this week's skateboarding injury
While the kids and I were at our dental appointments last week, I was asking all kinds of questions about emergency dental situations. The hygenist made a comment about how we would be fine and nothing bad would happen. I had to laugh because just recently I’d had the first aid kit out three times in one week! I also can’t count how many times we’ve needed it before that, plus one time since.
Wil’s fingertip was the first minor casualty. The injury took place when he was using an angle grinder while prepping one of the bows for their fiberglass reinforcement. The grinder accidentally ran across the tip of his finger cutting into his nail. Luckily, it was a fairly superficial wound, but it still required a little first aid.
A day or two later, the next injury revealed itself when Colin returned to the boat with the palm of his hand bleeding. He had been playing down by the water with a friend when he slipped on some mud, fell, and cut his hand on an oyster. Of course, we’ve told him many times to be careful when playing near the oysters! Fortunately, the cut was not deep. However, there were oyster pieces inside the wound that needed to be removed. Colin refused to let anyone touch his hand, so he tended to it himself. Using the sprayer on the water hose, and tolerating the pain, he was able to force the pieces out. He’s very happy to see that his wound has healed quite nicely. Now, he understands first hand about oyster cuts!
The third injury of the week was the worst of the three. Again, the boys were being boys, and this time it was Colin’s friend who suffered a wound. He was attempting to bend a piece of metal they’d found and he accidentally sliced his knuckle open. After receiving some initial wound treatment from the clerk at the ship’s store, he came to our boat for further evaluation. His parents had gone to town to run errands, so it was up to me until they returned. The cut was quite deep, appeared to have metal dust inside, and could have possibly been to the bone. After gently rinsing the wound with soap and water, I realized we needed to be a little more aggressive. I had the boy hold his cut open while I swabbed through the inside of it with a soapy Q-tip. I was thoroughly impressed with how he didn’t shed a tear. However, I knew it was time to stop when he got nauseous and had to sit down. We called it quits, I put on a new bandage, and he waited for his parents to return. He and his family left town soon thereafter, so I have no idea whether his finger needed further medical care, or not. We’re hoping it’s well healed by now.
Maybe we will be just fine and not suffer any major injuries, but there are so many potential dangers that come with boating and water sports. We also have daring young kids onboard! We will prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
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