While on my medblog rounds this morning seeing what's new and what all is happening in medicine, I came across This Post by one of my favorites, Gruntdoc.
In case you are wondering, Gruntdoc is third in my daily trips around the medical blogosphere. Preceded by my first and second stops: PoliteDissent and theunderweardrawer. Links can be found in my list of wonderful blogs over there--->
I digress
The post reminded me of when I first moved here to good ol' SC. I was hanging out at a friend's house and I had brought my skateboard, but no helmet. How stupid of me. We all went out to a good hill that was near their house, and we were looking forward to going down it as fast as we could. There were two rollerbladers, one biker, and me on my skateboard. Everyone else had knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets. They even warned me ahead of time that the hill was very steep and I might not make it down in one piece.
I didn't listen. I was invincible. I couldn't be vinced.
So, I start out at the top, and it's all good, I'm not dead yet, hahaha... but then. . . wait, why am I passing the people who went down the hill first? How fast is this? (about 30mph) Why is my board wobbling under my feet? This is scary, I'm gonna crash. It'll come any minute- and then the board finally shoots off toward the side of the road, and I keep going down the hill, initiating my new recreational pasttime-- face sliding. I fell headfirst into the pavement, and had a huge scrape on my head, elbows, and knees. None were left unscathed. I suffered a slight concussion, and luckily, nothing hurt until the morning after.
I remember everything. I sat up after falling and I remember that my head kind of hurt. My friends came rushing over to me, and asked if I was okay. I asked first for my glasses, which I still have in a drawer in my room. They have a huge scrape on the top of the left lens and metal frame. I wore them for a few years more until I finally needed new ones.
Second, I asked for my skateboard. I didn't know what else to do. I don't think I was trying to be tough or anything, it's just that I honestly didn't know what else to say. I remeber standing up and not knowing where I was for a second after I stood, but then remembering, and telling my friends that I was fine. They questioned me the whole walk home asking if I was fine, and asking if I was sure I didn't want to ride the bike. Blood dripping down my face, I replied that I was fine and don't worry because I really am fine.
When we got back to my friend's house, we joked to her friends about how I got in a fight, and tried to keep my friend's mom from freaking out. My friend's brother, who was with us on the hill, was telling his mom that it was okay and trying to keep her calm. I swear to you she almost cried. I sat there while she disinfected and dressed the wounds. For one, the dad used some spray on bandage. Now that stuff hurt! It was the first thing I had felt since the fall and I was kind of glad to feel the sting. After every scrape was gauzed to death by the very concerned mother, I got into my pj's and went to bed early. The very concerned mother gave me an ice-pack for my achey head, which she wrapped up against the scrape on my head with an ace bandage, so getting to sleep was awkward, but once I got to sleep, I didn't wake up once until morning.
The process of taking off the gauze to freshen up the wounds was murder. The gauze had stuck to the wound with a mix of blood and disinfectant, so when I took off the gauze, everything started bleeding again. I decided it was better to keep a wet washcloth on the wound, and to let it get some air. Eventually, it stopped bleeding.
My forehead now, is thankfully, scarfree. I do have a scar on my eyebrow that makes me look like MacGyver.
Thanks again, GruntDoc, for reminding me of why I don't skateboard anymore.
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