hellison | A tale of two pins

Yesterday was really quite a surreal day.

It all began when the taxi arrived and turned out to be a minibus. A minibus with a high step into it. Quite similar to the one that caused all the trouble in the first place. The driver looked at me, I looked at the step, he looked at the step, then at me again and said "I'll get them to send another car, will I?" So off he went and next driver came, in a sensible car this time and we set off for the hospital, where we encountered the 2nd problem of the day.
We found the part I was to go to ok, but it was surrounded by a great big high fence with a NO ENTRY sign on the gate. So we drove all the way round to the back to another gate. Which had a sign on saying USE OTHER GATE.
Back we went to the first gate and tentatively drove through. A man in very police like uniform, with a gun came out, asked my name and disappeared inside. He came back out with a 2nd Gun Toting Guard and said 'ok, you can come on in'.

In I hopped and sat chatting to the GunToting Guards til the nurse - with army stripes on her uniform shoulder - showed up with a wheel chair and off we went. She showed me all round the ward, including the nurses' room with the huge guy in full camoflague combat gear. Suppressing the urge to shout I CAN SEE YOU!, i merely smiled and got wheeled on to the room.

Spent the next few hours chatting and comparing scars and so on with the Nice Lady who I was sharing the room with. Eventually the Doctor arrived and my favourite exchange of the whole day ensued. All the time I've had these pins in, I have had a background fear, which I assumed was irrational, that if I fell again, something horrible would happen to the pins, like they'd come through the skin or somehow break or... something. Totally irrational, right?

Dr - "so, once the pins are out, you can start weight bearing. You haven't been using it at all?"
Me - "No, the last doctor said no weight bearing while the pins were in, because I couldn't flex my ankle."
Dr - "Oh no, it's because the pins break."
Me - "..." O_0

He also gave me the choice of getting it done under local or general. Now I'm not squeamish but when he said "I might have to search for them a bit if they're not directly under the scar", I voted very definitely for general.

Then we sat and waited. And Waited. And waited. And wondered why the bedside lockers had hard hats in.
Eventually the Nice Lady went for her pin-pulling and when the Pretty Solider Nurse Boy came in to fix the beds, I asked about the hard hats.
"Oh that's in case we get bombed or mortared, so the ceiling doesn't fall on your head". Very reassuring ;)

Then it was my turn! Finally - waiting from 10am til 3.30 was longer than I'd expected. But the PSNB raced me off down the corridor, and into the theatre, got the lovely knock-out drugs and 20 minutes later, I woke up de-pinned. The wouldn't let me see them though :/ Did see the x-ray tho and they were great big screws - the inside of my leg looked a bit like a meccano set.

And that was it really, had a couple of hours in bed to recover, enlivened by the Solider-Nurses, who were the happiest and most insane bunch of nurses I've ever seen. They did seem to be having a good time tho. Eventually got discharged, by an equally crazy doctor who said "Right go, get out, FLY AND BE FREE!" while making flapping motions with her arms.

Signed out past the GunToting Guards and off we went home.

Today I am mostly pretty fuzzy headed, due to painkillers with all codine in, but have comfy chair to lie in and new Pratchett book to read. Also surprising (and welcome!) lack of pain from the depinned foot, which is wrapped up like a mummy. Hmm. I wonder if it is an undead zombie-mummy foot now.