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natasha
08-07-2014, 12:23 PM
Had an interesting morning today.

While at work this morning working with a hammer and chisel to pound out a stuck pin, a small piece breaks off the chisel head and decides to imbed itself into my thigh! I felt a "pinch" and look down to see that my pants are now turning red very very fast. I'm thinking this piece of schrapnel has hit an artery, as blood is now running freely down my leg......................I scream dial 911 to anyone whithin earshot at the same dropping my pants to put a rag on it to hopefully stop the bleeding at try to asses wtf has just happened. No one at work knows my gender issues and just assumes that my rebel side is letting my hair grow out!

Needless to say my undergarments are no longer male. I manage to get to a chair, pull my pants back up a little and compress the wound further somewhat stopping the bleeding. Now the ambulance is on the way...........hmm how am I going to handle the questions of medication, undergarments. Did I mention I work for municipality and know most of the fire department personnel, not to mention all of the police department? Now most of my coworkers are also there, along with all of the on duty police. The ambulance arrives I immediately ask them to just go to the ambulance. Name, address, phone, dob, and then........................any medications. Ummm estradiol........silence from the paramedic...............um what for he says..............I tell him hormone imbalance. The other emt is now looking at the wound which is my inner thigh. Thankfully somehow it must be "new" emt day because I don't know these guys but word does travel and I mention my worry, and this kid does a good job with saying the "right" things about confidentiality (only time will tell).
We get to the hospital........The doctors ask the same stuff, I say the same thing about hormone imbalance (this is a work comp claim that my employer has "some" access to). The doctor starts to look around, and wants to take my half bloody sock off to clean things up a little, needless to say I painted my nails a pretty shade of pink, last night! Of course I stop him, I think he got the memo:o

Ship me off to xray, a small piece of steel is imbedded in my leg about 3/4" deep but thankfully not anywhere near any arteries! The doctor wants to dig it out now. Now he and a male nurse are in the process of digging into the flesh of my leg, while I am doing my absolute best to BELIEVE that they don't care seeing shaved legs, and panties on "males" who also happen to take estradiol for hormone imbalance issues.

I am happy to say that, as I am sure they know, they were all professionals and did not show any signs of improper care or disrespect.

Brings me to the old saying "make sure you have clean underwear on, ya never know when you will be in an accident"............wow!!

By the way they did dig out the small piece of steel and sent me home for the day.

Janelle_C
08-07-2014, 12:38 PM
You just described the night mare I had every time I ***** panties out side the house before. But though all of my transition I have fond out that almost all the people in the medical field have been very supportive and just supper nice. I'm glade your okay! :)

arbon
08-07-2014, 12:46 PM
Wait till you wear a dress to work in front of all your co-workers who have known you for years and ask them to refer to you by a new name and as a woman.

Being caught wearing panties or telling a doctor you take estrodial wont seem like such a big deal.

Glad you are alright.

LeaP
08-07-2014, 01:14 PM
There's underwear and there's lingerie. I might be embarrassed if I were wearing garters and lace (not that I own either), but my day-to-day underwear wouldn't get a second look. I don't know what you had on, but sometimes the fear is worse than the reality.

Persephone
08-07-2014, 01:41 PM
Oooofff! That musta hurt!

Glad you are O.K. Don't worry about the underwear and stuff -- If anyone asks just stare 'em in the eye and say "So?" Works like a charm!

Hugs,
Persephone.

Eryn
08-07-2014, 04:34 PM
And please grind off the mushroomed heads of your chisels! :)

Glad things worked out. A few co-workers know a bit more about you than they did before, but they also know that you handled a life-threatening emergency, did what you had to do, and survived.

Kimberly Kael
08-07-2014, 04:39 PM
Wait till you wear a dress to work in front of all your co-workers who have known you for years and ask them to refer to you by a new name and as a woman.

Being caught wearing panties or telling a doctor you take estrodial wont seem like such a big deal.

The biggest difference between the two is the fact that one happens with foresight and planning. For some that offers a lot of comfort and a feeling of control over the situation. That was certainly the case for me! The feeling of being caught unprepared is quite different, so even when there is less being disclosed it can feel much scarier. I don't really understand those who take risks in order to guarantee that they'll eventually be caught and forced into disclosure, but it seems pretty common.

Natasha, I'm glad you were able to get immediate care and have a memorable story to tell. Hopefully this is where it ends for now.

kimdl93
08-07-2014, 08:29 PM
Really, you were not the first, and will not be the last transgendered person to ride in that ambulance or receive emergency services at that hospital. It happens often, I suppose because there are a lot of us out there...and maybe we are a bit accident prone.