The hits just keep on comin’, kids. They say tragedies come in threes, right? Well, after the death of my aunt and my MIL’s heart condition (she is having bypass surgery today), I kept wondering what the third tragedy was going to be.
And here ’tis…
My brother Steve took Monday off from work for his birthday. Well, he decided to go for a bike ride, get a little exercise and just enjoy the day. He took a route that he doesn’t usually take and while riding down a paved part of road, he rode into some very slick mud that washed over the road after a series of weekend storms. He started to slide, then over-corrected his course, and then…Thwap! Bam! Boom! He was thrown from his bike and smashed into a chain linked fence. When he woke up, he said a woman was standing over him telling him to stay still while she called the paramedics. She then called me after the paramedics arrived, and I spoke to one of the techs who said that Steve’s vitals were good, that he was sitting up, but complaining of pain in his neck. From what the med tech was saying, Steve was bruised but no major injuries. They were taking him to the hospital for x-rays and thought that he was okay.
Wrong!
After two series of x-rays (one of which I was able to see), it turns out he has four broken ribs and a broken collar bone. Kaiser, in their wonderfully compassionate “thrive” campaign, released Steve at 11pm that night. My sister was there when Steve arrived at the hospital (around 2pm) and kept us updated. I couldn’t get out of work because now that I’m hosting a live afternoon show, it’s kind of tough to bolt out of there. So, Maya and I arrived at 8pm and my dad got there a few minutes before we did. The doctor said that for injuries like the ones Steve suffered, it would be better for him to recover at home rather than the hospital. My sister tried to get the doctor to reconsider since Steve was going in and out of shock, but the doctor said that HMOs are pretty much on a “treat ’em and release ’em ASAP” policy. The drugs they gave Steve for pain are pretty powerful, so it really does take the edge off, but right now he’s staying with my parents and will probably head back to his house on Saturday.
(Big sigh)
Three letters keep popping into my mind: “WTF!”
ML
February 27, 2008 at 12:21 pmWTF is right! I can’t believe all this is happening! Poor Steve!
Py Korry
February 27, 2008 at 12:27 pmI know, it really is baffling.
Punning Pundit
February 27, 2008 at 1:46 pmI should think that Steve Job in the Bay Area would get better treatment…
Sheesh! Sounds like you’ve all been through the wringer. I’m glad to hear he’s still breathing, despite the best the hospitals/HMOs will do…
J
February 27, 2008 at 2:54 pmSteve should get a t-shirt that says, “I survived an HMO!”
Poor Stevie. I’m done with all of this bad news. Hoping that the next news we get is GOOD. And that next year, Steve has a much better birthday than this one was.
Py Korry
February 27, 2008 at 5:04 pmI think with the less-than-stellar birthdays Steve has had for the past couple of years, I hope next year is one of the best he’s had in a long time.
And Punning…As you know, Steve Jobs never has to wait for a doctor in a waiting room. They come to him!
Cherry
February 27, 2008 at 6:27 pmEnough is ENOUGH!
Py… you should bring Steve some Steve sushi!
Lalunas
February 27, 2008 at 7:29 pmPretty darn stinky. I guess we just have to roll with the punches. But hey we have each other.
Beenzzz
February 27, 2008 at 9:18 pmSounds like he took a nasty spill!!! I’m glad he’s ok and with your folks. Isn’t healthcare lovely? I’m sure he could’ve used an extra day or so in the hospital. I mean good GOD, going into shock sucks ass! It’s scary. I hope this veil of crap goes away soon and happiness is everywhere from here on out.
You think there is a family wide curse going on? We’ve been feeling it here in Utah too. 🙁
Gina
February 27, 2008 at 11:12 pmPy, I am so very sorry that all this has been happening to you guys.
God, I hate Kaiser. And I’m a member, so go figure.
Anyhoo, I have this policy about never sending hugs to other women’s husbands, but I think in this case, J wil give me a pass.
Hugs to you, it must be hard on you as well to have to hold up the home front in NoCal.
Autumn's Mom
February 28, 2008 at 11:13 amkaiser sucks balls. So sorry PY. Well when it rains it pours…Then the sun comes out. Here hoping your sun comes out real soon 🙂 ((hugs))
John B
March 5, 2008 at 5:53 amThis is bad.
Being somewhat gravitionally challenged, I did a couple of ribs last year and spent 2 nights in hospital.
I wanted out straight away – nothing wrong with me, only broken ribs – until the boy of a doctor said “Listen, do you know if your lung’s punctured? I don’t even know if your lung’s punctured until the symptoms start showing. And we have to teach you how to breath properly under pain – which you will have (boy, was he ever right…) – so that your lungs aspirate properly and you don’t end up back here with pneumonia. I’d SERIOUSLY advise you to reconsider and stay here”
Mind you, this is Germany.
Thinking About… » Maya’s Granny Update
March 11, 2008 at 3:20 pm[…] again, Ted’s brother is doing much better after his bicycle accident, but needs to have a pin inserted to keep his collar bone aligned so it will heal […]