Toe in the Vacuum

I think I have broken another toe! If not broken it then it is very badly bruised. I am hobbling around in the office without my shoes and walking on my heel, as I did when I broke the two toes on the other foot (well, I suppose it now evens things up a bit). No way am I going to hospital this time with the risk of ending up in plaster again! I did it early this morning- caught my little tow in the vacuum as I galloped past and bent it right back (my toe, not the vacuum). Boy, did it hurt. The cats heard a few words they had not heard before that I have picked up during my stint on the Samaritan’s switchboard! They were so shocked by y outburst they took refuge in the garden.

Grace Russ - 12th September 1985

Toe it to Guy’s

On the day of the accident I wore my sandals into the office, albeit with the laces as loose as possible on the foot with the broken toe, but the following morning when I woke up the foot was so swollen and the toe in particular so tender, being all discoloured and twice its normal size, that I just could not get my sandal on and the only way I should get in to the office was to tie my foot to my shoe! It was rather uncomfortable because I was actually walking on the upper itself with a piece of string tied round both the shoe and my foot. Appearing in the office like that meant everyone could see the state of my toe and the Managing Director insisted that I go to the hospital with it, which I did when I finished work. I was there (at Guy’s) from 7:15 until 10:15 pm. – most of that time just sitting around and waiting. I was told to sit where there were already about seven people sitting, and several others came in during the evening. Not far from us, to the right, were another group of people waiting, but I don’t know what they were waiting for, whether they were for Casualty too. There was only one Dr, one medical Student and two nurses on duty (at least, that was all I saw) and half way through our vigil an emergency came in by ambulance and all the staff had to rush away to see to that for some time. When I eventually saw the Dr. he confirmed that I had broken the toe but said it was not worth X-raying it as X-rays cost money, and I was told to go home and rest it, putting that leg higher than my body, which I did do for Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t do any shopping on Saturday at all, in fact I didn’t even put my nose out of the doors on Saturday, but was forced to pop up to the local shops on Sunday as I had neither cat food nor fodder for myself. After resting for those two days my toe and foot are now much better, the toe is still tender it touched, but the swelling is gradually going down now and I am able to wear my sandals today – not properly done up yet, but at least I now have my foot in the proper place and just the top lace tied loosely, which just about keeps the sandal on my foot, and the bottom part is not touching the toe by not doing up the laces (I have removed the laces completely and have just threaded them through the very top of the sandal – thank goodness I have this type, it would have been very difficult in ordinary type shoes).

Grace Russ - 16th September 1985