Two weeks ago tomorrow, my oldest brother, Bob had a massive heart attack..AND SURVIVED IT. He then had a quadruple bypass which he came through just fine and is now home recovering...and is way ahead of schedule according to his home healthcare nurse! This story I'm about to tell...takes place on Thursday, after his surgery on Tuesday.
Michele, my younger sister, and I decided we'd drive to St. Louis to Missouri Baptist Hospital to visit with Bob and our family. When we got to Cuba, MO- driving from Springfield, MO-we stopped to grab a Teriaki Chicken Rice Bowl from Jack in the Box, put on our make-up (we'd left really early and neither one of us had time to finish getting ready after our showers) and use the restroom.
Chele went in and got our food, went to the bathroom while I put on my make-up. Then, we ate in the car. Now, this next part is crazy. I have a spot in my esophagus where every once in a while, if I don't chew up my food well....it gets stuck in that spot. Gross, right...just wait.
So, I'm eating my broccoli and rice, I swallow and I immediately realize I'm in trouble...usually, getting up and walking around and sipping water washes it down...but sometimes....it doesn't go DOWN. So, I'm standing next to the car thinking....what am I going to do? I see the trash can...over by the DRIVE THRU- and walk over to it. (Why I didn't walk inside to the bathroom, I'll never know.) I had my glass of tea from earlier in the morning...that was down to ice-in my hand...so it wasn't much help in the sipping department. There were no cars in the drive thru, thank goodness....oh, wait...here comes one....two...three....ah hell.
I know it's going to have to come up...because the liquid I was sipping wasn't moving it and it was filling up the top section of my esophagus...yeah, gross. I had my back to the car where Chele was sitting...watching me, trying to figure out what I was looking at in the trash! She said to me " I thought...what in the world is she looking at in the trash can? That's gross!" Yeah, well...not as gross as what was about to happen.
Chele got out of the car and walked over to me and I turned around...she said..."what's wrong?" I told her....she got a bottle of water for me....still no broccoli movement. I told her....I'm going to have to hurl...get back into the car...but give me those napkins first... go back to the car! She said that I said it like someone was about to stab us or something!
So, me...trying to be considerate of the people in the drive thru...turned my back to them and was able to get the piece of broccoli out of my esophagus along with the water and rice, quickly with no problems. Okay, now people...it wasn't vomiting...it was just in my esophagus....not in my stomach. Still...GROSS, I know...
So, I go back to the car, rinse my mouth out and pop a piece of sugar free cinnamon gum in for good measure. Michele is laughing her ass off at me...and I said, at least I turned my back to those poor people in the drive-thru!!
"Are you ready?" I asked....
"Let's go!" she said while laughing.
I turned the key in the ignition...nothing. I look at the knob for the lights...I'd left them on! We were in John's car...and I'm used to my car where you never have to turn the lights on and off....it's on auto...not in John's Taurus. Whoops.
So, I'm thinking fast...could call our roadside assistance but that will take forever...
I got out went inside and asked the employees (there was no one in the dining room) if anyone had jumper cables. Nope, none of the 5 people had any.
I go back outside. I ask a lady in the parking lot....she didn't have any either.
I get back into the car and start to dial roadside assistance...and Chele says...hey, let's ask that guy in the black truck over in the corner...I get out and get about halfway across the lot when I realize....oh shit....that's the guy that was in the drive thru when I was hurling broccoli and rice into the trashcan. I turned around and went back to the car and tell Chele that and she starts laughing again. However, I decide it would be faster than waiting on roadside assistance if he indeed does have any jumper cables. I stand up again, and brace myself to speak to the "I saw you puking in the drive thru while I was ordering guy."( BIG sigh.)
I go over to the "in the drive thru while I'm puking guy"...he gets out and checks, he doesn't have any....he was very sweet...maybe he didn't notice??? Yeah. right.
As I'm getting back into the car yet again, up drives a Potosi, MO fire and rescue truck and several people get out of it. I jump into action...and ask them for help....THEY were awesome. They jumped our car, I got their picture, names and an email address so that I could send it to the Daily Journal newspaper in Farmington...to put in their section "Caught you doing something good."
The trip was less eventful as the day wore on...and Bob was doing very well...and it was great seeing our other brothers and sisters and of course, our sweet, 84 year old mom at the hospital!
Here's a shout out to the Potosi Fire Department and the crew that just happened to be in Cuba for a demonstration at one of the schools that day! Thanks a million guys!!!
If only you would have shown up about 5 minutes earlier, I wouldn't have asked the guy from the drive thru in the big, black truck who probably saw me hurl into the trash can as he was ordering his food...if he had any jumper cables!!! :) Uugggghhh.
Michele, my younger sister, and I decided we'd drive to St. Louis to Missouri Baptist Hospital to visit with Bob and our family. When we got to Cuba, MO- driving from Springfield, MO-we stopped to grab a Teriaki Chicken Rice Bowl from Jack in the Box, put on our make-up (we'd left really early and neither one of us had time to finish getting ready after our showers) and use the restroom.
Chele went in and got our food, went to the bathroom while I put on my make-up. Then, we ate in the car. Now, this next part is crazy. I have a spot in my esophagus where every once in a while, if I don't chew up my food well....it gets stuck in that spot. Gross, right...just wait.
So, I'm eating my broccoli and rice, I swallow and I immediately realize I'm in trouble...usually, getting up and walking around and sipping water washes it down...but sometimes....it doesn't go DOWN. So, I'm standing next to the car thinking....what am I going to do? I see the trash can...over by the DRIVE THRU- and walk over to it. (Why I didn't walk inside to the bathroom, I'll never know.) I had my glass of tea from earlier in the morning...that was down to ice-in my hand...so it wasn't much help in the sipping department. There were no cars in the drive thru, thank goodness....oh, wait...here comes one....two...three....ah hell.
I know it's going to have to come up...because the liquid I was sipping wasn't moving it and it was filling up the top section of my esophagus...yeah, gross. I had my back to the car where Chele was sitting...watching me, trying to figure out what I was looking at in the trash! She said to me " I thought...what in the world is she looking at in the trash can? That's gross!" Yeah, well...not as gross as what was about to happen.
Chele got out of the car and walked over to me and I turned around...she said..."what's wrong?" I told her....she got a bottle of water for me....still no broccoli movement. I told her....I'm going to have to hurl...get back into the car...but give me those napkins first... go back to the car! She said that I said it like someone was about to stab us or something!
So, me...trying to be considerate of the people in the drive thru...turned my back to them and was able to get the piece of broccoli out of my esophagus along with the water and rice, quickly with no problems. Okay, now people...it wasn't vomiting...it was just in my esophagus....not in my stomach. Still...GROSS, I know...
So, I go back to the car, rinse my mouth out and pop a piece of sugar free cinnamon gum in for good measure. Michele is laughing her ass off at me...and I said, at least I turned my back to those poor people in the drive-thru!!
"Are you ready?" I asked....
"Let's go!" she said while laughing.
I turned the key in the ignition...nothing. I look at the knob for the lights...I'd left them on! We were in John's car...and I'm used to my car where you never have to turn the lights on and off....it's on auto...not in John's Taurus. Whoops.
So, I'm thinking fast...could call our roadside assistance but that will take forever...
I got out went inside and asked the employees (there was no one in the dining room) if anyone had jumper cables. Nope, none of the 5 people had any.
I go back outside. I ask a lady in the parking lot....she didn't have any either.
I get back into the car and start to dial roadside assistance...and Chele says...hey, let's ask that guy in the black truck over in the corner...I get out and get about halfway across the lot when I realize....oh shit....that's the guy that was in the drive thru when I was hurling broccoli and rice into the trashcan. I turned around and went back to the car and tell Chele that and she starts laughing again. However, I decide it would be faster than waiting on roadside assistance if he indeed does have any jumper cables. I stand up again, and brace myself to speak to the "I saw you puking in the drive thru while I was ordering guy."( BIG sigh.)
I go over to the "in the drive thru while I'm puking guy"...he gets out and checks, he doesn't have any....he was very sweet...maybe he didn't notice??? Yeah. right.
As I'm getting back into the car yet again, up drives a Potosi, MO fire and rescue truck and several people get out of it. I jump into action...and ask them for help....THEY were awesome. They jumped our car, I got their picture, names and an email address so that I could send it to the Daily Journal newspaper in Farmington...to put in their section "Caught you doing something good."
The trip was less eventful as the day wore on...and Bob was doing very well...and it was great seeing our other brothers and sisters and of course, our sweet, 84 year old mom at the hospital!
Here's a shout out to the Potosi Fire Department and the crew that just happened to be in Cuba for a demonstration at one of the schools that day! Thanks a million guys!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment