It wasn't until I finally got home that I realized how well taken care of I was in the hospital. The staff in the emergency room was always within sight or earshot. They paid a lot of attention to my pain levels and helped me manage it very well; making the pain nothing more than an annoyance, yet keeping me from getting loopy or light headed.

Ok ... except for this one guy. But to be fair, it was his job. Medical techniques have changed, and in this instance they didn't put on a cast. Ever. Except for this odd cast in the emergency room. I wasn't able to watch how they did it, but somehow they formed a cast just along the back of my leg from the bottom of my calf, down around the ankle, and to my toes. The sides and top were open, and they secured it with bandages. But it was form fitting, which meant the guy doing it had to push against the bottom of my foot while he has forming it ... right where my meta-tarsals were broken. Even with the pain meds, it wasn't a pleasant thing to experience.

More technology. At first, they wheeled in a portable x-ray and took a couple of pictures right there on the bed. Yep ... foot is broken. One guy who was looking at the x-ray said I had 'done my foot up right'. I had and still have no idea what he was talking about, whether I broke it the best way possible, or I had really messed it up.

Once the x-ray was done, they called in an orthopedic specialist. He really did a great job putting me back together again, and I send thanks out his way. But the x-ray isn't good enough, so off to getting an MRI I go.

Up to this point, I have had nothing to drink. They don't let you drink anything before surgery, and they didn't know what my treatment was going to be. So ... no drinks. Just this nasty 'sponge-on-a-stick' thing that I could dip in water and swab the inside of my mouth. It did the trick, but I had to keep doing it every 10 minutes or so.

Finally, they decide that I have to have surgery. Now, this is important ... they decided. There are 4 little words that everyone should know to ask the doctor ... 'Are there any alternatives?'. I don't know in my case if there was, but as I said earlier, this procedure ended up costing over $60K with the physical therapy. I had the insurance to cover it, and have $200/month taken out of my paycheck to pay for the insurance. So, naturally, I want the best care I can afford.

And so do you. It's important to not be shy. We should all swallow our pride a little and ask things like 'how much is this going to cost?' and 'is this covered by my insurance'. I found out a few weeks later that every time you see someone new, one of the first things you should also ask is 'are you on my insurance plan?'. You see ... just because you are in the hospital, and they know what your insurance plan is, doesn't mean everyone seeing you accepts it.

If there is anything anyone reading this can learn, it's this. Don't be afraid to ask ANY question. It's your money you are spending. Sure, the insurance covers it. Except, in my case, for the first $500. And except for 20% after that to a maximum of $3,000. And only 60% of any out of network physicians. Luckily, since the crash wasn't my fault, the other driver's insurance will end up paying for this. The methods I used to arrange that will come in a few more posts.

But ... I've been wheeled back into my room and was told that surgery is scheduled for 5pm tomorrow. So I get some water to drink until 6am and some sherbet. It was heaven, as I faded in and out of sleep all night long.

The next day was going to be a big day, and I found how nice it is to have friends and family. And nurses that really care.