Trip to the ER
The phone rang last night while I was clipping my toenails in the middle of the living room. Justin looked at me in horror and I explained that it makes it easy to clean up since I can just run the Dyson over the carpet. I don't get a lot of phone calls -- my preference is usually text or e-mail -- and so I didn't prioritize running to the phone over finishing the grooming.
The voicemail was from my mother. In a sing-songy nonchalant voice (as is her way), she announced that she was at the hospital, had been in a car accident and that her leg was really swollen. I immediately called her back and she didn't answer. I tried sister #3, who didn't answer. I tried sister #2, who hadn't yet heard the news, and we agreed that we were going up there immediately.
Nobody could really figure out how she was injured the way she was. She was fine immediately after the accident aside from a little shaken. My cousin went to pick her up, they went into a restaurant (because after a 40-minute drive with a huge bottle of water, cuz had to use the restroom), and then on the way out, mom started feeling pain and couldn't put a lot of pressure on her left foot. They went to an urgent care and it was getting progressively worse as they waited, so they went on to the emergency room. The car had been hit on the passenger side (and looks like it will be totaled to me), and the tightness and bruising was on the inside of her left leg. The doctors couldn't theorize exactly how it had happened.
As is typical with most of my family's ailments and injuries (we're lucky that way), the symptoms didn't fall in a typical pattern. The doctors ruled out compartment syndrome that would have required surgery but gave us signs to watch for, and her CT scans were fine. She and my cousin fired off a million questions and after talking to my grandparents, had to hunt the doctor down and ask a few more. That's pretty much how all my family's hospital visits go, and we sort of come off a little ass-holey (I'm sure there's a better word for it) but aside from us being a "medical family" there is always the context of my aunt's death and malpractice trial that keeps everyone vigilant.
They offered pain medicine but vicodin and percocet make her sick, so he just gave her an ortho referral for follow-up and discharged her. The whole thing took a few hours. They told her the color won't return to normal for a few weeks but she's hoping to at least put some pressure on it by Monday. My fingers are crossed.
The voicemail was from my mother. In a sing-songy nonchalant voice (as is her way), she announced that she was at the hospital, had been in a car accident and that her leg was really swollen. I immediately called her back and she didn't answer. I tried sister #3, who didn't answer. I tried sister #2, who hadn't yet heard the news, and we agreed that we were going up there immediately.
Nobody could really figure out how she was injured the way she was. She was fine immediately after the accident aside from a little shaken. My cousin went to pick her up, they went into a restaurant (because after a 40-minute drive with a huge bottle of water, cuz had to use the restroom), and then on the way out, mom started feeling pain and couldn't put a lot of pressure on her left foot. They went to an urgent care and it was getting progressively worse as they waited, so they went on to the emergency room. The car had been hit on the passenger side (and looks like it will be totaled to me), and the tightness and bruising was on the inside of her left leg. The doctors couldn't theorize exactly how it had happened.
As is typical with most of my family's ailments and injuries (we're lucky that way), the symptoms didn't fall in a typical pattern. The doctors ruled out compartment syndrome that would have required surgery but gave us signs to watch for, and her CT scans were fine. She and my cousin fired off a million questions and after talking to my grandparents, had to hunt the doctor down and ask a few more. That's pretty much how all my family's hospital visits go, and we sort of come off a little ass-holey (I'm sure there's a better word for it) but aside from us being a "medical family" there is always the context of my aunt's death and malpractice trial that keeps everyone vigilant.
They offered pain medicine but vicodin and percocet make her sick, so he just gave her an ortho referral for follow-up and discharged her. The whole thing took a few hours. They told her the color won't return to normal for a few weeks but she's hoping to at least put some pressure on it by Monday. My fingers are crossed.