Gary D.

[Gary D.]

Day Three (Tuesday):

I get up just prior to 1100 and my left arm feels like I got run over by Amtrak and I can’t move it. Into a hot long shower and it frees up so I get dressed and head for the office.

I get there around 1230, pick up my patrol car from the shop after a service and go next door to marine. Now I notice I have a full size Marshmallow sticking out of my elbow with sharp little stabbing pains when I move it. Still laughing about it we do the FNG gear issues and go over the SOP with the entire team. We have also added two S&R members for surface support. They just got their DRI Surface Support certifications.

We finish that and start some gear inspections. Now the swelling and pain is spreading, rapidly. So I tell the guys what I want checked and to look over each others gear, I going to ER to get this checked.

At the ER the doc checks my ear first then the arm. He says I’m getting an infection so I need some antibiotics, pain pills and be off work for a few days. ???? NOT FRICKIN NOW!!!!!:11: So I ask; Need a favor doc, can you set my off work time to start after midnight? He asked why so I tell him it’s a dive night that I’M NOT missing it. He says he will because he knows me and I’ll do it anyway. I tell him if this was not an IOD I would but it is so I WILL play by the rules. He gets me a sling, calls in the scripts and the note which reads off work starting AFTER dive training. It pays to know the ER docs.

I leave and return to Marine in time for lunch. We head for a local Italian restaurant and the dozen plus of us get seated. Now more changes take place, I want nothing to do with food. I order a small dinner salad and a 7up which took me the entire dinner time to get through.

Then we leave for the Spokane Valley YMCA pool.

More later, been up and hour and it’s time for another long horizontal deco.

Gary D.

 

[Randy43068]

I missed day 2 of your story.

 

[Randy43068]

Gary I hope you get better sooner than later. Rest well friend!

Randy

 

[Gary D.]

Day Three continued:

While in route to the pool I stop by my normal pharmacy and pick up the prescriptions ER called in. I drive around the corner and pop the antibiotics but the pain med is going to have to wait.

A few minutes later we get to the pool, sign in and the guys unload the camera equipment for me. Dive gear stays in the car I know when to call it. They get suited up and ask me what I want them to do. They’re big boys and I’ll bet everyone knows what I’d like to see without asking.

One of the seasoned divers grabbed the FNG and worked with him. I might say a bit gentler than I would have but as I watched I was impressed on the care and attention to detail they showed.

As time went on I kept getting worse so I sat against the wall next to the pool watching as good as I could. As I sat there a guy comes up and asks, Are you SB Gary D.? I say yes and he introduced himself and said he dives with Rick a lot. I feel so bad that I don’t remember his name but I was hurting I know I wasn’t sociable at all. I hope he reads this and will accept my apology.

A few minutes later it lay down time. I get on the bench the Marine Sgt. is on and every time it gets quite I’d ask him what’s up. He kept assuring me they were ok.

Towards the end of training I’m feeling better. We clean up, pack up and head for home. They offered to drive me home but I felt that I’d be fine. I should have taken the offer. Twice on the way home I had to pull over and sit a couple of minutes.

I get home, take the pain meds, shower and get to bed. Pain levels of 6-10 were the norm through out the night.

Day Four (Wed):

In bed all day still at 6-10.

Day Five (Thurs):

Wobbles and I had eye appointments at 0900. After that we over we go to Occupational Health at the hospital.

No appointment but we go right in. They take my vitals and when the doc comes in his mouth drops and orders the nurse to get me downstairs to ER NOW.

In ER the doc says you’re going IV antibiotics as an out patient for the next three days. Get Morphine and then the IV. They cover up the plug for later use, Doc marks the infected area with a Sharpie and we go home. Just have to be back at 1330 on Day 6 for another IV.

Still on Day 5 Wobbles and I are in bed watching TV. The pain is much lower so I reluctantly ingest two saltine crackers. At 2030, right in the middle of Ugly Betty I get an itch. I reach over to scratch it and come back with a soaked hand and skin under my nails.

I tell Wobbles to turn on the light. It was OH Crap call ER. She does and they say they will call back. 5 minutes later they call and say get in here within the next few minutes. I think we checked in Thursday at 2110.

Time for more horizontal deco time. Updates later.

Gary D.

 

[do it easy]

Ohh this is so suspenseful now!!! We better get him a shot of epinephrine so that we can hear the rest of the story. At this rate, it will be next month before we get to day 8 and the super Q-tips. :11:

Get some rest Gary and get well!

 

[Kayla]

Ill never watch Ugly Betty in the same way again.

 

[james croft]

Please tell me there's a spongebath in this story...

 

[Missdirected]

I love gory. Now back to the skin and nails

 

[Gary D.]

Day Four continued:

New ER doc sees that my elbow and arm have over doubled in size in just the past 8 hours. He gives me another Tetanus shot even though I’m only into the current one 3 years. He orders two different IV antibiotics and says get ready for at least a 48 hour stay.

He tells me to remove my wedding ring. I tell him it’s just fine and a long way away from the problem. He tells us it won’t be in a few hours and gives me some slick stuff to get it off. It was hard taking it off and handing it to my wife.

Right after that who walks through the door but Godzilla herself right out of the lab with her cart of harpoons and various size bottles looking for blood. :mfight::11: As long as she’s munching on that banana I’m safe so please don’t let her put it down. CRAP she dropped it and is headed my way. :shelli: Drooling and snorting she fills up a syringe with more of my DNA than the stock tanks we have for the livestock. Thank god she’s gone.

2 minutes later she’s back and gets another load. OK now there is a frickin limit to the amount of holes I can handle in my hand.

Turns out that the ER Doc is saving one load of blood for later incase it’s needed.

By 2200 I have a CNA in the room ready to take me to my new upstairs motel room. Within 10 minutes and still dressed in street clothes I get the first IV. Man these people are on speed or something.

That first IV I’ll get every 12 hours and the other one I’ll get every 8 hours. So far between 1300 and 2400 I get 3 different IV’s and enough pain meds to keep it under control.

Day Five (Thurs):

5 IV’s, no desire to eat anything at all, drinking lots of water, 1 small box of milk went down and no sleep. See two docs.



Back later after more horizontal deco time.

Gary D.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Woah! Has that mess turned green and started stinking yet? Yikes! Take good care of yourself Gary and get healed up. What a story
Ber :lilbunny: