gregf
Senior Member
- Messages
- 144
- Location
- Sydney Australia
Warning : description of injury.
I am somewhat mobile. I can drive within my suburb and do so to get my lunch most days. Actually I feel better if I do.
One day in early December 2018 I had just bought my lunch and was crossing the road back to where my car was parked. A typical high street, two lanes of traffic and two outside lanes of parking. I had watched the traffic and was 3/4 ‘s across and waved to the truck driver who was stopped. He pointed behind me and as I turned, whack, I was knocked off my feet by a car in a hurry to reverse into the parking spot.
I was on my back on the road between parked cars. I knew something was wrong. Everyone came running over. I didn’t want to move. Yes I said, my head was ok. I tried to sit up. My chest moved as did my upper arm, but my forearm did not. It was no longer connected to me by bone. It was twisted around the wrong way and a bit of bone was sticking out.
One then two ambulances arrived. Yes my head was ok but No ! I didn’t want to move an inch. Someone was going thru my bag, a policeman he said. “He has a disabled permit”. Someone was offering to drive my car home. The ambos tried to move me and I let out a f**********.
I was floating, in front of something large and white like a clock face. All over it, were smaller clocks with a single hand on a 3 second loop, one for every sound. Every sound, every sound, every sound was in a 3 second loop, a three second loop, a three second loop. This vision was not blurry or vague. It was sharp, much sharper then I see in real life. in real life, in real life. Each sound loop repeated 50 times. Like a large machine. Well this is ..... weird I thought. Not scary, not peaceful, just weird like a sci-fi story. Oh I realised. I’m dying. Should I accept it, or try to go back. Funny. I didn’t think the injury was that bad. Not that bad, not that bad.
A new sound loop started. I think he’s coming round. I think he’s coming round. I think he’s coming round.
I slowly pushed out some words. “Am I in the ambulance” ? Yes Greg. Just rest. I later was told it was probably Ketamine when they moved me.
Arrived at hospital. Lots of people introducing themselves looking down on me on the stretcher. Doctors, nurses, more doctors. Sent to Xray. Hi Greg Im ... Sent to CT scan. Hi Greg Im .....
They were worried. Injury close to my nerve. I could not move my fingers. May loose their use.
I was moved again, this time a ward. Nurses talking, lots of noise and a machine that went bleep blurp.
Greg if they operate today it will be at midnight. We think we’ll make you first tomorrow morning. Ok. My shirt and under shirt had been cut off at the accident. They took off my trousers and i tried to get warm and sleep. I have ME I said, I have to stay warm and they pulled up the theatre gown used as a sheet.
Next morning, wheeled down to operating theater. Very cold. Two surgeons, clearly very competent and confident. Hi Greg I’m ..... The anesthetist came over. Hi Greg i’m .... Good I said. “I have ME. We are low in oxygen and acidic. Sometimes anesthetics are slow to work on us”. Ok she said but I was worried.
Wake up Greg. What was going on ? Oh I thought. My arm is much better. They have done a fantastic job. After a while I could move my thumb and then my fingers.
Back in the ward. But I was feverish and fluish. I got myself as warm as possible and it passed. More people. Hi Greg I’m physiotherapists, more nurses, occupational therapists, more nurses, social worker, more nurses.
But I was feverish and unable to think half the time. I had been in just my undies for a few days. There was air conditioning and I was cold and I knew I was getting ME attacks, like fever/flu. I could cook it off but a few hours later it would be back. After 3 days they said Would you like some pyjamas ? Ah Yes please. Rolly eyes.
A friend came to visit, was shocked and went out and got me some singlets, a warm warm dressing gown big enough to use as a blanket, some Berocca , a toothbrush and toiletries, and an iPhone charger.
The singlet would fit over the cast etc on my arm. The dressing gown I could use as a blanket. I started taking the Berocca once, then twice a day. There was no other vitamins or supplements available. The fevers eased a bit. But my temperature was normal. The nurses were sympathetic but didn’t understand ME. I wonder if they disbelieve.
I could not sit up to eat. My blood pressure was a bit all over the place. That will be the ME I said. They wanted me to go home but I could barely stand. They put me in the shower with a chair. Blacked out. Code Blue apparently means you suddenly have 20 people in the bathroom with you. The physios tried walking me down the hall and I nearly collapsed. Physios said No. Cant go home. (I live by myself).
This was good also because I had no shirt to go home. This conundrum took lots of thought. In fact my mind was always a turmoil of unsolved problems. Then the ME fever would come back.
It turns out that an operation or general anesthetic will make your heart symptoms (what some call POTS) much worse and it takes days, weeks to recover.
That was scary ; I knew they didn’t understand. That made it more scarry.
They had me sit up in a chair. Thank god for the dressing gown to keep me warm. Each day I could sit up longer and the passing out stopped. Cleared quicker then I expected.
After 9 days they sent me home. Fortunately an ME friend could take me. Two days later I was in an ambulance back to hospital. The fever, could it be a wound infection or kidney infection ? No evidence and they sent me home again. No one to help and on the street trying to get an uber taxi on my phone without glasses. So sick I accidentally cancelled. People on the street helped and I got an Uber home. Eventually.
I realised the fevers were just the ME bug. I turned off the air conditioning at home (its summer here) and started to improve.
I am using Uber Eats for meals and Air Tasker app for jobs. Save up some money in case you need this. Also I am getting government and private home helpers.
The ME attacks were much worse then the broken arm. Second worst was the mental turmoil of problems. What I learnt :
- Have a letter explaining ME with you. Not generally about the disease but warnings for the hospital staff. Keep patient warm. Very warm. A tee shirt or something for upper body. Provide at least vitamin C or supplements (Berocca best for me), warn that blood pressure (POTS) will be worse and patient may pass out.
- Have an iPhone charger so you can keep using your phone. I have no one else to make/cancel appointments etc. Also the net radio app lets you listen to the radio which feels like home. I’m an ABC person. (Like Aussie BBC).
- have clothes (shirts) to go home in. A big loose shirt that will go over cast is good. Singlets easier too.
- Have money ready for Uber taxi, Uber Eats and Air Tasker. Know how to use these.
- Nurses are awesome. I would listen to the screaming crisis in the other rooms at 4am. Yet the they still smile. We need to pay them more. Male nurses are great too.
I am now dealing with hospital bills and (Aussie) CTP claim to pay the bills. Still have to argue that I’m not at fault : cross the road there because I cant stand/ walk down to the lights because of ME.
Sharing this so you can prepare : the hospital system does not understand your ME and it will accumulate to make you twice as sick. This is 10 times important if you live alone or have no close family. Hope this helps someone.
I am somewhat mobile. I can drive within my suburb and do so to get my lunch most days. Actually I feel better if I do.
One day in early December 2018 I had just bought my lunch and was crossing the road back to where my car was parked. A typical high street, two lanes of traffic and two outside lanes of parking. I had watched the traffic and was 3/4 ‘s across and waved to the truck driver who was stopped. He pointed behind me and as I turned, whack, I was knocked off my feet by a car in a hurry to reverse into the parking spot.
I was on my back on the road between parked cars. I knew something was wrong. Everyone came running over. I didn’t want to move. Yes I said, my head was ok. I tried to sit up. My chest moved as did my upper arm, but my forearm did not. It was no longer connected to me by bone. It was twisted around the wrong way and a bit of bone was sticking out.
One then two ambulances arrived. Yes my head was ok but No ! I didn’t want to move an inch. Someone was going thru my bag, a policeman he said. “He has a disabled permit”. Someone was offering to drive my car home. The ambos tried to move me and I let out a f**********.
I was floating, in front of something large and white like a clock face. All over it, were smaller clocks with a single hand on a 3 second loop, one for every sound. Every sound, every sound, every sound was in a 3 second loop, a three second loop, a three second loop. This vision was not blurry or vague. It was sharp, much sharper then I see in real life. in real life, in real life. Each sound loop repeated 50 times. Like a large machine. Well this is ..... weird I thought. Not scary, not peaceful, just weird like a sci-fi story. Oh I realised. I’m dying. Should I accept it, or try to go back. Funny. I didn’t think the injury was that bad. Not that bad, not that bad.
A new sound loop started. I think he’s coming round. I think he’s coming round. I think he’s coming round.
I slowly pushed out some words. “Am I in the ambulance” ? Yes Greg. Just rest. I later was told it was probably Ketamine when they moved me.
Arrived at hospital. Lots of people introducing themselves looking down on me on the stretcher. Doctors, nurses, more doctors. Sent to Xray. Hi Greg Im ... Sent to CT scan. Hi Greg Im .....
They were worried. Injury close to my nerve. I could not move my fingers. May loose their use.
I was moved again, this time a ward. Nurses talking, lots of noise and a machine that went bleep blurp.
Greg if they operate today it will be at midnight. We think we’ll make you first tomorrow morning. Ok. My shirt and under shirt had been cut off at the accident. They took off my trousers and i tried to get warm and sleep. I have ME I said, I have to stay warm and they pulled up the theatre gown used as a sheet.
Next morning, wheeled down to operating theater. Very cold. Two surgeons, clearly very competent and confident. Hi Greg I’m ..... The anesthetist came over. Hi Greg i’m .... Good I said. “I have ME. We are low in oxygen and acidic. Sometimes anesthetics are slow to work on us”. Ok she said but I was worried.
Wake up Greg. What was going on ? Oh I thought. My arm is much better. They have done a fantastic job. After a while I could move my thumb and then my fingers.
Back in the ward. But I was feverish and fluish. I got myself as warm as possible and it passed. More people. Hi Greg I’m physiotherapists, more nurses, occupational therapists, more nurses, social worker, more nurses.
But I was feverish and unable to think half the time. I had been in just my undies for a few days. There was air conditioning and I was cold and I knew I was getting ME attacks, like fever/flu. I could cook it off but a few hours later it would be back. After 3 days they said Would you like some pyjamas ? Ah Yes please. Rolly eyes.
A friend came to visit, was shocked and went out and got me some singlets, a warm warm dressing gown big enough to use as a blanket, some Berocca , a toothbrush and toiletries, and an iPhone charger.
The singlet would fit over the cast etc on my arm. The dressing gown I could use as a blanket. I started taking the Berocca once, then twice a day. There was no other vitamins or supplements available. The fevers eased a bit. But my temperature was normal. The nurses were sympathetic but didn’t understand ME. I wonder if they disbelieve.
I could not sit up to eat. My blood pressure was a bit all over the place. That will be the ME I said. They wanted me to go home but I could barely stand. They put me in the shower with a chair. Blacked out. Code Blue apparently means you suddenly have 20 people in the bathroom with you. The physios tried walking me down the hall and I nearly collapsed. Physios said No. Cant go home. (I live by myself).
This was good also because I had no shirt to go home. This conundrum took lots of thought. In fact my mind was always a turmoil of unsolved problems. Then the ME fever would come back.
It turns out that an operation or general anesthetic will make your heart symptoms (what some call POTS) much worse and it takes days, weeks to recover.
That was scary ; I knew they didn’t understand. That made it more scarry.
They had me sit up in a chair. Thank god for the dressing gown to keep me warm. Each day I could sit up longer and the passing out stopped. Cleared quicker then I expected.
After 9 days they sent me home. Fortunately an ME friend could take me. Two days later I was in an ambulance back to hospital. The fever, could it be a wound infection or kidney infection ? No evidence and they sent me home again. No one to help and on the street trying to get an uber taxi on my phone without glasses. So sick I accidentally cancelled. People on the street helped and I got an Uber home. Eventually.
I realised the fevers were just the ME bug. I turned off the air conditioning at home (its summer here) and started to improve.
I am using Uber Eats for meals and Air Tasker app for jobs. Save up some money in case you need this. Also I am getting government and private home helpers.
The ME attacks were much worse then the broken arm. Second worst was the mental turmoil of problems. What I learnt :
- Have a letter explaining ME with you. Not generally about the disease but warnings for the hospital staff. Keep patient warm. Very warm. A tee shirt or something for upper body. Provide at least vitamin C or supplements (Berocca best for me), warn that blood pressure (POTS) will be worse and patient may pass out.
- Have an iPhone charger so you can keep using your phone. I have no one else to make/cancel appointments etc. Also the net radio app lets you listen to the radio which feels like home. I’m an ABC person. (Like Aussie BBC).
- have clothes (shirts) to go home in. A big loose shirt that will go over cast is good. Singlets easier too.
- Have money ready for Uber taxi, Uber Eats and Air Tasker. Know how to use these.
- Nurses are awesome. I would listen to the screaming crisis in the other rooms at 4am. Yet the they still smile. We need to pay them more. Male nurses are great too.
I am now dealing with hospital bills and (Aussie) CTP claim to pay the bills. Still have to argue that I’m not at fault : cross the road there because I cant stand/ walk down to the lights because of ME.
Sharing this so you can prepare : the hospital system does not understand your ME and it will accumulate to make you twice as sick. This is 10 times important if you live alone or have no close family. Hope this helps someone.
