How do you use crutches?

[Clot]

Hmm? Sorry about the echo.

And also apologies to you Adam at having a laugh at your expense!

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice" saying something like:

It's absolutely mental. I distinctly recall my first big bike accident and the crutches that came with it. I was encouraged to hand them back, as they would be checked and re-issued. That was back in the days when such things were normal.

[Tony Bryer]

My sympathies to Adam. I had my first taste of Australian health care a year ago when I came off my bike and fractured my pelvis, not seriously fortunately (no op necessary) but was on crutches for six weeks. Fortunately I live in a high-rise with shops at ground floor level, no steps, and a big walk-in shower where I was able to put a plastic chair. And I found out that I had some great friends after just nine months of being in Melbourne.

When you find yourself in this position it does give you a completely new understanding of disabled access issues. There were shops I walked by as soon as I looked at the steps. After a week or two I could use our new low-floor trams, but not the older ones with high steps. Fortunately I live in the city centre with taxi rank across the road - they did quite well out of me for those six weeks.

As for crutches here, no issues with returns. You get billed by the hospital, $40 about UKP23.

[ARWadsworth]

None taken. I got a little light exercice today (the walking sort not the horizontal sort).

I walked from the hospital carpark to the oral surgery unit and then from the oral surgery unit to the x-ray department and back to the oral surgery department before walking back to the car park. All done with just one crutch so I did put some weight on the damaged foot.

I am actually going back to work tommorrow.

Cheers

Adam

[Clot]

Good to hear, but try to be careful!

[geoff]

When I was a contractor in Germany, one of the other expats had a skiing accident. He tried to go back to work too soon, which ended up with the doctors having to break his leg again as it hadn't knitted properly

[ARWadsworth]

Are you sure that he had filled his sick form in correctly?

Adam

[geoff]

Tying this thread in with the one about the privvy ...

better watch yer bum down under

[geoff]

In message , ARWadsworth writes

Sick form ?

contractors are paid by the hour

no show, no dough

[Andy Champ]

That's not why.