Sunday, February 19, 2006

Ice, Ice, Baby


As of this morning, we haven't received any snow but only it's ugly evil step-sister, freezing rain. It didn't even stick which I am thankful for because I hate ice. I have always had a distaste for it but about six years ago, I had a little incident and ever since have absolutely loathed it.

I was going out to warm up the car in order to take the kids to school. I wasn't planning to do anything else so I just slipped on my moccasins rather than going to the trouble of putting on shoes. There was a thin layer of ice on the porch and as I was stepping onto the sidewalk, I lost my footing and fell. My ass hit the sidewalk like a ton of bricks and the back of my head struck the porch.

I had a slight pain on the back of my head and I was slightly woozy but other than that I thought that I had only hurt my pride. I felt back there and there was not even a bump. So I got the car started and then took the kids to school. I puttered around the house until about noon and then took a nap. I was getting a bit of a headache but other than that I felt fine.

By that evening, the ice was quite a bit thicker and my 30 mile drive to work took quite a bit longer than usual as I could only drive about 30 to 40 miles per hour without slipping and sliding. Through the night at work, my slight headache had become a throbbing splitting thing of torture. When my shift was over, I drove 30 miles in another direction to the clinic.

They did a few tests and asked a few questions. I told them when I did it and what I had been doing. The doc told me that I had a concussion but he did not know how severe it was and said that I should go to the hospital another 30 miles away through the now awful road conditions. He wanted to talk to the person who had brought me to the clinic but I told him that I had driven myself to the clinic. He genuinely showed shock that I had been able to drive myself to the clinic but told me that he could not let me drive myself to the hospital and if I didn't have anyone to drive me then he would have to send me in an ambulance.

I really did not want to have to pay the added expense of an ambulance and I was in the town where my in-laws lived so I called them up. My mother-in-law and father-in-law were kind enough to take me to the hospital and since my mother-in-law was a retired CitiBus driver from Midland, she was not bothered with driving on the ice. We made fairly good time getting to the hospital but by this time my headache had gained a life of it's own.

After about a three hour wait in the E.R., they finally stuck me in an examination room. After taking my vitals, the nurse showed me a little numbered chart. The chart showed various emoticons ranging from the grinning like the cat who ate the canary #1 to the crying like the baby who had just had his candy taken away #10. I did not want to seem like a wuss that couldn't handle a little headache so I said it was about a #7. During my three hour wait in that god-forsaken exam room, what I had told them was a number #7 had progressed to a #13 (which if I had showed them one of their cutesy god-damned emoticon, would have been a tortured soul in hell with it's face melting off) and beleive me I started being honest with the nurses.

After being run through various machinary when the doctors finally arrived, I was told that I had a mild to moderate concussion and they would write me a prescription for some Vicodin and I should come back to one of them in two weeks for a check up.

I had my in-laws take me to the pharmacy to finally get me some releif for my headache. I had only had it for 31 freakin' hours. Why the hell they couldn't have gave me something in the hospital is beyond me.

Since then I never wear my f**kin' moccasins outside, when it is icy. And now if I do not have to go outside in the ice then by God I don't. So I plan to lounge around the house today and remain all comfy cozy. I wish that I had a fireplace though. While doing this post I got a terrible hunger for some S'mores.

27 comments:

Phred said...

ONLY a 3 hour wait ? Well at least that gave the swelling in your brain some time to go down.

I believe , the older you get...the harder you fall.

(There is no scientific proof to support this).

The Quiet Traveler said...

you are not envied. but vicodin is fun at times. not that i condone recreational drug use. i prefer martinis.

Anonymous said...

The two words that I hate to hear in the wintertime: freeing rain.

Anonymous said...

Actually, that's "freezing", not freeing...

Pixie said...

Ouch fuzz, still it could have been worse, good job you finally sought medical attention.

I fell one day years ago walking down an icy ramp to the bus station.I was in a pale yellow work uniform ( all the back was grey when I got up!)and as I fell the skirt rose right up so that everybody got a good flash of my underwear too * Oh the shame...

:P fuzzbox said...

phred: I think that you are correct. Age equals pain in many respects.

ben: There are many people who would wonder about the lasting effects. Sorry about the slab.

april: They did the trick but I prefer tequila.

bruce: Freezing rain sucks. And about that missing letter. Ozy had a post on those Friday.

pixie: Sorry about your fall. It just goes to prove every mothers maxim. 'Make sure and wear clean underwear.'

:P fuzzbox said...

ranea: Will do! It's the Daytona 500!!! That's right Redneck kick off day.

Jamie said...

I fell half under my car getting out with my 3month old baby once. I held him up, but I couldn't walk well for a few days with a bruised up hip, knee and arm.

And that's a trick. Getting up, out from under a car, on ice, in severe pain, with a shocked, but NOT injured baby(read:crying).

:P fuzzbox said...

anelize: Living far from serious medical care can suck. I guess that I am lucky it was just my head.

jamie: Glad to see that the baby wasn't injured but I bet that it scared the hell out of you. I know that it would have scared me shitless.

Phred said...

And all the rednecks said ... '' EeeeeHaaaaaw !!''

How bout Bon Jovi ??? Beat the heck out of the Stones half time show.. ( I thought ).

:P fuzzbox said...

siren: That probably should have set up some kind of alarm. And those headaches definantly take something stronger than Tylenol. I ate them like sweet-tarts that night and my headache laughed at them. Glad to see that on you it had no lingering effect. The jury is still out on myself.

ann: S'mores are the yummiest aren't they ;)

phred: They played 'Have a Nice Day'. Reckon they read my blog or am I just psychic. Personally I am jumping on the 'Take out Tony' bandwagon. Wonder who is going to do it?

Keshi said...

whats smores?

Keshi.

:P fuzzbox said...

keshi: S'mores are a campfire treat that was first invented by the Girl Scouts (I believe). You take a block of chocalate and place it on a graham cracker then you toast a marshmellow over an open fire and place it on top of the chocalate and then layer another graham cracker on top of that. It is somewhat messy but it is a gooey treat. They even came out with an indoor S'mores maker for kids two Christmas' ago and it works off of a light bulb to heat up the marshmellow but it is not as good as over a campfire.

Jim said...

a hospital is a wonderful place to be, unless you're sick, then you're in real trouble!

Rocky said...

Ouch! Sorry to hear of your sore noggin. S'mores would really help dull the pain.

:P fuzzbox said...

jim: Yeah, they have the best food.

rocky: S'mores are definantly good for what ails ya.

David Amulet said...

What a horrible experience. We always worry about this toy choking someone or this food possibly leading to cancer 30 years from now ... but ice causes a hell of a lot more injury and death than these things.

Six years later and you're still pissed at the medical staff. good--they deserve it.

-- david

Jay Noel said...

Walking on ice is so dangerous. I agree - no moccasins. How did the Native Americans do it???

Sounds like you have a fantastic hospital system there in west TX.

:P fuzzbox said...

michael: I am ginger like a cat on ice now.

david: I harbor no ill will. But I am not a big supporter of this facility.

phoenix: Makes you wonder about the Natives doesn't it.

I believe that it is all of rural America that suffers from lack of adaquate medical care. It is just one of the prices one pays to live in the sticks, I suppose.

ozymandiaz said...

Hell, I don't go outside if it gets under 50 degrees.

Metal Mark said...

Hope you feel better, take it easy.

Keshi said...

Smores sound kinky ;-) yummmm!

Keshi.

:P fuzzbox said...

ozy: Good Idea.

mark: As they say around here, 'I'll take 'er anyway I can get 'er.

keshi: Yumm. You should try it.

Big D said...

Can't feel to sorry for you bro. I remember when that happened to me and you couldn't stop laughing to help me up.

:P fuzzbox said...

And you broke your ass on that one didn't you. Sorry :(

:P fuzzbox said...

My favorite game ;)

Keshi said...

hehe I will some time ;-)

Keshi.