Support Recovery After Traumatic Injury

Hi everyone, you might only know me on Instagram because of my photography, or perhaps we've shot together before, or you're a friend. Thank you for clicking and coming to see my story. I'm usually very private and independent about anything I go through, but I recently suffered a traumatic injury that has set me back more than ever. This situation has caused me so much suffering, mental anguish, and anxiety that I cannot be quiet about it as it is really affecting my daily life, simple tasks, financial security, living situation, and to simply put it, my life. Asking for help or showing my struggles is very uncomfortable for me, so please understand how hard this is for me.

On Friday, March 21st, it was my second day on a full-time job I had gotten since my photography business was going a little slow. After a successful day on the job, I was excited to start a new routine and incorporate the gym into my schedule. Those who know me know I love being active. I immediately went to the sauna, my quiet and happy place usually, but it turned into my biggest nightmare.

I had been sitting in the sauna for about 20 minutes and was ready to depart, and as I stood up, a wooden plank from the bench under my left foot broke and my entire calf up to my knee was "bear-trapped" in the space. To make matters worse, my other leg caused me to fall over onto my right hip, onto the hot sauna floor, left leg still stuck in the lower bench. It was definitely giving "Twister"; I had to try to manage to keep my upper body straight so that my leg in the wood didn't completely pierce into the wood.

Having a prior injury to the same knee caught in the wood, I was immediately panicking but luckily, I was not alone. A fellow gym-goer sprang to action and after trying for about half an hour, my leg was pulled from the wood. Dehydrated, swollen, bleeding, and bruised, I sat on the sauna floor (no emergency off switch!) while the girl went to alert the gym staff of the situation. I began to cry from the pain; it was starting to really get to me, and the severity of the trauma was becoming apparent.

Not only was I in pain, but after being put through such a mentally and physically stressful time, I had to be chastised by one of the staff members telling me to "relax" and that I'm being "irate" when I was desperately screaming for help as they weren't coming with any sense of urgency whatsoever. I was still on the sauna floor wounded; they started asking questions before even asking me if I was okay or needed help getting up. The girl was the only one who offered me any help.

I was taken in an ambulance from the gym, no police report made, and dumped at an ER where I waited at least an hour in excruciating pain, unable to walk or put pressure on my leg. I was taken for an x-ray and once it was confirmed I had no broken bones, I was escorted outside in a hospital wheelchair, with a pair of crutches and left to my own devices to get home.

As for the job I had only worked 2 days for, as soon as I told them about the accident they discharged me from the position which was another blow to my mental climate.

Fast forward 10 days since this incident - I am still unable to walk, drive, bend my leg, or perform daily activities. Some parts of my leg are completely numb to the touch, but with any movement can feel like stabbing knives. I have severe hematomas going around my entire leg and a deep cut from where my leg is terribly bruised and swollen so bad that it feels like my skin might explode. What scares me is that I will need surgery on my knee but not only will I need to recover and require physical therapy but I still live alone, cannot work, and facing having to leave my current living situation because it is not fit for me to be anymore. Making it even more imperative for me to have some funding to keep me afloat in these next few months while my wounds heal and I get my range of motion back.

In the months that I will need to wait for my current swelling to go down, be cleared to have knee surgery, recover, and have physical therapy, I am hoping for some help with bills and necessities that unfortunately don't stop because of a traumatic injury.

Thank you so much to anyone who has taken the time to read and share! Anything helps, I want nothing more than to go back to being fully able to take care of myself and jump back into life.

Sincerely,

Sabrina