While on a vacation in Idaho I had a bad fall, in the dark, while walking very fast to the biffy in a campground. I hit the gravel covered cement soo fast and hard that I had no time to react and barely managed to catch my fall with my hands and left knee. I lost a lot of skin and was tended to by a vacationing ER doctor almost immediately. He cleaned up my deep abrasions and highly recommended I get a tetanus shot and seek medical attention in the morning.
So off we go to the medical clinic. They compliment me on the fantastic job that the ER doctor did cleaning out my deep wounds. - (He did it all by flashlight as I was screaming and squirming in pain while he was tearing off the remaining chunks of dangling skin) I lost all the skin on my right wrist at the base of the thumb/palm, too wide to apply stitches. I was holding an object in my right hand when I fell so I also had deep cuts and missing skin on my outside finger knuckles. My left hand was almost as bad. My knee was swollen and I now have a bagel sized deep purple/brown bruise.
It seemed odd that no one offered x-rays, but I was relived that it wasn't worse. When I fell there was a cement bench within arms reach. I came very close to "chinning it" possibly resulting in some serious facial destruction and possible brain injury. I was extremely fortunate- but was in some serious pain. No one prescribed any pain meds.
Nine days after the fall I was still oozing from my abrasions and cleansing and changing my "suicide" bandages and still having to wear them in public as we were still on vacation. Even my husband mentioned that the looks I was getting from the general public was... well... disturbing!!
Once we arrived home from the States, I woke up to a very swollen right hand and could no longer feel my finger tips. In a bit of a panic I decided it was time to seek a second opinion - free of charge! So off I go to yet another medical consult!! I swear I've seen more doctors in the last year and a half than my whole entire life combined!!! At this point I'm starting to develop a complex that I've become some weird hypochondriac!
They x-ray'd my right hand and I have not broken any bones but I do have a very serious sprain. I've torn ligaments, developed a wicked case of tendonitis and damaged my carpal tunnel. I am prescribed anti inflammatory meds and immediately sent to a physiotherapist for a consult. The outcome - six weeks to heal with dedicated physio treatments. I am informed, and had to sign a contract, that I fully understand that if I do not adhere to the physio treatments prescribed to me that I will endure permanent "loss of use" to my right hand. -I had to sign the damned thing with a right hand that was "not in use"!!
I am temporarily unable to work, still unable to properly hold a fork but I am quite grateful that I can, finally, wipe my own ass... with my left hand!!! Just call me lefty - just don't ever glare at me and automatically consider me suicidal!!
Because it's NOT what you think - HONEST!!
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