Oh , That Awful Pain !

I'm sure I whimpered , moaned , or even screamed several times during the rest of the torturous ride . The vehicle rocked back and forth , in and out of traffic, and the entire time the siren blared . It was the most painful , nightmarish trip of my life .
excerpt from 90 Minutes In Heaven

I remember the pain very well . There are no words that can describe the pain that was associated with my cancer . Those first hospital stays will reside in my mind until my last breath . It is a reminder to me of who I was then , where I was  and I never want to go there again . 

My first set of doctors and hospital were a lot to be desired and after the second surgery  and poor neglect on their part , my family decided to transfer me  to Rush Presbyterian . I never understood the importance of choosing a doctor  and a hospital . I thought they were all expected to provide the best care imaginable to patients . I was so naive .

I had so many monitors , tubes and wires attached to me that it took the EMT over an hour to untangle me from the mess . When they moved me to the stretcher , I lay surrounded by monitors , barely any room for me . 

That ambulance ride will be etched in my mind forever . My sister-in-law rode in the front with the driver  and I could hear her talk nonchalantly about sports . My meds were wearing off and I needed another dosage . Perfectly on time as the ambulance drove off . 

The drive to Rush  was no different than the excerpt above . I couldn't have described it better if I tried . At every jolt , I felt like the monitors would surely knock this stretcher down , as they tipped and rocked . All through this pain , I heard my sister-in-law chatting and I wanted to scream out at her to stop , because I was hurting . 

I felt as if I was being punished for every sinful act I had done . A purgatory purge of my soul through this illness . I accepted every single tinge of pain as the cleansing that  needed to be done . It was the longest ride of my life and I thought we would never get there . 

Rush was expecting me and they wheeled me into a private room where the EMT's lifted my lightweight body onto the bed as if I were a mere feather . There was a doctor there that gave me a shot and to this day , I can't remember his name . I always referred to him as my pain doctor . For the first time in a month , I finally felt numbness and the pain subsided for awhile . It was awesome . 

My care changed dramatically upon arrival to Rush . There were many challenges , but the staff provided me with the best of care possible and that made a huge difference . I will never forget those people , they became my second family . 

It's experiences such as these that keep me humble . I never want to forget them . 

Have a Blessed day everyone .