#Trauma and #Rheumatoid Arthritis
August, 2011
My daughter, Liz and her friends, Brooke, Kinzi and Justin were visiting New Orleans. It was just a normal day. They wanted to walk the Quarter and because of the "nasty" (Rheumatoid Arthritis), I chose to park myself outside one of my favorite coffee shops in New Orleans, Envie. It is a wonderful shop filled with all the characters of the local scene in New Orleans with a few tourists thrown in the mix. I had settled in for the duration with my latte and a book and my trusty camera.
Sitting on the sidewalk in the French Quarter, you should not be caught without a camera.
Here is where my life flashed before my eyes...receiving a phone call from my daughter saying she and her friends were ready for me to pick them up on the Square, I grabbed my latte and headed a few steps to cross Decatur Street. Looking to the left, there is no stop sign, but the coast was clear, as it was to the right (a one-way street, but you still look because it IS New Orleans and there are many bicycles and random people in the street) and across the street on Barracks there is a stop sign and there sat an F-250 pick up truck...stopped...I proceeded walking across the street and as I reached the middle of the intersection, the F-250 began moving, turning left. within literally a blink of an eye, it was on me. No where to go (you can not out run a moving vehicle) and the horror of knowing you are going to be hit moves within your body like waves crashing the shoreline. Then a strange calm fell over my being and bam, I was on the ground.
Intense pain over-came my body and I closed my eyes. I remember people being around and I told someone to grab my phone from my bag and call my daughter. I kept my eyes closed because it felt like my legs were crumpled and I didn't won't to look. The pain was overwhelming. I also felt like the dress I had on was up around my neck and was sure everyone was looking in horror at my unmentionables, definitely Target, not Victoria Secret !!!
I remember someone holding my hand, and I still to not know who that sweet person was. The girl who was driving was there and crying and telling me how sorry she was and asked me to forgive her and I did. I later found out she was texting at the time. (so DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!!!)
http://www.itcanwait.com/
My daughter came flying on foot from Jackson Square and took over from there. I remember being scared to ride in an ambulance, I guess because I had never been in one, who knows? Liz (I can't imagine how she felt getting the phone call that her mother was hit by a truck) was a huge calming influence on me, but I was terrified and I kept thinking that I couldn't believe I was alive. I was rushed to the hospital and much of that is a blur except for the pain. Indescribable....every pothole made the pain rip through me like a knife.
I don't remember the Emergency Room. When I was taken to a room, I was put in sort of make-shift traction to try to alleviate the pain by a nurse who was so kind and caring and no one else even tried to think of a solution. It happened on a Saturday afternoon and they were planning for surgery (after x-rays showed broken bone in my hip) on Monday, but my daughter (mostly) and the powers that be, made that happen on Sunday. A titanium rod was inserted at the hip to my knee.
I was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and then moved to a re-hab hospital for another two weeks. Still in excruciating pain, it was time to go home.
My husband was a Tour Guide and Buggy Driver in New Orleans. Every day after a grueling day of handling tourists, traffic, mules and the heat, without fail, he showed up with my iced latte. I have never felt so loved. I could see the pain in his face through his smile. This had been going on for weeks. Never have I met a stronger man. I was exhausted from physical therapy and the pain that was racking my body, but every afternoon, he would stroll me in my wheelchair around the grounds of the hospital and we would talk about our day. This time WAS the highlight of my day. Knowing I had his love and support helped me through my ordeal.
My daughter...Liz I have always marveled at this kid. She has lived through a lot in her young life. Always the rock. She was working full-time and going to college and graduated in May, 2013. I believe she inherited her fortitude from her dad.
Backing up a little, the drive home was excruciating. Every bump in the road caused pain. When we made it to the house, one of my greatest fears at the time came to fruition, the five steps up to our house. Now the appearance of another Savior appeared...Donny.
Donny was one of the first people I met in New Orleans. He was a Barista at Envie when we met. He made the best latte and was a bright spot in my day every time I entered that shop. Needless to say, we became fast friends. Donny is one of those people who always has a smile on his face and exudes calm and happiness. You don't meet many people that carry the joy of life on their shoulders.
Donny came to the rescue to help Pat get me up the steps with compassion. For weeks, Donny showed up every morning at 8:30 a.m. (and he is not a morning person due to the fact that he is a Bartender and works until the crack of dawn) to relieve Pat and take care of me. He greeted me with a smile and a hug and a personally prepared breakfast and lunch every day. Usually eggs and bacon artistically arranged in the shape of a smiley face!!!
Poor Donny, we watched old movies, interior design shows and our all-time favorite, Cher. Yes, I own all her concert DVDs. We sang every song from her various tours and then came the movie "Burlesque"...yes, we know every word and do quote them every chance we get. I don't know what my moods would have been like if I had looked at those four walls alone every day. All I know is Donny has a place in heaven and in my heart.
The next few weeks were unbearable. The dreaded trips to the doctor's office and out-patient re-hab. I had never been confined to a wheelchair, but there was no way around it. Living with pain every day and growing accustomed to it and then this. This pain was debilitating. You might ask, "didn't you have pain medications?"...yes, but I am not a person who likes to take them. I was scared of how they would affect me. I took one occasionally at night and usually only when my husband suggested it. Every movement was such a chore. Getting in and out of the wheelchair was indescribable and taking a bath was hardly worth it. Rehab was exhausting in it self and as I watched other people struggle, the stream of sorrow swept over me like an ocean wave. My life didn't seem so bad, I survived and I would be strong. We, who have been blessed in our lives, don't realize the pain and suffering that other people have endured. What is the saying? "Until you have walked in my shoes"... After much work and the help of my physical therapist, eventually I graduated to a walker, then to a crutch (which had a brace on it that you strapped to your arm and helped alleviate the pressure from my hands and wrists because of the #RA). I still have a limp, but that's OK.
I have such compassion for those who are bound to wheelchairs, crutches, etc. You are stared at, pitied and whispered about. And, handicapped parking..don't get me started !!! In New Orleans it was worse because people didn't care, they would park anywhere and everywhere with no thought for the person who ACTUALLY did have a handicapped tag for a reason. SOOO, the next time you think, I'm just running in the store for a minute, I'll just park there....DON'T DO IT...there are people who actually can't walk the distance and it could be you or a family member!!!
Here is a link to follow to properly acquire a handicapped hang tag: http://arthritis.about.com/od/driving/a/handicapparking.htm
I guess you have noticed I haven't mentioned Rheumatoid Arthritis. Usually after a trauma, most patients have a "flare" immediately. Well, not me, it waited until October and then wham.
When trauma affects #Rheumatoid Arthritis, it comes at you full force. It happened to me in October after the accident. The doctors were surprised that it didn't occur earlier after the accident. But RA reared it's ugly head. At that point, my doctor changed my medication from oral Methotrexate to injections and after a few weeks, it worked. I have been on them since then. I do deal with nausea and occasional dizziness.
Now it is January, 2014. I still hear and see the truck bounding down on me and re-live the horror. I guess it will never go away, but I AM grateful to be alive.
I discovered the RA Warrior website and must admit, I read it occasionally, but this lady, Kelly Young, IS a true warrior and has more spunk than I. Guess I'm not so good at facing my circumstances and sometimes too much knowledge on my part rears the ugly head of yet another malady in my life, #Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
Here is the link: http://rawarrior.com/
There are some days I can read and study RA and it not get me down, others, NO, but when you need information this is the website to seek the truth.
I still walk with a limp, probably because we left New Orleans and haven't completed #physical therapy. So please, if you need physical therapy, DO IT.
My daughter, Liz and her friends, Brooke, Kinzi and Justin were visiting New Orleans. It was just a normal day. They wanted to walk the Quarter and because of the "nasty" (Rheumatoid Arthritis), I chose to park myself outside one of my favorite coffee shops in New Orleans, Envie. It is a wonderful shop filled with all the characters of the local scene in New Orleans with a few tourists thrown in the mix. I had settled in for the duration with my latte and a book and my trusty camera.
Sitting on the sidewalk in the French Quarter, you should not be caught without a camera.
 |
| Great Halloween on St. Charles Avenue |
 |
| Clever Halloween Decorations on St. Charles Avenue |
 |
| Banksy's (Graffiti Artist) work in New Orleans after Katrina. Most of his NOLA work was painted over |
 |
| "Drag Queens" by Johnel - sold |
Here is where my life flashed before my eyes...receiving a phone call from my daughter saying she and her friends were ready for me to pick them up on the Square, I grabbed my latte and headed a few steps to cross Decatur Street. Looking to the left, there is no stop sign, but the coast was clear, as it was to the right (a one-way street, but you still look because it IS New Orleans and there are many bicycles and random people in the street) and across the street on Barracks there is a stop sign and there sat an F-250 pick up truck...stopped...I proceeded walking across the street and as I reached the middle of the intersection, the F-250 began moving, turning left. within literally a blink of an eye, it was on me. No where to go (you can not out run a moving vehicle) and the horror of knowing you are going to be hit moves within your body like waves crashing the shoreline. Then a strange calm fell over my being and bam, I was on the ground.
Intense pain over-came my body and I closed my eyes. I remember people being around and I told someone to grab my phone from my bag and call my daughter. I kept my eyes closed because it felt like my legs were crumpled and I didn't won't to look. The pain was overwhelming. I also felt like the dress I had on was up around my neck and was sure everyone was looking in horror at my unmentionables, definitely Target, not Victoria Secret !!!
I remember someone holding my hand, and I still to not know who that sweet person was. The girl who was driving was there and crying and telling me how sorry she was and asked me to forgive her and I did. I later found out she was texting at the time. (so DO NOT TEXT AND DRIVE!!!)
http://www.itcanwait.com/
My daughter came flying on foot from Jackson Square and took over from there. I remember being scared to ride in an ambulance, I guess because I had never been in one, who knows? Liz (I can't imagine how she felt getting the phone call that her mother was hit by a truck) was a huge calming influence on me, but I was terrified and I kept thinking that I couldn't believe I was alive. I was rushed to the hospital and much of that is a blur except for the pain. Indescribable....every pothole made the pain rip through me like a knife.
I don't remember the Emergency Room. When I was taken to a room, I was put in sort of make-shift traction to try to alleviate the pain by a nurse who was so kind and caring and no one else even tried to think of a solution. It happened on a Saturday afternoon and they were planning for surgery (after x-rays showed broken bone in my hip) on Monday, but my daughter (mostly) and the powers that be, made that happen on Sunday. A titanium rod was inserted at the hip to my knee.
I was in the hospital for a couple of weeks and then moved to a re-hab hospital for another two weeks. Still in excruciating pain, it was time to go home.
My husband was a Tour Guide and Buggy Driver in New Orleans. Every day after a grueling day of handling tourists, traffic, mules and the heat, without fail, he showed up with my iced latte. I have never felt so loved. I could see the pain in his face through his smile. This had been going on for weeks. Never have I met a stronger man. I was exhausted from physical therapy and the pain that was racking my body, but every afternoon, he would stroll me in my wheelchair around the grounds of the hospital and we would talk about our day. This time WAS the highlight of my day. Knowing I had his love and support helped me through my ordeal.
 |
| "Chanel" by Johnel - sold |
 |
| "Garden District Lady" by Johnel - sold |
 |
| "Attitudes" by Johnel - sold |
My daughter...Liz I have always marveled at this kid. She has lived through a lot in her young life. Always the rock. She was working full-time and going to college and graduated in May, 2013. I believe she inherited her fortitude from her dad.
Backing up a little, the drive home was excruciating. Every bump in the road caused pain. When we made it to the house, one of my greatest fears at the time came to fruition, the five steps up to our house. Now the appearance of another Savior appeared...Donny.
Donny was one of the first people I met in New Orleans. He was a Barista at Envie when we met. He made the best latte and was a bright spot in my day every time I entered that shop. Needless to say, we became fast friends. Donny is one of those people who always has a smile on his face and exudes calm and happiness. You don't meet many people that carry the joy of life on their shoulders.
Donny came to the rescue to help Pat get me up the steps with compassion. For weeks, Donny showed up every morning at 8:30 a.m. (and he is not a morning person due to the fact that he is a Bartender and works until the crack of dawn) to relieve Pat and take care of me. He greeted me with a smile and a hug and a personally prepared breakfast and lunch every day. Usually eggs and bacon artistically arranged in the shape of a smiley face!!!
 |
| Smile ! |
 |
| A little Saints spirit for lunch ! |
Poor Donny, we watched old movies, interior design shows and our all-time favorite, Cher. Yes, I own all her concert DVDs. We sang every song from her various tours and then came the movie "Burlesque"...yes, we know every word and do quote them every chance we get. I don't know what my moods would have been like if I had looked at those four walls alone every day. All I know is Donny has a place in heaven and in my heart.
 | |||||||
| Tuna Salad plate by: Donny |
I have such compassion for those who are bound to wheelchairs, crutches, etc. You are stared at, pitied and whispered about. And, handicapped parking..don't get me started !!! In New Orleans it was worse because people didn't care, they would park anywhere and everywhere with no thought for the person who ACTUALLY did have a handicapped tag for a reason. SOOO, the next time you think, I'm just running in the store for a minute, I'll just park there....DON'T DO IT...there are people who actually can't walk the distance and it could be you or a family member!!!
Here is a link to follow to properly acquire a handicapped hang tag: http://arthritis.about.com/od/driving/a/handicapparking.htm
I guess you have noticed I haven't mentioned Rheumatoid Arthritis. Usually after a trauma, most patients have a "flare" immediately. Well, not me, it waited until October and then wham.
When trauma affects #Rheumatoid Arthritis, it comes at you full force. It happened to me in October after the accident. The doctors were surprised that it didn't occur earlier after the accident. But RA reared it's ugly head. At that point, my doctor changed my medication from oral Methotrexate to injections and after a few weeks, it worked. I have been on them since then. I do deal with nausea and occasional dizziness.
Now it is January, 2014. I still hear and see the truck bounding down on me and re-live the horror. I guess it will never go away, but I AM grateful to be alive.
I discovered the RA Warrior website and must admit, I read it occasionally, but this lady, Kelly Young, IS a true warrior and has more spunk than I. Guess I'm not so good at facing my circumstances and sometimes too much knowledge on my part rears the ugly head of yet another malady in my life, #Anxiety and Panic Attacks.
Here is the link: http://rawarrior.com/
There are some days I can read and study RA and it not get me down, others, NO, but when you need information this is the website to seek the truth.
I still walk with a limp, probably because we left New Orleans and haven't completed #physical therapy. So please, if you need physical therapy, DO IT.
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