Yesterday was terrifying. I'd been up for no more than twenty minutes, when I heard my dad yelling, "Sarah, I've cut myself." I flew downstairs to the garage where my dad was holding his hand in a towel and looking for the top portion of his thumb. He'd been using the table saw when his hand slipped. I called 911 and, after a disturbing three rings and a bored "Is this an emergency?," got an ambulance to come. I'd gotten my dad to sit still, rather than crawling around on the sawdust covered garage floor, so I ran back up stairs to put on jeans (I was still in my pajamas). About five emergency personnel showed up in three vehicles. They found the severed piece, ultimately to no avail, there was no reattaching it, it was not a clean cut. Emergency room, lots of phone calls. My dad ended up having outpatient surgery last night and is at home, doing okay today. The cut was on his left hand, below his nail, above his knuckle. He still has use of the joint, etc. Praise the Lord, it could have been much worse.
My dad had good, I would almost say jovial, spirits the entire time, partially, I think, so I wouldn't panic any more than I already was. I couldn't look at his hand or the piece of thumb they found, and the doctor at the emergency room made me stay sitting in case I fainted. Number one, not good with blood, etc. Number two, completely unaware of the medical system. When I was talking to the fire chief (or who ever he was), he asked if I wanted to go to this specific hospital. I had no idea which one we "usually use;" we don't use them at all really. Do people actually have 'regular' hospitals? I had to get directions to the place and then ask what I should do when I got there! I guess I'll be better prepared for next time, though I sure hope there isn't one!
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4 comments:
Oh, my goodness! That is so scary! But at the same time, it is a good thing you were there, because it would have been a lot harder for your dad if he had been alone. I'm glad he's doing well. Is this going to impact his work a lot?
Crazy -- I was at the emergency room with my Mom on Monday. Well, Sunday night, really, but I was there until 3 in the morning on Monday.
Seriously. Our parents need to not get hurt. It's bewildering.
(Mom's fine, by the way. Gall bladder is going to be removed on Monday.)
Oh, yeah -- I'm glad you're dad is okay. I meant to include that part.
Yikes! I'm sorry about your mom, Lij. It's disconcerting (at least for me) to start worrying about parents needing to be the dependents rather than the other way around.
Katie, I don't think anything will really be effected by it, but we'll see when the bandages come off.
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