Diaster Strikes! Part II

The only things that I was aware of on the ride to the emergency room were the bumps in the road. My universe was now centered around the unending pain in my arm. The only variations in the pain occurred when the car hit one of Houston's apparently endless pot holes. At this point, I felt sure this was the worst it could hurt.

We got to the emergency room about 5:00 on Friday evening at the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend.

We passed the emergency room turn in at Ben Taub. I had spent far too much time in the mighty Taub's ER waiting room with husband number one back during the really bad old days. They do an amazing job of putting people back together, but for tonight I would pass on their hospitality and go next door. For me. Ben Taub is full of memories. That's a long story in and of itself. Maybe I'll tell it someday, but not now.

The next emergency driveway was less than a block away and led to Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Medical Center. My husband, Joel, walked me through the doors and deposited me at the emergency room admissions desk. While the woman at the desk started asking me questions and filling out forms, he left to park the car. Once she finished with me, I took my seat among the other folks waiting their turn.

The waiting room was divided into three seating areas, each with its own TV mounted from the ceiling. The result was a mind numbing cacophony of sports and news. The waiting room was amazingly empty or so it seemed to me.

An old woman in a frumpy brown blouse tried to start a conversation with me. Apparently she had broken her arm some time back. I vaguely understood that she was trying to tell me that her arm had been broken worse than my arm. I nodded and closed my eyes hoping that she would leave me alone.

Joel returned and sat with me. We waited. I rocked in my seat, cradling my arm and wondering if I would still get to go to Japan. Joel says it took about a half hour before they called me to go in, but I had no sense of time left. The universe revolved around my arm.

Everything from here on gets pretty fuzzy for me. Everyone was very kind and gentle with me. There was a constant flow of doctors and nurses. They took my blood pressure and my temperature. They asked, "Can you feel this? and this?" as they checked for nerve damage. I would love to thank them each and every one, but that's not possible here.

Then, they did the best thing of all, they gave me pain medication. They asked if I wanted a shot or tablets. Silly me, I asked for tablets.

Shortly afterward they sent me to get X-rays. Joel had stayed with me the whole way so far, but here they had him stay outside the door.

A very nice young woman asked me to place my hand in various positions. Positions that had previously been everyday, no big deal, a gesture here, a turn of the wrist there, had become excruciating. I was afraid that I was screaming. In my mind I was screaming, but I kept my mouth closed. Joel, waiting outside the door, said that he could hear me and it only sounded like whimpering.

Afterward I was able see my X-rays. My initial self-diagnosis was right. It didn't look at all right. I definitely broke my arm. The paperwork said, "Fracture: distal radius (displaced)."

I was taken in and helped onto a bed. An IV was placed in my right hand. An oxygen mask was placed over my nose and mouth. The last thing I remember was the nurse injecting some liquid into my IV that produced a very unpleasant burning sensation in my right arm and then nothing.

When I awoke, I was lying on the same bed in a different room with my left arm in a splint, elbow to knuckles.

There was more, people checking on me, signing papers, checking out, but it all passed in a haze.

The emergency room was starting to get busy. Folks in much worse shape than me were being rolled in on gurneys.

I don't really remember leaving the emergency room. All I really know is that Joel got me safely home and, for that, I am very grateful.

To be continued . . .

Diaster Strikes!

I am typing this with one hand.

Why? Because my left arm is in the same temporary splint that they put on it in the emergency room last Friday night.

The following is the long version that will bring you up up date, if you are interested.

Last Friday I loaded my car to leave work. As usual, I put my teaching bags in the back, then I walked to the passenger door, opened it and placed my purse and my new laptop on the seat. I was thinking about which Japanese podcast to listen to on the way home.

I closed the car door and that is when the trouble started. I tripped. I don't know what it was that I tripped on, but I was falling forward and I did the only natural thing. I tried to break my fall.

My right palm slid on the asphalt. My knees slid on the asphalt. My left palm didn't slide.

I knew something was horribly wrong. My left arm, or was it my wrist, didn't look right. It hurt in a strange, distanced sort of way.

I supported my left hand with my right and headed back to the building. I ran into another faculty member and her daughter on their way out of the building. She sent her daughter on ahead of us to look for the nurse while she walked me back inside,

I was lucky. The nurse was still at school. She sat me down and started back together as best she could. She cleaned and bandaged my bloody, scraped up knees and right palm while I kept my left arm flat on her desktop. Then she put a splint on my left arm. By then I knew how bad it hurt.

I was cursing a blue streak that would have made any sailor righteously proud. Gratefully all the students were gone.

My principal stopped by. He's on crutches right now, having recently broken his ankle. Other teachers stopped and looked in, most of them offered words of condolence along with their thoughts about the possibilities of my still going to Japan.

My husband was called to come pick me up and take me to the hospital.

One of my fellow teachers and her husband got my car back to my house.

More later.

Winding Up While Winding Down

The school year is ending and I'm preparing to go to Japan. Nothing new there, except the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program listserve. All I can say is "Wow!"

As of this last week, I have been overwhelmed by e-mail. It's wonderful e-mail. It's incredible e-mail. It's an avalanche of e-mail. E-mail from all over the country, from every size and shape and type of educator is barreling into my mail box.

As of right now, looking over my list of people who are going to Japan, I know of ten people who are going to Katori, Chiba, thirteen people who are art teachers, and six people who are Texans. All total, I have counted over 114 people and I know I've missed a few! Some people have just sent one e-mail checking in while others have been e-mailing away at an incredible pace. Good thing it is all coming to my home e-mail address. My school e-mail would never be able to handle this type of volume.

I've been trying to keep up. I have to read it all. I don't want to miss one little thing. At the same time, I have an incredible amount of stuff to get through here at the end of the school year.

Let's see, there are grades and paperwork. There is the annual End-of-Year Check Out List. Oh, but the thing that is wiping me out is that I am changing rooms and I have to pack up everything.

The problem is that I am an art teacher and I have a room full of art materials of all shapes and sizes. Some things will just have to be moved as they are and others have to be brought together in one box with other similar items.

And then, there are the boxes. I have never before in my life had so many boxes. The school, my principal and the office staff have been incredibly helpful. I have so many boxes! But, at this point the school year is still going on and I have a classroom full of kids and boxes.

Top all of it off with trip preparations and I'm feeling a wee bit stressed. It's not all bad, but it does feel overwhelming.

I just bought myself a new laptop to take on the trip. I got a MacBook, my first Apple. This is the little machine that I've wanted for a long time, but now that it is here I don't have time to play with it until school is out. I take that back, I won't have time to play with it until this weekend. I definitely need time to become familiar with it before I head for Japan!

I got a new camera for Mother's Day and I have the same problem there. No time. It's a Sony CyberShot T70, very similar to my previous camera, so I'm a stranger to it. It has a touch screen which is taking a bit of getting used to, but otherwise it's easy to use.

It's time to get going. I have another day of kids and art and crazyness ahead. Wish me luck!

My Host City

I received the news last week. My host city is official. I'll be going to Katori, Chiba Prefecture.

I've looked it up on the web and I'm really excited. It is not too very far from Tokyo. Tokyo is west of Narita Airport and Katori is north east of Narita Airport as far as I can tell. There is some good information about Katori online at http://www.chiba-tour.jp/eng/airport/katori/top.html

I started receiving responses from some of the former JFMFers that I have contacted. They have offered many helpful hints and shared their experience.

I'm keeping my mind as open as I can to this whole experience. I have no idea what it will be like, although I have had several dreams that involve being in Japan. I'm sure that my dreams are influenced by all of the reading that I'm doing.

I received another e-mail from the JFMF folks. Today there was a new online form to fill out. This time I got to sign up for two different special seminars. I signed up for "Peace Education" on June 13 and "Art Education Workshop" on June 24. Both seminars will take place in Tokyo.

Tokyo, in five weeks I'll be there. How cool is that?

The Spending Begins

As soon as pay day arrived I went and bought my luggage. I have never owned a suitcase so huge! At the same time, I have never traveled so far.

I got one of those enormous roll-around suitcases. You've seen them in the airport. I know I've seen them in the airport. In the past I always thought, "My god, what are those people packing?" Now, I suppose, I will find out.

I also bought the matching carry-on case. No, I did not get the one with wheels.

My next stop after buying luggage was the print shop. I ordered business cards with my name and info on one side in English and on the other in Japanese. Special thanks to Alex for the translation!

I actually had two sets made, one with my school/work information and one with my Texas Art Education Association Area VI Representative/personal info. They look awesome!

It's early morning here. It's time for me to head off to school. More later!