Anyway, wow, I’m glad that all turned out well for that guy and his toe. Wasn’t interested in an incense burned mark, and still not.

Sorry for the off topic story hour! Anyway it’s good to see it turned out for the better, but that looks like an intense journey! “Mark” didn’t ask for it, certainly, maybe he shoulda known better; but hindsight is always sharper…particularly if you’re a 3rd party and someone’s slipping you some facts!

I came to comment not on the injury itself (that horse looks well flayed already) – but on what immediately came to mind when I read Shannon’s wondering if he’d have been crippled himself. Posting as an American, I can say emphatically – yes, if that were me, I’d be minus one toe (if not more) right now. And not so much because I’d avoid playing it self with my own body, but because I’d be constantly telling myself “it’s not THAT bad…” when measuring the pain against the cost of a doctor’s visit. I know that’s what would happen, because I’ve been there plenty of times, and I’m worse for the wear because of it. And I have health insurance! It’s just shitty insurance. That is infuriatingly fucked up.

Actually, fuck off with your “socialist healthcare” FUD, Thomas. I would gladly pay into a system that covers injuries, even self-inflicted ones, like Mark’s if it meant I had equal peace of mind when I needed it most.

Thomas, pull the stick out of your ass and grow up. Leave patient care to the people that actually know something about it.

You’re exactly the type of person I kick out of my patients rooms because you don’t know when to shut the fuck up.

I’d consider something like this an accident. An avoidable accident, maybe — I do think he should’ve done more research before diving straight in — but an accident all the same. And probably a wake-up experience as far as the research thing goes.

But I don’t think someone who’s had an accident deserves anger and scorn. They deserve compassion, no matter what.

As for how others in his life feel about the situation… I’d say that’s up to each and every one of them. I had a close friend who was injured in a body modification gone wrong, and there were plenty of friends who were willing to support him and take care of him even with the knowledge that he’d brought the situation onto himself. There were others who were very upset by it and avoided him afterward. But the reactions were very individual, as they should be. Personally, I knew that he hadn’t expected to be hurt, and went into the situation with the best of intentions and what he thought was thorough information. It just wasn’t enough, and we all learned some valuable lessons.

Once something like this has happened, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting – that the person crawl off into a corner and die after making a mistake as large as this, so as not to be a burden to others? Or omnisciently predict which (perhaps seemingly reasonable) actions are going to go terribly wrong?

I’m glad when Shannon and others post these sorts of stories, whether the outcomes are good or bad – it reminds us that our actions have consequences, and to do our homework thoroughly before we do something to our bodies.

Traumatic injury, and the lifestyle/life implications that come with it have a severe impact on the family and loved ones of those afflicted. Obviously financial issues are huge – easily into the hundreds of thousands, and in my personal case, millions of dollars. If one is fortunate, insurance can cover some or most of this cost – but it never covers all of it.

Accepting that someone you love or are obligated to care for in this kind of position is difficult enough – accepting that he did it to himself for esoteric reasons (and that you have to deal with it) is something in another realm.