Chalain's first shooting accident
Last Thursday Chalain (and his dev team) had to endure the eternal estimating meeting from the nether realms. To blow off his frustration he gathered up his shot gun and ammo. We went to one of the few areas on the west side of Utah Lake where shooting is still allowed on Soldiers Pass Road out in the boonies. The road was rocky but that's why we drove our SUV. He grabbed a target out of the back, took a step backward and fell over a large rock. He landed on his back, started screaming in pain, and stopped moving. I thought he'd hurt his back, but when he could finally speak he told me he'd dislocated his elbow but it had popped back in. He was still so mad about the meeting he insisted on putting a few rounds into a target. So we removed all the bags from his dove belt and used it as a makeshift sling. After about ten shots pain overrode his anger and he decided we should head for the urgent care. He drove the SUV back over the rocky bits to the main road and I drove to the urgent care. We thought about stopping at our house for a cold pack to ice his elbow, but the further we drove the more Chalain decided going straight to the clinic was a good idea.
It took us more then half an hour to drive to the clinic. And we had to wait about that much longer for him to be seen. I carry ibuprofen with me so Chalain was able to take 800 mg right after he fell. The PA poked at his arm and elbow then sent him upstairs for X-rays. Even though Chalain was in pain his sense of humor was still intact. He snuck his house key onto the plate when the tech wasn't looking. While the PA was looking at the developed film Chalain said "Tell it to me straight doc, is my key going to be okay?" The PA didn't have much of a sense of humor. The diagnosis was that he had broken the tip of his radius. They put him in a temporary splint and told us they would set up an appointment with an orthopedic specialist. And they gave him a prescription for pain medication. They never did offer him an ice pack which I though was neglectful. They called us on Friday to let us know they had scheduled his appointment for Tuesday.
Yesterday we saw the orthopedic specialist. He reviewed the X-rays. He poked and prodded Chalain's elbow, made him yelp and wince a few times. He told Chalain that if he could have straightened his arm without pain he would have started physical therapy. But it appeared that Chalain had dislocated his elbow and tore some of the ligaments. So he's in a cast for two weeks after which he'll start PT.