- Antarctic (192)
- Articles About RYM (13)
- Delivery stories (32)
- Life stories (71)
- Moutaineering – Aconcaqua, Island Peak (40)
- Personal Travel (106)
- Projects (26)
- Race Reports (150)
- Safety at Sea (19)
- South Georgia (314)
- Tips and tricks (51)
- September 2016
- February 2016
- September 2015
- February 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- March 2006
- June 2005
- May 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- June 2004
- September 2003
- August 2003
- June 2003
- October 2002
- March 2002
- February 2002
- September 2001
- August 2001
- April 2001
- August 2000
- July 2000
- November 1998
- July 1998
- June 1998
- August 1996
- 0
Amateur hour!
There is a good story to go with my black eye! It will make you laugh I am sure.
So I was putting up a shed over at my old place with my worker Francisco. The base was propped against the fence as he levelled the ground for the shed. Well it ended up on his head and caused a very large laceration that was deep. If you are squimmish stop reading here!!
So as with all head injuries there was a lot of blood. I got some rags and had him hold it on his head and sit down until the bleeding had stopped. Then I called my friend the paramedic who wasn’t answering. There was no way Francisco was going to the hospital… being without paperwork. If it was me I would have been there in a NY minute. So as I waited for my friend to call back I finished the shed and kept an eye on Francisco checking for concussion etc. I took him to my house and pulled out the medical kit for on the boat which includes a suture kit which I am not qualified to use but it also has all the materials to clean the wound.
I was doing a good job washed his head under the shower, hair by hair had to be remove from the wound and then used an iodine swab to clean it really well. At this point there was no blood I was just trying really hard not to hurt him. Francisco was being very brave. I am poking at his head with surgical gloves and a pair of tweezers. All of a sudden I didn’t feel good so I stopped poking his head and lent against the sink for a few seconds. Well after that it is a blank!!
I woke up to Francisco yelling my name and shaking me and pain on the right side of my face. Well I was out apparently for only 30 seconds or so. I had passed out and hit my head on the wall on the way down. Poor Francisco was beside himself and very scared. So I got up and took a breather on the couch and went back to working on his head as I had to close the wound.
I ended up using dermabond it seems to have worked really well. After 30 seconds of holding the edges of the 3 inch laceration together it seemed to have kicked off. Poor Francisco is definantly going to have a big scar as I didn’t do that great of a job of knitting the two sides together. I took him home with some Advil and have been checking it out for the last few days. Speaking no spanish and him very limited English meant I had to resort to an online translation tool to ask him about pain etc. There were many moments where he stared blankly at me not understanding what I was trying to say it probably didn’t help with him huge headache!You can only imagine the story he had to tell about the crazy gringo women he works for when he got home! At least my black eye will heal and there won’t be a scar. So now I am on a mission to get over my new weakness and learn how to use sutures as that is really what needed to happen. I think this however, will take a lifetime as I can’t even recieve injections never mind give them.
One Response to “Amateur hour!”
-
Surely sutres are the same as repairing a sail, no? I’m pretty sure the last doctor who stitched me back together was using light UV bonded thread and a sailmakers palm!