Throw Back Tuesday — Reflections on an accident

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Throwback Tuesday — Five years ago this month I was in a car accident. My car was totaled and my body (and pride) were bruised. Here is a part of the journey.

My recent auto accident taught me a few life lessons. First out of the box is that you can’t predict what you will do. When things go south fast, some primordial instincts kick in and they may not always be the best solution. The lesson here is do not judge others. If I could relive that nanosecond again I would certainly do things differently but there are no instant replays in life.

I was fortunate that all I needed was over the counter pain medications. That’s the good news and the bad news. There is regular, extra strength, capsules, gel caps, time release, etc. I’m not feeling great and I have to make all these decisions. I started with the supply on hand. The label on the container is full of cautions. In micro fly poop type. There are no directions on the container.

At the far corner I find a tiny arrow (also in micro fly poop type) that points to the corner. I think that means lift here. Pay dirt. I lift it up and there is more (micro fly poop type) information. A lot more “don’t use if” and “this may kill you” but I keep lifting. The label is almost completely off when I find the directions. At this point I’m terrified to take any but the discomfort wins. I finish that bottle over the course of a few days (there weren’t many left) and had the beloved husband buy me another. I wanted the same thing (strength and delivery method) so I don’t have to read a lot of cautions (in micro fly poop type). Nope. It was not to be. I had regular. He went to three different stores and could only find extra strength. Yes, I had to read more cautions (in micro fly poop type) before finding the directions. Then I opened the bottle. I’m not feeling well and it’s 11 p.m. I can’t get the dang bottle open because it’s made so only 6 year olds can open it. I didn’t have a handy 6 year old. Finally it’s open. Holy cow! These are horse pills. Huge. Ginormous! I’m wondering if my throat is big enough.

What I didn’t understand was that the directions for the regular strength were to take one pill every 4 to 6 hours but the directions for the extra strength horse pills (at a higher dosage) were to take two pills every 4 to 6 hours.

The lesson here is that more normal people need to go into pharmaceuticals. Rational people like me (I can hear you smirking here). I liked the old days when pills came in a bottle inside a box. The box or a flyer inside had all the “this will kill you” information and the bottle contained the directions in a readable type. Easy peasy.

There is more. The accident caused what looks like a tie-died boob. Lots of swirly colors  that make me nauseous (only because it’s on me – if it was you I’d be laughing). It took me several days to notice the bruising because it’s on the underside. Perhaps that was best. My ER discharge papers said I was to come back if I started to barf and I’m sure seeing that early on would have made me barf. (This is why I’m not in healthcare. Lots of things make me barf!) 

Fortunately, everything turned out ok except for my car which had to be replaced.

40 thoughts on “Throw Back Tuesday — Reflections on an accident”

  3. Five years already for the car accident – time is zipping by way too fast! Happily I did not have to have cataract surgery this year, so the eye doc prescribed stronger lenses. I’ve not had new glasses in two years and I can see much better, but even with progressive lenses, I still have to push the glasses down to read (or try to read) the really fine print. Next, I’ll be like my mom with a magnifying glass for fine print. When I laughed years ago after she asked me to thread a needle, she said some day I’d remember laughing at her. My new glasses are great but they pinch my nose. The other glasses had the same type of nose pads … this is annoying. So today I became my grandmother. I went into the emergency glasses repair kit and got out the spongy stick-on things you put on the glasses’ nose pads for comfort. Except I took them off a half-hour later as they pinched my nose. They also weren’t a good look to be honest. I guess I’ll be returning to the eye doctor for them to help.

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    • I had so much trouble with the adjustable nose pads that for my last glasses I got all plastic with a molded bridge pad. It helps but they slide when I sweat. I hate wearing glasses but I can’t wear contacts anymore. Wore them (happily) for 35 years then I started having the dry eye issues.

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  5. I’m so glad you survived the accident with only bumps and bruises. Though I understand the mental distress it would cause. I used to not mind driving the interstate to visit my sister and friends, but over the years, the traffic has got so bad. More tractor trailers, more congested and just Ugh!

    Ooh, I hate horse pills, too! When I was in the hospital after my heart surgery, I had to take magnesium and potassium pills. They were awfully big!
    Rainbow boob 🤣 You crack me up!

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    • As I’ve gotten older, pills are harder to swallow. I also have dry mouth which doesn’t help. I can’t swallow a pill without a liquid. (Once upon a time I could.) I try to get gel caps if I can or some sort of coating.

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  7. I definitely remember this post. I am so glad that you and your tie-died boob recuperated well and that there was no barfing. It was a scary accident and I understand the lack of driving enthusiasm. I don’t like to drive at all anymore but when I have to I do. Too peopley here and peopley with many that should not be driving. I understand the anxiety. I think hiring a driver sounds like a plan!

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  10. WOW……so glad you were OK in spite of the rainbow boob issue! I’ve never had an accident but have seen plenty of them on the road over the years. Knock on wood (my husband’s head is handy for that….) I’ll never be in one. I probably don’t have many more years of driving ahead of me – we rarely go anywhere! Anyway, so happy you lived to tell the tale my friend. Seriously.

    Hugs, Pam

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  11. Glad you survived the accident without serious harm. But being scared can cause long term emotional distress.

    I used to love to drive ~ long trips, short trips, around the block trips, Sunday drivers. Now, after a number of close calls, I am leery of other drivers getting distracted by cell phones, and also by bad weather, road construction, road congestion, speeders, and figuring out where I am going without relying on GPS every step of the way.

    Life was better in so many ways . . . back when.

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    • Posting was certainly easier. Now I’m required to do multiple log ons in a day and even then it often doesn’t recognize me. I hope the changes helped someone but certainly not your everyday normal blogger who doesn’t monetize.

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