(no subject)

[openidwouldwork]

The short version: ankle=ow

The longer version:



the main event: I tore some tendons and ligaments in my right ankle. OW.


Which really sucks, because it means I can't drive now. And my mother has a full time job taking care of my disabled father and my bedfast grandmother, and I can't help any more.

Anyway, what happened was this:

We were diving at a rather remote mountain lake in Austria, first dive great, incredible visibility, and hiked to our secnd divesite. It had been raining, but hey, we get wet anyway, so that didn't bother us. What did bother me was that I slipped on the way down to the divesite and put not only my own weight, but also the weight of the equipment onto my right ankle, which did not take that abuse kindly and gave in. Which left me sitting on my butt, in my wetsuit, next to a remote mountain lake, with no way of getting up, because ouch.

So, my divebuddy (never dive alone) ran off to get help, and I sat waiting in the rain, in the falling darkness. Fun. Not.

Sometime later people start showing up. First a policeman, all ready to investigate a diving accident (who was a bit disappointed that I hadn't made it into the water), then a emergency physician who pried the booty off my foot (ouch) and was surprised that I wasn't howling in pain as she did it, and finally an ambulance crew.

In the end the four of them carried me uphill in a kind of sedan chair that got slotted into the back of the ambulance. Me still in my wetsuit, dripping all over the ambulance.

At the hospital it took ages to get an x-ray done, of course, but there were another 2 people with damaged feet or legs, and we had a lot of fun figuring out how to turn our sedan chairs into dentist chairs (unfolding into a stretcher), and having races by pushing backwards with the undamaged limb. hehe.

Well, for the x-ray (ow) the wetsuit had to come off, which left me sitting in the ER waitng room in my swimsuit (I was rather glad I had worn one that day).

The x-ray showed no broken bones, and an exam found tendon/ligament damage. So, as they could not immediatly put a cast on, and I refused to be operated (I don't trust my human medicine colunterparts any more after they wrecked my right wrist), I got shooed out with some diclofenac and a bit of cooling gel. ouch *gingerly limps out of hospital*

By this time (some 3 hours later) by divebuddy had collected our equipment and drove my car to the hospital (and I would need another post to tell you about the drama of her driving my car, my poor poor car. there are reasons why I volunteered to drive on this trip...) and brought some clothes for me.

No more diving for me. No more driving for me. And I'll get an nice bill later (credit cards are wonderful things)

We did stay in Austria the last few days, and my buddy went diving with other people while I went swimming in the mountain lakes. They did tell me to cool the ankle in the hospital, I'm sure they meant swimming in icy mounatain lakes, right? It's a good way of cooling limbs!

Comments

[rosinarowantree.livejournal.com]

I am wincing in sympathetic agony - you'll have to keep us updated on swellings and bruises.

And what a terrible disappointment. Icy mountain lakes are more fun beneath the surface than just floating around on top. Still, it's all - WASSAH!

*HUGS* and brings a footrest, and a knobbly topped walking stick.

[openidwouldwork.livejournal.com]

Wassah! *hugs* ah, it could have been much worse, the policeman told me they had to cut the last diver they found at that lake out of his wetsuit... much worse.