Monday 22 June 2015

Story Time: Going Out With A Pop (Part 2)

I'm not exactly a social butterfly when it comes to college.

I mostly had my best friend, a few people I enjoyed speaking regularly to, but I wasn't known for being talkative. I've always kept to myself basically.

So I go into college, and it's basically the last day before summer. We are hanging up our work for the
end of year exhibition and everyone was running around. I got some basic help at the start and just powered through getting my images on the wall. A few people commented at how fast I was working, but that's me, I just power on through. Imagine my horror however when I'm just straightening my last picture and I turn around to hear a very loud pop. I started screaming and grabbed my knee

I didn't know what to think. My knee didn't look right. It had moved. And it was painful, so painful. People started rushing around and calling ambulances and asking what was going on, whilst I lay there crying my eyes out and panicking at the pain.

I can't tell you how long I lay there holding my leg at a weird angle for, but it felt like hours until the paramedics came. One thing that annoyed me the most was when people asked what was wrong. I wanted to gesture towards my knee in a grand gesture and ask "well what the hell doesn't look right here" sarcastically.

When the paramedics did arrive, my boyfriend had already been contacted and was waiting downstairs. I was told to keep breathing in the gas they gave me as the tried to lift me on to a wheelchair.

Boy did I scream.

The pain was unbelievable, easily the worst I've ever felt. And every movement that jerked it made it worse. I was holding my knee at a weird angle as it was the least painful, and trying to translate that to a paramedic through my tears and screams was hard, but they got the idea. They held my leg and walked backwards whilst getting me out of the building and into the ambulance, so naturally it was jerked a lot.

I should mention now that the paramedics I had were both female. One had red hair and the other was blonde. I took a preference to the red haired one quite quickly. She kept calling me "chick" and telling me that it was going to be okay and keep sucking on the gas. The other paramedic however told me to "stop screaming because it was just a waste of time and energy."

A waste of time and energy. I was screaming in pain. I had to scream. It was my only outlet.

I saw my boyfriend whilst I was being wheeled into the ambulance and I needed him near me instantly. I was terrified. I was in pain. I just wanted to hold his hand and feel comforted.

But no.

When I was wheeled into the ambulance, the paramedics shut the doors behind them. I panicked and cried harder. I wanted some comfort. I wanted a friendly face. But they wouldn't let him in until I was on the bed in the ambulance.

I didn't know pain until that point. My leg was moved so much that my knee cap actually popped back into place on it's own, but the pain when it did was unbearable.

I relaxed as soon as it was back in, my leg still hurt, just no where near as much. Then several things happened that I didn't like one bit;

- They took the gas away from me immediately. I really could have used that a bit longer.

- They started laughing about my screaming. Joking about it. I was in pain! I wanted to snap at them.

However my boyfriend was eventually let in and I relaxed more. The next few hours were dull enough that I won't bore you all. It was prodding and x-rays and more prodding before being sent home in a leg brace and crutches. The leg brace came of immediately. It just made everything far more complicated than what it should have been. I did use the crutches though.

It's been two weeks since my injury and I'm managing to walk around on my own albeit slowly. I had remembered in the hospital that the knee that dislocated, was the very knee that I had torn ligaments in almost a year prior. Makes sense doesn't it? I heard from my classmates afterwards that I was heard throughout the whole department when I was screaming but I received a lot of support and lovely messages.

So, I didn't leave college with a bang, I went out with a pop.


If you are also suffering an injury similar to mine, it's very important not to push yourself too hard in your first week of rest. Gently try moving your knee a few times each day just to loosen it up and exercise those muscles. That's the biggest thing you need to do afterwards is build up your muscles in your knee again, or anywhere where dislocation had occurred.

9 comments:

  1. It's amazing!

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  2. Ouch! That sounds very painful! And the paramedics should have been much more empathetic!!! I'm glad to know you are slowly healing!

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  3. Crazy, but I'm glad you are doing much better now!

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  4. OUCH! That must have been so painful for you. I am glad you are on the mend. Kaz x

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  5. Ouch! *hug* omg!! I feel for you. I hope you were ok. It be story to remember when you're older that for sure. xx

    www.annanuttall.com

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  6. OUCH... you certainly did go with a pop, I am sat here cringing on your behalf x

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  7. Ouch! I can imagine how annoying it would be to be told to stop screaming!

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  8. Ouch! I can imagine how annoying it would be to be told to stop screaming!

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