Tricia's Story
It was a bright sunshine filled day Sunday April 17, 2011. I had a few hours before I had to be at work and my husband John and I decided to try the knew Denny’s restaurant that opened a few miles up the road. We were headed northbound in the center lane travelling a legal 45 mph. A driver of a minivan decided to try to cut across the 6 lane road we were travelling on and by the time she putlled out of the parking lot near the slow lane northbound, she was already at 35 mph. I guess she didn’t see us. For in that blink of an eye, our lives would forever be changed. John hit the drivers side door and went down with the bike. I was the rear passenger so I decided to do my impression of superwoman without her cape and learn that you need the cape to land! I went over the minivan before meeting my friend, the highway. I remember hearing voices telling me to stay with them help was coming. I remember later telling someone I wasn’t going anywhere until someone called my boss and told them I wasn’t coming in today. I would later learn that the scene was worked as a fatality as no one expected me to survive. John was taken by ambulance to Gateway Medical Center and then via life flight to Vanderbilt Medidcal Center. I was taken to Blanchfield Army Community Hospital where I was stablized and then life flighted to Vanderbilt as well. While I was Blanchfield, they would place a chest tube, as I had punctured my lung with 8 broken ribs. They would place a catheter as my bladder was ruptured. I had multiple fractures splinted prior to life flight. I am forever grateful to these skilled physicians and nurses for if not for their competent and quick care, I would not be here. At Vanderbilt it was decided I needed pelvic binding as I was bleeding out and had broken my pelvis in many places. This is when I would be placed into a medical coma to control pain. I would remain in this state and intubated for six days. During these days, I would undergo multiple surgeries to repair me. I would wake up 6 days later. I remember as I was waking moaning and crying to have my sister look down on me and tell me I was ok. Funny how that made me feel like I would be. I remember being told I had to give two thumbs up and wiggle my feet to be extubated. I wasn’t fast enough and was told to wait. Apparently a few hours later I heard the doctor in the trauma bay. My sister’s voice could be heard with laughter saying, “I think she’s ready!” Apparently with all my broken bones I was flopping like a fish determined it was coming out! I remember a nurse coming at me with an insulin needle and me trying to claw my way out of bed. I was NOT diabetic!! Apparently when you are feed by total parenteral nutrition… you can need assistance… well I did. I remember them wheeling John in to see me for the first time. He would cry and I would cry. A few moments is all either of us could take at that time and I remember the fear when he left. I didn’t remember whom he was. Thankfully that would come back. I remember the sweetest sound I would ever hear that night. The voice of my two boys telling me they loved me. That was all I needed to get my big girl panties on and fight. The next memory is of the best turkey sandwich I would ever eat. You see I had an NG tube and the only way it would come out is if I ate. I said bring it on. Oh boy was that the best sandwich ever and the tube came out. The next day I would be introduced to the Trauma Survivors Network and get to meet my peer visitor Brittany. Hearing from a survivors perspective was amazing! She was able to share so much from someone that had been on my side of the bed. It was much needed information that would help me make it thrugh the next 2 months. I was eventually moved to Medical Center North where I would complete my stay of 75 days. You see I was battling daily impactions, a neurogenic bladder and an external fixator in my pelvis. No rehab facility wanted me. On day 74 the external fixator would be removed and on day 76 I would face a three hour ambulance ride to to Southern Indiana Rehab Hospital to learn to walk. The whole time I was in Vanderbilt, I was not allowed to bear any weight on my legs so i was living in chair or bed. I would spend another 30 inpatient days at Southern Indiana before finally gaining freedom on July 3rd. After two weels of being at Vanderbilt, John had already moved to Southern Indiana Rehab. If not for my family and firends, we both would have faced this journey alone. There were ups and downs in the hospital. Shoot, ask me questions and I will answer them. 75 days is a lot to chronicle and I have many stories which I will share as we go on in this journey. I will say my injuries were 8 broken ribs with 2 open reduction fixed. I had an open reduction of a broken left arm. I had pretty much shattered my pelvis.They placed an external fixator pins and screws. I had a hemo/pneumo thorax (punctured lung), broken non operable left clavicle, rutupred bladder, fractured L-5 vertebrae with nerve root damage, three burns and road rash, and multiple blood transfusions. Because of the nerve damage, I must use a cane on good days and a walker on my bad days. I walk funny but hey I am walking. Yes there are times I am down. Yes there are times I think i can’t take it anymore. I am human. I bleed when I fall down. However, above all, I am a survivor and I will go on surviving. There is still too much of this beautful world to see and too much to keep on keeping on for. Join me on my journey. My story is not over by a long shot. There are years ahead of me waiting to be written.
