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I fought the bamboo, and the bamboo won!

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  • #1

    I fought the bamboo, and the bamboo won!

    So, last week I was helping my Mom clean out a grove of bamboo that borders her property and the neighbor's (the previous neighbor had planted it 15 years ago, and it is VERY invasive.) While stepping OUT of the grove, I slipped and went down, and a 5 1/2 inch spike of bamboo as thick as my index finger went up my thigh.

    Off to the hospital I go, and after a 3 1/2 hour wait, the ER dr admits she knows very little about bamboo or what to do, so she just puts a couple sutures in and schedules me for an ultrasound on my leg the next day to ensure there isn't anything stuck inside.

    Head back to the hospital the next day, get ultrasound, and find out there are multiple bits and pieces. In addition it turns out I'm allergic to bamboo (never knew that) and am reacting badly to the pieces stuck inside my leg. So I'm admitted, surgery is scheduled for the next day (last Wed) and they open the leg out and clean it, then I had to stay a week to get megadoses of antibiotics because my surgeon and the infectious diseases guy were worried about infection, plus the fact that I'm diabetic... made for a very long and tiring week. I was finally cleared to come home last night, but only if I got a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line in my arm so I can go back to the ambulatory care centre daily for more antibiotics, and on Friday they'll show me how to do it myself so I don't have to go out there every day. I'll be on antibiotics another 2 weeks.

    So, I'm sore, but I'm HOME. So far no sign of any infection in the leg, and it doesn't hurt very much but is sore and a bit difficult to walk on.

    Never a dull moment!! At least my bamboo wrangling days are over!

    So how was YOUR week?
    The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.
    Tags: None
  • #2


    noooooez.
    I would not be a good first-responder. (however, sometimes all that's needed is *a* first responder, who doesn't up. I might be one of those... )
    It's so strange how things can get out of control/ridiculous like that in a hurry. I'm glad you're okay, relatively speaking. Allergic reactions... at least you weren't anaphylaxic!
    Don't forget to replenish the supply of good bacteria in your guts-- megadoses of antibiotics clean you out! Probiotic and prebiotic is what you want to look for-- and make sure to eat fiber and probiotic stuff at the same time, like Activia yogurt. (it works because of that principle.) There are more than fiber for prebiotics too...
    "Is it the lie that keeps you sane? Is this the lie that keeps you sane?What is it?Can it be?Ought it to exist?"
    "...and may it be that I cleave to the ugly truth, rather than the beautiful lie..."

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    • #3
      Damn! Helluva week. Glad to hear you're alive and kicking, albeit not very high right now :P

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      • #4
        Hmmm.. bamboo can be used as good boffer weapon cores...

        If you happen to get a lot of the stuff in 3/8 inch to 3/4 inch amounts... in lengths of 4 feet and longer.. I'd buy some off ya!

        PM me if interested.
        Fixing problems... one broken customer at a time.

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        • #5
          Quoth teh_blumchenkinder View Post
          (however, sometimes all that's needed is *a* first responder, who doesn't up. I might be one of those... )
          Derailing the thread somewhat:
          Yes, sometimes all that's needed is someone to point at assorted bystanders and say 'you! Got a cellphone? Good, call emergency.' 'you and you, stand and direct traffic around the site until the cops get here' 'you! Keep anyone from trying to get that guy out, he may have spinal damage' 'you, watch the scene, tell me immediately if there's any fuel leaking'

          Often people just plain don't act unless they're told to.
          Seshat's self-help guide:
          1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
          2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
          3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
          4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

          "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

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          • #6
            Oh holy hell I wish I hadn't seen this now



            Yeah I'd the person running the fuck away from that.

            EEEEESSSHHHHH
            https://www.youtube.com/user/HedgeTV
            Great YouTube channel check it out!

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            • #7
              Are you my sister because that is so something I would do.

              Glad you are getting better and bamboo can be very evil.
              Coffee should be strong, black and chewy! It should strip paint and frighten small children.

              My blog Darkwynd's Musings

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              • #8
                Was therea pic?

                Also, what is it with people taking on plant life these days. USE FIRE!
                FIRE Solves all! Wehehehehehehheeheehehe firreeeeeeee!!!!..... burninate it....


                *Ahem*
                Glad to hear your doing ok!
                "On a scale of 1 to banana, whats your favourite colour of the alphabet?"
                Regards, Lord Baron Darth von Vaderham, esq. Middle brother to mharbourgirl & Squeaksmyalias

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                • #9
                  "Holy crap, did you see that mechanism of injury!?"

                  Wow, glad you're ok. If you're going to go down, may as well do it with style, right? I never thought of a bamboo allergy before, but I guess your body will react to foreign objects in different ways.
                  "If anyone wants this old box containing the broken bits of my former faith in humanity, I'll take your best offer now. You may be able to salvage a few of em' for parts..... " - Quote by Argabarga

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                  • #10
                    Wow, I nearly did something similar when I was much younger (11 or so) and helping a friend clean out a bamboo patch.

                    A bunch of long stalks had been cut down but needed to be cut into smaller pieces for easier disposal. For that, we had a small hatchet and a large piece of a tree trunk as a cutting block.

                    Being silly and thinking it would go faster, we piled a bunch of bamboo on the cutting block, completely covering the cutting block.

                    I swung down with the hatchet, and completely missed the cutting block.
                    I didn't miss my leg however. Right thigh, exactly between my knee and hip to be specific.

                    To both our amazement, just had a red mark on my leg, with a raised white welt where the blade hit skin. The skin wasn't even broken.
                    Me, being the genius I am, (Wile E. Coyote grad) ran my finger over the sharp part of the blade, commenting that it didn't seem that sharp.

                    It was. Sliced my finger open pretty good.

                    Once the bleeding was under control, it didn't look that bad. Maybe like the elephant sized brother of a papercut. I always had cuts and scrapes growing up, and with some of the stuff that happened, several friends and relatives want to know how I managed to reach adulthood. Anyway, once the bleeding from my finger was under control, we decided it was time to clean up and call it a day.

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