soI Got to Ride in an Ambulance Yesterday..

[kcjodih]

and didn't realize how bad cracked ribs were! They need more comfortable cots and better shocks on those things

I was on my way to work and had my son with me dropping him off at school and the roads were wet, it was raining moderately, and I went to accelerate a little when the zone changed from 40km to 70 km and my truck started fishtailing (should have put something heavy in the back, but never had before in all the years I've had trucks) and I panicked because there was a truck coming and it was headed towards my son's side of the truck. So I overcorrected, rolled the truck, hit a huge culvert on the side of the road and ended up my side down, passenger side up in the air. Thank goodness we're both alive, they said I was lucky to be in a big truck and we're home today achy of course and I have a mild concussion and two cracked ribs and bruised tailbone. I no longer have my pretty 2006 Dodge Ram with Hemi though

What a sad case I am; can't sit because of the tailbone, can't get into or out of bed or roll over without help due to the ribs and the fact that I was a passenger 20 years ago in a car that crashed and ended up airlifted to an larger city's specialty hospital with a broken back. So with preexisting lower back problems it's aching even more so today. Then of course my left shoulder and neck had to start throbbing this morning as well now that everything's stiff.

I'm off for the rest of the week but I have no idea how long cracked ribs take to heal. Janet or anyone else do you know? My ft job involves customer service (retail) and continually stocking what's purchased which is boxes and boxes of frozen foods. I'm thinking I MAY be able to stand next week but not sure if I'll be up to lifting the boxes and sweeping and mopping floors. I usually work alone 3 of the 5 days because it's slower so there's no assistance and it's a 9-6 shift. Guess I'll just have to play it by ear.

So has anyone else had cracked ribs that can tell me how long it takes to feel better? They didn't wrap me (says it causes pneumonia?) and sent me home after many xrays with tylenol 3's.

Maybe I should ask in the 'have you ever thread' about the cracked ribs

 

[thecougchef]

oh jodi! thats scary!! i work with accidents everyday (though not on the same level as janet). you are very lucky! how is your son??

 

[pamperedpals]

Wow Jodi, I am so glad that you and your son are okay.

Take it easy and do what the doctor tells you to do.

 

[kcjodih]

Thanks Meghan and Laurie. My son is sore today, says his neck hurts. Yesterday he was fine and just worried about me (while I of course was on an adrenalin rush and just worried about him!). And of course at almost 11 he thought it was neat to have bragging rights about being in an accident and rollin' mom's truck and then making the 5 oclock radio news!!

 

[kcjodih]

Hey Laurie, I just thought, first my crown fell out and I have the stupid temporary bridge until I can afford 4K for a permanent one and now this. Both in the last 2 months! What luck I'm having! I saw your picture and it reminded me because you had crown problems right after I did. Oh what a year this has been!

 

[Kitchen2u]

Ouch Jodi! Cracked ribs...my Mom's are still healing (accident in June) ~ but she's a lot older than you! I hope both of you are feeling better SOON!!!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Jodi!
I'm so glad it wasn't more serious. That had to be scary.

Cracked ribs can take a while to get back to normal. The more you do, the longer it will take. No laughing for a few days!

 

[chefann]

My dad rolled our car when I was in high school. The poor car was never the same, even though repairs were done. After that, we called dad Crash for quite a while.I think you qualify for that nickname now, Jodi. Hope you heal quickly.

 

[Kitchen2u]

They need more comfortable cots and better shocks on those things

You're absolutely right...you FEEL :yuck:every bump in the road...and you realize there are LOTS of those bumps!!!

 

[peichef]

Jodi, I am sooooo glad you and your son are okay. That must have been so scary. It's a horrible feeling to lose control of your car when your kids are with you. (We did a 360 on the highway during a snowstorm one time. The kids were too little to know it wasn't a "ride", I was too shaky to keep driving.)Ambulance rides are not a lot of fun. Very bumpy and rough feeling -- can't imagine how uncomfortable the ride would have been with cracked ribs.
As for the tailbone, DD damaged my tailbone when she was born quickly on our kitchen floor (hence our ambulance ride) & I still feel the effects of it 5 yrs later.

 

[buckeyefan08]

Jodi, I am sooooo glad you and your son are okay. That must have been so scary. It's a horrible feeling to lose control of your car when your kids are with you. (We did a 360 on the highway during a snowstorm one time. The kids were too little to know it wasn't a "ride", I was too shaky to keep driving.)

Ambulance rides are not a lot of fun. Very bumpy and rough feeling -- can't imagine how uncomfortable the ride would have been with cracked ribs.
As for the tailbone, DD damaged my tailbone when she was born quickly on our kitchen floor (hence our ambulance ride) & I still feel the effects of it 5 yrs later.

OMG!....

 

[pamperedlinda]

That's too much excitement for me...I hope you feel better soon!

 

[janetupnorth]

Ouch!

Ambulance rides aren't fun...depends on the driver too, they make or break the ride. Try standing up in one doing CPR at 2 a.m. and having the driver bump a curb?!?!?! Or have your partner trying to start an IV in one in an emergency! (IVs are usually started before you leave but sometimes you have to PUHA).

Truck - so sorry to hear, that is a nice truck!

Healing - about 3 weeks until enough tissue is formed. Muscles attached may be achy for longer. Don't overdo it! Keep well nourished, drink lots of fluids, increase your dairy intake a little if you can and let your body do its job.

Glad you are all o.k.

(Must be the time for accidents...I was behind a girl who rear-ended someone yesterday and today a car hit my kids' school).

 

[Hathery]

I had a truck roll in front of me a few years back; it was a scary sight to see! I'm so glad you and your son were okay.

 

[pcchefjane]

Glad to hear you are okay! Sorry about all the aching though! I have my L4 and L5 out of place and go to a chiropractor. It takes all I have some days to get up out of bed. Once I get moving, I get okay! Don't do anything that involves too much movement! How will they get along without you at work? Maybe they can let someone else help do the stocking until you heal!

 

[KellyTheChef]

Jodi~

Thank God you and your son are OK! I am sorry to hear about your injuries, and that they are ones that may take a while to heal....but glad you are alive and well!

Prayers for both of you to heal quickly and feel better soon!

 

[GourmetGirl]

Jodi, thank goodness you're okay! Now the big hurdle is to not push yourself too soon! Good luck on a fast recouperation!

 

[tlag1986]

I am so glad you and your son are okay. I will pray for quick speedy recovery.

Like Janet wrote you need at least 3 weeks for basic healing, but you will have problems for quite a while longer than that. Lifting heavy boxes may be a problem for up to 2 months depending on how heavy they are. I hope you are not a smoker that will only make the process much slower.

Do eat well, get plenty of rest, and drink plenty of fluids. I don't know if they sent you home with an incentive spirometer, but if they did please use no matter how much it may hurt. If they didn't then you need to take 3 deep breaths every 20 minutes throughout the day to keep pneumonia from setting in. Walk as much as possible as well.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Jodi- I hope for all that trauma the EMT's were cute! I'm so sorry that you had that accident! Does your son maybe have a mild sprain in his neck?

I will be praying for both of you...try to take it easy, and rest as best as you can... I hope Tylenol with Codeine is strong enough... personally I would have asked for Oxy-coton (sp?)

 

[chefann]

(Must be the time for accidents...I was behind a girl who rear-ended someone yesterday and today a car hit my kids' school).

I hope it was just a tap, and not like one of the "amazing videos" they show on TV with the car coming through doors, etc.

 

[janetupnorth]

I hope it was just a tap, and not like one of the "amazing videos" they show on TV with the car coming through doors, etc.

It was a little more than a tap, enough to tow the car and take the driver to the hospital, but non-emergent. It is a solid brick school and there were no kids in the classroom at the time luckily. It was about 15 minutes before school started.

Luckily also there were no kids walking there at the time either.

The driver somehow crossed the road from the other lane, went up a curb/sidewalk and a hill that is about 5 1/2 feet high and hit the corner. He missed trees and signs and other vehicles.

It wasn't raining at the time so I don't know if the person was drunk, distracted or otherwise medically incapacitated.

It didn't go "through" the school though...and he hit the exact corner so that helped stop the car.

 

[kcjodih]

I am so glad you and your son are okay. I will pray for quick speedy recovery.

Like Janet wrote you need at least 3 weeks for basic healing, but you will have problems for quite a while longer than that. Lifting heavy boxes may be a problem for up to 2 months depending on how heavy they are. I hope you are not a smoker that will only make the process much slower.

Do eat well, get plenty of rest, and drink plenty of fluids. I don't know if they sent you home with an incentive spirometer, but if they did please use no matter how much it may hurt. If they didn't then you need to take 3 deep breaths every 20 minutes throughout the day to keep pneumonia from setting in. Walk as much as possible as well.

I haven't even finished reading this thread but wanted to say thank you to all my CS pals for their prayers and well wishes. I'm 'hoping' I'm able to go back to work next week, I don't get paid when I'm not working. As for PC, it was ALL I could do to get my DH to help me get my last orders entered last night (host emailed me ready to close) and I double and triple checked before clicking 'submit' since it ended up being a $1165 show !!


Nope they didn't send me home with one of those - what on earth is it? And WHY oh why doesn't pneumonia set in just because of cracked ribs? I don't understand the relation between one and the other. ?? Also you mentioned to walk as much as possible but they said to rest?

 

[kcjodih]

Jodi- I hope for all that trauma the EMT's were cute! I'm so sorry that you had that accident! Does your son maybe have a mild sprain in his neck?

I will be praying for both of you...try to take it easy, and rest as best as you can... I hope Tylenol with Codeine is strong enough... personally I would have asked for Oxy-coton (sp?)

Me too, me too! It says take one tablet every 4 hours as needed but I ended up taking 2 at once this morning and when I woke up this afternoon since that's what I used to take years ago for my back and just taking one was cutting it. I'm hoping my family doctor will give me more or something else stronger when we see him Friday afternoon. Today the pain is SO much worse than yesterday. Yesterday I was joking with the EMT's and hospital staff -

We need to take xrays, any chance you're pregnant?

No way!

Why, have you had a hysterectomy?

Nope, but unless it's Immaculate Conception, I'm NOT pregnant

It's hospital policy to ask - is there any domestic violence in your home?

Hmmm....nope! I was nice to him this week



Today however is totally different and I'm NOT feelin' funny! It HURTS bigtime darn it!

 

[kcjodih]

My dad rolled our car when I was in high school. The poor car was never the same, even though repairs were done. After that, we called dad Crash for quite a while.

I think you qualify for that nickname now, Jodi.

Hope you heal quickly.

They've been calling me that all day today

 

[tlag1986]

Nope they didn't send me home with one of those - what on earth is it? And WHY oh why doesn't pneumonia set in just because of cracked ribs? I don't understand the relation between one and the other. ?? Also you mentioned to walk as much as possible but they said to rest?

They are for you to use to breath deeply. When you have cracked ribs you may not take as deep of a breath as you should and the incentive spirometer helps with it. If you take at least 3-4 big deep breaths even though it hurts you can manage without one. Pneumonia happens with broken ribs mostly due to not taking in a deep breath.

At first you should rest. When you are up and moving it helps even more to prevent pneumonia. It is a sedentary type situation. The less you move the less you breath deep. The more you move the more you breath deep, and the less likely you will have pneumonia.

I have a tendency to think about things we did in the ICU, and it isn't always the way they do things when people are sent home from the ER.

 

[kcjodih]

Thank you Lisa Now it makes perfect sense!

 

[dannyzmom]

Yikes, Jodi! How scary!!!
I am glad you're ok - and yeah, I'm with Kacey - were the medics hot???

 

[jesusluvsu2005]

Jodi, Wow! I am so glad that y'all were okay! I hope you heal quickly! I flipped my car once. It wasn't very fun!
God bless,
Amanda

 

[kcjodih]

Yikes, Jodi! How scary!!!
I am glad you're ok - and yeah, I'm with Kacey - were the medics hot???

Oh Carolyn stop!! I'm LMAO and it's killing me! And nope, the medics were so NOT hot! One looked to be in his 60's and was cranky and just put the neckbrace on me and helped with the backboard and then drove and the other was younger but very plain. He took my vitals and just sat with me.

The firefighters however are another story! However, they arrived as we were pulling out. One called me at dinnertime last night because he was my daughter's soccer coach this past summer and said he was walking towards the scene and saw my truck and thought 'man what a waste of a sweet ride' then stumbled over something in the gravel on the shoulder, reached down to pick it up and flipped it over and then thought 'oh no, I KNOW these people'. (It was my personalized plate that says 4UJO D) So he called to check on me. And I KNOW he's a cutie patootie and one of the guys that works with him is just plain HOT, HOT, HOT! :love0010:

 

[janezapchef]

I just saw your post on another thread about keeping morphine down. I'm so sorry to hear about this! I hope you are up and moving again soon!