In my short life I've had a good dose of close calls (a couple where I was hurt pretty bad, but lived...if that counts). Most of mine were during my Timber Falling days. I guess it appropriate to share why I am sitting here so bored today after having my third Nasal surgery.
First off, in 1999, Humboldt county CA, I was falling timber for Columbia Helicopters, falling some nice second growth redwood, busheling away when I hacked into a loaded limb about 3 inches diameter; nailed me right on the end of the nose; instantly started gushing blood and eyes welled up with tears; Nose looked like bozo the clown(I kind of felt like him too). Started having trouble after that with my sinuses when...along came another nose breaker...
2001, same area, same company, working on my 12th straight day; fell two small, grown together second growth redwoods on a steep sidehill. They lodged against a small fir and everything looked stable; at least to a physically and mentally exhausted timber fallers eye. Jumped on them and plugged in my tape, ran down to 40' where they were about 12" diameter, (remember they were two exact same size trees grown together, as is fairly common with second growth redwood). Last thing I remember was bending over to take my measurement. Next thing I remember was feeling my self tumbling with these two trees sliding up my back; life flashing before my eyes, literally, thinking "this is the end" seeing a mental picture of my Wife and kids and thinking how hard this was going to be for them; Anyhow, the trees tumble over my back; all action stops and they end up below me, with me sitting on my butt in the brush. I was ALIVE!! I Turned around and looked up the hill where it all started...about 100'...kind of funny how I only remember about the last ten feet of my journey? Then I notice blood all down front of my shirt? Also notice I can only see out of one eye; could not see out of other eye but felt something dangling on my cheek??? My heart stopped for a second because I though my eyeball had gotten torn out??? Took my glove off and started feeling around; pushed up on dangly piece and...tada...I could see again! (although everything was red through that eye because of the blood)! It was my eyelid that was torn down and hanging over my eyeball. Nose was gushing blood, had a hole poked under my chin that was bleeding, my back, chest, shoulders, neck, head, legs, arms, and feet all hurt...and I was thinkin that I might have some broken bones. Called my cuttin pard on the radio which I was carrying in a chest pack, and he helped doctor me, and helped me out of the brush.
Still not sure how I made it out of that one alive and with only a torn eyelid, broken nose, and some sore joints. I have a picture somewhere; kind of looked like Frankenstein; luckily I am a good healer, and I am here to tell this story! Okay, so the lessons learned? Slow the hell down so nothing like a loaded limb gets you, and don't work yourself, or let others influence you to work yourself into a state of fatigue where you might let something slip by, like an unstable leave tree on an unstable slope. It has been 11 years since these two mishaps. My eyelid took about a year till I could close it all the way,(yes I slept with one eye open), it also played hell with getting saw chips in it. My shoulder is kind of bad (rotator cuff), but my nose has probably been the biggest problem. I had the first nasal surgery in 06 while living in Alaska, had another in 09 to get rid of scar tissue from the first one, and now I had to have another to get it opened up some more, and get rid of scar tissue from the last surgery. This time they are leaving stints and a tube in it for six weeks to try to keep it from scarring back in so bad. Also they took out some bone back there and drilled a hole to the other side of my sinuses. Hopefully I will be able to breathe out the right side of my nose now, and be able to blow it, and sleep on my left side, and not get so dang many head colds! Sorry about the long post, just have nothing better to do but share why I feel so miserable today. Be safe out there, and always be vigilant, and have respect for what can easily kill you.
Here I was a few weeks after it happened, and right before I returned to work.
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you sure learn quickly how to judge distance!
