No, I haven't
dropped off the face of the Earth. Thank you to all those
people who noticed.
The full story:
Tuesday night. Gym. I am planning a cardio night - punish myself for 2 hours of constant elevated heartrate workout. Twenty minutes of bike later, I decide to help my gym partner, John, do a set of inverted leg presses. I wanted to maybe squeeze one set in myself, since I was nice and limber after the bike.
I grab the plate weight- 20kg, off the holding peg. I am talking to John, all casual. I notice the weight is moving...
Slipping
FALLING
HITTING MY FOOT
I knew I was in trouble - the weight
bounced off my foot and clattered to the ground. It didn't hurt. Seriously, it didn't hurt. I look down at my foot (left). On my
trainer I see three spots of
blood. I am definitely in trouble. I immediately grabbed my
ankle to staunch the flow of blood. HA! No blood, but I can feel there are problems.
John notices. He says "Oh shit - man, are you ok? I mean, I know you aren't, what do you want me to do?" I know that I am soon going to go in to shock. I say "Get the gym staff - I am going to sit down." I hobble over to the one chair and table in the gym itself and sit down.
Shock is setting in - I am occasionally dizzy. I know that it is now or never to get my shoe off - I very gingerly unlace my trainer laces, quite hard with both your feet raised on a desk. Next came the hardest thing - taking off my shoes without jarring my toes. I got them off ok.
Under my shoes are some (thankfully) clean black socks. I know they have to be taken off. Or else the blood will soak in to them and they will NEVER come off. I oh-so-gently and slowly peel them back and see the real damage to my foot.
DISGUSTING WARNING
My toenail had popped off my toe - it was hanging on by the right hand side like a hinge. The flesh underneath was already deep red with blood, and luckily clotting nicely. It isn't a pretty sight.
END DISGUSTING WARNING
By this time, the gym guy on duty has arrived and says "What happened?" I say "I have had a bad acciddent - I am going to go in and out of shock, so keep me talking." John has gotten an ice pack and the guy, Andrew is his name, starts to hold it to the bottom of my foot. Thank god - the only thing to stop me from fainting. Meanwhile, John sees a squat bar machine RIGHT NEXT TO where I am sitting - it has height pegs to set where you rest the bar. There is a guy wandering around, a big beefy guy. He wanders over to the machine, not worrying about me and pushes past me to use the machine! John, incredulous, asks the guy "Hey mate, can we use the machine - my friend here just hurt himself pretty bad and needs to elevate his feet." The guy replued "Nah I got another few sets to do." And then proceeds to continue his sets!!!!! OMFG!
Anyway, to cut a long story short, the remainder of the gym staff arrive,a and keep me talking - thank god. They get me a drink - Powerade or some sports drink - the cool thing is:
- My toe was throbbing, really warm, but IT DIDN'T HURT
- I knew I was in shock. I know the stages I will be going through before they happen.I made sure to take steps to counter them.
Anyway, to keep me
conscious they get me to fill out an
accident report form, ask me who to contact, all the usual stuff.
Finally, they wheel me out on the chair to John's Volvo 740 (Turbo) Station Wagon - I drove one, once, myself, god I love those - and I drive the 320m to the Prince of Wales hospital.
Triage nurse grabbed me a wheelchair and saw me straight away - since I was not in huge amounts of pain, I was classified a "non-urgent emergency".
Fast forward: I ring people. Mum. Dad. Kirian.
Kirian turns up straight from work. Spent some time with me, kept me happy, gave me a newspaper and some Kettle Chips. X rays are taken - 3 big shots of my foot, god, it'll do wonders for my cancer potential!
Finally I get called. Of course by now I am a master of control of the wheelchair, but enjoy being wheeled around. Doctor Snow saw me. Nice guy, softly spoken. Thirty-ish. Shows me the x-rays - nothing broken thank god. I kinda knew that - I could wiggle my toe (before almost fainting from pain on the nail) and not feel joint or bone pain. So I am to have my toenail removed - 2 local anaesthetics and a 2 minute operation.
I HATE NEEDLES.
I had a wedge resection a few years ago (kind of a fix for an ingrown toenail). The moron of a local GP jammed the anaesthatist needle in to my BONE of my toe - the grinding sound I will never, ever forget.
So I tell Doctor Snow, he says "No worry, we'll get you nitrous." Oh yeah. Thank you god. I love nitrous. And not necessarilry for medicinal purposes only.
Doctor Snow also says "Do you mind if we have medical students watching?" No problem, the more the merrier! Two came in - I KNEW SOME OF THEM BY REPUTATION - nice people. So I get nitroused-up (oh yeah) and its done. Wrapped up tenderly, some Panadeine Forte (pseudo ephedrine based pain killers - oh yeah again!) is issued to me, and I limp out to meet Kirian and John.
I spent the next few days at my parents house. Free food. Clean beds. Mother doting over me when she isn't at work. Foot is really sore. I finally go to my flat in Maroubra, take another day off work - they really didn't mind - and watch the wound slowly heal.
The scab has finally hardened. The first and most crucial stage is over - skin is now growing underneath. It took me until the next Wednesday to dry though - that was the first day I could stand up for more than a few minutes at a time.
Thank you:- John - You were a star. You got me through it and proved yourself a better friend than I thought possible
- Kirian - you were a beacon of support and encouragement through this REALLY embarrasing moment
- Mum (and Dad) - Thanks for putting up with me
- The guys and gals at the gym - Without your quick, level-headed actions, it could have been much worse
Sorry about the really long
daylog - it is the last
mammoth one for a while (I hope) - but it is a good few weeks worth!