them much they all ready know your business! Forget small towns Jon & I live in different cities. It is really small county. Large in land but small in population. The EMT works the Delbarton Post. Yet lives in Matewan where Jon lives.
After a little discussion on how to get me up they got me upright. I was able to get stuff turned off and stuff gathered up to go to LRMC.
Very thankful ambulance will now take me to Logan instead of the nearest hospital (which I’d out of state and out of my health insurance network).
Get to Logan and they put me in a small dead end hallway in the ER to do an EKG. The read out said abnormal ST-segment but I couldn’t see anything abnormal about any of the 12 leads. I all ways ask to see the print out. Get away with it a time or two until they learn I am not just a retired RN but have ten years in cardiac intensive care plus was an Intensive care specialist for agencies in a dozen hospitals. Then it is the doctor has to see it first!
Got a ER bay, guess they call them rooms now. Complete with your own TV and medical equipment for complete set of vitals. I would be in hog Heaven to work an ER like this one. Got an IV hep locked. Labs and U/A, chest x-ray. The doctor was the same one that admitted me June 24. He said you went for open heart. Had to explain was too unstable for open heart and what all was done instead.
Bless him! He went over all my labs. Nothing was wrong that could be found. He recommended PT and to get home health care. He couldn’t believe I was rejected. Told me I needed a primary care doctor. So I am trying to find one that is in my network. ENT for the jaw pain and deafness. Found an ENT. I was discharged at 02:00. Tried to call Jon ( he wanted me to ) but he had worked 3 rd shift and I assume he was up all day. So I called H&H taxi. Couldn’t believe it! The same driver who helped Jon get me off the floor for fall number 3 this year and that led to 32 days in facilities was driving. He tried to get Jon for me and couldn’t. He came to Logan to get me leaving Williamson uncovered. But it was a Sunday night and 03:00 by the time he got to Logan. Came in the ER even put my socks and shoes on me while the nurse and I were disconnecting all the monitors! He is only 39 but has five kids. You can tell the difference in people who have kids and those who don’t.
The trip home was odd. I couldn’t tell where we were it had been so long since I had been on 119 north. No moon light and the stars were beautiful.
He also named John, walked me to my back door where the ramp is. Insisted on making sure I was all the way safely in. (He had been in before so I was OK with it, actually glad for my gait was unstable. It was 04:00 when my head hit the pillow, it was 16:00 when I woke up! It is now 17:43 Tuesday night and I haven’t gotten out of bed, sitting up on the side but afraid to take a step. Jon is bringing groceries, mail and my Rx refills tomorrow after he gets off work so I will try to walk tomorrow. Standing by the bed tonight to make sure I have enough strength.
I feel so blessed to have three repeat workers, EMT, doctor (aD.O.) and a taxi driver. Sure feel safer with people you know!
