Not Again!

Since I put up a quite mysterious status on facebook, people have been inquiring. But I didn't want to write anything up until I had talked to my parents. Well, I just got off the phone with them, so here is what happened.

On Tuesday, one of my 11th grade classes had practice for the dragon boat race (this is a boat that fits about 25 people and you paddle on both sides). Carsta said that I could at least participate in their practice, to kinda see what it was all about. They asked if I was stronger on my left side or right side, I said right, naturally. What this meant was that my left arm would be the arm that would do the general swinging motion and my right arm would be pumping the paddle through the water.

After being told how to do it a few times, I thought I had kinda gotten the hang of it. We had left the dock, and were paddling against the current. We then turned around and decided to practice the fast strokes. We did the first set, and all seemed good. The next set was a set of 15 fast strokes and 30 regular speed strokes. During the fast set, somewhere in there, while I was bring the oar back down (or maybe up, not sure). The left shoulder became dislocated (again, this happened in November). At first I thought it was like last time, and that it would pop right back in, so I didn't say anything. The student next to me saw that I had stopped paddling and asked what was I wrong. I informed him what had happened, and he then informed the guy in charge of the boat.

Yay God moment here: we happened to be right by the dock. They got me out as quickly as possible (which was clearly not rushed or quick) and called for a doctor and an ambulance. As I was waiting, they sat me down, and my vision started to get really strange. It didn't get blurry, but pixilated, and I couldn't really make out too much, and my hearing also went strange. Everything was in a murmur, could still understand when people were talking to me and I could respond, but it just wasn't clear. The ambulance came, they gave me an IV and some crazy drugs to stop the pain. After they secured the arm, put me in the ambulance and drove me to the hospital.

I have never taken hard drugs before, and I never want to, this was an awful experience. I couldn't make out anything around me, I didn't feel like me, and clearly had absolutely no control over anything, even my own thoughts, I just wanted the whole thing to be over. But then the drugs started wearing off, and the pain was awful. Now add in that everyone is speaking German to me, and I am trying to respond as best I can in whichever language comes first.

The doctor was able to speak English to me, which I was incredibly grateful for. They had to take X-rays to make sure there was no damage to the bones. Thank goodness there wasn't, and after getting more drugs, they put my shoulder back into place. I was then given a totally sweet brace, because the ligaments are stretched out, and so I have to wear it for 10 days, then I get to see the doctor again. What a great send off from Germany!

When they asked if I had anyone to look after me, I said that I could call Carsta and probably spend the night at her house. And she happened to show up right at that moment (yay God!). She did take me home, and of course made me feel as comfortable as possible. The drugs made it so that I couldn't keep any food down, and I was also exhausted from the whole experience.

It doesn't really hurt now, but only have one arm to do things is a pain, oh well, it is what it is.