I reluctantly write this post as my propensity for injuring myself is at the point of embarrassing. Anyway always believed in honesty.
In my last post I was demonstrating my external rotation in the lovely surrounds of Bali. On our second last day I headed off for a beautiful and safe 6km run along the foreshore in front of a series of resorts in Nusa Dua. You wouldn’t believe anything could go wrong. Well I managed to disprove that theory. About 1.5km from home I tripped on a piece of concrete and being in my running sling, fell forward with only my right hand to support me. I hit the found hard taking lots of skin of my right hand and knee and then lurched to the left and without a hand to support me rolled splitting my left eyebrow open and crashing to the ground.
I gathered my thoughts and with blood flowing staggered back to the hotel where I was taken to the clinic, a doctor called, and my head stitched up with 4 stitches. As I sat up after being stitched I had an agonising pain in my side. I decided to go to the toilet and when I urinated I was alarmed to see lots of blood. To say I went into panic is an understatement. I was quickly sent to the local hospital and a quick ultrasound followed by CAT scan revealed a Grade 4 (the second worst) laceration in my left kidney and a leakage in the ureter leading from the kidney to the bladder. I couldn’t believe this had occurred from a simple fall. It is fair to say no one wants to be facing the possibility of surgery in a Balinese hospital. I was no exception. The doctors at the clinic consulted a urologist in Bali and the decision was made not to operate but immobilise me for as long as it took to stop the bleeding. Luckily the visible blood in the urine disappeared after 24 hours but it continued at microscopic levels. I was relieved to have avoided surgery. I must say that the Bali International Medical Centre was a high quality hospital with outstanding facilities, doctors, nurses and hygiene. I was so lucky to have been sent there.
After 4 days I was allowed to leave the hospital in a wheelchair and sent back to the hotel for another 3 days. They wanted to then test my blood to make sure the counts were higher enough for me to fly. The accident happened on our second last day so we were facing an extra week in Bali. After 3 days we nervously went back to the hospital for the blood test hoping for a good result as we were desperate for the safety of home. Luckily the result came in at the correct level and we were able to fly home the next day, exactly a week after the accident.
On return to Australia I have now been assessed by a urologist and had further CAT scans and I am progressing well. There has been no further bleeding and I am hopeful of no complications going forward. The urologist has indicated I have to be vey careful as a further bleed could result in the loss of the kidney. We have agreed that I should do nothing but exercise by walking for the next 4 weeks and then I can gradually rerun to running and swimming. I am in no rush to take risks.
As you lay in bed very ill you consider why and how this can happen? I am not sure of the answer except to say I was bloody unlucky as all the doctors can’t believe a fall could cause the injury I received. There is no doubt the most likely cause was the sling. As I fell the arm in the sling was rammed into my side and I suspect the elbow gouged into my side compressing the kidney. Also running in the sling has changed my style and I do tend to do a version of the Cliffy Young shuffle.
I am committed to getting myself healthy and maybe stop pushing myself so hard, but not sure how long this will last as I love the exercise and the sense of achievement that goes with it. I will miss the City to Surf and instead be the support crew for Kerry, my wife who I put through some very stressful times. I hope to still run the 10km at the Noosa Triathlon in early November.
I look forward to 4 relaxing weeks and the dogs can expect daily works.