I Am a Paraplegic
Hello Everyone
On April 17th, 2008 I was in a near fatal car accident after having been slipped some kind of "knock out" in a drink at my workplace. Got in my vehicle (no memories of this at all) never put my seatbelt on (totally untold of for me) and within a mile from my work rolled my vehicle several times, was thrown out the driver's side window and landed 25 feet from my vehicle. In the yard of a stranger. It was cold, dark and I was near death. Luckily for me, a paramedic was behind me and saw the crashed vehicle, he got out and started CPR on me..I wasn't breathing right, they had called an ambulance, but the medic instructed them to call for an airlift, as he did not expect me to make it!
Once again, I have no memories of any of this. On the airlift ride, I started coming around they say. Once at the hospital, they had to do an emergency tracheoctomy (sp) and hook me up to the ventilator, they then put me into an induced coma for 3 weeks. My oh my the dreams and illusions I had wow! I was completely convinced upon waking out of the coma that the hospital was doing secret experiments with me and rats and snakes.
After coming out of my coma I still didn't remember anything about the accident. They were still keeping me pretty juiced up! I can remember my son sitting there crying. Due to the Trache, I couldn't talk, but I didn't know why. I would often panic, ripping my tubes, and needles out of me! While there they also implanted a feeding tube.
For the 1st month I slept alot, dreamt alot, and cried alot! I still didn't know the extent of my injuries, only that my son kept telling me that he had been waiting for almost 3 weeks for me to wake up. After waking, the feeding tube, and the trache..I was then transported to the Rehab facility..it was there that I was told the extent of my injuries.
I had broke my back in like 5 different places form T3-T10. A complete sever at T5. I have 2 bars in my back approx 12 - 14 inches long. My lungs had collapsed. I had ripped my head open on each side at the temples down to my skull. I had several broken ribs. A broken Shoulder scapula. My pelvic had been broke. And much more..!
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitaion Facilty in Grand Rapids Michigan was wonderful. From the morning I arrived there I was put to work on recovering my independance. 7 days a week we worked..PT, OT, learning how to shower, shop, get in and out of car, speech therapy. It has not been a year yet, and I am still searching for ways to keep myself independant. Such as rides to and from Doc's. Getting prescriptions. My disability, trying to find care givers and funds to pay for them. They sure don't make it easy..but then again..nothing is ever easy!
I live by myself with my dog in a Handicapped accessible apt. I am self sufficient for the most part. But it really gets lonely. I only have my son, DIL and 2 grand-daughters here. He tries to spend as much time as possible with me. But due to work, girls activities and car issues..I usually get a couple of weekends a month with them.
Well that is my story in a nutshell..except that I arrived in Michigan on 9/11/2007. No employment here, April 17th, 2008 my accident. Hospitalized till May 8, 2008. Transported to MFB Rehab remained there till July 11, 2008. Then home with my boyfriend or so I thought (he lasted 5 weeks), and then left by myself around August 20, 2008..managed to get a care giver, hospitalization, doc appts, meds, pain specialist tillthe end of the year. January 2009, the state took away my medicaid, my caregiver, money for my meds, travelling availabilities, and I had to start all over again.
Dove
