A Ruptured Disc
and I Died
on Thanksgiving morning.
Apparently coughing to clear the throat can have devastating consequences
including a ruptured disc and or possible death.
Who knew.
As I write this on Wednesday, February 28, 2024 I find myself thinking of my
younger years and finding myself very grateful for another chance at life.
I've been a rough and tumbly kind of girl for as long as I can remember.
Climbing trees, riding dirt bikes, fishing, camping out with kids who enjoyed the
same, and being an outdoor 'tom boy' kind of girl, it still has me wondering how
I never got hurt more often and worse than I did growing up.
My mother had to find herself reminding me most of my life that I was
a girl and needed to "act like a lady."
I am still baffled to this day as watching how 'lady's acted' on television
and entertainment, wasn't something I could even be capable of doing.
Breaking a bone or two seems to be the one thing I did pretty well, just once and
too many bones, and that was enough for me. At age 16, a serious car accident left
my body in a bit of a mess with a crushed leg and an arm broken completely in half.
As a younger person, I enjoyed being out in nature, horseback riding, chasing
chickens, pigs, and cows out in the feild and trying to stay as far away from the
big black bull in the neighbors field as possible. That was our brother/not brother Robby. He was one of the many not brothers/ but brothers in our lives.
Day and night dreams terrorized me with the bull coming across the fence into
our field to chase me down. Going toward our old barn way out in the field was
cause for watching over my shoulder because in my mind that big bull would some day come
to get me. I'm not even sure where the thought came from or why I thought it. I scouted out places to get to just in case and decided best routes up.
No, it was never even a problem, but my little / big imagination saw it very clearly.
We had to get up before the sun came up in order to get everything finished before school.
My imagination kept me going at times in full throttle getting to the animals early before
the sun came up.
Often in the early morning darkness I was thinking that big bull had come through that fence
and coming after me.
He was truly the bad guy.
In my mind, in my thoughts and walking way out to the barn, even during the day, was a little bit
closer to 'that bull' that haunted me. At times it was too much.
In the darkness, seeing with a flashlight sometimes the moon.
One little sound would cause me to run like an insane person running from nothing
but I just knew that bull was right behind me, right on my heels and his breath was about
to reach my neck.
Unable to see in the morning darkness, running at full strength away from something
that wasn't even there left me hating morning chores and that big bull.
More times than enough finding myself face flat in the dirt with my little heart pounding
and an imaginative bull chasing me down in the dark.
Just that should have caused more injuries but there was a big open field with little to run into.
*not our bull, not even on our land - an active imagination of a little 4'10" girl.
Getting hurt generally came along with the farming life at some point or another, it's
just the way the farm life goes.
Our neighbor Tony was somewhat afraid of nothing, and a bull rider in my mind.
Not sure if he actually was or not but he was somewhat my hero. If that bull ever came to
get me, he was like the night in shining armor; but not. He'd be a bull rider.
I imagined him as the bull rider who would take the bull away and the brother/not brother Robby would hide him away in another field far away.
Luckily mom kept a close eye on us and reminded us often
of things that could and would kill us or possibly even eat us.
I'm Still A Bit Shocked:
So imagine my suprise when a simple cough, in my safe little fluffy bed, where
nothing bad should happen: happened.
I coughed to clear my throat and then I couldn't move.
I literally couldn't move without pain shooting down my back and leg.
Every movement, every step was feeling almost like the bones I broke at age 16 in the car accident.
However, this was just a clearing of the throat; what in the World?
How could pain from a cough be so intense?
I thought it had to be a pulled muscle and rest in bed should clear things up.
However, a couple days later this pain had other plans and I found myself
at the E.R. on Thanksgiving morning.
Thanksgiving Morning 2023 - I died.
On arriving at the ER. everything went according to plan and they got me right into
a room as quickly as possible. There was no waiting time and everything seemed to
be efficient when moving me through the ER process.
The little finger monitor was placed on, and it appeared as if things were going to
be the smoothest they'd ever been going to the hospital.
No Food: My Head Feels Like Something Is Wrong
A young lady came in with a couple of shots for the pain and left the room.
I hadn't eaten and my head felt a bit 'off' like sick to my stomach from lack of food
with a feeling of a very clouded train of thought.
I mentioned to my husband I didn't feel quite right and it was probably from not eating.
My head began to feel foggy and I remember seeing him get up to get me some food and that's
all I remember.
Apparently I Died, What Now?
Apparently I flat lined for just long enough for me to wake up to someone yelling at me
to stay awake, open my eyes, listen to what they were saying and focus on them.
My shirt was up over my head while someone is putting heart monitors on, someone taking
blood from my finger, another person inserting an IV into the other arm, and someone else
putting a puke bag in my face, because a needle was going in and I couldn't grab the bag.
I was able to get it all in the bag the unknown person held for me while I made crazy puke
sounds in front of people I didn't know.
I suppose the people holding my shirt up already know the routine; bare chest and vomit
was nothing new to them as they handled the job like pro's to keep me going in the right direction.
Everyone worked quickly and I felt as though a fog had enveloped me as I seemingly answered
questions the register nurse was asking.
I saw my sister going in and out of this foggieness and apparently my husband called her to let
her to know to come to the hospital right away. Not sure how the call went, but she was there.
Mom and my other sister came as well and my husband was there for moral support and prayer as well.
To The Hospital Room
Rushing me quickly to the room on another floor in the hospital, the nurses there began taking to their
jobs.
A week later I was still there and in pain, however being prepped for ruptured disc surgery.
All went well where that's concerned and I'm still healing after about 8 weeks now I think.
My hip still hurts quite a bit, especially if I cough, move wrong, or try to stretch: So I try not to.
Well, I ruptured a disc and died. Now what?
Thank You mom, sisters, brother/not brothers very few best friends, if you're in my life and offered support or a kind word. Somewhere along the way we've crossed paths.
I really do appreciate everything people have done for me during this and any other time I've
needed support or help of any kind.
lf it weren't for good people and prayer it's possible life would be a little different at this moment in time.
