Eastern Utah
EMAIL ME AT: mgypsy97 at aol dot com

Friday, December 3, 2010

Emergency care on the road

I left after 8:00 a.m. this morning, intending to find the med center in or near Salome that I had googled. I never did come across it or any signs to it, so I just continued to Wickenburg, another site found online. That is the long way to Wickenburg, around 85 miles or so. I went to the clinic first, to find out that it wasn't an urgent care center but that they could give me an appointment with just a 45 minute wait.

I opted to go across the street to the Wickenburg Community Hospital Emergency Room. What a great hospital! From the folks at the front desk back to the doctors, techs, admissions personnel, xray techs, etc., they were professional, kind, and caring. It is also a beautiful place, obviously new, with a decor in keeping with the southwest and not like most medical centers.

I was admitted promptly and the admissions person came back to the examining room with a desk on wheels, so I didn't have to move from place to place - they all came to me. I was seen by the doctor and then sent for xrays, which showed no broken bones or fractures. I am so relieved, and think how close I came to possibly never walking again. I left with a prescription for Ibuprofen, which I chose over a narcotic type drug. I would have loved a feel-good pill, but there will come a time when I really need one of those and I'll gladly take them - this time I can survive with the "vitamin I".

When I got back and later talked to Dave, he mentioned that I was so fortunate to have fallen where I did. Creosote bushes grow everywhere, and the site owners often trim them down to several short, bare spikes. I could have been impaled if I had landed on one of those. But I am so grateful to have had nothing worse than a really sore tailbone, and I'm noticing aches in my neck, probably because my head hit the ground so hard.

I took a short cut back to the Park, and it turned out to be about 60 miles. So my little accident cost me a 150 mile trip, but I'm so glad for the outcome I didn't mind it at all. I noticed that I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable by the time I got to Wickenburg, which means that I really shouldn't be driving any distance for a while. I will know if I need to buy a step or ramp for the dog once the camper is mounted. She may be able to make it, but I notice she has more trouble climbing up steps or into the truck lately, but then so do I, at least for the time being.

So that was my day, at least 5 hours of it. I only wanted to take a nap when I got back to the camper.

14 comments:

  1. Thank your lucky stars you checked out OK! Keep taking that Vitamin I and get plenty of rest. We're thinking of you. Take care!

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  2. Great that the outcome was not so bad. I was so worried when I heard about your fall.

    Maybe when you get propane next time, the camper will be on the truck, and the propane place will help you. I hope so.

    Please take care.

    Happy Trails, Penny, TX

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  3. Take the time to recover as needed. Getting too active to soon can make the minor injuries get worse. I have a lot of experience making minor injuries worse.

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  4. Always good to have things checked out after a nasty fall like that. Men won't usually go to a Doctor & I figure that's why there are a lot more women walking around than men:))

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  5. Glad it all checked out okay. Try and relax and enjoy a few quiet days.

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  6. I am so glad you are OK. Take it easy for a few days! I got sick in Deming,NM one year, I found to just go to the ER is the best thing to do.

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  7. I love the smaller town doctor communities. When I cracked my head open in New York, the people at the clinic were so good to me. And I had to have blood work done in Roswell and they were also great.

    So glad you're okay except for the aches and stiffness. Please give your body time to recover before you take off.

    Isn't Vitamin I just wonderful stuff.

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  8. Very glad you are OK. I know that now you probably wish you had not driven 150 miles to be told you are OK, but I think it was well worth it. And you now have peace of mind.

    I have been to Wickenburg four times and will be back that way. Glad to hear that they have a good hospital.

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  9. Thank goodness you are okay! You'll probably have some aches and pains for a while, but if that's all, you are really lucky. Take it easy - get that step! Maybe you can do some easy sightseeing in the area while you are healing. Hope you are well soon.

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  10. So glad to read that you are alright. Hope you enjoyed your nap and are back at it today. I would say your trip was well worth the good news. How are your glasses doing?

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  11. oh Dear Gypsie I just read this I sure hope you are okay

    Nothing wrong with taking pain meds when you are hurting. I broke my tail bone when I was in my 30s and it still gives me some trouble today. Be careful and ask for help

    Take Care
    Brenda Brown

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  12. So very glad you are NOT BROKEN! Be gentle with yourself the next few days and I'll be thinking of you!

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  13. Good for you -- now take it easy for a while! You are important to us, so take care of yourself. We also have had great experiences at most smaller town medical centers, and we have seen a bunch of them. Occasionally you get some bureaucratically run outfit or a crab, but usually not. Next time in Wickenburg, try the restaurant we ate at, but I'll be damned if I can think of the name for it. So that's no help to you, is it?

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  14. Glad to hear that you are doing well...The show will go on as planned!

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