Thoughts From The Back Of An Ambulance

It started a week ago Friday, the day before Halloween, with a scratchy throat.  I ignored it because I had company coming for the weekend and really, isn't that what we women do?  On Saturday it was about the same but by Sunday afternoon I knew I had caught a cold.  And answer me this...why do we call it "catching" a cold, as if we'd been chasing it and finally, finally we caught it?  I, for one, avoid colds like the plague.  I wash my hands a lot, I use hand sanitizer, I wipe the handles of the carts at WalMart with their bleach wipes, I take Vitamin C.  But still, there it was.

It wasn't too bad, just a cough and stopped up sinuses, and so I continued on my merry way.  I went to Yoga on Sunday, Weight Watchers on Monday and Yoga again on Tuesday.  Where I got light headed and broke into a sweat.  Strange since I'm always cold and never hot.  Wednesday the cough was worse so about 6 that evening I put on my pajamas and settled in with my stitching.  And I coughed and coughed and coughed.  For hours.  Which triggered esophageal spasms that were so bad I couldn't get my breath.  Finally my husband got scared and called 911.  Well, to be honest it was me who got scared and told him to call 911.  :)

The First Responder from the Fire Department arrived pretty quickly.  He was such a sweet 13 year old.  I remember thinking that .... 13 years old and I wonder if he was one of my students.  Of course, the problem is that at my age everyone looks like a 13 year old.  I'm sure he was much older, maybe even 25.  He put oxygen on me and took my blood pressure.  Correction - he tried to take my blood pressure.  It was so high that it wouldn't register.  The ambulance arrived next and started asking questions.  Try the blood pressure again.  190/88.  I'm pretty sure I told them to try again because my blood pressure is really 120/60.  Always.

I thought they would just give me a shot, calm me down, and head on back to the ambulance home while I went to bed.  No they said.  Can you help us get you on the gurney they said.  Young man I've been getting myself up and around for 69 years and I'm not gonna stop now.  On the gurney, up into the ambulance.  Did you know that the lights inside the ambulance stay on while they drive?  And it's dark outside so everyone on the street can see you in there?  They put the EKG machine on me, trying very hard to keep me covered up.  For which I will be eternally grateful.  I would have hated riding down the highway with the girls showing.  The nice EMT tried to draw blood and tried to get an IV started.  I have the proof that he tried - several black bruises on my arm.  I offered to pray for his blood drawing skills.  I think that probably wasn't politically correct but it was definitely appropriate.

Did you know that from the back of an ambulance cars behind you look like giant eyes following you?  And that riding backwards like that gives a whole different perspective to travel?  Instead of looking where you're going you're looking at where you've been.  Think about that for a while.  We passed the Shoe Factory...I bought a really comfortable pair of shoes there once.  And there's the place where I used to get my oil changed when I had the car that the eighteen wheeler crushed.  Oh yea, that used to be the neighborhood market but it closed and I really miss it.  Looking back is ok but trust me, looking forward is much more uplifting and positive.

Don't worry, this story has a happy ending.  I got shots and meds and more oxygen and finally got back home about 3 a.m.  It's days later and I'm almost well.  In fact, if the weather weren't so awful today I'd have gone walking today.

And since I've been sidelined this last several days I've coughed and stitched and finished up The Second Day of Christmas and The Third Day of Christmas and The Fourth Day of Christmas!  Here's a couple of pics....

Or maybe there's one picture - I'll take the other pictures in a day or two.  These are from Plum Street Samplers and are her free patterns for her Sunday Sampler series.  You should check them out because they're so cute and so fast and fun.

Meanwhile I'll be back in a few days to show you how I'm finishing them.  I haven't actually decided yet how I want to finish them but I'll be sure and show you.  :)  Any suggestions?