Custom crutches
Having recovered my sense of humour, I’m now crutchering around the house, trying to do stuff. I customised my crutches, not an original idea, by adding some padding to the handles (to stop the pain in my leg arm due to as-yet-unspecified-injuries that could actually be quite bad, and bending a plastic-coated-coat-hanger into a ‘water bottle’ [read: beer] holder. It’s as though the difficulty rating on life has been dialled up a notch - simply because you can’t really do anything easily. On the other hand, it’s quite nice to just chill, idle about and do nothing. I’m getting back into the swing of things by doing crosswords and Sudokus. A few days ago I was having trouble even getting two or three clues out (so I wouldn’t recommend morphine if you’re studying for exams), but am now dominating the crosswords most days. Although the cryptic ones are still beyond me.
Luckily, there’s been a run of decent things on TV too. This morning, for example, I watched the superbowl, yesterday there was cricket and golf, before that the swimming. I’ve been reading a book on Eels that Jodi gave to me (thanks), and another on the guy who fell on Hinchinbrook. He was attempting to dominate Mt Bowen on Hinchinbrook, but he and his friend accidentally went up the left hand branch of Warrawilla Creek (for those playing at home it apparently ends in an impassable 30m waterfall, he did attempt to climb to higher ground like we did when we thought we’d made the same mistake but, unlike us, couldn’t work out where he was). Anyway, they ended up bivvying at the top of the creek and in the night he got up to pee. He slipped on a rock, it became dislodged, he fell, and the rock landed on his legs. He ended up getting airlifted out about 14 hours later (once his mate had walked out to get help - can you imagine?). He had to have both legs amputated above the knee.
His description was remarkably similar to mine; the pain, the fear, the adrenaline, the vacuous nausea, etc… I was reading it wincing, knowning exactly how he felt at the time. But, I guess I got off very lightly in comparison. Still can’t believe it actually - should probably be dead. I had to laugh when I read a Michael Leunig cartoon the other day, entitled Parable, which ends, “God punishes those who survive too extravagantly”. I’ll have to be careful.
February 6th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
nice work tom, i like that cartoon. hey is there a post from me in the works, it is a call to arms for a name for “Team Dominate” in the up coming working week series. It’s time to up the ante kids and get out there for a 2006 full of domination!!
February 6th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
Do you think I’ll be at any advantage in the one-armed-pull-up competiton, now that I’ll only be working on my arms? (for now we’ll ignore the fact that my left leg is a disgustingly pallid looking stick).
February 6th, 2006 at 2:47 pm
keep the leg shrinking and your chest swelling and you’ll be right in there with a house and land package before the month is out!
February 6th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
luckily it is your left leg that has the metal addition so that you are nicely balanced as you yard on your right arm
February 6th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
It makes our 1hr sojourn up that henious hill into the thick scrub around the creek (to get a decent view of where we were heading) seem like a damn good idea really. Have you thought of gaffa taping the TV remote under the handgrip as well? You should get some coaching on the 1-arm pull-up from John Van Rooyen’s dad who has photographic evidence [sighted] of his ability to do several in his youth. He was, of course, South African National Formula 1 Champion at the time.
Also… nice work, Jodi, The Frog Whisperer! What an article, great coverage, well done!
February 6th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
“THOMAS!!!” Don’t do that again.
Have been away so only found out on Saturday night. Hang in there kid. We are all too old to be getting scares like that. That includes you too.
Lots of love from us all
February 6th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
good to hear you sounding more ‘normal tom’ (is that a good or a bad thing? heheh)
heh thanks lock. totally embarrassing but at least people know what i do (have done!) now.
February 6th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Timtim, house and land, here I come.
Lock, that’s exactly what I was thinking, “Haha, as if you’d get lost etc…”. But it’s damn hard to tell when you’re there. If fact, I have a photo of you and timtim looking at the map and rubbing your chins. He did bush-bash up to the North between the south and north arms of Warrawilla Ck, but still thought he was probably on the correct stream because he couldn’t see any more creeks to the North. I think we were lucky because we could climb high enough to eliminate that posibility.
Glen, we were wondering when we might hear from you
Jodi, maybe they could do a piece on me; Tom Rayner - Fish Squeezer.
February 6th, 2006 at 9:03 pm
Won’t be around for the next few days so have a happy birthday on Wednesday.xxx Good to know you will be around for many more. You had better hurry up and get better or I may have to come up and look after you!
February 7th, 2006 at 8:39 am
Tom Rayner - Fish Electrocutor
I went to see Brokeback Mountain last night and was told by Kath that it is not being shown by the mainstream cinemas in the ‘Ville, (home of the Cowboy)! Can you confirm or deny this backward act of unadulterated censorship?
February 7th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
And… My mum has just told me that a young family friend of ours found himself in hospital with fractured vertebrae (thankfully no spinal cord damage) amongst other things after a van knocked him off his motor scooter riding home after work the other night! Stop it people! Enough tales of bad luck.
Get well soon everyone.
What was the upshot of the arm x-rays Tomo?
February 7th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Apparently Brokeback Mountain is being shown as a limited release. That’s when movies that aren’t typical ‘blockbusters’ are released up here a bit later than others. It will probably be shown at Warrina Cinema, the Townsville version of the Cremorne Orpheum.
February 7th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Oh, and the arm x-rays didn’t show anything. I guess the pain stems from bruising and strained tendons etc… I was hoping for bone fragments and all kinds of destruction… but… nothing.
I did manage to get some copies of the leg x-rays showing the steel rod and screws. So I’ll post up some photos soon - when I find the USB cable!