Got into a car accident this morning....

[Jdurg]

Today has been a truly awful day.     I was coming into work this morning like I normally do, and as I got close to work I just suddenly passed out while driving.  It came out of nowhere.  I've been on insulin for 26+ years and have never had this happen.  Blood sugars were fine, but they just suddenly plummetted.  I regained my sense of surroundings about five minutes later with my car rammed into a concrete wall.

The good thing is that nobody was injured and, other than my car, no property damage either.  The police came and filed their report but didn't cite me with anything since they recorded it as "uncommon medical incident".  (As much as we all may bash police officers, they did a marvelous job here.  I'm going to write to my local newspaper about how fantastic they were). 

So the gist of it is that my car, which I owned the titled for, is totalled.     I will now need a new (to me) car and will have to deal with car payments again.  Hopefully the value of my car (prior to the damages) is high enough that I get a decent offer on it and don't have to blow away all of my savings.  If I can get a previously leased car from last year or the year before, I should be fine with the money.

Now that my brain is clearing up, I'm starting to feel the physical effects.  I've got a gash on my right shin from where the dashboard came into me, and my left shoulder and center of my chest hurt from where the seatbelt restrained me.  I'll get my rental car in about two hours, then I'll go to the hospital and get checked out. 

I just want to crawl into a hole and die right now.   

[shardian]

You should definitely get checked out - for the accident and the pass out. If you were taking your insulin on your regular schedule, then your regular doctor needs to know.

This same kind of thing happened outside of my workplace one morning a year ago. Some guy crossed traffic, came over the center hump, and drove up onto the sidewalk where we all enter the building.  By this time he was just idling along luckily. A coworker ran to see if the guy was dead or something. Turns out he had passed out due to his diabetes and insulin. It was amazing he didn't hit anyone or anything.

[Jdurg]

Yeah, that's definitely on my list of things to do today.  Now that the psychological "numbness" is going away, I'm able to function and get things done that I need to.  I just wish it never happened. 

[TOK]

I don't know if the term Uncommon Medical Incident exempts you, but when my brother in law had a seizure while driving and crashed his car they revoked his license until he was seizure-free for one year. Good luck!
 

[Jdurg]

I don't know if the term Uncommon Medical Incident exempts you, but when my brother in law had a seizure while driving and crashed his car they revoked his license until he was seizure-free for one year. Good luck!
 

Yeah, the cop was telling me about that and they had to look through my medical records and said that they weren't going to revoke the license, but that if it happens again they will.

[Level42]

Glad you're relatively OK now......could have turned out very different. All the best !

[vidmouse]

7 years ago I had an accident where a drunk driver blew through the stop sign at a 4-way intersection, hit my front left side, and spun my car clockwise so hard that my REAR left fender hit him before he was done with me.  I really wish I'd have gotten it checked out better than the paramedics on-site, b/c ever since then things have never been quite right (neck pain, range of movement, some headaches), even with physical therapy.  And insurance should cover the medical check.

This week I had ANOTHER accident (Mon.) ... nowhere near as bad as yours but they're all scary....
a truck hauling landscape stones lost a wheel on its hitch... began fish-tailing about ten feet oncoming in front of me.  The wheel fell off it's hitch and threw itself at my front.  I swerved a bit and it ended up crashing into my front grille and hood, that's all.  My kids were kinda shaken up but thankfully no one was injured.  The cop on the scene was pretty cool about it too, along w/ all the neighbors that saw what had happened.

Good luck Jdurg, hope you feel better soon!

[gourami]

That is strange for blood sugar to just plummet out of nowhere. Did you have enough to eat prior to driving in? I know it may sound like a dumb question for someone who's been dependent on insulin for so long, but I've seen similar incidents of accidents caused by apparent hypoglycemia, and the number one issue is usually they didn't eat enough for the insulin to be all accounted for.

[Jdurg]

That is strange for blood sugar to just plummet out of nowhere. Did you have enough to eat prior to driving in? I know it may sound like a dumb question for someone who's been dependent on insulin for so long, but I've seen similar incidents of accidents caused by apparent hypoglycemia, and the number one issue is usually they didn't eat enough for the insulin to be all accounted for.

It's a good question and one that I was asked by all people I've talked to, and my answer is yes.  I had my normal routine morning like I do every single day.  Wake up, test blood sugar, adjust with short-acting insulin if needed, use long-acting insulin injection, and then eat a quick breakfast at home.  Same doseage, same everything. Today, I did the test and the blood sugar was fine.  I still ate anyway without injecting anything additional and went on my way.  The ONLY difference today was that I was up an hour earlier than normal as I had an early morning teleconference. 

I went to the ER at the hospital to get checked out since as the day went on I was feeling more and more uncomfortable.  I went and checked in, and the physician there asked how it happened and what hurts.  They then did the routine vitals signs and inspections and saw that all the bruises and marks on my skin were indicitive of where the seat belt was worn.  So although the seatbelt left some marks, the windshield would have left far worse marks.  They did a chest x-ray and it was kind of cool being able to look at the film and see everything looked fine before the doctor even saw it.  (The x-ray technician saw where I worked and asked if I wanted to see the images since he figured I'd enjoy it.  I did!)  The doctor came in and said that the x-rays looked just as they should for someone my age, and although there were some discolorations in the area that was hurting me, it was probably just a bruise.  If I wanted an MRI, I could have one but it would make no difference in the treatment he was going to prescribe.

So he prescribed a bunch of blood work to see exactly what is going on in my body and ensure there are no liver/adrenal/kidney problems which can result in odd blood sugar drops. 

He also gave me some Naproxyn pills to control the inflammation, and a LOT of modertely powered Vicodin.  I'm almost tempted to just advil the pain and deal with it for as long as I can so I can enjoy my Vicodin, but I'll be a good boy and not do that.   

So the doctors confirmed that there's nothing really wrong with me and that I should be fine.  No massive injuries aside from the standard bumps and bruises you would expect to see after a car accident. 

I've had bumps and whatnot in my car before, but this was my first real "accident" where the car was basically trashed and the airbags deployed.  I'm still a little stunned and not looking forward to how I'll feel tomorrow.  I've still got to go to work, but it will be a bit rough.  Then I have to go to the shop and get all my stuff out of my wrecked car and see what the insurance company decides.  Depending on what they decide, I may be able to get a VERY low mileage car from my auto dealership for a monthly price of next to nothing.  (As I alway have a bolus of finances available to cover for emergencies, and I had been saving up to build a patio in my back yard).

So I'm better, a little bit sore.............. okay, VERY sore but happy that my CP is done and working and that it hooks up to my laptop and my laptop hooks up to my TV.  Donkey Kong will help ease my pain.   

[Jdurg]

Alright.  Vicodin is kicking in.  Feeling much better.  Still sore, but I just don't mind it anymore.  It's odd.  I can sense the pain, but don't really care about it.

[ark_ader]

In 2000 I had a head on collision with a big dog Harley Davidson, and me in a small Honda.  The biker came through the windshield and back onto the bonnet of the car before landing on the dirt.  When I came to the pain was awful, I thought I killed the guy but remarkably we walked away from it.

I was in physio for 9 months trying to walk properly again, had several hernias in the spine, and neck and broke most of my ribs from the steering wheel (no airbags) as the seatbelt failed.

It turned out that the guy just bought the bike, and it got away from him, crossed the intersection and came at me at 50mph.  My driving saved his life, as I took the entire impact.

It took nearly a whole year after to get over the psychological fear of driving.  The sound of the bang and screams from the biker kept me awake for many nights after.

They say most accidents are 5 miles from work or home.  I was 2 miles from home, and just started a new job.  No amount of compensation can help.  Heck I would gladly pay a $100,000 not to experience it again.

So Jdurg, I hope you get well real soon, and get more checkups too.  Maybe this would be a good time to just take the bus to work, especially with the price of gas. 

[Jdurg]

Lol.  Well it's incredibly ironic that when I took my car in for its routine maintenence I started looking at the new hybrids and models of Honda Civics.  The hybrid is really intriguing to me since most of my driving is not on the highway and so the electric engine would probably be in use most of the time.  I think the gas money I'd save will be remarkable. 

Still, if the insurance company somehow thinks my car can be repaired then I'll still have it.  Otherwise, I'll use the money I had stashed away for a patio and BBQ in my backyard and the monitor/computer for my cabinet and put that towards a downpayment on a new car.  I don't see myself having to spend more than $250 a month on car payments, and I'll probably have it paid off in a couple of years anyway.  It's actually paying off that I always have a lot of money stashed away in case of "emergencies" like the one I had yesterday.

[massive88]

You arent kidding about the mental block.  About 3 months ago, I got T-boned turning across traffic into my housing complex.  Its a left turn on a busy road into a relatively new complex, with no turning lanes.  I was always real cautious about getting rear ended, and people like to fly down the road.  Well, I guess I was watching what was going on behind me more than I should have, but to avoid getting rear ended, I turned early thinking it was clear.

Its still shakes me up a little remembering being totally perpendicular in the street, and looking to my right seeing an SUV bearing down on me.  I tried to accelerate through the turn, but really all I could do was grit my teeth for the impact.

Thankfully nothing but property was hurt, but it took me a while to get my confidence back to drive, and I still take the long way to avoid that turn more times than not.

[J_K_M_A_N]

Lol.  Well it's incredibly ironic that when I took my car in for its routine maintenence I started looking at the new hybrids and models of Honda Civics.  The hybrid is really intriguing to me since most of my driving is not on the highway and so the electric engine would probably be in use most of the time.  I think the gas money I'd save will be remarkable. 

I thought it was the other way around. I thought you used gas until you got up to speed and then the electric kicked in to maintain.

J_K_M_A_N

[JimmyU]

Lol.  Well it's incredibly ironic that when I took my car in for its routine maintenence I started looking at the new hybrids and models of Honda Civics.  The hybrid is really intriguing to me since most of my driving is not on the highway and so the electric engine would probably be in use most of the time.  I think the gas money I'd save will be remarkable. 

I thought it was the other way around. I thought you used gas until you got up to speed and then the electric kicked in to maintain.

J_K_M_A_N

Hybrids work by converting your braking into electrical power.

[J_K_M_A_N]

I guess I don't need one then. I drive about 23 miles and it is all highway.

J_K_M_A_N

[FrizzleFried]

I suffer from sleep apnea.  Prior to being diagnosed I was driving to work on the 5 freeway going from San Marcos to Pacific Beach.  It was 7:45am.  Just after the merge where the 5 freeway makes the bend to the left just before the 52 freeway I fell asleep,  in the fast lane.  The last thing I remember was driving the fast lane.  Next thing I remember was >SMASH< >BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP< >SCRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE!<

I woke to smoke - two air bags deployed - my hood smashed up to about 2' i front of my window,  which was broke.  The scraping sound was my truck sliding along the guard rail to a stop.  The beep was the horn running on.  The smoke was from the air bags deploying.

I look in my rear view mirror to see 3 people running around in front of a Cal Trans pickup...

I get out and run back...FREAKING OUT.

I hit the side of the Cal Trans truck about 1 foot from the rear and "rode it" down the side.  Luckily (A) the foreman had just gotten in the truck 15 seconds earlier! and (B) the workers were working in front of the truck...and I narrowly missed them mostly.  One worker got hit by my mirror which had come off the truck.  He had two teeth CUT IN HALF broke off and a number of glass cuts on his face from the mirror (i assume).  NO ONE DEAD!  >whew<

Man...I can't tell you the feeling.  It was so powerful that it comes up now when I think about it.  That day could have been (A) the day I died or (B) the day I went to jail for a LONG LONG time for having KILLED someone.

I went down that week and they diagnosed me with sleep apnea.  I've been using a CPAP ever since...going on about 9 years now.

I still have no idea how I got across so many lanes of traffic without causing an accident... and if I were a little short of where I hit the truck,  i'd have hit the back of it,  likely killing me (or severely hurting me) and likely killing or hurting the others.  If I were 15' ahead,  i'd have taken out 2 guys doing their job on the side of the road.

Incredible. (I am actually getting really tripped out about it even now...9 years later)

[Jdurg]

I fully understand what you're saying Frizzle.  It's just scary.  The pain is just a constant, dull ache like I feel when I do too much strenuous exercise.  The problem when you strain a chest muscle is that every time your breathe it hurts.  I thought I could get by without any painkillers, but right now I am so happy that I went to the ER and the doctor prescribed me some Vicodin because I couldn't survive without it rightnow.  By Monday, the pain should be pretty much gone.  Just have to eat a lot of proteins and vegetables and ensure I have plenty of vitamins in me so my body can repair itself.

In other news, my insurance agent got in touch with me today.  He's going to declare the car totalled.  He called me and was shocked to find me at work.  He just said "After looking at the car I can imagine you're pretty sore.  You hit the right part of the car to do the most damage".  So I'm going to be getting a large check for the car.  I was stunned at the amount.  I'll be able to get a replacement car and not be in any financial ruin because of the new car payments.  I'm certainly happy about that, but getting into car accidents isn't the right way to do it.  It's just comforting to know that I won't be in ruin because of this freak incident.

I also found out why I'm getting such a good sum.  I never understood why my insurance had never gone down in price, but I guess I've been paying for a great deal of coverage on my car.  Now I'm happy as all hell that I did.  I think it's worth it to pay for the extra coverage as my insurance company is doing a great job taking care of me and I truly appreciate that. 

Now I just can't wait to get back to feeling like I do now but without the use of narcotics.   

[Jdurg]

Uggggh.  I learned today not to take too many narcotic pain killers, then fall asleep with VH1 on your TV.  When I came too, it was in a drugged haze with Devo playing on the TV.  Talk about a frightening return to reality.   

[AcidArmitage]

im diabetic too and when i fell asleep behind the wheel they made me take the drivers test again... it was a pain in the ass

[ark_ader]

I fully understand what you're saying Frizzle.  It's just scary.  The pain is just a constant, dull ache like I feel when I do too much strenuous exercise.  The problem when you strain a chest muscle is that every time your breathe it hurts.  I thought I could get by without any painkillers, but right now I am so happy that I went to the ER and the doctor prescribed me some Vicodin because I couldn't survive without it rightnow.  By Monday, the pain should be pretty much gone.  Just have to eat a lot of proteins and vegetables and ensure I have plenty of vitamins in me so my body can repair itself.

In other news, my insurance agent got in touch with me today.  He's going to declare the car totalled.  He called me and was shocked to find me at work.  He just said "After looking at the car I can imagine you're pretty sore.  You hit the right part of the car to do the most damage".  So I'm going to be getting a large check for the car.  I was stunned at the amount.  I'll be able to get a replacement car and not be in any financial ruin because of the new car payments.  I'm certainly happy about that, but getting into car accidents isn't the right way to do it.  It's just comforting to know that I won't be in ruin because of this freak incident.

I also found out why I'm getting such a good sum.  I never understood why my insurance had never gone down in price, but I guess I've been paying for a great deal of coverage on my car.  Now I'm happy as all hell that I did.  I think it's worth it to pay for the extra coverage as my insurance company is doing a great job taking care of me and I truly appreciate that. 

Now I just can't wait to get back to feeling like I do now but without the use of narcotics.   

Personally I think you should take the bus from now on.  You had a warning from above, and if there is a next time you could end up killing someone.  Yes I know you like your freedom, but that future victim likes his/her life a bit more.

I would just go to your local DMV and hand in your license and get an ID card.  You would be doing yourself a service, and be more responsible than you have been in the past with a known condition.