Josefa Ingraham 's blog ::Charleston Car Accident Lawyer Offers Free Car Insurance Evaluations
In the first week of December, I was involved in two car accidents. The second of the two was especially traumatizing, and before I was involved in it, I was already having flashbacks and dreaming about the first accident. Looking for answers about my injuries and difficulties, I came across this helpful article on Associated Content written by Christi Bowers. Like Christi, I am writing about my experience to help others know that they are not alone and to let them know what to expect during accident injury recovery. Here are some methods that have helped me cope with the accident. Hopefully they will also help you. Confront the Memory For me, the accident also resulted in a diagnosis of PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). As part of my therapy, I've been asked to write down a detailed account of the accident. Flashbacks are difficult to endure; if you are having them, it's best to consult a therapist. I have confronted the memory of the car accident by role-playing the accident in a seated position and by forcing myself to work through the entire memory rather than avoid it (even during a relaxing yoga exercise). Talking about it with my husband (who understands PTSD due to his time in the military) has also helped. Write the Memory My accident began on a chilly December morning. My husband was taking me to see my family for breakfast. We were driving west on the Pennsylvania turnpike and were a few miles away from the Willow Grove exit. I was already nervous about being in a car since I had just been in an accident three days prior. I was anxious and breathing heavily; due to the bruising I wasn't wearing a bra and the seatbelt was positioned right in the middle of my chest. We were listening to the radio and we were quiet. A deer suddenly jumped over the center median of the highway. I screamed "A deer!" and my husband-the driver-acknowledged that he saw it. He swerved his car to avoid hitting the animal. It was so close to the car I remember the terrified look in the doe's eyes. Her coat looked ragged and worn. I was screaming the entire time. The next thing I knew we were driving head on into a wall on the right side of the road. I could only think what I had thought in my accident three days prior: this isn't happening. I woke up, still screaming-I don't think I lost consciousness, but in retrospect I at least had my eyes closed for a few seconds after impact. My husband was okay and I kept screaming. "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" He responded, "If you're talking, you're breathing." I think he said he didn't want me to move, but the airbags had deployed and there was mixed smoke and powder everywhere-apparently the radiator had also been damaged. There was no fresh air, just smoke, and I felt trapped. I opened the door and got my seat belt off. I kicked the door open and by that time my husband had gotten out of the car and came over. I tried to get out of the car and would have fallen if he had not been there to catch me. The first thing I felt was the immense pain in my back. It wasn't a prior injury resurfacing as I had feared-it was worse, and radiated around to the front of my left ribs and all through my chest. I kept screaming "my back, my back!" and I was having trouble breathing. Rick didn't want to rest me on the road so close to the car, but he had to. Others pulled over to help. Some were with a National Guard medical unit (doing what the National Guard should be doing-protecting people in this nation instead of in other nations and I am grateful they were in Pennsylvania that day). They kept my neck stable and Rick talked to a police officer. An ambulance arrived but it must have been after more than twenty minutes. I was stuck in a neck brace for a few hours after that. The hospital was almost as traumatizing as the accident itself. It was several hours before I even knew what was wrong or what could be wrong with me. The doctor examined Rick first; his injuries were very minor and I heard him say "could you please help my wife first?" He kept looking at me the whole time he was being examined. The worst part was not knowing what was wrong. My side was growing increasingly more painful. The doctor tried to examine me and said I needed x-rays, MRIs and a CT scan. When he went to touch the rib, he immediately upgraded my condition to a trauma because the area was too sensitive for him to even touch. I was ready to punch him when he put pressure on it even though I knew he was trying to help me. I was taken immediately to an operating room. They had to cut my sweatshirt off. It was a favorite sweatshirt-the White Tree of Gondor from Lord of the Rings. I tried to think about what the tree meant and I tried to believe that everything was going to be okay, but my mother and stepfather hadn't arrived at the hospital yet and they hadn't let Rick come up with me to this operating room. I looked around and could see that they were prepared to operate immediately. Compared to the rest of the hospital, this room looked reassuringly high-tech, but that was also very intimidating. The doctors and nurses in this room were very thorough, efficient, and understanding of my pain. They described everything they did, though they had to perform multiple exams at once because they admitted to being concerned about internal bleeding. They told me that everything was going to happen fast and that they might need to operate quickly. They asked about my surgical history and I let them know about my drug allergies and that I had been under anesthesia before when I had my gall bladder removed and I had experienced no problems. They ran me through some scans. They gave me a narcotic which didn't slow my panic but did help with the pain a bit. After they were finished examining my rib area which was of the most concern, they asked what else hurt. I pointed to my left shoulder. They took me in for a simpler, quicker x-ray and then moved me back down to the original room. It was more than forty-five minutes before they had results. They left me thinking I could be bleeding to death inside, making me think it was serious-and with no results. My family was there and did their best to make me comfortable, but didn't ask after the test results. I was helpless. This was probably the worst part of the whole experience-they wouldn't even help me. Eventually I was diagnosed with severe abdominal bruising and a fractured left clavicle. I was promptly diagnosed and they left my (injured) husband to help me out of bed while my stepfather retrieved his vehicle so he could drive me home. Rick couldn't lift me out of bed since he had strained his (previously dislocated) shoulder and sprained his wrist. Since he understood shoulder pain, he did his best to guide me, but what my husband and the hospital staff did not understand was that I was in immense pain in my ribs-far beyond the pain of a fracture. The nurse lost her patience with me and left, but Rick was there, willing to wait as long as it took until I could get myself out of bed and into the wheelchair. I sat in the chair as soon as I could but began to black out. Rick went to get water which I think I asked for, but my vision started to fade. I slowly sipped the water as he wheeled me down the hallway. For more than a minute, I could see nothing but black and then the light began to come back. When I got outside, my mother and stepdad were there to help me into the truck and things began to get better from there, but I still held in a lot of anger. I had almost fallen out of the wheelchair. The hospital was clearly understaffed...and they left me sitting for nearly an hour thinking I just might have internal bleeding, strapped to a neck brace with no way of moving. Until this point, I did not realize that my anger towards my hospital stay compensated for over half of my trauma. Hopefully by writing and talking about the experience, you can learn from your own words as well. Seatbelt Injuries Seatbelts and airbags save lives, but they also cause injuries. Without a seatbelt, I would have gone through a windshield directly into a cement wall at 45 a miles per hour impact. I might not have survived. If you've been in an accident and have seatbelt injuries, it's important to understand that your injuries would likely be worse were you not wearing a seatbelt. That said, I sustained injuries due to the seatbelt and airbag impacts. I had bruising so severe over my left breast that I still have a 'blood lump' from the injury. I am also stil having digestive problems which require additional tests. The airbag deployment prevented the seatbelt from breaking my breastbone. My ribs likely have hairline fractures (my chiropractor's guess) and my back was so contorted that I have flashbacks from laying down flat on it still. I had only a small contusion on my forehead from the airbag and a chemical burn on my right pinky finger. I was wearing glasses at the time of impact, but the airbag knocked them away, barely bent them, and made no injury to my face. After a few weeks, the burn blistered and came off in the shower, almost like a severe sunburn. The new skin that grew under it was ultra-sensitive, but after a few more weeks feels like the rest of my hand. Rib Injury Due to Seatbelt The rib injury was the most difficult for me to deal with because the doctors said it was 'just bruising.' However, it was much more severe than the fracture and the progress in its healing is still so slow that it is difficult to notice or measure. I had to rely on my husband to get out of bed or a chair for up to three weeks and for the first few days, I required his assistance in getting to the toilet and the shower. I would not have been able to do this were I living alone. Fortunately, I was able to go to the bathroom by myself and scrub myself, but this was about all I was able to accomplish aside from light activity on the computer and some reading. There was no comfortable sleeping position-only the 'least painful.' The worst pain came from coughing and sneezing. It pulled my back-each time a reminder of the accident-and hurt my left ribs so badly I screamed in pain. Aside from medication, which I knew was simply masking the pain instead of curing it, the only thing that helped was to talk about the accident. I would call my mother and detail my progress and talk about it every day with my husband and my mother-in-law. I related the story to my orthopedic doctor as well and at last to my understanding chiropractor. Clavicle Fracture The clavicle fracture was not extremely painful. I noticed immediately that it was only aggravated when I moved it in certain ways. Before I was discharged, the nurse advised me to move my wrist each hour for blood flow. After a few days, my elbow did swell up and I started going for hours at a time without the brace. Day by day, I was able to notice improvement. Now there is just a bit of stiffness there, although I still have moderate pain in my ribs (a month and a half post-accident). Physical Therapy I was told to go to the chiropractor and avoided physical therapy. Under the supervision of my personal trainer and doctors, I began my own physical therapy at my own pace using mainly Yoga on the Wii Fit Plus. I recommend using the Wii Fit as part of physical and mental recovery, but it should be done so only after consulting your physician. Getting Out and Psychological Effects The accident caused mental effects aside from the PTSD, which disrupts my sleep schedule. I chose to make a career shift to accommodate my temporary disabilities because I was fortunate enough to have the option to work from home. I did this, and it reduced my overall stress level. However, I quickly noticed that getting out of the house each day was essential to my recovery. Rick and I took our dog for walks and he took me on errands, even just to buy milk. Staying in the house (especially before I was well enough to clean or do laundry) was making me depressed. Now, I am fortunately able to do laundry and keep my work area clean and I am better able to cope. Family Support After my visit in the hospital, I literally would not have been able to function without others. At first I didn't mind, but after a while I began to feel helpless, like a burden, especially upon my husband who was taking care of me while he was recovering himself. He had just started a new job and didn't want to be on disability, so I did my best to support his work ethic and helped him count down the days until he was back at work. Meanwhile, I used his support to write consistently and to transition my career into a full-time freelance opportunity. My mother-in-law supported me by helping with laundry, cooking for me, and talking with me each day. My grandparents, mother, friends and aunt supported me on the phone each day and kept in touch via social media. As a result of this, I realize that even just a 'hello' can be very important to a person recovering from an accident. The best thing one person can do for an accident victim is listen. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by excellent listeners, especially my patient husband. What I Learned With my recovery mostly complete, I am trying to think about the positive things that came out of the accident. I was able to spend time with my husband and I grew to have even more respect for him because of his patience, kindness and concern. I really saw the measure of his physical and emotional strength and observed the way he fulfilled the vows he took just months prior to the accident. Rick held me when I cried and helped me to see that things would get better. Meanwhile, he also managed to encourage and support my personal goals and my career goals. I am now working very hard both making money in my new career and working around the house to ensure that Rick is able to meet his career goals in turn. I work his hours and accommodate his schedule and also support his career decisions. We work together to figure out financial problems and bills-and while we are still waiting on insurance payouts and disability in this economy, that can be a bit tricky. I am glad we make such a good team. We both get angry and frustrated with certain things, but when that happens, we are there to back each other up. Rick is better at sorting out a mess and I am stronger at following up on tasks. This accident has caused us to work together more efficiently to solve problems. Using the Wii Fit, I understood the importance of me and my own goals in my recovery. While I listened to my doctors, it was up to me to work on my physical and emotional recovery however I knew best, so I learned that I was determined. The remainder of what I learned involved things that I had suspected or assumed: who my true friends were, the truth about business arrangements and other personal assumptions. Overall, I still wish the accident hadn't happened, but am glad that it was a catalyst for forcing me to stop and understand the world around me. |
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