Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bruised Ribs and a Cup

Some of you already know that I've had bruised ribs for the last 12 days. I have tried to be as tuff as I possibly could (I mean, I've felt pain before: 5 kidney stones, Crohn's flare-ups, and a few very painful surgeries) but at least with all of those things it didn't last for 12 days straight, all day long with no relief.


Well, the good news is that after day 10 of the pain never stopping, I actually had a break for an hour or so. And since then I have had more breaks from the pain and I have actually been sleeping! I am happy to say I'm over the worst of it, so most of you won't be hearing me complain anymore (sorry I wasn't the most fun these last 2 weeks, I was just a grump)!

Since I am reflecting on the last 2 weeks I thought I'd share a story that I actually think is really funny...at least it was a "first" for me so why not immortalize the experience in a blog? Here goes (*I must warn you that if you get sick hearing some detailed things then you may want to stop here*):

This Tuesday I was at my wits end. I hadn't slept in days, I was crying at the drop of a hat, I was nauseous from the non-stop pain, I was taking muscle relaxants and anti-inflammatories to ease the pain, and finally I had a dentist appointment. For those of you who don't know I HATE THE DENTIST! I know most people don't like the dentist, but seriously I hate it. I switched to a new dentist about a year ago and have been extremely happy with him and his staff but the problem is my dentist before him did a couple of small fillings and cracked my teeth in the process. He told me it was all in my head and that my tongue can feel detailed things and I just needed to get over it (that's when I decided to find a new dentist...).

I haven't had new cavities since I've been going to the new dentist, but he's had to remove some old fillings, file down the cracks (they really are cracked. I wasn't making it up :), and re-fill them. Tuesday was the day for this process. I went there NOT being happy that I was going to the dentist, NOT happy that my ribs were killing me, NOT happy that I was going to pay for a procedure that I already paid for a year ago and am now having re-done.

I made it to the dentist and they took my right back. They hooked me up to the gas (that gas is my saving grace, it helps me not be such a nut-job while I'm there), gave me 2 shots, and then removed the filling, filed down my tooth, and re-filled it. It went better than expected (I usually work myself up so much that I am surprised how easy it was when I leave...I really need to remember that next time...).

As I drove home I just didn't feel right. The compilation of the constant pain, my relaxing after a day of anxiety over the dentist, and all of the medications I had taken that day were just too much.

I knew I was going to puke. And I thought to myself: "Who are these people who throw up in cars? Can't they pull over in time? Can't they make it somewhere that has a toilet?" Well shame on me for judging said people. For today would be the first time I puked in my car....

It was 5:30 (the peak of rush hour) and I kept telling myself "I can make it home, I can make it home..." but suddenly I knew I couldn't. I couldn't make a left turn into the only parking lot around because of the constant stream of traffic. I quickly looked around my car for something to puke in and there it was...the cup...I picked it up and puked in it (I was quite proud of my aiming skills, having never thrown up in a cup I thought I'd get it everywhere, but I was a cup pro and didn't get any outside of the cup). Finally a space opened for me to pull into the parking lot. I jumped out of my running car with my full cup in hand (I looked at the cup which was a mistake) and continued to puke several times in the parking lot (I wish I had more cups, it was much easier to puke in a cup then into nothingness) while several cars stopped around me to see if I was ok (poor people! If I ever see someone throwing up I have to throw up too). Once I knew it was all out of my system I drove home, called Meg and Jesse (who dropped everything and came to take care of me), threw all of my clothes in the wash, and slept. I was grateful to have the whole day over with. And I will not make fun of people who puke in cars ever again. And I also hope that I never have to puke in a cup again.

3 comments:

Liz said...

That sounds miserable! I'm sorry you have been having such a rough time lately. I hope your ribs heal up quickly.

I am glad that you won't make fun of people who puke in cars again, because I am one of those people :). Throughout both of my pregnancies I have had to keep something in my car to puke in since I have had to do it so much...yeah, I am pretty much a pro. HAHA, that's probably a little TMI.

Down By the Bey's said...

I'm sorry Chelsea! It sounds like it was the perfect storm. I hope you are continuing to feel better. I have had to do that when I was pregnant too. It is not fun!

galbraithfam said...

That is a SAD story! I'm soooo sorry. I'm glad you are feeling better but I feel sooooo bad for you. There is nothing worse, and i am one of those people who have puked in cars--when I was 14 I did it because I could smell spice drops. i will never eat spice drops again. SOOO sorry and I hope you get to feeling all the way better. And you are so lucky to have a sweet husband and sister to come home to take care of you--but you deserve all the sweetness you can get! You have the worst luck! But we love you anyway!