Under the Knife (Part 2)

I got shown into what was described as the day room. This didn't inspire much confidence. It had physiotherapy equipment and an old pair of crutches. There was an old bookshelf with half a dozen books, a round table and 4 plastic chairs. The room was no bigger than a standard dining room. I saw no TV or anything to make it mildly welcoming. It could have done with a coat of paint. The last time I was in hospital for an operation was 30 years ago. I was quite shocked how things had changed.

At least I had come prepared and instantly whipped out my novel. I knew what to expect in NHS hospitals now. It was "wait" - with a capital "W". I had been asked to report at 7am. I had been up since 5am.

After an hour I saw the cheery face of my consultant. Despite a tendency to be skeptical and slightly critical of all things medical in the UK, I had warmed to this chap and had confidence in his abilities. That was until he drew an arrow in indelible ink on my calf.

"Don't tell me, that's so you you don't operate on the wrong leg," I chuckled.

"Correct," he replied. I found it hard to resist saying that one leg had a prominent Achilles tendon and the other didn't. You'd be hard pressed to miss the damaged foot. I was also concerned that the arrow seemed to be pointing up my calf and not down to the proposed incision point.

We went through a few other details and I was left alone again with my novel.

Another 45 minutes passed and in came a young chap who introduced himself as an anaesthetist. He went into huge detail about what I was going to expect. My mind drifted and for the first time I started to get nervous.

"... some bruises on your face. So don't be surprised." I caught the tail end of the sentence.

"Pardon? Bruises on my face?"

"Yes, because you will be face down, there may be some bruises to the face. But we will pad you up as much as possible."

This was turning into a nightmare. Luckily things moved on pretty quickly after this, which stopped me dwelling too much on wrongly placed incisions and being beaten up in theatre.

I was shown to my bed and efficient nurses buzzed about one at a time checking blood pressure and temperature, providing surgical gowns and strange paper thin undergarments, and firmly but politely conveying orders, which I obeyed without question.

"Are you chewing gum?" said one nurse.

The whole ward became silent and a dozen eyes looked at the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Me.

"Umm... yes," I replied. I'd taken to chewing nicotine chewing gum to help me stop smoking.

"Nil by mouth means exactly that!" She barked.

I considered challenging the comment by saying that it actually stated on the leaflet no eating or drinking, which in my mind meant no actual consumption of products. I decided not to. Such was their physical presence in their own domain.

I followed the pointing finger and limped over to the chewing gum receptacle with a bowed head.

I had just hopped back on the bed when almost immediately two blue-shirted porters came in and after the standard identity checks they started wheeling me away. I felt a twinge in my stomach as I knew that my time had come.

The hospital corridors sped by and I watched the sympathetic faces of patients, visitors and staff as I approached the theatres. I wanted to call out, "It's nothing serious, honestly."

Despite good timing so far, the theatre prep room harboured a delay. An embarrassed theatre nurse who was obviously briefed to guard me, tried to make small talk as she went through the identification procedure again and confirmed that I was "The Achilles". We talked about cats and dogs, neither of which I knew a great deal about. I watched as my pulse on the monitor swung between 75 and 95.

She looked at the arrow on my leg. "Ha ha. He's drawn the arrow upside down. Ha ha ha". I didn't laugh.

Eventually, the anaesthetist came in. Here we go. I took some deep breaths. A mask was waved in front of my face and something was injected into the cannula on the back of my left hand. "This will sting a bit but it won't last too long".

It did sting and it didn't last too long. I was out.

Under the Knife (Part 2)

I got shown into what was described as the day room. This didn't inspire much confidence. It had physiotherapy equipment and an old pair of crutches. There was an old bookshelf with half a dozen books, a round table and 4 plastic chairs. The room was no bigger than a standard dining room. I saw no TV or anything to make it mildly welcoming. It could have done with a coat of paint. The last time I was in hospital for an operation was 30 years ago. I was quite shocked how things had changed.

At least I had come prepared and instantly whipped out my novel. I knew what to expect in NHS hospitals now. It was "wait" - with a capital "W". I had been asked to report at 7am. I had been up since 5am.

After an hour I saw the cheery face of my consultant. Despite a tendency to be skeptical and slightly critical of all things medical in the UK, I had warmed to this chap and had confidence in his abilities. That was until he drew an arrow in indelible ink on my calf.

"Don't tell me, that's so you you don't operate on the wrong leg," I chuckled.

"Correct," he replied. I found it hard to resist saying that one leg had a prominent Achilles tendon and the other didn't. You'd be hard pressed to miss the damaged foot. I was also concerned that the arrow seemed to be pointing up my calf and not down to the proposed incision point.

We went through a few other details and I was left alone again with my novel.

Another 45 minutes passed and in came a young chap who introduced himself as an anaesthetist. He went into huge detail about what I was going to expect. My mind drifted and for the first time I started to get nervous.

"... some bruises on your face. So don't be surprised." I caught the tail end of the sentence.

"Pardon? Bruises on my face?"

"Yes, because you will be face down, there may be some bruises to the face. But we will pad you up as much as possible."

This was turning into a nightmare. Luckily things moved on pretty quickly after this, which stopped me dwelling too much on wrongly placed incisions and being beaten up in theatre.

I was shown to my bed and efficient nurses buzzed about one at a time checking blood pressure and temperature, providing surgical gowns and strange paper thin undergarments, and firmly but politely conveying orders, which I obeyed without question.

"Are you chewing gum?" said one nurse.

The whole ward became silent and a dozen eyes looked at the perpetrator of this heinous crime. Me.

"Umm... yes," I replied. I'd taken to chewing nicotine chewing gum to help me stop smoking.

"Nil by mouth means exactly that!" She barked.

I considered challenging the comment by saying that it actually stated on the leaflet no eating or drinking, which in my mind meant no actual consumption of products. I decided not to. Such was their physical presence in their own domain.

I followed the pointing finger and limped over to the chewing gum receptacle with a bowed head.

I had just hopped back on the bed when almost immediately two blue-shirted porters came in and after the standard identity checks they started wheeling me away. I felt a twinge in my stomach as I knew that my time had come.

The hospital corridors sped by and I watched the sympathetic faces of patients, visitors and staff as I approached the theatres. I wanted to call out, "It's nothing serious, honestly."

Despite good timing so far, the theatre prep room harboured a delay. An embarrassed theatre nurse who was obviously briefed to guard me, tried to make small talk as she went through the identification procedure again and confirmed that I was "The Achilles". We talked about cats and dogs, neither of which I knew a great deal about. I watched as my pulse on the monitor swung between 75 and 95.

She looked at the arrow on my leg. "Ha ha. He's drawn the arrow upside down. Ha ha ha". I didn't laugh.

Eventually, the anaesthetist came in. Here we go. I took some deep breaths. A mask was waved in front of my face and something was injected into the cannula on the back of my left hand. "This will sting a bit but it won't last too long".

It did sting and it didn't last too long. I was out.

Badgers At Work

After looking at Badgerwatchingman's recent post, on Sunday I decided  that my last trip out for a while would be to see if there was any activity at the local badger sett. They are reasonably accessible, so I was able to have quite a good look around.

I was surprised to see so much activity in more than one entrance which may go to prove (as stated by Badgerman) that they are getting their birth chambers ready. 

There were plenty of recent tracks around the south entrance and this is where there was much evidence of fresh digging.

Last year, I only spotted two cubs but got some reasonable footage of an adult badger collecting up fresh bedding.

It was a bright day but the wind was fresh. I enjoyed the short trip out. At first it made me a little sad that I would be missing this for 6 weeks or so, but on a more positive note, I knew that with a bit of luck, the tendon would be stronger for the surgery and I would soon be back doing what I love.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Badgers At Work

After looking at Badgerwatchingman's recent post, on Sunday I decided  that my last trip out for a while would be to see if there was any activity at the local badger sett. They are reasonably accessible, so I was able to have quite a good look around.

I was surprised to see so much activity in more than one entrance which may go to prove (as stated by Badgerman) that they are getting their birth chambers ready. 

There were plenty of recent tracks around the south entrance and this is where there was much evidence of fresh digging.

Last year, I only spotted two cubs but got some reasonable footage of an adult badger collecting up fresh bedding.

It was a bright day but the wind was fresh. I enjoyed the short trip out. At first it made me a little sad that I would be missing this for 6 weeks or so, but on a more positive note, I knew that with a bit of luck, the tendon would be stronger for the surgery and I would soon be back doing what I love.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Under The Knife

After a slight mishap last weekend and 4 trips to the hospital later, we've all decided that the best thing to do is it have surgery on my Achilles Tendon to sew it all back together. The ultra-sound scan revealed that I have indeed re-ruptured it.

The chances of re-rupture after surgery is significantly decreased as opposed to passive treatment and apart from the usual complications involved with surgery, the benefits are clear. So, next Tuesday I go under the knife.

The big draw back is that the recovery time is the same and I will be in a damned cast for 6 to 8 weeks, so I will have to relive the frustration of being immobile all over again.

This isn't the case at the moment as they've given me a brilliant piece of kit called an Aircast. The cast has a heel raise and you pump up the cast in 4 places to surround the injury with an air bladder. It supports the whole leg and you can put your full weight on the leg without any discomfort whatever. Robo-tracker or what!

I really wish that they would give me one of these after the Op but it seems this won't be the case.

Billy doesn't really care what cast I have. I think we'll borrow him for a couple of months to keep me company.

Apparently, the surgeon won't know exactly what he's going to do until he opens up the ankle. It will depend on how much the tendon has retracted. It might be a case of simply sewing the two ends together or, if the tendon has retracted too far, he will have to cut a bit of tendon from my toe and stitch that onto the Achilles. There's two in-between procedures which he tried to explain to me, but I was a little bored by then (having already spent 6 hours at the hospital on this occasion) and resigned myself, in a slightly self-pitying manner, to my fate.

[Image from www.pyroenergen.com]

This state of mind didn't last too long and even as they were extracting vast amounts of blood from my arm for the pre-op tests, I started planning a "last" trip to the woods on Sunday and a project or two during my recovery period.

At least I know what to expect and I console myself knowing that all being well, I fully expect to be out of the cast on 20th March, just in time for spring!

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Under The Knife

After a slight mishap last weekend and 4 trips to the hospital later, we've all decided that the best thing to do is it have surgery on my Achilles Tendon to sew it all back together. The ultra-sound scan revealed that I have indeed re-ruptured it.

The chances of re-rupture after surgery is significantly decreased as opposed to passive treatment and apart from the usual complications involved with surgery, the benefits are clear. So, next Tuesday I go under the knife.

The big draw back is that the recovery time is the same and I will be in a damned cast for 6 to 8 weeks, so I will have to relive the frustration of being immobile all over again.

This isn't the case at the moment as they've given me a brilliant piece of kit called an Aircast. The cast has a heel raise and you pump up the cast in 4 places to surround the injury with an air bladder. It supports the whole leg and you can put your full weight on the leg without any discomfort whatever. Robo-tracker or what!

I really wish that they would give me one of these after the Op but it seems this won't be the case.

Billy doesn't really care what cast I have. I think we'll borrow him for a couple of months to keep me company.

Apparently, the surgeon won't know exactly what he's going to do until he opens up the ankle. It will depend on how much the tendon has retracted. It might be a case of simply sewing the two ends together or, if the tendon has retracted too far, he will have to cut a bit of tendon from my toe and stitch that onto the Achilles. There's two in-between procedures which he tried to explain to me, but I was a little bored by then (having already spent 6 hours at the hospital on this occasion) and resigned myself, in a slightly self-pitying manner, to my fate.

[Image from www.pyroenergen.com]

This state of mind didn't last too long and even as they were extracting vast amounts of blood from my arm for the pre-op tests, I started planning a "last" trip to the woods on Sunday and a project or two during my recovery period.

At least I know what to expect and I console myself knowing that all being well, I fully expect to be out of the cast on 20th March, just in time for spring!

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Oil Lantern

I'm back from the hospital where they've sewn my achilles tendon back together. I'll post about that experience another day. Meanwhile let's get back to business.

I found a piece of lantern wick in the shed and decided that making some kind of rustic lantern would be a good project for the weekend I went to Mark's wood. I thought it might raise the temperature in my tipi just a little.

When we were cutting wood for the fire, I selected the bottom of a piece of birch about 3 inches in depth and set about removing the bark and roughly shaping the outside with my leuku.

I knew it would be a huge task to carve out the bowl so I decided to burn it out. I scraped out a shallow dip in the top of the bowl to hold a couple of small coals from the fire and blew on them to get the desired heat to start the burning process.

After quite a while with little or no significant progress, Ben gave me the idea of using a plastic tube (from a biro) to direct the air flow. After adding more coals and holding the bowl in my hand, I realised that I could indeed direct the heat more efficiently. I later found that I could control the burning and thus the size and shape of the hole using this method.

Every now and then, I removed the coals and scraped away the excess charcoal and wood.

The process took quite a while. I suppose all in all it took about 3 hours to get to the depth I required. Once this had been achieved, I took out the spoon knife and scraped out the bowl. I then realised that the wood burning had left channels and fissures in the wood. I could scrape out the larger channels, but the fissures caused by the heat were another problem.

If I left them, the oil would just soak right into them and not provide any fuel for the lamp. I mixed some sawdust and ash with a little water and worked the mixture into the bowl. I tried to add some pine resin and charcoal but the cold air solidified the resin too quickly to spread in the bowl. I had to be content with adding a bit of walnut oil in order to try and seal the whole thing.

After leaving it to dry out, I soaked the wick in olive oil and added some olive oil in the bowl. The wick was held up by a couple of stones. The result was a pleasing pool of yellow light emanating from the bowl. The oil lasted a good while proving that my mixture of ash and sawdust had worked, but of course, this would need to be sealed properly back home.

It looked like the wick was burning down too fast until I realised that it had to almost rest on the reservoir of oil instead of standing up too proud. A few final adjustments and a rustic oil burner was glowing pleasantly in the tipi, perhaps not providing a great deal of actual heat but at least providing a cosy sensation of warmth.

Oil Lantern

I'm back from the hospital where they've sewn my achilles tendon back together. I'll post about that experience another day. Meanwhile let's get back to business.

I found a piece of lantern wick in the shed and decided that making some kind of rustic lantern would be a good project for the weekend I went to Mark's wood. I thought it might raise the temperature in my tipi just a little.

When we were cutting wood for the fire, I selected the bottom of a piece of birch about 3 inches in depth and set about removing the bark and roughly shaping the outside with my leuku.

I knew it would be a huge task to carve out the bowl so I decided to burn it out. I scraped out a shallow dip in the top of the bowl to hold a couple of small coals from the fire and blew on them to get the desired heat to start the burning process.

After quite a while with little or no significant progress, Ben gave me the idea of using a plastic tube (from a biro) to direct the air flow. After adding more coals and holding the bowl in my hand, I realised that I could indeed direct the heat more efficiently. I later found that I could control the burning and thus the size and shape of the hole using this method.

Every now and then, I removed the coals and scraped away the excess charcoal and wood.

The process took quite a while. I suppose all in all it took about 3 hours to get to the depth I required. Once this had been achieved, I took out the spoon knife and scraped out the bowl. I then realised that the wood burning had left channels and fissures in the wood. I could scrape out the larger channels, but the fissures caused by the heat were another problem.

If I left them, the oil would just soak right into them and not provide any fuel for the lamp. I mixed some sawdust and ash with a little water and worked the mixture into the bowl. I tried to add some pine resin and charcoal but the cold air solidified the resin too quickly to spread in the bowl. I had to be content with adding a bit of walnut oil in order to try and seal the whole thing.

After leaving it to dry out, I soaked the wick in olive oil and added some olive oil in the bowl. The wick was held up by a couple of stones. The result was a pleasing pool of yellow light emanating from the bowl. The oil lasted a good while proving that my mixture of ash and sawdust had worked, but of course, this would need to be sealed properly back home.

It looked like the wick was burning down too fast until I realised that it had to almost rest on the reservoir of oil instead of standing up too proud. A few final adjustments and a rustic oil burner was glowing pleasantly in the tipi, perhaps not providing a great deal of actual heat but at least providing a cosy sensation of warmth.

Cold err...Snap!

The week has continued to remain cold with daytime temperatures not moving above freezing and night temperatures falling to between -4C and -7C.

On Saturday, I'd arranged to meet Kevin (Fenlander of http://www.naturallore.co.uk/) for a wander in Poor Park Woods, the woods local to me. The main mission was to set up a new parachute and take a few pics. I met Kevin a few years ago at a BCUK meet and despite living not too far away and "corresponding" by way of leaving comments on each others blogs we hadn't met up since then and it was great to see him again.

After circumnavigating the woods, we found a likely spot and settled down for a cuppa and beef steak pie. On the way round we thought we might have seen either fallow or muntjac creeping through the woods, but they were too distant to ID properly.

When setting up the camera for the required pose shot I got up too quickly and heard a dull "snap" from my ankle. The familiar pain returned and I knew that a bit of damage had occurred. The expression on my face shows the disappointment I felt at having to relive the nightmare (compare it to the cheery first photo on Kevin's blog!)

Nevertheless, there was little or nothing that could be done at that time and I watched as Kevin carried on to erect the parachute. He made a long centre pole, tied down some sides and it wasn't long before the 'chute was up.

These are cargo 'chutes, 3 together making up a single cargo drop. Check Kevin's blog to see if there are any more available. (I've got the one in the picture by the way :) Also on his blog he shows us how to make a tipi out of the same size 'chute. This is going to be a very versatile bit of kit.

We walked out of the woods unfortunately cutting short the trip. I returned home, applied ice and put my feet up. It's not as bad as the original rupture so I might just get away with ice treatment and putting my foot up for a couple of days. Just goes to show how careful you've got to be.

Thanks to Kevin for a great few hours and look forward to a more extended trip out in the near future.

Pablo.

Cold err...Snap!

The week has continued to remain cold with daytime temperatures not moving above freezing and night temperatures falling to between -4C and -7C.

On Saturday, I'd arranged to meet Kevin (Fenlander of http://www.naturallore.co.uk/) for a wander in Poor Park Woods, the woods local to me. The main mission was to set up a new parachute and take a few pics. I met Kevin a few years ago at a BCUK meet and despite living not too far away and "corresponding" by way of leaving comments on each others blogs we hadn't met up since then and it was great to see him again.

After circumnavigating the woods, we found a likely spot and settled down for a cuppa and beef steak pie. On the way round we thought we might have seen either fallow or muntjac creeping through the woods, but they were too distant to ID properly.

When setting up the camera for the required pose shot I got up too quickly and heard a dull "snap" from my ankle. The familiar pain returned and I knew that a bit of damage had occurred. The expression on my face shows the disappointment I felt at having to relive the nightmare (compare it to the cheery first photo on Kevin's blog!)

Nevertheless, there was little or nothing that could be done at that time and I watched as Kevin carried on to erect the parachute. He made a long centre pole, tied down some sides and it wasn't long before the 'chute was up.

These are cargo 'chutes, 3 together making up a single cargo drop. Check Kevin's blog to see if there are any more available. (I've got the one in the picture by the way :) Also on his blog he shows us how to make a tipi out of the same size 'chute. This is going to be a very versatile bit of kit.

We walked out of the woods unfortunately cutting short the trip. I returned home, applied ice and put my feet up. It's not as bad as the original rupture so I might just get away with ice treatment and putting my foot up for a couple of days. Just goes to show how careful you've got to be.

Thanks to Kevin for a great few hours and look forward to a more extended trip out in the near future.

Pablo.

Kit List Winter 3 Days plus 2008/2009

Carry

Fjallraven 75 litre pack

Shoulder bag (tools and accessories)

Sleep

Alpkit SkyHigh 800

Thermarest Prolight 4

Snugpack Stratosphere bivi bag (Ground dwelling)

DD Scout Hammock

Shelter/Rest

Auscam tarp 2.75 x 1.75 or

DD Tarp lightweight 3x3

Titanium Goat Vertex 5 tipi

Folding sit mat

Torch pack

Petzl Tikka XP Head Torch

Spare batteries

Small Utility pack

4 small bungees

6 Alu tent pegs

10m paracord

2 x hi-vis guy lines

Tea light candle

First Aid kit

Clothes

Auscam Poncho (packed)

North Face Cedar Ridge boots

Ullfotte 200gr (Base)

Thin Fleece (Inner)

Swaandri

SASS "Ventile" smock

Long Johns (depends on temp)

Cargo trousers (Outer)

Hat (Bush hat or cap)

Merino/Possum beanie hat (cold weather)

Ullfrotte Merino wool balaclava (Hammock)

Spare socks

Shemagh

Woollen fingerless gloves

Tool pack

GB wilderness hatchet

Spoon knife

Frosts Small carving knife

Laplander Bahco folding saw

Field sharpening kit

Camera

Compass/thermometer

Notebook

Tinder pouch

Belt

Small Possible pouch

Swiss Army knife (Huntsman)

Kuksa

Puuko/Leuko Cmbi knives

Neck Carry

2 inch Bison neck knife

Micro Torch

Jet Scream Whistle

Cooking

Bushbuddy or Optimus Crux

14cm Tracpac Alu billy

Plastic Thermo Drinking cup

Crusader cup

1 litre NATO water bottle

4 litre MSR Dromedary water bag

Hygiene Pack

Collapsible bowl

Foot powder

Antispetic wipes

Hygiene liquid

Food

Instant porridge mix

Bacon eggs

Mini bars chocolate

Mixed nuts raisons

2 x instant soup

Pre-prepared stew or fresh meat and vegetables or boil in a bag

Tea & sugar

Brandy

Pipe & tobacco

Additional (Tracking)

Tracking stick; Green torch; Measuring tape

Kit List Winter 3 Days plus 2008/2009

Carry

Fjallraven 75 litre pack

Shoulder bag (tools and accessories)

Sleep

Alpkit SkyHigh 800

Thermarest Prolight 4

Snugpack Stratosphere bivi bag (Ground dwelling)

DD Scout Hammock

Shelter/Rest

Auscam tarp 2.75 x 1.75 or

DD Tarp lightweight 3x3

Titanium Goat Vertex 5 tipi

Folding sit mat

Torch pack

Petzl Tikka XP Head Torch

Spare batteries

Small Utility pack

4 small bungees

6 Alu tent pegs

10m paracord

2 x hi-vis guy lines

Tea light candle

First Aid kit

Clothes

Auscam Poncho (packed)

North Face Cedar Ridge boots

Ullfotte 200gr (Base)

Thin Fleece (Inner)

Swaandri

SASS "Ventile" smock

Long Johns (depends on temp)

Cargo trousers (Outer)

Hat (Bush hat or cap)

Merino/Possum beanie hat (cold weather)

Ullfrotte Merino wool balaclava (Hammock)

Spare socks

Shemagh

Woollen fingerless gloves

Tool pack

GB wilderness hatchet

Spoon knife

Frosts Small carving knife

Laplander Bahco folding saw

Field sharpening kit

Camera

Compass/thermometer

Notebook

Tinder pouch

Belt

Small Possible pouch

Swiss Army knife (Huntsman)

Kuksa

Puuko/Leuko Cmbi knives

Neck Carry

2 inch Bison neck knife

Micro Torch

Jet Scream Whistle

Cooking

Bushbuddy or Optimus Crux

14cm Tracpac Alu billy

Plastic Thermo Drinking cup

Crusader cup

1 litre NATO water bottle

4 litre MSR Dromedary water bag

Hygiene Pack

Collapsible bowl

Foot powder

Antispetic wipes

Hygiene liquid

Food

Instant porridge mix

Bacon eggs

Mini bars chocolate

Mixed nuts raisons

2 x instant soup

Pre-prepared stew or fresh meat and vegetables or boil in a bag

Tea & sugar

Brandy

Pipe & tobacco

Additional (Tracking)

Tracking stick; Green torch; Measuring tape