The day that changed my life...

The day before. The hike I was on was donut falls, in utah.

It was a nice summer day. Wednesday, September, 9, 2009 to be exact. My mom and I both woke up and started getting  ready for the day. When my mom suggested we go to this free 45-60min  Bread making class.  I agreed, but not too excited to sit through a dumb baking class. We then called my sister-in-law and asked if she wanted to join us. She did, so my mom and I headed to the car. She drove like she always did, as I didn’t have my drivers license (even though I was 18.) So I proceeded to “shot gun”.

                As always I climbed in and put my seat belt on and slouched low in the seat. My bum just on the edge of the seat with my shins riding on the dash. It was my comfy lazy way to sit. Mom climbed in, buckled herself in and started the music. Don’t really remember what was playing but im sure it was like, something bubbly from Colby Caillat. We were singing in the car. Talking about what exactly we were going to do at the bread class. And how I shouldn’t sit like I was. (Dang you mom, always being right.) Blocks away from my sister-in-laws apt. When out of what seemed to be no where a lady turned right infront of us. Trying to get into the strip mall that was on my side.

                It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I remember seeing the look on the ladies face. Terror  complete terror, confused but so scared. As my mom locked her elbows and slammed on her brakes. All I could think was about all those dumb articles on the internet I had read. Saying kids asleep in the back seat of the car walk away from the craziest, worst crashes. All because there muscles are relaxed. I went limp. Trying not to flinch as I knew the impact was coming. I felt the hit. She hit my side of the front of the car. We spun her completely around. Shocked. Scared. Worried. None of these even could express my feelings at that moment.

                My mom pulled off to the side of the road. As it was a 5 lane busy road. She turned to me “are you ok??” “I think so. My shins just hurt.” I replied. We got out and checked on the other driver. Who’s car was, at that point, in the strip mall parking lot. Where it landed after she spun out of control, and finally came to a complete stop. She was okay  just shookin up a bit. So, I sat down on the  small strip of grass and waited for the police. Texting a guy I went on a few dates with. Telling him I was ok but I got in a car crash.

                Wondering how bad our car was? Well, oddly enough hardly damaged. The hood buckled a little. When I say little I mean very VERY little, like, you could hardly tell at all, but apparently it cost $5,000 to repair that small damage. After filing the report, we hopped in the car and went to Pick up my sister-in-law and then off to the class.

                After we sat down in the class, we both looked at each other a few minutes in and said “ow.” Little did we know at that moment that would be the last time I could sit up for that long for over 2 years. Or the last time my mom would be able to turn her head to look at me in over 2 years without pain. This began the worst part of my life. Not only because of the pain and the struggles that lead with it. But because the man I was texting was the man I married a year later. My Ex Husband.

                The next day I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t even roll over. My body ached. No, worse then ached, I felt like… well just as the saying goes “I felt like I got hit by a train.” Just like that. I called my mom from the basement and nearly crying as I spoke with a lump in my throat, “ I hurt soooo bad, mom. I can’t get out of bed. I think I need to go see a doctor.” To which I remember her saying “I do too. Mel, I think this crash hurt us more then we thought.”

                 I proceeded upstairs. Feeling, what felt like, the worst pain imaginable as I took each step. We got ready as best we could and drove to insta care for a check-up. I remember they took x-rays and told us we needed to follow up with our doctor and sent us off with a bottle of pain pills. I remember them only taking the edge off. It hurt to move my legs, to sit up, or even stand. I remember feeling like I was useless, I couldn’t move. That meant I could no longer hike, like I loved, or dance. “Oh no,” I thought “no more vet tech work.” My life was over.

                We began going to a chiropractor. But even he suggested some more work. So we started to see a specialist, who did our x-rays again when we got there. I remember him telling me I had bursitis in my hip and 3 budging discs (which apparently is what happens to people naturally when they get around 70-80!) just above my tail bone. I was going to need cordizone shots. Most likely quite a few rounds. The ones they did in my back were x-ray guided. They shot liticane in my back to numb the surface. Then stuck a huge needle inbetween each injured disc. Slowly taking pictures in-between each cm. It took, what felt like, forever. When they finished the pain was worse. So much worse. How could that be possible?!? But it was. For 24-48 hours it was double the pain then for a few weeks- months I would say my pain level was 50% better then it was prior to the shot. Each time I got these shots it improved just like that I got shots every 3 months after the first 3 sets. For 3 years. I also got the same shots into both hip joints at the same time.

                During all this. I couldn’t sit up or stand up for more then 15 mins for the first 4 months-ish. I couldn’t handle it. It was killing me. I had to find something to do. So I baked batches of cookies. I would get up, make the cookie dough, and then lay down for an hour. Then get up, put the cookies on a sheet, and bake them. Get up, get the cookies out, and rest for 30-45 min; then continue that till the cookie dough was gone. I enjoyed that (so did my family and current boyfriend). My mom taught me the basics of icing a cake and decorating it. So I would sit up and practice when I felt good. And watch youtube videos on new stuff when I didn’t. Soon I taught myself all about cake decorating, including fondant stuff. As my back and hips got stronger so did my baking. Making more complex and time consuming things. It gave me confidence; I was not useless. I loved baking. I still do. I still struggle a little with my back and hips occasionally but over all I am back to normal. I even carried a child during the last year of my recovery shots. Surprisingly I didn’t need bedrest while I was pregnant. Even though they told me it was pretty likely and I worked a full time job during my pregnancy. I was truly blessed in the way I was healed.

                                                               <3 Melanie
Melanie's introduction