Yesterday was my birthday. I had no plans other than to go to work then track practice after. The same thing I do most Wednesdays. But since it was my birthday and my friends wanted to treat me for a drink, I obliged.
At the pub, I had my first shot of Patron and spent the better part of the hour socializing and sipping my Stella slowly. Then another round of shots and I downed my second one. At this point, I already had a good buzz going. It's time to stop but I got caught up in the moment and had one last shot for the night. The last shot gave me the hiccups. On an empty stomach, hiccups are not good to have.
I don't like hiccups. They hurt especially after a core workout that left my stomach muscles sore. And what do I usually do to rid myself of hiccups? I hold my breath. Generally this works for me but I had trouble doing so in the bar so I excused myself and headed outside for a little fresh air.
I sat on the bench outside and held my breath. This is where things are not too clear. I was groggy and awoke on the concrete while several people were asking me questions if I was okay. I don't remember much other than hearing a woman say that I fell off the bench and landed on my head.
I was able to get up and sit on the bench but my head and face was throbbing and I couldn't open my eyes. I kept touching the left side of my face and wondering if I broke the same bones I had surgery on nearly a year ago.
One guy to the right of me kept asking me questions about where I was, what I remember, and if I knew what happened. The conversation went something like this..
"Do you know where you are?" he asked.
"The city", I said.
"Which city?"
"The city", I repeated.
Realizing that the question was going nowhere, he asked, "What's your name? Do you know your name?"
"uh, my head hurts." I said.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Eileen." I mumbled.
"Where did you come from? Were you running and you fell?"
"No, came from the bar." I said.
From there he was able to get names of my friends and went in the bar to let them know I fell down.
Next thing I know, I'm escorted back inside, told to sit down and handed an ice pack for my face. Talk among my friends about taking me to the ER and having my head checked out and realizing I did something incredibly stupid, I started crying and kept apologizing for ruining everyone's evening.
I just wanted to go home and nurse my wounds but my friend took me to the ER anyway. We checked in and sat around for an hour waiting. The nurse came by and took my blood pressure and temperature. The doc took a look at me, asked a couple questions and decided a CT scan was in order since I landed on my face and head. There were no other scrapes other than on my face and knees which means I fell face first onto the concrete. And the left side at that. The one I tend to favor to break my falls.
The nurse returned and handed me a bright yellow wrist band with the words "Fall Risk" and a pair of yellow socks.
Apparently, there's a whole color coded system that hospitals use with patients who are prone to falling in the hospital to reduce error in patient care. They are: white for patient identification, purple for do not resuscitate, red for allergy and yellow for fall risk. I'm glad the nurse didn't give me a pair of purple socks and purple wrist band.
Again, we waited and waited and I took a bathroom break. When I returned, the nurse gave me a cup and asked for a urine sample. What? I told her I just used the restroom and why didn't she ask me earlier. She forgot. So, I drank copious amounts of water and handed her my sample. Then more waiting before finally being wheeled out to the CT room. The CT was completed and I was wheeled back. More waiting around for the results. The nurse took my blood pressure again (90 over 53) and told me that I must either be really fit or suffer from hypertension. I told her my heart rate can drop to 43 when I'm in a deep sleep so I'm likely just very fit. Of course, I didn't mention that I get dizzy and faint sometimes when I stand up too fast or go from light to dark environments and vice versa.
The doc returned with the results, a copy of my CT, and I was allowed to go home. I should receive a Darwin award. Between falling off my bike and landing on my face, tripping up and rolling a computer cart over my ankle, falling off a curb while opening my car door, walking into a pole while walking my dog, banging my shoulder into a door frame I didn't see, falling on my knees down the bart escalators while trying to catch a train, and smacking my face with a tree branch, this incident takes the prize. Not only do I have a hospital wrist band that says "Fall Risk" (which I plan to wear often) but I also have one that lists my DOB and ADM as the same day. Lucky me.
Today, my nose and left cheek is sore and red from the scraped up raw skin and my neck is stiff. And I'm still hungry and dehydrated.
No comments:
Post a Comment