Knee update
Jul. 24th, 2007 08:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mamadebThank you for all your good wishes!
It ddn't stop bleeding. After several hours, it didn't stop bleeding. I had dinner, we went to shul for evening Tisha B'Av services (I sat in a chair, not on the floor, and propped my leg up on another chair - turned out to be the right thing to do.) and it kept seeping blood. So we spoke to Howie the EMT, and he said I should get it looked at, that after all that time, I'd have a less than pretty scar (like I care! - my knees are already scarred plus no one sees them), that it would need to be "tacked down" and that I'd certainly need a tetanus shot.
Our friend Sharon drove us to the hospital. She's an insurance lawyer with hospitals as clients, so we listened to her advice as to where to go - and she waited with Jonathan until I was done with triage and we knew it wouldn't be that long. She even offered to stay up until we called her and she drove us home, which is above and beyond.
This place has a "fast track" system for relatively minor injuries- we got there at 10:20. By 11PM (in a city emergency room, that's extremely fast), I was limping into the treatment area, to be seated on a gurney behind a curtain, where I met the nurse-practioner. Which Sharon said was the most likely person I'd get, and which I was very happy about. It's July. Given a choice between an experienced nurse-practioner and some kid who stared 23 days earlier? Hah! More to the point - an NP like him has probably treated dozens if not hundreds of injuries like mine, so who better? There was also an LPN named John who was very gentle and efficient as he cleaned off my injury again, after it was anesthetized.
They approved of my own efforts to keep away infection, btw.
I was x-rayed - no fracture. And then I waited for about a half hour or so - I had my pda with me, so I read fanfic. I knew I'd probably be going to an emergency room before we went to shul, so we came prepared - reading material, cash, insurance card. Fortunately, this isn't a holiday where you can't work, so none of that is a problem. I listened to the N-P take care of the person next to me - he was very patient and kind explaining to him the need to see a hand surgeon and how to look for warning signs (man had fairly advanced diabetes he wasn't controlling, so there was that) and how to treat his broken finger properly.
As for me - when he got to me, he gave me three stitches (very neat to watch - little french knots, really) and it was wrapped up very thoroughly - gauze pad, gauze wrap and ace wrap. I'm to not bend my knee if I can avoid it. and the ace wrap prevents that. It's just for today. I also got a tetenus shot because I don't remember my last one, which may have been high school. Tonight, I take off the wrappings, clean it with soap and water (I can even shower with the stitches) and rebandage it with antibiotic cream. And I'm to use a cane for a couple of days, and try not to bend it much for a week. In a week to ten days, I get the stitches taken out. They gave me cane, but it's too big for me - most wooden canes are. Fortunately, I have my own adjustable one. And we were done by 12:15, when we called a car to take us home.
I may have to cancel the gyn appointment - I don't think I can handle the stirrups. On the other hand, driving should be fine - it's my left knee, and by Sunday,I hope to not need the cane, so I can just limp my mother down the aisle.
Meanwhile - last night was unpleasant and I'm still fasting.
It ddn't stop bleeding. After several hours, it didn't stop bleeding. I had dinner, we went to shul for evening Tisha B'Av services (I sat in a chair, not on the floor, and propped my leg up on another chair - turned out to be the right thing to do.) and it kept seeping blood. So we spoke to Howie the EMT, and he said I should get it looked at, that after all that time, I'd have a less than pretty scar (like I care! - my knees are already scarred plus no one sees them), that it would need to be "tacked down" and that I'd certainly need a tetanus shot.
Our friend Sharon drove us to the hospital. She's an insurance lawyer with hospitals as clients, so we listened to her advice as to where to go - and she waited with Jonathan until I was done with triage and we knew it wouldn't be that long. She even offered to stay up until we called her and she drove us home, which is above and beyond.
This place has a "fast track" system for relatively minor injuries- we got there at 10:20. By 11PM (in a city emergency room, that's extremely fast), I was limping into the treatment area, to be seated on a gurney behind a curtain, where I met the nurse-practioner. Which Sharon said was the most likely person I'd get, and which I was very happy about. It's July. Given a choice between an experienced nurse-practioner and some kid who stared 23 days earlier? Hah! More to the point - an NP like him has probably treated dozens if not hundreds of injuries like mine, so who better? There was also an LPN named John who was very gentle and efficient as he cleaned off my injury again, after it was anesthetized.
They approved of my own efforts to keep away infection, btw.
I was x-rayed - no fracture. And then I waited for about a half hour or so - I had my pda with me, so I read fanfic. I knew I'd probably be going to an emergency room before we went to shul, so we came prepared - reading material, cash, insurance card. Fortunately, this isn't a holiday where you can't work, so none of that is a problem. I listened to the N-P take care of the person next to me - he was very patient and kind explaining to him the need to see a hand surgeon and how to look for warning signs (man had fairly advanced diabetes he wasn't controlling, so there was that) and how to treat his broken finger properly.
As for me - when he got to me, he gave me three stitches (very neat to watch - little french knots, really) and it was wrapped up very thoroughly - gauze pad, gauze wrap and ace wrap. I'm to not bend my knee if I can avoid it. and the ace wrap prevents that. It's just for today. I also got a tetenus shot because I don't remember my last one, which may have been high school. Tonight, I take off the wrappings, clean it with soap and water (I can even shower with the stitches) and rebandage it with antibiotic cream. And I'm to use a cane for a couple of days, and try not to bend it much for a week. In a week to ten days, I get the stitches taken out. They gave me cane, but it's too big for me - most wooden canes are. Fortunately, I have my own adjustable one. And we were done by 12:15, when we called a car to take us home.
I may have to cancel the gyn appointment - I don't think I can handle the stirrups. On the other hand, driving should be fine - it's my left knee, and by Sunday,I hope to not need the cane, so I can just limp my mother down the aisle.
Meanwhile - last night was unpleasant and I'm still fasting.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 01:00 pm (UTC)Wishing you an easy fast, for as much of the day as you & your doctors deem wise. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 01:02 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 01:40 pm (UTC)I always think my Tisha B'Av is baaaad, but G-d rubs it in my face that others' are a lot worse >_
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 01:44 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 02:33 pm (UTC)Take care of yourself and your knee.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 07:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-24 07:24 pm (UTC)*hug*