Car accident...

My worst fear happened.  I was leaving the GI Dr and taking my hubby a Starbucks. I was stopped at an intersection when I was rear ended and then hit the truck in front of me.  The impact was slight, but unfortunately being sandwiched between two cars was what caused the most damage. I was actually on the phone with my hubby at the time of the accident (bluetooth of course), he heard the collision) he immediately left his work and came to the scene. He arrived before EMS.  I instantly felt pain in my neck, spine, and legs.  The car that hit me stuck around, the truck I hit left the scene.  I had no idea what my car looked like from the damage and did not want to know.  The only thing going through my mind at the time is wondering if the hardware from the surgery I had several months prior was ok.  Normal healing time for a fusion is one year.  It had not been a year and I was mainly concerned about my spine and the history of my spinal cord injury.  I could feel the inflammation in my lumbar spine, my legs were burning.  I was not moving until I got checked out.  For the "normal" person, a fender bender may be no big deal.  For someone with a spine like mine and my history, I was not taking a chance to get up and move around.  They took me to the hospital across the street and did imaging.  Of course they couldn't get away without putting tape on me. A Dr (could have been a nurse) made a snide comment about my allergy to tape (in regards to the severity of it)  I let them know there was an Epipen in my purse if they needed it since they had already put tape on me.  He was implying he did not believe my allergy was severe.  Anyone that has ever seen me react knows how severe my allergy is.  I wish my husband would have heard the comment so he could have responded, I was strapped to a backboard, not much I could say.    I felt very unprotected and belittled.   I did receive an apology.  They ran many imaging tests that "their" Dr reviewed. They did not have a neurosurgeon evaluate me or notify my neurosurgeon, which I felt they should have done.  Here is what happens when you are a chronic pain patient:  they focus on what medications you take, you lay there in acute pain, because now something as exacerbated your normal, everyday pain.  They never once offer you anything for comfort, so you lay there and cry not only because you hurt but because you know they judge you and they have no idea what your story is or what you have been through to get to that point in your life. Some of the clinicians can not even pronounce my illnesses correctly or know what they are.   The pharmacist came to speak with me to ask where I get specialty medications filled. I felt they were not skilled enough to be helping me and that is a scary scary thought.  I am lucky I was not injured, as I would not have trusted any of them to care for me.
I walked away very sore, I do not know what the outcome will be. My spine is very fragile.  It can not take much.  I will be following up with MY doctors who know me and my conditions.  I just know that being in an accident was my biggest fear, and it happened.  I hated leaving the house because of this fear.  I know that any little impact could change my life.  So I now need to get back to trying to get over this fear again, and repair my car (what a hassle), and heal. 

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