Today is the first post operative day after my trauma surgery. I have been operated for a Grade I open comminuted tibial plateau fracture with bicondylar plating. I had sustained a few injuries after a head on collision with a car on Saturday evening about 40 kms outside Coimbatore.
I had finished seeing some OPD patients in the morning and then operated on a patient before leaving for Vellakoil that fateful evening. For unknown reasons, I was tired since morning and slightly irritable too. I shouted at OT staff and spoke in a depressing manner with the cashier that day. I then left for my house, picked up my clothes for the next day and set upon for the drive. It was five in the evening when I started, still bright, with heavy city traffic slowing me down. Just after crossing Palladam, I am on my usual road at usual speed, debating whether to stop for coffee at my usual coffee stop at Pongalur. I remember seeing a lorry coming towards me in the opposite lane and then all of a sudden a car appears from behind the lorry and within a fraction of a second, the car had hit me head-on. All I remember is the sudden bang, I open my eyes and realise I had bit my lip, the airbag has been deployed, everything is fuzzy, smoke coming out of my dashboard, and I was struggling to breathe. the driver side door wouldn't open. Then I realise I had injured my left knee - proximal tibia. Then I find out that my right ankle hurts too.
Soon I see people rushing from outside, some trying to pull me out of the car through the passenger door. I feel totally weak, unable to stand on walk with blood oozing from my left knee. They made me sit erect along the road but I prefer to lie down. I now realise I have double vision. Someone comes close to me and reassures everything is alright. A lady is crying next to me. Somebody reassures her too. Then some one from the crowd appears claiming to be a doctor. I tell him I work at Ortho one. They make me wait for a few minutes when an ambulance arrives they throw me inside the unmanned ambulance on a metal trolley and I am speeded to Ortho one.
The love and care I have been receiving for the past two days has been tremendous. I have been taken care very well for the past two days at every level. What is daunting is the next 2 -3 months, the time I am going to spend in bed, walking NWB with crutches. I have never had so much time of inactivity with limited mobility.
I have planned to spend this time fruitfully, consciously.
I had finished seeing some OPD patients in the morning and then operated on a patient before leaving for Vellakoil that fateful evening. For unknown reasons, I was tired since morning and slightly irritable too. I shouted at OT staff and spoke in a depressing manner with the cashier that day. I then left for my house, picked up my clothes for the next day and set upon for the drive. It was five in the evening when I started, still bright, with heavy city traffic slowing me down. Just after crossing Palladam, I am on my usual road at usual speed, debating whether to stop for coffee at my usual coffee stop at Pongalur. I remember seeing a lorry coming towards me in the opposite lane and then all of a sudden a car appears from behind the lorry and within a fraction of a second, the car had hit me head-on. All I remember is the sudden bang, I open my eyes and realise I had bit my lip, the airbag has been deployed, everything is fuzzy, smoke coming out of my dashboard, and I was struggling to breathe. the driver side door wouldn't open. Then I realise I had injured my left knee - proximal tibia. Then I find out that my right ankle hurts too.
Soon I see people rushing from outside, some trying to pull me out of the car through the passenger door. I feel totally weak, unable to stand on walk with blood oozing from my left knee. They made me sit erect along the road but I prefer to lie down. I now realise I have double vision. Someone comes close to me and reassures everything is alright. A lady is crying next to me. Somebody reassures her too. Then some one from the crowd appears claiming to be a doctor. I tell him I work at Ortho one. They make me wait for a few minutes when an ambulance arrives they throw me inside the unmanned ambulance on a metal trolley and I am speeded to Ortho one.
The love and care I have been receiving for the past two days has been tremendous. I have been taken care very well for the past two days at every level. What is daunting is the next 2 -3 months, the time I am going to spend in bed, walking NWB with crutches. I have never had so much time of inactivity with limited mobility.
I have planned to spend this time fruitfully, consciously.
2 comments:
Get well soon....fight hard.......Hard luck for a hard working doc......Destiny.
Thanks very much!
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