I really enjoyed seeing all the other meat and veggies the students had prepared. It was a proper feast! I felt right at home because we do this a lot in Texas!
Everything was going fine until about 10pm. I was standing by the bar. The floor was wet. I didn't notice there was a stool behind me. I stepped backwards for some reason and tripped over the legs of the chair. I fell backwards, THUD, flat on my back. Stunned I looked up wondering how I got there. Everything hurt, but in particular my left elbow. Two guys pulled me up. One was Josh, our EMT-certified Teaching Assistant. He sat me down on the stairs and gave me some ice packs. When I was stable enough he took me up to my room. He checked my range of motion in the left elbow which was limited but not too bad. I could wiggle my fingers and thumb. It's a good thing this was just in our dorm and not far away! I went to sleep somehow with ice packs and my blanket strategically placed under my elbow.
The next morning I woke up and was not able to open my arm past 90 degrees without excruciating pain. Josh took a look and strongly recommended that I go to the ER and get an x-ray. He said I'd need a ride and a translator so I called one of my fellow students - my German friend Bernd. He was able to solve both of those problems! This is me before the hospital.
About 9am we left for the hospital and arrived 30 min later. Bernd helped me check into the ER. They said it would be about an hour so we visited one of the other SSP students who was also there. Yes, it has been a record breaking year for hospital visits. After that we went back down to the ER. There are 3 examination rooms: Doors A, B, and C. My name appeared above Door A so I went inside to see the doctor. He felt my elbow and twisted it to see range of motion. He said I'd have to have an x-ray which was down the hall behind Door E. After the x-rays I noticed my left hand was getting really swollen so I worked hard to get my wedding rings off just in case.
Then I was called back to Door A. The doc showed me the pictures. There was definitely a fracture in there! The fracture is at #4 in the pic below. Who knew I would learn so much anatomy at space camp? Source: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/radiology/xray/elbow_extended.html
The doc said I would need surgery this afternoon and to stop eating and drinking. He told me to go to Door G for a CT scan.
At this point I freaked out. I called Josh to ask what to do. Why did I need surgery? Was it that bad? Could I fly home? All this from falling backwards over a chair?? Why?? Josh let me talk to an M.D. we had on-hand that day at school about these questions. He helped me understand that there are major veins and blood vessels that pass through the elbow that can get pinched if they don't separate the bones.
Door G opened, and I went inside for the CT scan. I had to lay down on my side and prop myself up on that elbow and stay perfectly still for 2 minutes. Probably the longest 2 minutes of my life. After that Bernd and I waited patiently see the doctor in Door A again for the final verdict.
...and waited...
...and waited...
After making peace with the fact that I may have no choice about surgery and that it would be ok, I was finally called back to Door A. The doc showed me the pictures and said the fracture was small enough that I could just have a full-arm cast and come back in 2 weeks. I don't know if anyone has been happier to hear that they would have to have a full-arm cast for 2 weeks!! I almost hugged the guy!! Bernd and I celebrated! I think he was worried for me too. So I walked down to Door F with a HUGE smile on my face to receive my cast. The cast guy was very nice and tried to joke with me in German so I didn't have a clue what he was saying but he was very friendly. The cast is only hard on the top half. Here it is! It goes all the way up to my shoulder and I'm wearing the sling Josh gave me.
This whole thing only took 2 hours! Bernd and I were really impressed with the efficiency and organization of the hospital. I have an appointment for August 22 to get it checked. It should be fine!
Bernd and I got back to campus just in time for the joint "Sat Apps and Policy & Law" field trip. He is in Sat Apps and I'm in P&L. Kinda cool that we both had the same afternoon activity even though we are in different departments. ISU arranged for me to ride in the ISU car instead of the bus. The field trip was a hiking expedition during which we compared various satellite imagery of Graz with what we could see with our eyes. The other students went on the full hike, but I only went on the first part and then I was driven to the trail's end. The students finally made it to the end and we enjoyed a beautiful view and an authentic Austrian meal for dinner. Happy ending!
Here is Ayo, the other SSP-er with a broken bone! Apparently this is the first SSP with two broken bones. ;-)
Here is the Policy & Law Team (minus one).
Everything has been great since my accident. So many people at SSP are helping me. Special thanks to Josh and Bernd for all their help. And I have the best roommates, Daniela and Latha, who have helped me with anything and everything at the dorm.
The moral of the story.... be careful with your elbows because they are really important. And always remember Newton's Third Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Another thing I learned, seriously, is that things could always be worse. I have been so much more positive the last few days. Sometimes it takes trauma or scary situations to make you realize and appreciate what you have.
And yes... I typed this whole thing with one hand.
The next morning I woke up and was not able to open my arm past 90 degrees without excruciating pain. Josh took a look and strongly recommended that I go to the ER and get an x-ray. He said I'd need a ride and a translator so I called one of my fellow students - my German friend Bernd. He was able to solve both of those problems! This is me before the hospital.
About 9am we left for the hospital and arrived 30 min later. Bernd helped me check into the ER. They said it would be about an hour so we visited one of the other SSP students who was also there. Yes, it has been a record breaking year for hospital visits. After that we went back down to the ER. There are 3 examination rooms: Doors A, B, and C. My name appeared above Door A so I went inside to see the doctor. He felt my elbow and twisted it to see range of motion. He said I'd have to have an x-ray which was down the hall behind Door E. After the x-rays I noticed my left hand was getting really swollen so I worked hard to get my wedding rings off just in case.
Then I was called back to Door A. The doc showed me the pictures. There was definitely a fracture in there! The fracture is at #4 in the pic below. Who knew I would learn so much anatomy at space camp? Source: http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/radiology/xray/elbow_extended.html
The doc said I would need surgery this afternoon and to stop eating and drinking. He told me to go to Door G for a CT scan.
At this point I freaked out. I called Josh to ask what to do. Why did I need surgery? Was it that bad? Could I fly home? All this from falling backwards over a chair?? Why?? Josh let me talk to an M.D. we had on-hand that day at school about these questions. He helped me understand that there are major veins and blood vessels that pass through the elbow that can get pinched if they don't separate the bones.
Door G opened, and I went inside for the CT scan. I had to lay down on my side and prop myself up on that elbow and stay perfectly still for 2 minutes. Probably the longest 2 minutes of my life. After that Bernd and I waited patiently see the doctor in Door A again for the final verdict.
...and waited...
...and waited...
After making peace with the fact that I may have no choice about surgery and that it would be ok, I was finally called back to Door A. The doc showed me the pictures and said the fracture was small enough that I could just have a full-arm cast and come back in 2 weeks. I don't know if anyone has been happier to hear that they would have to have a full-arm cast for 2 weeks!! I almost hugged the guy!! Bernd and I celebrated! I think he was worried for me too. So I walked down to Door F with a HUGE smile on my face to receive my cast. The cast guy was very nice and tried to joke with me in German so I didn't have a clue what he was saying but he was very friendly. The cast is only hard on the top half. Here it is! It goes all the way up to my shoulder and I'm wearing the sling Josh gave me.
This whole thing only took 2 hours! Bernd and I were really impressed with the efficiency and organization of the hospital. I have an appointment for August 22 to get it checked. It should be fine!
Bernd and I got back to campus just in time for the joint "Sat Apps and Policy & Law" field trip. He is in Sat Apps and I'm in P&L. Kinda cool that we both had the same afternoon activity even though we are in different departments. ISU arranged for me to ride in the ISU car instead of the bus. The field trip was a hiking expedition during which we compared various satellite imagery of Graz with what we could see with our eyes. The other students went on the full hike, but I only went on the first part and then I was driven to the trail's end. The students finally made it to the end and we enjoyed a beautiful view and an authentic Austrian meal for dinner. Happy ending!
Here is Ayo, the other SSP-er with a broken bone! Apparently this is the first SSP with two broken bones. ;-)
Here is the Policy & Law Team (minus one).
Everything has been great since my accident. So many people at SSP are helping me. Special thanks to Josh and Bernd for all their help. And I have the best roommates, Daniela and Latha, who have helped me with anything and everything at the dorm.
The moral of the story.... be careful with your elbows because they are really important. And always remember Newton's Third Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Another thing I learned, seriously, is that things could always be worse. I have been so much more positive the last few days. Sometimes it takes trauma or scary situations to make you realize and appreciate what you have.
And yes... I typed this whole thing with one hand.
2 comments:
You're reaaaally brave Natalie! Hope you will be fine soon!
Ouch!! But a great attitude.
Maybe the universal healthcare folks over here ought to be talking about Austria instead England... you can easily wait longer than 2 hours in the emergency room before they even take a look at you!!
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