We woke up to a bright and sunny Saturday morning, day 7
post-injury. Shelagh reported she had a
moderate amount of pain in the middle of the night and took some pain meds
around 3am. Knowing her pain tolerance
and stoicism (cats take lessons in stoic from her) this was not a good
thing. But the pain meds worked and she
slept comfortably until sunrise.
As we rose, the extent of Shelagh’s solar exposure became
more apparent. The tops of her legs were
red, as was her nose. It wasn’t painful,
or so she said (see note on stoicism above), but she was positively delighted at having had the opportunity.
We went down for another fruit cup breakfast from
Starbucks. As we did, I saw the Dream
coming in (yet again). We went out to
watch it dock, but it was windy and cool…much too cool for Shelagh (I’m
well-insulated). So we went inside to
watch. Seeing these huge liners dock is
a thing of wonder. The Dream, 1,115 feet
long, 137 feet wide, weighing 129,700 tons, came slowly into the harbor, stopped,
then rotated 180 degrees and backed in.
Seriously, it was awesome to watch.
 |
Parking The Dream
The Disney Dream has just completed it's 180 degree pivot and is now backing into its berth. |
A bit later, Shelagh’s nurse, Chris Stabile, came to our
room to introduce himself and assess Shelagh’s baseline status. He also laid out the game plan for the day. The three of us were to rendezvous in the
lobby to head for the airport in a couple of hours.
As Chris was giving Shelagh the clinical once-over, I looked
out the window to see a sight that will be all too familiar to my EMS peeps…
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| New Providence EMS Medic Unit Posting at McEmbassy |
At the appointed time, I took Shelagh down to the lobby,
then went back up to our room to get the suitcases. As I left Room 528 of The James Bond Hilton I
took a last look around with a small feeling of sorrow. That room was my refuge, a place of shelter
and safety during a very turbulent week, and whose haven I could extend to
Shelagh to protect her when she was discharged.
We met Chris in the lobby and waited for the ride he had
arranged to get us to the airport. When
it showed up (a Cadillac Escalade :-o) we got Shelagh in and I returned the
wheelchair that served her so well for the past two days to the hotel. Like the room, it was like parting with a
friend.
We checked in, got through security, then through US Customs
and thanks to Chris (and, I guess, to Shelagh’s ankle) we got to the head of
each line. It was a breeze.
Here’s another reason to get the travel insurance. While Shelagh and I are adept at medical care
and patient movement, getting through an airport and boarding/alighting an
aircraft requires special attention and equipment. Wheelchairs can get you through the terminal,
even if it will cause extra time at security.
But getting on and off an aircraft when you cannot bear weight on one
leg requires significant resources.
First, you have to make sure the gate attendant knows well in advance of
boarding time about your needs. Second,
the flight crew needs to be told by the gate attendant about you. Third, somebody has to show up to push you
down the ramp, transfer you to what is called an ‘aisle chair’, a special
wheelchair that will fit in the aisle of a passenger plane, and then help you
transfer from the aisle chair to your seat.
Finally, let’s talk about trying to get through security on your
own. We had to cancel our return flights
from Orlando and we would now be headed home from the Bahamas. If you think you get run through the wringer
at TSA normally, think about TSA’s Extra Deluxe Screening Process when you are
an international traveler with a one-way ticket. Being in the hands of a medical rescue service
like On Call International makes all of that effortless because it’s arranged
ahead of time. And if you are too ill/injured to fly commercial, they will arrange an air ambulance.
Because we spent so little time getting into the airport we
had time for a leisurely lunch – conch fritters for all three of us! The three of us were first aboard – and last
off – the Airbus A320 and had a comfortable and uneventful flight to Charlotte.
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| My Favorite Nurse and Her Escort Nurse |
 |
Departing Lynden Pindling International Airport
Nassau, Bahamas |
Charlotte to Richmond was a different story.
It was a long layover but the guys on the
ramp weren’t prepared.
We were flying on
a regional jet, a Bombardier CRJ-900.
It’s
a small jet that seats about 45.
So
small that you can’t use a jetway to access it, so you walk out onto the ramp
and go up the airstair door.
Except in
this situation, aisle chairs don’t go up airstairs safely and a portable ramp
has to be used.
 |
| Stock photo of an airstair door |
It wasn’t in place when
we reached the aircraft and had to be brought around by two people, one of whom
had to be wrangled.
In the meantime, we
sat out in temperatures that were somewhat above freezing, in the winds that
are prevalent in the wide-open spaces of airfields, while wearing Caribbean
cruise clothing.
It took a while to
wheel the ramp around and get it set up.
The guy wheeling Shelagh in the aisle chair was kind enough to ask the
flight crew for a blanket for her…after she asked him to…three times.
 |
All this hardware for Shelagh?
Yes, and that's as it should be. |
Anyway, we got aboard, got airborne and 47 minutes later were
on the ground in RVA. Chris took Shelagh
in a hired Cadillac sedan (with a really careful driver) to Bon Secours St.
Francis Hospital. After I retrieved our
luggage I drove my car and met them in the ED.
Wait. That last sentence makes me
sound like one of those crazies that drives their car INTO the hospital, so let
me rephrase. I drove to the hospital,
parked my car and met them in the ED.
Once Shelagh was taken back to a bed from the triage area, Chris signed
off. We bade him farewell and thanked
him for what he did for us. Of course,
we couldn’t thank him enough.
It was a very slow night at St. Francis so we were in and
out in just under three hours. In that
time, Shelagh’s cast was removed, the wound and surgical incisions examined,
labs were drawn, x-rays were taken, and a new, lighter cast applied. We got home and got to bed 20 hours after we woke
up.
To make a long story short (now that I’m well over 5,000
words into it), we are happy to be home and thankful for being in great
continuing care.
{
Click here for Lessons Learned!}
