Yesterday i had my first experience of a hospital. I guess I've just had an oddly lucky and healthy little life. I've never broken anything, never thought iI'd broken anything. In fact, the most serious thing that i've had is tonsilitis. And lets face it, thats hardly an A&E situation. But yesterday, i dislocated my shoulder. Its quite amusing, since i saw a thing on TV where a guy dislocated his shoulder and had to have it put back in, i've always thought about dislocations way more than breaking something. If i broke my arm, i think i'd be quite surprised, but for some reason, i wasnt partiularly surprised about my shoulder. In terms of the injury iself, that too was fairly amusing. The experience of being able to feel the gap between your shoulder and your arm is one which i think everyone should have. Cos it's just so gross and so interesting and just a very odd but very cool reminder of how the human body is made up, and how easy it is for something to just pop out. I was also amusingly lopsided for a fair few hours, but only I noticed it, cos i know what i'm supposed to look like, and i know when my arm is hanging down 3 inches lower than it should be. One thing i keep getting asked: Was it painful. In short - yes. A horrible consistent aching pain all the way down my arm, kinda like a cramp actually in my shoulder, occasional twinges of bloody agony, and then just insane discomfort. Knowing that your arm is not where it's supposed to be = not fun. Thats another thing you wouldnt think you'd notice; all the time, you actually feel how close your limbs are in relation to the rest of your body. The thing that frustrated me most was feeling my arm much closer to my body than its supposed to be, and not being able to move it back to where it's supposed to be. After a few hours, i got used to the pain, and it was just annoying. People don't give enough credit to the NHS. The hospital was actually great. I had to wait about an hour in A&E, but thats just because right before i was about to be called in, an ambulance came in with a little person. Which is fair enough. After that, i went to see the pediatric assessment nurse, she was lovely. I told her i thought it was dislocated, she said, 'you know, i think you might be right' and called in a proper doctor man who took one poke at me and agreed. Normally, after seeing the assessment lady, i would have had to go back out and sit in A&E waiting to be seen by the doctor. But he came straight in to the assessment room, and prescribed me some Oromorph. Lots of it. Which almost completely took away the pain. Then i went through to Xray, waited about half an hour, it lasted about 2 minutes. When i got back to A&E, nice doctor man had already seen my Xray and was on the phone to an orthapedic surgeon to come sort me out. And we got our own little room to sit in with a dolphin on the wall. It was a cool place. My orthapedic consult was called Andy. I liked Andy. He was veery sweet. And rather yummy. And he told me that they were going to put me under a general anesthetic to pop my shoulder back in. Cos it's easier and less painfull that way. They sorted me out a bed in the pediatric ward, in a room all of my own again, with an awesome TV internet phone thing going on. Then they took me pretty much straight up to theatre. I got my general, which was veery amusing, wouldnt mind another one of those. You go aaall tingly and woozy, then the next thing you know, you're being woken up, and youre all fixed :) I then had to lie around in the ward for 4 hours, just in case. I had some mushroom and leek pasta which was very yummy, and even more yummy in the knowledge that my new friend martin the nurse-I-think wanted it, and i'd just taken the last portion. Hehe. Anyway. So yes, the hospital was really good. I saw the assesment nurse at about 2.15, and i was in theatre by 4.15. And everyone was so lovely. We're so bloody lucky to have an NHS, and people should stop complaining about it. Granted, it probably wouldnt have been such a great experience if i wasnt still technically a child. Primarily because they wouldnt have given me a general, they would have just popped it back in then and there. Also because there was a 4 hour wait for the adult triage nurse. And the pediatric ward was immense, it was all colourful and awesome, and all the people were really cool. I liked them alot. So yes, if you're ever planning to dislocate your shoulder, do it before you're 16. As for now, i have to 'rest' for a few days. Basically, although my shoulder is back where it should be, all the muscles and ligaments around it have been streched and bruised and weakened. So the slightest thing could easily pop it back out again, which is a litte disconcerting. In fact, now i've done it once, the cances of me doing it again in general are significantly increased. Basically i just have to be careful for the rest of my life. For now, i'm in a sling for 3 weeks, and getting some phsyio soon to sort it out. No PE for 3 weeks, and i just have to be uber careful. Its not painful unless i move it, but that could be somthing to do with the regular painkillers i'm taking. And i've just realised that i've been holding my shoulder in the wrong position for the last hour that ive been on this computer. So i should end this uber long rather boring entry here.