The dangers of boating not (for those of a delicate constitution)

When I took my boat trailer in for it's 6 monthly warrant of fitness, the mechanic said the tyres were splitting from sun and age, and to replace them before the next warrant.
So I organised with our tyre place to get the tyres and a time to do the job. So I rolled up and went for a walk while they fitted them, I returned, payed for the work, and went to step over the front of the trailer and missed, not lifting my foot high enough, tried to recover with the other foot but I was too far foreward.
I hit the road mostly on my right thumb, a scrape on my nose and a few loose flaps of skin on my right shin from the drawbar.
Nobody had seen my dive, so I mopped up the blood on my leg and my thumb, and realised I could not bend the thumb, a bit more wiping of the thumb showed a bit of bone showing in the gash under the first joint. Now about 12-30.
Time for a bit of medical help, ever tried parking a car and trailer in a busy town? Found a park 5 minutes walk away and presented at the desk, but shortly after I had sat down a nurse walked past saw my leg and said she would be back directly. When she returned I said the leg was not the main problem and showed the thumb.
Whisked in to a treatment room and shortly had 2 nurses and a doctor reviewing things. They patched up the leg, saving one skin flap and covering the other 2. It was quickly decided that Accident and emergency was the only option for the thumb. I have scraped my leg many times, and it does not particularly hurt, sometimes I do it and the first thing i feel is blood running. The thumb did not hurt apart from feeling not right, so I said I would organise getting to the hospital 45 minutes away.
Walk back to the car and drive home, and get Judy to help unhitch and put the boat back in it's spot. Good job the car is an auto. I had a coffee and a quick lunch.
Knowing A&E departments I gathered a few things to pass the time, a book and some food, and with a pad around the thumb drove to the hospital. The doctor had booked me in so I was seen fairly quickly, shot down for X rays and back to Diagnostic and Assesment ward.
A senior nurse later put the joint back into place under local anaesthetic and cleaned a bit of road out of the wound.
They were a bit busy and it took a while for a surgeon to come and have a look, he said they would have to clean the joint in surgery either that evening or next morning, so no food or drink. I was sitting in a waiting room about 8-30 when my son Robert turned up, he had only been there 5 minutes when an urgent call to action came, I was whisked to a prep room installed in a hospital gown (unisex) put on a bed and rolled to theater.
The anethsetist said they could do the job with an arm blocker not a general, as I said I was happy to watch what they did, but next thing a mask and no more till i woke up in a ward same as waking up at home, the only difference my hand in a cast, but at least the fingers were free.
Another Xray next morning and then the surgeon came and said they had pulled the joint out again to properly clean the wound, I had not cut the thumb, the joint had burst out. So discharged, I said if I could walk in a straight line down the corridor, I could drive home.
Some 2 months later, the thumb usable but the tendon has adhered to the wound and I cannot bend the first joint much and the ouside tip is a bit numb, but most of the strength is back and no pain.
Sorry there are no pictures, I had other things to think about.
The cast seriously interfered with fishing, And of course a couple of days later a charter boat skipper rang to say they had a spare place on a trip----- but at least the weather was too rough to do much most of the time.

That was a bad day Rhod , I hope you`ve got some left hand wind reels.

After that I might hold off replacing my boat trailer wheels and tyres...

sounds like you have a formal trailer inspection down there that we don't have here but which sounds like a jolly good idea

Nasty
Your description of the tyres sounds like me

That was bad luck Rhod I hope the hand gets back to what it was.

Glad to hear you`re on the mend Rhod.

Thought we hadn`t heard much off you lately.

Glad your on the mend mate

Sorry to hear about your accident Rhod,let's hope your thumb gets back to normal.
Probably find you will have to change pockets for your bits and pieces.
I got my finger in a grinder years ago and had a skin graft,(right hand) even using my left hand in the urinal was a problem

I have most of the strength back, just cannot bend the joint more than 40 degrees from straight. It rarely hurts, just have to adjust to a slight restriction in it's use. The reason it will not bend anymore is that the tendon has stuck to the scar tissue inside as it healed. I can still catch fish, just hold the reel handle a bit differently, When winding fast, I used to drop the handle occasionally now I drop it a bit more.

Rhod Lloyd wrote:

I have most of the strength back, just cannot bend the joint more than 40 degrees from straight. It rarely hurts, just have to adjust to a slight restriction in it's use. The reason it will not bend anymore is that the tendon has stuck to the scar tissue inside as it healed. I can still catch fish, just hold the reel handle a bit differently, When winding fast, I used to drop the handle occasionally now I drop it a bit more.

Haha,makes you wonder what would still be working if we lived to 200yrs( wouldn't change it though)