A Problem with Plumbing

The house was empty.  Dark, cold and dank.  Log homes hold their heat well, but it's always an all-day affair to go to town when you live in an off-grid area on a plateau surrounded by Boreal Caribou forests.  

 

I filled up the firebox and lit the stove to get the dampness out of the air, then out the door towards the powerhouse.  

I heard a shrill shriek above me. I looked up and saw the eagles skating in an ice-blue sky.  Sharp eyes always scanning for the elusive Kokanee, the Caribou's landlocked salmon.  So much fun to catch them but practice doing catch and release with barbless hooks until and unless you plan to eat them. 

A surprisingly feisty fish.  They jump and they soar through the air like birds over your boat and over your heads to the other side with a resounding "plop!"

A ballet of many, a flock of shining marine dancers. 

 

Dimly I heard the sound of a motorcycle starting to descend our driveway. It takes a bit because it's quite long.  It meanders with several bumps along the way always indifferent to the driver.  As it drew closer above and beyond the noise of the engine, I could hear sobbing and a quavering female voice asking for help.

 

I reached the gate just as she was coming through. I could see tears on the face of a young blond girl.

I quickly approached asking, "What's the matter hun?"

Stuttering she said, "My d dad was p putting a s swing in a tree and a b branch broke and he fell!  Can you p please come quick?!"

 

I followed her for about four kilometres to the cabin portion of Thunderbird Resort the forest reaching its arms around us as we travelled.  We went down another of the many indifferent, bumpy dirt roads and came around the corner to see an A-frame cabin surrounded by very large and tall conifers waving their limbs at a fallen tree.  At the base of that particularly large conifer was a big limb wrapped in a long yellow rope.

 

I jumped from the truck and quickly moved toward the cabin I shouted,  "Where is your father?  Mother must have taken him inside." she yelled.  I thought, "Hope she didn't move him too far...not a good idea.  Could be broken bones or a bleed."

into the cabin, we went and to my left, a frazzled wide-eyed lady was on the radio asking for aid.

"We need an ambulance right away at Thunderbird Resort as soon as you possibly....."  She explained the accident and her husband's condition and where we could be found.  She said that a woman had arrived to help.

 

Normally a 911 operator would stay on the phone but for two reasons did not.  One that I was a level 2 industrial 1st aid and the patient was conscious.  Two, this was a radio, not a phone, we needed to keep the airways clear.  The 911 operator explained that the helicopter was at least forty-five minutes away.

"No an ambulance to that area will take some time longer." Explained the 911 operator.  "We have no choice but to airlift him. Over." The attendant asked one more time for the status of the patient as she handed the radio to me.  

 

While his wife was on the radio, I was making a quick assessment of our patient. Not knowing the circumstances of the accident, as I just came here and didn't stop for explanations, I asked while I assessed.

 

One look at him was all I needed.  Just a sideways glance at him was explanation enough.  

Rolled into a ball with his hands between his legs holding his balls as if he had the greatest jewels in the world.  Red blood patches on his crotch, his face white and pasty.  Their eyes rolled up in his head. He was muttering over and over, "I fell out of the tree.  I thought I was ok on that damn branch...just wanted to put a fuckin' swing up but no...I had to fall out of the tree.  Fuckin' branch broke, and hooked my balls! Honey!! A fuckin' drink!"

I explained why having a drink or anything at this point was a bad idea and maybe tone the language down a bit with his daughter around.

He shrugged it off and insisted on his drink.  What can I do? I couldn't stop the man.  He got his drink despite a firm no...of course, I informed the ambulance attendants when they arrived!

 

I was able to have him lay straight on his back so I could examine him.  In the meantime, I gave both ladies a job to do.  I asked the wife to bring me an ice pack and some towels and ask the youngest lady to go and watch out for the ambulance attendants. 

While the wife got the items I asked for, I took a pair of scissors from my kit and gently cut up the outside seam of his sweatpants. I slowly began to peel the top of his sweatpants up from his ankles towards his groin area to the injury sight bottom up.

Slowly I folded the remainder of the cut sweatpants from the injury site having a cold compress ready in case there was a large amount of blood.

 

What beheld my eyes next would make anybody shiver let alone a man.

I saw two testicles completely devoid of skin. I saw two seminal tubes and some blue and red veins twisting around his testes connecting them to his body.

I was not quite prepared for such a site however recovered myself quickly to distract this man.

I operated as if I was an automaton just going one measured step at a time. I took the diaper option.  I packed his testes with the ice pack his wife had made. It held in place with gauze from my kit while the man began to chat feeling nothing.  All signs of mild shock.   

 

So the dilemma is this person is in shock so we generally want to keep him warm and comfortable. Then we have a possible bleed out in a sensitive area of the body. Normally we could cut off the blood flow from that area. so I had to think about that.  It's why I opted for the diaper idea, I wrapped it tight around his thighs and it held the ice pack in place at the same time.

 

During the wait, our patient got a little bit more lively and decided it was fun to tease his wife that another lady was looking at his balls.

Then his daughter rushed in to say she saw two uniformed men coming through the forest.  I took a quick peak and I saw the ambulance attendants carrying a gurney with no legs designed for rough terrain.

 

Quickly they loaded their patient up and began the journey towards the helicopter after having passed on my information.

I turned to the wife and daughter and asked them to please get in contact with me to let me know how he was doing.  I jumped in my truck and headed back to Bonaparte Resort.

 

I don't remember much of the ride as I was still a bit shocked at what I had witnessed and been involved in.  I suppose it's to be expected when one works in the field of medical care.  Still, I felt bad for the man.

 

Weeks went by and we settled into our usual resort routine.  

Another day came when everyone was off to town again and I had just returned. I wasn't feeling like going in the house and unloading just yet.  My heart was hurting over the death of a young girl that I attended the day before. 

 

Kicking rocks in the driveway, feeling like a failure, I wondered why shitty things had to happen to small children. I looked up when I heard the growl of an engine.  Down the driveway came a red pickup and inside was the man with the horrific testicle injury.

He got out of his truck appearing to move smoothly without any winces of pain or adjustments in his gait.  

He said to me, "Well, I've got both of my nuts and I can still procreate.  Not that I want to, I've got four children already!' then he chuckled.

"Anyway I wanted to come here and give you this card and invite you to come and have a drink with us tonight at the cabin." I said, "I would be pleased to," and opened the card.

Inside was a lovely thank you note and two joints.  I gave my thanks and promised to see them later.

Later on, that night with my cousin we went to the cabin stood around the fire and toasted each other over a saved pair of clackers. 

Although I would have preferred the life of the child to be saved as well, it was perfect timing on a day of sadness to end with at least a bit of levity.

 

Later on that night, my cousin dropped me at the resort in front of the house.  A kaleidoscope of stars wheeled above me.  Clean, fresh air sobering me up...I looked towards the house.

No light could I see in the windows, no movement at all.  My mother and her husband had not returned yet and must have decided to spend the night in town.  I'll know when I go and check the radio.

 

The house was empty.  Dark, cold and dank.

The hair on the back of my neck began to rise.  Goose bumps spread up my arms.

I swore I could feel the presence of a small young girl......