Thursday, November 18, 2010

"What Did You Do to Piss Off the Universe?"

Title, courtesy of Julie.

So, everybody knows the Lyme Disease saga. Recently I got a picc line in order to administer IV antibiotics for a 4-6 week period which will hopefully be the solution to this ongoing, miserable health debacle that has been my life the last couple years.

The actual picc line procedure on the 4th was completely miserable. For most people it is not as bad as my experience apparently, but, as luck would have it mine was one for the history books. To top it all off, they put in the wrong line. Things just keep getting better and better.

Along with the regular pain of the Lyme, I had an absolutely terrible night of terrible chills, fever, aching, and a swollen neck (of all things) on Saturday. The next night, the same thing. Because it was over the weekend I couldn't find out for sure what was wrong right away. Came to find I was suffering from "serum sickness," a rare type of allergic reaction only a few people in the world would ever experience. Lucky me.

So, now I'm awaiting a new antibiotic to be administered Monday at my Dr.'s office. You know, just hanging out, waiting around, with this damn hose in my vein headed straight to my heart. >:\

Sooooo...in my waiting, I was heading to work today, you know, like you do. Sitting at a stop light, talking to Manolis (we really only get to talk on my morning commute since I started my job) I see in my rear view a second before it happened a red car headed for my backside. The only thought I remember having:

"He's not going to stop."

And he didn't. I don't even think he braked. I screamed, you know, couldn't help it, said "I was just in an accident. I'm fine. I have to go," to Manolis, and looked out my window to find the guy who had hit me standing there asking if I was alright.

The car was damaged so badly. This guy was flying. I was ok. I got out of the car, looked around at the immense damage to both the back and front of my car (he pushed me into the Accord in front of me). The next few minutes was just a blur of phone calls and sirens. My neck was bothering me, so I got it checked out by the EMTs. They insisted I go to the ER and so on the stretcher with foam head securer thingys and all I was whisked away to St. Clair.

At first we thought the guy had safe auto, which of course is minimum coverage insurance. So, we were all worried about whether or not everything would be covered for both myself and the guy in front of me. Well, then, on the ride to pick up my rental car my insurance agent called to tell me that actually, the guy who hit me cancelled his insurance on the 11th. SEVEN DAYS AGO. Holy crap.

So, now I'm responsible for my $500 deductible, and, if my car is totaled (I would imagine this is the case) I have to find a new one. I loved that little guy so much. I hope he's not the only Saab I can ever afford. ;)

Honestly, through all of this, I can say I really, truly just cannot stop thinking about the guy who hit me. Around my age, probably a little older. So shaken up. I mean, I know he was clearly negligent when he plowed into me, and I know that driving uninsured is incredibly foolish. But, I just know what it's like to be at fault for something. To be so fearful. To have everybody come down on you. And it's just terrible. And I feel for him. I'd give anything to be financially well-off enough to not hold him responsible for this and just let him deal with the legal ramifications of his actions rather than those and the financial ones.

I just hope he has a family as amazing as mine to help him through.

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