What Did You Do Today?

...with Jean Harlow...i thoight she was dead!!!

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Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

well I'm sitting here typing this little piece with one finger (as opposed to my usual two) since the other arm is all strapped up. I was giving my imitation of one of the balancing Zanzini brothers...actually i was on top of a ladder pruning a honeysuckle bush when the steps gave way (this was because its wooden, 20 years old and rotten and nothing to do with my waistline) I came crashing through the fence which shattered (this was because its wooden, 20 years old and rotten and nothing to do with my waistline). It seems I dislocated my shoulder and broke a bone at the same time, the ambulance guy said the technical term was ' a twoferr'. Anyway they pumped enough morphine into me to knock out a shire horse..but I was still conscious. They gave me some gas and air stuff but still I wouldn't go under. The ambulance guy asked if we had any 2x2 lying around as it was the next step. However another bellyful of gas/air stuff and off I went to hospital where they pumped more morphine into me to get the shoulder back in place...not an experience I'd recommend. The pay off for all this morph was a night in the A&E ward. Now being a Saturday night I shared my experience with some fun loving guys who had been fighting in town. A big shout out to Patrick, for the 2 am rendition of ' Danny Boy'.

anyway it looks like I am here for a few weeks sitting in front of my PC. its taken ages to write this but hey...what else am I doing?

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7f3B1VCYM

old farts like you and Keith Richards shouldn't be climbing trees...

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Who was born in a house full of pain
Who was trained not to spit in the fan
Who was told what to do by the man
Who was broken by trained personnel
Who was fitted with collar and chain
Who was given a pat on the back
Who was breaking away from the pack
Who was only a stranger at home
Who was ground down in the end
Who was found dead on the phone
Who was dragged down by the stone

A closed reduction for the dislocation, eh Ed? I'm assuming you also broke your clavicle (collar bone)...



You have my sympathies - given the choice, I'd chose to have my legs broken/dislocated than my arms. My Hip/Knee patients ALWAYS do better than my shoulder/clavicle/arm patients (exception being the broken ankle... but I suppose that is matched/exceeded by the broken wrist).


First sign of continued numbness, tingling, burning in your arm or a "sudden sharp pain" or "tightness" in your calf/major-muscle - contact a doctor right away. Ambulate/walk as often as possible. Safely elevate your (affected) arm periodically - watch for signs of swelling.

Get well soon...

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Work in the ER is a mix of can do, can't do and "sure, what the hell..."

Watch my videos

I taught Keith everything he knows!

Thanks for the info Simon, I'm off to the doc on Thursday to get some more painkillers, as the current ones are a waste of time. However the worst bit isn't the pain, its sitting about trying to avoid doing anything to aggravate the injury. I'm the kind of person that is comtinually on the go, and I can't be doing with being reliant on others. Jeeze...I had to ask my daughter to open a pickle jar for me...oh the shame......

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7f3B1VCYM

To quote the Big B (BoaB): "Always a pleasure. Never a chore"

Yech. That sucks I kinda feared that - like I said, my knee/hip patients seem to do better than my arm injury patients.

Just you remember (Long boring post ahead):

* All pain killers come with side effects. The most commonly prescribed contain some variety of "opiates". Generic terms (and I say Generic because "Vicodin" in the US might elicit a response of "Huh?" in the UK. Yeah, welcome to the wonders of pharmacy....) include: Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Hyrdomorphone, Oxymorphone etc. In anycase, the point is essentially the same - most pain killers prescribed for such injuries contain "opiates" or their "derivatives". Please clarify the ingredients of the pain pills being prescribed by your physician...

* Why? Well because in almost all cases of orally administered opioid pain pills, they come in "combination". Most opioid pain pills here in the US contain a certain amount of opiate and the remainder is a common NSAID (which stands for: Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug) such as Acetaminophen (I believe the UK equivalent is Paracetamol) or Asprin (and if it is Asprin - you should or should not take the medication depending on your history/present-condition because Asprin can lead to increased "bleeding" - don't be overtly alarmed.... sometimes this is helpful! But know "why" you are taking "x drug" always. In any case, your "surgeon" who consulted on your case or the medical physician would have cleared/approved the medication).

* Why is this important? Well, take one of the most used pain killer pills here in the US: Vicodin. The standard Vicodin pill contains: 5 mg of Hydrocodone and 500 mg of Acetaminophen (in the UK I guess it translates to: 5mg Hydrocodone/500mg Paracetamol). Now, the scripts for these pills usually read:

"Patient may have: Vicodin 1-2 tabs every 4-6 hours as needed for pain"

But what most of these scripts do-not mention is that:

- Rather than stating "as needed for pain", it ought to read "if needed for pain".

* Now why the hell is some mumbo-jumbo like this relevant? It's relevant because you should try and avoid consuming more than 4000 mg of Acetaminophen/(Paracetamol to you UK folks) within a 24 hour period, because doing too much at a stretch risks liver damage.

* As with ALL OPIATE pain medications - the most common side effects are most commonly felt in yer "bowels" - please ensure that 'side effects' are addressed....
I often hear this from my patients - and I sympathize.

If you are usually an 'independent' person - being a patient is HIGHLY VEXING! Not only do you usually lose your 'general' autonomy - but you seem to steadily lose your authority too....

"Dad! You can't smoke your pipe anymore! The Doctor said..."
"Mom! Your cholesterol results are off the charts! You can't be baking this pie...."
"Dad! You've had shoulder injury - YOU of all people OUGHT to know better!! Step away from that ladder!"


So on and so forth.

When all the while a part of you is thinking - "Ummm, I'm not a cripple nor a useless bum. I've done this longer than most of you have been on Earth. Now, if you'll just let me do my own business... thank you...."

Sometimes, it's hard steppin' aside; isn't it?

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Work in the ER is a mix of can do, can't do and "sure, what the hell..."

Watch my videos

Aren't you lucky to have a qualified nurse as a friend? My condolences on your injury, Ed, get well soon and all that.

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That's all.
APFFN
Now you can see all the shit I listen to.
And you can fawn over my Myspace.

mmmm, Vicodin... I love that stuff...made me feel happy after my appendectomy

Although, don't do what I did and drink when you're on it...bad idea

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Shine on, Syd...

Ut Prosim

Second that.



DG, I once drank while on Hydrocodone... fun, fun, fun. I was over the rainbow for hours. Won't EVER do that again.

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"I need a bohemian atmosphere"

A couple weeks in front of the TV with a little silver bell to call the womenfolk to attend to your every need, and you're complaining?


/frolicking with unicorns

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Activist != Expert.

I pointed this post out to Mrs E , who gave a kind of a laugh,combined with a snort (not alcohol I might add) and said "I'd like to meet this DT guy so I can show him where to put his silver bell" I personally thought it was an excellent idea.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7f3B1VCYM

That's what I like best about living in a house full of women - they're so nuturing.

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Activist != Expert.

ah come one, if one's wifey had herself a dislocation and broken bone you'd be just as nurturing? What no?! Swine!!!!!

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Interviewer: "So Frank, you have long hair. Does that make you a woman?"
Frank Zappa: "You have a wooden leg. Does that make you a table?"

I watched a movie on tv from the (dis)comfort of my couch. It was called Black Sunday and featured Robert Shaw saving 80,000 football fans from some despicable terrorists. It featured clips of the Steelers and the Cowboys. I wondered to myself whether these teams are still as good now as in the 70's?
Answers to this address please.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7f3B1VCYM