Let's talk about broken bones

[AtomicKitKat]

Mini Hindenberg.

I've scalded my crotch before, does that count for anything? My idiot brother(he's studious enough to get into university, but so damn stupid in day to day functioning) overfilled the kettle and left it to boil on the stove. When I went to move the kettle back to its usual position near the cups, the excess water in the spout spilled out, scalding about 3 square inches of skin off the right side of my hip(around the junction where the crotch meets the thigh)

Those of you who have been burned before will know what I'm talking about. Your skin just flows right off like so much wet tissue. Good thing I was well-versed in first aid, despite being a badgeless Boy Scout(I still think it was stupid that I had to be able to say the pledge in both English and Chinese BEFORE I was allowed to take the first aid test and get that badge. I was the bloody best in FA, cos I memorised all the possible injuries and immediate treatments. I'm very bitter about that.) Anyway, back to the point, I quickly washed off with some tap water, and left the spot fairly well ventilated for several days. I don't have a scar there any more(too bad I can't resist picking away at all other scabs. Bad habit)

[Lady Vashj]

I'll bet that was a sight worth seeing.  We've burned all kinds of stuff in my chemistry classes, but never something like ethanol.  I think the most flammable/explosive thing I've ignited was a small propane tank... something I will be more careful about next time I try it.  I was just plain lucky to survive as close as I was  :blink:

I didn't actually injure myself seriously, mostly due to being lucky enough to get an almost-empty jug and having it pointing away from anything vital. Only the tips of the fingers of my left hand were in the jet of flame, and I'm right-handed anyway. Mark wasn't so lucky, but he was playing with methanol, which is even more flammable. We took turns signing his cast (on his dominant right hand).

[Sailboat]

I've only broken two bones, but got an early start. I was born with a healed fracture to one of my left ribs near the sternum. It's presumed my twin kicked me in utero. Naturally I have no memory of the event.

My second break was an unexceptional index finger hyperextension. The bad part wasn't how bad it was -- it was fairly mild -- but how embarrassing the accident turned out to be.

I was playing basketball, and leaped up to shoot. A fat kid leaped up to block me, and my finger went into his navel. When he plunged earthward, it broke my finger. To review, for those of you not properly picturing the full extent of the humiliation, I leaped into the air and extended my arm all the way while shooting the ball -- and the fat kid leaped so much higher that the highest point on my body came up into his stomach.

:blush:

Sailboat

[Vandiablo]

[Not directed at Doc specifically]

Two health notes:

Eggs. Asphalt or Sidewalks. Cook, but don't eat. A "mythbuster" type person (Cecil Adams, i think, of The Straight Dope, but my memory fails) decided to actually try the sidewalk/egg thing. The surface in question IS hot enough to fry an egg-- HOWEVER, the problem is that the egg cools the blacktop or cement enough that the egg does not actually reach the temperature where it actually gets cooked. So, eat it if you must, but be aware that, just like Rocky Balboa, you have risk of salmonella poisoning. (Not to mention damaging your teeth from gravel...)

Poison Ivy. It's never bothered some of you. Well. I've had it explained to me, by someone who wasn't a doctor but said it confidently (heh), that the poison ivy reaction is an allergic type reaction, which means you can be exposed to it for years and years with no problem until one day OY THIS ITCHIN'. As a kid, I just ignored the people who froze up and gasped, "Don't go there! Poison Ivy!" And I never had a problem. Nowadays, tho, PI gives me these stupid little tiny blisters that yes, do itch if exposed to air. Tsk, maybe I should wear at least a loincloth on my nature hikes.

-V

[ShadowHM]

Poison Ivy. It's never bothered some of you. Well. I've had it explained to me, by someone who wasn't a doctor but said it confidently (heh), that the poison ivy reaction is an allergic type reaction, which means you can be exposed to it for years and years with no problem until one day OY THIS ITCHIN'. 
-V

Yep, allergic reaction it is. Some people are sensitive to it right from the get-go; others develop a sensitivity over repeated exposures.

As a kid, I just ignored the people who froze up and gasped, "Don't go there! Poison Ivy!" And I never had a problem.

Hubby is still one of them. Durned annoying to the rest of us to have his smug self striding confidently through the stuff (although he restricts such showing off to a minimum, because he does know that his immune system could change its mind anytime).

Tsk, maybe I should wear at least a loincloth on my nature hikes.

Yep, Yep....

One fine day, some time ago (Yanno...pre-kids, that distant and somewhat foggy time in pre-history) hubby and two friends sneaked into the Meaford Tank Range to do some fishing. On a break they hiked over to the sand banks there to admire the view of Georgian Bay, and settled themselves lying on the bank at about a perfect 70 degree angle for viewing. Hubby remarks to the companions: "By the way, you do know that this is poison ivy, right?" Companions in cut-off shorts and hiking boots only, flip over to examine the plant face to face. :blink:

The aftermath was not funny. At least they had the equivalent of the loincloth for the beginning. But those itchy little blisters are your body's attempt to eject the allergic substance. So it was not long before both ended up with itchiness in the wrong places too.

And it gave their wives plenty of opportunities to get into that familiar wifely rant of "Dammit, those fishing expeditions are just an excuse to get drunk all weekend and behave like a jackass." :lol:

[Baajikiil]

Yep, allergic reaction it is. Some people are sensitive to it right from the get-go; others develop a sensitivity over repeated exposures.

When I was a young child, I was *very* allergic to Poison Ivy. I could walk across the street from a patch of it, and if it was a windy day I would catch it. Unfortunately there was a large patch of it in the park along the path to my elementary school. Also, my father was/is an avid fisherman, and I often went with him.

Needless to say, I caught it every single summer. Really bad. I would be sent to the hospital from school sometimes. My eyes would swell shut for days, and huge blisters would form all over(especially around the fingers). I used to take large doses of Prednazone(sp?) to help get rid of it, and was out sick from school for sometimes over a week at a time.

Now, I don't get so much as a small rash if I rub it all over my body. I was very upset before, because Poison Ivy was my only known allergy. Now I have none :) (that I know of)

[kRAYt]

I'm new here, but I had to respond.

I've never broken any bones on my own, however I had been the victim/patient of bi-lateral hip prosthesis. Unpleasant. Having the tops of both thigh-bones replaced with titanium alloy sounds cool, but isn't. I'm the exact opposite of the "6 Million Dollar Man." - - Worse, weaker, slower. Let me tell you, they DON'T have the technology...yet.

The worst part wasn't the surgeries, or the month in the hospital. At least the gave good painkillers. The worst part was a month later, listening to the sounds of the surgery on a television show. OUCH!!!

kRAYt

<edit> Sorry, had to step away for a moment. If any of you think the sound of a dentist's drill is uncomfortable, try listening to the sound of a surgical drill grinding straight down into a thighbone/femur for TEN minutes... and then realizing it's what was happening to your unconcious body, TWICE! :wacko:

[ShadowHM]

Now, I don't get so much as a small rash if I rub it all over my body.

And you found this out how? :blink: After having such incredible reactions as a child I am more than a bit boggled by your assertion. :P

I have yet another anecdote about the stuff to tell. :lol:

Eldest son was sure he must be immune, being such a clone of dad in appearance and all that. He was showing off this 'fact' to his friends by rubbing it over quite a lot of his body. His younger brother mocked him for doing so. (They were 10 and 7 at the time.)

Nothing like the misery of a full blown face-swollen red-and-itchy-all-over reaction combined with the parental annoyance of seeing the younger son with 'only' two hand prints on his neck showing as a reaction, eh? ;)

[Baajikiil]

And you found this out how?

Well, after a few years of not getting Poison Ivy (when I normally broke out every summer) doing the same fishing trips and camping, I told everyone that I'm not allergic to it anymore. Of course, my parents didn't believe me, so I showed them by rubbing it all over my body :) Boy what strange things children do! I was probably 16 at the time :lol:

I've been told that allergies can come and go, and things that did bother you when you were young might not as you get older. Just the opposite of gaining new allergies I guess.

EDIT: Pytos.

[Ashkael]

I also had an accident with my baby toe, and yes, it hurt like hell!

I remember it clearly because it was exactly two days before my 15th birthday. I was late at night and I was in my room with my mother having a nice conversation. After we finished talking, I decided it would be nice to go for a glass of water before I hit the bed. The door to my room was half-way open, and the floor just in front of the door was wet. As I was walking towards the door, I stepped on the wet floor with my right foot and slided all the way until my foot hit just the edge of the door, leaving my baby toe to the right of the edge and all of my other toes to the left! I spent the next 20 minutes cursing and jumping in pain wihle trying not to cry, while my mother was contacting the family doctor (remember it was late at night!). Just like with DeeBye, the doctor spent some time playing with my baby toe, but I guess it was not as painful because my toe was at a 70 degree angle, not at a 90! :)

Well, to this day, my baby toe is "almost" completely healed. And I say almost because now it's twice the size of my left baby toe! :unsure:

[DeeBye]

I also had an accident with my baby toe, and yes, it hurt like hell!

Greetings fellow broken baby toe survivor! We should start a support group or something.

Well, to this day, my baby toe is "almost" completely healed. And I say almost because now it's twice the size of my left baby toe! :unsure:

This happened to me also. Well, my toe didn't get any bigger; it just didn't heal quite straight. I actually asked the doctor about how well it would heal while he was straightening it, and he just looked at me, shook his head, and said "It'll never be the same."

He was quite right. It's a bit crooked and doesn't move nearly as well as it used to.

I guess it is possible to completely fix a broken baby toe, but doctors never bother because it involves surgery and steel pins. They just put it roughly in place and tape it to its toe brother.

edit: One regret I have is that I never got a picture of my broken toe. I have tried to recreate the event using some tools at my disposal.

• my left foot, naked
  <>
  
• 8-1/2" x 11" piece of white paper (background)
  <>
  
• digital camera (Kodak CX4230)
  <>
  
• Photoshop<>
  [st]
  Here is what I came up with. It is amazingly accurate.
  
  

[Griselda]

I was never allergic to poison ivy until I tried to show off in 5th grade by rubbing it all over my arm! I wonder if that's how most people manage to develop sensitivity to it? :lol:

-Griselda

[Doc]

I do have a baby toe story...

I was still in college, travelling at the time. Doing my studies on the road. I had a beat up POS VW van. I was getting into the van one night as it was raining cats and dogs, closed the sliding door, slipped on the metal ledge, and got my baby toe and a good size chunk of the side of my foot wedged in the door right as it closed. I was not wearing any shoes because I had just gone to the outhouse at the camp site. The door was closed on my witty bitty baby pinky toe. Ever smash your toe in a van door? I... I do not have a good description of the feeling, except to say it was a variatable symphony of tactile stimulation that caused me to utter a string of expletives so foul that the very air around me turned a lovely shade of azure. I had the worst time forcing the door open, as it pinched and snagged my skin, ripping it like paper.

Worst of all, that was the foot I drove with... And it took two feet to manage the crappy POS brake pedal. I very nearly drove through the hospital wall later that evening.

[Obi2Kenobi]

*decides to help out, and donate a non-photoshopped picture*

Arg... well, at least I tried. I got the picture, but my Palm Pilot/digital camera decided that it wanted to partially lock up (the buttons work, and you can take pictures, but the stylus and Hotsync&copy; do not).
So, anyway, my "tools" were:
Foot
Camera
8.5x11
Tape :lol:

[Lady Vashj]

For all the times I've marched through poison ivy, I've developed about three tiny blisters. My brother, on the other hand...

[Jeunemaitre]

Another thing to remember about Poison Ivy is that in addition to the "three glossy leaves," it can grow as a tree climbing vine. When clearing some dead wood as part of a scout project we had repeated warnings about said vine; It's a pity that some of our parents were not around to hear the warnings. I had a friend whose father was clearing wood and undergrowth from personal property, and adding it to the burn pile (as is traditional in Massachusetts). Long story short: the smoke of burning poison ivy vine has an affect similar to the oil that causes the allergic reaction in the skin. The difference with the smoke is that it affects exposed skin, and mucosal tissue of the nose, throat and lungs.

[Artega]

Doc, is there anything that you haven't done to yourself?

I've never had the displeasure of ramming a baby toe into something (I hit a big toe damn near every day, though), but I did have an entire hand (dominant hand, too) caught in a tow-truck's door. I was little, and was sitting in my mother's lap, and had my hand dangling around the door's lock (I guess I was trying to figure out how it worked; I was a very curious child) when my mother slammed the door shut. On my hand. At the third knuckles.

Ouch.

Miraculously, nothing was broken or advertently amputated.

[Doc]

Some things I have not done to my self, they were done to me by outside sources, out of my sphere of control.

I have survived stabbings, shootings, poisonings, broken and crushed bones, flogging with a cat o' nine tails, getting impaled on a steering wheel column, severe blood loss, heart attacks, one minor stroke, and cancer. Cancer being the worst. I am, all this time later, still healing from my major cancer surgeries. Cancer was the bitch that nearly did me in where nothing else could. Cancer, well, the surgery, did kill me. I have been dead a few times now, it really changes your outlook on life.

Cancer, in summary.

Smoked for many many years. Quit smoking one day. Just put the damn things down. Still got cancer. Rare type of cancer. It was a type of Kaposi's Sarcoma. It lodged in the blood vessels of my face, in my cheek. To remove cancer, they started cutting at my neck, behind my ear, up to the crown of my head, down my jaw line, around my temple and my eyebrow, and basically peeled the skin from my skull. They removed the roof of my mouth. Part of my lower jaw. Part of the area under my eye. My saliva glands. Several other glands down in my throat. Had to cut several inches of my esophagus out. They replaced all the removed sections of bone with high tech plastic putty stuff. Artificial bone. Somewhere during this process, I died. Very risky operation. Out of fear of bleeding to death, I was suspended in a form of hypothermia, with my body temp taken down way low, with only the barest vital functions. Soon, I will be having another go under the knife, to correct jawbone alignment. I am not looking forward to the process as my mouth will be wired shut for a good long while and I will be forced into a liquid diet again. I am struggling to maintain and gain weight right now, mass that I desperately need and do not have, and, on a liquid diet, I will once again become a scare crow.

Not that I really had a pretty face before, my first major scar being on my face, from having my face slashed open with a bottle as a kid. But afterword, my head and face looked pretty much like DeNiro in that Frankenstein movie.

That covers the first 50 or so years nicely. Since I have every intention of living to 100, I had better be a bit more careful. I am hoping they are every bit as interesting as the first half. Some day I got to get off my ass and go see the pyramids. And other things I have been meaning to do but keep putting off.

Now, I want nothing more then to sit around and warm my bones next to the stove, sitting in a comfortable chair. I have lost the ability to keep my own body temp stable, so getting either to warm or to cold can really screw me over.

[AtomicKitKat]

:(

Nasty
Tales.

[Doc]

Crying is a waste of time and energy. Besides, I no longer have tear ducts...

Anyhoo, learn just one thing. Put the smokes down. Quit now. Smoking is not worth it. I have smoked since I was a kid, at least since the age of seven or so. I chainsmoked cigars, smoked a pipe, at times went through 5 or 6 packs a day. God only knows how much I spent on smokes over the years. But I know how much living has cost me. Living through the cancer and the surgery and the care and the medications and all the other little nickle and dime stuff cost me over $800,000.00. That is not a typo. Eight Hundred Grand. Or so. Upcoming jaw alignment is going to cost around 70 to 80 thousand when everything is said and done.

Still think you can afford to smoke? And don't think it wont happen to you... I used to think it would never happen to me.