[Nicola_Red]

I was given morphine (or diamorphine, one of the two) as a pain killer when I burnt my nads.

It'll have been morphine. I've had a shot of that after most of my operations. They only give out diamorphine to people who are really, really sick cos it's so easy to create a dependency, which is then harder to recover from than the original illness! Obviously that's not an issue when the person is very unlikely to recover full stop.

[MK Chris]

... when I burnt my nads.

Come again?*

Well, when I was about 15 in the Easter holidays, I was getting splitting headaches, and the doctors were closed, so my mum took me to the Saxon surgery in Milton Keynes General, who gave me these crystals to inhale in hot water. So, next morning, I boiled the kettle, filled a bowl with boiling water, dissolved the crystals in it, sat down in the living room with a towel over my head and the bowl in my lap.

Unfortunately (not being the steadiest person in the world) I flinched. Then I screamed somewhat. My mate who had stayed overnight made me get in the cold shower, which I did and he then phoned my mum to tell her to come home from work, which she did.

Mum drove me to Milton Keynes hospital, where at one point I was given gas and air and at another point they gave me morphine. They told my mum off for not calling an ambulance, as it would have been cleaner than the car, but she wanted to get me there ASAP. I did get to go in an ambulance though, from Milton Keynes to Stoke Mandeville Burns Unit, where I spent two nights. Luckily, I managed to get away with not having skin graphs, though they were talking about it at one point.

*no pun intended.

Lying toerag.

[foot-loose]

Good grief!

... did it sort out your headaches?

[MK Chris]

Well, suffice to say that, though the headaches were splitting (it was sinusitis, which I never wish to suffer from again.. they were worst headaches of the tear-inducing kind), I didn't notice the headaches again! The crystals did help a lot, I inhaled some the previous evening as well (without incident). I was somewhat annoyed to discover that eucalyptus would have had the same effect with minimal risk of personal injury.

[foot-loose]

The whole ordeal sounds pretty nasty.

[MK Chris]

With hindsight, it was really quite a silly thing to do in the first place.

Hindsight is brilliant, isn't it?

[ladbroke]

Well, suffice to say that, though the headaches were splitting (it was sinusitis, which I never wish to suffer from again.. they were worst headaches of the tear-inducing kind)

I'll second that, sinusitis was quite possibly the most pain I've ever been in, it felt like I was going to die. Once the antibiotics kicked in it was the sweetest feeling

[Sunny So Cal]

Migraines feel like you're dying, too. As do gall bladder attacks. Oh, and giving birth. And, yeah, hindsight's 20/20. You poor thing, Toph!!!! Did they say the crystals in the water had any affect on the skin, too? For instance, whatever oils that were in there would have remained on the skin even when you took cold water to it. My older sister pulled a pot of boiling water over on herself when she was a toddler. Her back has these horrible ripples where the skin just melted from her shoulder and rolled down her back. It's tough to look at.

[MK Chris]

Did they say the crystals in the water had any affect on the skin, too? For instance, whatever oils that were in there would have remained on the skin even when you took cold water to it.

They didn't mention it to me, but it had occurred to me and it probably happened.. they asked me questions like how long did I leave the water after boiling it, I think they thought that it was more painful because of the crystals.

My mum gets migraines, though not so much any more (touch wood.)

[Sunny So Cal]

Depending upon the chemicals, they could have adhered to the skin and blistered worse. Horrible!

I've only had 2 or 3 migraines ever. And, before you make another comment about me being the same age as your mum, I'd had the migraines when I was your age and none since (touch wood.)

[Nicola_Red]

Migraines feel like you're dying, too. Oh, and giving birth.

Thank God giving birth is something I'll never experience! My bro and mum get terrible migraines, I don't seem to have inherited that, touch wood.

I think the worst pain I ever experienced was after the operation where they removed my external fixator and did the bone graft from my hip and put the metal plate in my thigh (see the "what did you get?" thread in Ramble for more on that!) I just remember crying hysterically when they lifted me off the bed onto a trolley to take me up for x rays. I also lost 3 pints of blood and nobody realised for a couple days, during which time I fainted, threw up anything I tried to consume and ended up with a heart rate of 130. Turned out my white cell count was less than half of what it should be. Fun times!

[MK Chris]

Typical! When you think you've had a really bad injury, there's some smartarse who's had a metal plate inserted into their thigh.

[Nicola_Red]

Ha, sorry Toph! I've never had an accident as such - everything I've had done has been related to my hip dislocation. I always win the best scars contest too - the only one I've seen that was anywhere near as good as mine was a girl I used to work with who'd had a kidney removed.

[Diffusionuk]

it all deepens

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/01/03/ngreening103.xml

[S4B]

Luckily, I managed to get away with not having skin graphs, though they were talking about it at one point.

**Contemplates pointing out that it's grafts not graphs - sensitive subject so decides against!**

[Sunny So Cal]

Tactful choice.
Oh, and Nicola, that sounds horrific!

[MK Chris]

Luckily, I managed to get away with not having skin graphs, though they were talking about it at one point.

**Contemplates pointing out that it's grafts not graphs - sensitive subject so decides against!**

That would be more logical. Oops.

[Andy B]

I had a mental picture of bar charts covering your body like giant tatoos or summit. Mind you the scale would only go up to 1 where it was needed most!

Guffaw guffaw chortle (he said in a Beano stylee)

[S4B]

I too had a mental picture but unfortunately I paid attention to where these "graphs" would be placed! Didn't make me feel well at all!

[Sunny So Cal]

Imagine how Toph felt!

[S4B]

I'd rather not think about it at all!

[Sunny So Cal]

So...about them books....

[S4B]

Nice change of subject!!!

[Sunny So Cal]

I was afraid we'd venture into the discussion of Toph's size and how perhaps a "giant tatoo" wouldn't exactly be relevant

[MK Chris]

I'm bored with those sorts of discussions now. It was fun for a while.