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| 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
