Domestic Injuries
Posted: Wed 6 August, 2008 Filed under: Domestic, House Work 4 Comments »So yes, yesterday we were supposed to be up in the loft, sorting out insulation and loft boards. The plans changed quite quickly, however, when Herself was coming up the ladder to the loft (I was already up there) and because I wasn’t holding the bottom, it slipped and she came back down to floor level.
Fortunately, she’s not badly hurt – she managed to dislocate two toes, and whacked her elbow quite badly, but that’s the limit of the injuries. The A&E department put the toes back in place, so they’re not too bad now, and it’s more a matter of “just” the bruises now for her to deal with.
And now we’ve added “proper loft ladder” to the purchase list before we go back up there.
Aaah classic mistake that… both of you being in the loft at the same time… you only do that once before you realise how stupid it is! Been there and got the t-shirt!
Indeed – not our smartest moment ever, but then as you say, we didn’t exactly expect it to happen.
Definitely now added to the “Been there, done that, and never again” list, along with “Thank fuck it wasn’t me!” option.
Ouch! Poor her.
Having now seen doctors/nurses relocate several dislocated members (fortunately on other people), I am firmly of the opinion that one should do one’s own immediately they happen, if at all possible as, (a) it will be less painful as the initial adrenaline is still present as an anaesthetic, (b) the swelling won’t have started so it will go back better and so heal more quickly, and (c) they do it exactly the same way as one would oneself ie brute force.
Is that your experience?
From my own experience of dislocations (now thankfully many moons ago) I’d agree, I usually think it’s better to get them back in ASAP. The only exception to that is with things like hips, elbows and knees, where putting things back can (as I understand it) trap nerves and do more damage than the original dislocation did.
However, as Herself is a qualified nurse, she prefers to stick to the treatment she knows – i.e. go to A&E. Fortunately, the local(ish) one seems to have been decent, and done a good job of it.