All My Plans Came Tumbling Down The Stairs in Pisa - but Fortunately Not in the Leaning Tower!! ðĪŠððĪŠ
Sorry, this post turned out quite long so feel free to skip through and peruse the details!!
A few of you have asked for more information, so I thought I’d fill in some details for those inquiring minds who want to know!! Also, I just wanted to let you know my shoulder surgery will be THIS Thursday at 7:30 am (and all prayers and good intentions for healthy outcomes are appreciated)!!
ððð
So here we go….
Our (unexpectedly last) day of sightseeing started with an early morning, crowd-free visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and it was the most perfect moment of the day!! Little did I know when we left our sweet AirBnb in Viareggio that morning, it would be the last time I would see it (expecting to return that evening)!!
It was still a bit cloudy when we first got to Pisa, but we got some great pictures then settled into the cafe right across the street! It was the perfect place to people-watch as many tourists tried to get the same picture (holding up the tower)!! It’s so fun to watch the silliness of people in front of a well-known monument and what some are willing to do for a memorable picture! ðĪŠð
Since we had plenty of time before we met up with the people for the tour we had booked, Sheryl ran off to explore (and I, of course, enjoyed a second cappuccino)!! Neither of us are wine connoisseurs, but this bus tour was a great way to see the Tuscan countryside without having to rent a car! It left from Florence, so we just took the train to Pisa and back from Siena and skipped the bus ride from/back to Florence since it made more sense logistically!
We had gorgeous views driving from Pisa to the vineyard where our lunch and wine tasting was, then went to San Gimignano, a quaint little UNESCO town nearby, then off to Siena!
While I waited, I had an interesting conversation with the owner, who wasn’t very happy with the changes that had happened to her “Little Village“ since it became a popular UNESCO destination for a lot of tourists and wine visitors! She held nothing back when sharing with me how frustrating it was to see how much her little village had changed! It certainly gave me a different perspective on what happens to the local people when a place becomes popular with tourists (and kinda made me not want to return because I felt bad for the people who live there)!!
We rode on the bus to Siena and ended up catching an earlier train from Siena back to Viareggio because we were “just done” with being tourists that day… And that’s where everything fell apart! We had literally minutes between trains, and on the last change of trains in Pisa as dusk created shadows in the stairwell of the train station, I caught my foot on the edge of a step and fell face first on the landing… Just inches away from falling down about 20 steps! ðĨīðģ
As I laid there, trying not to get trampled by people running to catch their trains in the busy stairwell, my first thought was, “Oh, bummer! Now we won’t make that connection and we’ll have to wait for the next train!” Little did I know at that moment how serious this fall was going to be and how drastically it would change all the plans I had spent months organizing!! Oh, well, “the best laid plans make God laugh…” or something like that, right?! ðĪŠðĨī
At one point, I remember, saying to Sheryl, “Just give me a minute and I’m sure I can get up. I just need to roll over so I can get up on my hands and knees and I’m sure I can get up!” I had no awareness at that point that I had fallen face-first on the step, tried to break my fall and fractured my right humerus and left rib in the process (even though Sheryl kept trying to tell me my shoulder was jutting out at an unnatural angle)!! ðĪŠðģ
When I put my arm behind me to try and roll over, I realized how much pain I was in and knew this was more serious than a skinned knee or bruised face!! Denial has always been a strong mechanism in my brain (which has often worked to my benefit as I navigate travel), but the full force of the ramifications of my fall hit me in that moment! ðģ
Thank goodness, Sheryl found some amazing people who were able to help! There were a couple people who had medical training and they were checking me out and calling 911 (or the Italian equivalent)!! She also met a wonderful woman who was able to translate and walk her through a lot of the process as emergency and police staff showed up!
I don’t remember all the details (which is probably fortunate), but I do remember them strapping me to a backboard, and carrying me down the stairs, through the tunnel to the other side, and then back up the stairs again to get to the ambulance! (The tunnels go under the train tracks and you usually have to go down the stairs and back up when changing trains and tracks!!) /
We had been fortunate during most of our travels to find elevators in the train stations we visited, but not so much in Pisa (which was why we were rushing down the stairs to catch our train)!! Even if there HAD been an elevator, I don’t think they could’ve gotten me into it because it only holds about four people standing up and I was lying flat on a backboard!!
Up until that point, I was surviving the pain by closing my eyes as much as possible and just listening for instructions (and the sound of Sheryl’s voice)!! So it was a bit traumatic to open my eyes and see a slew of Carabinieri (police officers) and medical staff struggling to carry me down the stairs jostling me to and fro with their struggle!! I have to admit, I was a bit freaked out and kept hoping they wouldn’t drop me on my head (but I kept saying “sorry, sorry” thinking how much they were struggling because of my weight)!! ðĨīððģ
Once they got me back up the stairs on the other side, they whisked me away in the ambulance to the ER (where I spent the next 24 hours - 12 of which I spent in the hallway because they needed the bed space and didn’t have a bed yet for me on the Orthopedic floor)!! That was probably the worst time for me because I couldn’t seem to get anyone’s attention for pain meds, water or anything else (and they wouldn’t let Sheryl back into the ER once morning came because it was so busy)!! And unfortunately, the lovely English-speaking nurse who had taken such WONDERFUL care of me overnight had gone off shift (so I was left with nobody attending to my needs or explaining what was happening)!! ðĨī
Thank goodness Sheryl was able to advocate for me with the ER docs using the wonderful woman who translated for her the night before (on the phone), and they eventually got me a bed upstairs where I could be looked after a bit more (although I have to say, the care I received was not always great due to the language barrier and, perhaps, some understaffing)!!
After three days of waiting and multiple visits to x-ray, CT, etc., I was finally on the schedule for surgery!! When the surgeons came in to discuss options, they said I would need to stay in Italy 2 to 4 weeks after surgery to allow for recovery before getting on the plane home. I was already at the end of my rope after minimal care in the ward, so I wasn’t looking forward to another month of that!! ðĪŠ
At the very end of discussing my options (and almost as an afterthought), they gave me the third option of bracing my arm so I could fly home and have the surgery back home! After discussing the options with Sheryl (who was having her own traumatic time taking trains, packing up our bags and moving into new accommodations near the hospital), I jumped at the chance to fly home!!
When they showed me what the brace/bandage would look like, it looked like a heavy-duty splint (and they told me there would be “accommodations to fit my size”). What I ended up with was a mummy wrap with one arm sticking out and my right hand hanging out the middle of the wrap! Sheryl said I looked a bit like a marshmallow with an arm!! ðð And needless to say it was ITCHY and uncomfortable, but at least it kept my arm safe and in place until I got home!!
I have to say, it’s a good thing I’m not super modest because when it came time to apply the bandage/brace, they just wheeled me into the middle of the PT room with doctors and students on one side and PT equipment on the other side… and then they just stripped off my shirt and started wrapping me in cotton on top! And because it had to be a certain length to make it secure, they also pulled my pants down and I was standing in the middle of the room without clothes on and nobody seemed to worry about privacy!! Fortunately, I wasn’t traumatized, but I did find the whole experience kind of bizarre! ðģ
I finally got discharged on Wednesday evening (walked out of the hospital with a few pieces of paper but no official “you can leave now” and you don’t need a wheelchair or anything!!), and by the next morning we were on our way home!! There was a moment at the Pisa airport when the ticket agent was going to deny us boarding because she didn’t understand that I had NOT had surgery (and therefore we didn’t need a letter from the Doctor saying it was okay for me to fly)!!
I almost lost it at that point and felt like I just COULDN’T stay a moment longer!! Fortunately, her colleague understood what I was saying, and explained it to her in Italian. I lifted my shirt and showed her the bandage, and she seemed satisfied that I was fit to travel… I looked like a marshmallow, but I was fit to travel!! ððĪŠð✈️
The sky cap in Pisa was an amazingly sweet young man who took wonderful care of us (as did the other ones in London and Seattle), and all the British Air flight attendants kept checking on me and were incredibly sweet!! They even gave me a Get Well card and one of their “posh overnight toiletry bags” since the plane was full and they weren’t able to upgrade us! We hadn’t asked, but I think they took one look at my black eye and marshmallow bandage and felt bad for me!! I was amazed (as always) by the number of kind people/angels who helped us through this ordeal and constantly reminded me of the goodness of humanity!!
Soooo…. after some REALLY challenging days navigating the hospital system in Italy (and dealing with the pain, etc.), Sheryl and I made it home safely 4 days after the accident! I have always thought of myself as a global citizen and try to be open to the best in all cultures, but I have to say I’ve NEVER been happier flying home and landing in Seattle (well… except maybe the time I was detained in England and got on the plane heading home…. or maybe the time we rushed home just before the borders closed due to Covid… okay, I guess there have been a few challenging times in my travels, but maybe it’s like childbirth?!? I usually forget all the pain and end up with wonderful memories once time passes)!! ðĪŠðģððð
The morning after we arrived home, we went straight to the ER and were met with some very kind, attentive English-speaking people who helped us figure out the next steps! The PA, who was helping us, kept apologizing for keeping us waiting so long, and we just kept saying, “Oh, no worries! We’ve been in the Italian hospital system for 4 days and this is wonderful, so don’t worry about us!!”
We were just giddy with delight that there was a Starbucks in the hospital, everyone spoke English, and we were being attended to (and informed!!) in a timely manner! He called around and really went the extra mile and found me a surgeon who will take my insurance AND was willing to do “a plate and pins” type of surgery! However, once we saw the surgeon (a week later), it was decided that I’ll actually need a shoulder replacement due to the severity of the break (jagged and angled rather than clean and straight across)!
Sooo… after waiting another week after the consultation, it looks like I will be having a reverse shoulder replacement in a couple days (which is probably what I would’ve had two weeks ago in Italy)!! But, it has TOTALLY been worth the wait since I have been at home and lovingly cared for versus stuck in a hospital with limited/difficult-to-navigate medical care and language challenges!
Although I’ve never been happier to be home, I’m of course disappointed that all of my plans for the next four months had to be cancelled! I’m sure there will be a reason or meaning to come from this experience (as it usually does)! But until that awareness comes through, I’ll just be holding a vision for safe surgery, and rapid healing (and I ask that you hold that vision with and for me if you don’t mind)!! ððĪð❤️ðĐđ
Thanks so much to everyone who has been so supportive, and for all of those who have reached out to check in on me, and who have been thinking good thoughts and praying for me! I’m hoping these last “steps in the Journey” (surgery and rehab) will go quickly and uneventfully so I’m healed up again soon!! I’ll try to keep you posted!! ððĪððĪ
It was still a bit cloudy when we first got to Pisa, but we got some great pictures then settled into the cafe right across the street! It was the perfect place to people-watch as many tourists tried to get the same picture (holding up the tower)!! It’s so fun to watch the silliness of people in front of a well-known monument and what some are willing to do for a memorable picture! ðĪŠð
Since we had plenty of time before we met up with the people for the tour we had booked, Sheryl ran off to explore (and I, of course, enjoyed a second cappuccino)!! Neither of us are wine connoisseurs, but this bus tour was a great way to see the Tuscan countryside without having to rent a car! It left from Florence, so we just took the train to Pisa and back from Siena and skipped the bus ride from/back to Florence since it made more sense logistically!
We had gorgeous views driving from Pisa to the vineyard where our lunch and wine tasting was, then went to San Gimignano, a quaint little UNESCO town nearby, then off to Siena!
San Gimignano is an Italian hill town in Tuscany, southwest of Florence. Encircled by 13th-century walls, its old town centers on Piazza della Cisterna, a triangular square lined with medieval houses. It was quite a hike up the hill, so Sheryl went up to the top, did a bit of shopping and took a few pictures, while I enjoyed a little snack (fried Mac and cheese… didn’t love it!!) at the cafÃĐ at the bottom of the hill. We had just eaten lunch at the winery so I wasn’t hungry, but there was a definite “you better order something worthwhile if I’m going to let you sit here” vibe so I accommodated!!
While I waited, I had an interesting conversation with the owner, who wasn’t very happy with the changes that had happened to her “Little Village“ since it became a popular UNESCO destination for a lot of tourists and wine visitors! She held nothing back when sharing with me how frustrating it was to see how much her little village had changed! It certainly gave me a different perspective on what happens to the local people when a place becomes popular with tourists (and kinda made me not want to return because I felt bad for the people who live there)!!
We rode on the bus to Siena and ended up catching an earlier train from Siena back to Viareggio because we were “just done” with being tourists that day… And that’s where everything fell apart! We had literally minutes between trains, and on the last change of trains in Pisa as dusk created shadows in the stairwell of the train station, I caught my foot on the edge of a step and fell face first on the landing… Just inches away from falling down about 20 steps! ðĨīðģ
As I laid there, trying not to get trampled by people running to catch their trains in the busy stairwell, my first thought was, “Oh, bummer! Now we won’t make that connection and we’ll have to wait for the next train!” Little did I know at that moment how serious this fall was going to be and how drastically it would change all the plans I had spent months organizing!! Oh, well, “the best laid plans make God laugh…” or something like that, right?! ðĪŠðĨī
At one point, I remember, saying to Sheryl, “Just give me a minute and I’m sure I can get up. I just need to roll over so I can get up on my hands and knees and I’m sure I can get up!” I had no awareness at that point that I had fallen face-first on the step, tried to break my fall and fractured my right humerus and left rib in the process (even though Sheryl kept trying to tell me my shoulder was jutting out at an unnatural angle)!! ðĪŠðģ
When I put my arm behind me to try and roll over, I realized how much pain I was in and knew this was more serious than a skinned knee or bruised face!! Denial has always been a strong mechanism in my brain (which has often worked to my benefit as I navigate travel), but the full force of the ramifications of my fall hit me in that moment! ðģ
Thank goodness, Sheryl found some amazing people who were able to help! There were a couple people who had medical training and they were checking me out and calling 911 (or the Italian equivalent)!! She also met a wonderful woman who was able to translate and walk her through a lot of the process as emergency and police staff showed up!
I don’t remember all the details (which is probably fortunate), but I do remember them strapping me to a backboard, and carrying me down the stairs, through the tunnel to the other side, and then back up the stairs again to get to the ambulance! (The tunnels go under the train tracks and you usually have to go down the stairs and back up when changing trains and tracks!!) /
We had been fortunate during most of our travels to find elevators in the train stations we visited, but not so much in Pisa (which was why we were rushing down the stairs to catch our train)!! Even if there HAD been an elevator, I don’t think they could’ve gotten me into it because it only holds about four people standing up and I was lying flat on a backboard!!
Up until that point, I was surviving the pain by closing my eyes as much as possible and just listening for instructions (and the sound of Sheryl’s voice)!! So it was a bit traumatic to open my eyes and see a slew of Carabinieri (police officers) and medical staff struggling to carry me down the stairs jostling me to and fro with their struggle!! I have to admit, I was a bit freaked out and kept hoping they wouldn’t drop me on my head (but I kept saying “sorry, sorry” thinking how much they were struggling because of my weight)!! ðĨīððģ
Once they got me back up the stairs on the other side, they whisked me away in the ambulance to the ER (where I spent the next 24 hours - 12 of which I spent in the hallway because they needed the bed space and didn’t have a bed yet for me on the Orthopedic floor)!! That was probably the worst time for me because I couldn’t seem to get anyone’s attention for pain meds, water or anything else (and they wouldn’t let Sheryl back into the ER once morning came because it was so busy)!! And unfortunately, the lovely English-speaking nurse who had taken such WONDERFUL care of me overnight had gone off shift (so I was left with nobody attending to my needs or explaining what was happening)!! ðĨī
Thank goodness Sheryl was able to advocate for me with the ER docs using the wonderful woman who translated for her the night before (on the phone), and they eventually got me a bed upstairs where I could be looked after a bit more (although I have to say, the care I received was not always great due to the language barrier and, perhaps, some understaffing)!!
After three days of waiting and multiple visits to x-ray, CT, etc., I was finally on the schedule for surgery!! When the surgeons came in to discuss options, they said I would need to stay in Italy 2 to 4 weeks after surgery to allow for recovery before getting on the plane home. I was already at the end of my rope after minimal care in the ward, so I wasn’t looking forward to another month of that!! ðĪŠ
At the very end of discussing my options (and almost as an afterthought), they gave me the third option of bracing my arm so I could fly home and have the surgery back home! After discussing the options with Sheryl (who was having her own traumatic time taking trains, packing up our bags and moving into new accommodations near the hospital), I jumped at the chance to fly home!!
When they showed me what the brace/bandage would look like, it looked like a heavy-duty splint (and they told me there would be “accommodations to fit my size”). What I ended up with was a mummy wrap with one arm sticking out and my right hand hanging out the middle of the wrap! Sheryl said I looked a bit like a marshmallow with an arm!! ðð And needless to say it was ITCHY and uncomfortable, but at least it kept my arm safe and in place until I got home!!
I have to say, it’s a good thing I’m not super modest because when it came time to apply the bandage/brace, they just wheeled me into the middle of the PT room with doctors and students on one side and PT equipment on the other side… and then they just stripped off my shirt and started wrapping me in cotton on top! And because it had to be a certain length to make it secure, they also pulled my pants down and I was standing in the middle of the room without clothes on and nobody seemed to worry about privacy!! Fortunately, I wasn’t traumatized, but I did find the whole experience kind of bizarre! ðģ
I finally got discharged on Wednesday evening (walked out of the hospital with a few pieces of paper but no official “you can leave now” and you don’t need a wheelchair or anything!!), and by the next morning we were on our way home!! There was a moment at the Pisa airport when the ticket agent was going to deny us boarding because she didn’t understand that I had NOT had surgery (and therefore we didn’t need a letter from the Doctor saying it was okay for me to fly)!!
I almost lost it at that point and felt like I just COULDN’T stay a moment longer!! Fortunately, her colleague understood what I was saying, and explained it to her in Italian. I lifted my shirt and showed her the bandage, and she seemed satisfied that I was fit to travel… I looked like a marshmallow, but I was fit to travel!! ððĪŠð✈️
The sky cap in Pisa was an amazingly sweet young man who took wonderful care of us (as did the other ones in London and Seattle), and all the British Air flight attendants kept checking on me and were incredibly sweet!! They even gave me a Get Well card and one of their “posh overnight toiletry bags” since the plane was full and they weren’t able to upgrade us! We hadn’t asked, but I think they took one look at my black eye and marshmallow bandage and felt bad for me!! I was amazed (as always) by the number of kind people/angels who helped us through this ordeal and constantly reminded me of the goodness of humanity!!
Soooo…. after some REALLY challenging days navigating the hospital system in Italy (and dealing with the pain, etc.), Sheryl and I made it home safely 4 days after the accident! I have always thought of myself as a global citizen and try to be open to the best in all cultures, but I have to say I’ve NEVER been happier flying home and landing in Seattle (well… except maybe the time I was detained in England and got on the plane heading home…. or maybe the time we rushed home just before the borders closed due to Covid… okay, I guess there have been a few challenging times in my travels, but maybe it’s like childbirth?!? I usually forget all the pain and end up with wonderful memories once time passes)!! ðĪŠðģððð
The morning after we arrived home, we went straight to the ER and were met with some very kind, attentive English-speaking people who helped us figure out the next steps! The PA, who was helping us, kept apologizing for keeping us waiting so long, and we just kept saying, “Oh, no worries! We’ve been in the Italian hospital system for 4 days and this is wonderful, so don’t worry about us!!”
We were just giddy with delight that there was a Starbucks in the hospital, everyone spoke English, and we were being attended to (and informed!!) in a timely manner! He called around and really went the extra mile and found me a surgeon who will take my insurance AND was willing to do “a plate and pins” type of surgery! However, once we saw the surgeon (a week later), it was decided that I’ll actually need a shoulder replacement due to the severity of the break (jagged and angled rather than clean and straight across)!
Sooo… after waiting another week after the consultation, it looks like I will be having a reverse shoulder replacement in a couple days (which is probably what I would’ve had two weeks ago in Italy)!! But, it has TOTALLY been worth the wait since I have been at home and lovingly cared for versus stuck in a hospital with limited/difficult-to-navigate medical care and language challenges!
Although I’ve never been happier to be home, I’m of course disappointed that all of my plans for the next four months had to be cancelled! I’m sure there will be a reason or meaning to come from this experience (as it usually does)! But until that awareness comes through, I’ll just be holding a vision for safe surgery, and rapid healing (and I ask that you hold that vision with and for me if you don’t mind)!! ððĪð❤️ðĐđ
Thanks so much to everyone who has been so supportive, and for all of those who have reached out to check in on me, and who have been thinking good thoughts and praying for me! I’m hoping these last “steps in the Journey” (surgery and rehab) will go quickly and uneventfully so I’m healed up again soon!! I’ll try to keep you posted!! ððĪððĪ
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