I started out in the ER at St. Mary’s hospital. From there I was admitted to the ICU on December 16th. I was there from December 16th until December 20th. I was asleep for most of the time, but while I was awake, I remember all of the nurses and the aides being very nice. I was on Decadron, which was a steroid to reduce swelling, and more importantly, Percocet. Let me tell you, Percocet is amazing. Even though I was in a ton of pain, I didn’t feel anything; in fact I felt like nothing could hurt me. I knew I had to get off of it as soon as possible.
While in ICU, I got scans every morning to monitor my brain, and no rest. Doctors were in every few hours to make sure I still had feeling and basic motor skills; basically they wanted to know that my brain was getting better, not worse. When they did their exam, they were interested in how I controlled my legs, so they lifted the blankets I used to stay warm to reveal the shark slippers. Without fail, every doctor loved and commented on them. Probably the best $30 I’ve ever spent.
Nurses were in often to feed me and take my vitals. I wasn’t yet on solid food and I couldn’t walk, so I had a catheter. I had tons blood draws and an IV, and terrible veins (I don’t think I can be an IV drug user even if I wanted to be one) so both arms got bruised from all the sticks. Doctors eventually got fed up with trying to find a good vein, so they ordered a PICC line, which goes directly into my brachial artery. With everything going on, sleeping was tough, and when I did manage to fall asleep, it wasn’t very restful.
I did get lots of visitors. I know all of my friends came; so many that the nurses had to say no to some. Even when the nurses didn’t let them in, I was told that they sat in the waiting room until they saw someone from my family. My coworkers came, though I was half asleep (but I still remember!). And my family. My family, what can I say? My parents never left my side; and it was only possible because my cousin, Brian, took care of everything. It was because of him that no one had to worry. The hotels, flights, meals, etc. were all taken care of by him. My parents and I will be forever grateful.
When I was no longer in danger, I was moved to General Population in St. Mary’s and was there until the 23rd. Brian’s wife, Erica, joined the party and provided much needed company. I was visited there by Genevieve, Meaghan and Ian, three running friends to whom I became close with over the months. Again, the nurses there and the doctors continued to exceed my expectations. I was now allowed to eat solid food, and could walk to the bathroom with (lots of) help. This meant showering! You have no idea how good showers feel unless you can’t take one. Oh man, washing my hair was amazing. I couldn’t wait to go home and shower, though I knew at this point it would be a while.
From there I was transferred to Renown Inpatient Rehabilitation on December 23rd. At this point, doctors were no longer worried about me. I was still on Decadron and Percocet but would be weaned off soon. I was out of the woods and on my way to a full recovery. I was told I’d recover by summertime and should be completely back to normal within 3 years but most likely sooner. That’s an incredible prognosis; one I am incredibly grateful for.
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