Total Eclipse--Part 2

I looked at my left arm for some reason. I was shocked that it was 3 times its normal size from just above the elbow down almost to wrist. Upper arm and wrist were swollen, but not so much. I showed him and he was amazed, too. I kept raising my hand up and looking at my arm. There was no unpleasant sensation, just swelling with great red splotches from above elbow almost to wrist.

Finally, I called my doctor's office and there was no doctor there, just nurse practitioner and the one I do not like. So, she checked the Decatur office and there was a doctor. I decided to head there about another ten miles or so.

Then, I felt my throat swelling shut! I jerked my cell phone from my pocket since it would take him too long to fish his out. "Call 911. My throat is swelling shut!" He did and I crossed the Tennessee River north of Decatur. The woman was asking what I was doing. "Driving!" She was shocked I was driving and having an emergency breathing.

I could hear her telling him to tell me to pull over. Well, I was approaching the other bridge over the Tennessee River and was not pulling over on the high bridge. I am afraid of heights and being hit on the side of the road. I was thinking the truck might knock us in the river, and I am not a strong swimmer, especially without my nose clips! Actually, I am a non-swimmer without my nose clips.

She demanded I stop NOW! When I got off the bridge, I did. She was telling him things and he held my hand tight and told me to keep my neck straight, breathe slowly in nose and out through mouth. Well, that helped nothing. It just made me cry more.

Then, I started crying and crying because I did not want to die. I remember begging them to come so I would not die.  I fear my throat closing more than cancer, a heart attack, stroke, or having a leg cut off.  He had grabbed my shoulder while I was driving and grabbed my hand while I cried and he talked on the phone.

I remember begging them to come to the interstate. He was telling the mile markers we passed. I think that tipped her off to the fact we were moving and I was driving. I remember her asking him who was driving.

Even with tears running, I kept watch in the rear view mirror and through the windshield trying to figure out where, when were they coming. I remember begging her to tell them to hurry. She could hear me. I think have must have put the phone on speaker phone because I could hear every word she said and she could hear me.

Finally, after many long minutes I saw lights behind us. The ambulance barely pulled off the interstate. I had pulled over into the grass so that he could safely get into the car. Right behind the ambulance came a huge firetruck and completely shut down the outer lane near us.  That made me more afraid something would hit the firetruck.

They immediately took out the stretcher and brought it to the car. My blood pressure was about twice what it usually is. It was 105/60 last week. Plenty O absorption. Pulse normal. My arm was a little less swollen. I was shaking all over. The guy asked if I had ever had a panic attack. NO! After about 15 minutes, they asked if I wanted to go to the hospital in ambulance. I asked if I should. They did not tell me one way or another.  So, I told them I was already on the way to a doctor because of swollen L arm. They looked over that and were commenting.

One of the guys told me to get out of driver seat and let him T drive. I just could not move. It was so weird. The guy helped me turn in the seat. Then, he told me to stand up. It was like I had no muscles that followed my desire. They fussed and told me to stand up. I told them I could not. When they asked why, I told them my muscles just did not do what I wanted. So, they got my arms and stood me up and steadied me. They held onto me as I walked and asked if I were dizzy. No, not dizzy, just shaky, weak in the knees.

T has to hold onto the vehicle like a baby when he walks around it. I felt sorry for him. He was not using his canes. The fire truck had to leave because there was a wreck right on the top of the bridge behind us.  I insisted they guys keep T safe from cars before I continued around the vehicle. I think they actually helped him instead of allowing him to keep creeping around the Rogue, holding onto it.

The guy got me around the car to the open door. He asked me how old I am. "71" He said, "I don't know what you are doing but you are doing it right." I asked why. "Because you do not look your age. I would have guessed 55 tops." I think I smiled, at least, I tried and thanked him.  I assured him I did nothing at all.

I thought he had left. I turned toward the car and stepped on my own foot and tumbled backwards toward the ditch, the weedy ditch. Fortunately, he was still with me and caught me as I fell full into him. He made a good catch--one hand grabbed my breast. He quickly moved his hand and we did not speak of it. He could have grabbed both of them to keep me out of the ditch!  Thankfully, he was strong and sturdy!

You do know there are chiggers and ticks in the grassy sides of the interstate. Just ask any guy who has gone tromping off to use a tree for relief. Besides, it would have taken all three of them to get me up that bank. I would have been thoroughly defeated.

He kept his hand on my back to keep me upright and I tried not to step on my own foot. That part was embarrassing, more embarrassing that being grabbed by the breast.

We went straight to the doctor's office after that. The doctor sort of smiled and said she had stumbled stepping on her own foot. She checked the vitals the nurse gave her and I gave her the vitals the EMT guy gave me. She seemed pleased with the drop in numbers. I described the trembling feeling in my upper chest, collar bone, and throat. They call it fluttering. I call it trembling. Exhaustion causes this to happen, but it goes away. We will see. The doctor said my throat looked a little swollen.  Of course, she had the records from the other branch of that office. That really helps since the doctor can see history without me having to remember and repeat.

He stayed in car while I went in since I was not in such distress anymore. He did offer to come in.

He called 911 at 3:32 and I got to the doctor's office about 4:30. We got home about 6 pm and I finally got all put into my car, closer than the side door. J brought it into the house the next day. He called me an hour later. I thought he was home. He said he had yet to leave the county. The Eclipse traffic plus construction had him sitting still.

He was eating pb sandwich, crackers, grapes, etc. I had given him a bag of cherries, too. So, he ate more of the stuff I prepared in case we were out later. I made sure I left him with water. He had stopped to get a fountain Coke. Preps worked. He called me at 10 pm, just getting home. The drive from my house takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. It took him four hours!

Since I had given him both the salads, so he had one of those when he got home with something else. Thankfully, he didn't have to be at work until 2 pm on Tuesday.

It was a good day, a wonderful day with a scary ending for me.

I called 911 about 11 pm  and told her the location of my cell phone, the address and type car. She said she would be on duty all night and make sure someone got to me if I was in trouble. I had described the ordeal.

On Tuesday morning, I had a new EPI pen that is stuffed into my purse.

It was a memorable trip. This is not edited. And, I added things to list of things we took.)