How I kept my eye on the ball (literally), or why LilBit is the bestest home nurse

[GUINNESS]

Sorry for the long story....

So every year Tyson has a softball tournament. The winner of this tournament goes to the Tyson Worlds to play the winners from the other Tyson tournaments around the country.

The IS team needed more people so I was roped into playing... Our first game was Friday night. Before the game started, Nicole told me don't be a hero and please don't get hurt. She also told me a story about a friend of hers who's husband took a line drive to the eye and shattered all the bones around his eye.

I know you can see where this is going... can't you....

So I'm playing short stop, we're half way through the game, there's the pitch and the hit... a strong ground ball headed my way. I set up in front of it, get my glove on the ground *HOP* Ball takes a hop straight into my left eye. Needless to say I went down hard and was kicking until I could get on my knees and calm myself.

I managed to get to my feet and was helped back to the dugout. There was no opening either eye cause opening the right hurt the left. The on-site medic flushed my eye and cleaned it as best they could. I wanted to go straight home, but Nicole insisted on going to the E.R.

Smart move by her. CT scan showed no bleeding or broken bones, but the cornea had a deep abrasion and there was slight damage to the pupil. For the most part, both eyes were always closed so Nicole was guiding me everywhere. She made sure I was taking my medicine, even setting the alarm and waking up to make me take it. She let me sleep all day Saturday after we went to the eye doctor to follow up, and constantly made sure I was comfortable. When I was awake, she was helping me to get my right eye open and slowly worked on the left. I don't know what I would have done without her this past weekend... hell, I don't know what I'd do without her period.

My left eye is finally open, but it's still blurry and there's the occassional stabbing pain. Nicole has been absolutely amazing these past days and I don't think there's a way to thank her enough... though she says there's no reason to. She's the bestest I tell ya


*cliff notes*
- played softball for Tyson
- hard ground ball took a hop into my left eye
- bad bruising, corneal abrasion, slightly injured pupil
- greatest LilBit ever took care of me and made sure I was comfortable the whole time
- eye healing
- LilBit's definitely a keeper

[Eric5273]

Glad to hear you are going to be ok. My dad got injured very badly playing softball a few years ago. He hit the ball to the third baseman, and while running to first base, the third baseman's hard line-drive throw to first hit him in the head. It knocked him unconscious and he fractured his skull. Dumb recreational league rules did not require them to wear helmets, since it was assumed that a softball is "soft" and since they arc-pitch underhand (windmill pitching was not allowed in this league), there is not much danger to the batter of being hit by a pitched ball. I guess they never thought about the posibility of getting hit by the ball while running the bases. After his injury the league changed their rules. He suffered some hearing loss in one of his ears, but other than that, he fully recovered. I guess it could have been a lot worse.

[Wagner]

Suck it up, you mean you left the game? J/K

You're lucky man, you could be blinded. Abrasions are no joke, make sure you do everything the doc says and when they tell you to flush the eye..do it routinely!! Infections in corneal abrasion hurt worse the the original injury.

[MrLabGuy]

Ouch...I know they say keep your eye on the ball but I think you took that too literally.
Good to hear you are getting a Lillbit of love in the healing process.

[ylwjacket]

A 12 year old girl was killed in Michigan a few weeks ago doing about the same thing. The story was, though, that she turned her head, like we all do, and it hit her in the side of the head.

There is nothing soft about softballs. I have bruises on my legs from catching for my pitcher-daughter to attest to that.

Glad to hear you're recovering - it is very scary to see someone take a ball to the face like that.

[noncom23]

Hell, drag him off the field! So glad you are improving.
Thank God for the women who put up with us.

(lol - cliff notes)

[Dr_Smith]

[GUINNESS]

Thanks everyone! Believe it or not, I wanted to stay and play... I just needed to get the "dirt" out of my eye. Little did I know, that "dirt" was the pain from the abrasion. Nicole pretty much dragged me out of there saying I was done and we're going to the ER. And like everyone has said... there's nothing soft about softballs!

As for pictures, we didn't take any on Friday or Saturday and with all the icing I've done and eye drops and sleep, there's nothing to see. I think I got damn lucky... and like I said, have a really good nurse

[asawadude]

Glad to hear you're OK and had plenty of TLC from LB...

Next time you're roped into the tournament, tell 'em you want to DH.