Life is for learning. Some might say that most of life’s lessons are about learning things you never wanted to know. While that may be debatable, many of the most useful things I have learned have been after my little house of cards gets knocked down, and I am forced to deal with change.
My most recent “schooling” began on a Monday in April. Ironically, I had just concluded a meeting with my health coach, who has been helping me get my health goals in focus. I was flush with enthusiasm over our meeting, encouraged that I might be improving my relationship with food and learning to cook for myself.
We left the building together and decided to take the stairs for a bit of exercise. At the top of the second landing, something went haywire. As I tried to catch myself, it felt like my left knee exploded.
The next thing I knew, I had crashed on the landing holding my left knee, knowing something was really wrong. I felt an intense, burning pain in my left knee and thigh. All I could do was clutch my knee and yell, “Oww!” When I could open my eyes, I saw my left kneecap on the left side of my knee. (UGH! That’s bad, because it’s supposed to be in front.)
My coach ran upstairs to the health center to get the doctor. A minute later, he was next to me, and stayed with me until the EMTs arrived.
A trip to the ER, a six-hour wait (it was a Monday), an X-ray and a knee immobilizer later, I was on my way home, jammed sideways into the back seat of the car service, exhausted and wondering if living alone was really so f—ing great.
The person I saw at the ER said I would need an MRI and surgery. I’ve had my surgery and am now recovering. For my further adventures, come back and visit this blog.
In my (now copious) spare time, I have composed a list of things that I hope might be helpful if you find yourself in a similar situation. (God forbid!)
10 Things to Do While Waiting for the Ambulance:
1. MAKE SURE you, or someone, has called 911. Focus on the ambulance coming. Knowing help is on the way is calming and conducive to steps 2 and on.
2. MAKE SURE you’re someplace reasonably safe. (CAUTION: DO NOT MOVE if you have sustained injury to your neck or spine, i.e. can’t feel or move your extremities.) If you can’t move, ask someone to wave traffic around you. If you can, get out of any immediate danger.
3. Breathe. If you’re conscious, you’re probably going to survive, so even if there is a lot of pain, try to calm yourself. Even the worst pain is not as bad when you eliminate the natural alarm and panic. Try “square breathing”: inhale 4 slow counts, hold it for 4 slow counts, then exhale for 4 slow counts. If people are nearby, ask someone to hold your hand.
4. If you’re bleeding substantially, ask someone to put pressure on the wound with an article of clothing, as long as it doesn’t cause more pain. If you feel cold, ask someone to cover you with your coat or a blanket. If you don’t have anything like that, fresh newspaper is pretty sterile, absorbent, and good insulation.
5. Make a mental list of all the medications you are taking, any allergies you have, or any significant medical history for the EMTs. Think about which hospital you prefer. Once you’re aboard the ambulance and stabilized, they will take you anywhere you ask. Be open to suggestions from the EMTs. They know where the closest and best ERs are.
6. Try not to panic yourself by thinking about how the consequences of this injury are going to ruin your life. Take it one step at a time. Stay present.
7. Call a family member, or friend, so that someone knows where you are. Ask someone to meet you in the ER. (ERs can be very depressing when you are alone.) Try to have in mind a good advocate and/or healthcare proxy. (The EMTs will ask you for this person’s name, address, and phone number.) Get in touch with a friend or neighbor to take care of any pets or children who will need you or ask your advocate to do it.
8. Relax as much as you can. There are sound health reasons for this: there was a man who survived being shot on 12 different occasions. (He was a drug dealer in Harlem in the 1970s.) The secret to surviving, he said, was to call 911 immediately, then stay as calm as possible. The slower your heart beats, the slower the bleeding. His favorite strategy was to visualize how nice it would feel to get even with the people who shot him. (This might not be your “happy place,” but you get the idea!)
9. Try to find your health insurance card and your driver’s license and have them ready for the EMTs.
10. Try to stay positive. It’s not only a good survival strategy, but it makes dealing with you easier for everyone trying to help you. You want them to like you! It may be true that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but being kind to those helping you will always get you better care.
– by Maury Christie, Massage Therapist and Feldenkrais Practitioner