stephanie is: 
sore…
so… i had just let a dog out for his potty break after nap time today (at work, obviously) and was going back to shut the crate door when a big bull dog broke free from someone’s grasp and hauled ass towards the door. the back of my knees were directly in his path. so my legs buckled involuntarily and as i collapsed the corner of the open crate door raked up my bare back under my tee and sweater. ow. i was rendered useless for a few seconds – kind of like when a little kid falls down and it takes a second for the pain to really register before they start to wail. i didn’t cry, which amazed me, cause my back fucking stung.
everyone came over to help and since i couldn’t see my back i lifted my shirt to let them assess the damage. they all winced and an assistant manager took me off to where we keep the first aid. i was dying to see it because it was ooging everyone out so much, but she told me i didn’t. a coworker took a quick camera phone photo while it was being cleaned so i at least got an idea of how long the scratch was.
we were out of medical tape so the assistant manager used band-aids to stick the gauze on. she apologized and said she went a little ocd with them, but i was grateful for the extra padding and to have my shirt not stick to the open parts of the injury. after that, everyone who asked to see it just saw
i still had 2.5 hours to go on my shift (a 9-5 shift that spans parts of both of the normal shifts) and two of the evening staff had calling in sick, so i stayed. i was scheduled to be in the lounge so i was able to take it easy. there were some angsty dogs that needed to be separated into the lounge, so i felt guilty for sending them back into the main rooms at 5pm, but at least many had gone home or calmed down by then. i needed to get home to take a look at my back and decide if i need to go get a tetanus shot (as the corner of the metal wire crate door had been rusty. danny had messaged me so i called him back to tell him about what happened. he was in a bad mood for having to wake up in the middle of his “night” for a lame meeting, so i didn’t get any of the sympathy part of me was hoping for. my general shakiness turned into a few tears after i got off the phone, but i got over myself quickly. i’m not a baby, so i shouldn’t expect coddling.
when i got home, danny peeled off the band-aids for me and this is how it looked (i had to take a picture since i can’t see my back up close). the scratch starts at my bra but isn’t significant until several inches down. then it gets progressively deeper till a little bloody cut right at my waistband. this picture shows the scale.
after some floundering (and reading the symptoms of tetanus), i decided i should suck it up and go to the clinic for a shot. i was pretty sure i’d need one since i hadn’t gotten once since college. i had to wait about 45 minutes before going back to triage, for my vitals, but they called me back to an exam room fairly soon after that. danny went to get some ingredients for dinner at a nearby store while i was back there.
they put me in the far curtained partition of an exam room and had me put on one of those backless gowns instead of my shirt. then they left me there to shiver for about 10 minutes. i occupied the time by reading and rereading all the labels on the cabinets and drawers. on the counter directly in front of me was something wrapped in blue hospital paper/cloth and on the masking tape read “BONE SAW”. there was only one label in red instead of black and it said “restraints”. the nurse call button had written on the switch-plate below it “pull cord for nurse”.
i heard the doctor make rounds to the other two people sharing the room, then he made it back to me. he took a look and said he’d have it cleaned up and then i’d get a tetanus shot – that even if i didn’t have a scratch on my back he’d give me one since it had been so long. the assistant who had given me my little gown cleaned and treated the scratch. the doctor came back with papers for me to sign and then was followed by a nurse bearing my shot. i have a pretty high pain tolerance so i didn’t think that it would be that bad, but i closed my eyes just in case since so many people say shots are awful. when i barely fet it go in, i opened my eyes and scoffed at how silly i was being. i stab myself with sewing needles all the time and that hurts 20 times worse. when she was finished, she left me saying i was all done. funny how when i take my doggies in for vaccinations i get a aper going over what reaction symptoms to watch out for, but they just gave me a card with the date on it and left me in a cloud of dust. i stepped out into the hall, disoriented as i always am when leaving an exam room, and had to ask another nurse how to get back to the lobby.
now i just get to look forward to a sore arm on top of my painful back. should make rebraiding my hair for the trip lots of fun. and i will look extra sexy in my bikini on vacation – especially if i bruise up. the end.
danny cooked himself a steak tonight so my belly is full of a baked potato and salad,mm. i am craving something sweet, but i don’t know what.
i want to leave you with some happier pictures instead of my back wound… enjoy!
me and two coworkers at the pet fiesta. i am a dork.
jo protecting our booth from under the table.
i must head upstairs to rebraid for a bit, then try to get comfortable in bed. thankfully i sleep mostly on my stomach, but i have a feeling i will be waking myself up throughout the night anytime i roll over. ouch.
how was your day?