On Fainting and Heros
Sigh.
Things have been pretty stressful around here. I'm currently typing this blog post without the use of my right index finger, which lost a layer of skin in preparation for our going away party. Darn you immersion blender, you used to be my favorite kitchen appliance and you had to hurt me an hour before our party was set to start!
The injury itself wasn't very bad- not too deep, etc, but I still managed to faint. Perhaps it was the pain and the site of blood or maybe it was the similarity to an injury I'd received close to 10 years ago on the same finger on my left hand.
Either way, I was on the floor, feeling dizzy and lightheaded when the familiar pattern hit me: feeling hot, having a dream that seemed to last just a few seconds and then waking up feeling cold and sweaty. I had passed out.
When I woke up, I yelled for Eric and he came running, lifted me up and starting talking to me. I remember him saying he was going to call 911 if I didn't say I was ok. It was all a blur. I heard him on the phone, repeating his address, and then he picked me up like a baby and carried me down four flights of stairs.
When the EMTs arrived, they seemed more worried about my low blood pressure and the lack of color in my face than my throbbing finger. They proceeded to put me in an ambulance, stick oxygen tubes in my nose and ask me a bunch of questions. They were gentle, understanding and very good at their jobs. I felt safe in their hands.
I'd been in an ambulance before, so it didn't feel traumatic, especially with Eric by my side. I realized after they put me in a hospital bed that I was a) not wearing shoes and b) shivering. The best part of the experience (ha!) was the warm blankets they bundled me in, taken straight from some sort of blanket heater. I think I'd like one of those at home!
I cringed as the PA student asked the nurse if he could observe her finding a vein and pricking me with an IV- I wanted to get it over with as fast as possible, not be part of a lesson. Still, I've watched enough doctor shows to know that this is a normal practice, and tried to look the other way and not listen. Finally, the IV was in and I could calm down.
We watched as my blood pressure slowly rose and I was even starting to make jokes with the doctors and nurses. (I may or may not have asked the PA student who cleaned and bandaged my finger if he watched Scrubs. I'd just finished the last season the day before, so it was on my mind!)
I'm doing fine now, my finger is just a little sore and I'm finding that bandaids don't want to stay on (why hasn't anyone invented a thimble shaped bandaid for finger injuries?). Thank goodness for scotch tape!
All I have to say is thank goodness Eric was there when it happened. I don't know how yesterday would have gone without him.
Happier posts to come, most likely after the move on Sunday. For now, I'm laying low, trying to finish packing and staying away from sharp objects.
