Call 112!

Ah the catchy telephone number for the emergency services in Denmark - and other European countries. At least in Britain, when in need of help while falling to the floor after being stabbed by your wife you can easily remember and type 999 on the telephone.

The reason for calling the emergency stories? I was shot by terrorists/insurgents in Bjerringbro. No really. No re... well just no then.

Rather embarrassingly, I fell off my bike and was off work for two weeks. Oh yeah...

Here's the LOWDOWN (not associated with that BBC 1 television show):

I was cycling along on a wet late Wednesday (22nd of September) afternoon on my way home from work on my super cool, trendy, manly bike (which has now been changed). I was going pretty fast, though not sure how fast, upon approaching a 90 degree right turn. As this was my usual route I usually swing out to the left and cut in for maximum speed (ahh Grand Turismo), however, on this occasion there was oncoming traffic (Danes drive on the right hand side of the road) so I had to take the corner rather sharply. For some reason here they pave the junctions of minor road onto major with cobbles and as it had been raining early, the cobbles were quick slippery thus resulting in both wheels giving up with Mrs Friction and me landing right knee first into some jaggy cobbles and then some rolling and scratching and hurting. :)

I managed to get up and hobble about thinking it wasn't so bad until I looked down at my right trouser leg which was all ripped (this was after the hospital as I didn't have my camera at the scene of the accident, and if I did...yes I would take photos :)). Upon closer inspection I saw this (Note that this was a Crime Scene Investigators on-site visual representation of the wound). A big rip/hole just below the knee cap. I could actually see the muscle. The yellow bits are fat, as I later found out at the hospital.

So I had to flag down a passing van and after the usual "Do you speak English?", he phoned for an ambulance. The nearest hospital was in Viborg (about 30km away) so I had to wait for about 25 minutes before it arrived. Although Denmark has a national public health service the ambulances are operated by a private firm called Falck.

At the hospital, after the usual "Sorry, I don't speak Danish", I was seen to. Though I did have to wait for 10 minutes in the hallway on a bed. They had to check to see if I had damaged anything else by prodding inside the hole (oh yeah) but luckily I hadn't and just got anaesthetised, the wound washed and stitched up.

The A&E room and equipment was fairly dated (around the 70s) but everything looked very clean. The doctors and nurse were friendly and efficient so it wasn't long until I was out. I was to return in 12 days (as I didn't have a local doctor) for a check up and to remove the stitches. Now I understand why the 40% tax! However, it doesn't cover a free ambulance ride home :'( So I had to hobble to the train station.

As my right trouser leg was a right mess I had seriously considered tearing the other leg "just to match" thus avoiding looking like a fanny. :O Instead I just folded the flaps over and tucked it in my sock to cover my leg, thus NOT looking like a fanny ;)

I spent the next two weeks off work confined to the house resorting to watching daytime Danish cable TV (the topic of another post soon to follow = yeah!) Most things were a challenge, like putting on socks, as I couldn't bend my knee (too sore and I was afraid I might burst the stitches). I couldn't get the wound wet as I could get an infection because it was so deep, so even showering was a challenge (had to use a plastic bag and a belt as no string, wooo...thanks mond). On that Monday past I returned to the hospital for an appointment at 10.30am, which I arrived at 10am. I had just sat down to read thinking I could be there for some time, when an nurse called me in and took out the stitches, a doctor examined me and was out of the hospital at 10.25am. Go 40% tax!!

Everything was healing up well but I had to try to keep bending my knee as the muscles had seized up because I hadn't used them in 12 days. Quite sore but I managed to go some walks, one of which I got semi-lost in a big forrest by myself. Was like Mirkwood :D

Was back to work yesterday, which I managed to cycle to but I could not overcome The Hill. I'm glad to be back, mainly because of The Internet (it's been 2 weeks!) but the project I'm doing is really enjoyable.

Right, home time now. Have to move my stuff downstairs as this floor is being refurbished. The rest of the employees on this floor are relocating to another building far away (30 mins walk) but as Andy and I need lab access we have to stay here, so I'm getting a new desk in the lab downstairs. Andy's new desk is somewhere upstairs.

Finally,

I saw you wrapping presents but it wasn't even anyone's birthday

Good day sir,

--
mond