Oh boy what day. I think ‘ordeal’ is fitting. But it starts of as a regular day.
Today is one of the deepest tidal crossings. Low tide at 11 am and with only 3.5 km to the crossing, this means a late start. I was glad to be sleeping inside because it was raining in the morning. Just when we left at 9 am, the rain cleared. Immediately after leaving the campsite, Te Araroa follows a trail. Bit muddy but I walked on my sandals to keep my shoes dry till after the crossing. I had a small slide in the mud, so I walked carefully on the rocks approaching the estuary crossing. I walked with Tim. Ron was right behind us and Carry was waiting another hour to cross exactly at low tide.
And than
Disaster struck
I slipped on the rocks
Tim directly asked if I was alright. I saw a bit of blood on my left hand and right knee. No extreme pain. So I said I was fine. Until I saw my right hand. I saw a deep cut on the palm of my hand. So deep that I immediately felt dizzy and went into panic mode: ‘Ooh nononono’. Tim came quickly and suddenly Ron was there too. He stood behind my back so I would fall because I was close to fainting. They put down a foam pad so I could lay down and I felt immediately better.
Both men were a bit unsure what to do. So I started issuing instructions. They got my first aid kit out and I grabbed with left the items needed.
So step 1: betadine to clean the wound (although it was bleeding so it probably didn’t do much)
Step 2: put a dressing over it, because my plasters weren’t big enough
Step 3: put tape over the dressing and use the tape to close the skin as much as possible. The tape is located at a different spot and so Ron grabbed his. But although ducktape can be used as a last resort. I preferred to use medical tape which removes easily from the skin.
Step 4: put on a pressure bandage.
When this was all done, it was time to take a photo (for the blog). I thought I would continue and take the first road out. But the way back with 3km was shorter. Both offered to go with me to the hospital, but I know both are keen hikers and I can go by myself.
On the way back, I saw Carry. She offered to go with me and confessed she really didn’t feel like hiking today. I gratefully accepted her offer.
Back at the beginning of the track was the campsite and the kind lady searched for someone to drive us. Meanwhile, I kept my hand high as I had no idea if it was still bleeding.
Once arrived at the medical center, Carry had to write down all my information. I was seen very fast and luckily they confirmed it needed to be stitched. I mean it would have been embarrassing if I nearly fainted at the sight and the doctor would laugh, put a bandage on, and sent me on my way.
As I really cannot look at it. They covered it up every time someone looked at it. It became clear that all my wounds (also on my knee and left hand) contained oyster shells at thus needed to be cleaned.
Eventually from my left hand, she dug a shell of 0,5cm out of my hand. She flushed my deep cut, but it wasn’t enough. The first X-ray showed still fragments in the cuts (apparently there was a second deep cut near my fingers).
As the flushing was unsuccessful, they needed to brush it. So they put in local anesthesia which hurt so much!! Like needles going straight through my nerves. In addition, they gave me laughing gas. It didn’t take away the pain, but it gave me something else to focus on.
The nurse started to clean the cut with a brush. I focused on the trees I could see from the window and tried to ignore her exclamations if another large shell fragment came out. I also needed laughing gas, because parts were still painful. After she was finished, I was sent to the X-ray. As shell fragments would light up on an X-ray they could check if the cut was clean.
Unfortunately not. So more brushing. This time by the doctor herself and it started to hurt. So I clinched to the laughing gas. Now the feeling for me was like falling asleep. You can still hear and feel, but your mind registers it very slowly. And so when I realised the doctor was talking to me, I needed a minute to get rid of the fog and to open my eyes.
The conclusion was that she couldn’t do more. One last rinse and if the X-ray would still show fragments, I needed to go to the hospital to get it surgically cleaned. Or as she called it, I needed to go to the theatre. Really confused, but apparently the surgery room can be referred to as the theatre.
The X-ray didn’t show fragments amd so the doctor was happy to stitch me up. But first, more local anesthesia. Damn!!
Smd even worse, I could still feel the needle puncturing my skin. So it wasn’t even completely numb. I breathed in so much gas, that my fingers started to cramp. Not the best when they stitch your hand. Near the end, she kind of questioned if the anesthesia was working, but as she said ‘almost done’, it didn’t feel like there was much point in saying that indeed it wasn’t completely numb.
I should have said it, because she was unhappy with two stitches, so she redid them. Lovely.
Before they covered it up, I need to wash the blood and mud from my hands. The nurse was incredibly kind and helped me. Still unable to look at my hand.
Finally around 4:30 pm (after almost 6 hours) I was ready to leave. Getting my prescriptions in the pharmacy (another week of antibiotics and painkillers) and taking the bus to Auckland.
When the local anesthesia wore off, the pain was intense. I don’t think brushing a 3cm deep cut is the best thing in terms of pain. However, I was and am very grateful that no nerves and no tendons were sliced through.
The doctor recommended a check-up on Sunday as oysters are notorious for the bacteria and thus a high infection risk. By that time, I was in Wellington to stay with the most kind people! (Kath, Ellie, and Keith, thank you so much ♥️). Kath accompanied me, but everything looked fine.
On Wednesday however, I received a text from the medical center, saying I needed to go straight to an emergency room as there was still a shell fragment in the wound. The medical center didn’t see it on the X-ray and sent me home.
A bit worried, because if it was an obvious fragment, I would never been stitched. Indeed on Thursday, the doctor called and recommended me to get an ultrasound.
So I did and indeed a 2mm big shell fragment was still in the cut. I was really concerned. Afraid of the infection risk, but also terrified of the thought of cutting open the stitches and re-stitch it afterwards.
I went to the hospital and they decided to leave the fragment in, extend my antibiotics and delay the removal of the stitches (was supposed to be the next day).
The pain became less over the weekend and the removal of the stitches on Tuesday wasn’t too bad. Still unable to fully use my hand, I decided to go back to the trail but to only walk the boring flat bits. Or so I thought.
A personal thing in the Netherlands made me reconsider. So instead of walking boring bits, I decided to go home to the Netherlands and spend two weeks with friends and family.
Just before Christmas, I returned to New Zealand. I will continue TA, but I’ll skip the rest of the North Island and continue with the South Island.
Zilla-in-the-wild 