Tuesday, October 30, 2007
All in a Day . . .
Yesterday was David’s day off from his day program and I had just one thing set to get done with him that day and that was to go to Costco and get him his flu shot. They were to be given from 3pm -7pm. We left the house around two. He had had a bit of a late breakfast so I told him I’d get him Mc Donald’s on the way. He said he wanted it as I knew he also wanted the latest toy in the Happy Meal, but as we neared it, he said he didn’t want to eat, so I didn’t stop figuring he’d eat at Costco which he also likes to do.
Before we headed off for the flu shot I had an item to return. As we headed to the returns desk I looked at the little line and said to an employee, “Aw, jeeze, can I just go and get him his shot and then do the return?” (I think I must have been having a sign of things to come, which I often do.) She said, “No, sorry you’ve got to do it first. The line will go fast.” It did go quickly. As the transaction was being done I had moved around to the front of the counter where the person had gone, David was on the side, in his wheelchair, in my sight, but then in a second, out of my sight. I heard a noise and then I guess gasps, which is never a good sign, and I knew in a split second, it involved David. Well, he had had a seizure and had flipped his wheelchair on its side. I quickly went and put my hand under his head. I didn’t want his head to keep hitting the floor if he was flailing about. When this happens he’s dead weight, rigid, and impossible to move until it’s over. People rushed over and he was righted back up. There's a pool of blood on the floor about the size of a saucer with drops in a trail going to him. Knowing, that even the smallest cut on the head can make a lot of blood, I’m saying to myself, Oh, God please let it be a little cut! It was. It was only about an inch long. Phew! By this time 911 had been called, employees are rushing over, and a crowd of onlookers is gathering. I’m trying to calm everyone down and tell them, “It’s OK, he had a seizure. He has seizures.” “What can we get for you?” as paper towels are being handed to me. “Some ice” I say. In a second someone’s back with a good size ice bag. In time they hand me the phone with the 911 operator and she’s says the police are on the way and stay on the phone until I see them. A State Trooper arrives and gives me one of those squeeze ice packs. As he starts to take information, the First Aid Squad comes. So they both take down information together. Now in the back of my mind I’m thinking, Oh crap, another trip to the ER, and we didn’t even get the flu shot done. For a minute I’m debating do I really want/need them to take us to the hospital until he reminds me that I can get through a little faster coming in with them. Then he asks me which hospital do I want to go to? I ask him what are my choices, which if I had thought so a second I knew. So when he said one of them I said well, such and such hospital because we have a relative that’s a doctor in the ER there and hopefully she’ll be working today. I said let me give my husband a call (who I know was on his way from work to a doctor’s appointment) and let him know what’s going on. I tell him what’s happened and the first thing he says is, “Did you get him the flu shot?” “No.” “Can you get it?” “Ummm …the First Aid is waiting to transport him to the ER.” I say, I'm thinking, not to mention there’s this pool of blood on the floor, by now 2 State Troopers, a bunch of employees, and onlookers. He calls his sister at work, who in turn gets in touch with her daughter-in-law, and lets her know that David is on the way. (Before we leave I’m handed back my Costco card, credit card, and refund receipt.)
We arrive at the ER and all David wants to know is where is Liz? (Oh and of course TV, once he's situated.) Soon she comes to us and things start to roll. He’s wired up for vitals, cleaned up (actually twice), a turkey sandwich and ginger ale are delivered, medications given, an x-ray of his shoulder and CAT scan of his head are done (both OK), and Liz sutures his cut all in about 3 ½ hours! I know that has to be record time for us in the ER and we’ve been to the ER many times! (It, as the saying goes, "Pays to know people in high places!")
So it is . . . all in a day in a life with David!
Oh . . . and on the way home I did get him Mc Donald’s and he’s saving a sticker they gave him at the drive-thru window for Liz!
Before we headed off for the flu shot I had an item to return. As we headed to the returns desk I looked at the little line and said to an employee, “Aw, jeeze, can I just go and get him his shot and then do the return?” (I think I must have been having a sign of things to come, which I often do.) She said, “No, sorry you’ve got to do it first. The line will go fast.” It did go quickly. As the transaction was being done I had moved around to the front of the counter where the person had gone, David was on the side, in his wheelchair, in my sight, but then in a second, out of my sight. I heard a noise and then I guess gasps, which is never a good sign, and I knew in a split second, it involved David. Well, he had had a seizure and had flipped his wheelchair on its side. I quickly went and put my hand under his head. I didn’t want his head to keep hitting the floor if he was flailing about. When this happens he’s dead weight, rigid, and impossible to move until it’s over. People rushed over and he was righted back up. There's a pool of blood on the floor about the size of a saucer with drops in a trail going to him. Knowing, that even the smallest cut on the head can make a lot of blood, I’m saying to myself, Oh, God please let it be a little cut! It was. It was only about an inch long. Phew! By this time 911 had been called, employees are rushing over, and a crowd of onlookers is gathering. I’m trying to calm everyone down and tell them, “It’s OK, he had a seizure. He has seizures.” “What can we get for you?” as paper towels are being handed to me. “Some ice” I say. In a second someone’s back with a good size ice bag. In time they hand me the phone with the 911 operator and she’s says the police are on the way and stay on the phone until I see them. A State Trooper arrives and gives me one of those squeeze ice packs. As he starts to take information, the First Aid Squad comes. So they both take down information together. Now in the back of my mind I’m thinking, Oh crap, another trip to the ER, and we didn’t even get the flu shot done. For a minute I’m debating do I really want/need them to take us to the hospital until he reminds me that I can get through a little faster coming in with them. Then he asks me which hospital do I want to go to? I ask him what are my choices, which if I had thought so a second I knew. So when he said one of them I said well, such and such hospital because we have a relative that’s a doctor in the ER there and hopefully she’ll be working today. I said let me give my husband a call (who I know was on his way from work to a doctor’s appointment) and let him know what’s going on. I tell him what’s happened and the first thing he says is, “Did you get him the flu shot?” “No.” “Can you get it?” “Ummm …the First Aid is waiting to transport him to the ER.” I say, I'm thinking, not to mention there’s this pool of blood on the floor, by now 2 State Troopers, a bunch of employees, and onlookers. He calls his sister at work, who in turn gets in touch with her daughter-in-law, and lets her know that David is on the way. (Before we leave I’m handed back my Costco card, credit card, and refund receipt.)
We arrive at the ER and all David wants to know is where is Liz? (Oh and of course TV, once he's situated.) Soon she comes to us and things start to roll. He’s wired up for vitals, cleaned up (actually twice), a turkey sandwich and ginger ale are delivered, medications given, an x-ray of his shoulder and CAT scan of his head are done (both OK), and Liz sutures his cut all in about 3 ½ hours! I know that has to be record time for us in the ER and we’ve been to the ER many times! (It, as the saying goes, "Pays to know people in high places!")
So it is . . . all in a day in a life with David!
Oh . . . and on the way home I did get him Mc Donald’s and he’s saving a sticker they gave him at the drive-thru window for Liz!
posted by DSL | 11:24 AM
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