This is now my third rollerblading incident.
The first two were in Australia a long long time ago (ie. before getting married). The first was a literal head-on collision with a fellow skater, breaking my cheek bone, and the second was a manhole cover that caused an abrupt stop and a ripped-up elbow. And each time we skated off to Melbourne's finest trauma hospital, the Alfred Hospital for a patchup. We were hard-core back then.
But now I'm older, though apparently not wiser. Should I still be doing this?
Friday night and I was out skating with the London Friday Night Skate team. Perhaps 10 meters short of the final junction I took the right side of the road to get to the front of the stationary traffic. Not sure how, but I ended up on the median strip where little round stones are embedded in the concrete. I landed on my right arm and one of the stones opened up a fairly big hole, perhaps the size of a 50 pence (or 50 cent) piece. Couldn't really see the wound that well due to the angle, but I could see underlying muscle... and blood, though not that much (dripping rather than spurting)
Hmmm... time for hospital and stitches again. Damn.
Our first aid team decided that I wasn't worth cleaning up, and did a fantastic job of wrapping me up instead. They (rightly) refused to let me skate to St Thomas' hospital, and got me into a reluctant taxi instead - for some reason he didn't want blood everywhere. Neither did I - I also preferred it to stay inside me.
Seven hours of NHS sponsored waiting later and I emerged - 9 stitches and an armful of bandage. Whilst on the 5:30am train home, I realised the really painful part was still yet to come - explaining it to Elly that daddy can't lift her or bathe her. And explaining to mummy just how dangerous skating can be...
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