Yesterday I was headed to OT at about 10:55 and I got distracted. I was chasing the sun bc it was a little too cold in the shade and there was a scary looking dude by the admin suites. The parking lot area where I walk to the Dr. lot and BRI is a perfect circle of hell. There is the lab parking lot, and the ER area, and a lot of psych patients hang out at the bus stop to smoke when they are discharged - mostly homeless I guess. So you gotta be wary. I was doing a double take on the guy when the traffic arm, for the second time in 15 years, smacked me on the head.
This was a new traffic arm - the old one that did it before was rectangular wood this was cylindrical and metal I think. I startled and started sweating but I didn't drop the dozen cookies I was bringing to OT I shook and trudged to the waiting room. But my head was hurting so I dropped off the cookies with the secretary in the full waiting room and tried to chill. Not working. I told the secretary what happened and asked for some Ibuprofen. She went to hunt and in the meantime Stephanie, who had waved to me earlier and noticed I was a little out of it (I think I was borderline fainting) grabbed me and took me into the larger empty space and asked what happened. After an ice pack on my head and me dry heaving into a trash can and all the other PT's worrying she finally convinced me to go to the ER. I'll walk you, she said.
I really didn't want to burden my partners but if there is one thing my rotator cuff tear taught me it is that you don't ignore this shit at your age it might get worse. I started thinking if I have a small subdural bleed it could get worse and turn into a large hematoma and the last thing I want is a craniotomy. The sad thing is that this was supposed to be my graduation from OT and here I am gaining a new ailment. This year has been crazy. First foot surgery, then rotator cuff tear with first MRI, now I'm in the ER texting my partners that I am slated for my first CT of my head. Oh and the seven stitches in my brow. Ridiculous.
I had some of my work family bringing me water and cough drops and hugs in my almost four hour experience. I was terrified of the CT. Bruce, who was amazingly attentive, told me it would be way easier than the MRI. I loved the MRI, I said. The cacophony of sounds almost put me to sleep. You are the first person I've ever known to love the MRI. Most people hate it. I'm incredulous. You will be out of here in five minutes we will move your head in and out three times.
The Aleve the OT secretary found killed my pain but the Zofran they gave me for nausea made me thoroughly exhausted it was all I could do to sign out my morning cases after I was discharged around 2:30. But I got a second wind when I got home and did lots of Christmas decorating shopping. I'm off tomorrow but I work Friday. Still. Nice to have a holiday. I'm feeling a little ambiguous about it all since I follow a lot of Native American activists on Instagram but hell it's family and the country seems to slowly be moving from the wrong direction (Kyle Rittenhouse) to the right direction (Ahmaud Abery).
We are headed to Mike and Rachel's new lake house tomorrow for a blended family Thanksgiving and Annie and Dave are coming too. I'm so excited I bought some gingerbread house and farm kits for William and Adele and Rennie at the gift shop today. I haven't seen Will or Adele since they were toddlers and a baby. Rachel told me to just bring wine and she always does fried chicken it's so good. God bless my late grandma Loretta her turkey was always dry but she did it with love. Got a house full of kids and friends and Jack is cooking and Cecelia is headed to Harry Styles. I asked her who was opening. She said Harry Styles. I looked at Jack's friends Izzy and Alyssa and said clearly I haven't let my kids go to enough concerts LOL. C said well I guess I don't know. She will have fun anyway. Happy Turkey Eve! Much love, Elizabeth