Losing the Lifeguard Laurels

Hmm... it seems my fallback plan of lifeguarding for the rest of my life if all else goes wrong might be seriously jeopardised due to my dumboheadedness as demonstrated in recent happenings.

Following a terribly klutzy tumble on a bus two days ago it seems I have a goose egg on my shin and a blue and black foot.

I maintain that some of my former lifeguarding expertise is still retained. As was evidenced in my realising that the goose egg was the point of impact and the discolouration was a side effect (ie my shin suffered severe enough trauma that the blood is pooling in my foot due to the effects of gravity and the fact bruising typically occurs in the 'wells' of the body). Thus my assessment skills seem to be up to par. However, my treatment skills are seriously lacking and my secondary assessment - that of the discolouration might have been unncessary if I had simply treated with one of the cardinal rules of Lifeguard First Aid 'RICE'. RICE is one of the oft-used acronyms (along with RED and WARTS) to treat superficial/muscular injuries. It stands for Rest. Immobilise. Cold. Elevate.

Had I 'RICE'd my injury as I keep telling anyone who will listen, I surely wouldn't have to worry about colour coordinating my outfit for work tomorrow to my abnormally purplish foot. Perhaps, if I manage to find something to wear I can find a career in fashion as clearly I can't be a Baywatch babe anymore.