Should her foot really look like that?
Hmm...This morning Emily seemed okay with her
ankle, but we weren't entirely sure whether it was okay or not. Our
worry was that when we leave for Asia next weekend, we'd want to be
confident that her ankle was okay and getting better. Although it was
bandaged up well (any sheep or cow would have been pleased with the
result!), we decided that we should get it checked a bit further, and
make sure there were no broken bones.
That
turned out to be a bit more difficult than we thought! We had to drive
to Whangerai Hospital, about 40 miles away on a windy, twisty, hilly
road. The rain, which had started at midnight, had caused the local
streams and rivers to surge, so we quickly came across a flooded road.
On the photo you can see where the road is – it’s the bit under the
water, between the white posts. We made it across, just, but we saw
two cars on the other side that hadn't! If it had been too deep, we'd
have had another 40 mile detour.
At
the hospital A&E the treatment was quick and efficient – after a check
from the nurse, and then an inspection by the doctor, Emily was taken
to have her ankle x-rayed, and the verdict was delivered. But unfortunately
it was inconclusive – she could have broken her ankle, but the x-ray
showed a shadow rather than a definite break. So they recommended that
we put her into a plaster cast for the next week, and then get it checked
before the plaster comes off. Two and a half hours later we left hospital
with Emily plastered up to the knee, and wondering what we should do
next.
Everything should be okay for the plaster to come off next week, but we'll have left New Zealand by then, and have flown to Singapore. Rather than head straight off to Malaysia, we'll stay a few extra days in Singapore, so that we can get Emily checked in one of their good hospitals, and then move after everything's been confirmed to be okay. It's better than it could have been – if she had definitely broken a bone, the doctor would have put her into a bigger plaster and recommended for it to stay on for six weeks, and we'd probably end up spending extra time in New Zealand. At least we'll be able to get to a beach in Asia for a quick bit of recuperation for her!
Emily's happy anyway, because she got to eat tea at McDonalds as a treat, and she got a get-well balloon signed by Ronald McDonald, and a little bag of goodies.
That
turned out to be a bit more difficult than we thought! We had to drive
to Whangerai Hospital, about 40 miles away on a windy, twisty, hilly
road. The rain, which had started at midnight, had caused the local
streams and rivers to surge, so we quickly came across a flooded road.
On the photo you can see where the road is – it’s the bit under the
water, between the white posts. We made it across, just, but we saw
two cars on the other side that hadn't! If it had been too deep, we'd
have had another 40 mile detour.At
the hospital A&E the treatment was quick and efficient – after a check
from the nurse, and then an inspection by the doctor, Emily was taken
to have her ankle x-rayed, and the verdict was delivered. But unfortunately
it was inconclusive – she could have broken her ankle, but the x-ray
showed a shadow rather than a definite break. So they recommended that
we put her into a plaster cast for the next week, and then get it checked
before the plaster comes off. Two and a half hours later we left hospital
with Emily plastered up to the knee, and wondering what we should do
next.Everything should be okay for the plaster to come off next week, but we'll have left New Zealand by then, and have flown to Singapore. Rather than head straight off to Malaysia, we'll stay a few extra days in Singapore, so that we can get Emily checked in one of their good hospitals, and then move after everything's been confirmed to be okay. It's better than it could have been – if she had definitely broken a bone, the doctor would have put her into a bigger plaster and recommended for it to stay on for six weeks, and we'd probably end up spending extra time in New Zealand. At least we'll be able to get to a beach in Asia for a quick bit of recuperation for her!
Emily's happy anyway, because she got to eat tea at McDonalds as a treat, and she got a get-well balloon signed by Ronald McDonald, and a little bag of goodies.