Gravity, it’s a bitch

Gravity is a stone bitch.

Saturday there was a little boy with a both bone broken forearm.

This kid was much more composed than the one two days earlier.

He was invested in the process and interested in what we were going to do to him.

He had an IV which always makes it better.

Prep went smoothly.

I called PACU in as soon as I got him to prep area.

The booking sheet said it was the left arm.

So I brought the c-arm in to the room and prepared it on the left side.

Booking sheet was wrong.

That’s okay, we can roll with the punches.

We sort out all the fiddly stuff: correct consent, H&P, site marking, and head back to the room.

As the anesthesia team was hooking him up to the monitors, in preparation to go to sleep, and he was still behaving remarkably, I decide to step aside. To the phones to get x-ray into the room so we can set this kid’s arm and go home.

Less than 10 feet.

And, on my way to call radiology, the c-arm behind me.

I trip on the power cord.

Take a moment to savor the irony.

I trip over the c-arm on my way to call x-ray.

Down I went.

My knee hit the floor.

My face hit the trash can.

My glasses spun off and hit the floor.

I’m sure there was a loud crash.

In that moment after a fall, you think, this is gonna hurt.

But it doesn’t.

Not yet.

The orthopedic surgeon and the PA came over and hovered over me as I got my knees under me and snatched my glasses up and put them on.

I patted my face,

Numb.

I ran my tongue on my teeth.

Intact.

I stood up, despite being told to sit down.

I continued to the phone.

And called radiology.

And went back to the kid’s side.

Despite all the looks from the four men in the room.

We had a case to do.

The kid was depending on us.

During our 4 minute closed reduction, the anesthesiologist went to PACU and got me an ice pack. Bless him.

After the cast was on but before the kid woke up, the orthopedist mopped the blood off my cheek and put a bandaid on for me.  Bless him.

The kid woke up and we took him to PACU and he went home 40 minutes later. With his blue cobaned cast. And a wave at me.

Advil in my future.

Plus the incident report.