A sobering experience

One of Sara's best friends, Missy lives down the street from us. They were four wheeling on some trails on someone's property along with Missy's boyfriend, Pat. Sara had just gone up a very steep hill on her four wheeler and Missy and Pat were following her up. They made it almost to the top but couldn't quite make it over. Pat stood up to get off the back so that Missy could make it over the top of the hill when it flipped and rolled. They stayed on for the first roll and then fell off as the four wheeler continued down the trail. Pat seems to be completely uninjured. Missy is not so lucky. The front end/handles rolled over her chest as she fell off. She couldn't get up and thought that she was dying because she couldn't breathe. I believe that they called 911 right away. After about 10 minutes or so they were able to get Missy on the back of Sara's four wheeler and drove back through the trails to Missy's house. Don't ask me why they moved her. Sara thought that she was doing the right thing at the time and Pat was absolutely no help throughout all of this. In fact, he got in his car and drove home at this point. He didn't stay with Missy or at least get checked out at the hospital himself.

Missy broke four ribs on her left side, punctured her left lung, and broke her collar bone. Thank you, God, that Missy did not receive life threatening injuries. Missy just graduated from high school and was going to attend Brown Institute in the fall in order to become a massage therapist. Isn't it scary how your life can change in an instant? Missy is bruised and sore and connected to a lot of wires and tubes but she wanted to get up and walk her second day in the hospital.

Witnessing Missy's experience makes me thankful and in awe that I was not injured more severely or even killed in any of my car accidents. Seeing the damage that occurred from rolling a four wheeler and knowing that it could have been life threatening and looking back at Laura Rue's car accident injuries (which occured less than a month after my semi accident) almost brings tears to my eyes. I literally walked away from two separate rolled vehicle accidents and was also able to climb out of my car from underneath the semi truck. I only spent a few hours in the emergency room. Granted, I have always been thankful for how blessed I have been, but this makes it hit home yet again.

This makes me feel horrible selfish for having been feeling sorry for myself over the past couple days because of my scar. It is the only reminder of my accidents that is visibly apparent to others. For that I am grateful.

To go off on a bit of a tangent, I am yet again infuriated with the Monticello Big Lake Hospital. Unless you are a heart or sleep center patient, go elsewhere if you have ANY choice at all. I have heard numerous horrible/dangerous experiences that individuals have had at that hospital. Here is yet another example.

That same night, a nurse came in and Sara watched her administered morphine (she thinks that's what the pain drug was). Shortly after, a different nurse came in and was about to administer an additional dose of morphine! Sara stopped her and said that Missy had already received an injection. The nuse said, "Oh, really? Well it wasn't marked in her chart." I'm not an expert on the subject of overdosing on narcotics, however Missy is an extremely tiny person. A double dose of morphine might have done her in. The sloppiness, irresponsibility, and over all lack of caring of this nurse is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE. I'm not sure what has been done but I plan to find out.

I think that that's all that I wanted to say for now.