Since the global COVID-19 pandemic is in full swing, we figured that it’s good to mention the experiences with the virus. Movie experience, hospital experience and even sports experience are to follow here. Global and on a persona level. It’s not my first post on the subject, but the previous one was a bit more uplifting and optimistic. This one, not so much. But back to the topic at hand. How the world and several of the best-known industries are coping with the pandemic. The adaptation to the new normal if you will. Now, in several upcoming posts, I’m going to describe how the film, TV, entertainment industry and sports, in general, are dealing with the pandemic. What are they doing to avoid infections, possible outbreaks, and how they’ve adapted to the new daily life. But also my very very unpleasant and personal experience in the ER during this pandemic. Let’s start with that, shall we?
Clumsiness That Led To A Hospital Experience
Warning: Unlike my previous posts here at IndieGala, this post will not contain movie selection of any kind. Especially about pandemic/quarantine movies, which I already covered in a previous post. However, over here in this post, I will detail my scary hospital-related event in the middle of this summer. And no. I did not get COVID-19 in case you were wondering. This event was entirely caused my clumsiness and lack of concentration in a very brief moment. And when I say I’m clumsy I do mean very clumsy. Accident prone too. If there’s an empty room with one single chair in the middle of it, I will find a way to hurt myself with that chair. I’ll trip, fall or stumble over it, and the fact that can’t really see all that well doesn’t really help either. But back to my eventful summer trip to the ER.
Firstly you need to picture me on a bicycle. On a very hot summer day in August. Yeah. No helmet on (a very stupid decision on my part I know), and on the sidewalk of a crowded street. There’s a pothole in front of me and in order to avoid it I make a sudden turn to the left of me. However, on the left side, there’s a huge parked truck. And while I make the turn I managed to hit my head on the outside rear-view mirror of the truck. Boom! How many people have managed to successfully injure themselves with a truck’s rear-view mirror? Not that many I’m sure. We’ll not that many people have my self-destructive talents as well. But I don’t wanna brag or anything like that.
Hospital Experience: Vertigo, Nausea And A Massive Headache Later
Cut to… About an hour later of that head to rear-view mirror collision. I’m in excruciating pain, but at the same time I start to get dizzy, nauseated and there’s a „word-salad“ coming from my mouth. I have a massive, very visible bump on my head, and I can barely walk. Add to that the 38 degrees Celsius outside and you get the picture of my state at the time. My husband checks my pupils, my head and my coordination and gets me immediately into a taxi.
The nearest hospital is my destination but that’s where the „fun“ started. After the guy checks my temperature at the entrance I immediately sit myself to the nearest chair. And of course, wait for my turn to get examined. But the thing is when you’re not a gun-shot victim when you don’t have any severed limbs or you’re not a suspected COVID patient…. You’re not a high priority patient. And you’re treated as such. So, all I had to do is wait to get a simple X-Ray. And wait. And wait. „Fun“ right?
Diagnosis Not Critical
Indeed. Since I wasn’t a priority I just sat and waited for my name to come up. About 45-50 minutes later, I finally got the chance to take the X-Ray. But after hours of the aforementioned problems, I couldn’t even sit still for the X-Ray. The X-Ray technician asked me a bunch of basic questions (like date of birth and so on) and it took me a few seconds to remember my own birthday. Yup. But the good news out of all of this is … NO FRACTURE on my thick skull of mine. At least that’s what it said on my discharge results sheet. Just a severe head concussion that went away in 3-4 weeks.
However, for the next few weeks, I did a bit more resting, drank plenty of fluids. I also avoided going out in sun and in the heat. And there was no bicycle driving too. Or any type of physical activity for that matter. Oh and did had to take copious amounts of Aspirin for the headaches, but other than that, I was fine. But it was a small price to pay for my stupidity and clumsiness. Not to mention that the white part of my left eye (I believe the medical term is Sclera) was entirely bright red for weeks afterwards. At that point, I was basically like a very cliched movie vampire. Only allowed to go out at night.
Hey, I’ve always enjoyed vampire movies anyway. And TV shows, I might add. Not to mention, I’ve always enjoyed writing about them too.
The Lesson From My Hospital Experience
What is my lesson you might ask? Well, I have several of them. First and foremost I desperately needed a helmet after this accident so I ordered one online. Secondly, I will start to be more careful. I know that my natural clumsiness is not an excuse, and I’m lucky I got off so easy. Next time I might not be so lucky. I should really start being more careful when I’m on that bike.
But that was just my story. Do you have a similar one? Bicycle related or not, regardless. Care to share it? I’d very much love to read it. Believe me, you’ll all have my utter empathy for whatever it is. From one clumsy person to another.
