Utter chaos... (and a trip to the local hospital!)

Yesterday was the most chaotic day on tour so far however it is always the unexpected events that happen along the way that make these trips worthwhile.

I'm riding along anyhow as I do most days except rest days and when I get to about 33km I see Alan & Bruce standing up inspecting Bruce's bike. I stop and they ask if I have any first aid stuff on me. Which I don't because I used it all up on me the other day!!! I look at Bruces elbow and there is blood everywhere coming out of it. His clothes are all ripped up too. Thankfully he is standing up and looking ok (apart from all the blood). Times like these we all work in a team however and the next rider is never too far behind. Evelyn is more organised than the rest of us however and she has some first aid stuff. Malcolm has babywipes to clean up all the dirt. And because I didn't bother to keep the fact quiet that I am a nurse, and because I am slightly more used to seeing copious quantities of blood compared to many other people, I am the one that gets to fix Bruces arm. So I clean the wound & compression bandage it and do a pretty good job at stopping the bleeding and Bruce is able to keep riding. I think Erin (the medic) is at the lunch truck & I want her to look at it to see if she reckons it needs stitches.

But further behind me Paul Porter (different Paul to the one helping me when I had my wipe out) also stacks it. He's gone over after not seeing a big huge pothole hidden by the shadow of a baobab tree.

Paul is a great guy and someone who I admire alot on this tour (especially because he's an Ironman, but also because he's 53 and keeps racing with the younger guys even though now he's the only racer in the masters category). He also knows a lot about a lot of things, and is a very interesting person to talk to.

Paul hurts his elbow quite badly, which needs to be sutured. When I get to the lunch truck Erin is not there (and I wanted her to look at Bruces elbow!!!). I missed seeing the 4x4 go by with her and Eddie our local guide for the section. Anyhow, the 4x4 gets back to the lunch truck while I'm still there with Alex & Erin our 2 awesome medics, and Paul. Erin can suture and I want to learn so I ask if I can come up to watch. As they take off the tape applying pressure to Pauls wound the wound opens and blood squirts out - I don't think I've seen blood squirt out like that before and they expect an arterial bleed - which means the artery requires suturing usually under anaesthetic - which means Paul will have to go hospital, but first we need to get Paul back from the lunch truck into the 4x4 and there is so much blood. I am trying to help by holding Pauls arm above his head & it is decided that 2 people need to go with Paul (as well as Eddie to drive the vehicle) to help stabilise the bleeding as best as possible along the way. We are more than 100km from the nearest hospital in Iringa. It's decided that Erin should stay with everyone else because she needs to check out Bruce, and in case there are any more emergencies along the way so I go with Alex & Paul & Eddie in the 4x4. Alex is applying pressure to the wound, I'm applying pressure to a point below the wound and for a while we get the bleeding stopped and stabilised.

We're in Tanzania. The roads are slightly better than the ones in Northern Kenya but it takes a good 2.5 hours in the car to get to Iringa. We get there and Paul is still alive and talking, slightly pale in the face and there is lots of swelling to his elbow and we suspect its fractured.

At the hospital Alex jumps out and finds out where we need to take Paul to. We must've looked weird - 3 Mzungus in lycra - 2 holding the others hand above his head.

Luckily the doctor is also a cyclist - he tells us he has a nice bicycle - it has 6 gears!!!

I was impressed with the hospital - they x-rayed Pauls arm, he was seen by an orthopaedic surgeon and we got his wound surgically cleaned and the bleeding controlled. Paul was admitted overnight and Alex, Eddie and I returned to camp.

Back at camp however, another rider had hit his head which also nearly required suturing (good thing Erin stayed at camp!), the dinner truck had broken down yet again (our dinner truck support vehicle is not feeling so well these days!!!) and hadn't got to camp until late. We don't get there until 1030pm and thankfully Sonja, Isobel & Michel have put up my tent for me - all I need to do is climb in and sleep...