And then there was an accident

After camping, Rebecca and I went our separate ways, with the thought that we may meet up and split a hotel room so we could both shower and do a bit of laundry before hitting the road and more campgrounds.  I headed out just after her, and explored more of the park looking for animals & photo ops.  Got some great animal shots so headed south to Jackson and then up over the pass into Idaho. 

I was almost to Mesa Falls when I got the call.  Rebecca had been in an accident in Jackson and had just left the ER.  She said she had lost consciousness,  so I knew it was not a good idea for her to be alone the first couple of nights.  The hospital has a property with rooms/cabins for $50 a night if you were a patient at the hospital and need a place to stay in town. 

Luckily I was only about 80 miles away, so it didn't take too long to get back to Jackson.  Good thing I came, by 4:30 am, she was having increased headache pain, severe dizziness and nausea.  So back to the ER we went.  I was really worried about swelling or a brain bleed, she was in so much pain 😢

Thankfully the CAT scan didn't show any signs of anything worse than the concussion.   PHEW!  But, the doctor recommended she stay of the motorcycle a minimum of 4 weeks.  And warned her this could potentially last several months.  Pretty devastating news to someone who has committed to spending a year on the road.

The last two days have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for her.  The pain and concussion are really doing a number on her mentally and emotionally.  Now she is trying to wade through the paper work of the accident, the hospital bills, and finding an affordable place to call home till her brain can heal from the impact.  Very overwhelming to try and handle all that with a concussion.  Doing my best to keep her on track with pain meds, meals and keeping hydrated.  Resting is only coming when exhaustion or the pain becomes overwhelming and she is forced into bed.

Will be several more days before I feel I can leave her alone, but I am fine with that.  We will be life long friends, I am sure. 

In the mean time, she is balancing the lows with her whitty humor and keeping us both laughing.  (she insisted we take this photo and we laughed the whole time she was making her toilet paper head bandage!)

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