A week and a day

[fenchurch]

Yesterday was the one week anniversary of the accident... and some of the smaller cuts and scrapes are fading, quite a few of the bruises have mellowed to some truly ghastly yellows and greens (although I still have a number of lovely purples here and there), and my shoulder still hurts like all get out, but is a whole lot more tolerable (I'm only using the Vicodin to manage the pain enough to sleep at night and can sometimes get away with only taking half a pill at a time -- I still wake up when the stuff wears off, though). I'm afraid I'm hopelessly behind on LJ and hope that everyone is doing well... I doubt I'll be able to catch up on everything. I've been doing a lot of resting, though I did find time to get rinewick (Rackham's youngest sister) hooked on the new Doctor Who! I also managed a short shopping trip with my mother-in-law a few days ago for things I can wear with a broken shoulder... i.e. several loose tank tops and a few short-sleeved button-down shirts to go over them (they all ended up being Hawaiian shirts... archerrat would approve).

We're flying out tonight for home, finally... and while I'm not looking forward to being in an airplane for two or so hours, it's at least going to be considerably shorter than driving. Plus we'll get to sleep in our own bed tonight!! Yay!! We're borrowing some luggage from my in-laws and have managed to get quite a bit of our stuff packed away. There are a few things we've got boxed for shipping and a few other things that were heavy enough and not necessary enough that we'll just leave them here to pick up later in the year. I'm also really grateful that we were able to spend the first week of recuperation here... I'm not sure how we would have managed, otherwise.

Looking over my first post about the accident, I'm really amazed at how coherent I was... although I had apparently had the word "Deputy" shaken out of my brain there for awhile (if you hadn't guessed, Sheriff Guy = Deputy). It didn't help that he had introduced himself simply as Eric, at the time. We finally got a look at his business card a few days ago and realized that he has the same slightly unusual last name as some people we go to church with... we gave them a call, and sure enough, he's a cousin. It's a very small world.

Some things we've found out since the accident:

Yeah, we were right in remembering what felt like a really strong wind blowing us off the road when we hit ice -- according to the news, that area was having wind gusts up to 60mph at that time.

There were apparently over 40 accidents on that stretch of road that day (three serious, including ours).

The reason everyone in the ER kept pronouncing our last name correctly (a VERY rare thing) was because the recently retired ER manager is married to Rackham's dad's cousin and has the same last name.

For a small hospital in a small town in Idaho, the ER really had its act together... we left there with all sorts of paperwork, plus two CD-ROMs with self-executables that provide our x-rays, CT scans and other test results to give to our doctor. Color me impressed.

Yesterday, we called and talked to Michael (one of the guys who stopped right away) to let him know how things turned out... he was very happy to hear from us and gave us a few more bits of info about the crash (since he actually witnessed it). Yes, we rolled about four times, and one of those was airborne. He had been absolutely astonished that we were in as good a shape as we were and that the car didn't look worse than it did. Gary, the guy he was traveling with, apparently told him later that he'd thought Michael had gone off his rocker, asking us all those questions -- M had asked about our Christmas, where we'd grown up, what sort of food we liked, that type of thing -- only to have it explained that it was a way of keeping us from going into shock. It worked pretty well, too. Those guys really were absolute godsends.

Oh, yeah, and I'm still typing one-handed, with sore fingers, which means you probably still won't hear from me much. I'm pretty sure I just hyper-extended them gripping things while we were rolling -- the main thought going through my head when I realized we were about to roll was "don't put your hands up don't put your hands up" -- because of my mom's rollover accident a few years ago that crushed her left hand (she'd put her hands up by reflex when she rolled). When I told her about this later, she just said "you're welcome." :-)

Comments

[slm76.livejournal.com]

Wow! Still amazed at the way things have turned out. Continuing to pray for your recovery.

The reason everyone in the ER kept pronouncing our last name correctly (a VERY rare thing) was because the recently retired ER manager is married to Rackham's dad's cousin and has the same last name.

Yes, how do you pronounce it? *g*

[yav-14.livejournal.com]

I am just glad you guys are okay. Have a safe trip home!

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

I had rotator cuff repair surgery in the spring of 2003. The post operative pain was substantial. The doctor put me on Percocet, which did not completely take care of the pain. He added oxycontin, which really did it. I really needed the pain medication after physical therapy, which they start you on immediately. I dropped the pain medication about two months later with no problems. I'm not sure why the medical world makes such a big deal out of pain meds. I wouldn't worry about taking the meds when they make you more comfortable. Some people think that being more comfortable is conducive to healing faster. I'm sure that you will have no problem dropping the meds when you no longer need them.

::hugs:: but not too tight to hurt your shoulder.

[luminosity]

OMG! I had totally missed that you were in an accident. A four-spin roll? I think it's a miracle that you're alive, and another miracle that Michael seemed to know just what to do to keep y'all coherent. I was a passenger in a very bad head-on collision (are there any other kind?), and the man who rescued me (I was pinned in the car) also kept me talking, which, in retrospect, probably kept me conscious and out of shock. I still remember the first thing he told me, because I was struggling to get out, was that my daughter was alive, without a scratch on her and that we were so lucky that we all were wearing seatbelts. Amazing, the things we remember and the things we forget.

Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you're alive, if sore and hurting. I'll be thinking of you.

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

I missed all this because of my own, thankfully much less eventful, travels. Thank goodness for safer car design! Nothing can stop some accidents, especially on ice, but at least they've made huge strides in keeping the people inside the cars in one piece. And it sounds like all the people who helped you were absolutely wonderful.

I hope you're better soon. And don't feel like you need to respond to this comment with those sore fingers!

[archerrat.livejournal.com]

Hurray for being able to sleep in your own bed.



Thanks for the updates. I know they're bound to be costly in terms of effort and your personal energy.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Glad you are still recovering - and fully appreciate how hard one handed typing is! (I sliced my thumb with a really sharp kitchen knife whilst chopping an onion today and so am also one handed today - but I will be back to normal in a day or two, and wish you as speedy a return to being able to use two hands as possible!)

[knitress.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to hear you are both headed back home safe and sound!

And I'll chime in on the pain meds. I'd say take them, and maybe even set an alarm to wake you up for your next dose before the pain is bad enough to wake you up. My SIL, who is an RN and has had 3 Csections plus an earlier round of surgery, told me take all of mine. She's of the less pain = faster healing school, and she also thinks it's easier to control pain that to stop it once it starts. I'm glad I followed her advice, although of course YMMV.

And since I've broken my hand or arm three times (and dislocated many of my fingers once) I'm sending you good one-handed thoughts.

[babyotto.livejournal.com]

Good to hear you're getting better. Just take care not to do too much!!!

There will be a parcel (Christmas gift & something else) for you at home - if not when you get there, then in the next couple of days. Something to keep you guys busy while you're sore and can't move around too much.

[rahirah]

Just getting home to your own stuff will probably help a lot--being in a strange place when you're hurt is the pits!

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

$DEITY be praised that Michael had Clue enough both to watch for shock and to help prevent it. He'll get his good karma, I'm sure.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Just hearing more details is making me realize again how lucky you guys were in every way (given that you had to have an accident at all), and how grateful I, too, am for Michael and Gary and their quick action on your behalf. Just rest and take care and enjoy being home at last.

[malabud.livejournal.com]

I am so glad that you and your husband are all right. As you can see by the date, I am massively behind on my flist and just learned about your accident. I am sorry I have not commented before now. Though I am sure you and rackham are both feeling much better now, my prayers are still with you. I really think the Lord must have been watching over you guys, especially if you rolled four(!) times.