Writing prompt: personal essay
Being the typical Irish-American, I sunburn. I am as pale at the end of summer as I am at the beginning. My own Mom once asked me if I was wearing white nylons under my shorts, that’s how pale I am. Not only do I burn easily, but I’m also allergic to sunscreen. This combination creates some unique challenges. Big hats and shade trees are my friends.
I make regular visits to a dermatology clinic for preventive maintenance. We live in a small town in a rural area, so the nearest dermatologist is over an hour away. During a routine checkup the doctor found a suspicious spot on my forehead and scheduled an appointment to have it removed. He told me it would be a topical numbing agent, so I wouldn’t need to bring a driver.
Unbeknownst to me, this routine procedure was going to be performed by his physician’s assistant-in-training. The first thing they did was numb my forehead. Shortly after the physician’s assistant started, a heavy unexpected pressure pinned my head to the chair and something wet trickled down my neck and into my ear. The PA whispered to the nurse to get the doctor. I could tell something was wrong and started to feel a tingle of apprehension. The nurse ran out of the room and rushed back with the doctor.
I realized the wetness running down my neck was blood and the pressure I had felt was the PA trying to get my head to stop bleeding. She had nicked a major vein and as we’ve all learned from TV shows, head wounds bleed, a lot. It took them awhile to get the bleeding stopped. By the time they were finished, I needed eight internal stitches and six external stitches.
A bandage had to be taped on and then wrapped in gauze to keep it from falling off or getting wet. By the time the doctor was done I was sure he had used an entire roll of fabric. Everything but my face and the back of my head was fully covered. I was three loops short of being a mummy. He then told me he called in a prescription and that I needed to leave for home immediately because in about an hour, I would have the worst headache I had ever had. He also gave me a note excusing me from work for the rest of the week.
The look on the other patient’s faces in the waiting room was priceless. When I entered the room, all eyes were on me. As I hobbled out to my car I could see their heads turning to watch me as I made my way across the parking lot.
The drive home was even more interesting. I received the classic double-take numerous times. I drove home as fast as I dared and when I passed cars, the drivers would glance over, then stare at me slack jawed, eyes wide open when they realized that the person who was overtaking them had her head wrapped in gauze like an escaped hospital patient.
In my imagination I heard the 911 calls to dispatch. “There’s an escaped hospital patient driving down Interstate 84. Her head is wrapped up like a mummy and she’s speeding.” Luckily, I made it home without incident. My husband picked up my prescription and met me when I got into town, so I wouldn’t have to go into the pharmacy.
The doctor was right. I had the worst headache ever. Blood had soaked into my hair and dried. It was stiff and crackly, and my scalp itched like crazy. I had dried blood in one ear and down my back. I wasn’t supposed to shower because I had to leave the wrap on for three days and I couldn’t risk getting the bandage wet. I knew I was going to stink. This was not a welcome development.
To add insult to injury, two weekends prior to this, I had been in a horseback riding accident. I had road rash all over one shoulder, a bruised face, and had to use crutches to walk due to a severely sprained ankle.
My boss was not pleased when I stopped by to show him the results of the day’s activity. I knew he wasn’t going to believe it unless he saw it first-hand. He had the same look as the drivers I had passed on the way home. I had already missed work the week prior because of the horse wreck, and now this. He mumbled something about how one person could be so unlucky. I worked at a mortgage company at the time and we had a big file review coming up. The timing was not optimal, but what’s a girl to do. These things cannot be planned.
When I got home, our landlord was walking by as I was getting out of the car. I received the now familiar double take from him and he asked what happened. He shook his head in disbelief when I told him my story.
I still go to my yearly dermatology appointments. I go to a different doctor. I consider myself fortunate that I made it thirty-eight years before ever needing stitches.
12 August 2018