Plans change.
Yesterday, as I drove home from Oshkosh, I was working through ideas for last night's blog. I would write about the very pleasant day I had with my long time friend Norma, who occasionally comes to Oshkosh to visit her sister and mother. It would include shopping for shoes and scrapbooks, walking and chatting, and eating a particularly good flavor at Culvers.
But about four miles from home, that all changed when my nose started to bleed. Bleed is not the right word exactly. Gush is more like it. I had some napkins in the car, so held them to my nose as I drove home one handed.
Once home, I scampered into the house and proceeded to deal with the nosebleed. I had, after all, taken first aid classes years before. I pinched the nose, just below the cartilage. I only got my hands bloody as the blood continued to spurt out.
I laid on my back. All that accomplished was blood running into my mouth with big clumps of gory clots. Now I had to deal with the nose plus spitting out the accumulating blood.
I applied ice both to my nose and to the back of my neck. Nothing worked. Blood was pouring onto my shirt and pants.
All the while, Rascal was howling, not out of concern for me but worrying about his supper. To quiet him, I managed to open a can of cat food and put it on the floor in the kitchen, no time for a proper dish.
After one and a half hours with no let up in the bleeding, with two wastebaskets filled with bright red tissues, paper towels, wash cloths and rags, I had to do something. Gary was still almost three hours away at the Lost Lake campground. My neighbor was at work. I called 911.
In ten minutes, the ambulance was here. They looked at the wastebasket and the decision was easy. I was loaded into the ambulance while the police officer closed up my house and closed the windows on the car. I was off on a ride to the Appleton Medical Center, sirens blaring. I had a pleasant chat with the EMTs who kept applying cold packs as we drove. Other than the profuse bleeding, I felt fine. No dizziness. I told them I had a good subject for this blog, so all was well. I did apologize for messing up their ambulance, but they had seen worse.
On the way to Appleton, they called son Chris who arrived soon after I did. It's a good thing he has a tolerance for blood or he would have been horrified. My shirt was soaked, my pants were splotchy and the blood continued to pour out. Lucky for me, the emergency ward was almost empty. I was taken care of at once.
The RN took good care of me in a room that seemed to be set up especially for nose bleeds. Soon Dr. Hunter was there. I kept apologizing to everyone about coming in with a bloody nose. With all they have to deal with on a regular basis, it didn't seem that big a deal. Dr. Hunter assured me that I had done exactly the right thing.
In the end, Dr. Hunter stuffed what seemed to be a small tampon into my nose and the bleeding stopped except for a small dribble then he sent me to another room. It seems someone else had just come in with a bad nose bleed. Chris and I sat watching Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and playing with our computers. I tried to write the evening blog while we waited for the results of the blood tests, but couldn't concentrate.
Finally, Dr. Hunter came in and said I could go home. He told me to call the doctor for a tampon removal the next day and gave me some nose drops to keep the tampon moist and sent home.
Since I had no supper, Chris looked for a fast food place but most were closed until we came to Hardees at 10:58. I got a shake to fill my stomach. The sole employee flicked the lights off as she worked. Hardees closed at 11:00.
By the time I came home, I was too tired to write this blog. It was the fifth time in two years I missed a posting.
I had a good excuse.
Yesterday, as I drove home from Oshkosh, I was working through ideas for last night's blog. I would write about the very pleasant day I had with my long time friend Norma, who occasionally comes to Oshkosh to visit her sister and mother. It would include shopping for shoes and scrapbooks, walking and chatting, and eating a particularly good flavor at Culvers.
But about four miles from home, that all changed when my nose started to bleed. Bleed is not the right word exactly. Gush is more like it. I had some napkins in the car, so held them to my nose as I drove home one handed.
Once home, I scampered into the house and proceeded to deal with the nosebleed. I had, after all, taken first aid classes years before. I pinched the nose, just below the cartilage. I only got my hands bloody as the blood continued to spurt out.
I laid on my back. All that accomplished was blood running into my mouth with big clumps of gory clots. Now I had to deal with the nose plus spitting out the accumulating blood.
I applied ice both to my nose and to the back of my neck. Nothing worked. Blood was pouring onto my shirt and pants.
All the while, Rascal was howling, not out of concern for me but worrying about his supper. To quiet him, I managed to open a can of cat food and put it on the floor in the kitchen, no time for a proper dish.
After one and a half hours with no let up in the bleeding, with two wastebaskets filled with bright red tissues, paper towels, wash cloths and rags, I had to do something. Gary was still almost three hours away at the Lost Lake campground. My neighbor was at work. I called 911.
In ten minutes, the ambulance was here. They looked at the wastebasket and the decision was easy. I was loaded into the ambulance while the police officer closed up my house and closed the windows on the car. I was off on a ride to the Appleton Medical Center, sirens blaring. I had a pleasant chat with the EMTs who kept applying cold packs as we drove. Other than the profuse bleeding, I felt fine. No dizziness. I told them I had a good subject for this blog, so all was well. I did apologize for messing up their ambulance, but they had seen worse.
On the way to Appleton, they called son Chris who arrived soon after I did. It's a good thing he has a tolerance for blood or he would have been horrified. My shirt was soaked, my pants were splotchy and the blood continued to pour out. Lucky for me, the emergency ward was almost empty. I was taken care of at once.
The RN took good care of me in a room that seemed to be set up especially for nose bleeds. Soon Dr. Hunter was there. I kept apologizing to everyone about coming in with a bloody nose. With all they have to deal with on a regular basis, it didn't seem that big a deal. Dr. Hunter assured me that I had done exactly the right thing.
In the end, Dr. Hunter stuffed what seemed to be a small tampon into my nose and the bleeding stopped except for a small dribble then he sent me to another room. It seems someone else had just come in with a bad nose bleed. Chris and I sat watching Jon Stewart on the Daily Show and playing with our computers. I tried to write the evening blog while we waited for the results of the blood tests, but couldn't concentrate.
Finally, Dr. Hunter came in and said I could go home. He told me to call the doctor for a tampon removal the next day and gave me some nose drops to keep the tampon moist and sent home.
Since I had no supper, Chris looked for a fast food place but most were closed until we came to Hardees at 10:58. I got a shake to fill my stomach. The sole employee flicked the lights off as she worked. Hardees closed at 11:00.
By the time I came home, I was too tired to write this blog. It was the fifth time in two years I missed a posting.
I had a good excuse.
Oh, Ugh! That blog is really descriptive. Too bad you had to go through it first, but that's life.
ReplyDeleteIf you need something, let me know. I'm working the polls 11-4 today.
susan