$6,375 bottle of water

Today’s post brought to you by: travel insurance

Grateful for: Ben, beyond words

Trying hard to accept: need to move more than an inch

I don’t often give advice (wipe that look off your face, Penny, Peter, anyone else I’ve ever met).

But take heed, dear readers:

• drink water – lots of it
• get travel insurance – lots of it
• be careful what you jokingly wish for
• have a Ben in your life

A couple of days ago I’m walking along and my falling-off-ladder-day-before-I-left-NZ-tailbone injury is screaming for attention. Again.

Ha! I kinda laughed to myself. Maybe I should go see a doctor and check out the notorious US medical system we in NZ shudder in fear about.

Well, all you cynics out there, dreams do indeed come true. To the tune of 9 hours in ER and the small matter of a $6,375 bill to ‘discuss’ with travel insurance co.

More advice, because I feel eminently qualified to give it now. Thirst is not an indication of dehydration.

What’s more, even if the Florida sun is only making cameo appearances, you still need to drink lots. Of water. Free coffee refills are not water.

Strangely, I fainted in the shower 4 times (I think – counting wasn’t exactly a priority) yesterday morning. Strangely because I exercise a lot more/drink a lot less at home and have never had this happen.

Every little while I would collapse onto hard jutting plastic corners of bath tub. Crash, bang. Wake up. Stand up. Fall down, crash, bang. Wake up. Stand up. Repeat.

It was like being tossed around in a tumble dryer full of hard corners.

Managed to wash my hair though. Important to look good. Didn’t quite manage to shave legs.

Somehow managed to get dressed, send SOS to Ben, force some food down and make all-important call to insurance co.

Over the next 9 hours:

• spent 2 hours in emergency clinic having IV, ECG, BP and BT (blood tests – just trying to keep with the initials thing)
• went into mild panic hearing the words, “we’re worried about her – she needs to go to the ER”
• retold my first name, last name, date of birth and account of what happened to 1 front desk guy, 1 registration (euphemism for bill paying division) guy, 5 nurses, 6 technicians, 2 physician’s assistants, anyone who’d listen, and half a doctor.
• lost count of how many blood tests they did and how many sticky ECG patches they stuck down my bra
• robed and de-robed for CT and X-rays
• made X-ray technicians’ day for presenting ribs rather than chest, which rest of The Villages patients need X-raying
• got told I have extremely low blood pressure – but knew that
• found out I have very long lungs, odd pupils and gallstones (ignoring last one till leave US – for reasons of biscuits and BBQ)
• had blood pressure taken so many times – lying, sitting, standing – my arm almost fell off
• had long chat to Kurt on reception about his son’s 9 back rods and brain injury post-Iraq
• befriended nurse Laura ‘cause she seemed only one able to make things happen
• wolfed down few bits of dry turkey sandwich that Laura found me – first food in 8 hours – I fell instantly in love
• used half of the hospital’s hot blanket supply after spending 9 hours purple with cold
• got 2 mins of the elusive Dr Lopez who (thank you good fortune, karma, higher being, whatever) said all test results ok and put it down to dehydration
• got hugs from nurses and technicians as I finally left (them in peace)
• thanked my incredible good fortune to have Ben with me to get me places, explain things, make things happen, ask the right questions, demand answers, sort all the follow-up paperwork, and most of all – and this is the big one – give up 9 hours of her life to sit and wait and starve and just be there for me.

Now at home not intending to move more than one inch in either direction if can possibly avoid it. And sculling water.

Even though ribs aren’t cracked they might as well be. Every movement, laugh, cough, rough bit of road in the car is agony. Dr Google (free!!!!!!) assured me it’s bruised bones, which unlike rest of my black and blue body, won’t show as external bruising.

I’ve got 5 more days in Florida before next train trip. Plan to spend most of it vertical to try and speed recovery so can haul backpack.

Gonna be a much different trip from now on than I’d planned but I am just so grateful to be ok and to have such caring and generous people in my life.

One of the best meals of my trip. So hungry I would’ve eaten my foot. Actually, that’s Ben’s foot in the picture. Just as well the food arrived when it did.