Sorry for the delay in posting but I was waiting for some valuable information from my dear friend Tracy Sutton before I could continue. Here is what happened next in Tracy's words…
"October 25th 4:45 pm… I was returning from Children's Hospital after meeting my sister Sharon, as I walked up to my office, I noticed an ambulance outside. Chris was standing out waiting to show them where to come. I asked him what happened and he said Sonnie is sick so I came in and I asked who is going with her to the Hospital? No one said anything so I said I am going and I grabbed my bag and went with her. As we were waiting at the hospital she was in pain really bad. As they were asking her all the information and family history, I was standing there praying because at this point I had no idea what was going on. The doctor came in and asked her a few questions about the pain and then he ordered her some pain medicine to help the pain. Then they took some x-rays and once the x-rays came back they put some dye in to look further. Once that test came back I knew something was going on because they told her they were going to move her to ICU. While we were waiting for them to come give her more pain medicine she began to tell the doctor that the pain had increased. So the doctor asked her what the pain level was and she said 9, but then changed it to a 10. While the doctor was talking to her she began to breathe differently and said she could not take the pain anymore so one of the doctors went out to see where the medicine they had ordered for her was. So, the doctor was typing in the chart and talking to Sonnie and when he looked over she had turned blue and he called out CODE BLUE!!! I was standing there when all the doctors and everyone came running. I began to pray out loud and asking God to come in and move on Sonnie's behalf. I cannot remember all I said but I know that I said "We need you Father God RIGHT NOW!!" I then called Wes Norred, who was there earlier and had gone home. I called him and told him to hurry back that Sonnie had "Code Blue". In the meantime while waiting on Wes, I started walking up and down the halls praying out loud, about 10 minutes later Sheila Hayes came out to me in the hall and she said "She is back, God heard you" and she walked over and gave me a hug.
Sheila Hayes, Floridalma Malin and Catherine Giron were three special women during this whole time, they showed that they cared and had much compassion even though they didn't know me or Sonnie. Sheila Hayes went above and beyond. Because we had been waiting for family to arrive, she made sure everyone got to where we were waiting for her to come out of surgery. At this point Wes and I were still trying to call and get numbers and information to contact people for Sonnie. Floridalma was the person that Sonnie gave the emergency number for Suzanne, and I told her at this point we needed that number that she had been given for emergency contact. I told her "As you can see… she has coded, I have to call that number." So once I got the number I called several times and no answer, so I texted her and she called me immediately. I began to explain to her as much as I could tell her and she was saying I am on my way. I told her that I needed her to calm down before getting on the road. I advised her that no matter what the time was I would be there until she got there. Once she arrived, we embraced and talked and she took over from there."
So there you have the next part of my climb… it seems so unreal to me, like I didn't really experience it… especially since I cannot remember any of it at all.
When I coded it was for a full 10 minutes, I died for 10 whole minutes and the doctors were able to revive me…
Friends, I will write more tomorrow on what actually happened to me that night in the ER at UT Southwestern University Hospital St. Paul. Until then…
With Much Love,
Sonnie
Friday, November 22, 2013
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Like a complex ballet, the choreography of that day was beautiful.
It's amazing all the different things that kept me where I needed to be that fateful day…
Let me start with the first thing that was out of the ordinary on Friday the 25th of October. I drove my car to work. That is not a normal thing for me. Generally I will ride the train to work, especially on a Friday… traffic, ugh! But I did drive that day so that I could stop and pick up snacks for the movie night that me and all my Bunco girlfriends were going to have because we didn't have enough gals to play bunco. Why is that significant? Well, when I ride the train I leave the office at 4:45 to walk down to catch the TRE to Victory Station. SO??? Well at about the same time I started having chest pain I would have been walking down near the Dean's office of the Medical School, this is an area with a large set of steep stairs that I go down and I typically do not see anyone over there or starting down the hill to the train. I would have collapsed in an area of extremely low traffic where there is a large set of stairs, I just can't see anything good coming out of that situation with my condition.
If that doesn't boggle your mind, this should… My Boss, Suzi, was getting on a plane for Houston at about the time I went down in my office. Earlier that day she had the idea that she was going to send me home early for a mini break. Unfortunately (actually fortunately for me), Keith got sick and went home after lunch. Meaning that I had to stay since Chris and I were the only regular staff left at the office. Again, what does that have to do with anything you ask… I would have been home at the time of my initial issue and would have been possibly alone as my son Parker doesn't get home from school until 5:45 or so and Nicholas, my other son, has been out looking for jobs lately. Also, there are no large hospitals that have the staff necessary for my type of emergency in my area. The closest would have been at the Bush Turnpike and Preston Rd… pretty darn far from my house. I would have been home alone on the floor unable to get to my phone since I couldn't move. Who knows what could have happened to me as I fell or lie there at my house.
So, I did say that Suzi was getting on a plane for Houston, but when Chris called her she answered and told him to send me to St. Paul. The reason for this is that we have special insurance as UT employees that gives us extra benefits if we use a UT doctor or Hospital (the Hospital I mentioned that I would have gone to if I had been home is not a UT Hospital). Without this benefit the cost of my care would be astronomical, but with these extra benefits I am well covered and don't feel the need to worry about those things as I work hard to recover from my injuries.
All these things came together in my world to put me right where I needed to be to get to that ER where the doctors were waiting, even though they didn't know it, for me to arrive so they could dance their part in my complex ballet.
With Much Love,
Sonnie
Let me start with the first thing that was out of the ordinary on Friday the 25th of October. I drove my car to work. That is not a normal thing for me. Generally I will ride the train to work, especially on a Friday… traffic, ugh! But I did drive that day so that I could stop and pick up snacks for the movie night that me and all my Bunco girlfriends were going to have because we didn't have enough gals to play bunco. Why is that significant? Well, when I ride the train I leave the office at 4:45 to walk down to catch the TRE to Victory Station. SO??? Well at about the same time I started having chest pain I would have been walking down near the Dean's office of the Medical School, this is an area with a large set of steep stairs that I go down and I typically do not see anyone over there or starting down the hill to the train. I would have collapsed in an area of extremely low traffic where there is a large set of stairs, I just can't see anything good coming out of that situation with my condition.
If that doesn't boggle your mind, this should… My Boss, Suzi, was getting on a plane for Houston at about the time I went down in my office. Earlier that day she had the idea that she was going to send me home early for a mini break. Unfortunately (actually fortunately for me), Keith got sick and went home after lunch. Meaning that I had to stay since Chris and I were the only regular staff left at the office. Again, what does that have to do with anything you ask… I would have been home at the time of my initial issue and would have been possibly alone as my son Parker doesn't get home from school until 5:45 or so and Nicholas, my other son, has been out looking for jobs lately. Also, there are no large hospitals that have the staff necessary for my type of emergency in my area. The closest would have been at the Bush Turnpike and Preston Rd… pretty darn far from my house. I would have been home alone on the floor unable to get to my phone since I couldn't move. Who knows what could have happened to me as I fell or lie there at my house.
So, I did say that Suzi was getting on a plane for Houston, but when Chris called her she answered and told him to send me to St. Paul. The reason for this is that we have special insurance as UT employees that gives us extra benefits if we use a UT doctor or Hospital (the Hospital I mentioned that I would have gone to if I had been home is not a UT Hospital). Without this benefit the cost of my care would be astronomical, but with these extra benefits I am well covered and don't feel the need to worry about those things as I work hard to recover from my injuries.
All these things came together in my world to put me right where I needed to be to get to that ER where the doctors were waiting, even though they didn't know it, for me to arrive so they could dance their part in my complex ballet.
With Much Love,
Sonnie
Monday, November 11, 2013
Going Back Before I Go Forward
Before I start my journey on this blog I feel that I need to go back several steps and tell you my story from the beginning. I will not be able to tell it all from my standpoint and will have to "fill in the blanks" with information from several other people. I think this telling may take a couple of days, so if you can hang in there with me, you will get the big picture.
It all started on Friday, October 25th at around 4:45 pm. I was getting ready to leave work to go to the store and buy some snacks for a girls movie night some friends and I were having. I was sitting at my desk when suddenly my stomach started hurting and I felt as though I was going to vomit all over everything. Lovely, huh? A few seconds later the pain went from my stomach to my chest, woosh… that fast. It hurt so bad that my body started shaking and stiffened into a sort of plank. I couldn't move or bend my body into my chair at all, I was holding my hands in front of my chest and crying out for help. Chris, my co-worker, was at our front desk and he thought I was laughing since we had been watching this funny video just about 10 minutes earlier. Once he realized that I was in distress and that my cries were for help he rushed over and asked what was wrong. I told him to call 911 and he went into action.
Meanwhile, several med students came over to try to help. After asking several questions I told them to take me out of my chair since I couldn't move and I was stiff and shaking so bad. I kept thinking I was going to break my neck on the chair if I kept hitting my head on it. They were able to successfully get me out of my chair and onto the floor to try to make it easier for me. The pain was absolutely excruciating.
Once Chris was able to get the ambulance on it's way he called my boss Suzi and she answered her phone, which was not expected since she was getting on a plane to Houston at the time. Chris asked her what to do, should he send me to Parkland? A resounding "No" was Suzi's answer. Send her to St.Paul since it is a University Hospital (and I work for the University).
As all this was transpiring, Tracy, a woman who works in the office next to mine, was coming upstairs and noticed the ambulance. When she came inside she asked who the ambulance was for and Chris told her it was for me. She asked who was going to the Hospital with me and then told them that she was going. She went next door and told her area that she was leaving for the Hospital with me and that she didn't care what had to be done to make it happen. She then gathered my things so I would have what I needed at the Hospital, like my glasses, phone, purse, etc.
The paramedics loaded me on the stretcher, took me out and put me in the ambulance with Tracy and closed the door. We went out of the parking lot, down the street and turned onto the street that St. Paul is on, went over one speed bump and that, my friends, is all I can remember of that day.
I will tell you tomorrow why all this happening the way it did is so very miraculous.
With Much Love,
Sonnie
It all started on Friday, October 25th at around 4:45 pm. I was getting ready to leave work to go to the store and buy some snacks for a girls movie night some friends and I were having. I was sitting at my desk when suddenly my stomach started hurting and I felt as though I was going to vomit all over everything. Lovely, huh? A few seconds later the pain went from my stomach to my chest, woosh… that fast. It hurt so bad that my body started shaking and stiffened into a sort of plank. I couldn't move or bend my body into my chair at all, I was holding my hands in front of my chest and crying out for help. Chris, my co-worker, was at our front desk and he thought I was laughing since we had been watching this funny video just about 10 minutes earlier. Once he realized that I was in distress and that my cries were for help he rushed over and asked what was wrong. I told him to call 911 and he went into action.
Meanwhile, several med students came over to try to help. After asking several questions I told them to take me out of my chair since I couldn't move and I was stiff and shaking so bad. I kept thinking I was going to break my neck on the chair if I kept hitting my head on it. They were able to successfully get me out of my chair and onto the floor to try to make it easier for me. The pain was absolutely excruciating.
Once Chris was able to get the ambulance on it's way he called my boss Suzi and she answered her phone, which was not expected since she was getting on a plane to Houston at the time. Chris asked her what to do, should he send me to Parkland? A resounding "No" was Suzi's answer. Send her to St.Paul since it is a University Hospital (and I work for the University).
As all this was transpiring, Tracy, a woman who works in the office next to mine, was coming upstairs and noticed the ambulance. When she came inside she asked who the ambulance was for and Chris told her it was for me. She asked who was going to the Hospital with me and then told them that she was going. She went next door and told her area that she was leaving for the Hospital with me and that she didn't care what had to be done to make it happen. She then gathered my things so I would have what I needed at the Hospital, like my glasses, phone, purse, etc.
The paramedics loaded me on the stretcher, took me out and put me in the ambulance with Tracy and closed the door. We went out of the parking lot, down the street and turned onto the street that St. Paul is on, went over one speed bump and that, my friends, is all I can remember of that day.
I will tell you tomorrow why all this happening the way it did is so very miraculous.
With Much Love,
Sonnie
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