I stood there waiting for the light to change. It was red, but I needed to cross the street to get to the bus stop. The sun shone brightly in the early morning sky and my thoughts strayed to the class I had that morning. The light turned green, my eyes scanned the road quickly and then I started off. A quick second later, I saw a truck turn into the middle of the intersection. A pickup with some landscaping company's logo across the side. It's probably just turning so it can go through when I'm clear, I thought. It's not uncommon for a car to pull into the intersection, pause until the pedestrian has moved on, and then continue their turn.
Suddenly, I realised the truck wasn't stopping. It was coming right for me! I started running but it was too quick. The pickup hit my left arm and hip and though I desperately tried to maintain my balance, I fell to the ground. I lay there for a minute. Shock overtaking my body and brain. The driver stopped and there was silence. I forced myself to get up and stood there, unsure of what to do. The driver wound his window down and, horrified, asked me if I was okay.
Okay? Am I okay? I don't know, I thought. "I think I'm okay," I replied. He didn't seem convinced and asked me again. I was in shock, but I wasn't aware of that yet. Since I didn't seem to be struggling to walk, talk or wasn't even bleeding, I told him I was fine. He didn't know what to do himself, and oddly, the only thing I was worried about was getting to school for my lecture. So, I got myself, safely this time, across the street just in time to make the bus.
Five minutes later, as I sat waiting for my stop to come up, I felt a lot of pain in my arm. I looked down and saw that my wrist was swollen and found that I was having difficulty moving it. Then it dawned on me, I had been in shock, and I was actually hurt. I knew there was a hospital on the main campus (just past the building where I attended classes), but I didn't know where it was. I called my friend, who happened to be in medical school at the same university. She'll know where the hospital is! As it was just before eight in the morning, and she was across town, I think I scared her a bit when I told her I'd been hit by a truck, was on the bus and needed directions to the emergency room. Not a call that anyone would like to get!
With the help of her directions, I found the ER and explained what happened to the triage nurse. "I a tuck hit me." The nurse looked at me and so I explained what happened and showed her my arm. It was a very quiet morning so they took me back after waiting only a few minutes. After examination the doctor proclaimed that I had broken a bone in my left wrist. He then put a plaster cast on me and checked me over for any other injuries. Sadly, this was not the only time that I had broken that wrist. Whilst I
was doing my first degree, I worked for a summer at a call centre.
Coming home late one night, I fell into a ditch, created by the
construction on my street. By the time I had made my way home
afterwards, my arm was rather painful. A visit to the ER found that it was broken and I had to wear a cast for several weeks after that.
My phone buzzed. "Hello?" It was my friend. She had made her way to the hospital and was checking in with me. We met up and went for ice cream, because I had been hit by a truck and quite frankly, I deserved it.
P.S. I just wanted to add in that I am very proud of my home country of Canada for doing so well in the Sochi Olympic Games. Today. I was able to watch the women's teams for curling and hockey win the gold. Well done ladies!
Thursday 20 February 2014
Tuesday 18 February 2014
Bordeaux
Last post I mentioned a trip that I took with a good friend of mine to Bordeaux. It was a bachelorette trip for me as David and I are getting married this spring.
When I got engaged, Ashley proposed something different to me: that we go on a somewhere for a bachelorette/hen trip. I loved the idea and soon we decided to go to Bordeaux, France. It ended up being just the two of us, but it was a fantastic time. We flew out on the Monday morning, on the tail end of a major storm. THE STORM was all we heard about during the week as we would watch BBC World in our hotel and that news story was their favourite, I'm sure. Anyways, we arrived and checked into our hotel. The hotel was more like a studio apartment with one large bed, a smaller sofa/bed, table and chairs, fully operational mini kitchen, complete with pots, pans and the rest, and a bathtub with separate shower. It was great.
We spent the next day or so walking around the city and remembering whatever french we knew. The first night, we randomly came across a large carnival in the middle of the city. It was bizarre. It was set up in what must have been a sort of town square, or park, as there was a large column and fountain right in the middle. The fair itself had us in stitches. It was meant to be an "American" style fair and so had random English words on most of the rides. When I say random, I mean random. One ride was called, "Sexy Dance". I'm not sure how it was sexy or where the dancing was, but hey... why not?
On Tuesday, wandering around, we came across a cathedral, many cool streets lined with shops, the river, and a reflecting pool. In a supermarket, I even found a brand of biscuits that was my last name! I was very excited. The weather was beautiful too. That is, until a freak rain shower started when we were by the river. I had left my coat behind because the weather was warm enough, so by the time we got across the street to hide under the window arch of a building, I got pretty soaked. It was all worth it in a way, because a few minutes later there was a gorgeous rainbow. We then walked up and got on a mini-train (ok... not a real train... it was a car train for tourists) and took a tour of Bordeaux. I really enjoyed it... when I was not shivering from being wet!).
Wednesday was wine day. As part of the trip, Ashley had booked us a wine tour of the Medoc region. We were with an American brother and sister and our tour guide was great. He knew a lot and was constantly telling us facts about Bordeaux, the wine making process and all sorts of stuff. We visited three wineries that day, and learned a lot about why some wine is good and some isn't. Just so you know, pretty much all Bordeaux wine is fantastic!
The next day we took the train to Saint-Émilion, a town in the Bordeaux region that has been around since the Medieval era. In fact, when we were there, I found what I believe was the original monestery that was the reason the town was founded. Vineyards completely surround the town, making it very picturesque. Once inside, be prepared to walk and climb hills! The city was founded at the top of a large hill and there are many layers to the town. As it is very old, the streets are random, and you can find lots of neat, hidden treasures if you go down the odd alleys and paths. One of my favourite memories of the trip was eating lunch outside in a large courtyard that was overlooked by a giant tower and surrounded by centuries old buildings. On a beautifully sunny day, I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.
While in Saint-Émilion, we went to a wine shop that was highly recommended to us by our tour guide the previous day. Le Cellier de Saint-Émilion was great. We went in as our wine tour guide was finishing taking another tour group through. He introduced us to the owner and then we were sat down for a wine tasting experience. He started off with a lovely red and continued all the way up to a bottle that cost about 150 euros. The wine was pretty much the best wine I've ever had. I was a happy camper that day! We left after ordering a few bottles to be shipped back to the UK (don't worry... neither of us got any over 50 euros!) and went off in search of some more good French pastries (little did I know that at the airport they sold massive nutella macaroons! mmm...).
This trip was amazing all around. Other than that terrible rain shower, we had great weather, followed up by great food and even greater wine. It was a bachelorette trip worth remembering and I can safely say that this falls under the "wonderful" part of my life.
 |
| View from our room! |
 |
| Kitchenette in the hotel apartment |
We spent the next day or so walking around the city and remembering whatever french we knew. The first night, we randomly came across a large carnival in the middle of the city. It was bizarre. It was set up in what must have been a sort of town square, or park, as there was a large column and fountain right in the middle. The fair itself had us in stitches. It was meant to be an "American" style fair and so had random English words on most of the rides. When I say random, I mean random. One ride was called, "Sexy Dance". I'm not sure how it was sexy or where the dancing was, but hey... why not?
 |
| Me posing by a fountain in Bordeaux |
On Tuesday, wandering around, we came across a cathedral, many cool streets lined with shops, the river, and a reflecting pool. In a supermarket, I even found a brand of biscuits that was my last name! I was very excited. The weather was beautiful too. That is, until a freak rain shower started when we were by the river. I had left my coat behind because the weather was warm enough, so by the time we got across the street to hide under the window arch of a building, I got pretty soaked. It was all worth it in a way, because a few minutes later there was a gorgeous rainbow. We then walked up and got on a mini-train (ok... not a real train... it was a car train for tourists) and took a tour of Bordeaux. I really enjoyed it... when I was not shivering from being wet!). Wednesday was wine day. As part of the trip, Ashley had booked us a wine tour of the Medoc region. We were with an American brother and sister and our tour guide was great. He knew a lot and was constantly telling us facts about Bordeaux, the wine making process and all sorts of stuff. We visited three wineries that day, and learned a lot about why some wine is good and some isn't. Just so you know, pretty much all Bordeaux wine is fantastic! |
| Wine being stored in the third Chateau we visited |
 | |
| Wine doesn't get labelled until it's ordered so they can put the correct label on it, depending on where in the world it's being shipped to. |
 |
| Tower and square |
 |
| Vines and an old ruin |
 |
| View overlooking the town |
 |
| Square where we ate, and the wine shop we went into |
While in Saint-Émilion, we went to a wine shop that was highly recommended to us by our tour guide the previous day. Le Cellier de Saint-Émilion was great. We went in as our wine tour guide was finishing taking another tour group through. He introduced us to the owner and then we were sat down for a wine tasting experience. He started off with a lovely red and continued all the way up to a bottle that cost about 150 euros. The wine was pretty much the best wine I've ever had. I was a happy camper that day! We left after ordering a few bottles to be shipped back to the UK (don't worry... neither of us got any over 50 euros!) and went off in search of some more good French pastries (little did I know that at the airport they sold massive nutella macaroons! mmm...).
This trip was amazing all around. Other than that terrible rain shower, we had great weather, followed up by great food and even greater wine. It was a bachelorette trip worth remembering and I can safely say that this falls under the "wonderful" part of my life.
Thursday 6 February 2014
Long time.. No Post!
Hello again!
So it's been a long time since I've written a post. The last few month have been... interesting... and honestly, writing has been the last thing on my mind. I may have to spend a few more posts going into some details about what's been going on, but I did want to give an update.
Going all the way back to to October, I went on a wonderful bachelorette trip with my wonderful friend, Ashley. We spent five days of the half term holiday in Bordeaux, France, sampling amazing wines, wondering through medieval cities and enjoying fantastic food. I will add more in a future post about this fantastic trip.
A few days after arriving back, I, in a graceful move, fell in my flat. As gravity pulled me down, my arm hit the wall, forcing it backwards. Ouch. I cannot describe how painful this was. I felt sick. I instinctively knew that this wasn't something that will be ok in a few days, or would settle down in a couple hours. After going to the hospital, I found out that I had a crack in my shoulder and had torn the rotatator cuff and bicep. I was sent home with a sling, painkillers and told to stay home and rest.
Every move I made for the next month was very painful. It took me ages to change clothes and I was limited in what I could even get on. Because my bicep was also damaged, if I moved my arm or even did anything with it, it felt like my upper arm was on fire. Keeping my shoulder still was one thing, but for at least two weeks, I couldn't even straighten my arm out.
Finally, after a few weeks of rest, I convinced the doctor to let me go back to work. She agreed, as long as I kept my arm in a sling and was very careful. I went back to school and was pretty happy to be back. Staying at home for a day or two is nice, but after a few weeks, it gets very boring, very fast. It was lovely to be able to talk to people during the day, and feel like I had a life again. The only problem was that all week, I felt ill. I had a bad cough and felt really under the weather. I sucked it up and continued working as I didn't want to take more time off after being gone for so long.
That weekend, I went to a friend's birthday party. By the time I got home, after only being out for a couple hours, I was exhausted and couldn't stop coughing. I spent most of the night awake, coughing and fed up. The next evening (Sunday), I started having a lot of trouble breathing. I tried to relax and sit in the bathroom with the shower running (sometimes the steam can help loosen things up) but nothing worked. Eventually, I became desperate and realised that I was getting dizzy and that I really needed to go to the hospital. When I got to A&E, the nurse took me back right away and when she saw my oxygen levels, the doctor got me on a breathing treatment very quickly. I spent the night getting tested and was given many treatments and lots of oxygen. By morning they told me that I had a bad chest infection and that because it was affecting my breathing so much and with my oxygen levels being quite low, I had to be admitted. I spent several days in hospital, which was an experience! I will have to write about that another time. I will say, though, that I'm sure that I rocked the oxygen nose tube that I had to wear.
I was sent home later in the week with so many medicines that the pharmacy bag was overflowing and actually broke. I was starting to get a bit better but then a week later, I began having stomach issues. I started being sick and had a lot of pain. After a week of this, David and I trekked back to the hospital. When they tried to take my blood for a test, they had a lot of trouble. I had become so dehydrated that at least 2 nurses and 3-4 doctors tried and couldn't get anything from me. They even used an ultrasound machine to try to find a viable vein. No luck. They were able to place an iv line and so gave me a lot of fluids through that. I was told my stomach was upset over the medications I had been on, and that I had maybe developed an ulcer. They gave me more pills and sent me home.
Soon, it was Christmas. I was still being sick and had to take painkillers as my stomach hurt so badly. It was the first Christmas that I've ever spent away from home though, and I was determined to still enjoy myself. I joined David and his family at their house and while I was still ill, I had a lovely time with them. After Christmas, I ended up back in A&E twice, to get more fluids (I kept getting dehydrated) and to get more tests done. Between them and my regular doctors, I have been keeping the NHS busy! They then told me that the original diagnosis was probably wrong and that I had a few other issues. Since I had spiked a fever and gotten worse, they put me on more medications and arranged for me to get iv treatments at the hospital once a week. After getting these treatments, I started feeling a bit better. My fever has come down and is mostly where it should be (aside from a few random days when it goes up again), and my pain has significantly subsided. I am still unable to eat properly and am still being sick sometimes, but I am feeling much more like a human being. I have been able to return to work, on a modified schedule, and, I hope, am slowly getting better.
I am getting physiotherapy for my arm and shoulder and I can actually move it small amounts now, so I am pleased with the progress that I am making. David and I are getting married in April, and so now my goal is to be able to eat, drink and dance at our wedding. With just over two months, I am determined to be well and enjoy the wedding celebrations.
Throughout all of this, my fiance, David, has been amazing and very supportive. Despite his hatred of hospitals and needles, he sat with me many days, and was my rock. He has helped me out around the flat, by doing the shopping, the washing up and other things that I have really appreciated. I cannot say thank you enough for all that he has done. I knew that I picked a keeper! My family at home have also been great and I have felt the love from them and my friends, all the way across the ocean. My mom has told me many times that if I needed her, she'd fly over, no questions asked. So thank you to her and everyone else as well.
Life is tricky sometimes, but I've decided to try to remain positive and focus on getting better. I will try to write some more posts about some of he specific experiences mentioned, and I'll do my best to keep you, dear reader, updated on how I am doing.
-Erin
"When times are good, be happy, but when times are bad, consider this: God has made one as well as the other."
-Ecclesiates 7:14
So it's been a long time since I've written a post. The last few month have been... interesting... and honestly, writing has been the last thing on my mind. I may have to spend a few more posts going into some details about what's been going on, but I did want to give an update.
Going all the way back to to October, I went on a wonderful bachelorette trip with my wonderful friend, Ashley. We spent five days of the half term holiday in Bordeaux, France, sampling amazing wines, wondering through medieval cities and enjoying fantastic food. I will add more in a future post about this fantastic trip.
A few days after arriving back, I, in a graceful move, fell in my flat. As gravity pulled me down, my arm hit the wall, forcing it backwards. Ouch. I cannot describe how painful this was. I felt sick. I instinctively knew that this wasn't something that will be ok in a few days, or would settle down in a couple hours. After going to the hospital, I found out that I had a crack in my shoulder and had torn the rotatator cuff and bicep. I was sent home with a sling, painkillers and told to stay home and rest.
Every move I made for the next month was very painful. It took me ages to change clothes and I was limited in what I could even get on. Because my bicep was also damaged, if I moved my arm or even did anything with it, it felt like my upper arm was on fire. Keeping my shoulder still was one thing, but for at least two weeks, I couldn't even straighten my arm out.
Finally, after a few weeks of rest, I convinced the doctor to let me go back to work. She agreed, as long as I kept my arm in a sling and was very careful. I went back to school and was pretty happy to be back. Staying at home for a day or two is nice, but after a few weeks, it gets very boring, very fast. It was lovely to be able to talk to people during the day, and feel like I had a life again. The only problem was that all week, I felt ill. I had a bad cough and felt really under the weather. I sucked it up and continued working as I didn't want to take more time off after being gone for so long.
That weekend, I went to a friend's birthday party. By the time I got home, after only being out for a couple hours, I was exhausted and couldn't stop coughing. I spent most of the night awake, coughing and fed up. The next evening (Sunday), I started having a lot of trouble breathing. I tried to relax and sit in the bathroom with the shower running (sometimes the steam can help loosen things up) but nothing worked. Eventually, I became desperate and realised that I was getting dizzy and that I really needed to go to the hospital. When I got to A&E, the nurse took me back right away and when she saw my oxygen levels, the doctor got me on a breathing treatment very quickly. I spent the night getting tested and was given many treatments and lots of oxygen. By morning they told me that I had a bad chest infection and that because it was affecting my breathing so much and with my oxygen levels being quite low, I had to be admitted. I spent several days in hospital, which was an experience! I will have to write about that another time. I will say, though, that I'm sure that I rocked the oxygen nose tube that I had to wear.
I was sent home later in the week with so many medicines that the pharmacy bag was overflowing and actually broke. I was starting to get a bit better but then a week later, I began having stomach issues. I started being sick and had a lot of pain. After a week of this, David and I trekked back to the hospital. When they tried to take my blood for a test, they had a lot of trouble. I had become so dehydrated that at least 2 nurses and 3-4 doctors tried and couldn't get anything from me. They even used an ultrasound machine to try to find a viable vein. No luck. They were able to place an iv line and so gave me a lot of fluids through that. I was told my stomach was upset over the medications I had been on, and that I had maybe developed an ulcer. They gave me more pills and sent me home.
Soon, it was Christmas. I was still being sick and had to take painkillers as my stomach hurt so badly. It was the first Christmas that I've ever spent away from home though, and I was determined to still enjoy myself. I joined David and his family at their house and while I was still ill, I had a lovely time with them. After Christmas, I ended up back in A&E twice, to get more fluids (I kept getting dehydrated) and to get more tests done. Between them and my regular doctors, I have been keeping the NHS busy! They then told me that the original diagnosis was probably wrong and that I had a few other issues. Since I had spiked a fever and gotten worse, they put me on more medications and arranged for me to get iv treatments at the hospital once a week. After getting these treatments, I started feeling a bit better. My fever has come down and is mostly where it should be (aside from a few random days when it goes up again), and my pain has significantly subsided. I am still unable to eat properly and am still being sick sometimes, but I am feeling much more like a human being. I have been able to return to work, on a modified schedule, and, I hope, am slowly getting better.
I am getting physiotherapy for my arm and shoulder and I can actually move it small amounts now, so I am pleased with the progress that I am making. David and I are getting married in April, and so now my goal is to be able to eat, drink and dance at our wedding. With just over two months, I am determined to be well and enjoy the wedding celebrations.
Throughout all of this, my fiance, David, has been amazing and very supportive. Despite his hatred of hospitals and needles, he sat with me many days, and was my rock. He has helped me out around the flat, by doing the shopping, the washing up and other things that I have really appreciated. I cannot say thank you enough for all that he has done. I knew that I picked a keeper! My family at home have also been great and I have felt the love from them and my friends, all the way across the ocean. My mom has told me many times that if I needed her, she'd fly over, no questions asked. So thank you to her and everyone else as well.
Life is tricky sometimes, but I've decided to try to remain positive and focus on getting better. I will try to write some more posts about some of he specific experiences mentioned, and I'll do my best to keep you, dear reader, updated on how I am doing.
-Erin
"When times are good, be happy, but when times are bad, consider this: God has made one as well as the other."
-Ecclesiates 7:14
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