What NOT to do in Washington DC...or a "trip" report

[SleepyMom]

OK, for some reason I seem to get hurt on vacation more than any one else in my family.

In Phoenix a couple of years ago I stepped into a sprinkler head hole and rolled my foot/ankle pretty bad. Needed medical from the resort/water park we were staying at to come look at it, but was fine after keeping off it a few days.

The next year we were in Texas at Schlitterbahn and my tube flipped when I encountered a tube back-up in one of the rides, I went over backwards and smacked my head on the concrete pretty hard. That wasn't the scariest part though, I was trapped face-down under 2 ladies on their tubes and couldn't come up for air. I eventually used my knees and pushed up through them and was able to get some air. Had to see medical again and we ended up leaving even though we'd only been there an hour or so.

So, here we are in Washington DC... My DH is working here this week and DD15 and I came along. Our first full day here we went down to the National Mall and walked around the entire area, as we went from the WW2 Memorial towards the Lincoln Memorial I stepped wrong where the path ended and tumbled head over heels into the grass. Thought OK, got my injury out of the way for this trip

Yesterday DD and I went to one of the Smithsonians and spent a nice day, right as we were making our way to leave I tripped on an escalotor and went down hard. Two cuts in my knee and blood running down my leg, I managed to get started back towards the Metro to get back to our hotel. DD convinced me I should get it looked at and a helpful Metro employee directed us where to go. I was mostly afraid of it getting infected and thought I might need stitches, maybe.

Five hours later we walked (OK, DD walked and I hobbled) out of GWU Hospital. I had 7 stitches between the gashes and broke a piece off my knee cap, so now my leg is in a knee imobilizer and I am on crutches. Today was spent in our room as will the rest of our trip probably, afraid I am not up to any more sightseeing. Kind of worried about getting on the plane this weekend too, hopefully the pain won't be as intense in a few more days.

As I've been in and out of sleep today I kept wondering how I can manage to get hurt for such stupid reasons, and thought I would ask here to make myself feel better. Surely there are others who have gotten hurt and sidetracked their plans during a vacation, please share your stories so I can stop feeling so dumb about my little "trip".

 

[englishteacha]

Whoa...you have had some bad luck! I'm sending good vibes to you to get better and heal well!

 

[minniebeth]

Laugher is the best medicine, I love your sense of humor, even though you may not think it's so funny...
I hope you feel better and I'm sorry for your unfortunate experiences.
Some for future 'vacations', 'holidays', 'sightseeing'... (no more "T" word for you!)

 

[SleepyMom]

I'm laughing now, but yesterday it was more of a whince. It was just a stupid thing to happen, can't change it, so I might as well laugh about it.

Hoping to hear other stories though, to help me heal. It's going to be a long couple of boring days sitting here in the room... I can't be the only klutz to get hurt on vacation.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Not on vacation but I manged to break my hand in a really stupid way. On an elliptical trainer. That's right, an elliptical trainer. You know how many have a little shelf to put a book or magazine? Apparently reading on an elliptical is a bad idea. I went to turn the page and I guess I stuck my elbow out. The moving handlebar caught my elbow and pushed my hand into the stationary handlebar. The worst part? I went, "wow, that hurt" and just kept working out. I didn't leave until I was done. I stopped by my mom's work because it still hurt and she took one look at it, told me I broke it, and sent me to the ER. I had absolutely no clue- I couldn't even tell it was swollen. My friend I was working out with thinks it's a riot I broke my hand on an elliptical!

 

[MomofKatie]

Ouch- I feel your pain!! I am somewhat "coordination challenged" as well- I seem to fall down a good bit. I have learned to mostly laugh it off and not get too embarrassed, but an injury like yours would be hard to deal with. I have a couple of good stories to make you feel not so bad:

When I was a little kid, I fell on a cobblestone street in Georgetown and got a big goose egg on my forehead.

I have fallen flat on my face several times in front of people I REALLY didn't want to see me being klutzy- an ex-boyfriend, a prospective employer, a room full of snobby popular kids, etc...

When DD was a little baby, I broke a bone in my foot falling out of an airport shuttle bus. We were on vacation, and I would have dropped DD's carrier seat if I hadn't let my foot take the brunt of the stumble. That one really hurt, especially trying to pretend it was OK while walking around on vacation.

Hope you feel better soon!!

 

[NMAmy]

As I've been in and out of sleep today I kept wondering how I can manage to get hurt for such stupid reasons, and thought I would ask here to make myself feel better. Surely there are others who have gotten hurt and sidetracked their plans during a vacation, please share your stories so I can stop feeling so dumb about my little "trip".

I'm so sorry that you got hurt! I'm really klutzy. A few weeks ago, DH and I took a break from his family drama in England by going to Hampton Court Palace for an afternoon. For a country that is constantly reminding folks to "Mind the gap," you'd think that a 1.5 inch step coming out of a bathroom would be marked, wouldn't you? I walked out of the bathroom and fell down hard on to the stone floor. Some poor guy happened to be walking by and he helped me up. DH heard the commotion and came to rescue me--he told me that when he heard the man ask, "Are you all right?" he knew it was me. It hurt so badly that I almost passed out. We had to go back to the house early and deal with family again.

I've also fallen down the stairs at the Lights, Motors stunt show at MGM. That was impressive. I rolled down about 6 of those big stairs. I'm not good with stairs. Or even tiny little steps apparently.

 

[puffkin]

Not injured on vacation, but 3 days after we got back. Thankfully he didn't do it at his game the night before we left for WDW!

Anyway, DH was a genius and decided it made perfect sense to slide into 2nd base at his softball game in shorts on an infield as hard as concrete. Tore up his leg from knee to ankle. This was last Wednesday. He saw his family doctor Thursday and Friday to clean the wound, dress it and for pain meds. At the ER 8 hours Friday night for IV antibiotics and xrays. We spent a miserable holiday weekend with still no improvement. Back to the ER on Monday morning and they decided it got infected so they admitted him. He is still in the hospital and it is now Friday. Crazy for just a dumb softball slide!

To make matters worse, it isn't even a softball team for his company....he is helping out his friend's companies team. And they are terrible and lose all their games by 10+ runs. I don't know what he was thinking

I hope you feel better soon!

 

[swald91]

Sorry to hear about all your mishaps, but I think it would be a blast to be on vacation with you !!
I find humor when people fall-INCLUDING myself!!!! I can't help you in the department of watching where/where not to go/do. But you seem to have a great sense of humor for all your "trips"-now let's just hope you don't get seriously hurt. Be careful

 

[SleepyMom]

Thanks for the stories! Hoping to hear more not that I want any of you to get hurt, I just want to share in your misery and give me something to do while stuck in my room

Today we were going to go back to another Smithsonian and there is no way that is going to happen! Plus we were planning a nice supper out with a tour to see the Monuments and Memorials by Moonlight to celebrate my birthday. Instead I am hoping to talk DD into going to a local mall, it is one stop away on the Metro, I should be able to do that. DH said no way, but he's at work right now. Then DD can hang by the pool and I will finish reading a book I brought, if I can stay awake long enough from the pain meds.

Oh, and DH told me "no more vacations!" I reminded him I've never gotten hurt at Disney, so maybe I should just go there only from now on

 

[ead79]

Poor thing! That just stinks!

We just got back from DC a couple of weeks ago, and I had problems with my bum ankle. I wound up getting wheeled through the Air & Space museum in a wheelchair since I couldn't stand on it any longer. As it turns out, DH is an excellent wheelchair-steerer, LOL. He really didn't mind at all since he got to spend an eternity looking at all the exhibits--since I was sitting and my ankle wasn't throbbing anymore, I didn't care how long he looked at stuff, LOL.

I hope the pain backs off a bunch and you recover quickly! It sounds like you should just stick with Disney instead!

 

[cabanafrau]

Why not try calling down to the concierge desk or front desk of your hotel to see if they can help hook you up with a wheelchair rental? DD went on a school trip to DC last year on a bus. They drove all night & stopped at Gettysburg as a 1st tour. Her trip partner fell and twisted her ankle and hit her head exiting the bus. She spent most of that afternoon in the er, but rejoined the group later that day w/ a wheelchair. It did work out for her.

Hope you can salvage some fun out of the experience.

 

[turkeymama]

All I can say is bless your heart to everyone who gets hurt on vacation. My sister seems to hurt herself a lot when she is on vacations. The funniest stories involve my nephew though.

In 2004, after Wishes, her family started heading down Main Street with all the other masses. My nephew, who was about 6 years old and asleep at the time, was riding on my sister's back. She wasn't paying attention to the ground and missed that curb. Well down they both went. She banged her knees up really bad, but managed to keep him intact.

 

[OhMari]

The next year we were in Texas at Schlitterbahn and my tube flipped when I encountered a tube back-up in one of the rides, I went over backwards and smacked my head on the concrete pretty hard. That wasn't the scariest part though, I was trapped face-down under 2 ladies on their tubes and couldn't come up for air. I eventually used my knees and pushed up through them and was able to get some air. Had to see medical again and we ended up leaving even though we'd only been there an hour or so.

OMG, I'm sorry you are hurting.
I would see about a wheel chair too, or
maybe renting a scooter.

I watched the Travel Channel last nite, and they had on Water Parks. They confirmed one fear I always have. The heavier you are, you will go a lot faster down slides. I always seem to just fly down everything I go on, and end up getting water pushed up my nose all the time. Then I was watching some of those inner-tube rides and I said to my dh, "wow, I wonder how many people get hurt, or flip off tubes, coming down some of those ride."
Where you in the lazy river when you got trapped?

 

[NotUrsula]

Um, maybe a new eye exam? If you're tripping often, maybe your depth perception is off somehow. Anyway, I hope you're feeling better soon, and at least your hotel has a pool. Try calling your airline to tell them what happened; they may be willing to give you a bulkhead seat assignment so that you will be more comfortable on the flight home.

I apparently didn't hurt myself quite as badly as you did (no kneecap damage), but I did much the same thing on a Tube station escalator in London a few years back. Right as I went to step onto the up escalator, DS (then 7) managed to choose just that moment to realize that in London you keep LEFT on escalators, and he cut across in front of me. I fell UP on the danged thing! Thanks to the National Health Service and the excellent Casualty folks at St. George's Hospital, at least it didn't cost me anything but time...

... unlike the two flat tires I'd gotten three days before in Dublin, from cutting too close to a curb. THAT little incident cost me $600 cash, because the expensive rental car insurance policy that I had taken out specifically excluded tire damage, and both of them were beyond repair. The day after THAT I broke my glasses and had to have them replaced. There were several other incidents on that trip, too -- we were just cursed that time.

Two years ago on Memorial Weekend Saturday, the first day of our vacation, we were on Siesta Key, snorkeling at Point of Rocks. DS had ditched his water shoes, and I was on his case, telling him to be careful about the sharp rocks. You guessed it. I'm walking along between some rocks, looking at the fishies, when a woman near me yells, "There's BLOOD in the water! There's BLOOD in the water!" Suddenly it was like a scene from Jaws, with people scrambling like mad to get out of the water.
I looked down and realized that I was standing in the middle of an ever-widening pool of red. I lifted up my leg and saw that I had completely sliced open my knee; it was a perfectly clean cut, and the salt water had kept me from feeling it. I got out of the water and traipsed back the half-mile to our condo so that I could at least have the dignity of being clean and dressed when I got it stitched up -- I left a bloody trail all the way, and I could hear the shark rumors swirling everywhere I passed. I didn't want to go to the ER if I could help it. Luckily, the maintenance guy at the condo building knew that there was a doctor nearby who catered to injured fishermen, and he hadn't left his office yet, so I got it handled quickly. I still have a lovely 3 inch scar on my knee, but it's getting smaller with time.

 

[SleepyMom]

Just got new glasses the beginning of May, and they are only for close-up things, otherwise the eye Dr. says I have excellent vision. I'm just clumsy evidently.

OhMari - I don't remember the name of the ride, it was in the older part of the park. It was really long and at the end you were dumped into the river (which I never made it to). It was shallow water and had little dips every once in awhile that you went over. Those two ladies had gotten stuck and couldn't move, but that had been happening the whole time and when the next person came along they kind of pushed them out of the way and then they were stuck until the next tube came along. I went over the dip and hit their tube and then flipped backwards, smacking the back of my head on the concrete bottom. My body must have gone all the way over because I was face-down underneath their 2 tubes and could not move. I finally was able to get my knees under me and that gave me a little something to push with and I was able to get some air. Lost my favorite sunglasses that day too

DH has already contacted the airline and they moved our seats so I will have more leg room and said they will have either a wheelchair or a cart available for me on Sunday. He is also checking on a wheelchair so we can go do some stuff tomorrow. He's working today, so I think he just wants me to stay in the room so I won't hurt myself anymore

For some reason I don't think a scooter would be a good idea for me, everyone around me would be safer if I am in just a regular wheelchair. Don't need to take anyone else out on their vacation, bad enough I messed with my own.

 

[Normangirls]

Not on vacation, but...

Fell at work (wearing non-skid shoes, walking across a non-skid rug, of course the rug slipped) and broke my elbow.

I'm the H.R. Manager, and the SAFETY DIRECTOR!!!!!!

 

[2BOYMOM]

I'm so sorry for you! I'm clumsy too - I don't fall though I just hit various parts of my body on stuff and end up with nasty bruises and cuts and scraps.

Here is my vacation story. Every summer my family (sisters, brother) rents a house at Ocean Isle Beach (NC)for one week. We all look forward to it so much. Sitting on the beach, eating, drinking, swimming, spending time together. Anyway THE VERY FIRST NIGHT we were there I was outside cooking dinner on a grill. I was just sitting in a chair beside the grill enjoying an adult beverage and for some unknown reason, I stuck the side of my knee against the hot, hot grill. Really nasty burn with a large blister.

Next morning, I'm in the shower and when I'm drying off, I for one second forget about the nasty burn on the side of my knee and rub the towel across it and yep, there goes the skin off the blister. We are talking a pretty large blister. Man did that hurt.

So I had to spend the rest of the week if the burn covered whenever we were on the beach. Of course it being on the side of my knee and having burn ointment on it, bandages didn't stick that well. Also, so much for swimming that year. AND I still have a great scar to remember it by!

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I'm a Klutz, so I am always tripping and hurting myself...fortunately no MAJOR injuries. Fingers and me should not go on vacation though...on my honeymoon, I slammed my finger in a car door. It wasn't broken, but was very swollen, black & blue.

2 years ago, I took DS to a small waterpark for a "Mommy & Me" day. They had a "tarzan" rope swing. He wanted to go on it, bur was a little scared, so I figured I'd show him it was safe....I know what a klutz I am, so I wanted to make sure I swung out far enough that I didn't swing back and hit the concrete. Well.....If you ever try one of these, make sure your hands are not on top of one another.....I held on so tight, with my left hand over my right, that broke my middle finger on my right hand. The lifeguard said I twisted on the rope a little before I went in, and that is most likely how I broke it. Fortunately, my son is smart...after he saw that he decided he didn't want to try the rope swing, and that was before we knew it was broken...It hurt, and swelled a little, but wasn't nearly as bad as the one on my honeymoon, so I didn't think it was broken.

 

[OhMari]

Just got new glasses the beginning of May, and they are only for close-up things, otherwise the eye Dr. says I have excellent vision. I'm just clumsy evidently.

OhMari - I don't remember the name of the ride, it was in the older part of the park. It was really long and at the end you were dumped into the river (which I never made it to). It was shallow water and had little dips every once in awhile that you went over. Those two ladies had gotten stuck and couldn't move, but that had been happening the whole time and when the next person came along they kind of pushed them out of the way and then they were stuck until the next tube came along. I went over the dip and hit their tube and then flipped backwards, smacking the back of my head on the concrete bottom. My body must have gone all the way over because I was face-down underneath their 2 tubes and could not move. I finally was able to get my knees under me and that gave me a little something to push with and I was able to get some air. Lost my favorite sunglasses that day too

DH has already contacted the airline and they moved our seats so I will have more leg room and said they will have either a wheelchair or a cart available for me on Sunday. He is also checking on a wheelchair so we can go do some stuff tomorrow. He's working today, so I think he just wants me to stay in the room so I won't hurt myself anymore

For some reason I don't think a scooter would be a good idea for me, everyone around me would be safer if I am in just a regular wheelchair. Don't need to take anyone else out on their vacation, bad enough I messed with my own.

Glad you got some arrangements made.
Maybe order some movies today, or if it is warm, go sit out by the pool.
Have a better day!