Backs and Lifting.

I have just done 3 nights and last night went and scrunched my back. We had a collapsed dog in she is about 40kg. She was lying on the floor in prep where she lay down when she was brought down the back. I managed to get her onto a nice big duvet on my own. I dragged her to critical care ward while she looked a bit like a queen gazing at one of her minions pulling her carriage.
The locum vet helped me to lift the duvet about 2 foot off the floor to slide dog and duvet into the kennel and l felt and think heard a sort of rippy tear sound and instant agony just above my hip. I managed to push the duvet in without dropping it and gasped at one of the other nurses to push the patient in properly. I couldn't believe it l have done this manoeuvre hundreds of times before with no trouble.

I staggered to a chair and collapsed, after a couple of minutes l thought l better get some pain killer in me so managed to stagger to my bag and get a couple of ibuprofen then back to collapse into the chair. After about 5minutes of pouring sweat and feeling faint l remembered l was due to put another lot of eye drops into a cats eyes. I went to icu and gasped at the change over nurse's what needed doing. The pair of them looked at me like l was from planet zog and one said for gods sake sit down. Yup l will do when l can hoist myself from the door post and know l won't fall over, luckily the chair was close.

After about 20minutes sitting l stood up to move, well stagger hunched up as l didn't want to seize up. The about to go off duty nurse said that l had some colour back. Apparently when l staggered into icu about the eye drops l was black eyed my skin was past pale and had a yellow tinge to it and l was pouring sweat great no wonder she thought l was about to kark it on the floor.

The vet went from laughing at me to worried at her description and told me to put ice packs on it then sit back down and asked if l wanted him to get me a coffee or anything else, he was very sweet still, l owe him for laughing at me l shall plot revenge.
Great ice packs l hate the cold, l microwave salads now you want me to wear ice packs. Things settled down during the evening. I refused to be booted home and just did not pick up anything bigger than a cat. I also tried to avoid doing patients in bottom kennels.
I did do the ditzy bulldog. He was so bouncy and fun for a bulldog it was quite a shock, normally they are very staid and sober. He was happy to jump in and out of his kennel when told to as l had to clean his bed.

I went out to triage a collapsed cat and my bloody ice pack slid down my trousers while l was talking, l backed away holding the cat box trying to look dignified and managed to get the ice pack leg into the consult room as the ice pack slid out all the way.

I will be rethinking my lifting for the next few days/weeks, ie wont be lifting anything heavier than a cat for the foreseeable future while things settle, continue working and take my ibuprofen think that is really the only thing to do.