"911, What is your emergency?"  These are the first words that I heard as I
called on my cell phone.
 
Wednesday, October 20, in Rigby, Idaho.  I was not feeling well so I made
an appointment at a local clinic to be checked.  It was determined that I
had a bad ear infection.  I was given a prescription for some antibiotics
and sent on my way.  I filled the prescription and started taking the
medicine immediately, thinking that I should be feeling better in a couple
of days.
 
Sunday morning, October 24, in Akron, Ohio.  I woke to discover that I had
a buzzing in my left ear and could not hear very well out of it.  After a
short while I started feeling a little better and decided that I was well
enough to drive.
 
Sunday afternoon, October 24, outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the
Turnpike.  I was driving along when suddenly I started getting really
dizzy.  I immediately pulled over onto the shoulder of the road and
stopped.  I closed my eyes and tried to make the spinning stop.  When I
finally opened my eyes, things had stopped spinning and I felt a little
better.  But when I turned to look out the side window, everything started
spinning again.  Then suddenly the nausea hit me.  I rolled down the
passengers' window and, well I am sure that you can guess what happened
then.  After three long bouts of "being sick" I started to move back into
the driver seat.  When I started moving, my head felt like it was going to
explode.  It was then that I realized that I was going to need help.  I
picked up my cell phone and called 911.
 
Within five minutes, help arrived as two state police units and an
ambulance.  As they arrived and started helping me onto the gurney, I told
the state police officer that I had four ferrets in the truck.  I told him
that they are very friendly and do not bite (as those who have met them can
attest to).  I also told him where, in the truck, he could locate the
certificates proving that they were up-to-date on their rabies shots.  He
said that they would probably just leave the vehicle here on the side of
the road for now and if I was not released from the hospital tonight, then
I would need to arrange to have it towed.  As they were preparing me to be
placed into the ambulance, I was trying to figure out how I was going to
get someone to take care of my kids.  That is when I remember that I had
Gina Hart's phone number on my laptop!  She had given it to me a long time
ago, just incase I ever needed anything while in the Pittsburgh area.  I
turned to one of the paramedics and told him that I MUST have my laptop
with me.  He climbed back into the truck and retrieved it.
 
Upon arriving at the hospital, I was taken into the emergency room.  At
this time I was very groggy and having a difficult time answering their
questions.  There were people poking me with needles and hooking me up to
monitors and all kinds of stuff.  After they finally finished determining
that I wasn't in danger of dying immediately, things started to slow.  I
asked for my laptop and a phone.  I pulled up Gina's number on my computer
and called her at home.  After telling her of my situation, she said that
she would have someone at the hospital shortly.  Within 15 minutes, Lynn
Zummo came walking into the emergency room!  At first I thought I was
dreaming!  How could someone possibly be here already?  Nevertheless, there
she was.  I gave her the key to and the location of my truck and off she
went to get my ferrets.  She said that she would gladly take care of them
for as long as I needed.
 
Finally after 1400 ccs of fluid, x-rays, blood tests, and much poking and
prodding of my body, it was determined that both ears were infected.  The
inner-ear, on both sides, had filled with fluid and that is what had caused
me to become very dizzy.  Unfortunately, the antibiotic that the doctor in
Idaho had put me on, had not affected my ear infection.  They gave me an
injection of a medicine that helped stop the dizziness.  After another hour
or so, they gave me a prescription for a new antibiotic and another for
dizziness.  They told me to find a place to park and sleep for the next day
or so.  With that admonition, they released me.
 
I called up Lynn Zummo and told her that they had released me and she came
back over to the hospital with my kids. :-)  She gave me a ride back to my
truck and then gave me great directions to a 24-hour pharmacy that was
located at the next exit.  There is another thing that I must mention about
Lynn.  I found out that she had previously invited guests over for dinner.
She had postponed dinner for an hour or so, so she could help a trucker and
his ferrets!
 
So from a trucker and his ferrets, or maybe I should say, from the ferrets
and their trucker "THANK YOU!"  My heartfelt thanks goes out to Gina Hart,
Lynn Zummo, and their wonderful ferret club "The Three River Ferret Club".
You are all awesome!
 
Jason Poole and my kids (Doris, Buddy, George, and Billy)
E-Mail address:  [log in to unmask]
Home Page:  http://home.earthlink.net/~sammysrefuge
[Posted in FML issue 2846]