Friday, August 3rd, 2007...8:49 pm
Ouch!
These days I am playing on two softball teams and I also play in a wiffle ball league. That means I often have three games a week. Not this week. I’m on the disabled list with a bum leg.
Last Thursday, I slid hard into second base. I usually wear sweatpants but it was kind of hot and I decided to play in shorts. On top of that, the infield was flooded so we were playing on turf in the outfield. When I popped up I looked down at my leg and the entire top layer of skin on the outside of my left leg was burned off. It didn’t hurt much and the glistening and raw skin looked kind of cool. On the very next play I tried to score on a single and ended up sliding into home. I was safe but this slide wasn’t as graceful and I rubbed my leg in the exact same spot. I instantly realized I was screwed as my leg was now glistening bright red and was super painful.
Here is where the story gets good. First, let me set the stage. I play on this team with the guys at work. We have yet to win a game this season (0-5). Before that we played on a dodgeball team and went winless (0-7). In our softball game the week before we lost a heatbreaker. Our centerfielder had apparently made a game ending diving catch, but he lost the ball as he rolled over to show it to the umpire and two runs scored to end the game.
This time we were losing 8-4 with last licks. We rallied to score a few runs and I actually came to the plate as the winning run. I ended up hitting a shitty ground ball but the second baseman misplaced it and everybody was safe. The girl after me singled and I was now the winning run standing on second with the bases juiced and one out. The next batter struck out to make it two outs. I wanted to score on anything so I was taking a huge secondary lead after every pitch. The next batter hit a grounder to third. I had a good jump and saw that it would be a bang bang play at third. If I slide I’m safe! I was too afraid too slide though. I slowed down but still somehow run over the bag. The third baseman bobbled the ball but recovered to tag me out as I tried to return to the base. The ump calls me out and inexcusable rules the run doesn’t score to end the game with another painful defeat.
Everybody was arguing and was too confused by what happened to give me a hard time. I was kind of pissed with myself but realized it probably was the smart move. In hindsight, I know I made the right decision. Check out these three photos of my leg from this week. Imagine what it would have looked like if I slide it on it again. The top photo was snapped a day after the injury and the bottom photos was taken just now.
This is as good of a raspberry patch/scab as you are going to see. I tell people I fell off my Harley and they believe me. The only downside is that it hurts like hell. The first few days I would pour hydrogen peroxide on it. The pain left me screaming on top of my lungs like I was Jack Bauer in a Siberian torture chamber.
I’m becoming a bit of a hypochondriac in my old age. I’m convinced my leg is going to get infected. I tell people its going to be a staph infection although I have no idea what that means. Furthermore, I don’t see it every healing. My body isn’t smart enough to figure out how to heel this thing and grow skin again. Every day it gets more gooey. The best/worst thing ever is when it sticks to the bandage. The only way I can remove the gauze is if I soak it in my bathtub (randomly I have a bathtub with Jacuzzi jets in my apartment).
Hopefully it heels. I’m not really sure what the protocol to do is otherwise. My resident/doctor friend told me I’m fine as long as it doesn’t turn black. It not black so I guess I’m fine (law of modus tolens).
Here’s to hoping this thing heals. Follow along on my blog sidebar as I’m going to snap a photo every few days.
