AOK 2Day
Thursday was supposed to be a nice, calm, gentle day. One in which boys went mustering and preg-testing heifers and I washed and packed for a few days away. I had also planned a quick, quiet visit to town to do a TV interview at lunchtime.
(Channel Seven were doing a story on some of our local pubs, and wanted some footage of the photo exhibition I have showing at one, with some chat with me about my work.)
Easy-peasy.
Yuh.
Because, you know, there is NEVER enough excitement around here.
Here is what actually happened… I was running late (shocking but true) burning some photos of this gorgeous stallion to disc for a friend.
I had just seen Dad off, as he finished work early to head into town for an appointment. I had blow-dried my hair, flossed my teeth (you know, in case of closeups and stray multigrain seeds between one’s teeth!) and was almost ready to leave home myself.
Then the two way crackled into life.
“You on channel there Amanda?” It was my husband.
“Yes hon, on channel.’
“Yeah… can someone come and get me and take me to hospital?”
Well it sounded like my husband? His voice seemed steady, and not in pain, but he was ASKING to be taken to hospital? Totally out of character…
“Uh… sure. Where are you?”
“At the dip.”
“Okay, be there soon.”
I had no idea what was wrong. But he sounded okay. Maybe a bad cut that needed stitching, or a broken bone. He’d called from the truck so it couldn’t be a spinal injury.
I threw the first aid kit, a pillow and a water bottle into the car and drove the ten minutes to the dip.
He was sitting up when I arrived.
“Good,” I thought. “No broken leg.”
He had a hand over one eye, and looked up as I stopped the car nearby. Our 18-year-old jackaroo Cal was standing nearby looking a bit stunned. My husband took his hand away from his face. A large swelling on his cheek was covered in blood and his eye was closed.
“What’s happened, darl? Are you okay? Does your head hurt?”
He stared at me. “I don’t know… Why am I here?”
I caught my breath. Then he looked around…
“Where is your Dad? And why are these cattle in the yard?”
He had arranged for Dad to have a half-day that morning. The cattle in the yards behind him were ours. He had mustered them in with Cal half an hour ago.
My heart sank. That broken leg suddenly didn’t seem like a bad option…
“It’s okay, let’s get you into town and cleaned up. Hop in the car.”
Cal and I looked at each other and he shrugged and shook his head. He hadn’t seen what had happened at all. We worked out what he needed to do and, to his credit, he calmly assured me he had it under control.
I got my dazed husband settled into the car and drove off carefully, still none the wiser about how my husband’s obvious concussion had occured. I won’t go into the detail but let’s just say the next 45 minutes was a little confused – lots of repeated questions (from him), a few from me (to see how much he recalled of the day – not very much) and some observations (by him) of things I couldn’t see. I admit to being a little stressed, but trying to remain outwardly calm, just hoping he didn’t get too upset. I called my aunt on the two-way and asked her to alert the hospital by phone.
By deduction we worked out that he had been on his horse, a new one who tosses her head a lot, and that she had probably thrown the top her head into his face as he leaned down to open a gate at the yards. He was knocked out and came to on the ground, with the horse still standing nearby (obviously wondering what the heck was going on). Grazes on his face seemed to have been from the timber of the gate, a cut perhaps from the wire. He had no recollection of getting to the truck to call, or anything much after that.
He was very insistent that he should NOT be flown out – I said I’d try, but I knew that anything to do with horse-related accidents and head injuries translated into an almost-certain ticket in an emergency chopper or Flying Doctor plane.
We pulled up at the hospital and I led him into a room . Soon nurses were milling around him, asking the same questions (and getting slightly more lucid answers) and trying to clean the wounds. A doctor arrived and, because no scans can be done at our local hospital, immediately made plans to fly him out to the nearest major centre.
I rang our local pub (where I was supposed to be being interviewed) to explain that I didn’t think I’d make it. My husband, listening in, began insisting I do it anyway and he would be fine. Good Lord. By chance, both my parents were nearby and offered to sit with him. I did NOT want to leave, but then began working out logistics for the rest of the day (and possibly week). There was discussion among medical staff about the possibility of him being sent on to Brisbane if there were eye socket fractures. Dear God.
Somehow I managed to work out a plan… if Mum and Dad stayed with Mr I at the hospital, I could pick up Dash and Violet from school, and pack some suitcases for us all quickly. Then I could get back into town, hopefully see Mr I off in the plane, leave the kids with my parents and start driving to Bundy and meet my husband at the Accident and Emergency section to see what happened next. Do-able.
I was assured they wouldn’t fly him out before mid-afternoon, and on reassurance from Mum and insistance from Mr I, I set off to get that list accomplished, via the pub where the television crew were still waiting.
I suspect it was the most hurried, scattered interview the poor TV host, producer and cameraman had ever witnessed. I was shiny, flustered and my mind was very definitely elsewhere. But I tried. I hoped it was something a bit usable that would help promote our local area and it’s great little pubs.
Then I was off – ringing the school en route to let them know, to the school to grab the kids, home to throw Lord-Knows-What into four separate bags, say thanks to Cal who had made me a coffee in a travel mug (bless him) and reassured me everything would be taken care of at home, then headed back into town for the second time that day (and now with 250km and a fair dose of adrenaline under my belt).
Dash and Violet were a little shocked to see their Dad in bed, trying to hid his wounds under a large padded dressing, but he reassured them he would be okay and home soon. It was just minutes before the ambulance took him off to meet the plane. I offloaded the kid’s gear to my wonderful parents before heading out in our car to track the same journey east.
You know how when you need something IN A HURRY, everything conspires to slow you down? That. I had 1/4 tank of fuel and thought I’d fill up – but massive tankers parked across the fuel bowsers and lineups of vehicles blocked access to both our service stations… I calculated that I would just make it to the next ‘proper’ servo around 150km away, and headed out.
With friends’ voices ringing in my ears: “DRIVE SAFELY, and CALM DOWN” I set off.
I have to admit I don’t recall most of that trip. I know I watched the speedo and the fuel guage and paid intense attention to our often-treacherous, semi-sealed road. I tried not to think about hospitals and concussions. As dusk turned to night, and the fuel warning light came on, the lights of a service station came into sight.
I am not particularly superstitious, but I took that as an omen. As I refuelled the car and myself (toasted ham, cheese and tomato sandwhiches) I felt calmer. The kids were fine, I was almost at my destination safely, and my husband would already be in good hands and with any luck, have been assessed and x-rayed. My sister rang and offered me a bed for the night, and said she had spoken on the phone to Mr I and he sounded good. The x-rays were already done.
*Deep breath*
As I pulled into the hospital half an hour later, I noticed a car park RIGHT OUTSIDE the A&E doors. Another omen.
I was waved through into the treatment areas, following a meandering green line on the floor as instructed, til I found him. In his mauve hospital gown, eye competely swollen shut, looking groggy. Then he waved and made a joke about everyone needing to look out, the wife that beat him up had arrived.
I was beyond relieved… he was making jokes. A fabulous sign indeed!
It took another two hours for more clean-up, antibiotics and CT scans to be processed. And then the news from our assigned doctor:
NO breaks visible. Eye socket fine, cheekbone fine. Cuts that would have to wait for a while for stitching.
No-one could quite believe it – with the mess and swelling to his face, a broken bone or two seemed inevitable.
Apparently all that milk (straight from the cow) his mother had provided to him throughout his childhood had clearly stood my husband in remarkably good stead – the man has some seriously tough bones!
—
We arrived back home less than 24 hours after he had been flown out. We even managed to attend the Fathers’ Day event our little school put on – it was funny and fabulous and the kids were so delighted to have him there. He has a swollen, bruised face and is still pretty scary looking. He will still need stitches around his eye but doctors are waiting for the swelling to subside.
We came back to find that the job the boys had had to abandon the day before had been taken care of, with the help of neighbours who rearranged their busy day. There was also an avalanche of calls and messages awaited us, from people trying to find out if Mr I was okay – along with some really sweet notes from friends. It shocked me a little that others had been so concerned – not that I don’t think people care, but that they reached out made me a little emotional. Perhaps it was just relief. All I know it made me smile and want to hold my family very tight.
I am supposed to be going away tomorrow to a conference. I have to say, while I have been looking forward to it for ages, I am loathe to leave right now.
I know my husband will probably insist I still go. I don’t know. We will see.
I know I completely forgot to drop off my friend’s photo CD of stallion photos to him. I know I have a mountain of washing still to do. And ironing to do. And housework and cooking to get ticked off. I know that my motivation levels are very low and I am blogging instead.
*smacks hand*
I guess I just want you all to know that all is okay here. We had a fright, but we are okay. I hope all is okay in your world, and you have hugged the ones you love lately.
I know I sure have.
It’s also clear to me how much I need to treasure our family, our neighbours, our friends and our little community – today, I am feeling very, very rich in all respects.
♥
Bulls and the bees...
31 Comments
norma in alabama
Well,God bless you all. What a fright and what a shame to mess up that handsome face. Very glad he’s on the mend. It warms your heart to know so many people care for you.
Gillian penrose
Wow, I got a shock when I saw this. Our love to all, glad everything is OK. The joys of working on the land, hey. Lucky there is lots of great stuff that goes with it. Wish your lovely husband a speedy recovery from us. X
Lou
OMG! What a day you all had. I am so happy to hear Mr I is fine. As a bloke, he now has another great yarn to share in years to come. I’m glad your OK too BB. xx
Sal Salisbury
I hope Mr is ok! Much Love xxx
Lynda M O
Wow, Amanda, I am so glad that he is ok. Holy Toledo, what a fright. You did good, mama, you held it together and got it done without further mishap; I will hug you from here and hope you can feel the love. My heart reaches out to yours and I hold Mr I up to the Universal Healing Power and send a thought aloft that all heals well.
Lynda M O´s last blog post ..Changes are Afoot
Annieb25
Oh gosh – glad he is ok and yes thank goodness for family and friends. Hopefully you get to your conference, but if you don’t the upside is your husband is ok and you are surrounded by love x
Annieb25´s last blog post ..It’s nice to remember where you came from …
Nicole Alexander
Thinking of you both. N x
Lyn Deasy
Thanks for sharing Amanda. He is lucky to have such a caring wife and family. Very lucky no broken bones. xxx
Oopsiemumma
Holy smokes girlfriend. I didn’t realise what a big thing it was when you posted on FB the other day. So glad Mr I is back to his naughty self 🙂 So glad you’re okay too, that would have been one heck of a fright, let alone one heck of a day. Your family and friends are awesome. See you really soon xo
KAddy
Wowee…that is about all I have got!
Jayne
Thank god he was unbroken, omg he really looked like there would definitely be a break somewhere!
Tell him to keep up his milk intake, no broken hips in his old age when another playful horse tips him off xxx 😉
Jayne´s last blog post ..September 6 What’s at the end of Satan’s rainbow?
Jayne
Just showed your hubby’s pic to my hubby, “OUCH! WTF happened to HIM?” was his reaction.
He couldn’t believe there wasn’t a break, either!
Jayne´s last blog post ..September 6 What’s at the end of Satan’s rainbow?
Tara
How frightening! Could have turned out so bad, but I’m so glad it was all ok.
Community is so important. It’s one of the reasons we’ve decided to live in a small town rather than move to a big city…
Leonie
I’m so glad to hear that all is well considering the horrible scare you all got. We are blessed by your friendship & wish you all many blessings in return. xox
Mandy
It’s times like these you really feel the isolation of living on a farm, but then you also realise the strong bonds of an isolated rural community. Glad no serious injuries were sustained – it can happen in the blink of an eye (no pun intended!)
Mandy´s last blog post ..The Great Western Weaner Adventure – Part Two
Andrew
Compressed into a three minute read, it doesn’t sound so bad. But I can well imagine what it must have been like. It is so nice that in a time of need your could depend not only on family, but staff, friends and neighbours too
Andrew´s last blog post ..Murdoch haters of the world unite
Bill
Be at peace with your God and your family every morning, before you leave the house. Looks like all is well. Sending positive thoughts your way.
Nancy in Iowa
I couldn’t believe there were no broken bones with that handsome face looking as it does! Aren’t you glad you live in an age with mobile phones and whatever you use to communicate with each other? Please tell Mr. I that I’m sending my best wishes for healing. I’m amazed that they can wait for the swelling to go down before stitching; it makes sense, but I always thought stitching couldn’t be done days after an injury. I’m looking at 9 stitches in my hand right now, and the almost 2-inch long resulting line looks creepy!
Wishing strength for you.
BB of Oz
No mobile service out here Nancy – or I could’ve had advice on the phone instead of driving 50km to town… two-way radios are our main means of communication from the paddock – which reach about 7-10km at best. Stitches went in today – 48hrs after the accident. Amazing.
🙂
Nancy in Iowa
Ahh, the 2-way radio. At least you can reach each other. I feel better now that he has his stitches – that means the swelling is down! Give him a hug for me.
Kelly
Bless your hearts, all of you! So glad it’s looking positive. What a scare!
Kelly´s last blog post ..Grilling
A Novel Woman
Holy moly, glad to know he’s okay and you’re okay. I was scrolling through FB this morning, sipping my coffee, scroll, scroll, WHA-AAT?! as your husband’s face popped up. We went through this with a friend of my husband’s. They were playing hockey and his buddy was hit and had a concussion. Hours of repeating the same questions every few minutes, but he recovered fully and is back at his job as a surgeon. Best advice is take it slow for the first year, as the risk of a repeat injury is greater. Take care, in the truest sense of the word.
A Novel Woman´s last blog post ..A stroll around the ‘hood
Constance
Oh my! What a fright it must have been for you — and to drive all that way so upset and on only fumes of the petrol besides. I have to hand it to you — you are amazing!
We can identify to a lesser degree as there was no bush pilot or helicopter involved for us. I was working a new horse — one that resisted my efforts to curb his jigging sideways toward the barn. He took exception to my attempts to be boss and lunged BACKWARDS in an excessively abrupt fashion causing me to lean slightly forward in the saddle. That’s all I remember.
My husband, like you, remembers well the conversation en route to a hospital thirty miles away. He says that it was a disjointed conversation at best as I was also concussed. Difference though is that my eye socket was shattered and required surgery.
My husband took that horse to the auction the next day.
I have recovered and rode OTHER horses happily after that, but getting back on the first one after I recovered took some deep breathing.
While I recovered, my brother rang to ask if I now looked like Jack Elam *…..(*actor: Google or see old John Wayne movies with a villain that has one eye looking sideways)
Note: No I do not resemble Jack Elam, but it took a plastic surgeon to restore my eye, and to hide the scar in a wrinkle that was going to happen anyway.
Take strength from that: Your husband will recover, just as I did, and chances are he will never look like Jack Elam either.
debby
Little embarrassed that I was such a smarty pants on face-book about this. Scary, scary stuff. All well that ends well. Thank God this one ended well.
debby´s last blog post ..Small stories.
Scotty
Glad to hear that Mr I is okay, Amanda – that’s one scary face to be looking at after getting a scary radio call – best wishes for a speedy recovery.
🙂
Carol Alex
Wow, I am so sorry to hear about all of your troubles, but glad they are getting better. I have been away all summer with lots of family stuff going on and tonight I sat down to check you out and see what I have missed. Well, it ‘s always something we aren’t expecting. Glad Mr I is on the mend. What wonderful friends and family you have. I know how stressful these things can be.
Colin Huggins
Well all seems to be under control, would have been an almighty shock to the system to have seen the “messed up face”.
“TOH” (Mr.I) is not the first nor the last who will encounter this gate business.
I have seen in my younger days similar events with gates. Some horses are gate shy, don’t ask me why – similar I think to horses at the races and at the barriers. Plenty of jockeys have had similar facial “upsets”.
I was always told to get off the horse to open a gate, didn’t do it always, but on occasions found myself on the ground with a bewildered horse staring at me. I think the omen is – “Gate and horses don’t always agree”.
Hope all is improving for TOH.
pencilwriter
Apparently your normal life is so humdrum Mr. I had to change the pace a little? Glad things were far less frightening than they could have been! Best wishes for speedy recovery and more happier days ahead!
Jac
Frightful stuff BB! Hope you have all recovered well!
Cazzie
I am so glad hubby will be ok. Working on the trauma unit I can safely say I see a fair number of fractures zygoma on a weekly basis..usually secondary to cows headbutting their human handlers. I cannot believe you have been on TV twice in one day. A TV star!!
Helen Beutel
Amanda I seem to have been deleted from your news. Would much appreciate being put back on your mailing list. Thank you very much. Helen.