Need thoughts and ideas
So I don't really post much, I'm mainly a lurker, but I've come across a situation where I need some help.
Backstory: My husband has seizures, and they we're onset late in life (meaning no prior history of seizures before May of 2009). Since then, he has had a seizure every few months, probably every 3 months. Well once he got his medicine regulated, we have gone almost a year without a seizure (last one February 2010). Well in the state of Colorado, after 6 months seizure-free, you are able to drive a vehicle. He has also never had a seizure later than 4 am, and he's always had his seizures in his sleep.
Current issue: On Friday, my DH and I were going to go Black Friday shopping and we got up at about 3 o'clock in the morning. Well we got ready, and DH got into the truck, backed out and stopped to let me in (we have a long driveway and I couldn't get in the passenger seat where the truck was previously parked). I got in the car, and he just put the truck in drive and at that time had a seizure. I didn't realize what was happening until I looked up (I was double checking the time on my phone) and realized we we're heading for another car. I looked over and he was seizing. At that time, I reached over and pulled the wheel so we wouldn't hit this little car (it would have been totaled) and tried my best to put the car in neutral or park, whatever I could get to first. Needless to say, I didn't get to it in time, and we ended up hitting another truck. Police we're called and we we're taken to the hospital. We are both ok, but due to this seizure, my husband cannot drive. What would you all recommend I do when I go into labor? The in-laws are currently living in Wyoming, grandma and grandpa in law are located an hour away, my sister isn't capable of driving due to medical issues and lack of car, and my mother works as a nurse in the hospital so she is constantly on call, and I don't know that she will be available to take me when needed. I'm due January 16th, and my hospital is located about 30 minutes away. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Re: Need thoughts and ideas
Do you have any really good friends who you could ask to be your ride, with them knowing that you could be calling them in the middle of the night?
If not and if the Grandparents-in-law are retired could you host them for a few days/weeks around your due date?
I suppose worst case scenario you could always hope that you go into labor when your mom is not working, and if she is you could take a taxi to the hospital. I would imagine 30 miles would be a little pricey, but it's far cheaper than the ticket that DH would get if he was caught driving again and it's not like it would be a reoccurring expense.
This is a tricky situation to be in. If you have a close friend that would be willing to be on call that would probably be your best bet. However with the in laws only an hour away I bet you'll have time for them to get down to you and take you to the hospital before your labor progesses very far. I went into labor with DS at midnight. I didn't call the Dr. until 3:30am and didn't leave for the hospital until 4:30. We stopped and picked up my mother on the way. So if you call your in laws right when you think you're in labor they will likely have enough time to get down there. Good luck and try not to stress too much about it.
First, you must have someone that lives near you who could drive you to the hospital. I definitely have people that are closer who I'd call first, but there are also people who I know and I'm not super close with who live very close by and if it gets to the point that I need to go immediately I'd call them. I really can't imagine someone saying no to taking you to the hospital when you're in labor.
Second, you can call an ambulance to take you. By law (at least in NY state) if you call, the ambulance must transport you. In my area, they bring you to the closest hospital (or at least a close hospital). Call your local ambulance and ask them about it/explain the situation.
Third, call the police department and ask for their thoughts. I bet that you could arrange with them to have a cop bring you to the hospital. It's not like this is something you're going to do regularly or that you're taking advantage of the system. This is a legitimate safety issue and I imagine that the police can help you in some way.
I'm sorry to hear about your husband's relapse. Does it always happen early in the morning if he was sleeping before or has it happened when he's been awake all night? I can't imagine how scary this is for you and for him and I hope he gets the treatment he needs.
Finally, and I don't meant to be snarky and usually don't do this, but I just wanted to point something out because it made your post really challenging to read:
we're = we are
were = plural past tense of 'to be'
You suggested talking to your OB about staying at the hospital when in early labor- I would try that, too. See if there are hotels in the area that you could stay at if you get turned away or they won't let you stay (for lack of bed space, what-have-you) at the hospital. Both hospitals in my area have a handful of hotels within a 5-minute drive.
I've had co-workers who've driven themselves 30 minutes to the hospital in active labor (which probably really sucked) because their spouse couldn't get off work (on the flight line) at the moment. If your labor isn't extremely painful, you can drive yourself- but I would only suggest that if you're already at a hotel close by.
I totally understand planning it out - but try not to stress over it and overthink it. I'd call the firehouse and see if they'd take you to the farther hospital. DH is an EMT and they mainly transport to one hospital that's very close, but they will also transport to a couple of the other hospitals that are not super far. That's why I think it might be worthwhile to call the firehouse AND the police now and explain the situation and see if they can assist you. The main issue is that if the ambulance transports far they can't take another call for a longer period of time. Depending on how many ambulances and EMTs/medics they have, your firehouse might still be able to do it. I can't see a reason why the police would NOT do it. It's an issue of safety and it's an emergency. I think 1 or 2 phone calls will just put your mind at ease completely. GL!