At work last Thursday we started setting some bamboo canes (used for marking). They supposed to be new for every new job. Sometimes cheapskate companies (or site supervisors on the fiddle) try and get away with using old ones. Usually you can spot these (they're grubby) but not always. I got an old one on Thursday. In fact I got one that was rotten right through (but didn't look it). As I leaned forward to push it into the ground it shattered. Off balance I fell forward. Right onto the end of the cane, which shattered some more. I was just damn' glad I had safety glasses on.
Bamboo is bloody sharp. It sliced a nice deep (and at an angle) gouge across my chin right up to my lip. And a shorter one (about half the size) parallel to it. It also slashed my cheek and left several large pieces embedded in it. I whipped those out immediately. Unfortunately I couldn't get all the tiny bits out of the main wound. It was bleeding too much. Boy was it bleeding!!
I went into the portakabin and I looked in the mirror and said, "Damn!! That's going to need stitches." I got as much dirt out of it as I could and said to the foreman, "I think I need to sign-out for the day. If I'm quick I can catch the next bus to town."
He said several rude words and informed me in no uncertain terms that I wasn't getting the bus, was I stupid or something, he would drive me. I was glad of that. Ten minutes in the car, thirty-five on the bus to the hospital, and as I'd already soaked through three paper towels... well... you can see the headlines Painter bleeds to death on the number H2 bus. Not good.
So I wound up in A&E again. I was lucky. There were only three other people in the department and none were as injured as I was so the triage nurse scheduled me to be seen first. A nice young man (he looked way too young to be a qualified doctor!!) called me into the cubicle and informed me he was the registrar. He looked at my chin and confirmed my guess - it needed stitches. The cheek wound was small and just needed cleaning but the parallel slices needed work. A quick jab with a needle full of something cold which stung and then he washed the wounds. Once he was sure it was clean he stitched it. Seven stitches in the main wound, two in the shorter one. Then he gave me some cream which he said would help prevent serious scarring. It will scar, there's no hope of it not, but there's a chance I can minimise it. "Keep it clean and dry" he said. How?? I thought.
Friday I couldn't go to work.
I also found that I couldn't eat. Hell, I couldn't even clean my teeth!! The swelling was so bad. By Saturday evening I could (carefully) clean my teeth (thank God!!) but I still couldn't chew. I love tomato soup, really I do, but by Sunday night I was sick of the sight of it.
The swelling has all gone now and this evening I got to eat a real dinner. With potatoes and carrots and spinach and I've never enjoyed a meal more!! (Ok - hyperbole there, I admit, but it was good.)
I get the stitches out on Thursday. I can't wait.
Ze
- Battlestar Galactica/Voyager Crossover
- The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune by ana_khouri (BSG Femslash).
BtVS - Chapter 14 of After The Fall. by Electra (Electra's Elsewhere).
- Slayer Games 3 by Electra (Electra's Elsewhere).
- Chapter 4 of This Is How It Goes by NoSuchAnimal (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 24 of The Callie Chronicles by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 21 of Cross My Heart, Hope to Die by Jinxgirl (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 9 of Crazy's just a Choice by lizardmm (BuffynFaith.Net).
- Chapter 18 of American Girls by Barnabas (BuffynFaith.Net).
Criminal Minds - Part 17 of Somebody's Watching, Somebody's Waiting by liberty_stewart (Women in Kevlar).
- Part 18 (conclusion) of Somebody's Watching, Somebody's Waiting by liberty_stewart (Women in Kevlar).
- Chapters 1 to 3 of Possibilities by bonejacker (Women in Kevlar).
- Smooth Burn by Twisted Darkness (Women in Kevlar).
- Queen Takes Knave by scarimor (Women in Kevlar).
- Teeth by sidewalk_doctor (Women in Kevlar).
- Prologue to Phantasm by Twisted Darkness (Women in Kevlar).
- Chapter 4 of Stupid Girls by 2fish2girls (C M Femslash).
- Until He Comes Back by wild_angel82 (C M Femslash).
- How Henry Jareau Became A High School All Star by LaughSunshine (C M Femslash).
Criminal Minds L&O:SVU Crossover - Part 3 of All for You by acheron02 (Women in Kevlar).
- Part 4 of All for You by acheron02 (Women in Kevlar).
Criminal Minds/X-Men Crossover - Part 14 of City on the River by Alsike (C M Femslash).
- The Charity Auction by Alsike (C M Femslash).
CSI:Miami - Chapter 2D of Decisions by sinjenkai (Women in Kevlar).
DC Comics - The Sad Fate of the Second Ever Huntressquestionmobile by Mona (Batverse Femslash).
(Kim Harrison's) The Hollows - Part 4 of A Good Sharp Kick in the Ass by author18 (ivy-rachel).
- Part 2 of In The Dead Of Night by xMerteuiLx (ivy-rachel).
Legend of the Seeker - Don’t Let Me Lose You by green78 (LotS Femslash).
- Part 2 of Redesign Your Destiny with Love by belamordsith (Ana) (LotS Femslash).
- Losing My Religion (That Was Just a Dream) by foibles_fables (LotS Femslash).
- Am I Bright Enough to Shine in Your Spaces by foibles_fables (LotS Femslash).
- Maybe It's All Gone Black (But You're All I See) by foibles_fables (LotS Femslash).
- We’ll Sleep When We’re (Not) Dead by Merry K (LotS Femslash).
- Part 11 of Primary by seven_3_oh (LotS Femslash).
- Parts 12 & 13 of Primary by seven_3_oh (LotS Femslash).
- Desecration by racethewind10 (LotS Femslash).
- To Serve Others Is To Serve Yourself by seriousfic (LotS Femslash).
Original - Part 5 of Lost And Found by Kim Pritekel (Royal Academy of Bards).
- Chapter 9.23 of Flowers of Edo by Nene Adams (Her website).
- Chapter 1 of Unexpected by Phair (Her website).
Stargate SG-1 - Part 16 of I Am My Beloved's - Ancient Violations by Ten9 (Area 52).
Warehouse 13 - Part 3 of Front by tcbg77 (Women in Kevlar).
Xena Warrior Princess - Weekend by Norsebard (Royal Academy of Bards).
X-Files - Part 7 of Dana’s Malakim by dhamphir (Saffic).
No comments:
Post a Comment