Face plant
Time for an eight to five day carer
On Thursday 7th February at about 10am I did the unthinkable by bending forward to put a tablet into my mouth. Because I cannot lift my hand to my mouth, I have to move my mouth to my hand, by bending at the waist and leaning toward my hand lying on my desk. When I tried to sit upright again I didn’t have the strength to do so.
After struggling for about thirty minutes by pushing with my face and head against the desk, I lay there in a semi stupor for a while as I tried to think it through. My left arm was pinned between the wheelchair armrest and the desk, with two fingers bent backwards, while my right arm was lying on the desk curled under my chest, with panic rising by the minute I was struggling to swallow as my throat constricted and my saliva thickened and threatened to choke or drown me.
I have an alarm that hangs around my neck but I couldn’t reach it, my speaker phone was right next to my head but I couldn’t raise my head or move my arms enough to reach it. My computer was on and skype just two clicks away but I couldn’t reach my mouse. My cell phone was lying on the desk next to my face but trying to press tiny buttons with my already swollen nose proved fruitless.
My face continued to swell as I mashed it into my desk in order to alleviate the pain in my arms and pinned hand, while I sweltered in 34C heat. Sweat was burning my eyes which made my nose run while I lay there in an ever growing pool of sweat.
I shouted myself hoarse until I realized that nobody could hear me and wouldn’t know where the cries for help were coming from anyway. Sleep was out of the question due to the excessive pain in my arms face and neck, while I lay there in helpless misery.
After lying there for seven hours and fifteen minutes my wife came home from work and the extremely painful process of straightening my cramped and bruised arms was started. I could only see out of my left eye and my arms were temporarily more useless than normal but I was so happy to be upright again that it sort of overrode the pain and panic.
I will have a day carer from 1st March and all I have to do is stay upright until then.
Oh my word Roly, how incredibly frightening. I am so sorry to hear this. I’m glad you will have someone there in future. My word, how much we take for granted. My prayers are with you.
Thanks for the encouragement
Wow, I am so sorry to hear you had such a frightening experience but glad to hear you will have someone there during the day with you, hope you are feeling better……hugs and prayers sent your way…
Well wishes and prayers are always welcome thanks
Thanks for telling what happened. I am so glad you could keep calm at the end and that you survived this ordeal . Just keep it up till 1st of March., can’t you get someone in the meantime to help you out? You are always in my prayers.
I am connected by skype to my wife at work with my camera on. She is keeping an eye on me now
Oh that’s good news!
I can’t click on “like” after reading this. It must have been an awful long time for you to lie in an awkward position like that. I’m glad you’re getting help, though. xxx
won’t be long now
Sorry to learn of that Roly, but glad to read between the lines the old spirit is still alive and well.
My sense of humor shone through and I even managed a laugh when I eventually saw my face.
Of course, the ‘like’ is not liking at all, but is an expression of horror and sympathy. What an awful experience!
This sort of suffering makes one hope that the theories of Karma and reincarnation and all that are correct, in which case it makes sense that you are working off some earlier delightful careers as Spanish Inquisitors and the like.
LOL Could well be
Bless you, Roly! What a terrible experience … such a long time to be in pain! I get ratty if I’m in pain for 30 mins.
It may have been dreadful for you but enduring what you endure on a daily basis AND hanging on to your sense of humour is an inspiration to the rest of us miserable moaners who really have nothing to gripe about.
Thanks for putting life in context, m’dear. x
Thanks for your thoughts. It was trying at the time but I can laugh about it now.
I was wondering why you were so quiet, sorry Roly, hang in there…
I’m much improved now thanks just much more careful
I cannot begin to think how dreadful this was for you. Very glad to hear you will have someone with you from next month.
Yip! Me too. I just don’t know what she will do all day. I actually enjoy my own company and my computer
HI ROLY..SJHO MAN…THANK GOD YOU ARE OK…ROLY YOU ARE A FIGHTER.AND YOU ARE NOT GONNA GIVE UP THIS I KNOW…YOU INSPIRE US,WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT..LOTS OF LOVE HEIN ZIGI ANDREW AND JUSTIN…PRAYING FOR STRENGTH EVERYDAY.XOXOXOO
Thanks Zigi, I’m too young to give up now
Oh Rory I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how that felt. That swollen eye looks so painful. I will add my prayers to the others for your strength and courage to continue growing.
Much better now thanks
That would have put me in to a terrible panic. Your calm probably helped you in this ordeal. I’m so sorry you had to go through that. You are an inspiration to me!
Lisa
Hey Lisa,that I survived is the main thing, I will just get on with my life once more thanks for your thoughts
I’m so sorry to hear this
I’m glad that there will be someone to help you now though, I’m sure Dawn will feel a bit better leaving you at home now
Thanks Vic, I’m sure we will all feel safer
Hi Roly
So sorry to read about this terrible experence.Really glad that you will be getting a care giver.I pray that she will be great company for you. Someone that will care for you and for you to chat to. Thanks for your continued humour and good spirt.
Hi Ursh, Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll probably bore the woman to tears. What can she do for 8 hrs with me only needing 2 hours of help. The house is small enough to clean once a week and I don’t chat much.:)
Jeez, bud. Don’t do that again!
I’ll try not to thanks
Sorry to hear about your horrible ordeal, Roly. Glad it wasn’t worse, although what, you might ask, is the less worse of bad. Sorry. Hoped to cheer you up a bit.
Feel much better now thanks
Damn Sar!!!
Can in no way imagine how you could deal with this.
Hope it does not happen again!
Hi Ghia, hope you’re well,employed and happy
All three so far Sar
That’s SUPER COOL. long may it last
Damn! 7 feaking hours?? What torture! I have no idea where you find your strenght! Thank goodness for the light at the end of the tunnel
I surprised myself too
I’m so sorry that this is happening to you. I’m sure March 1st can’t come soon enough and then situations like this won’t happen again. I think about you every day, hoping things are improving for you. Your inner strength to persevere with this is a remarkable inspiration.
My last stand was quite spectacular
Much better now thanks
I’ve always wanted to see the face of remarkable strength and humor, but not like this! Sending you prayers that this doesn’t happen to you again.
e.
I don’t think I would survive a second time, so I’m extremely careful now. Thanks for your thoughts
oh dear. Five minutes of that might be funny but seven hours is way beyond comic!
doing better now thanks
What a painful experience, Roly. Thank goodness you are having a carer with you soon and you won’t be alone for long hours. Take care and keep well.
Thanks, I can’t wait to relieve the stress
Roly. It is so good to meet you. I found you through Pearl a week or two ago. I have been checking your blog, enjoying the humor, picking through your book to find out what debilitating disease you have and whether the spider and printer posts happened recently (evidentally not).
My hubby and I are going through an extremely stressful crisis just now, which is why I haven’t had the energy to comment before. That said, you provide a good reminder that we have a heck of a lot to thankful for and it could be a lot worse.
Thank you for your descriptions of life with a debilitating disease. My sis in law has a form of MS, started when she was in college. You give an excellent description of what it’s like. I know that it can be very isolating, because people just don’t want to believe that it’s that bad and that you truly can’t do anything about it. As you have said, it scares them.
I don’t think that phenomonon is restricted to debilitating diseases, by the way. I think hostile disbelief is often encountered by anyone who goes through something horrible that others find it hard to relate to. Just look at Job. But I realize that in your case, it’s a lot more inescapable, a lot more daily.
You are a terrific writer. I love the slapstick. I see that you are also a reader. I don’ t know what you’ve already read, or what audiobooks you’ll be able to get, but if you haven’t read him yet, and if you can get ahold of him, I highly recommend novels by Dick Francis. I also love Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter), although her stuff moves a lot slower.
Don’t know when I’ll have the time or inclination to comment again, but I’ll be back if I can. I hope things go well for you. I hope that you can still exercise your amazing writing skills for a long time to come.
Hi Jen, Thanks so much for your encouragement. Blogging my fact and fiction stories is what keeps me sane. Thanks for the visit. Stay strong.