Here begins the story of my summer 2015 trip. This post will be dedicated to the first 3 days of travel before I reached Jana in Hannover, Germany. This is Part I. I will update Part II of the 3 days tomorrow.
DAY 1.
Upon reaching DFW airport, I safely, if not somewhat nervously and soaked in anxious sweat, made it through security. I then perused around the airport and comfortably got on the airplane. That is when the leisure ended. Upon the airplane beginning to taxi, I started getting dizzy, feeling like I had to go to the bathroom, and being short of breath. I waited with extremely baited breath for the seat belt light to turn off. When it finally did, I had to squeeze past two large men to reach the aisle, I went to the bathroom, but still felt like passing out, and so told the flight attendant. She realized I was about to pass out and so laid me down on the floor and called over the intercom to see if there was a doctor on the plane. Hooray! There was. A doctor and a nurse shortly arrived (both who worked in different parts of the country) and took care of me. I spent the 3 hour flight from Dallas to Boston on the floor of the flight attendant galley with an oxygen mask on and my vital signs constantly being checked. 20 minutes before landing they moved me to the front of the plane with the doctor (after rearranging some passengers) and he held my hand and talked to me the entire way. He told me he has 14 kids (10 of which are adopted from both domestic and abroad) so I felt very safe with him. The nurse was a young lady who had only been working for 3 years but who had such amazing bedside manner that I felt instantly better when she looked me in the eyes. She also assisted me in the bathroom during the flight. Upon landing, the captain made the call that everyone had to stay seated until the paramedics had taken me from the plane (talk about awkward). I was removed, the doctor and nurse stayed with me and told the paramedics everything, and then I was charted off the Mass General hospital in Boston. They checked me in, put me in a wheel chair, took my vitals, and drugged me. The first drugs didn't slow down my heart enough, so they gave me a dose of something else. That is the last thing I remember from that day.
DAY 2.
I dont remember much... I woke up on a couch like bench in a lobby with many other people sleeping on similar benches around me. I woke up because a security guard told me he had to unlock the door soon to start letting people in again since it was morning. My bags were all laying next to where I was sleeping, and they had put my discharge papers in my bag. I dont remember much. I spoke to my mom and dad on the phone and they assure me I was drugged out of my mind. I had to get a note from the hospital to tell the airport I was good to fly again. Somehow I made it back to the airport with all of my stuff.... I vaguely remember a cab. (I think). I got to the airport (somehow) and remember trying to frantically (at a drugged pace) trying to figure out how to reschedule my flight. I had tried the night before at the hospital while waiting (pre-drug) but without luck. American Airlines was then complete jerks and refused to help and kept sending me to British Airways to change the ticket (it was a combined flight). Finally, British Airways helped me. After that was settled, I tried to find somewhere to sleep, but the damn benches at the airport all had rails between them so that you could not lay down. I then proceeded to take my stuff to lay in the corner on the floor. I fell asleep for who knows how long. (this was all out in the main area because it was morning and I could not check in for my next flight until 4:10 pm. I vaguely remember some other stuff... but it is too faint to know if I was hallucinating or not. At this point I had also realized I had tape and cotton ball where they had stuck an IV in me (that I can't remember) and lots of little reading pads all over my upper body from ... I guess checking my vitals while I was asleep. I have a large bruise in the joint of my elbow that makes me look like I was shooting up.
Picture it:
small dirty and stinky girl wrapped around her luggage at the airport looking drugged with a needle bruise in her elbow joint. I didn't realize it then, but I am sure I looked a sight.
Some old people arrived at the line I was supposed to be waiting in to check in about an hour early, so I followed their lead and sat down behind where they were standing in line. I was talking to one of the older men, but I am not sure if he understood me well now that I think about it. He was kind enough though to not scoot away from me. It was finally check in time, and when I went to check in they took me to the side because I had been flagged by the airline. I had to talk to the head of airplane psychology whatever to tell her my plan to stay sane on the plane. hah... rhymes. They finally agreed to let me through. Now I would begin my transatlantic flight.
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