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07/30/2006: "5 hours of fun for... glue"
This afternoon I saw Jannette and the kids off for a few days of visiting her sister's place out in Nova Scotia. Of course, when they go away leaving me and the cats alone I usually have a Honey-Do list to tackle. High on that list tonight was the basement.
Long story short, I wasn't being as careful as I should have been, and I sliced myself with a utility knife. Right on the knuckle of my left index finger. Ouch. With the amount of blood I saw, and the gap I perceived in my finger, I thought it best to seek stitches. Unfortunately, this was 5pm on a Sunday, meaning every place that could stitch me up that WASN'T the emergency room was closed. So off to emergency I went.
The first hospital I went to was backed up. Really backed up. The said it could be hours, and actually recommended that I go to another hospital about 10 minutes away that doesn't take traumas. I decided to try my luck there. Sure enough, it was emptier, but it wasn't much quicker.
I finally got out of the waiting room by just after 8pm. Unfortunately, then I got to wait in my little room for another hour plus. Meanwhile, the peroxide-soaked bandage the triage nurse had put on my finger fell off, so I chucked it in the garbage, and my finger started to heal. By the time the doctor came to see me, I don't think she could have put stitches in unless they de-clotted my cut before hand. So as it was, I got a tetanus booster shot, and my finger was.... glued.
Yes, glued. They have a two-part glue that looks remarkably like a miniature glue dabber. She dabbed my cut three times, put a bandage on it, told me not to get it wet for 24 hours, and seek medical attention if the cut swells, gets red, bleeds profusely, etc., etc. I got home just around 10pm. Yes, 5 hours for a booster shot and some glue.
Moral of the story? If you can stop the bleeding in less than an hour, just bandage the stupid thing up really well, have a beer, and save yourself the $5 parking fee. Sigh.
Tomorrow I'll be back in the basement. First I'll clean up the blood as best I can (none on the walls, just on the floor thank goodness) and then get to what I was supposed to be doing. But more carefully this time.
