I got hit by a bus today!
Jan. 15th, 2004 08:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
omahasActually, that's not true. I hit the bus. I think it wasn't too happy about it.
I had a seizure today while on a bus taking Kouryou-chan to her school. We had just gotten on the bus when I started to have an aura. I tried to do some breathing exercises, but the next thing I remember was realizing I was in an ambulance that hadn't started going anywhere yet. Kouryou-chan was quite anxious, and I tried to calm her down, but it was a good ten minutes before I was able to be coherent enough, both to her and myself, to do so well. We couldn't go to the Highline Community Hospital, which was just down the street, because they said it was full (?!) so they took me to Valley Medical Center, which I'd never been to before. On the way I called Elf and told him what happened and where I was going.
Valley Medical Center gets a mixed review from me. On the one hand, they had absolutely excellent customer service. Everyone who saw me was more than polite and helpful. Without my even having to ask, someone brought Kouryou-chan some crayons and coloring paper so she could be occupied. Later someone brought her some juice and crackers (after asking me what was appropriate). I couldn't use my cell phone in the hospital, so they gave me access to a phone right in the room I was in. And another person (someone they labeled as a "counselor") helped me find the closest buses to take Kouryou-chan and myself home (Elf had taken the bus to work, so it would have taken longer for him to pick us up after getting back on the bus then for us to get a bus home.)
On the other hand, however, the technical side was a little disconcerting. One woman did a blood stick on me (which means she stuck a need in my arm to draw some blood) and she didn't do it so well. It went in somewhat sideways, rather than along the line of my arm as a stick is normally done on me, and it hurt more than it should have. Worse, she put in a shunt, which is used to keep a line to the vein open so that more blood draws can be done or stuff can be injected quickly, and because the stick hadn't been done very well, the thing hurt the entire time it was in my arm. At least she brought a warming pad to put on my arm and lessen the pain.
The other thing I thought wasn't so great was that no one at the hospital put anything on the quite serious rash on my face. The rash occurred because when I had the seizure, I dropped to the floor of the bus on my knees, then fell on my face and apparently moved back and forth, rubbing my face against the floor. And of course shoving anything that happened to be on the bus floor into my skin. However, they did give me a tetanus shot for anything that might be transmitted to me because of that event (since I hadn't had a tetanus shot in I didn't remember how long).
But the rest of the technical stuff that was done was okay. They did a quick CAT scan of my head to make sure I had no underlying damage to my face from all that pounding (I didn't). And they gave me Vicodain for the terrible headaches I get after my seizures (one, however, was not enough.)
Four hours later Kouryou-chan and I finally left the hospital (about 1:30). We didn't make it home until 3:00. I put her in front of a television set for a 1.5 hour movie, and went to sleep. Bless her, she let me sleep for almost two hours...I didn't wake up until about 4:45 pm. So, suffice to say, my day was shot to hell.
But for all of that, Kouryou-chan was an absolutely beautifully behaved little girl throughout...especially at the hospital. The seizure frightened her, but she's seen me have seizures before (all at home). Kudos to my little four-year-old for being so good.
Oh, did I mention that today was my birthday (thanks to those who gave me happy birthdays in their LJs)? Yeah, great birthday. Sigh. At least Elf was able to take me out to dinner tonight. And now I have to figure out how to get to downtown Seattle to pick up my bicycle, which I had taken with us so I could bike back home, that was taken by the METRO bus to their lost and found...since it was kind of hard to put on the ambulance.
I had a seizure today while on a bus taking Kouryou-chan to her school. We had just gotten on the bus when I started to have an aura. I tried to do some breathing exercises, but the next thing I remember was realizing I was in an ambulance that hadn't started going anywhere yet. Kouryou-chan was quite anxious, and I tried to calm her down, but it was a good ten minutes before I was able to be coherent enough, both to her and myself, to do so well. We couldn't go to the Highline Community Hospital, which was just down the street, because they said it was full (?!) so they took me to Valley Medical Center, which I'd never been to before. On the way I called Elf and told him what happened and where I was going.
Valley Medical Center gets a mixed review from me. On the one hand, they had absolutely excellent customer service. Everyone who saw me was more than polite and helpful. Without my even having to ask, someone brought Kouryou-chan some crayons and coloring paper so she could be occupied. Later someone brought her some juice and crackers (after asking me what was appropriate). I couldn't use my cell phone in the hospital, so they gave me access to a phone right in the room I was in. And another person (someone they labeled as a "counselor") helped me find the closest buses to take Kouryou-chan and myself home (Elf had taken the bus to work, so it would have taken longer for him to pick us up after getting back on the bus then for us to get a bus home.)
On the other hand, however, the technical side was a little disconcerting. One woman did a blood stick on me (which means she stuck a need in my arm to draw some blood) and she didn't do it so well. It went in somewhat sideways, rather than along the line of my arm as a stick is normally done on me, and it hurt more than it should have. Worse, she put in a shunt, which is used to keep a line to the vein open so that more blood draws can be done or stuff can be injected quickly, and because the stick hadn't been done very well, the thing hurt the entire time it was in my arm. At least she brought a warming pad to put on my arm and lessen the pain.
The other thing I thought wasn't so great was that no one at the hospital put anything on the quite serious rash on my face. The rash occurred because when I had the seizure, I dropped to the floor of the bus on my knees, then fell on my face and apparently moved back and forth, rubbing my face against the floor. And of course shoving anything that happened to be on the bus floor into my skin. However, they did give me a tetanus shot for anything that might be transmitted to me because of that event (since I hadn't had a tetanus shot in I didn't remember how long).
But the rest of the technical stuff that was done was okay. They did a quick CAT scan of my head to make sure I had no underlying damage to my face from all that pounding (I didn't). And they gave me Vicodain for the terrible headaches I get after my seizures (one, however, was not enough.)
Four hours later Kouryou-chan and I finally left the hospital (about 1:30). We didn't make it home until 3:00. I put her in front of a television set for a 1.5 hour movie, and went to sleep. Bless her, she let me sleep for almost two hours...I didn't wake up until about 4:45 pm. So, suffice to say, my day was shot to hell.
But for all of that, Kouryou-chan was an absolutely beautifully behaved little girl throughout...especially at the hospital. The seizure frightened her, but she's seen me have seizures before (all at home). Kudos to my little four-year-old for being so good.
Oh, did I mention that today was my birthday (thanks to those who gave me happy birthdays in their LJs)? Yeah, great birthday. Sigh. At least Elf was able to take me out to dinner tonight. And now I have to figure out how to get to downtown Seattle to pick up my bicycle, which I had taken with us so I could bike back home, that was taken by the METRO bus to their lost and found...since it was kind of hard to put on the ambulance.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
...
Date: 2004-01-15 09:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-15 10:24 pm (UTC){{{{{{{{{{{{{ Hugs }}}}}}}}}}}}}
Happy B-day?!
{{{{{{{{{{{{ Hugs }}}}}}}}}
erg..
Date: 2004-01-16 03:26 am (UTC)Re: erg..
Date: 2004-01-16 07:17 am (UTC)Well, there could be several reasons for that. One is that seizures freak people out, and they may not have wanted to get near me. They might have thought I was having a drug thing (though I certainly didn't look like it when I got on the bus, so I doubt that). They may have been busy trying to help out Kouryou-chan and keep her away (she was probably telling people I was having a seizure). And/or it might have happened too fast for a proper reaction to occur, as you said. Not having ever been fully aware on the bus after the seizure started, I don't actually know what the people on the bus did, other than call for an ambulance.
after all the basics someon tryed and set up an IV on me and they couldent find the vein after like 10 trys.
My problem wasn't finding the vein. I have excellent veins and people never have problems finding them. However, I was lying down at the time with the protection railing up on the side. She didn't ask me to sit up and she didn't put down the protection railing. And the manner in which she stuck me was quite unprofessional. Most nurses will smoothly guide it in...she just punched it in.
Usually when I have a blood draw it's done very well, but then I don't go to the hospital all that often despite the number of seizures I've had in my life.
Re: erg..
Date: 2004-01-16 07:28 pm (UTC)Re: erg..
Date: 2004-01-16 08:54 pm (UTC)Re: erg..
Date: 2004-01-16 08:58 pm (UTC)Re: erg..
Date: 2004-01-17 12:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-16 03:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-16 06:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-16 08:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-16 10:17 am (UTC)Do over
Date: 2004-01-16 10:47 am (UTC)LY - Rhea
Oh so sorry...
Date: 2004-01-20 03:04 am (UTC)I'll give you proper birthday and sorry-about-your-faceplant love when I return.
Peter Th.