Check Your Head...

You want reality television? This is a reality website.

Many people have asked "what's up with Greg's head?"

I was going to say it was a bee sting or a fight with a Hammerhead Shark. Another story could have been that I cut myself shaving because I just couldn't take my unibrow any longer. Let's just say I'm a contender for the Y2K Darwin Awards.

I knew I had a problem when I noticed the blood pouring from over my left eye began to block my vision. I ducked my head into the water to clear it for a few seconds at a time. I'm sure my fellow passengers were horrified as I shook the water from my head because all they must have seen was blood (mixed with saltwater.) They asked "Are you all right?" and I signaled back to them an A-OK as I recovered the floating hat. I then swam to our floating Kayak which was tied to the rear of our boat. As I hopped on, Leisha's hat blew overboard into the water. I jumped back in and recovered the second hat as fellow passengers were yelling "get in the boat!" I swam to the rear of the boat and had rinsed my head with fresh water when this first picture was taken.

Captain Steve and the others told me it looked pretty bad. They took a couple of digital photos to show me. I was angry and embarrassed at what I had done and angry that it would scar. I was also angry that this happened at the beginning of a trip and that it would limit the scuba diving I had planned.

We radioed the Peter Island dock master to ask for help and advice. We were told to come in on the dinghy and take the ferry back to Tortola - it was leaving in just half an hour, at 4:30pm. I quickly grabbed my wallet with I.D. and about 45 minutes later Leisha and I were on our way to Tortola wearing just our bathing suits, T-shirts and sandals. As the ferry departed past our fellow passengers, standing on deck in sadness, we traded a salute. :)

At 5:00pm we arrived in Tortola and we took a Taxi to Peebles Hospital. Sorry, our camera was left behind on the Moonshadow. These pictures would be MUCH more juicy if Leisha was able to photograph the anaesthetizing and stitching operation. We were done in time to taxi back to the port for the 6:30 ferry which would return us to Peter Island.. (The next one would have been 8:00pm.)

Having no choice but to proceed with dinner plans, the rest of our party booked a 7pm reservation and the fancy Peter Island restaurant. Thinking I'd be very late in returning, they were quite surprised to see Leisha and me, (fixed and bandaged) approach the restaurant at just 7pm. We left our dinner orders with them, quickly went back to the Moonshadow to clean up and change clothes and were seated for dinner with the others by 7:30pm.

During the first two days I was very careful to keep the cut dry. Bathing, and specifically, shampooing was a bit difficult but I had some help from Leisha.

After a couple of days I felt I needed to get back in the water again and that a bit of saltwater would do me some good. So I had Kathy (our resident nurse) tape up my head, borrowed Rachel's swimming goggles and joined the others snorkeling. A few days later I even went scuba diving. With plenty of tape and not much pain, I was able to place a diving mask on my head. It leaked a bit but not enough to bother me.

Although I got hurt early in the trip, I still had a great time and I didn't let it keep me out of the water for too long. :) I now have a souvenir from my trip to the BVIs.

For those of you who wanted to see the wound and the stitches, the following pictures have been provided for your perverted pleasure.

Warning, they are a little gross.

Don't scroll down if you're squeamish!

After two days:

Stitches were in for one week. I took them out the night we got home. (Ken Weemhoff would be proud of me.)

After one week.

After 2 weeks:

3 weeks

5 weeks - the new me!

First you get the drugs, then you get the money... then you get the power!! - Tony Montana