Nail Those Notes

This weekend, I put two nails up my driving foot.

Not on purpose. Someone didn’t clean up their mess outside. I was spray painting some really hot antique beach chairs. Turned around to set the spray can on the picnic table and BOOM! I discovered a small board impaled on the bottom of my right foot.

Leave it to a writer to take notes through the pain.

After the initial panic, I took some mental notes. This morning, I sat down and typed them out, adding details about what my foot looked like this morning. Sound crazy? Well, what if I need a character to be injured in the foot so they can’t get away from their pursuer? What if a serial killer does this on purpose? Or what if I’m writing a romance story where a construction worker has to go to a hospital (with the guys ribbing him) for a nail in the foot and he meets the female doc of his dreams? I don’t have insurance – haven’t since January 1 – and that adds another element to the mix. Do I spend money I don’t have to pay outrageous emergency room costs, or do some old time nursing? I’m a country girl, so old time nursing, plus a tetanus shot, works for me. But what about my characters? What would they do?

Let me share my notes. These are basic, unedited, right from the notebook:

Moving from the small work area to the picnic table.

Step. Something hurts. Pick up right foot. See a board stuck all the way to bottom of blue thong.

Mind goes AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Don't quite feel more than sting. Likely shocked.

Jerk it out.

Hurt, hurt HURT!!! FU--!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blood drips, drips. Gets faster, big, thick drops – larger than rain – fall onto left leg, left shoe. Now a stream falling fast.

Oh shit. Feel woozy. Yelling. Top of lungs. Need someone help. Can’t walk. Sick to stomach.

Scream again. Again. Again. Seven times. Maybe eight. Mom comes around corner, on phone. What the hell is wrong?

She sees blood. Panics. Hangs up. Runs downhill. Grabs me. Holy shit. Look at the blood!

Grabs me at left side. Hauls me uphill to chair. Nearly pass out. Don’t pass out! I’ll never get you up there.

Get to chair. Fall into chair. Vomit. Twice. Just ate dinner. Nasty. Smells. Dog barking in house. Wants out with Mommy (that’s me). Mom runs in, gets Dad. Get tweezers, needles – can’t find needles at first and panics, yells – nail clippers.

Two spots on foot, one for each nail. About two inches apart. In center of foot and near heel.

Blue stuff in wound. Part of the shoe. Bleeding slows, stops. Use tweezers and needles to get them out. Cut flesh with nail clippers. Dig deeper. OW!! Flesh tender. Dig around, grab pieces. Takes some time. Not sure if got all of it. Looks like some is left in one, but can’t tell if it’s a blood clot. Peroxide and alcohol. Band Aides that flex on bottom. Neosporin on the wounds before Band Aides. Later, soak in Epsom salts to pull out nasty stuff. Old timers do to prevent infection or to kill infection. Watch for red streak on flesh.

Next morning:

Half-dollar size bruise in middle of foot, quarter-sized near heel. Still looks blue. Possible red streak. Can’t tell if it’s from the Band Aide or a streak. Get appointment with doctor. Get tetanus – can’t remember last shot, but on last leg of 10 years. Look at wound. It’s got a streak. Doc FINALLY comes in after nurse. Sees streak. Prescribes antibiotics – cephalexin 500 mg capsules. Green in color. Take four a day until done. No refills. Pharmacist says will not react with OTC Mucinex or allergy meds.

Two hours later, foot aches bad. Get home and soak some more. Try to heat something for lunch. Foot hurts too much to stand. Elevate foot. Must stay off it. Continue to soak. Take pills. Redress wounds. Some bleeding from walking. Must watch.

Red streak still there hours later. Soak in salts again, then put salt directly on wounds with Band Aides over them. Okay at first, then stings, and stings more. Keeps stinging. Bad. Foot aches. Tears on eyes from sting, but must be helping if it hurts. RIGHT?!?!?! Hope to pull out foreign bodies to stop infection. Red streak to heart means death.

…

And that’s just so far. You just never know when things that happen in life are going to add a little spice to writing. Take the bad and make it good --- for your characters!

Angela Wilson - Wicked Wordsmith

Comments

[Seanachi]

Oww oww oww! Great description but sorry you had the experience! Take care.

[Austin S. Camacho]

you, my dear, are not right in the head. Taking mental notes when you're drowning in pain?? Insane.

But it IS nice to know I'm not the only one. Ask me how I knew exactly what was going on in Hannibal's head when his car flipped off the road. Better yet, don't ask. That's a painful memory.