Karen came over in the morning and fed me and gave me coffee. I was still shaky, still not quite in my body, actually. I have little memory of the day except for many phone calls with every one's opinion of what I should and shouldn't do. Very strong opinions. R. called around and found out that without insurance I should just go to the nearest hospital.
While Karen was nursing me, my dock neighbors collected a dock cart and lined it with pillows and brought over some one's steps. Then the various boat friends came by and lifted me off the boat and into the cart. We made a great procession down the long dock and up the ramp. They loaded me into some one's van in my PJs with bags of ice all around my hip. As we were driving to the hospital we passed R. talking with some police. It seems he thought I would need a wheelchair and went to the hospital and was bringing one over to the dock. The hospital kind of thought he was stealing it.
When we got to the hospital, R. went and filled out forms for free care. I sat in the wheelchair packed with ice which was now melting between my legs and looking like I peed my pants. The neighborhood left. Finally, I was taken and given a bed in the corridor because all the exam rooms were filled. There were many beds in the halls and aisles at the this Marin Kaiser Permanente Hospital. There I languished for hours. A security guard was nice enough to get me a bed pan at one point and I had to use it right there as some cops were bringing in a car injury case. No pride. No more.
I think I slept and then I was sent to xray and then wheeled back to my hall spot. About four hours later, I was told that I had a broken hip. I remarked that it was clear that nothing had changed since I arrived because I came there with a broken hip. I was informed that they didn't do surgery at that particular Kaiser and they would call for transport to some other hospital when they found one that would take me. They couldn't get me food because I didn't have a room.
There was a big flurry of activity as the shift changed at 11 PM. Then everyone was reading computers for what seemed like forever. No food, no room, no bedpan. Then I was watching as there was a cluster of activity at the computers with SKYPE. This, it turns out, was about me. The ER doctor, the prospective surgeon and the xray person conferred electronically and I was told that the new shift was offering me an option. The break was lined up in such a way that if I put no weight on it, it could heal without surgery. I asked if that was a special deal for me because I was poor. They said that they could do the surgery or I could try and heal without it. It would take longer to be back on my feet if I healed naturally.
I had heard a lot of stories about fucked up hip stuff. I decided to try without the operation. They gave me crutches and my daughter came and picked me up and took me to her house and fed me. That was my whole medical trip. I never saw another doc for that hip. Lucky me.
Let the healing begin..tomorrow.
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