Accidents will happen!*!*!
Can't believe I can be so stupid. Here I am typing with my left hand, with my right arm in a cast from elbow to fingers. When I arrived at A&E a couple of days ago, the receptionist took my details, then asked how I'd acquired the injury. I told her I was entertaining my grand-daughters with a Stage 2 circus toy, meant to train you up for riding a unicycle, which was duly met with fits of laughter and 'That'll teach you'.
I've always been fairly confident on the Stage 1 version of the toy, which has four wheels, but I'd never been any good on the next one, which has two wheels and is higher off the ground. I'll never know why on this particular day I thought I'd be any better. Isabella was holding my hand and I did manage to do about one and a half rotations before coming a complete cropper when the blasted thing shot forward shooting my legs up in the air with my derriere ignominiously crashing down with a thump on the stone flags.
I was too shocked at first to know what hurt most, but the realisation quickly hit me that it was my hips and my wrist. I hadn't heard any cracks and wanted to assume nothing was broken, as I was incredibly annoyed with myself for letting it happen. I limped indoors and sat down with a cup of Earl Grey that Philip put in front of me, then after further checks established that my hips were just bruised but my wrist was swollen, out of shape and very painful.
Isabella and Ava were very kind and thoughtful as we waited for Nicky to come and collect them. I was trying to reassure them and not to alarm them, but it was impossible for them not to see the pain I was in and I suspect it was almost as big a trauma for them as it was for me.
So half an hour later I was sitting in A&E with Philip. Thankfully, we only had to wait for 90 mins, then I was called in by a friendly doctor, who took one look at the wrist and told me things were not looking good. I was duly sent off for x-rays and after he'd looked at these he pronounced me lucky, that with a little aggressive pulling and a cast I should eventually be restored to full working order.
Now I'm a little naive in these matters, got confused about the order of things and didn't actually take on board that he was going to manipulate my wrist there and then. It was only when he started getting the gas and air out that I realised I was not about to be fitted with the cast. After telling me I could always have an injection into the wrist if it was too painful, I was instructed to take deep breaths on the gas and air every time he yanked and twisted my arm. I have to admit, not all, but some of the realignments were excruciating, but I decided I'd better grin and bear it and get it over with as quickly as possible, rather than holding things up with an injection.
The torture only lasted about three minutes, then the nurse slapped on the cast immediately before it could move again and the friendly doctor told me it looked perfectly straight but I'd better have more x-rays just to make sure.
I was dreading seeing this set of x-rays in case I had to go through it all again, but luckily I was told it was fine and after making another appointment, I could leave. PHEW! I couldn't get out of there fast enough, although I thought the NHS did me proud. The doctor knew exactly what was wrong, how to treat it and did it efficiently and with as little discomfort as was possible with such an injury. He certainly seemed quite pleased with himself too.
So I have ten days in the full cast, then another month in a half cast. There are parts of me that ache that I didn't know existed before, but on a grand scale I got off fairly lightly. It would have been far worse if I'd damaged my back or my head, so it's a relief it's just a few weeks of inconvenience with only one hand.
Bit by bit it's dawning on me that there's not a lot you can do with only one hand. Can't knit, play guitar, write (as it's my right hand), take pictures, cook, garden, floss your teeth, fasten your bra or wash your hair. I'm having to embrace latter-day-bra-burning grunge - I can definitely feel an imminent visit to the hairdresser coming on. One good thing is that my left-handed typing is improving by the minute, although it's completely stymied my plans to make some instructional videos before Great Little Gifts to Knit is published in September.
Still exasperated with myself for being so stupid - in future I'll have to try and act my age and abandon any plans of being a circus star!
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| Stage 1 trainer |
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| The dreaded Stage 2 - not to be recommended ! |
Isabella and Ava were very kind and thoughtful as we waited for Nicky to come and collect them. I was trying to reassure them and not to alarm them, but it was impossible for them not to see the pain I was in and I suspect it was almost as big a trauma for them as it was for me.
So half an hour later I was sitting in A&E with Philip. Thankfully, we only had to wait for 90 mins, then I was called in by a friendly doctor, who took one look at the wrist and told me things were not looking good. I was duly sent off for x-rays and after he'd looked at these he pronounced me lucky, that with a little aggressive pulling and a cast I should eventually be restored to full working order.
Now I'm a little naive in these matters, got confused about the order of things and didn't actually take on board that he was going to manipulate my wrist there and then. It was only when he started getting the gas and air out that I realised I was not about to be fitted with the cast. After telling me I could always have an injection into the wrist if it was too painful, I was instructed to take deep breaths on the gas and air every time he yanked and twisted my arm. I have to admit, not all, but some of the realignments were excruciating, but I decided I'd better grin and bear it and get it over with as quickly as possible, rather than holding things up with an injection.
I was dreading seeing this set of x-rays in case I had to go through it all again, but luckily I was told it was fine and after making another appointment, I could leave. PHEW! I couldn't get out of there fast enough, although I thought the NHS did me proud. The doctor knew exactly what was wrong, how to treat it and did it efficiently and with as little discomfort as was possible with such an injury. He certainly seemed quite pleased with himself too.
So I have ten days in the full cast, then another month in a half cast. There are parts of me that ache that I didn't know existed before, but on a grand scale I got off fairly lightly. It would have been far worse if I'd damaged my back or my head, so it's a relief it's just a few weeks of inconvenience with only one hand.
Bit by bit it's dawning on me that there's not a lot you can do with only one hand. Can't knit, play guitar, write (as it's my right hand), take pictures, cook, garden, floss your teeth, fasten your bra or wash your hair. I'm having to embrace latter-day-bra-burning grunge - I can definitely feel an imminent visit to the hairdresser coming on. One good thing is that my left-handed typing is improving by the minute, although it's completely stymied my plans to make some instructional videos before Great Little Gifts to Knit is published in September.
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I am sorry to hear that you will not be a circus star, but then you always had a talent for designing hand knits so I suggest you return to it when you are able to! In the future I would leave unicycles and training ones to your grand-daughters. It does sound awful, and I do hope you recover quickly! all the best, Linda.
ReplyDeleteOh no, how horrible you have taken such a disastrous fall. Yes, it could have been worse, far worse ! However, I am not even able to grasp the amount of time you must dedicate to healing, so I give you my biggest heart-felt sympathy for having to endure *not* knitting, and *not* playing guitar. However, you may put down more vocal tracks, surely !
ReplyDeleteI see your new book about to be released ! WooHoo !