Lockdown is scary, especially, when it means that you are cut off from any ER. Read how we had to cope with injury during lockdown in a very Alaskan way.
- A real life funny Alaska story
- Temperatures in the double negatives from December to March
- Friday the workout went wrong
- The outcome
- How we had to cope with injury during lockdown
- Color display after four days
- Top of the World Style linkup No. 255
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post.
A real life funny Alaska story
Purple, red, orange, yellow, green and blue are the colors of the rainbow. And you can find them in my wardrobe. However, today’s post isn’t about the first rainbow of spring. No, it’s not about a new dress either. Instead, it’s part of the outcome of a workout gone wrong and work performed because of Covid 19. And, it’s a typical Alaskan story about fixing problems – even when it is an injury. Even in normal times, when you need medical help in Alaska, you have two problems. Prior the virus and the related lockdown, it would have been hard to understand for someone who never lived way up North in winter.
Temperatures in the double negatives from December to March
Prior to Christmas Eve, temperatures dropped, and dropped and dropped. Forty below zero made you not to go anywhere. You just wanted to remain inside and stay warm. January had no better idea either, temperaturewise. Februray just copied January (see the February lookbook for the tempertures). So we hoped for sunshine in March with the daylight now being longer than night. Instead it snowed as if somewhere on cloud nine someone were singing “let it snow, let it snow.”
In early March, we already had cabin fever and still two month to spring. During spring break, we got lockdown. Now it wasn’t the weather, but fear to go somewhere. Worst of all, the dance studio closed. Thus, I used snowshoveling as my twice-a-week workout. The weather was cooperative by bringing one load after the other.
Friday the workout went wrong
Snow shoveling is probably as boring as jogging without an iPod. I didn’t feel like it, but the work had to be done. We were expecting the grocery-delivery guy later in the afternoon. To stay safe in Interior Alaska, you can order your groceries online.
The driveway was covered in a foot of new snow from the storm the day before. Thus, I went out to clear the way. After 1.5 hours, the job was almost done. There was just a yard-wide stripe left to finish. I pushed the shovel under the snow and just wanted to start lifting it up. There was ice underneath the snow and I slipped. I fell on the handle of the shovel with my wrist and onto the concrete with my elbow. Ouch.
The Outcome
When I stood up, my hand, wrist and arm looked S-shaped. Damned! All you need is a broken arm right now! In a time, when first care is reserved for Covid 19! When travel between communities is prohibited and the ER is in Fairbanks! All you can get right now is a zoom meeting! Now what? How to cope with injury during lockdown? I went inside.
What we did with the injury
When I showed my injury to my husband he got pale like a ghost. All I thought was, he gonna throw up. “Do you think it’s broken” he asked. “It looks worse than it hurts.”
I took an ice pack from the fridge, put it onto my wrist and tried to straighten the S out – with no success. Meanwhile hubby had been upstairs to get a bandage. When he came back down, he put my arm and hit against it to test my reaction. It didn’t hurt. Then he put my arm on the table pressed the wrist and hand down in the right place. No, it didn’t hurt. He added some Aspirin cream, put a kitchen paper towel over it, and wrapped the bandage around my hand-wrist-arm disaster. The end of the bandage was fixed in place the Alaska way – with duct tape. I was like “If you can fix it with duct tape, it’s not broken.”
Color Display after Four Days
The photos show the beautiful colors of the accident after four days as well as the imprint from the kitchen paper towel as well as the bandage. Really Last Frontier.
How would you have to cope with injury during lockdown? Can you go to a doctor face-to-face right now? Let me know, I am curious. Stay safe, sane, healthy and in style!
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Top of the World Style linkup No. 255
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Photos of me: G. Kramm
© 2013-2022 Nicole Mölders | All rights reserved
Nicole, you are insanely hardcore in my book! That was old-school frontier medicine at it’s best, and you will never have to pay for drinks after telling that story in any bar in the U.S.! Just hope your arm and you recover well enough after all this. Be safe.
Yikes, Nicole! Hope your arm heals well! PS my friend sliced open his finger while chopping vegetables and sewed his own stitches after watching a YouTube video because he didn’t want to go to the ER! 😉
Cheryl Shops
OMG! I am shocked about your injury!! I hope it’s healing well for you. I enjoyed reading about the “Alaskan way!” Lol! Duct tape is such a lifesaver, isn’t it? And thank you for featuring my photo! What a lovely surprise. I am thrilled and honored. Take care of that arm!
xx Darlene
Oh, Nicole. That looks so bad. I’m so sorry. It must be excruciating. This isn’t a good time to go to the ER; I would go only if there is no other option.
Oh, my poor, sweet Nicole! Bless your arm that it may heal perfectly. I wish you could get a doctor. – Love, Angie
Good god! Your arm was in an S shape the wrong way and it didn’t hurt!? Good old duck tape and a bandage will do the trick, just fine. A very Northern England way of thinking too; that and witch hazel solves everything. Hope it works out okay in the end for you chuck xx
Oh my goodness, you poor thing! Yes, I agree! This is a horrible time to get injured. I’m glad it is doing better. It is so, so easy to slip on ice!
Carrie
Oh No! That’s awful for you Nicole. I do hope you are feeling okay and not in too much pain! I wish you well soon Hun. Jacqui x
OMG…your poor arm. I’m glad it’s getting better.
XOOX
Jodie
Oh my! That sounded like it hurt! Your hubby and you came up with a good solution. Duct tape can fix anything! HOpe your arm is recovering.
jess xx
Yeee-ouch!!! Hope you heal up soon.
Wow that was so crazy! Everything is locked down here as well. The doctor’s here in Ga are also doing televisits (not sure of the correct terminology 🤔). Your husband did good! Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Nicole – I hurt for you. I hope your arm is healing…you are a trooper. Stay healthy and don’t do any more snow shoveling!
Yikes! I hope your arm feels better soon and heals well!
Oh no! Poor you! HIdden slippery ice is treacherous (I know a thing or two living here in cold Montreal!) But that duct tape idea is great though! Hpe you’re feeling better soon.
I feel like this would have been an emergency enough to go to the doctor but looks like you all did a great job taking care of it. My mom has been going to her doctor’s appointments but she is recovering from chemo and radiation treatments so I am assuming that is the reason.
Ouch! That looks like it really hurt and I hope that your arm and wrist have heal quickly! I think we can go to the doctor if it’s an emergency. Thank you for the linkup!
Jill
Oh my goodness! That sounds and looks terrible! So you never saw a doctor, not even a zoom doctor? I hope you can have a professional look at it soon.
Oh my word, Nicole! That looks painful. So were you able to at least Zoom in with a doctor for them to tell you if you need to be seen? This is like my worst nightmare right now…having to go to the ER for any reason. I hope your arm heals quickly and properly! Stay safe!
Shelbee
How crazy is that! This would definitely be something we could still go to a doctor for. If bones are broken, that qualifies you for a visit. Hope you heal well. Stay ever safe.
Oh my gosh! That indeed looks terrible! I hope it recovers well!