I’ve been working on destroying the inside of my sister’s new house. Her boyfriend, Peter, and I have been taking the kitchen tile up with chisel and hammer. It’s been good that we’ve been wearing goggles and work gloves because chips have been flying up and hitting me in the goggles and face.
Today I was chipping away and a piece broke off in a triangular shape. The sharp tip flew back gashing me across the left wrist. Blood spurted out immediately and I applied pressure with my dusty work glove. Peter responded to my “Oh shit,” and ran to find some paper towel. I elevated my legs and Peter applied pressure to my wrist with the towel as Eleanor went to get the car.
I stayed calm since the bleeding stopped, but it was a nasty wound; I could see muscle tissue. I started thinking about how much it would cost me to go the the ER. I was considering walk-in clinics. But we only knew where the ER was, so we went there.
My wrist was cleaned and bandaged in triage, but I started blacking out and getting pale face. After a few minutes, I was fine again. I registered and found out I had a $100 co-pay. Good thing I had health insurance.
After two hours in the waiting room, I got called in. The nurses irrigated my wound with sterile water, numbed my wrist, and then sewed me up with eight stitches. I looked at my cut and realized how close I was to cutting my artery. I mentioned this to the nurse and she said it’s better not to think about it. I started feeling light-headed.
I’ve got to go back in a week and get the stitches taken out. What’s good is that it’s a follow-up and I won’t have to pay anything more.
Update: I didn’t want to wait in the ER for 2 or 3 hours, so I took the stitches out myself six days after the cut. Toenail clippers, tweezers, and alcohol. The cut still looked pretty raw and ready to gape open if I gave my skin a yank, but it’s scabbed up well since.
