Oops, I did it again!
Sigh … it’s just one of those days when I am all set for a climb and then an accident happens a day or two before our departure. And somehow, after four similar incidents, there seem to be a correlation between the nature of the climb and the extent of injury I get - the more difficult or longer the climb, the more serious the injury.
I was supposed to join the BMC 2007 2nd Induction Climb in Mt. Apo, but fate would not allow it. In the afternoon of January 22 Tuesday, I smashed into the glass of a sliding door in our home. And yes, it being Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines, I got more than just superficial wounds this time around: shards of broken glass left deep cuts in my forehead, neck and hand.
Gina, my cousin, was in shock and panic as well as our house helpers; blood was squirting from my head, neck and hands. I asked for a face towel and attempted to stop the bleeding on my head by applying direct pressure to it, but the wounds were long and deep. I went with Gina to the emergency room of Manila East Hospital for treatment; it was just five minutes or less from our village.
The ER medical staff cleaned my wounds and stopped the bleeding. A few minutes elapsed before a surgeon was available. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the attending surgeon was Dr. Edwin Bernardo, my doctor in Medical City. We chatted while he stitched four of my wounds: two on my forehead (required seven and six stitches), one on the right back side of my neck (five stitches), and one on my right hand (four stitches). X-ray shots of my head, neck and hand were taken, and a sample of my blood was tested; everything came out okay.
I was allowed to go home, but I was put under observation for 48 hours, due to the wounds on my head. I was given a checklist of symptoms to watch out for, and I was instructed to go to a clinic or hospital if one or more symptoms came up. My mother insisted that I allow myself to be confined in Medical City during the 48-hour period, so that medical assistance is immediately available if and when the need arises.
I don’t want her to worry so I acceded to her request. I called up Edwin at Medical City and asked him to give a confinement order at the admission office. I spent three evenings in the hospital; I was discharged Friday morning.
“What happened? Why did you smash into the glass of the sliding door?” these are the common questions that everybody were asking me.
The sliding door is the access to the dining area of our food shop from our living room. It is left open during the day, and a curtain is draped over it to obscure the view of the living room. But on that fateful Tuesday afternoon, Ate Melda, our cook, closed the sliding door to keep a foul smell from seeping into the living room. I was of course unaware of it, so when I rushed out of the living room into the dining area of our food shop, a stationary object got hit by a moving object and since two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, something has to give. My momentum caused the glass to shatter, and the rest of course you already know.
I am thankful that I didn’t sustain any fatal or debilitating injuries from the accident, and while it prevented me from joining the Mt. Apo climb, it opened opportunities for me to spend more quality time with my parents. And I am thankful that I don’t get injured much while I am up in the mountains.
Edwin will remove the sutures tomorrow (Tuesday) at Manila East Hospital. He says it may take one or two weeks before I can do strenuous activities; he’ll have a better assessment after I see him tomorrow.
~ Carpe Diem ~
I was supposed to join the BMC 2007 2nd Induction Climb in Mt. Apo, but fate would not allow it. In the afternoon of January 22 Tuesday, I smashed into the glass of a sliding door in our home. And yes, it being Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines, I got more than just superficial wounds this time around: shards of broken glass left deep cuts in my forehead, neck and hand.
Gina, my cousin, was in shock and panic as well as our house helpers; blood was squirting from my head, neck and hands. I asked for a face towel and attempted to stop the bleeding on my head by applying direct pressure to it, but the wounds were long and deep. I went with Gina to the emergency room of Manila East Hospital for treatment; it was just five minutes or less from our village.
The ER medical staff cleaned my wounds and stopped the bleeding. A few minutes elapsed before a surgeon was available. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the attending surgeon was Dr. Edwin Bernardo, my doctor in Medical City. We chatted while he stitched four of my wounds: two on my forehead (required seven and six stitches), one on the right back side of my neck (five stitches), and one on my right hand (four stitches). X-ray shots of my head, neck and hand were taken, and a sample of my blood was tested; everything came out okay.
I was allowed to go home, but I was put under observation for 48 hours, due to the wounds on my head. I was given a checklist of symptoms to watch out for, and I was instructed to go to a clinic or hospital if one or more symptoms came up. My mother insisted that I allow myself to be confined in Medical City during the 48-hour period, so that medical assistance is immediately available if and when the need arises.
I don’t want her to worry so I acceded to her request. I called up Edwin at Medical City and asked him to give a confinement order at the admission office. I spent three evenings in the hospital; I was discharged Friday morning.
“What happened? Why did you smash into the glass of the sliding door?” these are the common questions that everybody were asking me.
The sliding door is the access to the dining area of our food shop from our living room. It is left open during the day, and a curtain is draped over it to obscure the view of the living room. But on that fateful Tuesday afternoon, Ate Melda, our cook, closed the sliding door to keep a foul smell from seeping into the living room. I was of course unaware of it, so when I rushed out of the living room into the dining area of our food shop, a stationary object got hit by a moving object and since two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time, something has to give. My momentum caused the glass to shatter, and the rest of course you already know.
I am thankful that I didn’t sustain any fatal or debilitating injuries from the accident, and while it prevented me from joining the Mt. Apo climb, it opened opportunities for me to spend more quality time with my parents. And I am thankful that I don’t get injured much while I am up in the mountains.
Edwin will remove the sutures tomorrow (Tuesday) at Manila East Hospital. He says it may take one or two weeks before I can do strenuous activities; he’ll have a better assessment after I see him tomorrow.
~ Carpe Diem ~