Mashed Toe

(Follow up to Ed's story - The Bit's Stuck!!!)

May 22, 2004

While removing the stuck bit (See Ed's story The Bit's Stuck!!) from our well in Ñembý, one of our young workers had a "slight" accident.  As the workers were lifting up the rods with a chain hooked to the tractor, the chain got caught on the base of the drill rig.  This caused the base to be lifted up with the rods.  As the guys shook the base of the drill rig to get it loose, it fell and landed right on top of Jorge's little toe.  He was standing on top of a 4 x 4.  The fall caused his little toe to be mashed between the steel drill base and the 4 x 4.  I heard Ed say, "Linda we have a broken toe!" He then turned Jorge over to me and went back to work.

Jorge is 15 years old, working with all adults.  He was trying hard to not cry, but was in great pain.  I had him lie down, elevated his foot, added an ice pack, and quickly called our new doctor, Vaneida White.  She said how do you know it's a broken toe - I said because, it was mashed!  She said take him to a clinic for x-rays to be sure.

I asked another worker to go with me since I didn't know where the nearest clinic was.  It was a short distance away.  By the time we got Jorge to the clinic, I had given him 3 Advil, his toe was not swollen, and his pain had subsided.  However, I wanted an x-ray to be sure all was okay.  We waited a few minutes (no one else was in the waiting room), and then the receptionist said it would be about an hour.  We could wait at the clinic, or come back later.  I asked if we left and returned, would we lose our place in line?  She assured me no, we would still be first.

We had not eaten lunch, so we returned to the job site and had some lunch.  When got back to the clinic, the receptionist took our 50,000 Guaraní (about $9) for the x-ray, and we continued to wait another hour or so.  I was wondering, why we were waiting (no one else had come into the clinic) when a van pulled up, brought in a metal rolling frame and a machine that looked like an overhead projector.  He rolled this into an examining room, then called us in.  He took 2 x-rays of Jorge's foot.  Then he took the metal film out to his van to develop.  He came back in with a hair blow dryer.  I laughed and said to the guys I guess he's drying your picture.  He was, our photos were ready.

They asked if we wanted a consultation with the doctor.  Since I didn't want to be the one to read the x-ray, I said yes.  Another 26,000 Guaraní ($4.50) and we saw the doctor.  He said the toe was not broken, but Jorge had a previous break on another toe.  Not my concern, I said what does he need now?  The doctor prescribed an antibiotic shot, antibiotic pills, and some anti-inflammatory.  Shots you get at the pharmacy, so across the street we went.  They gave me a vile of medicine, and asked if I wanted to give the shot.  I told Jorge he really didn't want me to administer his shot, so we had the pharmacy give the shot - normal procedure for here.  The pharmacy bill for pills plus the shot was about $10. 

End of story - for about $25, we had x-rays, talked with a doctor, got meds, and Jorge didn't have a broken toe!  The next day he was back on the job site.

However, he did get a lot of kidding from the other workers.  They said - that much crying and your toe wasn't even broken!  Poor kid!