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Old 22-05-2003, 01:32 AM
Muzz
 
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Default How forestry made me deaf

Hello group

A freak occurrence? According to two doctors it appears so. You be the
judge:

A little over 24 hours ago I was teaching a summer student basic GPS data
collection. Near days end, while walking a boundary line I felt searing pain
in my right ear for a fraction of a second. Next thing I knew I was waking
up very very dizzy, akin to the "spinning room" syndrome from too much
booze.

My student said that I had been out cold for only a couple of seconds when I
came to saying that I was not alright when she prompted me. She had
witnessed a small branch stub enter my ear and it knocked me out while
tearing my eardrum making me completely deaf in my right ear. To top it off
I fell, with arms at my side, face first into a stump. Lucky for me it was
very rotten and it crumbled on impact. The force of the hit made my neck
snap back and now I have severe neck muscle strain as a result.

After many X-RAYS of my neck and a lot of prodding of my ear the diagnosis
is this:

Neck will recover - now taking muscle relaxants.
Ear - the tear covers approximately 30% of my eardrum surface. They told me
that 90% of the people will recover from it within 6 weeks but because of
the large size of the opening I may have to undergo surgery to repair it.
Time will tell. They said I should recover most of my hearing in my ear but
I will most likely suffer some hearing loss. I am on oral and ear drop
antibiotics to treat this. Tylenol Threes as needed.

The doctors also said that I passed out as a bodily reaction to severe pain.

My take is I am lucky to be alive because if the stump had been fresh I
would have probably been killed or paralyzed from the force of impact. Also
any hearing recovery will be better than totally deaf in one ear.

In the meantime I can not drive and am still having dizzy spills because my
equilibrium is off.

--
Todd MacPherson
SoftTouch Forestry
....the land management specialists
=======================
www.SoftTouchForestry.com
=======================



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Old 22-05-2003, 02:56 AM
mhagen
 
Posts: n/a
Default How forestry made me deaf



Bummer! Freak ocurrence? Maybe. I had a twig stick into my ear many
years ago while cutting brush on a survey line and all I can say is, it
does heal after a while, but be careful with your balance! The woods is
a dangerous enough place even with steady feet.

Now there was a guy on my slash crew once who, while goofing around with
a bit of ax throwing, creased himself in the forehead with a double bit.
Gave him a very impressive worry line and instantly established a
reputation.

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Old 22-05-2003, 02:08 PM
Geoff Kegerreis
 
Posts: n/a
Default How forestry made me deaf

Todd, sorry to hear about your experience. Hope you get back to 100% soon!
Don't listen to those damned quacks - just think positive. The quacks
("doctors") told my wife she wouldn't be walking by the time she was in her late
teens - got news for them - she's 32, and still walks - although not without
difficulty - just fine!

This winter I was looking over a piece of property for a landowner while skiing
through some tag alder when one of those pointy little branch tips smacked me in
the eardrum - I heard this "pop!", and it hurt like hell - but somehow it did
not puncture my eardrum and it stopped hurting after about a week or so.

Two springs ago, I was working a swampy hummock, having to jump from root
structure to root structure to avoid the mucky water (I forgot my waders that
day) in order to mark some white pine, and on one jump, I nearly got a branch
right in my eye.

I agree with Mike 100% - The woods is a dangerous place, and even with being
cautious, you can be in trouble very quickly. I'm not sure about where you all
work, but most places I work in seldom have cell phone service, and the closest
hospital is usually an hour's drive away.

Even these risks seem like small nuisances to put up with in order to enjoy the
fringe benefits of the beautiful outdoors most people never get to see:

I had another hummingbird come up to my orange-flower looking cruise vest
yesterday. Man, I was thinking that he must be confused with all the orange
paint marks on the trees! I picked 175 morels while marking timber the other
day - I wasn't picking mushrooms, I was marking timber, but happened upon them,
and so started loading up my inside side pockets on the vest with 'em. All in
all, I must have over 300 in the freezer, both white and black. Most of them
off the same job. I am looking forward when the big suckers (12-18" tall) come
out about the first of June. I'll probably have 5 lbs. of them by June 5th or
so if it's a good season. The songbirds are back (veerys, wood thrushes, hermit
thrushes, ovenbirds, redstarts, various warblers, tohees, grosbeaks- all singing
vibrantly), the leaves finally came on most of our trees last weekend, and the
mosquitos are still being kept at bay with the cold mornings (it was 30F here
this morning).

Knock on wood, none of us needs to be falling off a cliff or getting stuck in a
briar patch while disrupting a bald-face or blackjacket's (or even yellow
jackets) nest!

Be safe!

Geoff

Muzz wrote:

Hello group

A freak occurrence? According to two doctors it appears so. You be the
judge:

A little over 24 hours ago I was teaching a summer student basic GPS data
collection. Near days end, while walking a boundary line I felt searing pain
in my right ear for a fraction of a second. Next thing I knew I was waking
up very very dizzy, akin to the "spinning room" syndrome from too much
booze.

My student said that I had been out cold for only a couple of seconds when I
came to saying that I was not alright when she prompted me. She had
witnessed a small branch stub enter my ear and it knocked me out while
tearing my eardrum making me completely deaf in my right ear. To top it off
I fell, with arms at my side, face first into a stump. Lucky for me it was
very rotten and it crumbled on impact. The force of the hit made my neck
snap back and now I have severe neck muscle strain as a result.

After many X-RAYS of my neck and a lot of prodding of my ear the diagnosis
is this:

Neck will recover - now taking muscle relaxants.
Ear - the tear covers approximately 30% of my eardrum surface. They told me
that 90% of the people will recover from it within 6 weeks but because of
the large size of the opening I may have to undergo surgery to repair it.
Time will tell. They said I should recover most of my hearing in my ear but
I will most likely suffer some hearing loss. I am on oral and ear drop
antibiotics to treat this. Tylenol Threes as needed.

The doctors also said that I passed out as a bodily reaction to severe pain.

My take is I am lucky to be alive because if the stump had been fresh I
would have probably been killed or paralyzed from the force of impact. Also
any hearing recovery will be better than totally deaf in one ear.

In the meantime I can not drive and am still having dizzy spills because my
equilibrium is off.

--
Todd MacPherson
SoftTouch Forestry
...the land management specialists
=======================
www.SoftTouchForestry.com
=======================


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Old 22-05-2003, 04:44 PM
Joe Zorzin
 
Posts: n/a
Default How forestry made me deaf


Todd, where are you located- I took a quick look at your web site and didn't
find your location.
--
Joe Zorzin
http://www.forestmeister.com



"Muzz" wrote in message
...
Hello group

A freak occurrence? According to two doctors it appears so. You be the
judge:

A little over 24 hours ago I was teaching a summer student basic GPS data
collection. Near days end, while walking a boundary line I felt searing

pain
in my right ear for a fraction of a second. Next thing I knew I was waking
up very very dizzy, akin to the "spinning room" syndrome from too much
booze.

My student said that I had been out cold for only a couple of seconds when

I
came to saying that I was not alright when she prompted me. She had
witnessed a small branch stub enter my ear and it knocked me out while
tearing my eardrum making me completely deaf in my right ear. To top it

off
I fell, with arms at my side, face first into a stump. Lucky for me it was
very rotten and it crumbled on impact. The force of the hit made my neck
snap back and now I have severe neck muscle strain as a result.

After many X-RAYS of my neck and a lot of prodding of my ear the diagnosis
is this:

Neck will recover - now taking muscle relaxants.
Ear - the tear covers approximately 30% of my eardrum surface. They told

me
that 90% of the people will recover from it within 6 weeks but because of
the large size of the opening I may have to undergo surgery to repair it.
Time will tell. They said I should recover most of my hearing in my ear

but
I will most likely suffer some hearing loss. I am on oral and ear drop
antibiotics to treat this. Tylenol Threes as needed.

The doctors also said that I passed out as a bodily reaction to severe

pain.

My take is I am lucky to be alive because if the stump had been fresh I
would have probably been killed or paralyzed from the force of impact.

Also
any hearing recovery will be better than totally deaf in one ear.

In the meantime I can not drive and am still having dizzy spills because

my
equilibrium is off.

--
Todd MacPherson
SoftTouch Forestry
...the land management specialists
=======================
www.SoftTouchForestry.com
=======================





  #5   Report Post  
Old 22-05-2003, 11:56 PM
Muzz
 
Posts: n/a
Default How forestry made me deaf

"Joe Zorzin" wrote in message
...

Todd, where are you located- I took a quick look at your web site and

didn't
find your location.
--
Joe Zorzin
http://www.forestmeister.com


"Joe Zorzin" wrote in message
...

Todd, where are you located- I took a quick look at your web site and

didn't
find your location.
--
Joe Zorzin
http://www.forestmeister.com


Province of New Brunswick. East coast of Canada. Please see contact page for
details.

http://www.SoftTouchForestry.com/contact.shtml

Regards

--
Todd MacPherson
SoftTouch Forestry
....the land management specialists
=======================
www.SoftTouchForestry.com
=======================




 
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