"Turned my nightmare into a very positive..."

Two weeks ago yesterday, I tried to take out my neighbour's garden waste bin but it was too heavy & as I tried to tilt it on to it's wheels, it fell, knocking me backwards onto the concrete drive. I was taken by ambulance to A & E where I was examined by a lovely doctor who arranged an immediate X-Ray as a precaution. I was shocked to learn that I had broken my back & devasted to realise that I would have to stay in hospital; my worst nightmare! Within an hour, I was taken to ward G4, bay 3 & told that as I had an unstable fracture, I had to lie completely flat until they could do an MRI scan. I thought that I would find that really difficult but the nurses & other staff made sure that I was comfortable, fed & watered. I was always treated with dignity & respect A doctor came to see me straight away & explained what was happening. Throughout my nine day stay, at least one doctor came to see me in the morning & sometimes again, later on in the day, always keeping me informed. This really exceeded my expectations. For seven of the nine days, I had to have complete bed rest which could have been extremely frustrating, but the nurses & health care workers could not do enough for me. Everyone was so cheerful, which really helped me to stay positive. I was measured for a TLSO (a back brace) which was fitted within 24 hours. This has enabled me to almost carry on as normal. What started as a nightmare, turned into a pleasant experience & whilst it was good to be going home, I was sad to leave & knew I'd miss everyone. I cannot praise the staff highly enough & would like to thank everyone involved in my care.