chachita
Contributor
Diving in Curacao I had an unusual, painful and very debilitating accident, but as the emergency doctor said "if you're going to have a diving accident, this is the accident to have....". It was also stupid and embarrassing, but I'm sharing the story here because I've seen others make the same mistake and maybe my tale can prevent a similar mishap.
On Dec 30 I drove down to Porto Marie to meet two friends for a 3:30 PM shore dive. When I got to the beach, I unloaded my gear, placing my two 4-lbs lead weights, BC, mask, reg & other equipment on a tall counter and the tank, fins and other items on the floor. Then I sat on a beach chair and relaxed waiting for my friends. When they arrived, they also unloaded all their gear in the same spot and, after parking our cars, we set about gearing up.
While chatting away, I pulled the BC towards me, not realizing the lead weights were right underneath. The BC dragged the weight right off the counter and right onto the middle toe of my left foot. The impact was horrible but I managed to grip the counter closing my eyes to let the initial wave of pain pass. By the time I opened my eyes, there was a rapidly growing pool of blood on the floor.
None of the area doctors on duty answered their phone [not surprising on the afternoon of December 30...], so we headed off to the hospital in Willemstad. An excellent doctor, newly returned to Curacao after 20 years in the US, patched me up as best she could. The impact hit right at the tip of the toe and blew the front right off, so stitching was nearly impossible. Finally she managed to re-attach the hanging tip with stitches and tape.
Needless to say, the remaining vacation week was ruined as I couldn't even stand up. I was dreading the trip back [Curacao, Miami, La Guardia, Toronto], but American Airlines' wheelchair service was outstanding and made the solo journey, with tons of luggage, manageable and even comfortable.
I had no idea how painful and debilitating such a seemingly minor injury would be and I now have great respect for the lowly toe... At first, I tried going to work, wearing men's bathing slippers, but the moment I lowered the foot blood would begin coming out, so my doctor grounded me for two more weeks. We couldn't remove the bandage or take out stitches until after 24 days. I finally wore old loose mocs for two hours on January 30, exactly 1 month after the accident. It took three more weeks before I was able to wear regular shoes. After that the nail feel off and took 3 more months to grow back.
I've been diving twice since the accident and freaked out both times after seeing people put their weights on a table or a bench - so unfortunately I'm not the only idiot who does this, which is why I'm swallowing my pride and sharing this sorry tale with you all... :blush:
Please remember to leave your weights on the floor and, probably far more important: concentrate while suiting up!
On Dec 30 I drove down to Porto Marie to meet two friends for a 3:30 PM shore dive. When I got to the beach, I unloaded my gear, placing my two 4-lbs lead weights, BC, mask, reg & other equipment on a tall counter and the tank, fins and other items on the floor. Then I sat on a beach chair and relaxed waiting for my friends. When they arrived, they also unloaded all their gear in the same spot and, after parking our cars, we set about gearing up.
While chatting away, I pulled the BC towards me, not realizing the lead weights were right underneath. The BC dragged the weight right off the counter and right onto the middle toe of my left foot. The impact was horrible but I managed to grip the counter closing my eyes to let the initial wave of pain pass. By the time I opened my eyes, there was a rapidly growing pool of blood on the floor.
None of the area doctors on duty answered their phone [not surprising on the afternoon of December 30...], so we headed off to the hospital in Willemstad. An excellent doctor, newly returned to Curacao after 20 years in the US, patched me up as best she could. The impact hit right at the tip of the toe and blew the front right off, so stitching was nearly impossible. Finally she managed to re-attach the hanging tip with stitches and tape.
Needless to say, the remaining vacation week was ruined as I couldn't even stand up. I was dreading the trip back [Curacao, Miami, La Guardia, Toronto], but American Airlines' wheelchair service was outstanding and made the solo journey, with tons of luggage, manageable and even comfortable.
I had no idea how painful and debilitating such a seemingly minor injury would be and I now have great respect for the lowly toe... At first, I tried going to work, wearing men's bathing slippers, but the moment I lowered the foot blood would begin coming out, so my doctor grounded me for two more weeks. We couldn't remove the bandage or take out stitches until after 24 days. I finally wore old loose mocs for two hours on January 30, exactly 1 month after the accident. It took three more weeks before I was able to wear regular shoes. After that the nail feel off and took 3 more months to grow back.
I've been diving twice since the accident and freaked out both times after seeing people put their weights on a table or a bench - so unfortunately I'm not the only idiot who does this, which is why I'm swallowing my pride and sharing this sorry tale with you all... :blush:
Please remember to leave your weights on the floor and, probably far more important: concentrate while suiting up!
